英语博客：Crunchy crickets.

house, at night, when everyone is asleep, the sounds of nature fill the air. Actually, the noises don't come from outside, but inside the house, and I'm not talking about my husband snoring. Chirp, chirp, chirp, is what we hear. It is the familiar so

英语博客(A cup of English):015 A choice of puppies.

A choice of puppies. Beginners. We have a dog. It is a female. Her name is Rosie. We all love her very much. However, I think my children would like another dog. Actually, it would be nice for Rosie to have a playmate. The children spend quite a few

英语博客：Thumbelina.

Thumbelina. There was once a woman who lived in a tiny cottage which had a beautiful garden. She was very happy tending her garden, but over time she became sad. She had no children who could share her garden with her. She decided to ask the old witc

英语博客：Thumbelina part 2.

图片1 Thumbelina (part 2). The frog watched and waited until Thumbelina's mother went inside the cottage to get a cup of lemonade for Thumbelina. Then the frog jumped out from behind the reeds where he had been hiding and captured Thumbelina. He ca

英语博客：Thumbelina part 3.

Thumbelina (part 3). Thumbelina told the field mouse of the horrible frog who took her away from her home. She told her how much she couldn't wait to get back to her mother and her garden. The field mouse invited Thumbelina to stay with her for the W

英语博客：Sock soup.

图片1 Muddy, brown water. A couple of wiffle balls. An old, dirty snowman toy. A plastic Dora the Explora figure that has been buried in the earth for over a year. Add to these things a stinky sock and a few sticks, and you have the perfect recipe

英语博客(A cup of English):071 Bubbles and outdoor dialog

Dialogue. Okay, we're interviewing Robert today about his bubble wand, and the other things that he likes to do outside. Okay Robert, what did you find when you came home from school today, that I had bought you? I found a bubble sword. A bubble swor

英语博客(A cup of English):088 The Pizza Man.

Beginners. The other day, I was driving along when I saw a man dancing on the side of the road. It wasn't something that I hadn't seen before. This man stands on the side of the main road and dances around waving a sign. This sign advertises pizza. T

英语博客：Daily homework.

Did your teacher give you your homework packet? is a question I ask my children often. Every week they get a set of papers that are stapled together, each paper being either a math sheet or a reading and writing sheet. For the longest time, I couldn'

英语博客：Very early practice.

When you have a hobby, and you want to improve your skills, you have to practice. There is no substitute for practice. Those of you who come from disciplined nations will know all about this. In the Western world, I think, dedicating ourselves to lon

英语博客(A cup of English):018 Entertainment at the mall.

Beginners. Having four children is wonderful, but it can be a lot of hard work. Sometimes, I find myself in the car driving all over town taking the kids to different activities. Two have swimming, so the younger two have to come along. Sometimes, my

英语博客:Fortune Cookies

They are crunchy, small, folded, and light brown in color (colour). They usually come in individual, plastic packets. They don't fill you up, but they are an important part of certain meals. They hold a different promise for each person at the table.

英语博客：Colors at the carnival.

These past two weeks have been Apple Blossom here in Wenatchee. It is a springtime celebration that brings in a lot of business to the area, and is great fun. Just around the time that the apple blossoms appear, the setting up of this week begins. We

英语博客:Like Home For Hungry Travelers

Beginners. I took a trip to Seattle last week for an appointment, and to do some shopping. I had arranged for my mother to pick up my kids from school, and stay with them until my husband got home from work. So, I was free for the day. Luckily, we ha

英语博客(A cup of English):Where is my bucket?

Beginners. What sort of things do you like to do during the Summer. Are there any activities that you are particularly fond of? What about when you were a child? If I could sit down and chat with all of you, I would probably be able to write a long l

英语博客：Do it yourself and win $5000.

Do-it-yourself is more than a hobby in this town. It is more like a craze. When a job needs to be done around the house, a lot of people will do it themselves, instead of hiring someone else. You don't always need to be an expert to fix a pipe, to pa

英语博客：Bleeding Hearts.

I have been making excuses recently, to avoid doing some gardening. I have had pots of plants ready to plant for at least a week. I even put them right on the spots where I intended to plant them, but they sat there for a long time. Every time I happ

英语博客：Stars on ice.

Stars on ice. I have never really been much of an ice skater. When I was a teenager, I would go indoor skating with friends, mainly to have a good laugh. When people are wobbling and falling down on a regular basis, it can be amusing! My friends and

英语博客：A blasting experiment.

It's always fun when my brother comes to visit from New Zealand. Because he is a math and science teacher, he often thinks of interesting things to do that fascinate the children. When he heard that one of my sons does experiments in the kitchen for

英语博客：Crocuses: a first sign of Spring!

The official first day of Spring came and went on 20th of the month. We've had a few very spring-like days, but usually the next day, it has returned to wintry weather. That's okay, though. There are signs that Spring is on its way. The birds are beg