Kayla's Book Nook

Well today was a little tough. For some reason all day I craved something sweet. I was having a hard time not wanting sweets and desserts. I'm usually more of a chocolate person, but today all I could think about was brownies, cookies, etc. I really needed to stay strong, so I ate my brown rice, broccoli, and chicken sausage bowl, and then ate some fruit. Then, I had the kids help me make some really good healthy blueberry muffins. This was a new recipe that I found. It has no oil or sugar in it. It is sweetened with honey and greek yogurt. The recipe called for plain greek yogurt, but I only had vanilla yogurt so I used that instead. These muffins also use oats in them to give them texture and a hearty quality. They only have about 119 calories in them as well. Score!! I love blueberry muffins, but I know there's a lot of calories in them due to the sugar and oil that's normally in them. These were fantastic! I love anything with oats, and they're moist and flavorful!...

Well today has been super tough so far. Since Christmas our house has been a pretty big mess. There's new toys, boxes, old toys, books, etc. everywhere! Finally, today I had had enough and something had to give. I played scrabble jr. with the kids, which was awesome, had my shakeology shake, and then got to work. First, I tackled my son's room, because it's bigger and much easier to manage. I decided to take out some big things he doesn't really play with anymore and to put in the organizer bins that a friend of mine had given me recently. I have got to tell you that it was a ton of work, but so worth it! His rooms looks great, and he's got a ton of spots for adding toys in the future. Things are organized, cleaned, and put away. I even cleaned out his clothes to give to our friends that have a son a little bit younger than our son. Then, I decided to take on my daughter's room. This is the harder room, because she's still in the nursery until we finish...

Well, the kids wanted to go see the new Ferdinand movie, and I really wanted to take them to go see it. We wrangled my mom into going with us today. Now, my favorite part of going to a theatre is the popcorn, candy, and soda. Of course, if I am going to change things and stay on track then I can't eat any of those things. So, I just didn't! I got water instead of soda. I let my mom and the kids gobble down the popcorn and candy, and brought my own trail mix for myself. The only time I had difficulty was when we first got the popcorn. It just smells so good! I am so proud that I didn't partake in any of the goodies! My trailmix was delicious and filling. Of course it has its own sugars in it, but it's much better for me than all that other junk. Then, we decided to go get lunch at Friendly's, because even though it's a balmy 10 degrees out today, the kids wanted ice cream. This was potentially another problem. My favorite thing to get is the honey bbq sandwi...

Well, my first workout has been completed! I did the Move Your Body workout in the Youv2 program today. It was a little rough to start out. It's not that the workout is hard, its just wanting to stick with it. I hate that I am usually counting down the minutes until I'm done. Normally, about 2-3 weeks in I stop doing that and just enjoy the workouts. Even though I didn't love it, it was still a good workout! I burned 442 calories in 30 minutes! It added 2802 steps to my daily count as well. Another good part of today was trying a good low carb new recipe. I made tunacakes with fresh aioli sauce and salad for lunch. This recipe used tuna, jalapenos, cilantro, and lemon juice. It was a very yummy tunacake. I also made the suggested aioli sauce to go with it. That was deliciously spicy on top as well. I topped it all off with a chopped salad and cucumbers. It was delicious and different! My husband even enjoyed the tunacakes today. My kinds, um not so much. Oh well, I can...

Good morning everyone! Now, normally I write about books, movies, or tv shows, but I'm going to be adding some posts about a personal journey that I am going to embark upon today. For the past, oh I don't know, like 10 years I have been unhappy with my weight. Each year it seems I add about 10-15 pounds to my weight and even though I try to change things nothing much ever changes weight wise for me. I am finally done with all the yo-yoing and starting and stopping. I can't tell you how many times I've given up soda, sweets, etc. But today marks the day that I finally start my healthy lifestyle. I don't want to think of it as giving things up. I want to think of it as getting healthy and gaining more muscle, stamina, and a better body. First things first, I am going to get back into working out. I love the BeachBody system of online workouts and programs. I started this program last year in January and in the past year I have worked out more than any other yea...

Pitch Perfect 3 is hilarious, fun, and uplifting for women and girls. Pitch Perfect 3 was released in theaters this week. Pitch Perfect lovers everywhere will be flocking to theaters to stuff their faces with popcorn and candy and laugh their asses off at Fat Amy’s crazy shenanigans. A couple of friends and I decided to catch the 7 p.m. showing at our local theater last night. It was a great way to let off some steam thanks to the stress of students before a holiday break and preparing for Christmas at home. First of all, I absolutely love the first and second Pitch Perfect movies. They have the right combination of singing, dancing, hilarity, and love for me. When I saw the previews for this movie I was not sure how this would be honestly. I thought it looked a little crazy. I also loved how the last one ended, and wondered if they would ruin it by making another movie. Even so, I loved the first two and wanted to see this movie in theaters. This one also features some n...

Genre: Fantasy/Fiction Publication Date: 2009 Synopsis: The first novel in series, Fallen, follows the main character, Luce. Luce has recently fallen into some trouble. At her last school she accidentally started a fire and a boy died in it. Luce was blamed and in order to keep her from juvie, her family sends her to a reformatory school. Luce arrives at the school and is immediately drawn to another student, Daniel. Although, Daniel does not seem to feel the same about Luce. She is pulled into a relationship with another student, Cal, even though her mind never strays for from Daniel. Luce digs deeper and deeper into the quirkiness of the student body and especially Daniel. What she discovers from her digging will change her life forever. She has literally fallen. Review: I enjoyed reading this entire series. I think that the books seem a little drawn out and longer than necessary. It took almost the entire first novel to reveal the truth behind the characters. Each book do...

Ever since my son and I went to Disney in November this year, he has been obsessed with seeing the new Coco movie. It was everywhere in Disney even though it hadn’t been released to theaters yet. Therefore, when the movie was released over Thanksgiving break, we decided to take my 4-year-old son and 2-year-old daughter to go see it. First I’d like to say that I know very little about the Mexican holiday, Dia de los Muertos or the Day of the Dead. I’ve read things here and there, and I’ve picked up bits and pieces from the Spanish teacher down the hall, but there ends my knowledge of the day. So, I went into the movie with very little background knowledge. First, the movie itself was beautiful. The characters, colors, songs, etc. are so rich, colorful, and full of life. It was just so pleasing to watch. Miguel is a very cute and interesting main character. He’s pulled between following his dream of music, which his family hates, and following his family’s business footprints o...

Genre: Realistic Fiction Publication Date: 2015 Synopsis: Madeline is a bubble-girl. She is basically allergic to everything in the outside world. Her mother is a very well-known doctor and has created a very safe, and allergen free house. Madeline spends her days completing schoolwork, chatting with her nurse, and doing various mother-daughter activities. Madeline has never been outside and she has never questioned her condition. One day an interesting boy and his family move in next door. They begin to communicate via computer and become fast friends. Madeline isn't sure how to tell him about her condition which makes it virtually impossible for them to meet. She quickly becomes obsessed and the story progresses from there. Review: I had heard good things about this book so I decided to buy it. I was really not impressed. It was easy to see right through the mother and this whole bubble situation that she had set up for her daughter. The daughter's own reluctance to ...

Genre: Fiction Publication Date: 2001 Synopsis: Morgan Rowlands believes she is a normal and very ordinary 16-year-old girl. She joins a Wiccan group with her friends and immediately falls for the gorgeous coven leader, Cal. Cal pushes her to discover herself and in the process she actually finds out that she is a blood witch. This discovery makes Morgan reel and she discovers that her powers are strong, and her friends might not be all that they seem. Over the course of the five books, Morgan discovers herself, her Wiccan roots, her family, and her path in life. The books follow Morgan's and other characters' lives and journeys throughout many years. Review: I've had this set of books sitting on my bookshelves for a few years now. I wanted to get into an easy series to read, but something that was interesting and kept you reading. I believe that the first three books are wonderful and I really enjoyed them. By the fourth and fifth books it seemed less organic in...

Everyday I tell my students, “Books are better!!” This has become my mantra and my motto. Students are reading less and less every year and I become more and more obsessed with getting them into reading. But, I am a big movie lover and there are some amazing books that should be made into good movies that honor the books and their authors. There are so many books out there that are already made into movies, but there are a lot of books that I would love to see on the big screen sometime. Here is my list of the top ten books I think should be made into movies. 1. The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver This is such a wonderful book about a girl coming of age, and dealing with the exact thing she tried to avoid throughout her whole life. This novel brings forth so many issues in such an elegant manner. Barbara Kingsolver is a lovely writer that pulls you deeply into the story and makes you fall in love with the characters. 2. Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCaffterty There...

Genre: Fiction Publication Date: September 1, 2009 Synopsis: Valerie Leftman and her boyfriend, Nick keep a hate list of all the people that they hate in high school. Valerie starts the hate list after being bullied and bothered by the popular kids for years. She meets Nick and he's also bullied by kids even though he's a newer student. Valerie and Nick add a name to the hate list after someone has been mean to them, bothered them, bullied them, etc. Nick decides to act upon the list, and brings a gun into school one day and picks off people from the list one-by-one. Valerie puts her life in danger to save one of the almost victims. She spends the summer recovering and getting ready to face her school for her senior year. Valerie must overcome this terrible event in her life, and atone for her part in the shooting. Review: I picked this book out and another like it for my controversial book project for my graduate class. As a teacher I think about bullying, shooting...

Last night my husband, myself, and our two kids sat down to watch the new Spider-man movie, Spider-man: Homecoming. Now, just to recap there are already original Spider-man movies and then reboots of those Spider-man movies, and now we have a reboot of those movies. Spider-man movies: Spider-man (2002) Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst star as Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson. This movie starts as an origin story, where Peter gets bitten by a radioactive spider and becomes Spider-man. He fights his best friends's dad, Norman Obsorne, or the Green Goblin. Spider-man 2 (2004) Maguire and Dunst still star in this sequel and this time fights a fellow scientist, Otto Octavius, Doc Oct. Spider-man 3 (2007) Maguire and Dunst are the leading actors in this movie. Eddie Brock is turned into Venom (played by Topher Grace). Harry Osborne takes over the Goblin legacy. Harry is played by James Franco. The Amazing Spider-man (2012) Andrew Garfield plays Peter Parker this time, a...

Genre: Suspense/Thriller Publication Date: 2017 Synopsis: The novel follows four middle-aged friends on their annual girls weekend trip. This year instead of hitting a spa or casino they decide to do an invigorating hiking and white water rafting trip in the wilderness of Maine. The main character, Wini, really needs a vacation with her friends after the death of her brother and the end of her fifteen-year marriage. Wini is not really the outdoorsy type, but decides to venture out with her friends anyways. The four friends go on the trip with their young and delicious guide. After a rafting accident leaves them in peril, the friends must work together to survive and find their way out of the wild Maine countryside. Review: I adore reading thriller suspense books that have a survival subplot. This was a very interesting and page turning read. Is it a book that I will read over and over again like my other favorite novels? Probably not. Although, if you like high action, good s...

Synopsis: Samantha Kingston happens to be part of the popular crowd at her school. One day she wakes up and goes through her life like any other normal day. On this day though, she dies in a terrible car crash at the end of the night when leaving a party that goes wrong. Yet, the next morning she wakes up and everything is set back to that day again. Samantha realizes that even the smallest changes to that day have big impacts on herself, her family, her friends, and other people in her school. This goes on for a a couple of days, before Sam realizes that she must change something or be doomed to die and not repeat that same day over again. Thoughts: I didn't really love this novel, but I really liked the theme and message that Lauren Oliver way trying to convey to readers. I've read a lot of novels where the main characters are "mean girls" and they learn something that changes their lives, etc. This novel tries to reach young adults and show them that their d...

Next year the highly anticipated release of Super Troopers 2 will finally be here. For those of you who don't know, Super Troopers, is a movie about five Vermont state police troopers who play constant pranks. They must out-cop the local police station in order to keep their state trooper headquarters. The movie is hilarious, ridiculous, comical, and entertaining. The state cops spend most of their time pranking each other, pranking citizens they've arrested, and fooling around while on the job. For instance, they bet they can use "meow" 10 times in a conversation with a citizen that has been pulled over. They also chug maple syrup in a race to see who can finish first. Finally, Mack wears a bulletproof cup and allows the other officers to shoot him in the groin area. Although, in order to keep from losing their headquarters due to budget cuts, they have to buckle down and do some real cop work. This movie gained a big cult following in the 2000's following ...

Synopsis: It, the movie, concentrates on the small town of Derry, in Maine. The recent adaptation that is currently in the theaters is a remake of the original film released in 1990. Both movies are based off the novel, It,  by Stephen King. This is a two part horror movie with the second installment to be released on September 6th, 2019. The movie tells the tale of a group of young kids that are terrorized by an evil being known as "It." The "It" being often materializes to them as a creepy clown, Pennywise, that wants them to come into the sewers to be with him often saying, "You'll float too." Pennywise  forces the kids to also face their own personal fears and demons which weakens their courage and strength as a group, hoping to take them apart one by one. The movie starts with the disappearance and of Billy's younger brother, George. Billy becomes obsessed with George's disappearance maintaining that he's missing and not dead. Oth...