Hey girls! Check out my latest on-line article, which gives some great tips on how to get along with your teachers and classmates this year:

http://www.womenalive.org/UPLOADS/i.e/Sept09BestBacktoSchoolEver.pdf

Have a great week!

Ann-Margret

Hi girls,

I hope you’re all enjoying Designer Genes!

I thought you might like to see a couple of fun articles I wrote for ieGirl — a Canadian ministry for Christian teen girls. Here are the links (which will open up PDF documents):

Never Been Kissed

Clearing the Clutter

Please keep in touch and let me know what you’re reading and learning and doing these days!

With love,

Ann-Margret

Here are links to the old blog entries for the last chapters/weeks in Designer Genes (starting from where I left off the last time I posted). I had meant to do this last month so that you could follow along as you go through the book, so I apologize that it took me so long!

Chapter 44 (Oct. 28 – Nov. 4): Love Your Neighbour and also this

Chapter 45 (Nov. 5 – 11): Only One Earth

Chapter 46 (Nov. 12 – 18): Furry, Feathery Friends

Chapter 47 (Nov. 19 – 25): Good “Ad”vice

Chapter 48 (Nov. 26 – Dec. 2): Meaningful Music

Chapter 49 (Dec. 3 – 9): Watcha Watchin’?

Chapter 50 (Dec. 10 – 16): Food for Your Brain

Chapter 51 (Dec. 17 – 23): Online… or Out of Line?

Chapter 52 (Dec. 24 – 30): No Other Gods

That finishes up Designer Genes for the year! If you’re new to the book, no worries! Just look at the menu on the left with the months listed, choose the month you’re in and you’ll find the post that goes with the chapter you’re reading.

And if you’re lost or I’m not making sense, please let me know! You can e-mail me at designergenes@annhovsepian.com. I always write back.

Before I sign off, let me wish you a very wonderful Christmas! I’d love it if you came back and shared about anything special that happens during your celebrations.

Lots of love,

Ann-Margret

Chapter 43 - Around the World in Seven Days – page 232

There is no way I can blog about this chapter without giving you a link to the COOLEST video about the countries of the world. I warn you… you may end up watching this a whole bunch of times, trying to sing along with it. (It’s impossible… I think!)

Ready??? (Just don’t forget to come back here.) Here’s the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NC1qkLn6IRI&NR=1

Now, keep in mind that this video is probably older than I am, so the geography might be a little off but what a fun way to be reminded of what a HUGE world there is out there. Those of us who live in North America can easily forget that there are hundreds of other countries and BILLIONS of other people. We’re just a small part of an amazing and colourful world that God created.

This week’s chapter in Designer Genes has some fun activities about language and culture, as well as daily Bible readings that remind us to love and respect people who are different from us. Don’t forget, tween girls in Liechtenstein, Hong Kong, Zambia, Peru, Russia and everywhere else have designer genes, too!

Here’s something else that’s really fun… Remember our chapter on manners and etiquette (page 212)? So, you probably learned a few tips and have better manners now. But do you know about the different etiquette rules around the world? Try this cool quiz, which has some VERY surprising answers!

http://www.fekids.com/img/kln/flash/DontGrossOutTheWorld.swf

Now you’re ready to travel the world!

Well, girls… that’s it for my blog updates, because we started going through the book on November 1, 2007, beginning with the next chapter (Love Your Neighbor):

http://designergenesdevo.wordpress.com/2007/11/01/are-you-my-neighbour/

If you started reading this blog sometime after that, you can continue to check in each week as you go through the rest of the chapters in your book… there’s an entry here for each one!

Just look at the menu on the left side where it says “Read Them All…” and click on the month you’re in. You’ll have to read from the bottom up (sorry… I don’t know how to have them show up from top to bottom!) but I’m sure you’ll find the chapter you’ll looking for. Let me know if you have any difficulties! You can write to me at designergenes@annhovsepian.com.

This doesn’t mean I’m disappearing! Stay tuned for updates on what’s happening with Designer Genes… and other book projects that I’m working on!

God bless you, my little sisters in Christ!

Ann-Margret

P.S. I just thought of a better idea! I’ll come back every week and give you the link to that chapter’s original entry. How’s that?

Chapter 42 - Send Me! - page 227

Today was the last day of reading for this chapter in Designer Genes Devo. So… what do you think? Do you feel like you want to get out there and volunteer and use your talents to bless other people?

It’s pretty amazing how many things a tween can do to bring joy and beauty into the life of someone who’s sick or lonely or poor. YOU can be like a window that God’s love shines through. Actually… I just had a thought. More than just a window, which is a flat piece of glass, you can be like a prism! Have you ever seen one of those glass shapes (usually a triangle) that create a rainbow when light shines through them? Kind of like this…

The piece of glass by itself isn’t too interesting to look at, but when it faces the sun or another source of light at just the right angle, it creates a beautiful display of colours.

Just like the prism, if we’re looking at Jesus, His love can shine through us and touch the lives of people around us in a special way! I pray that you will find ways to share God’s love with others.

Remember Jonah? Don’t run away from the opportunities God gives you to carry out the special plans He has for you. Jonah ended up being swallowed by a big fish!

Speaking of Jonah, here’s a fun puzzle page you can print out:

http://sewhttkr.home.comcast.net/~sewhttkr/bibleWS/bibleWS/45_jonah.htm

I’ll try to check in again tomorrow or Thursday for chapter 43. After that, if you’re new to this blog, you’ll be able to go back to the November 2007 entries to continue with the rest of the chapters. (We started going through the book last November, so it’s almost been a year already!)

Don’t forget that you can always write to me at designergenes@annhovsepian.com.

Have a great week!

Ann-Margret

Chapter 41 - What’s Going On? - page 223

Welcome to Section 6 of Designer Genes, where we’ll be looking at the world around us.

This post is late because I was sick with the flu all of last week. In fact, a few people in my family have been sick… and I’m sure you know people who are sick, too! It seems like a lot of people catch colds at this time of year.

Today is also Thanksgiving in Canada, and I have to say that, even though I’ve been sick, I’m really thankful! I’m thankful because I know that once my nose isn’t so stuffed-up and I get some energy back, I’ll feel fine again. Sadly, there are many people in the world — even young kids — who are really sick with no hope of getting better.

There are also people who are suffering because of natural disasters such as hurricanes or floods, or because of terrible wars.

Do you ever think about all the bad things happening in the world and feel discouraged or upset? That’s what this chapter is all about, and my hope is that the Bible verses you’re reading will encourage you.

I also want to share a fun and uplifting song by Francesca Battistelli, a new Christian pop singer. It’s called “Blue Sky” and it’s like a message from God reminding us that, no matter what’s going on, His love is always there for us! You can hear the whole song for free on her Web site: www.francescamusic.com. Scroll down a little until you see the orange-y music player on the right side. “Blue Sky” is song number 6. Just double-click on it and it will start playing.

Are you worried about something happening in the world today? You can talk to God about it!

By the way, here’s my favourite Precious Moments figurine, which is titled “Jesus Is the Answer” (because He really is!)

Have a great week,

Ann-Margret

Chapter 40 - Wonderful Words – page 217

This is probably my favourite chapter in Designer Genes. Since I was a little girl, I have loved words… especially word games and puzzles. My mom teases that I used to read the dictionary when I was bored. Some would say that made me a nerd but… hey, I’m a writer now so I guess it paid off!

There’s some really fun stuff in this chapter, such as Spoonerisms and palindromes. Another type of word play I enjoy is puns. Have you ever heard of those? Here’s a cute example I found today:

“I rode my bike twice yesterday. I guess that makes me a recycler.” Get it?

A pun is when you use a word or phrase in a funny way that makes it mean something else, in this case “recycler” doesn’t actually mean someone who puts their newspaper in the blue bin, but someone who “cycled” again.

Here’s another cute one: “That’s a cool chair!” “Yeah, I know… it rocks.” (Rocking chair, get it?)

Anyway, there’s all kinds of great stuff in this chapter, but the most important words are the ones you’ll find in your daily Bible readings. And remember that the words that come out of your mouth are really important, too. Sometimes we don’t realize that the way we speak to our parents, friends, and others can be really hurtful or disrespectful.

This week, let’s all ask God to help our words be beautiful!

Before we go, here’s a great word game! Quickly read the words below out loud.

Was it easy? Some people get mixed up and say the colours that they see instead of the colours that are written.

Have a great week!

Ann-Margret

Chapter 39 - Manners Matter! – page 212

There’s so much packed into this chapter of Designer Genes that I’m not sure what I can add here. I hope you’ll do the fun quizzes that test your understanding of proper etiquette.

The truth is, people just don’t show the same manners and respect that they did 50 or 100 years ago. That doesn’t mean there weren’t rude or mean or disrespectful people in the old days, but there used to be some good habits and behaviours that I kind of wish we still had today.

I think the problem is that a lot of us are really focussed on ourselves. Have you ever noticed that when people are talking on their cell phones in public they seem to ignore everyone else around them? I’ve seen people get on the bus without even looking at the driver, or grab their food from a fast food counter without thanking the person who served them, or go through doors without checking to see if someone is behind them and holding the door open for them. I could go on!

Do you have any pet peeves about people’s manners? What about examples of friends who have really good manners? I’d love to hear about them! You can write to me at designergenes@annhovsepian.com.

Here’s something interesting: a list of proper manners written in 1879. (That’s almost 130 years ago!) What do you think?

You might also want to check out: Judi, The Manners Lady

Finally, here’s a simple Manners word search puzzle:

Try to find these 13 words: COURTEOUS, ETIQUETTE, EXCUSE ME, FAIR, GOLDEN RULE, KIND, MANNERS, PLEASE, POLITE, RESPECTFUL, SHARE, SPORTSMANSHIP, THANK YOU

Have a great week!

Ann-Margret

Chapter 38 - Let’s Play House – page 207

When I was little, my cousin Nora lived right next door to me and our backyards were attached, so we always had lots of space to play in and, whenever the weather was nice, we begged our moms to let us play outside together.

One of the games we liked to play (outdoors or indoors!) was “House”. (Sometimes we liked to play “Office” or “School”, too, if we got bored of “House”.) I guess it was fun to pretend to be grown-ups. What about you? Did you play house when were you were younger? Maybe you still enjoy pretending games now.

But if you’re a tween girl, I would guess that you don’t only pretend to take care of a house. I’m sure you already help your mom or dad for real! Some girls start taking care of their baby brothers or sisters from a young age, or maybe they learn to cook and clean and do laundry when they’re young. Others don’t have those kinds of responsibilities until they’re older.

This chapter in Designer Genes has a fun quiz so you can test yourself and see how “domestic” you are.

Here’s another fun activity: a simple word-search puzzle about chores.

Which of these chores do you have to do? Which is your favourite. I bet I can guess!

Ann-Margret

Chapter 37 - Flower Power – page 202

Hi girls,

I was sick last week. And so was my computer. I’m sorry I wasn’t able to post anything about last week’s chapter (36, which focussed mainly on babysitting). I hope you still read it and enjoyed it, though! Actually, it’s funny because today my 16-year-old niece was telling me about a babysitting job she had yesterday and how much she enjoyed reading books to the 8-year-old boy and 2-1/2-year old girl she was looking after.

Have any of you started babysitting yet? How do you like it?

This week’s chapter is about one of my favourite things: flowers! Our amazing, creative God gave us a very special and beautiful gift when He created flowers, didn’t He?

On page 203 of Designer Genes, there’s an activity that asks you to look up and draw 10 types of flowers. I’m going to help you a little bit by showing pictures of those flowers right here… but not in the right order. I haven’t completely hidden clues, though, so you can probably figure out which is which pretty quickly, even if you don’t recognize them at first.

First the names of the flowers: gerbera daisy, iris, tulip, rose, sunflower, daffodil, bird of paradise, lily, snapdragon, hyacinth

Now, the pictures:

Mmmm… I can almost smell them!

Well, for some of us who live in colder climates (like I do, over here in Montreal, Canada), we won’t be seeing flowers outdoors for much longer. If you live somewhere warm, be sure to “stop and smell the roses”, as they say. When you see flowers — whether they’re in someone’s gardens, by the side of the highway, or in a vase somewhere — why not stop for a moment, enjoy its beauty and tell God how much you appreciate His special creation!

And remember that you are an even more precious flower in God’s eyes, growing and blooming in your own, beautiful, special way.

Have a great weekend!

Ann-Margret