Poems can help us grieve for loved ones who have died. The death of a grandchild is especially heartbreaking. Poems such as Little Boy Blue by Eugene Field (1850 – 1895) can be read by a grandparent in memory of a deceased grandchild. Eugene Field had eight children; two died when infants, and the other as a boy. The boy described in Eugene Field’s beloved poem Little Boy Blue was his own son, who died when he was a little boy.
Little Boy Blue
The little toy dog is covered with dust,
But …

If you’re like me, you’re always on the lookout for easy recipes that also must be low-fat, healthy recipes. I’ve found some Thanksgiving recipes that are both easy and healthy with low-fat ingredients. I’m adding them to my Thanksgiving menu so I’ll be able to spend less time in the kitchen, more time with our grandchildren and children…and be able to keep within my Weight Watchers points, too. Since I’m back on Weight Watchers as a returning lifetime member, my easy Thanksgiving recipes must be low-fat; but I won’t settle …

Alliteration is the repetition of beginning sounds in two or more words, often consonants but vowels can be used – more common in Old English prose. English (language arts) classes, at all levels, learn the use of alliteration when studying poetry.
My students are currently studying literary devices, including alliteration. Last week, I shared my Halloween poem, The Headless Horseman Haunts on Halloween, with my freshman Language Arts class. They all agreed that using alliteration made the poem fun to listen to. They also felt that it added to the mood (emotion) of …

Alliteration Examples
There are some famous alliteration poems that are good alliteration examples. Alliteration is the literary technique using the frequent recurrence of the same initial consonant sound. The following alliteration examples include 4 alliteration famous poems: Siege of Belgrade, Beowulf, On Thriftiness, Pied Beauty, and lines from some of Shakespeare’s famous plays showing examples of alliteration.
The Siege of Belgrade
Listen to The Siege of Belgrade (by Alaric Alexander Watts – 1797 to 1864), an example of an alliterative famous poem written in the English language. Notice that the author uses every …

According to the 2009 National Retail Federation survey on holiday gift shopping trends, U.S. consumers plan to spend less this year, a 3.2 percent drop from last year. Out of their total holiday budget, Americans will spend three-fourths of it on holiday gifts this year.  Spending is projected to decline slightly on holiday gifts, but candy, especially milk chocolate, may be the one bright spot this year with the average person planning to spend $10 more in that holiday gift category. In fact, candy is one of the top holiday …