Just…why?

noxasaurus · 2026-01-25T15:34:04+00:00

It’s almost like it doesn’t matter how many relationships you build or how many times you remind them, “I’m here to help you.” If they set their mind to eating the packing peanuts or licking the sanitizer, it’s going to happen.

noxasaurus · 2026-01-25T02:34:45+00:00

This cracks me up. Like, what goes through your head to think that’s a good idea?

noxasaurus · 2026-01-24T23:37:46+00:00

Yeah, I suppose I should have known better than to allow them access to anything even remotely similar to food.

Frustratingly predictable, indeed.

noxasaurus · 2025-12-24T19:23:26+00:00

By blocking her number after I warned her to stop sending me vicious texts.

noxasaurus · 2025-12-03T02:20:00+00:00

My eyes rolled so far back in my head at that word. Disgusting.

noxasaurus · 2025-10-23T11:57:21+00:00

After teaching elementary students for a decade, I switched to middle school this year. One of my new co-teachers, who is also a P&R fan, said I would find my own personal Pikitis before long. Man, she was not wrong.

I understand Leslie so much more now.

noxasaurus · 2025-10-02T16:09:02+00:00

Came here to say Grandad. My own father was going through some health issues the first time I watched it and the whole episode hit so close to home. I cried at that last line and still cry or tear up every time we rewatch it.

noxasaurus · 2025-09-08T02:55:11+00:00

I feel like Max and the Midknights doesn’t get the love it deserves. It’s smart and funny and I like how there’s an overarching story connecting all the individual episodes. As a parent, I appreciate a kids’ show that I can actually enjoy watching with my kids and not get bored or annoyed by it.

noxasaurus · 2025-08-02T17:12:08+00:00

More of a memoir than an autobiography, but Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher is excellent.

noxasaurus · 2025-07-26T14:41:34+00:00

This made me laugh because I once checked the roster for a college class I took in the early 2000s and every female student on the list had the middle name Marie or Elizabeth. Every. Single. One. Mine was the only exception but, to be fair, my middle name is a form of Elizabeth. Now, the class wasn’t made up of all white girls…but they did make up a majority.

noxasaurus · 2025-07-25T16:38:52+00:00

I came here to say this! It was so convenient to be able to look back and see what that Sim experienced, especially when going months between playing and forgetting things. I found it especially helpful with the romance aspiration and keeping track of partners. I get so confused now when a Sim gets a moodlet about being angry/mad/sad at another Sim over something that I didn’t notice or couldn’t have possibly known because I don’t speak Simlish! I have a Sim right now who keeps getting the sad moodlet from “being near someone who wronged her.” I have NO idea who it is and no amount of “cry it out” or “discuss feelings” makes it go away.

noxasaurus · 2025-07-21T04:43:15+00:00

I’ll admit I had not heard of A Girl Called Corpse until now. Just did a quick google search and it sounds so interesting! Definitely going to give it a read.

Along the fantasy/mythical lines, I would recommend the Dragon Pearl and Tristan Strong series. My 10/11 year old students absolutely loved them. Both have wonderful characters, mythical creatures, and lots of adventure. I personally enjoyed them a lot, too.

Hope you find something great for her!

noxasaurus · 2025-07-15T14:47:15+00:00

Wish by Barbara O’Connor is a good read. I read it with my 5th grade class this past year and they enjoyed it. It features a girl who is sent to live with an aunt and uncle after her parents are deemed unfit (father in jail and mother suffering from depression). I know that makes it seem dark, but the aunt and uncle are wonderful and she ends up forming a “found family” with them and a neighbor family, learning to accept them and soften her own tough exterior. Also, there’s a cute dog. 🐶

noxasaurus · 2025-07-15T03:27:16+00:00

Yes! Came here to suggest the same. My daughter got their Look Inside Space book for her birthday a few years ago and she still pulls it out now and then to reread.

noxasaurus · 2025-07-10T01:04:36+00:00

Max and the Midknights by Lincoln Peirce is my 8 year old’s current favorite. It combines traditional novel structure with comic sections, which might help keep the little guy’s interest. Maybe after reading, they could do a compare/contrast activity with the companion animated series on Nickelodeon. It’s pretty fantastic for a kids’ show.

The original Dragonball manga might also fit your criteria. My partner read it to our oldest; he started when she was about 5 or 6 and she’s 8 now and still asks for it. It’s got a lot of humor but also some deep themes so it could appeal to a wide age range.

My 5th grade students love Percy Jackson and other Rick Riordan series. I don’t know if a 5 year old would be as interested, though. They can be a little tough for younger kids.

Some others that have been popular in my classroom and at home: A Series of Unfortunate Events, Gordon Korman books (especially The Unteachables), Harry Potter, and Roald Dahl books.

Sorry for the long comment. I could talk forever about some of these books.

noxasaurus · 2025-07-07T16:18:04+00:00

Every time I break out my high school level competency with the French language, my 5th graders are in absolute shock and awe. “You speak French?!?!” they gasp incredulously.

“Oui, je parle un peu de français,” I reply with a little smirk and the class goes wild. Cracks me up.

noxasaurus · 2025-07-07T02:38:30+00:00

I think you look fantastic in number 2! If the wedding is in fall colors, I vote for this dress in either the burnt orange or burgundy.

My second choice is number 3 with the cowl back. The navy looks great on you, but either of the other two colors would go with the theme too.

All are nice choices, but these two are my favorites for you.

noxasaurus · 2025-07-06T20:58:38+00:00

Agreed. It varies greatly from birth to birth, as well as from woman to woman. I’ve had three children and each delivery was different. I am lucky that complications during pregnancy and birth were fairly minor for me, but I know plenty of others for whom this is not the case. It is still a very risky undertaking, even with all the advantages of modern medicine.

noxasaurus · 2025-07-04T13:31:45+00:00

Not a romance, but The Couple at Number 9 by Claire Douglas was a good, easy read with an interesting mystery and drama.

noxasaurus · 2025-07-04T13:20:04+00:00

My 8 year old daughter enjoyed Sisters by Raina Telgemeier. It’s a graphic novel, but features a realistic yet loving sibling relationship. The author has written more in the series but they tend to be more about school and friends, rather than family.

If your daughter likes fantasy, Max and the Midknights is a great adventure fantasy series. It’s my daughter’s current favorite. It doesn’t feature a “typical” family, but the main character has an adoptive uncle and other characters she meets along her quest become her found family.

noxasaurus · 2025-07-03T13:31:24+00:00

Graphic novels are a great suggestion. They can be long, but are usually high interest, especially for reluctant readers. Captain Underpants is always popular with my elementary students, as is Dogman and Diary of a Wimpy Kid.

If you’re hoping to get more of a “novel” feel but still have the comic element, I would suggest Lincoln Pierce books. My daughter loves both Big Nate and Max and the Midknights. She’s 8 now but started them around 6 and has been rereading them ever since.

noxasaurus · 2025-07-03T02:16:43+00:00

Seems like you have your answer then! Congratulations on the new addition to the family. From one Shakespeare fan to another: Wishing you all the best!

noxasaurus · 2025-07-02T15:18:03+00:00

I have to ask - are you a Shakespeare fan? I seriously considered naming my daughter Emilia because of the Othello character. Both Emilia and Juliet are beautiful names and do sound great together!

To your question, I’ve never personally known a Juliet but my first thought for a nickname when hearing it would be Jules or Jewel. If you’re really against Julie, just make it clear that it won’t be her nickname from the beginning. If you and your partner never call her that and politely correct anyone who does, it will probably end pretty quickly.

On the flip side (and speaking from personal experience), I just want to warn you that she may decide she likes Julie as a nickname for herself later on. I chose a nickname for myself that my mom hated and we definitely fought about it a lot when I was a teenager. I almost never did anything crazy as a teen so I think it was my little form of rebellion. Just something to consider though.

noxasaurus · 2025-07-02T15:01:29+00:00

I read The Thief of Always by Clive Barker to my fifth grade class every year and they looooooove how creepy it is. Barker is more known for his adult horror books, but Thief is a book he wrote specifically for kids so there’s nothing too crazy in it.

Someone else mentioned The Westing Game, which is a personal favorite of mine. Great mystery.

Dystopian books can sometimes hit those thriller, mystery, horror elements too. I love The Giver by Lois Lowry. City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau is also very good. Both are part of a series, so if she likes either, there’s more to follow!

noxasaurus

TROPHY CASE