Summer Blog Challenge 2016 - Entry for July 27 - I Regret Never Having Learned to.....

....speak Spanish more fluently. It has limited me in my work, and that has been frustrating. I did very well in high school Spanish, and so was able to pick up more of it when I began to work in this school district and had students who came with no English. But where I live, there are many people who don't speak English, and it is difficult to communicate.

That being said, I also don't really have a desire to become more fluent. It's just one of those things that I feel was a window I didn't open at the right time, and now I've gotten used to it being shut. Oh, well....I certainly do have a respect for those who are bilingual, and I depend on them. Thanks!

Fine, how are you?

Summer Blog Challenge 2016 - Entry for July 24 - Why My Relationship Works

Everyone sees the key word in the title of this entry, right?  WORKS. My relationship with Michael Roger works because we work. 

I think that, after 37 years of marriage, there are some ways that we have become more alike than we were. That's not a bad thing, I'm sure much of it is because of the fact that our history together makes this true. But we are also still different in how we handle things (like stress) or how we form and maintain friendships. 

I know it doesn't always hold true for everyone, but I think part of our success is the fact that we have grown up together. Teen marriages have a higher percentage of failures, according to statistics, but we have just built each other up over the years. And I can't downplay the part that humor plays in our lives...because laughing about things and finding the fun in life is a key survival strategy!  Fortunately, it comes naturally to both of us!

And I feel like a major part of the success of our relationship is our commitment to God and our faith. Having this in common, and working on it together, is crucial to maintaining (and improving!) our bond.

He's a good guy.  He's a loyal, fierce friend. He's a determined, funny person. The family we have created together is amazing, and as it expands, we both revel in the joys it brings.

How cute (and oh, so 70's!!) were we!?

Summer Blog Challenge 2016 - Entry for July 23 - What Music Am I Listening to Currently?

Beach Boys Pandora Station.
Broadway Showstopper's Pandora.

That is all.

Tune in again.

Summer Blog Challenge 2016 - Entry for July 21 - How Do I Express My Creativity?

My creativity is limited.  I feel like I do have a creative side, but it is brought about by the ideas of others.

I enjoy crocheting, reading, writing reviews of books I've read, some pottery/ceramic items, and some types of crafting.  I have done tole painting projects and the odd Pinterest project or two. All of these outlets are fun and rewarding.  But I usually need guidance and inspiration from other sources.  I would love to be one of those people who can envision a project and then know exactly what to do to make it come to life. However, I tend to be the person who looks at someone else's idea and says "YES! That's what I want!" There are even times when I can look at a project and come up with a way to improve it.

There is another area, I suppose, where I feel a certain creative flow, and it's related to my work.  I've been in public education for 19 years now, and my varied experiences have allowed me to think of unique and fun ways to bring life to my classroom (the library) and to decorate and make it into a warm, welcoming environment. I think, out of all of my creative outlets, this is the one I am most proud of, because it's the one that I think benefits me and others the most.

Summer Blog Challenge 2016 - What's on my reading list? Entry for 7/15

Most of the books on my "to-read" list will be children's and YA literature--the nature of my job, but a very pleasant one!


"Britt-Marie Was Here" and "My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry" by Fredrik Backman.  I just LOVED "A Man Called Ove" (Mahan Girls Book Club selection), and have seen great reviews on these other two from trusted fellow read-a-philes!

"Allie, First at Last" by Angela Cervantes. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed "Gabby, Lost and Found", and want to read this follow-up novel.  I have many Hispanic girls in my school, and these stories will be ones they can relate to. FYI - I also love Pam Munoz Ryan, who wrote "Esperanza Rising" and "Becoming Naomi Leon", as well as this year's Newbery Honor book "Echo". I've read all those.

"Booked" by Kwame Alexander - This young author bumped out Jacqueline Woodson for the Newbery in 2015 with his prose novel "Crossover", and I LOVED it! So, time to read the next one! (Side note: "Brown Girl Dreaming" by Jacqueline Woodson won a Newbery Honor that year, and it is brilliant, incredible, impressive...........)

"Ball Don't Lie" by Matt de la Pena -- this author just did what I believe has never been done before...he won the Newbery Medal for a picture book! "Last Stop on Market Street" is brilliant, and Christopher Robinson rightfully won a Caldecott Honor for his illustrations. So I read up on Mr. de la Pena and discovered that he's been writing YA fiction for years!  So I'm going to research some of his earlier works, starting with this one, published back in 2005. Here is a link to his Newbery acceptance speech.........my daughter Lisa sent it to me, and it made us both cry.

http://www.hbook.com/2016/06/news/awards/2016-newbery-acceptance-by-matt-de-la-pena/#_

"Middle School #1: The Worst Years of My Life" by James Patterson. Trust me, I wouldn't pick this up for my own personal reading enjoyment, but I just saw a trailer (why are they not called "previews" anymore?) for the movie adaptation of this book. James Patterson also co-writes the "I, Funny" series, of which I have the first one in my library.  He seems to be finding new writing life by co-authoring YA fiction, so good for him, I guess....anyway, I will read this to determine if it's appropriate for my elementary library. According to Lexile.com, the reading level is definitely within my older kids' range. They love DOWK (Diary of a Wimpy Kid), so reading about middle school rebels and early teen angst is obviously appealing. If it seems appropriate, then I'll commit to buying the series (there appears to be 6 of them already!).

Yeah, yeah, I suppose I need help. Honestly, if it wasn't for my daughters and our monthly book club, I would never be exposed to any grown-up literature! So if any of you out there have adult recommendations for reading, let me know!  I don't do scary, violent or racy, and profanity just distracts from the story for me, but other than that, I'd be happy to entertain your suggestions!

Summer Blog Challenge 2016 - Entries for July 6, 9, 12 and 13

I am so far behind on this challenge that I'm going to cheat and combine my answers to one post. Here are the topics:

* What skill would I want to INSTANTLY have?

Easy. Playing the piano.  I feel like I've answered this one somewhere before, and it hasn't changed. I wouldn't want to be a Piano Guy, but I'd like to play well enough to do justice to the hymns and some simpler arrangements of certain show tunes.

* What thing do I say I think (but I really don't)?

This one is tricky. I'm so overly cautious that I often don't say what I really think, because I avoid confrontation at (almost) all costs. I have lived my life turning away from subjects that I disagree with, rather than facing them. It has become very easy for me to just file them away in my brain and move on--changing the subject. So when I DO say what I think, I really mean it. And if I don't say anything, or change the subject, then you can bet that I'm thinking something very different than what is being stated by whomever I am in a conversation with. I understand that this is probably not very healthy, but it makes for a more peaceful existence.  Honestly, I'm not usually around anyone who is so radically different than I, so I don't have a reason to state something that I don't really feel. Convoluted answer?  Yes.  But that's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

*If I had a time machine, where would I visit?

First of all, I'm stressing the word "visit". Anywhere I went, I'd want to come back. But if I could go anywhere in time, I'd want to go back and spend time with my grandparents. I never knew my maternal grandpa, he died when my mom was 13, and my grandma basically became a recluse. I'd like to know them when he was here and she was a more vibrant, alive person. And I'd like to see my paternal grandparents again. That grandpa died when I was 16.  We were close, and I'd like to see him and my other grandma again.

*Advice I would like to share

I am FULL of advice....I just don't get to share it as often as I want! Ha! Part of that is because I learned a long time ago that advice is not always well received when it isn't asked for. If someone asks my opinion on something, or for the benefit of my "expertise", I'm happy to share it!  But I've learned that if a person gives out unsolicited advice, it isn't always well received, and less likely to be acted upon. That being said, here's one of my favorites:

TO PARENTS:  Train yourself not to use the word "OK" after every direction or statement you give to your child!  By using OK at the end of your sentence, you are basically asking your child's permission to do whatever you're requesting.  You're their PARENT, for Pete's sake!  For example--
"You need to go clean your room, OK?" --which translates in the kid's mind as, "Is is all right with you if I ask you to clean your room now?"  In their minds, they're thinking "NO, it's not OK.....I'm busy with my video game!"  Directions need to be given as a declarative sentence, not a question! If you HAVE to say something in the form of a question, use the words "Do You Understand?"  See the difference?  "You need to go clean your room--do you understand?" Then you get an answer that you can work with, instead of "But I'm doing ___________ right now....(whiny tone)" -- AAND then you've started a battle of wills. It can be a hard habit to break, but it makes a huge difference it establishing a more solid parent/child dynamic.

Movie I Would Like to Live In - Summer Blog Challenge 2016 Entry #7

 I would enjoy living in the BBC version of Pride and Prejudice. I wouldn't want to be any character in particular -- although I would be more of a Lizzie or a Jane than a Kitty or Lydia. The clever dialogue, the sharp repartee and the vibrant characters would be a joy in which to belong. Jane Austen rocks. Her astute assessment of many different personality types and social situations is unmatched. I would like to be a part of a group that challenges the societal norms--that doesn't accept the standards of their life just because it's always been done that way. I admire that, and I would love to be a quick thinker, like Elizabeth Bennet. The way she responds to Lady Catherine as she is accused and attacked is genius. I would love to be able to immediately come up with a sharp response and put an antagonist in their place.  Awesome.