Summer is around the corner!!!

I am so excited that summer is coming!! Ever since I was a little girl it's my favorite season because its a time to sit back, unwind and relax. And after two long semesters I plan on doing just that. My favorite part about summer is all the activities that one can do that you just can not do in the winter. My mom and dad have a big beautiful pool in their backyard and the majority of my summer consists of going there and enjoying it. We also love to barbeque and have poolside parties. This summer I plan on going to the beach a lot too. Last year my daughter Julie was too little but this year she can spend hours just playing with her little shovel and pail. My sisters and I also enjoy taking the kids to the park and having picnics there. The kids love it because they can play on the playground and fly kites. One of my favorite activites to do in the summer is going bike riding with my husband. Julie rides in a child seat thats attatched to my bike. It's clear to see why I love the summer so much. My days are filled with endless activities.

***New Vocabulary Words***

1. Season:noun; one of the four periods of the year (spring, summer, autumn, and winter), beginning astronomically at an equinox or solstice, but geographically at different dates in different climates.
2. Activity: adjective; the state or quality of being active: There was not much activity in the stock market today. He doesn't have enough physical activity in his life.
3. Majority: noun; the greater part or number; the number larger than half the total (opposed to minority): the majority of the population.
4. Consists: to be made up or composed (usually fol. by of): This cake consists mainly of sugar, flour, and butter.
5. Pool-side: adjective; located or occurring at or near the side of a swimming pool: a poolside luncheon.
6. Attatched:adjective; joined, connected or bound.

***fill in the missing vocabulary word***

1. The recipe __________of ground beef, onions, peppers and rice.
2. My niece will be having a __________ birthday party this year.
3. My husbands favorite______is the Fall. He loves the pumpkins, Halloween, the crisp air and falling leaves.
4. The ______that the teacher wants us to do is quite tricky.
5. There is a garage _______to the house.
6. The ______of the book was based on the narrator's childhood experiences.

***Grammar Point***

An exclamation point is used to show enthusiasm (I love Summer!) Write 5 sentences that end with an exclamation point.

Ducks Game!!!

This weekend my husband and I took our daughter to her very first baseball game. We were invited by our friend, who won box seats through a raffle at work to the Long Island Ducks game. His family was there and my sister and her family also attended the game. We knew that Julie wouldn't actually be interested in the game. We just wanted to introduce her to the whole experience of watching a baseball game at a stadium. She loved everything about it. The hotdogs, the cotton candy, the mascot, the music, and especially the fireworks, although the loud ones scared her. The only thing that could have made this a better experience would have been warmer weather. It was so cold out, but fortunately there was a room right off of our box that was closed in with a nice cozy couch and delicious food for those who wanted to enjoy the game indoors. Even though the Ducks lost, this will be a memory that I willl never forget because not only was it Julie's first time watching a baseball game at a stadium, it was mine too!!

***new vocabulary word***

1. Baseball: noun: a game of ball between two nine-player teams played usually for nine innings on a field that has as a focal point a diamond-shaped infield with a home plate and three other bases, 90 ft. (27 m) apart, forming a circuit that must be completed by a base runner in order to score, the central offensive action entailing hitting of a pitched ball with a wooden or metal bat and running of the bases, the winner being the team scoring the most runs
2. Box seats: aaa seat in a box at the theatre, opera, baseball game, ect...
3. raffle:noun; a form of lottery in which a number of persons buy one or more chances to win a prize.
4. attended: verb; to be present at: to attend a lecture; to attend church.
5. introduce: to present (a person, product, etc.) to a particular group of individuals or to the general public for or as if for the first time by a formal act, announcement, series of recommendations or events.
6. mascot: noun
an animal, person, or thing adopted by a group as its representative symbol and supposed to bring good luck: The U.S. Navy mascot is a goat.

***fill in the missing vocabulary word***

1. I want to _______you to my friend, Anna. She's visiting from Spain.
2. I won a flat screen TV at a _______at work.
3. My husband loves to watch_______.
4. The Molloy College ______ is a lion.
5. I want _____ _____ to the Opera for my birthday.
6. I _______ the TESOL Conference at Molloy a few weeks ago. It was very interesting.

***Gramar Point***

My blog is considered to be descriptive. I describe my experience watching a baseball game for the first time at a stadium. Write a descriptive paragragh describing a first experience you had with something.

Happy Mother's Day!!!

Mother's Day is an annual holiday that recognizes mothers, motherhood and maternal bonds in general, as well the positive contributions that they make to society. In the United States, it is celebrated on the second Sunday in May. This year it falls on May 9!! In my family it's tradition to celebrate this holiday at my mom's house. We usually have a barbeque, weather permitting ofcourse, and if not we go out for brunch. My sisters, myself and our husbands and kids are all part of the celebration. I love the idea of dedicating a whole day to mom. I think it's a wonderful concept. After all they do for us it's the least that they deserve. I especially love to celebrate mother's day now that I am a mother myself. Spending the day with the people I love is all I could really ask for.

***New Vocabulary Words***

1. motherhood: noun; the state of being a mother; maternity.
2. maternal bond: The maternal bond is typically the relationship between a mother and her child. While it typically occurs due to pregnancy and childbirth, it may also occur between a woman and an unrelated child, such as in adoption.
3. dedicating: To set apart for a deity or for religious purposes
4. society: an organized group of persons associated together for religious, benevolent, cultural, scientific, political, patriotic, or other purposes.
5. tradition: noun;the handing down of statements, beliefs, legends, customs, information, etc., from generation to generation, esp. by word of mouth or by practice.
6. celebration: noun;the festivities engaged in to celebrate something.

***Fill in the missing vocabulary word***
1. The fourth of July is a huge ________ in the United States;
2. The needs of _______ determine its ethics.
3. I feel a strong _____ _____between me and my daughter.
4. The author will be _______ his book to his wife.
5. It's _______ in my family to cook turkey on Thanksgiving.
6. People always told me that ______ was beautiful but I didn't fully understand what that meant until I had my baby.

Grammar point: Nouns are often thought of as referring to persons, places, things, states, or qualities. Look for all the nouns in my passage.

Milk and Sugar Cafe

There is a charming little cafe in W. Babylon called Milk and Sugar. Every monday night from 5 to 11 pm they have 5 psychics working there. You can go have dinner or just coffee and dessert and get a psychic reading while you wait for your food to come out. My sisters, my mom and I have gone a couple of times because we love the atmosphere, the food and the fun psychic readings. Each reading is about 20 minutes long and costs 20 dollars. You just put your name on a list and request whichever psychic you want, and during dinner we all get a reading or two. You can get as many readings as you like, and the best part is that if your'e not too happy with your psychic you simply request another reading by a different one, as long as your'e willing to pay for it ofcourse. We like to go there every so often because it's dinner with a twist. The food and desserts are really delicious too!!

**new vocabulary words**

1. charming: adjective, pleasing; delightful.
2. psychic readings: (Psychic) outside of natural or scientific knowledge; spiritual. (Reading) an interpretation given to anything.
3. request: the act of asking for something to be given or done, esp. as a favor or courtesy
4. atmosphere: a distinctive quality, as of a place; character.
5. willing: cheerfully consenting or ready.
6. often: cheerfully consenting or ready.

** fill in the blank with the correct vocabulary word**

1. My friends and I ____go to the movies.
2. I am more than _____to work hard for a good grade.
3, The spa had a very relaxing _______.
4. We ____your presence at 9am!
5. _____ _____ are not to be taken too seriously. They are strictly for fun.
6. Her new home was quite______.

**grammar point**
I blogged about a restaurant that I enjoy eating in. When deciding on writing topics, such as for your journal entries, it's important to chose topics that are interesting to write about. In your next journal entry, tell me about a restaraunt that you like.

LIFE!!

Every sunday night my husband and I watch the Discovery channel series, LIFE. The epic television series LIFE is the definitive exploration of our planet's living things and their spectacular, bizarre and fascinating behaviors. LIFE spans every coninent and every habitat. Each episode focuses on a different animal or plant group. From strange creatures, such as the star-nosed mole that hunts underwater using bubbles to smell its prey, to grand spectacles, like millions of fruit bats darkening the Zambian sky, each episode tells mind-blowing stories of survival with drama, humor and suspense.The earth is home to more than 30 million different animals and plants, every single one fighting to survive, and LIFE gives an up close and personal look at how some of these creatures do so. It's better than any other animal show I've ever seen and I highly recommend it to everyone!!

**vocabulary words**

epic: adjective, heroic; majestic; impressively great.
exploration: noun, an act or instance of exploring or investigating; examination.
bizarre: noun, outrageously or whimsically strange
behaviors: noun,manner of behaving or acting.
suspense: undecided or doubtful condition, as of affairs.
survive: to remain alive after the death of someone, the cessation of something, or the occurrence of some event; continue to live.

** fill in the blanks with the correct vocabulary word**

1. We're studying the _________events of the war in history class.
2. For a few days matters hung in _______.
3. Few people _________after the holocaust.
4. The threat of no recess changed the childrens' ___________ for the better.
5. She found their culture _____and unfamiliar.
6. The book was about the _______of the new world.

**grammar point**

My Blog is a description of a show that I enjoy watching. Write a paragraph giving me a full description of your favorite show. Make sure to include lots of details!!

Happy Birthday Julie!!!

After weeks, yes weeks, of planning my daughter's 2nd birthday, the day finally arrived. My sister was nice enough to have the party at her house, which is much bigger than mine, and we spent the morning decorating and cooking for the party. My in-laws even came from Pennsylvania to celebrate with us. I went to Party City to pick up the balloons and that turned out to be a challenge due to the torrential winds. Did I mention Julie's birthday party fell on the day of the big storm/hurricane? It was pouring out and trees seemed to be tumbling down on every block. Luckily, the decorations turned out great. After I finished setting up I went back home to change and put Julie in her party dress. At 6 pm we went back to my sister's house to wait for the guests to arrive. Fortunately everyone showed up inspite of the horriffic driving conditions. We were all having a great time, enjoying the food and catching up with eachother. Then, suddenly, the lights went out. Thanks to the violent storm we spent julie's 2nd birhtday in the dark. Luckily everyone had a great sense of humor about the situation and joked that it was a romantic, candle-lit birthday celebration.

**Vocabulary words**

1. in-laws: noun,a relative by marriage.

2. challenge:noun, difficulty in a job, or undertaking that is stimulating to one engaged in it.

3. torrential:adjective, viloent, vehement, or impassioned.

4. fortunately: having good fortune; receiving good from uncertain or unexpected sources.

5. horrific:–adjective ,causing horror.

6. violent: adjective, acting with or characterized by uncontrolled, strong, rough force.

**Fill in the blank using the vocabulary words above.**

1. My sister's _______live in Florida.

2. The scary movie was filled with _____scenes.

3. Last week's storm was accompanied by ______winds.

4. I found the homework assignment to be quite a _____.

5. Haiti was hit by a very _______earthquake.

6. I had to miss class thursday night. ______, the teacher gave me a chance to make up what I'd missed.

***GRAMMAR POINT***

My blog is filled with long sentences that require commas. A comma is defined as a mark of punctuation used for indicating a division in a sentence, as in setting off a word, phrase, or clause, esp. when such a division is accompanied by a slight pause or is to be noted in order to give order to the sequential elements of the sentence.

Write 5 sentences using the vocabulary words above and incorporate a comma in each sentence.

Murphy

My dog's name is Murphy. Murphy is a Cavalier King Charles/Poodle mix. He is the sweetest dog. My husband and I bought Murphy back in 2006 from a pet store in Hicksville called Shake-a-paw. He loves to play and is the best cuddler in the world. My sisters love him because he gives the best hugs. Murphy loves to sleep and relax all day long, but lately it's kind of hard for him to get any rest because Julie, my 2 year old won't leave him alone. Being that she's currently an only child, Murphy's her best friend. She wants to brush his hair, hug him, she forces him to sit on her lap, she even tugs on his collar all day long. The poor dog probably feels suffocated. Sometime I find him hiding behind furniture just to get away from Julie. I know he loves her and appreciates the fact that she's always ready to play with him but I'm sure he misses his rest and relaxation, too.

**Vocabulary words**
1. lately: recently, not long ago.
2. currently: now going on, of the present time.
3. suffocated: to smother, supress
4. appreciates: to think well of, to recognize gratefully.
5. relaxation:rest from work or effor, recreation.

**fill in the missing vocabulary word in the following sentences:

1. There was a really sad story on the news the other day about a cat who accidentally _____ a newborn baby.
2. Usually I love going to get manicures and pedicures but _____I find that doing it myself is more economical.
3. My husband always tells me that he __________ everything I do for him.
4. My daughter is _________one but she will be turning two next week.
5. I wouldn't mind taking a vacation so I can get a little rest and ___________.


**grammar point**
circle all the verbs in the passage and identify the tense (past, present, future)