Ruminations

So yet again nothing cohesive for you. Thanks for sticking around anyway! Dunno when I'll get my groove back. Hard to concentrate with so much "going on."


It just sounds spookier with his accent. Listen to the whole book here!

THANKSGIVING
Debating (cause I still haven't gotten very many students or staff to fill out a "favorite book" leaf for the "Fall into Reading" bulletin board) ...

but one year (a couple years ago so I don't have a pic) we handed out one brown paper turkey body to each classroom. If you want to know the truth they looked surprisingly like a bowling pin. Google "bowling pin outline clip art" then whiteout the stripe around the neck. Voila! Turkey body. Anyway. Kids decorated them to look like their teacher (TOO cute. Glasses and hair and Spurs jerseys and the like) and then each morning for two weeks we added a feather for every 10 books the class read the night before. Should I try again? Didn't get 100% class participation but hey. Couldn't have kept up with that many turkeys anyway.

Turk and Runt might be my favorite T-Day book. Or maybe Twas the Night before Thanksgiving. I love the story about the first draft of that book. I was going to send you to pilkey.com but it looks like he's updated the site (which is still cool, just doesn't have the anecdote I'm talking about). If you go to the WAYBACK Machine and then go to the page about the book there is still a little snippet there. Dunno if this link will work but here it is just in case.


GENRIFYING
Should I? Are you? Sara is just starting. Really wasn't ever planning on it ... actually was kind of against it ... until our new library computers were installed. They take so long to log in (can't leave it up and running) that no one bothers to use the catalog anymore. NOW there's a real reason to. Maybe. Was asking around but only one teacher really gave me any feedback and she was about like me. Could see real Pros AND Cons to it. She told me "I'm game for whatever you go with."


RESEARCH
Today we started a climate research project with 3rd grade. Here's the thing ... there are not many books that talk about the "continental" climate or the "mild" climate. Yes, state and country books that HAVE that climate that talk about it. But all print resources on the topic that I can find require MUCH inference. Can't even find many websites on a do-able reading level. What I have is on a Libguide here. Too bad our computer lab is completely non-functional.  #21stcentury

#IMWAYR and almost Oct 28

It's (almost) Monday! What are you Reading? is a meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journeys. It is a great way to recap what you read and/or reviewed the previous week and to plan out your reading and reviews for the upcoming week. It's also a great chance to see what others are reading right now… who knows, you might discover that next “must read” book!

Our Kid Lit to YA version is hosted by Teach Mentor Texts and Unleashing Readers.
GREAT IDEA! Check out all of the What Are You Reading? participants for title ideas.

Thomas Jefferson Builds a Library was very interesting. The illustration style was not my favorite but I loved hearing about his HUGE library and how he bought more than a book a day. I've seen reproductions of his cool revolving bookstand.

Pete was fun. The kids liked it even if it didn't have a song. But really ... why didn't it have music? The words rhymed and had rhythm. Still a good message. Look for the good. Need to remind myself of that as I bemoan being sick! (A side unrelated or maybe sort of related note ... have you ever read Hank the Cowdog? He has a FB fan page as well as an official page. The other day a quote was posted that has become hilarious to our family as we all are going through some big times of change. "We dogs save our Looks of Maximum Woe and Misery for special occasions." Hank is the reason at least two of my brothers are readers. Just funny. The audiobooks are actually even more fun than the print books. Like sitting around the campfire with the author.)

Contaminated has possibilities. Parts were great! Parts had holes. Definitely worth a library read (and if you're purchasing for a middle/high/public library worth a purchase) but I don't know that I'd have to personally own it. Boy howdy does the saying "Nothing tastes as good as being thin feels" have a different connotation to me now!

The Real Boy. I LOVED a good deal of it. The rest of it left me feeling like something was missing. Now this one is worth maybe owning just so you can underline all the cool lines that are so beautiful and descriptive. Parts of the character development frustrated me but I still enjoyed it a lot. Kind of the same as Breadcrumbs.


Coming up?

And at some point a picture book marathon, though that might not be this week.

Dinner in a pumpkin this week! Seriously try it if you haven't ever. See ... was it Wednesday's post? The one before the Finally Friday post. It has the recipe.

And next week little brother heads off on his mission for our church. Such a long time. :( But he's so awesome and wants to serve others. Proud of him. Remind me of that if I get mopey. ;)

Pumpkin Notes

1) So the Wordless Wednesday Ivan was one example from our book character pumpkin patch. Last year was the first time we tried it and had over 100 entries! We NEVER get that kind of participation. Now ... this year there have been a lot more non-book entries. Never quite sure what to do there. I have been going with the flow and say "Hey that looks great!" but inside silently wishing it wasn't from a tv show. I am a little worried, however, about what we will find on Monday after a weekend of no AC. Lots of people did not pay so much attention to the "Please don't carve or puncture your pumpkin." :/ Also our Spirit Stick prizes were not in yet! We ordered them 6 weeks ago!

2) Every year we have "dinner in a pumpkin" on Halloween. The casserole is tasty and then you add salt and pepper to some of the scooped out pumpkin. YUM vegetable before the candyfest. Also the marker face is a must. Cause it kind of melts and looks funny.



3) I am in the mood for pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. Too bad I am getting kicked out of my house four times today (once is already done!) for people looking at it. I guess that's good. Need it to sell! Cookies might have to wait until tomorrow.
Enough of the not really library related-ness. Cross your fingers it's not #smellylibrary for us on Monday and have a great weekend!

(almost) FInally Friday Oct. 25

Most awesome Harry Potter Pumpkin!




Because it's true.




I like this. A lot. Only that backdrop would work better in my new place if it were more grey and weathered.




Another comic. Isn't it fun?




Haven't tried this yet. But I might. Lunch is harder than it needs to be. Sandwiches are gross. Frozen dinners are gross. I'm not much of a cook. Any ideas?



Second time I'm early with a post this week ... but both rewind type posts. Nothing NEW to share. I might soon ... get a mini-grant from Kohl's so I'm going to get some of those LittleBits (oh and maybe some TPT task cards to go with them!) and see how they go. Rock on MakerSpaces! Still not feeling well which is just so ridiculous. And all the blog posts about "fitness" are driving me nuts. At some point I'll get back on the wagon. I will, I will, I will!
I will. Fell asleep last night at 8. We'll see how far I make it tonight.

(almost) Wordless Wednesday

And here's an early submission to our Book Character Pumpkin Patch (actually the only one, so far, that's not a media tie in book :P ... I still have hope cause we're taking them through Monday). Is it not fabulous? Third grader and her mom. I might have unduly influenced a bunch of kids to love Ivan. WHAT I WOULD GIVE FOR A PIC OF ME VISITING HIM. Of course ... I would have had late 80s hair. And that's uncool.

I'm never all that wordless. But if you have any suggestions for posts you'd like to see let me know. A little ... discombobulated from being sick for so long plus trying to sell one house and getting ready to move into another and my "baby" brother leaving for his mission for our church.

#IMWAYR Oct 21

It's (almost) Monday! What are you Reading? is a meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journeys. It is a great way to recap what you read and/or reviewed the previous week and to plan out your reading and reviews for the upcoming week. It's also a great chance to see what others are reading right now… who knows, you might discover that next “must read” book!

Our Kid Lit to YA version is hosted by Teach Mentor Texts and Unleashing Readers.
GREAT IDEA! Check out all of the What Are You Reading? participants for title ideas.





This Week
(also the Spookley the Square Pumpkin book app and the Trick or Treat Little Critter book app)

I really liked Good Night, Zombie. Think I'll get all of 'em for school ... can never have enough "scary books"!

Next Week

Among other things, hopefully ...

I <3 BOOKS! And we're getting closer to the new place! And the whole wall of bookshelves. I cannot stand how excited I am about that. 

PS This is where I was this weekend. Aren't they too cute? The middle one (actually the top photo) is not even two yet and she recognizes shapes and letters on Endless Alphabet! Also she has EPIC HAIR. The oldest one (middle pic) is my crafting and adventure friend (I want them to move back here ... we had such fun together!) and reading the Charlie Brown Great Pumpkin app. I won a free code on iPadSammy's FB page. Then the littlest one on the bottom. I just met him this weekend. He was born the week before school started.

(Almost) Finally Friday Oct 18

The former Spanish teacher in me approves. Also the want-to-be cookie decorator. I pin decorated cookies. But then never try making them because I know mine wouldn't be as pretty and I would get frustrated. Kind of silly.


I pinned this video on Pinterest but I'll just embed it here. It's a five minute video about a man who, at 5 years old, fell asleep on a train in India. When he woke up he was thousands of miles away from his family. He was adopted by an Australian family. As he grew older he remembered bits and pieces of his childhood ... and used Google Earth to find his home and, after a visit, his birth family!


Google like a BOSS. Sounds like that should be on a t-shirt.



I know, I know. I worked with a trainer for longer than I ever expected to. It felt GREAT to be that in shape! Have that much energy and to be skinny and wear cute clothes. And then ... school got crazy. And the money on the trainer quit being a motivator. :/



I meant to post them to Google Docs but haven't gotten to it yet. Plus honestly it's interesting to actually see how many people downloaded (or didn't ... can't always guess what others will like). Anyway. Four little ghostie bookmarks. They're free if you have a TPT account.



At risk of jinxing it but almost feeling human again! Hooray! Now to convince the DR. to send me for allergy testing THIS year when I've already paid my deductible (courtesy of one silly inflamed appendix). Which reminds me. Our open enrollment is almost over and I need to pick a new plan. They're canceling the one I've used because it was no longer "fiscally responsible." Which means it actually covered things.