Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

I got a NookColor for Mother's Day.  One of the best gifts EVER!  After Darryl bought me the original Nook 3G  for Christmas a couple years ago, I didn't think I could love any e-reader even more.  I do!  My birthday just happens to fall the day before Mother's Day (I know - lucky me!) and my brother gave me a wonderful, beautiful and timely Barnes and Noble gift card.  It was all so perfect!

The first book I read on my NookColor was Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith based on a recommendation from a co-worker.  What a wonderful story.  It was so much fun to read a story where fiction is woven so seamlessly into fact that I almost forgot that it was a work of fiction.  Or was it?

 The story starts with the vampire that "recruited" Abraham comes to Seth (the author) and asks him for a favor.  From there the book takes off and I had a hard time finding places to take a break.  It follows Abe from childhood through his presidency and, all the while, you will find yourself becoming more and more empathetic to his motivations, and disdain,  for vampire hunting.

I highly recommend this book, especially for those who love history with a twist.  Due to the graphic theme of the story and a few mature references, I wouldn't recommend it for anyone under the age of 13.

Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

I love JANY - A Short Documentary

Shot in Canon 5D in New York by artist Sasha Huber, this story is about Jany Tomba, a naturally pretty Haitian girl that moved to NY as a child with her family.  It explains how she became one of the first black girls to be featured on magazine covers in the US, simply by chance.

IloveJANY on Vimeo

Let's Move!

Love this video.  It's extremely motivating!!!

Jan Lewis is the ETS December Volunteer of the Month

--by Christopher Lentz

Jan Lewis, Accounting Clerk in the Finance Division, has been actively involved with helping those affected by autism since 2004.

"In 2004, my son was three years old, and with the help of early intervention, he was diagnosed as autistic," she says. "I was frozen with fear of the unknown. I had no idea what autism was or what it meant to my beautiful, perfect child."


My Aunt Jan with her sons John (l) and Ty

With the help of a pediatrician, a neurologist and the organization Autism Speaks, Lewis learned enough to not only help her son but to also begin the journey toward finding a cure.

The journey started about ten years ago when she heard about Angel's Wings, a nonprofit organization in Trenton, N.J. Lewis was there when the first baby arrived at the 30-day emergency respite care facility for newborns and children up to age 12 who come from the N.J. Division of Youth and Family Services (DYFS).

"I started volunteering for four-hour shifts on the weekends, but was often there more frequently taking care of these incredible children. It's an amazing experience to care for and comfort several children after a long, exhausting workweek."

Soon, Lewis was taking foster-parent training.

"A few months later a three-month-old was brought to Angel's Wings crying his heart out. My heart broke. My first son came home with me a month later, and his younger brother joined us about 18 months after that.

"Through my research, I was learning the steps I needed to take to help my oldest son. What I learned helped me to recognize early signs of autism in my youngest son."

Lewis's adopted sons are now seven and nine years old.

"They were receiving limited services in the public schools, so I used what I had learned to fight for the services they needed and rightly deserved. They have since been placed out of the district and into a private school that can better meet their special needs."

But Lewis was determined to do more. She wanted to make a difference by helping other families and helping to find a cure. "I wanted to do it for my sons, and I wanted to do it for the many individuals and family members who were living with autism every day."

In 2001, ETS recognized Lewis with its first ETS Volunteer of the Year Award for the time, energy and dedication she had given to the children of Angel's Wings.

In 2007 Lewis became actively involved with Autism Speaks and participated in her first "Walk Now for Autism Speaks" event. Autism Speaks is the nation's largest autism science and advocacy organization, dedicated to funding research on the causes, prevention, treatments and a cure for autism; increasing awareness of autism spectrum disorders; and advocating for the needs of individuals with autism and their families.

Last April, during Autism Awareness Month, Lewis worked with the ETS Social Investment Fund to bring autism information and awareness to an ETS lunch-and-learn session. On October 10, Lewis participated in the Walk Now for Autism Speaks event on the campus of Mercer County Community College, where she was accepted as a V.I.P. member of Autism Speaks 2010 Grand Club for raising over $1,000.

"Through the many generous donations made by ETS employees, family and friends, I raised $1,200 that will fund research to find a cure. I will continue to support Autism Speaks in any way that I can. I will continue to have discussions about autism with anyone who cares to engage in a conversation.

"The fight for services that will help my sons with their daily struggles has been a battle that will undoubtedly last for the rest of my life and theirs — but I will continue to fight, because I have to."

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About Autism
Autism is a general term used to describe a group of complex developmental brain disorders known as Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDD). Some other pervasive developmental disorders include Asperger's Syndrome, Rett Syndrome and Childhood Disintegrative Disorder, often referred to as Autism Spectrum Disorders.

Learn more about autism by visiting the Autism Speaks website.

--Article from the ETS Company website

Great Meal Ideas

So, I'm always looking for great meal ideas, especially for a family that is so painfully divided in what we eat. 

Last night for dinner I made oven fried chicken for my non-vegetarian husband and son, cheese tortellini with mushrooms and peas as a side for them and a main course for my vegetarian daughter and me, and steamed baby brussel sprouts with butter and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese for everyone.

Lauryn and I had bowls of pasta with brussel sprouts on the side.  The sprouts were especially delicious slightly dipped into the creamy pasta sauce.  My hubby only had chicken and pasta because he didn't "want" brussel sprouts.  I think "he thinks" he doesn't like them but they taste just like cabbage and he eats that with no problem.  But I digress.  My son, who really only likes noodles, pizza, hamburgers and bacon, ate a little bit of pasta.  And that's all.

But I did find a winner yesterday as well.  For lunch I made tomato pesto sandwiches.  I wish I could take credit for the idea but it actually came from the cafe at Barnes and Noble, where Lauryn and I spend a significant amount of time noshing, drinking and reading our Nooks.

Their sandwich, called the Roasted Tomato Caprese, is pretty simple: Sliced mozzarella and provolone cheese with basil pesto and slow roasted tomatoes on an Asiago basil focaccia roll.  Trust me, these are delicious.

In my home (kid-friendly) version, I substituted the roasted tomatoes with freshly sliced ones and used only mozzarella cheese (although I will probably add different ones in the future) and I served them on 100% whole wheat bread.   Lightly buttered and then grilled until the cheese is melted, these sandwiches were a hit at our house.  So much so that my son (who saw me adding pesto and became a little weary until I told him it was really just a "pizza sandwich") asked to take one to school today for lunch. 

Boy, that felt like a huge win!

And the adventures in vegetarianism continue...

Adventures with Tofurky

I’ve never been very good at packing lunch. First of all, my office is always freezing so the idea of a hot lunch is always appealing. I drink coffee and tea all day long just to keep my insides warm. So when Lauryn suggested, as part of our dive into vegetarianism, that we buy Tofurky (for those of you not familiar, it is turkey-flavored tofu. I know… sounds delicious!) I was slightly hesitant. Ok, I was two aisles away when she convinced me to go back and take another look.

For some reason, I pictured myself having to slice pieces of Tofurky from a giant, gelatinous loaf for our lunches. It wasn’t that way at all. In fact, the package looks pretty much like Oscar Mayer or Butterball and the “turkey” was pre-sliced.

The consistency was pretty much like actual turkey and, surprisingly, so was the taste. The coloring is a little darker, which would be disconcerting to someone like my husband who only eats tofu when it’s floating in his miso soup. But we added whole grain flatbread, a little mayo, a little mustard and a couple slices of colby jack cheese and lunch was “in the bag!” (I know but I couldn’t resist!)

All-in-all, I would give Tofurky a great rating! And, let’s face it; it’s even fun to say!

When Lauryn came home from school yesterday, I asked how her lunch was. She said she loved it and took the same sandwich again today. We seem to have a winner!

And the pescetarian adventures continue…

From Carnivore to Pescetarian

Recently my peace-loving, environmentally conscious twelve year old declared that she was giving up meat after a decidedly "traumatic" shopping excursion.  "As of today, I'm a vegetarian!"

"Really?" I said.  "That means no more burgers, ribs, chicken, cheesesteaks..."

"I know. I don't want to eat them any more."

"Does that include fish?"

"No more meat, Mom!"

"Ok, but that means giving up sushi."

After a moment... "Ok, maybe not fish!"

"Well," I replied to her supportively, "if you're serious, I'll do it with you!"

So that's how we got where we are today: Pescetarians!  This didn't just come out of the blue.  Lauryn has always been a very "conscious" person.  Sensitive to animals and people's feelings (except her brother's of course!), very kind and considerate when it comes to other people.  She's a very sweet girl.  All of her clothing designs (website coming soon!) are accented with the peace sign.  So, really, in my mind, it was just a matter of time until we got here. 

And here's the thing... I've gone (red) meatless for years with no problem.  Unlike my husband, I don't "love" steak and probably wouldn't order one in a restaurant unless it was that restaurant's specialty (such as Arthur's Tavern in Hoboken or The Steakhouse at Circus Circus in Las Vegas.)  It's something I can easily live without.  Chicken will be a bit harder to give up but, honestly, we both love tofu and all kinds of seafood so I think we'll be all right!  And, it's much healthier in the long run!

And, let's face it, Lauryn and I both need to drop a few pounds.  Hopefully, this will lead to more healthy eating overall.   We are also protesting fast food (as much as we can - but sometimes a baked potato from Wendy's can make an inexpensive and satisfying meal!) and getting out to get more exercise. 

I'll check back in often with our progress (yes - both the satisfying highs and the embarrassing lows!)  Here's hoping there will be very few lows!

Help Us Out
Any ideas or suggestions on great boxable lunches or tasty homemade meatless dinners would be greatly appreciated.  Drop me a line if you have a delicious recipe that you're willing to share!  Thanks!

Next stop: cutting down on our sugar intake! (It won't be easy but we can't eat what we don't buy, right?)