-
Favorite Quotes---Of all the things you can lose, your temper is one that can't be replaced.
---Work like you don't need the money, love like you've never been hurt, and dance like you do when no one is watching.
---Any nation that does not honor its heros will not long endure. (Abraham Lincoln) -
-
Grab My Button!
-
-
STARRING………..THE MOMS!!!!!
Hi! I’m Cameron (that’s my picture over on the left side with my Mom) and I LOVE my Mom. So when we were invited to participate in Trockle’s party, I asked if we could change the focus a little and talk to Trockle and Stephen’s mom. So I came up with my questions and Mom emailed them and below you’ll find their answers. It’s amazing how both the mom of a human and the mom of a monster are so much alike. I hope you enjoy.
Interview with Trockle’s Mom
1. What is the hardest thing about being a monster’s mom?
Well, the first time your little one realizes he’s the terrible, fearsome creature the child upstairs is so afraid of - that can be hard. Of course, Trockle was afraid of Stephen, too - so not only did I have to help him understand why anyone would think HE was the scary one, I had to calm HIS fears so he could get to sleep. But I’ll tell you a secret, Cameron. We moms LOVE being moms. It’s hard work, but we enjoy it so much it seems easy, most days.
2. Why do you call Trockle “Trockle Pie?”
Didn’t your mother ever call you Sweetie Pie or Pookie Bear or anything silly like that?
3. Why do you paint Trockle’s fingers green?
They’re naturally a little grayish green. Even when they’re clean, they look a little dingy. The green goes so well with his orange skin, don’t you think? He’s been wondering what to wear for Halloween - do you think he’d make a cute little pumpkin?
4. When Stephen cleans his room and there isn’t a dirty sock, what do you cover Trockle up with?
Oh, there are always socks! That’s why Stephen’s mother always ends up with a handful of mismatched socks, you know. Six or seven socks that don’t match up to anything, on laundry day. Because I keep a spare or three handy. But if I couldn’t find a sock, I could always drag Stephen’s Superman cape under the bed, or his stuffed kangaroo. He hardly ever plays with Roody the ‘Roo anymore, and the pouch is nice and fuzzy and full of lint.
5. Does Trockle have a Dad? Where does he live?
Of course, dear. Trockle’s daddy and I live in the coat closet under the stairs.
6. What do you and Trockle do for fun?
Trockle loves to play with Stephen’s toys. He used to have to wait until Stephen went to sleep. Sometimes, he comes out and plays while Stephen’s at school. And now, well…it’s very unusual, you know, for a human boy and an under-the-bed monster to SEE each other, let alone play together, but ever since the launch of the book…
7. What and how do you cook for Trockle?
We don’t cook. I know that you kids think we under-the-bed monsters like to eat humans almost as much as you like to eat ice cream, but it’s not true. We eat candy, soda pop, leftovers, and occasionally - as a special treat - veggies like Brussels sprouts. Trockle does love veggies. I don’t encourage it, though.
8. Where do you and Trockles go if Stephen or his mom clean under the bed?
Oh, we all scurry down to the hall closet. There are so many passages in the walls that it’s quite easy to move all around the house quickly.
9. How big are you and Trockle?
About as big as a small basketball.
10. How big was Trockle when he was born?
Oh, my goodness! Trockle was such a tiny thing when he was born - just the size of a golf ball!
Interview with Stephen’s Mom
1. Where do you buy monster repellant?
Monster what? OH! Wal-Mart or Kroger, usually. CVS or Walgreens, in a pinch.
2. What is in monster repellant?
A super-secret, magical formula that mostly never fails. Except for sometimes. Which is a good thing, I guess. If mine had worked, we wouldn’t have Trockle.
3. What kind of stuff does Stephen say in his sleep?
Oh, he’d be so mad at me for telling you, but it’s mostly mumbling. Now and then he blurts out something like, “But Ms. Shaffer, my crocodile really did throw my homework under a bridge!” Or, “Not now! I need to wash my violin!”
4. Do you have any more children besides Stephen? If so, did they think there were monsters in their room?
Yes, Stephen has an older sister. She always insisted I tuck her feet into the sheet and the comforter as tightly as I could; she thought the monsters would reach out from under the bed, grab her by the ankle, and yank her under there with them. If she could only have seen how small they are, and how polite!
5. What are Stephen’s favorite snacks?
Stephen loves peanut butter and Nutella. He also likes Ramen soup, probably because his favorite anime character, Naruto, likes Ramen.
As Promised…
Cameron’s interview went great didn’t it? Want to know more about this cute little monster we call Trockle? Check out the other stops on the party tour, Trockle’s blog, or Holly’s blog.
The Party Stops:
October 5:
Joyce Anthony @ Books and Authors
http://joyceanthony.tripod.com/blog/
October 6:
Joyce Anthony @ Books and Authors
http://joyceanthony.tripod.com/blog/
October 7:
Janet @ Janet’s Book Nook
http://www.sheneedstoknow.com/booknook
October 9:
Jen (Pantheistic Mom) @ My Terrene Reality
http://terrenereality.blogspot.com
October 10:
Elysabeth Eldering @ the Junior Geography Detective Squad
http://jgdsseries.blogspot.com/
October 11:
Ron Berry @ The Surreal Writer
http://unwriter1.wordpress.com/
October 12:
Lynne Thompson @ La Vida Es Un Sueno
http://suenogrande.blogspot.com/
October 13:
Wrap-up by Holly Jahangiri and Jordan M. Vinyard
http://blog.jahangiri.us
As promised we have a great prize for this party!!!
Grand Prize: A customized Halloween short story featuring your child (or grandchild, niece, nephew, or friend) with Trockle - written by Holly Jahangiri and illustrated by Jordan Vinyard.
Second Prize: A $20 gift certificate to Amazon.com.
To enter, complete the following steps:
(1) Purchase a copy of Trockle directly from 4RV Publishing (http://www.4rvpublishingllc.com/Store) between 12:00 AM October 5 and 11:59 PM October 13, and
(2) Send an email to president@4rvpublishingllc.com with your answer to the question posted at http://jahangiri.us/trockle-promo.html.
You may enter as often as you like, but all completed entries must be received before midnight on October 13!
Winners will be announced at http://blog.jahangiri.us and at http://www.4rvpublishingllc.com.
The winners will be chosen randomly from all correctly completed entries (see “To enter” above) and winners will be notified by email. IMPORTANT NOTE: The Grand Prize winner will need to work directly with the author and illustrator to create a memorable gift for that special child. To include the child’s likeness in the illustration, you will need to provide a digital photo upon notification that you have won. Every effort will be made to deliver the prize prior to Halloween, but circumstances beyond our control may prevent that and we do not guarantee that it will arrive by October 31.
Shhh!!! Don’t Tell!!!
We were just getting ready to party when the Gremlins arrived. All day today we’ve fought back and forth and bach and forth…..I thought they were going to succeed and ruin our party. I even had to pull Cameron and Stephen in the fight (shh!! Don’t tell his mom that I got him out of school!!!). But alas, we have prevailed and the party is about to start!!!! Stay tuned!! Cameron is leading up this party, and she has some great things to share.
Super Fast Internet, Super Green Car
I am constantly searching for alternatives to my internet provider as I have a love/hate relationship with it. See I live out in the woods so there are very few alternatives for me. In fact I basically have two alternatives - dialup or satellite. Can you guess which one I use? Though because of other restrictions and the high price for horrible customer service, I almost wish I had dial up sometimes - if speed just wasn’t such a factor.
Unfortunately for me, Charter is not in my service area, but I’ve looked into them multiple times wishing they were. They are always running great deals to go along with the fast service and great prices. This time they are running a contest for a “green” car - a 2009 Honda Civic Hybrid. How awesome would it be to win a car that gets up to 45 mpg on the highway? With today’s gas prices, that sounds like the best deal of all to me!!
Charter offers more than just Internet, they also offer telephone and television services. If you are fortunate to live in an area that Charter offers services, you should go check out the services that Charter offers and be sure to enter the contest for the 2009 Honda Civic Hybrid while you are there. All potentiol customers (those that live in the service area) are eligible to enter the contest. (So sad for me, but maybe good for you)
Baking Contest Time
A tradition for us each fall is the Pineywoods Baking Contest. Becka spends time all year planning what she’ll enter in to the contest (that coincides with our Pineywoods Fair). That time has arrived. Entries are due next week. So…we are now spending lots of time baking desserts - we’ve had pies, cakes, cupcakes, and Christmas cookies. We really wanted to do the Tie Dyed Cheesecake from Pop Century, but the rules state that the dessert can not require refrigeration. I really think that if we baked it the night before and stored it in the freezer for a couple hours before turning it in, that it would be fine through the taste tests, but we are scared that they will just say that because it’s cheesecake, it should be disqualified because cheesecake SHOULD be kept cool. *sigh* So I think we’re settling on cookies. We’ll be baking different types of cookies for the next week - there goes my diet! LOL
-
Close to My Heart
Our soldiers NEED to know we SUPPORT them! Adopt a Soldier today! -
Useful Links
-
Blogging Links
-
Rankings
