April 2021

Let's Build A Zoo

Have you ever wanted to invent your own species by splicing together different animals to create something new? My fellow Xennials who watched Wuzzles know what I mean! There's a new game coming this summer called Let's Build a Zoo that will let you do just that. It's like Zoo Tycoon and it will be available on Switch, Xbox and Playstation.

May TBR List Time!

New months are almost as exciting for me as new years. They present a whole new start twelve times a year, so if you feel like the last month didn't really do what you wanted it to do, or that you didn't meet your goals, you get another chance! Yes, I treat Mondays in a similar manner.

Boozy Ice Cream Specialties

My favorite ice cream place is a micro-creamery in St. Louis that makes small batch ice creams, many of which are boozy. They have "nice" flavors, which don't contain booze, but they also have "naughty" flavors like Maple Bourbon w/Salted Candied Pecans, PBR Hard Coffee and Pink Champagne Sorbet. They also have rotating flavors, new flavors regularly and even vegan options, so it's a really nice place to get some spiked dessert!

Must-Try Ice Cream

Most people love some form of ice cream, even if it's just frozen bananas. (Frozen grapes are more my thing!) But when you go out for ice cream, there seem to be two camps of people: the people who get the same flavors at the same places year after year, and the people who set out to try new, adventurous flavors or create their own at home as it suits them.

All The Lemonade

Although spring isn't my favorite season, it seems like every time it comes around I can't stop craving lemonade. I love lemonade no matter what, but for some reason I want it constantly in the springtime. Recently one of our local European restaurants has taken to making Nitro Lemonade and I'm a little addicted, even though I'm trying to stay away from the sugar.

Recasting 80s Movies

Rumors are abounding that Michael Keaton is on board to play the titular character in Beetlejuice 2, but that's one movie from my childhood I don't really care to see updated in the least. Okay, Beetlejuice is a totally toxic character, but he's the bad guy. He gets punished and we aren't meant to root for him. Do we need a prequel, or an updated version where he's learned his lesson? I like Keaton but I don't know that we do.

Pick-Your-Own Farms

The farmer's markets are starting to open up, the gardens are starting to grow and it's almost time for pick-your-own season to begin! The fresh produce is the most exciting part of springtime and what better way is there to enjoy some fresh air and change your scenery than to head to a farm and pick something fresh?

The Final Week Of NaNoWriMo!

This is it, the final week of NaPoWriMo! How did yours go? Did you accomplish all you set out to write and/or read? We did a very low-key NaPoWriMo this year and I'm afraid we didn't accomplish all of what we wanted to do, but we did decide to do a whole poetry credit during the spring semester of 2022 to coincide with the event next time!

Family Guy Gender Swap

My teen and I love to do re-casting of favorite movies and TV shows. It's something we often do during lunchtime while we talk about who would be a great fit for different roles. For example, today we re-cast Scooby Doo as follows: 

Fred: Sigourney Weaver

Daphne: Lil Nax X (who also provides the theme song)

Velma: Elliot Page

Shaggy: Leslie Jones

Scooby: Melissa McCarthy

President/Person Who Hires The Gang: Ming-Na Wen

Villain: Michelle Pfeiffer, who plays the best baddies ever

Grateful Dead Summer Looks

Summer is right around the corner. Where I live, we just had two super humid days and it feels like it's already here! It's time to put away all of those cute Deadhead hoodies and coats and bring out the t-shirts, but I know many of us are in desperate need of a t-shirt overhaul. Many of them have nostalgic value, sure, but if they are riddled with holes (or even have the printing fading off like one of my favorites), it's really time to recycle them (or preserve them if they're special) and get something new.

Gender: Abolish Or Add More?

The younger generation's ability to really connect with themselves and decide the right words to describe their gender is so fascinating and wonderful to me. As someone who learned the word "androgynous" as a teen and immediately connected with it, it was still never enough. Teen me would've loved Tiktok and all of the self-expression of this generation.

Tis the Season of the Second Shot

While my next shot isn't until next week, I'm enjoying this new sense of camaraderie people have over... vaccinations. It's like being in school again comparing how our arms feel. Did you get it? When are you getting it? Which one did you get? I have even seen people become fans of whichever company's shot they received! While that's a bit of a stretch for me, I say why not celebrate rapid science before our eyes?

Mother's Day Crafts

Whether you're honoring a mother or mother figure in your life, someone you lost or even yourself as a mother (of a child, a pet or even yourself), are you planning on making a craft this year for that very purpose? Motherhood is so complex. I thought the teen years would be the easiest after teaching and working with teens, and while my teen is so funny and smart and awesome, it's turning out to be a whole different ballgame. It's constantly evolving and I think I might make myself a clay statue to honor the mother I was and the mother I'm becoming.

Shopping For Moms And Mother Figures

Mother's Day isn't just about biological moms. It's about mother figures, mothers who've passed on whom we miss dearly, mothers we mourn, mothers who've lost children and are very much still mothers, and even the mothering some have had to do to themselves after not having a mother figure. We can celebrate, mourn or even ignore the day however seems best in our personal situations.

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