Night Light Stories

What goes bump in the night? How do you keep the Heebie Jeebies away, especially on Halloween?

A boy describes his experience of having to get stitches.

Getting ready for the very first bus ride on the very first day of school can be a nerve-racking experience! 

A tribe of Ooga Boogas try to change their lives for the better with unexpected results.  

The sequel to "The Walk" describes the boy's adventures he has on a hike with his family.

A girl's journey through her memories with her imaginary friend.

Hello All, Surprise!  Happy Mother's Day!  Mr. Chris and I dedicate this quick flashlight episode to our beautiful moms who have supported and loved us through thick and thin.  We are so grateful for every phone call, hug, and chocolate lollipop you bring us. We would have bought you flowers, but thought a poem was something you could listen to over and over all year round to remind you how very special you are.     VORACIOUS VOCABULARY In our story there are many juicy words that are fun to learn and say. Try to use some of these words in your vocabulary this week at home or in school.   confidence: belief in oneself and one's abilities. delight:  something that gives great pleasure. pride: the feeling of being proud. As always, I look forward to the many stories and memories  we can share together. 

Some exciting things are happening in the Night Light Stories household that we want to share with you! Mr. Chris and I were asked to write a series of children's books.  We are thrilled and eager to create a story that you'll get to read in print form! We've already started working on the project and we're really happy with how it is coming together. We're going to have a lot of fun working on the story, but it is also going to take a lot of time and a lot of hard work.   Unfortunately, that means we're going to have to take a short break from writing for Night Light Stories. Don't worry though, we plan to come back sometime in the Fall with brand new stories!  Also, we're going to keep adding new Lighting the Way With Words each week over, as well as occasional updates on our writing project and, who knows, maybe there will be some surprises along the way.   So, please, stay subscribed and tell your friends about Night Light Stories because we're so excited to be able to share this journey.   VORA

Hi All,   Currently, in the Night Light Stories household, we have been working with our two young children on having patience with each other. Our youngest is in the destroying phase and that makes for a very unhappy big brother. We try to remind him that she is learning and to make him a part of the teaching process.  It can be hard though, for both of them.  However, when one is upset or hurt, the other one is the first one to be there to offer comfort and kind words.  They are, in every sense of the word, siblings! VORACIOUS VOCABULARY In our story there are many juicy words that are fun to learn and say. Try to use some of these words in your vocabulary this week at home or in school. clever: having sharp or quick intelligence, mentally brightmalicious: mischievous in motivation masterpiece:a person's greatest piece of work, as in an art. JUST ADD IMAGINATION!Try these activities to keep your imagination glowing after hearing the story. 1. Build, draw, create, or cook your own

Hi All, We hope the New Year is finding you well! We have been getting more snow than usual this month here at the Night Light Stories household.  Having a 4 year old and 2 year old to bundle up to get outside takes some time and patience. Once we get out there though, it is worth it! There is a lot to do like snow angels, snow ball fights, snow forts, snow men and sledding. So many choices, so little time! In other Night Light news, we were thrilled to have a local newspaper, the Loudoun Independent, do a story about us.  You can click here to find the article about Night Light Stories.   VORACIOUS VOCABULARY         Our stories are filled with many illuminating words.Try and use them somewhere in a conversation this week.collision: crash   nestle: snuggle or cuddlestumble: stagger, fall, or trip       JUST ADD IMAGINATIONTry these activities to keep your imagination glowing after hearing the story.1. Gather different size balls such as a golf ball, tennis ball, kick ball, soccer ball, football or any ot

Click here to listen to: Chilly's Christmas (our first Christmas story) Hello All, Season Greetings! We want to send out our warmest Night Light wishes to you and your family during this holiday season. This time of year, we look forward to a lot of parties, lights, decorations, singing, and presents. There are a lot of different ways to give through the holiday seasons. You can give your time to a worthy cause, collect food, collect toys, even donate a book for children in the hospital. Share with us a way that you have given in this holiday season. We love to hear about how creative and generous our listeners are. Voracious VocabularyOur stories are filled with many illuminating words. Try and use them somewhere in a conversation this week.festive: joyouspropel: to drive, or cause to move, forward or onwardsmithereens: small pieces, bits  All Things Inky Try any or all of these fun activities with Inky! 1. Color Inky your favorite color using markers, crayons, colored pencils, or any other fun coloring to

We're in the holiday season. There will be days off of school and work, eating mouth watering foods and desserts, and of course, spending time with those you love. Whether you are traveling by plane, car, or train, we wish you a safe journey. Personally, in the Night Light Stories household, we love to jam to music from Rocknoceros, Laurie Berkner, Imagination Movers and Recess Monkey on our iPods, listen to stories and watch a movie or two. We also love to play games to pass the time like car Bingo or I Spy. Whatever your plans are this holiday weekend, we hope you have a magnificent time. While spending some time with your family, we hope you share with them this and the other stories at http://nightlightstories.blogspot.com

Hello All, We hope you enjoyed part two of the Patchwork Pumpkin. We plan on posting the pictures of our jack-o-lanterns this weekend after our "Carvefest" with the kid's grandparents. We would love to see yours as well! Send us a picture of how you are celebrating this time of year and we will post it for all to enjoy! CONTEST CORNERTo help celebrate our 1st two part story, the Northern Virginia based band, Rocknoceros, generously offered their newest CD, PINK, as a prize for a contest. To enter, simply visit Rocknoceros' website and explore all around. Dance to some songs, check out their podcast, and read their bios. Then, come back to this post at http://www.nightlightstories.blogspot.com and leave a comment about what you found most interesting, fun, or inviting about this intriguing trio!  What did you say, a word of the day? That is right, in our story there are many illuminating words. Try and use them in your conversations this week!awkward:lacking grace or ease in movementexasperated:annoy extremel

Hello All, Have you ever carved a pumpkin or made a scarecrow? The Night Light Stories household loves to do both. So far, we have created the scarecrow that is pictured below. The pumpkins are scheduled to be carved next weekend when the grandparents arrive for a visit. We would love to see a picture of your pumpkins, scarecrows, or any of the Harvest time decorations you created this year. Send the pictures to nightlightstories@gmail.com and we will post them on the site for all to enjoy, as well as in our Fan Art. What did you say? A word of the day! That is right! In our story there are many juicy words that are fun to learn and say!Crest: the highest part of a hill or mountain rangeFerocious: savagely fierce Girth: the measure around anything Muffled: To deaden (a sound) COMPREHENSION CHALLENGEAfter listening to the story, can you recall the details to answer these questions? 1. Where does Millie find her father first in the story? The second place she finds him? The third place she finds him?  2. Wh

Hi All, Happy Autumn! The first day of Fall, September 22nd, was this week and I could not be happier. It is definitely our favorite season in the Night Light household. The crisp chilly air, no more pesky little gnats swarming your head and jumping in huge leaf piles! Although the days do become shorter and it gets darker earlier and stays dark later in the morning. Our night lights have to work overtime during this season. Our Lightning McQueen, Mater, and Princess night lights all do a wonderful job of keeping our rooms illuminated and help us feel a little more secure. On that note, we are honored and delighted to be sponsored by The Art of Patrizia. She is a talented woman who designs unique and stunning night lights. She welcomes new ideas for designs and the colors in the night lights can be changed at no extra charge. As our sponsor, she has generously offered to design us a Night Light Stories night light to give away to one of our loyal listeners! Entering for a chance to win is simple. Visit her si

Hi All,The school year is in full swing at the Night Light household. Trail hiking, river swimming and all day family days will have to wait until the weekends. Our minds are rested and rejuvenated from the summer adventures and we are ready to have some new adventures in school! We hope you admire your teacher, are blissful when collaborating with your classmates, never disguise how ecstatic you are about school, flabbergasted by all the new things you learn, and most of all we wish you all a gigantically successful school year!CREATE A TITLE FOR A CHANCE TO WIN A COOL SNACK BAG! Our twelfth story was written by Chris and Melissa Bugaj and well, to be honest, it does not have a title! We could really use your help and creativity! After you listen to the story, come up with a creative title for this story. Leave it as a comment on the blog, twitter it to us at nightlight08 or email me at nightlightstories@gmail.com. Our favorite title will win this very fun and reusable snack bag created by Natalia at the Woo

Click here to listen to: Dragonfly, Dragonfly, Show Us the WayHi All,Here we are in the last month of summer vacation. Can you believe it? We have had a great summer taking time to visit with our family and friends. Speaking of our friends, we are having a quick contest in honor of celebrating our little man turning FOUR with all of our friends! What will you win?Two imaginative, energetic and catchy music CD's. "FIELD TRIP" from Recess Monkey "JUICE BOX HEROES" from Imagination MoversTo enter, simply leave us a comment on the blog, at our email nightlightstories@gmail.com, or send me Tweet via Twitter.com at nightlight08 describing one of your favorite things about your best friend. We'll be picking two winners at random from all those who enter.  See my example below:I love my best girlfriend because she accepts me for who I am. For 15 years she has always been there for me. What did you say? A word of the day! That is right! In our story there aremany juicy words that are fun to learn and say! audible: lou

Click here to listen to: The Watermelon Seed Hi All, We are hoping you are enjoying the start of your summer! In our last post we listed a few reading programs we found helpful and illuminating to keep you reading all summer long. Here is one more program from Scholastic Books that we just discovered! What did you say? A word of the day! That is right! In our story there aremany juicy words that are fun to learn and say! astute: smart, quick, perceptive awry: away from the expected or proper direction; amiss; wrong protruding: to thrust forward sweltering: oppressively hot and humid viable: able to live and grow JUST ADD IMAGINATION!Try these activities to keep your imagination glowing after hearing the story.1. Write a letter to someone you love about what you plan to do this summer. Don't forget the FIVE parts of a letter: Heading, Greeting, Body, Closing, and Your Signature. 2. Make your own observations. Save a seed from any kind of fruit you eat, such as a watermelon, an apple or a pear. Give it a few da

Hi All,Happy End of the School Year! Thanks to all of you who participated in the contest by leaving a comment on the blog . There are a lot of ways that people can feel special. Stop by this post and check out the really inspiring entries at www.nightlightstories.blogspot.com.  While you're there feel free to share what makes you feel special.aroma: an agreeable odor; fragrance.promptly: quick to act pungent: sharply affecting the organs of taste or smell, as if by a penetrating powerreplenish: to make full or complete againunravel: to separate or disentangle JUST ADD IMAGINATION!Try these activities to keep your imagination glowing after hearing the story.1. Place the following list of words in alphabetical order: sailed, shaking, gloriously, patiently, grocery, jingle, peel, drifted, hammock, scampered2. Retell the story after you hear it to a parent or friend. It might help to write some key words down or draw some pictures as you listen to help you remember the correct order of the story.3. There are man

The I'm Sorry Truck was originally inspired by a drawing made by Daddy and son for Momma after a particularly bad day filled with poor choices.  Check out the blog over at http://www.nightlightstories.blogspot.com