J. K. Rowling Comments on Ron and Hermione's Relationship

Image credit to this site

Unless you are living under a rock, you have heard that in a recent interview, J. K. Rowling admits that she regrets Ron and Hermione's relationship. She stated that she wanted the books to end up in the way she originally planned and that it was more for her own personal reasons to have the pair end up with each other. Obviously, there have been millions of fans crying their eyes out and smashing the nearest breakables upon hearing the confession. Despite that, I can't say that I was one of them.

Do I think Ron and Hermione are compatible? Yes. I think they are the epitome of "opposites attract." Hermione has always been the one to keep him in line (except for that dreadful time in book 6) and Ron is the one who keeps things light and not too serious. On the other hand, Jo admits in this interview that Ron and Hermione would eventually need relationship counseling. Though it almost sounds like their relationship falls apart, it also shows that they are fighters and they're not afraid of putting their whole hearts into making it work. Also, they're still together in the epilogue. Boom.

Do I cry every time I see or read about their first kiss? Of course I do, who doesn't? Although, I'm also known to cry over episodes of Modern Family. But JUST because I'm an easy crier, doesn't mean I don't cherish their love for one another. When you think about it, they really do have a classic, pure, and timeless love story

Yes, Ron and Hermione are cute, but even when I was young, I was not that impressed with Ron. I always hoped that Hermione would end up with Harry. I was sure Jo would grant my wish at the end of Goblet of Fire when she kissed him on the cheek. All I could think of was, "this is it!!" and of course, it wasn't.

Anyway, what do you all think? Are you heartbroken? Did you have a feeling of "Duh Jo, what took you so long?!" Are you indifferent? Who would you choose for Ron and Hermione? I'm not sure who'd be a perfect match for Ron, but Hermione, girl you know what I think!

Credit

Smart, nerdy, and a quiet warrior: Neville Longbottom. Both of them started out as dorks and they both ended up outstandingly beautiful. Neville and Hermione also have two of the biggest hearts in all the series. How could you go wrong? Also, they would have some gorgeous babies.

ADDED

"I have a hard time seeing people get so furiously angry over this situation. 

For example, haven't you ever made a mistake that you regretted? It seemed all well and good at the time, but when you're older and wiser, you realize you should have made another choice. We may have all read the books, time and time again, yet Harry's head is the only one we've ever been inside. We don't know what goes on inside Ron's and Hermione's; and even though we have seen Harry's thoughts, we most definitely haven't seen all of them. 

Jo is the only one who has.

She is Harry. She is Ron. She is Hermione. Maybe in the time she's had to reflect, she understands that Hermione and Ron would no longer make each other happy they way they wanted or the way they thought. I wish people would treat it more like Ron and Hermione announcing a break up instead of Jo trying to rewrite the books (because that's not what she is doing at all). Once again, she is giving a voice to the characters we all love and have grown up with to say how they're feeling these days. Yes it's sad, but it's not Jo's fault.

I refuse to believe this is a cry for attention or publicity stunt. If there is anyone who would never NEED one, it's her. Really the only thing that bothers me is that people are getting so angry about it." 

Tell me what you think!! Potter on ;)

xoChristie

Reasons to Love Otters

Happy New Year! I am quite saddened that I haven't written a blog since 2013! This is awful news. I was thinking about what to blog and I've decided on my favorite animal: otters!

Otter friend I drew with my Samsung Galaxy Note III

They are just the cutest little creatures I've ever seen. I fell in love with them when Good Morning America had some baby otters on their show a couple of years ago. I'm also happy to report that otters are becoming more and more loved every day. Even just a few months ago if I Googled "otters," I would be faced with the same 25 pictures over and over again. Now, go ahead, Google them and let your eyes feast on the abundance of precious, furry, water babies!

Here are some personal reasons why I love otters, and why you should too ;)


*They are super playful! They spend a lot of time sliding on mud or ice.

*As I said before, they're a-flippin-dorable.

*They eat seafood, and as a true Cape Codder, I love me some clams!

*Otters are excellent swimmers, obviously, and swimming is so wonderful for the body and soul.

*JK Rowling's favorite animal is an otter. Let the record show that I did not know this until AFTER I fell in love with them, so I'm not being a copy cat. And yet, having the same favorite animal as my hero is pretty magical.

*Yet another Potter reference: Hermione's Patronus is an otter, what what!

*Last one: Ron's last name is Weasley...weasel...otters are weasels...there you go.

*Their brown fur looks perfect against the blue-green hue of the ocean

*Otters have the best memes. End of story.

*Webbed paws. Need I say more?

*They hold hands while sleeping in the water so they don't float away from each other. Yes this is true! And while looking this up to make sure this wasn't just another Pinterest rumor, I found this fantastic website with so much information on Sea Otters and this one on River Otters, YAY!

*One of the best things about Otters though, is that they are making a huge comeback! The National Wildlife Federation stated that their habitats have been restored and that scientists are returning them to the places they used to live.

*Also, my cat reminds me of them.

Scooter!

I hope you liked my happy little rant of the happy little mammals that make me jump for joy. How do you feel about otters? What is your favorite animal and why? Let me know in the comments!!

Have a happy and stress-free week!

xoChristie

Christmas Traditions

Tom and I always have super crazy holidays! Between visiting each of our parents' families, plus spending as much time with Molly, we are always go, go, go.

This year, we are going to try to slow things down to remember what the holidays are truly about: being with who you love. This led me to the idea of starting some Christmas Traditions that Tom and I can start together to continue when/if we decide to have a family together.

All of this brainstorming occurred when we were on our way home from a day trip to Maine, and we shared a lot of good ideas! Okay...mostly I shared and Tom listened ;) I loved talking about it so much, that I'd love to write it all down and share with you my thoughts. Maybe you could find something that would fit in with your family's holiday cheer!

Oh, look! Our first Christmas Tree in our first apartment! :)

Christmas Movie Marathon

-Kid Friendly (3 and up)
-Free
-Quiet
-At Home Activity 
-Easily Modified

Yes, this is one of the simpler ones on the list, but I love it! How nice does it sound to cozy up to your snuggle-bug to watch a few hours of Christmas movies actually ON Christmas? Just add some hot chocolate and cookies and you are set for a night of pure Christmas bliss! I don't know about you, but it seems that every year, Christmas comes and goes, leaving me feeling like I haven't watched a single movie. I'm so busy in the days leading up to it and surrounding it that I don't often find my tooshie planted in front of the TV for any yuletide programs. This reminds me of something I learned about Tom our first Christmas together: he'd never seen A Christmas Story!! You know, the classic that plays every Christmas Eve for 24 hours? Yup, that one. This would be a perfect tradition to start so you can always stay in touch with your favorites and welcome some new gems into your collection!!

Ahhh crockpot hot chocolate, Christmas movies, decorations, and a very helpful Molly!

Tee Shirt Making

-Crafty
-Kid Friendly (2 and up)
-Pet Friendly
-Not Expensive-Moderately Expensive
-Quiet or Boisterous
-At Home Activity
-Easily Modified

I don't know about you, but I'm familiar with the stress of "WHAT DO I WEAR ON CHRISTMAS?!" Well, you could nip that right in the bud with a homemade tee shirt tradition! A day or two before Christmas, maybe the weekend before, get together as a family to make a custom holiday tee. They can be as simple (strictly markers and paint) or creative (i.e. cutting up the tee and adding battery-powered Christmas lights) as you want!

If you have toddlers, you could use non toxic tempera paint and festive sponges or stamps for your little ones to decorate their hearts out! I just don't think you'd be able to wash it :( I'm sure you could look up the best ways for smaller children to decorate tees; I bet there's some genius mom who's figured it out!!

If you have mellow pets, make some shirts for them as well!

This tradition could be completed quietly talking among your family, or while blaring your favorite Christmas tunes!--I'll stick with the latter ;) And who says it has to be tee shirts? Maybe some year it will be jean jackets or baseball caps?! Mix it up!!

I'm Thankful for ____ Because... (Dual-Holiday Tradition)

-Kid Friendly (4 and up)
-Pet Friendly
-Semi-Crafty...don't be intimidated if you're not a crafting superstar!
-Quiet
-At Home Activity
-Not Expensive-Moderately Expensive

This is actually my favorite tradition that I'd really like to start this year. On Thanksgiving, everyone gets a small piece of paper that might look like this:

I literally made that up in 3 minutes, I'm sure you could do way better if you spent some time on it! :) Each person would fill it out, anyone needing help could, of course, have some help writing! Then you roll up the paper with the writing facing the outside, and stick it in a clear glass ornament. When you decorate the tree, you can all read why you're thankful for one another.

This would be such a beautiful tradition to keep alive over the years! Reasons we're thankful for one another change ALL the time. Plus, it would be hilarious to see what your kids write about you :) Each person could even have their own separate box that's kept with the ornaments. You could sit around the tree and read all the ornaments from over the years to each other. This tradition is truly what family and love are all about!!

A modification for this tradition could be to write your favorite moments of the year! What a way to reminisce :)

Christmas Day Photo

-Kid Friendly (Birth and up)
-Pet Friendly
-At Home Activity
-Away from Home Activity
-Free
-Quiet

This is simply what it states, take a family picture on Christmas! I would love to combine this with the tee shirt tradition! To do this in the same place would be a great way to document how your family changes and grows with each passing year. You could do a simple picture or a crazy and extravagant one. Take multiple photos and add them all to a slideshow every 5 years! There are infinite possibilities with pictures :)

Game Night

-Kid Friendly (Ages depending on game)
-At Home Activitiy
-Quiet or Boistrous
-Free
-Ability to Modify

This would be such a fun tradition to start! Infinite possibilities and laughs to be had on a Family Game night at Christmas. Options include typical board games, Christmas-themed board games, movement games (hide and seek etc), OR you creating your own Christmas Board game! Think of Monopoly...if you had an old version of the game, it would be so easy to make a Christmas Monopoly customized to your own family! The first year you start the game tradition, make your own board game, and be sure to include it in the game lineup of the following years :)

Story Telling/Reading

-Kid Friendly (Birth--yes, birth--and up)
-At Home Activity
-Away from Home Activity
-Quiet
-Free

This is quite possibly the most cliche holiday tradition; think of all the beautiful Christmas stories out there! Between The Night Before Christmas and A Christmas Carol, plus all of the children's books out there, you will never run short of beautiful stories to share as a family. I'd love to do this tradition with my children, just to further encourage reading in all aspects of their lives. Remember, it's never too young to begin reading with your children, and that's why it says from birth! How amazing would it be to watch your children be able to read more and more as the Christmases pass by?

Yes, I'd probably end up reading Harry Potter to my kids every Christmas...and every other night of the year ;)

Imagine story time around this beauty!

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The following traditions are those that my friends submitted to me via my Facebook page

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Sarah's Ornament and Stocking Making

-Kid Friendly (Birth and up)
-Pet Friendly
-At Home Activity
-Quiet
-Not expensive

Here is how Sarah describes this tradition in her family:

Whenever we have a new addition to the family, be it a new baby or a new pet or a new spouse, everyone gets an ornament made of their name. Solid color glass ball with the name written in glue and covered in glitter. We even make multiples so everyone has a "name ball" for Gramma's tree and our own! Same with stockings, making these are a big deal in our family and it's our way of inducting "newbies" to the family. :)

Thanks, Sarah! I imagine it gives a real sense of love and unity when you see all of your names on the tree and mantle. :)

These are ornaments I made of all our names last year. Simple clay recipe with watercolor paint, and you're good to go!

Trista's Burning of the Wish Lists

-Kid Friendly (3 and up)
-At Home Activity
-Free
-Quiet or Boistrous

Here is what Trista has to say about one of her family's traditions:

My family and I burn our wish lists outside every Christmas Eve and we go to bed straight after. The burning of the list is how the list gets to Santa (by the smoke, its magic) its also how he knows you've gone to bed. Everyone in my family does this no matter where we are in the world, so even when we are apart we still have something that brings us together.

What a wonderful tradition to start, especially if there are people who travel a lot in your family! I adore the magic piece, and what a clever way to get the kids to bed ;) Thanks, Trista!

Is this fire too big? I didn't think so!

Another burning tradition: The Burning of the Tree!

Marge's Running of the Bare Feet

-Kid Friendly (to the discretion of the parents)
-At Home Activity
-Weather Permitting
-Pet Friendly
-Free
-Boisterous 

My dear friend, Marge, shared with me quite possibly one of the most unique and out-of-the-ordinary traditions I've ever heard. I love it!

We run around the house in our bare feet in the snow and thaw them out in front of the fireplace. My father was a strange man.... It was great fun!

Marge, your dad sounds fun and fancy-free to organize that beautiful memory! Definitely a good tradition for the more adventurous families. Thanks so much, Marge!

See? It IS pet-friendly!

This might be a wee bit too deep...

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Writing this post has certainly pushed me head-first into the Christmas Spirit! I'm just itching to begin these traditions with my family, and I hope my friends and I have inspired you to try something new, also.

Thank you from the bottom of my jolly heart for reading! As always, email or comment any questions you have. If YOU have some great holiday traditions that you think I should include, please let me know and I will add yours in!

All the best to you and yours.

xoChristie




*Disclaimer: All of my age suggestions are just that, SUGGESTIONS! I am not responsible in any way for the safety of your children while practicing these traditions. Have a safe holiday season!

Freezer Paper Tutorial

This is my first video tutorial!! I really hope you guys like it. 

 

xoChristie

Harry Potter Club

Hello friends! Today was the last day of my Harry Potter Club at school. There were 6 weeks of Potter fun; I loved it so much, that I really want to share with you all the activities we did.

Before this session of After School Activities, I came up with a list of things I wanted to do. I was also lucky enough to get a bit of funding from the program to buy some supplies I needed. I knew I wanted to make wands, make HP tee shirts, play some Potter Pictionary, Jeopardy, Charades, and watch a movie. Read this post to see how I did it!

Timeline

Week 1: Begin making the wands (tutorial here!)
            Pictionary
Week 2: Paint the finished wands
            Charades
Week 3: Harry Potter tee shirt making with freezer paper stencil (tutorial here)
            Charades and Pictionary
Week 4: Tee-Shirt touch up/finish up
            Jeopardy
            Vote for movie
Week 5: First half of movie
Week 6: Second half of movie
            Special snack!

Pictionary and Charades

The Pictionary and Charades were SO easy to do. Ahead of time, I wrote out Harry Potter words on pieces of paper and put them in a little bin for the kids to pick from. Even if the same cards were chosen in both games, different things happened and it was very entertaining.

One of the cards said Fred and George Weasley and one of my kids asked me to help. She wanted to play the scene where the twins put their names in the Goblet of Fire, turn into old men, and start fighting. Of course, there was no real violence involved in our portrayal, and it was absolutely hysterical! The other kids guessed right away. I lucked out with some real HP experts for my first session!

Jeopardy

The Jeopardy Game lasted about 15 minutes, I was shocked! Next time I would do much harder questions but most of the kids were in 4th grade, so I didn't want to make them too difficult. I underestimated them for sure! HERE is the link for the game. Bear with me, this is the first time I've shared a PowerPoint, and I'm not sure how it will work. There SHOULD be links set up so you just have to click the box with the amount of points to go to that specific question for that category. PLEASE let me know if it is not working right, I want to fix it so you can use it. I believe if you just download it, all the slides should work the way I intended.

BE WARNED! One of the questions has the wrong answer because I forgot to edit it. (When I was making the game, it was easier to make one slide with the proper edits and animations, copy and paste the whole slide a bunch of times, and then just change the words in the questions and answers, but I missed one!)

Freezer Paper Stencils

Here are some of the awesome freezer paper stencil tee shirts!! *Note: Not everything was done as a stencil, as the kids were free to add to the shirt after they stenciled

An awesome Death Eater and Dark Mark shirt by one of my Slytherin kids

A blue Phoenix

Black Dementor

This girl is an amazing artist. The bottom right is the sweetest and most adorable cartoon dragon, but I didn't get a picture of the finished product

Harry Potter and a Lightening Bolt

The Harry Potter logo

The Movie

Most of my kids were in the 11-12 range, so I wanted to keep it as kid-friendly as possible. We all know that there is much more killing and violence as we progress through the series so I let them pick between the first three films. The majority voted for the Prisoner of Azkaban! It was all well and good until this line happened: Marge: "If there's something wrong with the *****, then there's something wrong with the pup!" WHOOPS! Forgot about that little tidbit. It was okay. I just reminded them that this is British language and the context wasn't intended as a swear (I explained this in Kid Words, of course). They were quite mature about it!

The Last Day

The last day was low-key. We watched the second half of PoA and we split this beauty:

I kept it simple; just a Stop and Shop brownie square that I decorated with pre-made Betty Crocker icing. The kids loved it, and of course they all fought over who got the Lightening Bolt!

All in All

I really loved this club. I would do it all three sessions a year if they let me! I had so much fun with the kids, and seeing a younger generation appreciate Harry like I always have gives me solid confidence that it will be around for years and years to come.

As always, thanks for reading!

xoChristie

Magic Wand Tutorial

First and foremost, I'd like to apologize for the terrible quality of pictures. The only camera I had available was my phone, which has an awful blue-ish tinted flash. Again, I'm sorry and I hope it's not too unbearable!

I made these with the kids in my Harry Potter Club and they really loved it! It kept them busy and I liked that I did it in the early weeks because it gave them a chance to talk and get to know each other while they were gluing and doing the papier mache.

I did not come up with the idea for this on my own. I looked up a bunch of tutorials and I modified each of them and combined them in my own way. Unfortunately, I don't remember which ones I used but if I find them, I will put a link in this post to the blog sites.

Here are the materials you will need.

BBQ Skewers
Pipe Cleaners (aka Unicorn Hair, Dragon Heartstring, and Phoenix Feather etc)
Glitter (aka Magic Dust)
Newspaper (one full sheet and a good amount of strips
Tape
Papier Mache mixture (I believe I used 1 part water : 2 parts glue)

Next you want to tape two or three skewers together with a Magical Core!

Roll it up in the FOLDED sheet of newspaper. (You know how a FULL sheet is technically 4 sections? I just used HALF (two sections) folded into one section...if that makes sense.

Don't forget to add some Magic Dust and recite an incantation!

Fold the ends of the newspaper over until the crease is just about at the ends of the skewers. We don't want any flimsy ends to our wands!

Now we begin the papier mache. Just dip and wrap! Feel free to let the strips of paper soak while you're working on your wand.

I wrapped the strips all in the same direction so when you smooth it out, it doesn't smooth in some parts and wrinkle in others. Remember, from here on out, it's totally up to the Wand Maker! If your little witch or wizard is not following this exactly, please don't try to micromanage. Just let the tyke be and see what comes of it. Certainly, however, provide help when it's requested!

See how the left side is thicker than the right? The left is where my handle is going to be. (Note, I did let it dry over the bowl in between coats. I believe it's easier to do a little at a time so it has time to dry...then the wet stuff is easier to work with when it's not a huge sloppy, gloopy mess.)

Just keep working it until...

BOOM! Ollivander status.

Now for the bad news. I don't know where the picture of my final product is! I painted mine all brown (dark for the handle, light for the rest), added some silver glitter accents, and dipped it for a silver glitter tip (to look like Lumos!)

For the good news. Here is a picture of some of my kids' wands! They came out great!! My favorite thing, though, is that no child's wand is the same or even remotely similar to another's. Make sure you have a variety of paint and other decorating supplies you can think of so the Wand-Maker-in-Training can exercise full creativity! Aslo, don't forget that NO TWO WANDS ARE THE SAME!

These are the FAB wands my kids at the club made! I love how distinctive they all are!

This Bad Boy is mine! 

I hope you liked this tutorial and I HOPE you will make some wands with your fellow Potterheads.

Thanks for reading, and don't forget to follow me on Pinterest!

xo Christie

My Tattoo

I'm 24 years old and I finally got my first tattoo! I knew I'd wanted one for a long time; I also knew my first tattoo would be influenced by Harry Potter.

Go ahead, you may think it's silly, but Harry Potter has been more than just a series of books to me. I will be forever grateful to JK Rowling for writing the books that carried me through my childhood and adolescence.

Harry Potter gave me my love for reading, something crucial to being a teacher. I used to dread reading anything unless it was a Nickelodeon Magazine, until my mom bought me that first Potter book. Since then, I've loved to read in my spare time which is something I'm proud of in this day and age of video games and electronics.

It's been even more than that, though. Adolescence is a crazy, confusing, scary, and sometimes terrible time in a person's life, especially for a person who doesn't have any older siblings to confide in. I can remember no matter what was going on, I could pick up one of the books and escape. I learned lessons from so many of the characters' experiences, examples, and choices that I'd like to share with you.

James Potter: Mistakes from your past do not define who you are.
Lily Potter: There is good in everyone, no matter how dark someone may seem.
Rubeus Hagrid: Love all creatures of the earth (Ron and I are still working on appreciating spiders...we're trying, Hagrid!)
Molly Weasley: You don't have to be a child's biological mother to give them the motherly love they need.
Dobby: Be loyal.
Ginny Weasley: The best things in life are worth waiting for.
Fred and George Weasley: There is always a reason to smile.
Sirius Black: It's okay, and sometimes even wonderful, to be different from your family.
Voldemort: Through his mistakes, I've seen that there is no life without love.
Severus Snape: Heroes don't always look like Superman.
Albus Dumbledore: "It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities." 
Neville Longbottom: Stand up for what you believe in, even if it means standing up to your friends.
Luna Lovegood: She is my favorite character. Embrace yourself and all of your quirks. Never change for anyone.
Hermione Granger: Treat everyone with kindness, compassion, and respect.
Ron Weasley: No matter what, your true friends will always be there for you.
Harry Potter: More often than not, doing what is right is not what is easy.

 These characters have made me who I am today.

 Now to explain the chess pieces. I didn't want a tattoo that everyone else has...we all know the ones I'm talking about. I don't mean to be offensive because I love them all! However, like Luna, I take pride in my differences so I wanted an original idea. I began to think of how I could represent the Golden Trio when I remembered the chapter "Through the Trapdoor" in The Sorcerer's Stone.

 There you have it. Harry the Bishop, Ron the knight, and Hermione the castle.

 If you took the time to read this, I deeply appreciate it, and I'm happy to have shared this with you.

xoChristie