Jamie Janosz

If you haven’t read this runaway successful novel, I’ll fill you in. The story follows the brave and unexpected adventure of a teenage girl named Katniss. She lives in a futuristic society that also seems slightly medieval. This is a world of oppression, where the government cruelly orchestrates the lives of ordinary people. Katniss struggles to provide for her mother and younger sister by illegally hunting. What she doesn’t realize is that she is soon to be hunted herself. The governing body has ruled that every year there will be an event called The Reaping. On that day, one boy and one girl from every district is entered into The Hunger Games – a deadly event that requires contenders to fight to the death. The Reaping reminded the English teacher in me of Shirley Jackson’s chilling story “The Lottery”, while the Games themselves were reminiscent of Richard Connell’s short story “The Most Dangerous Game.” The act of hunting becomes a gritty reality when the hunter and hunted are...

In fourth grade, a boy liked me. He liked me enough to write me one of those cute, fourth-grade boy notes. "Do you like me? Check yes or no." Instead of being pleased, I was horrified and completely frozen in my tracks. What would I say? Why did he like me? We had never talked. We were both shy, well-behaved kids who sat in their desks, raised their hands, stayed in line. He had brown hair and freckles across the bridge of his nose. And, he was persistent. Just before gymn class, while we were standing in line, he had another girl hand me an enormous paper valentine.It was at least 12 inches across - made from a paper doily. I held it awkwardly, not sure where to put it on my way to play kickball. But that wasn't all. The next day, without any further encouragment, he gave me (through the able delivery assistance of one of my friends) a carefully wrapped jewelry box. My girlfriends gathered around me after school to watch me open the mysterious present. It wa...

I love her outfits and impossibly high heels. I love her best friend, Billy. I love her boss - played by Andie MacDowell. I love the fashion. What is not to love about ABC Family's new teen drama, Jane By Design . The show is based on a highly improbable, but amazingly wonderful, premise - a teenage girl has a chance to live a double life - escaping the drudgery of her snobbish high school peers to work for a fabulous designer in New York City. Perfect, right? This is every girl's teenage fantasy. The show features an extremely likeable main character who is being raised by her older brother. There are no parents around to compliate things. While her older brother was a high school success, Jane struggles to fit in. Her best friend is a mohawked misfit named Billy. To viewers, Jane and Billy seem like an obvious match, but so far remain best friends. The show is a great choice for moms to watch with theirteenage daughters. Sabrina and I both enjoy the close calls ...

I was sitting in the waiting room at the doctor's office, when my attention was captured by a two-year-old boy. He was sitting next to his aunt, his feet dangling in the air with a pad-type computer resting on his knees. This adorable little guy was deep in concentration, his tongue sticking out just a bit, while his finger swiftly swiped pages on the screen. As I stood and caught a better view, I could see that he was playing a bowling game. A quick flick of his finger, and a virtual bowling ball tumbled down an alley. A strike! He was good. Then, apparently, he was done with bowling, downsized the game, and with another flick of his chubby little finger, opened a new application. He was sorting berries on trees into piles, counting and sorting, and counting again. Done with that as well, he closed the window and opened another. Amazing! At two years old, he was as agile on the tablet computer as an adult. Just as astonishing, to me, was how quiet and well behaved he chil...

As a mom, I want Christmas to be perfect. I put a lot of pressure on myself to get everything done and to do it well. But, as a kid, I don't think I ever expected Christmas to be perfect. I just loved this time of year when everyone in my family stopped being so busy with their ordinary tasks and just enjoyed spending time together. Here are a few random and precious memories of my Christmases past: 1) My mom, her sister Roberta, and my grandma "Honey" telling stories at the kitchen table. The more they talked, the harder they laughed. I remember my Aunt Bert with tears streaming down her face trying to make them stop talking so she could get her breath and stop cracking up. 2) One year my dad had the flu. We also had a house full of relatives. I remember my aunt and mom bundling my dad up and propping him with pillows next to the tree. Feverish and flushed, my dad was not his usual self - but my aunt kept teasing him - and we all loved him back to health. 3) ...

Last night, I watched a favorite movie of mine, The Joy Luck Club , with my teenage daughter. The movie, adapted from the novel by Amy Tan, tells the stories of four Chinese mothers and the daughters they raised in America. It was just as powerful as I remembered it to be. The Joy Luck Club  begins by introducing the daughters who are trying to forge their own identities in America and apart from their very traditional Chinese parents, specifically their moms. The women are both irritated by their mothers' concerns and, yet, still anxious for their approval. One woman fears that her mother will never accept her white, very non-Chinese, fiance. Another thinks her mother will never really be proud of who she has become. Both women yearn for their moms to approve of them to be proud of them. What they do not realize, is that they are. The movie makes a point that resonates deep within me. As mothers (and former daughters) we must be honest about the events tha...

The weeks leading up to Christmas are among the busiest for most families. The parent to-do list is endless: shopping, baking, cards, decorating, scheduling parties and activities. And, in the midst of it all, there is the nagging feeling in our hearts that maybe we should be doing things differently. How do we push aside the "to-do" list and take time to honor the holiday with our children? How do we help them realize that Christmas is not just about toy commercials and making "I want" lists, but about celebrating the birth of Christ and spending time with those we love? A recent facebook post by one of my former students, Misty Zeller, suggested a great idea. She has a basket of Christmas cards that each list a potential family activity. She has her kids choose one, open it, and use it to inspire a creative time with her little ones. One of her friends said that she wraps up all of the old Christmas story books. Each night the children unwrap one and she o...