Cinquain Saturday

Today I am attending an SCBWI Prairie Writers Day conference. I am so excited! It is my first conference, and there are amazing speakers! I'm looking forward to soak up all the professional advice and information that I can!







I'm off!

Smarts and Craft time

at Prairie Writers Day.

Learning, networking, and growing.

Recharged!

Challenges

I comment on blogs, and I like it! I am participating in the Comment Challenge from Mother Reader. The goal is to comment on at least five kidlitosphere blogs a day. You keep track of your numbers, and report in on Wednesdays with Mother Reader. On Wednesday, November 26, there will be a final check-in post for the Comment Challenge. I’ve been exploring new blogs, learning new information, and keeping up with my favorite blogs, too! It’s also a great networking tool. Spread the blog love, comment today!
My second challenge is Buy Books for the Holidays! Due to the weak economy, many industries are hurting, and publishing is one of them. This challenge will not only boost book sales, but the love of reading as well! I already shopped at Borders yesterday and left the store with a big ole bag of books for my family members.
My third challenge comes from Rena. She posted a beautiful wedding picture and asked others to do the same. Above is a picture of the day I became Mrs. Polark. It was a 93 degree day in June. The church we got married in did get air conditioning….two days after we married! The reception was a blast - lots of dancing and much love from family and friends. One of the best days of my life! Corny, but true!
Here are a few other pics in my wedding dress...



Join me in one or all three of these challenges! You know you want to!

Tune For Tuesday

Today’s Tune for Tuesday may be a little hardcore for your average blogger. Today’s song is “Unholy Confessions” by Avenged Sevenfold. The headbanging song is from Avenged Sevenfold’s 2003 Waking the Fallen album. This song is the most played song on my Ipod, and it’s also one of my ringtones. Most of you will probably turn it off after a minute (that's okay, I won't be offended!), but for some reason, I LOVE this song! My favorite part is the amazing guitar riff in the beginning (which is my ringtone). Avenged Sevenfold is one of my preferred bands due to the guitar talent of lead guitarist, Synyster Gates, and nail-gun drumming of The Rev.

I discovered Avenged Sevenfold in 2005 when their breakout song, “Bat Country” became popular on the radio and Mtv. Since then, I’ve been a huge fan of their music. Other mainstream hits include “Seize the Day,” “Almost Easy,” and “Afterlife.” My husband and I saw this rock band live at Ozzfest a few summers ago. I have tickets to see Avenged Sevenfold and Buckcherry tonight, so an Avenged Sevenfold Tune for Tuesday seemed appropriate for today.

Check it out and rock out!

Cinquain Saturday

Many schools have given out report cards recently. My two grade school age children received theirs this week. I am thankful that they act respectfully in the classroom and earn good grades. As a former grade school teacher, I have much experience with report cards. Children are so different. The learning levels vary so much in one classroom. Some are lucky enough to have parent guidance at home, some are not. Some children have a thirst for knowledge, others just wait for the school day to end. A few children get A's and B's with little effort, while others struggle to get C's and B's.
I could write a hundred cinquains about report cards (maybe I will!). Today's is about the students who do well, but don't want to go that extra mile to do better. I remember a student who received all B's, and the mom was pleased (as she should be). I tried to convince her though that her son was capable of so much more, that he did this with little effort. I wanted the parents to have even higher expectations for their child. I had another student who would study more, ask me more questions, really try to achieve B's and C's. When he did receive all B's, it was a huge accomplishment. His parents and I were so very proud.
Grades are important records of what a child learns in the classroom, but there is so much more to understand about your child's abilities beyond the report card.

REPORT CARD

All B's.
My teacher writes,
"Doesn't apply himself."
Mom hugs me, but expects some A's
next time.

Addicted to Blood

True Blood that is…My hubby and I watched the newest episode of HBO’s True Blood last night. True Blood is one of my favorite shows this fall. New episodes air on Sunday nights. We usually watch each episode on Sunday nights after the kids are asleep, but busy schedules postponed our viewing this week. The current episode had the usual campiness and outrageousness that we have come to enjoy in this series.
True Blood is centered around the life of Sookie Stackhouse. Sookie, played brilliantly by a blond Anna Paquin, is a spunky, independent waitress who falls in love with a vampire named Bill. The show is set in the south during an unsettled era when vampires are being mainstreamed into society when a synthetic blood drink, True Blood, becomes available. Some vampires sustain themselves with this new drink, others cannot resist their primal ways of drinking from humans.
True Blood is mystery, comedy, fantasy, love story all in one. I do not usually watch horror films, but this really isn’t your typical horror show. There are blood and guts and very graphic adult situations (it is HBO!), but the main characters seem more intriguing and interesting.
There are only three episodes left in the season. If you are an avid viewer like me, chime in about your favorite character, scene or what you like best about this show. If you haven’t watched the series, I advise you to try and watch it from the beginning of the series as it is a mystery, too. If HBO happens to play the reruns in order, watch that, or wait for the DVD that I assume will be out next year.
True Blood is based on mystery novels by Charlaine Harris. I usually like to read books first, before seeing the movie. I will still seek out the novels and devour them after the series is done. I imagine they will still be bloody good.

Tune for Election Tuesday

Today is a historic day. I, like so many of you, have pondered the issues, the candidates. Today is the day that we execute our privilege to vote. I do feel that it is a privilege. I was nervous and excited to vote for the first time when I was 18. The last election I was nervous and excited to vote as my children’s school referendum was at stake. This election I am nervous and excited, because we will finally find out who has won this important election. No matter which presidential candidate you are voting for today, the winner will not dictate all of the important choices in your life when he starts his term. You are the leader of your life. You have educated yourself on what you feel is best for our country, now educate yourself on what is best for you.
Tomorrow everyone will be buzzing about our future president. Today’s Tune for Tuesday is titled, “Tomorrow.” It is a song by one of my favorite bands, Sixx: A.M.
Please think about my favorite lyrics to this song:

“Just look at yourself, do you like what you see?

Look at yourself, is this how it should be?”

Change was a buzzword during much of the campaign. If the answer is maybe or no to these questions, strive for a positive change in yourself. Volunteer. Learn a new skill. Be a better role model for your children. Respect others’ opinions. Set goals.

Have a greater tomorrow, week, month, year!



Rock the Vote.

Cinquain Saturday

I heart poetry! Two of the few items I saved from my grade school years are my poetry unit collections that I made in fifth and eighth grade. When I was a grade school teacher, I so enjoyed teaching the different styles of poetry to my students. Now I create poetry for fun and to submit to magazines. I also have three picture books of poetry that I am presenting to various publishers.

Due to this love of poetry, Saturdays in the Kelly Polark Blog World will now become Cinquain Saturdays. A cinquain is a five line poem. There are three styles.

Style #1

Line 1: One word
Line 2: Two words
Line 3: Three words
Line 4: Four words
Line 5: One word

Style #2

Line 1: A noun
Line 2: Two adjectives
Line 3: Three -ing words
Line 4: A phrase
Line 5: A synonym for the noun in Line 1

Style #3

Line 1: Two syllables
Line 2: Four syllables
Line 3: Six syllables
Line 4: Eight syllables
Line 5: Two syllables

I usually use Style #3 when I write cinquains. When I taught poetry to my students, I used Style #2 to incorporate the parts of speech. I currently write cinquains for children and for adults. Each Saturday I will post a new cinquain on my blog! I whipped one up this morning to start my Cinquain Saturday...don't worry, they'll get better. ;0)

Today's Cinquain

My blog.

Write, share, connect

With peers, family, friends.

Compose, revise, add picture then

Publish!

Thanks for checking it out! I also want to give a shout out to The Write Marbles website for sending me a fabulous picture book, Hush, Little Dragon by Boni Ashburn. I won their Chime In and Rhyme contest last month. And lo and behold, I just heard today I won another contest! YA Author Keri Mikulski is sending me some cool YA books that I won in her Book Giveaway Contest! Woo hoo! Thanks Keri and Write Marbles for some great reads!