Words!

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

Pardon Me?

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

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Have a great week!

Ann-Margret

Are You a Domestic Diva?

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

You’re Blooming!

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

How’s Your Funny Bone?

Chapter 35 – Good Medicine – page 191

Hi there! Sorry I’m a little late posting this week’s entry. Hope you weren’t sitting on the edges of your seats waiting. 😀

Well, we’re on the “funniest” chapter of Designer Genes. It’s all about humour and games! A few of you even have your names in this chapter because you submitted some jokes to include in the book. 😀 Woowoo! How exciting and fun is that?

I’m sure you girls have been doing all sorts of fun things this summer, and hopefully you laughed a lot, too. I’d love to hear about it! Please write to me at designergenes@annhovsepian.com. Share a joke or something funny that happened to you, or tell me what your favourite game is.

This weekend and in the days that follow, I hope you’ll remember to do the daily devotions in Designer Genes and to thank God for the fun and funny things in your life!

Ann-Margret