“Just make a mark and see where it takes you.”

           Peter H. Reynolds, The Dot

 

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I am currently enrolled in a beautiful on-line class called Blogging from the Heart, taught by the wonderfully talented Susannah Conway. During the class, I have been motivated, inspired and intimidated in equal measure.

Through this class, my list of ‘to be blogged’ is almost as long as my list of ‘to be read.’

Here is one of  our recent assignments:

Something beginning with…Pick a random letter and share an illuminating list of ten words that begin with the letter, telling us why you love them.

The Letter C

Contraband– This has always been my favorite word. I love the sound and feel of it in my mouth. When I was in college, and forgetful of my complete lack of musical ability, I would tell people often that if I ever had a band, it would be called “Contraband.”

Cape Cod– I grew up going to camp on the Cape. When I hear the word summer, this is where my mind goes. To the quiet and still waters of the Bay and the wild waves of Nauset Beach. To the never ending flats at low tide, the horseshoe crabs and the cold June water.

Calamity– While I certainly don’t enjoy calamity (or the word that popped next to mind, chaos), I do like the way the word sounds. I think the fact that as soon as I saw the word, I began to hum the song, ‘Calamity Jane’,  a song I sung in a fifth grade performance about Tall Tales. Amazing where our brains will take us.

Camisole– Here’s a word I like for it’s function, not it’s sound. I am cold all the time. This winter, I feel like I have never thawed out. I catch a chill on the way to school drop off and am still chilly as I climb in to bed at night. Something about the cold humidity I have been told. Not only are our temperatures low this winter but the air is full of moisture making it feel even colder. I am grateful for the camisoles that have been one of my many layers as we creep toward spring.

Chantal– During middle and high school French, we were instructed to choose a French name that closely matched our own. My French teacher never really liked me (turns out I liked to talk a lot during class- in English, not French) so I always worried that my name wouldn’t be ‘right.’ I wasn’t lucky enough to be Michelle or Isabel with a simple, fluid translation. My ‘real’ name is Constance so somehow, Chantal always made sense to me, if not to Madame Guaillaguet.

Cobalt blue– This deep yet bright blue reminds me of my grandmother. Her china was white and cobalt blue. Royal Copenhagen china that sits closed in a box until we have enough cabinet space to hold everyday and ‘fancy’ china. I can picture all of my grandmother’s pieces laid out for breakfast each night before she went to bed.

Cliché- I love the sound of this word and to be honest, I have a bit of love for the cliché as well. I always misuse them and confuse them. Does the water go over or under the bridge? Are you on or off the wagon? I’m never quite sure but I love clichés just the same.

Cushy– While I worry that this one sounds a bit too much like tushy, I still love it. A cushy chair, a cushy job, a cushy life. Not really anything wrong with any of these options.

Choice– As the mother of two young girls, I hold firmly to the word choice and all that it implies. I demand a life for my girls full of choice. A life that will allow them to choose how to care for their own bodies, a life that will be full of educational and career choices. A life that will make being a mother and a professional a real and honest choice. And on and on…

Camera– I loved photography in high school. I took amazing classes and created some pretty nice pictures. Since then, I have taken pictures to document our lives but that’s been pretty much it. Recently, I have started taking pictures again and am so glad to have returned to this old hobby.

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** Image: Nishant Choksi

Back on January 2nd, I published my 2013 reading goal. I set out to read three adult and three children’s/middle grade/YA books per month.

This month I got pretty close.

On the adult side of things, I read Wool (yes, I am pretending this is a book although I know it is a short story) and The Lost Wife and almost all of a book that I am pretty sure will one of my favorites of the year. I didn’t finish it until February though so you’ll have to wait and see.

And on the children’s side of things I read, One for the Murphy’s, Bridge to Terabithia and Navigating Early.

If I had to pick one as my favorite from the month (goodness this is hard!), I will pick One for the Murphy’s.

And in other exciting book related news, I have finally been using Goodreads and Pinterest to keep track of my books, among other things. So if you are a fan of either of these websites, find me there.

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With each passing Groundhog’s Day, we get another year away from my Dad’s death. It’s been six years now.

As I looked back for pictures to include with this post, I stumbled on this one. This picture certainly never made a frame and I probably looked away from it the first time I saw it. In this picture, on one level, you see what always embarrassed me about my father. His clothes look old and cheap. They certainly don’t match and his bathing suit is way too short. His belly is fat but his legs are bird thin. He has a big stack of tissues in his pocket, surely to blow his nose really loudly when he isn’t making his signature snorting sound.

Now I see the grandfather who was so in love in with his granddaughter that he could sit on the couch with her, just like this, all day long.

I wish you were here Dad. Now I would sit with you all day long too.

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 “Children need the freedom and time to play. Play is not a luxury. Play is a necessity.”

                                                                        -Kay Redfield Jamison (author and clinical psychologist)

Yesterday, for about a minute, the sun shone, the wind calmed down and the grass was dry. Katherine had two friends with her and you could feel the energy in the house. It had been such a long time since the weather had allowed for outdoor play, that I almost forgot to suggest it. Well, thank goodness that I did. Katherine and her friends played for over an hour. All I heard was laughter, creative thinking and joy.

They used rocks, sticks and dirt. And of course the outdoor thermometer that Katherine is holding in the picture above.

Play is indeed a necessity.

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While the January light has reinvigorated the photographer in me that hasn’t really been around since high school, it has not done great things for our time outside. All our indoor time inspired me to write a collection of ideas for indoor reading games.

Enjoy!

Roll a Letter: Sitting on the floor, roll a ball back and forth. Each time you touch the ball, say the next letter of the alphabet until you reach the end.

Balloon Toss- Letter Style: Choose a letter. Toss a balloon back and forth, naming a word that starts with the given letter each time you touch the balloon. The round is over when you run out of words or when the balloon drops to the floor.

Freeze Dance Spelling: Turn on the music and dance. When you stop the music, shout out a simple word and everyone must freeze. Each child must spell the word out loud before they begin to thaw.

I Spy:  Turn everyone’s favorite “I Spy” game into reading practice with one simple change. Say, “I spy with my little eye, something that begins with the /b/ sound.” and watch your child’s reading skills soar.

Treasure Hunt: Ask children to find 5 items in the house that begin with a certain letter. Put everything away and start again.

Back Drawing: Draw a letter on the child’s back with your finger. If your child guesses correctly, reverse roles.

Correct a Rhyme: Say a short sentence but change the last word to one that rhymes with the correct word. For example, “Come to the table, it’s time for winner.” Your child will be thrilled to correct you and they will be honing their rhyming skills at the same time.

ABC Body- Using only your bodies, create each letter of the alphabet

Categories- A simple game of categories becomes a reading game when you add just one dimension. Say, “Name three things you eat that start with the letter b.” and suddenly your children are categorizing by sound.

20 Questions: Focus on sound recognition in this adaptation of 20 Questions. Say, “I’m thinking of something that starts with the /s/ sound?” and your children will sort which words do and don’t start with the correct sound.

 

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Yesterday was my Super Bowl. The 2013 Youth Media Awards were announced and this year, the American Library Association provided a live web cam so that book lovers around the world could watch the announcements live. It was so fun to feel like I was in the room when the winners were announced. As usual, I had read many of the winners but there were far more books I hadn’t read and now have added to my ever growing “To Be Read” pile.

Here are some of my highlights from the awards…

A few award books that I’m thrilled to have read and loved:

Newbery Winner, The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

Newbery Honor book, Three Times Lucky by Shelia Turnage

Caldecott Winner, This Is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen

Caldecott Honor, Extra Yarn illustrated by Jon Klassen

Coretta Scott King Honor, Each Kindness by Jaqueline Woodson

Coretta Scott King Honor,  No Crystal Stair: A Documentary Novel of the Life and Works of Lewis Michaux, Harlem Bookseller by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson

Alex Award Winner, Tell the Wolves I’m Home by Carol Rifka Brunt

Award Winners to be Added to my TBR Pile:

Newbery Honor, Splendors and Gloom by Laura Amy Schlitz

Caldecott Honor, Creepy Carrots illustrated by Peter Brown

Stonewall Book Award winner and Michael L. Printz Honor, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz

Schneider Family Book Award winner, Back to Front and Upside Down! written by Claire Alexander

Robert F. Seibert Informational Book Award Winner and YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults, Bomb: The Race to Build- and Steal- the World’s Most Dangerous Weapon by Steve Sheinkin

 

 

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In our part of the world, it has been frigid. Well, not as frigid as other parts of the world, but pretty darn cold if you ask me!

We have been inside, inside, inside so we have had plenty of time to read, craft, cook and play.

Below is an assortment of recently published books that celebrate winter along with some activities for everyone to enjoy.

A Perfect Day by Carin Berger shows the reader, in gorgeous collage, what a perfect winter day could be. We see Emma as she makes the first tracks in the snow and then we follow her and her friends as they ski, skate, have snowball fights, and erect icicle stands and more. The story ends when the children return home to steaming mugs of hot chocolate. After reading about this perfect day, enjoy your own cup of hot chocolate with marshmallows on the side.

Cold Snap by Eileen Spinelli is the story of a frigid stretch of weather that freezes the town of Toby Mills. After days and days of cold, relief is found with a sweet treat. After reading this story, all children will want to create their own snow candy. Fortunately, the recipe is quite simple and provided at the end of the book.

Mice on Ice by Rebecca Emberly and Ed Emberly reminds us that sometimes we can make friends with the most unlikely of characters. In the story, a group of mice enjoy skating time until they notice that a cat has joined in on the fun. Careful eyes will observe the skate’s runner have been drawing a cat on the ice. Before reading Mice on Ice, fill a large backing dish with water and place it in the freezer. Gather small figures and after reading, host a skating party for all the toys.

No Two Alike by Keith Baker is a simple story of comparisons. Exploring the snowy illustrations, readers can look for similarities and differences between things that are similar yet not exactly alike; snowflakes, forests, birds, fences and even friends. After reading, pull out your scissors and white paper and get to work making your own snowflakes. Is it possible to make two that are exactly the same?

Outside Your Window: A First Book of Nature by Nicola Davies is a collection of poetry that encourages children to look and explore nature outside their windows. Before reading, collect a few pinecones and afterward, create simple bird feeders by spreading peanut butter on the pinecones. Place the bird feeders outside your window and encourage your children to observe the birds that come for a snack.

Over and Under the Snow by Kate Messner shows the reader all that that is happening with forest animals over and under the snow. What fun for readers to explore unseen worlds and imagine what might be going on in their own back yards? To create an easy snow scene, give children crayons and ask them first to draw the animals they might see over or under the snow. Then using glue and cotton balls, fill the scene with snow.

 

Rabbits’ Snow Dance by Josheph Bruchac is a modern day rendering of a traditional Native American Fable. In this story, Rabbit dances a dance that makes snowfall, no matter the season. After reading about Rabbit’s antics, children will be eager to create their own snow dance. After dancing, talk about other tricks to bring on the snow. Some people believe, for example, that wearing your pajamas backwards will always deliver a snow day upon waking.

The Reader by Amy Hest tells the tale of a little boy and his dog. In this beautiful celebration of reading and friendship, the boy and his dog enjoy all the fun that winter can bring. After reading this tale, children will be eager to make snow angels and to see if maybe their dogs can create angels too.

 

 

 

 

 

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“To acquire the habit of reading is to construct for yourself a refuge from almost all the miseries of life.”

-W. Somerset Maugham (as found in the fabulous book The Book Whisperer by Donalyn Miller)

Even waiting for the dentist….

Note: Caroline is reading (and loving!) Penny Dreadful by Laurel Snyder and Katherine is reading Violet Mackerel’s Brilliant Plot by Anna Branford (one of the Cybil’s finalists in my category so I  will not share our opinion of it yet!).

 

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A few weeks ago, I posted a quote that really got me thinking. The quote read, “If my child had only my actions to watch today, what would he have learned?”

I worried about this a lot as did a few of you who mentioned reading it and thinking of all the not so good days you may have had with your children.

Fortunately though, I was reminded that it really is the little things we do, without even realizing we are doing them, that make the biggest differences.

While at pick up a few weeks ago, I mis-judged the amount of space I had between my side mirror and a parked car. As I drove by, I hit the other car’s mirror and did some damage to it. I pulled over and left a note. Without even thinking… because who wouldn’t leave a note, right?

Except maybe a lot of people wouldn’t. When the owner of the car called me, he thanked me again and again for leaving a note. And then I thanked him again for being so understanding. At one point, we both commented on how sad it was that we had both thanked each other simply for being decent and doing the right thing. In recognition of the fact that it could have worked out the other way. I could have driven away. And he could have been a jerk. But I didn’t and he wasn’t because that’s just who we are.

On that day, I felt glad that my actions had taught my girls kindness and respect.

And I’ll be glad to think back on that day when perhaps I taught them something slightly less wonderful…

 

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