Be Surprised with - Polar Bears, Purple Gallinules, Numbats & More!

  

As my grands and I worked on this book we learned about one of the most surprising, unexpected, and unbelievable fish we had ever heard of . . . the Psychedelic Frogfish! 

Just For Fun - Today is Make Paper Snowflakes Day!

Yes, today is, "Make Paper Snowflakes Day"! Where I live in Michigan we have no real snowflakes outside, but since today is, "Make Paper Snowflakes Day", I thought I'd share a couple fun and surprising facts about snow, a real photo of a real snowflake, and some ideas for making some of your own paper snowflakes! 

Make this a Time When You Do What Matters Most!

  

When my grands and I started working on the Life on the Goldilocks Planet books, we were surprised to see how many animals we found which we had not heard of before. We had heard of Axolotls, Porcupines, Clouded Leopards, Giant Pandas, and Kiwis, but had not heard of Scorpion fish, Eurasian Kingfishers, Stargazer Fish, Pygmy Marmosets, and while we had heard of hippos (of course), we did not know Pygmy Hippos were a real thing, and the same for Giant Purple Flying Squirrels. All of these animals are in the book - Scorpionfish, Clouded Leopards, Pygmy Hippos & More!

My Christmas Carols - Happy Day After Christmas! - Matthew West

I hope you all had a wonderful time celebrating Christmas with your families. As you go through today remember; "Even when Christmas is over the Light of the World is still here!" This song is beautiful and you will find it at this link.

Today is National Candy Cane Day - Have a Candy Cane Hunt!

Today is National Candy Cane Day - according to Daysoftheyear dot com, "According to German folklore, the first candy canes were made in the 17th century when a choirmaster in Cologne, Germany, needed to find a way to keep the children quiet during the exceptionally long Christmas Eve Mass.

Did You Know . . .

 

Cheetahs, Eels, Philippine Eagles, Chameleons, Gerenuks, Mimic Octopuses & Immortal Jellyfish, Hoatzins, Moose, Boxfish, Iberian Wolves, Olms & Mombachos, and Bactrian Camels!  About which of these animals do you know the most? About which do you know the least? All of them are in the book, Cheetahs, Mimic Octopuses, Hoatzins & More! 

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas! I celebrated last night with my family, so whether you did the same or are celebrating today, I want to say - Merry Christmas!

Today's Christmas Carol - Mary Did You Know?

My Christmas Carol for you today is a song by Mark Lowry - Mary Did You Know? This song has become a favorite of many as it has some of the most powerful lyrics of any song. Quite a few singers have recorded it, but my favorite is Pentatonix - you will find it at this link. Look at the lyrics:

Megabats, Bengal Tigers, Quetzals & More! is Sure to Help You Hand Down Confident Faith

  

Megabats, Wolverines, Andean Cock-of-the-Rock, Giant Clams, Bengal Tigers, Clown Frogfish, Hellbenders, Orangutans, Wombats, Elephantnose Fish, Tasmanian Devils, and Quetzals are all the animals you will find in the book, Megabats, Bengal Tigers, Quetzals & More! Which of these have you never heard of before? Which one do you think will be the most interesting or surprising?

My Christmas Carol for Today - Silent Night - by Carrie Underwood

When we think of Christmas Carols there are songs we immediately think about - for me, Silent Night is one such song. While many people have sung this song over the years, Carrie Underwood's presentation is beautiful and you will find it at this link.

I thought it would be interesting to share a couple fun facts about this song with you - did you know . . . 

Some Fun & Interesting Christmas Tree Facts - Did You Know . . .

If you are like me, your Christmas Tree went up after Thanksgiving dinner, so you have been enjoying it for several weeks. My grands once again helped with the decorating - it makes the tree so much more fun and meaningful for me. Today I thought it would be fun to look at some of the fun facts about Christmas trees - share them with the children you love . . .

Discover New Creatures with Red-Lipped Batfish, Giant Purple Squirrels, Kakapos & More!

  

Did you know there is actually such a thing as the Red-Lipped Batfish? Have you ever heard of Rufous Hummingbirds, Gharials, Asiatic Lions, or Giant Purple Squirrels? Yes, they are all real animals and you will find all of them, along with Komodo Dragons, Dumbo Octopuses, Sumatran Rhinoceros, Baikal Seals, Guanacos, Blue Whales & Whale Sharks, and Kakapos in the book, Red-Lipped Batfish, Giant Purple Squirrels, Kakapos & More! 

My Christmas Carol for Today - Everybody Loves Christmas

It is very easy to notice on grandma's cookie jar, I love Christmas! I love everything about it - the reason we celebrate and the wonderful opportunity it gives us to spend time with our families! So, this song, Everybody Loves Christmas, had to be part of my "Christmas Carols" - you will find it at this link - enjoy!

These are the lyrics if you would like to sing along . . . 

Five True Facts about the Real Saint Nicholas

Yes, there really was an actual Saint Nicholas, and while time has changed a LOT about him, we do still know the actual truth about him . . . 

• Santa Is from Turkey, not from the North Pole - The actual Saint Nicholas lived in the southeast of what is now Turkey, though his bones are entombed in Bari, Italy.