Reading – Page 9 – Peaceful Reader

Glorious snow day!

Snow was predicted but I didn’t believe it until early this morning when my phone buzzzzzed me awake. It was the robotronic woman informing that school was cancelled! Whoop.

I stayed in bed for as long as possible reading my book (I am J by Cris Beam) and playing WWF. Eventually I rose, through a wool shirt and yoga pants and headed downstairs. I whipped up some chocolate chip pancakes thanks to Katie Workman while my son snowblower’d the driveway so my husband could (why?!?)drive to work.

I’ve read more if I am J, great book, and listened to Groovy Girl read to me (Starry River of the Sky). I’ve watched some trashy tv with GG-it might shock you to know she does not have high brow tv standards. We watched an episode of “Say Yes to the dress” and an episode of “What not to wear” which was actually quite interesting for both my kids as the two snarky hosts helped a young woman shed her college super casual style to a career look.

We forced ourselves to turn it off and get some work done. I still have to organize how the Christmas decorations are put away and dinner to make and am happy that I’ve accomplished reading and yoga with kid-friendly fun.

Happy snow day to you-
Namaste…

Book Magic

I absolutely love it when I am able to see the fruits of my labor come alive. It doesn’t happen everyday and somedays it comes in such small doses that you have to look closely to see it. Today though the magic swirled up like fairy dust!

Two days ago the 5th grade girls in my book club-ten of them!- choose Ninth Ward for their next reading choice. I only
had 6 copies so I placed an emergency rush order through my wonderful Scholastic rep, Carmen. I expected the books to come on Monday so I was happily surprised to see them this afternoon in my mailbox. I plopped a sticky note on top of each book addressed personally to each young reader and then took all 10 books down and delivered them.

This is where the magic dust sprinkled down in a frenzy as I delivered the books the girls were gleefully dancing and prancing to get their copy much to the dismay of their classmates NOT privileged to be in the “reading club of cool”. I loved hearing the giggles and watching smiling faces of girls just learning to fall in love with reading!

Where cooking conversations lead…

It happens so easy, a conversation about books and food leads to the inevitable discussion of cookbooks which is exactly what happened this morning when our school’s lead, Mrs. Spratt, stopped in to pick up her saved book pile which included a cookbook. We’ve discussed our mutual love of food and recipes before and she happened to mention that another cookbook at the book fair, The Mom 100 Cookbook by Katie Workman had been written about in Cooking Light magazine. Interesting I said.

Now I’m spending all my free moments paging through it reading Ms. Workman’s cooking stories. I might have to purchase this one. Naturally I started paging through it back to front and the dessert section had several recipes I would love to try this weekend like a caramel sauce or the chocolate peanut butter squares. Yes. I can hear my kids now.

As we chatted more about food I explained about a recent baking fail I had with a cinnamon roll recipe that failed to rise. She said I need to google Ree Drummond’s cinnamon rolls. She said they are easy to make and make a lot. Just what I need. Don’t you just love that kind of gossip. I’ll be googling it later today.
What’s got you and your coworkers chatting today?

Weekend Joy.

I’ve had a great weekend. We picked out two lovely pumpkins on Friday and we’ve taken several walks to admire Fall colors. I’m almost finished reading Iron Hearted Violet by Kelly Barnhill and I’m at a point where I don’t want to put it down. I read four more chapters this morning before going to church. I have to really push for other times in my days to read other than bedtime because then I only get 2-3 pages read before my eyes drift dreamily shut.

I finished the post about four of my favorite ARC’s from September’s reading. It is frustrating to plan a post in my head, finish the books, but not get to my computer all week long to write it. I have a certain glee over finishing and finally completing the post.

The best part of my weekend though was spent curled on the sofa with Groovy Girl and the dog, watching two movies on Friday and Saturday night.

My husband and I awarded her 2 movie nights for how well she prepared herself for a recent Social Studies test on Native tribes. She studied three different times with us and her hard work paid off-she scored 100 % on the test! My husband took her to our local movie store on Friday night even though we have a Netflix acct., somehow now going to the movie store is more thrilling that pulling it from the ole queue.

Friday we settled in with a big bowl of popcorn and watched We bought a Zoo with Matt Damon as the adorable widow with two adorable children. I don’t get out much apparently because I didn’t pay attention while this was at the theater so when the credits started flowing I knew we were in for something interesting with Cameron Crowe as the director. His other big movie, Almost Famous, is one of my favorites. I teared up a few times during the movie as the family struggles with the mother’s death. I know my family would also completely fall apart if something tragic happened to me. For Real-we joke about it all the time here. I appreciated the teenage son, well-played by Thomas Ford, as he tries to cope with his mother’s death. Plus who could resist Maggie Elizabeth Jones as little Rosie! We loved her impish look.

Saturday we watched Big Miracle with our favorite Office character, the handsome John Krasinski, plus Drew Barrymore and Kristen Bell. This is a great story of three whales, a mother, father, and baby California Grays, stuck in an ice swell off the coast of Barrow, Alaska. Ted Danson plays against type as the owner of an oil company angry about the whales and the environment who finally sees the reason behind trying to save them. The local indigenous tribe is in favor of killing the whales so their traditions are shared with their children. This incident did take place in the 80’s during Reagan’s administration yet the arguments are still timely as we struggle with natural resources vs. the natural world issues.

Both stories are based on real events and they were great picks by Groovy Girl. I have a whole cleaning list that didn’t get finished this weekend but I’m grateful for the time spent relaxing and sharing good stories. How did you spend your weekend? Everyone in my family is now quietly working on projects which means it must be time for me to steal away to finish Iron Hearted Violet!

the every changing role of the teacher-librarian

Our district is considering restructuring the teacher-librarian role into a more 21st Century technology specialist plus asking that IT specialist to share two schools while an assistant will care for the daily upkeep of the actual library hub. We are working to create a better understanding of what we (if you’re worth your paycheck) do everyday in our schools.

We wear many hats and I can’t imagine taking my job on the road or focusing more on technology. For me technology is one tool to use in creating authentic learning for students. I do want my students to learn and feel I balance the old and the new at my current position. This video was shared by someone in my district and I want to share it because it does go into detail on the importance of all our roles.

LIBRARY MEDIA SPECIALISTS – THE NEXT CHAPTER from kenny mikey on Vimeo.

Spring Break Begins

Spring Break 2011-Little Rock

Oh, I am in serious need of a break to regroup and heal. Luckily we are staying home this year. I’ve had a cold for what seems like 2-3 weeks and I just cannot shake it. I finally went to the drugstore and purchased Thera-flu because I’ve done all my good homeopathic methods to better health and it just keeps hanging on. I want to spend this coming week doing fun things NOT blowing my nose and smelling like vapor rub. Bleech.

Luckily I’ve been to the library (with Tina) so I have a pile of good books to read. I have a special blog post to write about the beautiful Joan of Arc for Kidlit Celebrates Women’s History! My post will be featured on March 17th but every day they have an interesting post to check out.

I finished I don’t know how she does it by Allison Pearson this morning. I skipped church to sleep and in order to get back to sleep( after helping frustrated daughter find something great to wear to church) I had to read a little.

I did cook one major meal last week-it was a veggie-filled soup from Tucker Shaw’s book but the soup, advertised in the book as THE sure-fire method for getting better, did not work. Not only that my husband who loves just about anything edible didn’t even finish his bowl. Big waste of lots of veggies. Boo.

Any remedies I should know about, let me know…

Happy Spring Break.

Happy Birthday, Theodor Seuss Geisel!

http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docid=6650219631867189375&hl=en&fs=true

Brain Pop Jr has a great informative little video to share.

My favorite book: Green Eggs and Ham. I read it
over and over to my two younger brothers as I “taught”
them to read. Thank heavens for Dr. Seuss.

I'm committed; 2012 TBR Pile Challenge

Sometimes Groovy Girl and I do story time in my room instead of hers. This happens when her room gets messy what with Barbie and American Girl parties all the time and her complete and utter pleasure in a play-filled room-except when it’s story time. Then she wants to lay with me in my clean room (yes, I have book stacks), in my big bed, with my warm blankie turned to high. I know you’re thinking-a heating blanket-how eco-friendly is that?? I love my electric blanket and it lets me keep our gas heat at a low, low temp. Each of us have them.

I digress. After Groovy Girl and I finished reading and as she was falling asleep in my bed (yes, I know she’s nine and probably should be in her own bed but very soon she’s going to be a teen and not want to read with me AT ALL so I let her snuggle) while I was quietly reading Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursa, which is such a good book but after she fell asleep I disengaged myself (from her and the book) and perched beside my bed where 3 tall stacks of books live and I made a list; a list of 14 books that have been sitting in a stack for over a year, waiting to be read by me (or anyone, I’m sure) and I’m using them to join Adam at Roof Beam Reader in his TBR Pile Challenge. I could do this challenge probably 10 more times and still have another stack. If you have stacks like I have stacks perhaps you should take the challenge like me.

Here’s my list.

1. Abarat by Clive Barker
2. While My Sister Sleeps by Barbara Delinsky
3. When the Emperor Was Divine by Julie Otsuka
4. A River Runs Through It by Norman Maclean
5. Flying Changes by Sara Gruen
6. Those Who Save Us by Jenna Blum
7. Postcards from No Man’s Land by Aidan Chambers
8. Losing Charlotte by Heather Clay
9. Joy School by Elizabeth Berg
10. Outside the Ordinary World by Dori Ostermiller
11. Me and Emma by Elizabeth Flock
12. I Don’t Know How She Does It by Allison Pearson

Two Honorable Mentions:

1. Twilight by Stephanie Perkins (I had to brush some cobwebs off this one)
2. Flavor of the Week by Tucker Shaw

I can think of a story for just about every one of these books; like that my stepdaughter told me #1 was her favorite book and that was like 5 years ago, or that #6 has an inscription from my stepmother in 2009 and that I asked my mom to buy #10 for me at the book store like 3 years ago. So I’ve dusted them off, put them all in a “new” pile and plan to work my way through. Thank you Allen! I’m committed!

Summer = teachers lounging by the pool, drinking margaritas…

Yeah, that never happens. Well, maybe it does but not in my world. That is the summer I dream of but what summer really is is a far cry from that scenario. What summer really is is chauffering kids to camp, classes, and to playdates, inbetween pulling weeds, making bread, and hoping to get back to that major Spring Clean, you know, simple craziness.

I had a four-day class this week at my local university and it knocked my socks off and had me buying take-out pizza, which is highly unusual for our house. The class, Children’s Literature Workshop, clued me in to a TON of new books (I really thought I was in the know…) but sitting in class all day was hard. In the middle of me taking this class my husband’s Summer Art Camp began and Groovy Girl usually attends with a gaggle of girlfriends. Same is true for this time except I had four days to arrange for rides back and forth and playdates for the afternoon.

That and the class homework has been overwhelming. I should be doing homework right now. What am I doing blogging when I have four assignments still do for class.

I have spent a bit of time by the pool w/out the margarita, I have cooked for friends, I did take an amazing vacation, I have read quite a few books including a bunch of YA, and I have juggled all things successfully!

I need to get my homework done though so I can write reviews about the last few books (Fire by KC) I’ve read and the magnificent movie I saw at midnight last night (when I probably should have been sleeping so I could have done my homework today!)

Ahhh, I love summer with all its twists and turns, the heat, the rain, the garden produce, the bright orange tiger lillies in my neighbor’s yard-so much to love about this wonderful season. I want it to last just long enough for me to catch up, catch my breath, and have this organic margarita!

Vacation Reading

Groovy Girl and her 9-yr-old cousin

We played on the beach early this morning. One of the many great things about the Outer Banks beach is it is not crowded! You don’t have to fight for space to set your chair down or wade through rows of people to get to the water. I sat in a beach chair while Groovy Girl and her cousin ran in and out of the ocean, hundreds of times, laughing each time. After chasing the waves back and forth they took to collecting shells and showing me each and every one. When they were younger we always had to be right there next to them but now that they are 8 and 9 I can sit in the chair and read and still keep and eye on them. Pure mama joy. I did romp with them in the waves for a bit but after that my main job was to exclaim every time they brought a new shell to my chair for inspection. (oh, yes that one is very smooth, striped, pink, etc.)

My husband’s side of the family are very intellectual and love to read. I did a fair amount of reading on the trip to DC and have been able to keep reading while here. We visited two bookstores; one in Adams Morgan area of DC and one at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA. I picked up a used book at each of these lovely stores and I hear there is a great indie bookstore here, which we plan to seek out and find in the next few days.

I finished Cutting For Stone (I was almost done with this before we left Chicago) by Abraham Verghese, Little Klein by Anna Ylvisaker-great little book, Newsgirl by Liza Ketchum and am more than half way through Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver, which was a used hardcover ($6!) I found in Adams Morgan! Yeah, love those kind of finds-it was on my summer reading list already. I started Summer Affair by Elin Hildebrand but set it aside until I finish Before I Fall. Every single person (except for the 8/9 year-olds) read this afternoon as a storm whipped up and kept us from playing by the beach. When not reading we tend to play games together; Guesstures, Scattegories, Password, Mexican Train, etc.

I remember the first time I went on vacation with my soon-to-be-husband’s family years ago…I remember how relaxed it made me; like I belonged.

What does your family do when they spend time together?

Tomorrow is the longest day of the year and we plan to be up for most of it. Starting the day with fresh doughnuts from Duck. Yum!