Review: We Are All Made of Molecules

Review:

 Title: We Are All Made of Molecules
Author: Susin Nielsen
Publisher: Wendy Lamb Books
Publication date: May 12, 2015
Genre(s): Middle Grade (Contemporary)
Source: Publisher
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 256


Goodreads:Thirteen-year-old Stewart is academically brilliant but socially clueless. Fourteen-year-old Ashley is the undisputed “It” girl in her class, but her grades stink. Their worlds are about to collide when Stewart and his dad move in with Ashley and her mom. Stewart is trying to be 89.9 percent happy about it, but Ashley is 110 percent horrified. She already has to hide the real reason her dad moved out; “Spewart” could further threaten her position at the top of the social ladder. They are complete opposites. And yet, they have one thing in common: they - like everyone else - are made of molecules.

My Rating: 2 Star

My Thoughts on this novel: Very disappointing. In a very long time did I give a 2 star rating.The cover of the book and the synopsis at the back caught my eye. But the story inside is totally different than what I thought it would be. The very disturbing point was "Using rape as a plot device" that was a deal breaker for me right there. And above all wasn't even handled sensitively.

The idea on the whole was nice,  blending two families together, there were some sweet moments, some touching, some grief moments of mom passing away. But later in the story some unpleasant things happens which makes the story inappropriate for the younger age group to read.

My Recommendations: It is recommended for Young Adult and Teens, But if you ask me, as a parent, I wouldn't recommend this for my teen.

Happy Reading !!

I love Blogging

I know this title sounds weird after being silent on blog for a such a long time. Well, I've my own reasons for it which I'll share in my upcoming posts. This definitely didn't mean that i've left reading. I can never do that. In fact, anything but that. It's just that I was too busy enjoying life with family and my work (My new passion, new crush, new love.) Reading was and will always be there. Blogging took a back seat. Not too back tough, Third place to be exact ...lol.. I am content to blog when i can find time without sacrificing my family's time and work time. I still love n enjoy blogging so much so that i can't imagine ever stopping.

I've been blogging since 2011. Blogging came to me when I was a stay at home mom, taking care of my little one. As my little one grew older started going to school full time, I joined college too to continue my education. And thus, got busy. But now I think I've settled in my new routine so think I can come back with lots n lots of book reviews, some experiences,some laughter, some poems and so much to share. But just in case I disappear for a bit, assume m busy and will be back as soon as I can be.

Happy Reading !!

Time Vs Money

A man came home from work late, tired and irritated, to find his 5-year old son waiting for him at the door.

SON: “Daddy, may I ask you a question?”
DAD: “Yeah sure, what is it?” replied the man.
SON: “Daddy, how much do you make an hour?”
DAD: “That’s none of your business. Why do you ask such a thing?” the man said angrily.
SON: “I just want to know. Please tell me, how much do you make an hour?”
DAD: “If you must know, I make Rs.100 an hour.”
SON: “Oh,” the little boy replied, with his head down.
SON: “Daddy, may I please borrow $25 ?”

The father was furious, “If the only reason you asked that is so you can borrow some money to buy a silly toy or some other nonsense, then you march yourself straight to your room.The little boy quietly went to his room and shut the door.

The man had calmed down, and started to think: Maybe there was something he really needed to buy with that $5 and he really didn’t ask for money very often. The man went to the door of the little boy’s room and opened the door.” Are you asleep, son?” He asked.
“No daddy, I’m awake,” replied the boy. “I’ve been thinking, maybe I was too hard on you earlier” said the man. Here’s the $5 you asked for.”

The little boy sat straight up, smiling. “Oh, thank you daddy!” He yelled. Then, reaching under his pillow he pulled out some crumpled up bills.The man saw that the boy already had money, started to get angry again. The little boy slowly counted out his money, and then looked up at his father. “Why do you want more money if you already have some?” the father grumbled.”Because I didn’t have enough, but now I do,” the little boy replied.

“Daddy, I have $25 now. Can I buy an hour of your time?
Please come home early tomorrow. I would like to have dinner with you.”

The father was crushed. He put his arms around his little son, and he begged for his forgiveness.

Time is more valuable than money. You can get back the money but not the time. Time for family, kids, marriage, make them smile, smile for them, do things that makes u happy, do sumthing for them, build memories .. These r things in life that money can't buy. A reminder to all of us working so hard in life. Do not let time slip through our fingers without having spent some time with those who really matter to us, those close to our hearts. 

Review: Family Blessings - Fern Michaels

"No place Like Home" was a much better read. This one is very badly written, poor plot. I could've given 2 stars but gave 4 stars for the time i've given to this book. I was quite disgusted with it actually. I had high hopes on this. Was very hard for me to even finish it but was a fast read. 

Sara and Hannah, two of the three Cisco triplets, are perturbed that their hubbies are coming home later and later, and immediately become convinced that they're having affairs. The truth? Hapless Zack and Joel have bought an expensive boat to sail around the world and are afraid to tell their wives. Sonia, wife of third triplet Sam, has just left her husband-why? He's not ready to start a family, and she's accidentally pregnant. Does she simply tell him? Of course not. The six lovebirds bumble around misunderstanding each other against the backdrop of cozy, homey Larkspur, Pa., where neighbors help the triplets' grandmother rebuild her tornado-destroyed home. The flimsy premise and artificial drama suck all the charm out of the story, and while Michaels's devoted fans might pick it up out of habit, this soggy tale will frustrate most.

The Fisherman and the Businessman

There was once a businessman who was sitting by the beach in a small Brazilian village. As he sat, he saw a Brazilian fisherman rowing a small boat towards the shore having caught quite a few big fish.
The businessman was impressed and asked the fisherman, “How long does it take you to catch so many fish?” The fisherman replied, “Oh, just a sh...ort while.”

“Then why don’t you stay longer at sea and catch even more?” The businessman was astonished.

“This is enough to feed my whole family,” the fisherman said.

The businessman then asked, “So, what do you do for the rest of the day?”

The fisherman replied, “Well, I usually wake up early in the morning, go out to sea and catch a few fish, then go back and play with my kids. In the afternoon, I take a nap with my wife, and evening comes, I join my buddies in the village for a drink — we play guitar, sing and dance throughout the night.”

The businessman offered a suggestion to the fisherman. “I am a PhD in business management. I could help you to become a more successful person. From now on, you should spend more time at sea and try to catch as many fish as possible. When you have saved enough money, you could buy a bigger boat and catch even more fish. Soon you will be able to afford to buy more boats, set up your own company, your own production plant for canned food and distribution network. By then, you will have moved out of this village and to Sao Paulo, where you can set up HQ to manage your other branches.”

The fisherman continues, “And after that?”

The businessman laughs heartily, “After that, you can live like a king in your own house, and when the time is right, you can go public and float your shares in the Stock Exchange, and you will be rich.”

The fisherman asks, “And after that?”

The businessman says, “After that, you can finally retire, you can move to a house by the fishing village, wake up early in the morning, catch a few fish, then return home to play with kids, have a nice afternoon nap with your wife, and when evening comes, you can join your buddies for a drink, play the guitar, sing and dance throughout the night!”

The fisherman was puzzled, “Isn’t that what I am doing now?”

Time or Money

Father was a hardworking man who delivered bread as a living to support his wife and three children. He spent all his evenings after work attending classes, hoping to improve himself so t...hat he could one day find a better paying job. Except for Sundays, Father hardly ate a meal together with his family. He worked and studied very hard because he wanted to provide his family with the best money could buy.

Whenever the family complained that he was not spending enough time with them, he reasoned that he was doing all this for them. But he often yearned to spend more time with his family.

The day came when the examination results were announced. To his joy, Father passed, and with distinctions too! Soon after, he was offered a good job as a senior supervisor which paid handsomely.

Like a dream come true, Father could now afford to provide his family with life’s little luxuries like nice clothing, fine food and vacation abroad.

However, the family still did not get to see father for most of the week. He continued to work very hard, hoping to be promoted to the position of manager. In fact, to make himself a worthily candidate for the promotion, he enrolled for another course in the open university.

Again, whenever the family complained that he was not spending enough time with them, he reasoned that he was doing all this for them. But he often yearned to spend more time with his family.

Father’s hard work paid off and he was promoted. Jubilantly, he decided to hire a maid to relieve his wife from her domestic tasks. He also felt that their three-room flat was no longer big enough, it would be nice for his family to be able to enjoy the facilities and comfort of a condominium. Having experienced the rewards of his hard work many times before, Father resolved to further his studies and work at being promoted again. The family still did not get to see much of him. In fact, sometimes Father had to work on Sundays entertaining clients. Again, whenever the family complained that he was not spending enough time with them, he reasoned that he was doing all this for them. But he often yearned to spend more time with his family.

As expected, Father’s hard work paid off again and he bought a beautiful condominium overlooking the coast of Singapore. On the first Sunday evening at their new home, Father declared to his family that he decided not to take anymore courses or pursue any more promotions. From then on he was going to devote more time to his family.

Father did not wake up the next day......

If you only have one life to live.. How do you want to live each day?? What are we really living for?? Are we working to live? Or are we living to work?

FATHER-IN-LAW

I knew what you were going through
But I didn't knew what to say
I knew how you were feeling
But I just knew how to pray
I wish I knew more better way to help you than what I did to
relieve your tremendous pain

I wish I had a magic wand
and take away your pain
There isn't much
that I could do but pray which I did
But all my prayers were unanswered
There again I was left with another WHY? of life

You were the second chance given to me by Almighty,

YOU as a FATHER in my life, but I failed even this time to save you
Oh father-in-law of mine

I've seen the joy on your face
When your grandson took his first walk
Seen the worry and anxiety
When things just aren't going your way
We needed your guidance, skill, and wisdom
A better man will never be found
Your son wishes he were half the man
That you were

I agree, and desperately hope
That my children will be like you, some
I wish that I could give you something
For all that you've given us
Your knowledge, love, and your youngest son

Tears rolls down the cheeks, knowing that your not physically present here,

But as a legacy, your words of wisdom, your smile, your guidance will always remain

Feels happy to know that you are in a much better place and in much safer hands

You will always be missed

May you RIP, Papa  

In-Laws

    
     Admittedly, this has been an easy one for me coz my in-laws are extraordinary people. And I must say my husband is equally lucky cuz my parents were also special. But its his bad luck that he didn't see his father in-law and didn't get much time to spend with his mother in-law. However, for many people, in-laws present quite a challenge, to say the least. And even if you like your in-laws, you do have to make certain sacrifices simply because of the nature of marriage. You will, for example, have to make trade offs as to where u spend holidays. You will also have to deal with the almost unavoidable problems of conflicting backgrounds and upbringing different religious philosophies, differing views on parenting, discipline, spending, saving, the relative importance of spending time with family, and so forth.Yet, despite the probable differences among you, I believe that most in-law relationships have the potential to be loving and filled with mutual respect.
     The trick to making the most of ur relationship with ur in-laws is to stay focused on gratitude. While their almost certainly will be differences you will have to deal with, gratitude will enable you to appreciate, rather than struggle against, those differences.
     Its easy to forget, yet you love your spouse, you owe ur in-laws an enormous debt of gratitude ! If not for their bringing your spouse into the world, you'd be with someone else, or alone. In most instances, it took ur in-laws (or one of them) to raise your spouse. So, regardless of what you may think,, they played a significant role in your spouses upbringing.
     Before you sarcastically think some think like "that explains why my spouse has certain problems," keep in mind that the opposite is equally true. If you blame ur in-laws for any issues your spouse struggles with, its only fair to give them credit for his or her strengths as well. In addition, if you have children, their genes their physical makeup come, in part, from your in-laws. With their contribution, your children would not be the people they are. If you think your kids are cute, and who doesn't think so, some of that cuteness, whether you want to believe it or not, comes from your in-laws.
     Believe me, m not a bury-your-head-in-the-sand-and-pretend-that-everything-is-perfect kind of person. I realise that all in-laws have certain difficult qualities, just as I will too my future daughter-in-law, some day down the road (way down the road). However, what choice do u have? You can continue to complain abt your in-laws, make mean spirited jokes about how difficult it is to have them, and wish that they were different or you can begin to focus less on their irritating quirks and characteristics and instead focus on that which you have to be grateful for. I believe the decision is an easy one. Stay focused on gratitude and my guess is that you will be able to improve your existing relationship in a significant way.
     I share this cute corner with my mom-in-law. This filmy gossip. I get her the weekly newspapers. She reads them n shares it with me when we meet and I do the same. And trust me, I just read it for her. She even saves some cooking tips, health tips paper cutting for me and we share n discuss.
     Every relation has this sweet corners, find them, maintain them, feed them, give space, make space. These corners helps save relations when things go wrong, when things r not in control. It helps to let go things. Understanding is a must in all relation......Enjoy your weekend with your in-laws...:)

Doing as We Do, Not as We Say

    
     Possibly the most influential relationship our children observe is the one between their parents. This is where they are most likely to learn how respect is expressed in daily living. No mater what we tell our children about how to behave, the way we act towards each other is the message they will actually receive.
     It's been a day full of bickering between the 6 &7 year old kids, Andrew and Emily. Mom finally loses her patience and yells, "Stop fighting, I can't stand it anymore!"
     Both kids look up at her in surprise and then Andrew replies, "But you and Daddy argue all the time. This isn't any different."
     Mom is speechless. She's never thought of it this way before, but she knows Andrew is right.
     Our children notice the way we speak to each other: our tone of voice, our attitudes, our unexpressed emotions. It's not simply a matter of whether we fight or argue. It's the way we resolve disagreements, how we communicate each other in clearing up minor misunderstandings, and how well we respond to each other's needs.
     Even the smallest gestures of attractiveness and concern that passes  between Mom and Dad are noticed by our children, becoming a mental model for how to treat loved ones. When they hear the expressions of polite interaction - "please", "thank you", and "you're welcome", - used in a habitual and natural way, and when thoughtful question such as "Can I get you something?" and "Can I help you with that?" are in the background of their everyday lives, they see the way people can help each other through life in both big moments and small.

Living with Love and Laughter Quiz

Long time ago, I once attended this seminar on "FAMILY" by a renowned speaker and the author, named Dennis Swanberg. By the end of the session, we were given this activity and I find it very interesting. Sharing this :


Answer Yes or No :


  1. My children and parents know what kind of music I like.
  2. I make sure to include something fun in every day.
  3. I make a special point of hanging out with  my family each week.
  4. I am silly at least ten minutes each day.
  5. When asked about my past. I tell the truth.
  6. When I m with my family the television is off more than it is on.
  7. I call my family by special love names.
  8. If I start a new project, I'll let myself quit after a short time if I'm sure I don't like it.
  9. I let my kids stay home from school once in a while even if they aren't sick.
10. I play hooky once a while from home.
11. My family view me as a fun person.
12. I read books for relaxation.
13. My family has seen me dance.
14. I do a physical activity each week.
15. My home life is relaxed.
16. I am able to see the positive side when things go wrong.
17. I cry in front of my family.
18. I know how to express anger without dumping on them.
19. I am able to negotiate with my children/parents when we disagree.
20. I accept feedback from my spouse, children and/or parents.
21. I laugh with my children daily.
22. I laugh with my partner daily.
23. I think my children have something important to teach me.
24. We eat dinner together at least three times a week and enjoy it.
25. I give my children unexpected treats or awards just coz.
26. I surprise my family with unexpected gifts.
27. We acknowledge small accomplishments.
28. I can keep messes in perspective.
29. Our family traditions add meaning and pleasure to our lives.
30. I make sure to say "I love You" to the important people in my life.
31. I have told my parents how much they mean to me.
32. I show respect for my elders.
33. I smile at babies.
34. I make a conscious effort to smile directly at my child each day.
35. I am able to listen to my child for one minute without offering advice, interrupting, or asking questions.
36. My child has heard me sing.
37. I have taught my child to whistle.
38. I take  lighthearted approach when solving problems.
39. I am able to show affection to family members.
40. I am interested in my spouse and show it.
41. I whistle while doing chores around the house.
42. When I've blown it, I apologize to my family members.
43. I spend time each day doing something I love.
44. I spend time with my children each day doing something we all enjoy.
45. I am able to say "no" without feeling guilty and without lecturing.
46. I am able to stay calm and laugh about small disruptions.
47. I am able to give strong directives without yelling.
48. My kids respect me more than they fear me.
49. I can laugh at my own mistakes.
50. When I'm impatient with my children I remind myself that they have not been on the earth very long.
51. I am eenthusiastic and cheerful.
52. I enjoy my family everyday.
53. My family knows that they are my top priority.
54. I am optimistic.
55. I avoid name-calling, criticism, and put-downs.
56. I put my focus on what my kids are doing right.
57. I put my focus on what I am doing right.
58. At the end of the day, I am able to put events in perspective and being fresh in the morning.
59. My family would describe me a positive and loving.
60. I feel like I am living with friends: people I like and trust.
61. Our home is comfortable and cozy.
62. We take downtime for loafing, hanging out, and puttering round.
63. The people in my family are cheerful and relaxed most of the time.
64. Our family is able to talk about what is troubling us.
65. We help our children with their homework.


Total number of YES answers : _______


Scoring : (The total number of yes answers.)


0-10 : Your family is much too serious. You're probably not enjoying yourself and you're having difficulty relaxing. Perhaps you didn't have much fun growing up. You can now change that pattern your focus on enjoying your family. You need to heal the wounds of your own childhood.


11-21 : Your family is tense, and so are you. You're worries, anxious and under pressure. This is affecting your family. You need to find healthy ways to relax and unwind. Focus on having fun. Make a daily practice of smiling to your children and spouse every day.


22-32 : Your family is moving in a good direction. You're beginning to enjoy your children. You understand that children respond well to kindness. Let yourself and your children be silly. Find ways to play together.


33-44 : Your family is important to you, and you are able to focus on what truly matters in life. Remember it's the quality of your relationship with your family that matters in the long run. Hang out together without the pressures of doing. Listen more.


45-55 : Your parenting style is upbeat, and your children are able to laugh at you. Keep it up by adding a little more laughter each day.


56-65 : You live in a nurturing family. Your parenting style is positive. Your children are developing good self-esteem. Keep up the good work and keep going.