Thankful Thursday-Students

I am so thankful for students.

They crack me up.  Like rotlf.

I had a student get off the bus crying (that's not the funny part!).  A kindergartener came up to us and asked what was wrong.  I explained that another student had smacked the crying boy up side his head.  The kindergartener says "Oh... like this?" and smacks me in the face.  Now... this kindergartener is... well, not completely socially aware.  So although it irritated me to be smacked in the face I couldn't get all that mad about it but I did ask "Have you lost your mind!?!" To which he quickly answered "No," points to his head "it's right here."  I couldn't even get mad.  I just chuckled and had an impromptu lesson on why we shouldn't smack people in the face.

The first week of school I was dying of a heat stroke because the heat was on... in August... in Texas... on 90 degree days... and 75+ degree mornings.  I just can't y'all.  By Thursday I was done.  So for the first time in 14 years I wore a ponytail to school.

During lunch duty a students notices my ponytail:

Boy: You look like my granny. 

Me: Is that a good thing?

Boy: Oh yes!  My granny had her hair in a ponytail, blue eye shadow and she painted her lips. I asked her where she was going? And granny said it's none of your business. Go to your room before I spank you. I went to my mama and told her granny's got a hot date!

I lost it! You never know what's gonna come out of a kid's mouths!

Wordless Wednesday

Great Granny 

& 

great granddaughter

My Why

This right here is my Why. Why I'm a librarian. Why I'm a children's librarian. Why I work hard.  Why I get up every morning.  This is my Why.

This mom is a teacher at my school. Her son hates reading. He's never liked any book she's brought home. 

This year his teacher is having the class read one book a six weeks and do a report. The book can be their choice but it has to be a chapter book. His mom asked me for some books during lunch in the teacher lounge the other day. 

I thought since he's a reluctant reader I'd start with graphic novels. 

Keeping in mind that some people unfortunately don't see graphic novels has worthy reads (insert eye roll here) I chose two with chapters that are both on the new Texas award list Little Mavericks. I did this so if the teacher complains about the book being a graphic novel his mom can say that it is a chapter book which meets her criteria and it's on an award list.  Really? Who can argue with that?

I also included Diary of a Wimpy Kid.  It seems most kids like this book... he did not.

His mom Facebooked me the comment pictured above. 

This brought tears to my eyes. And made my night. 

This. Is. My. Why. 

Cotton Swab

I had a tub of books from last year that I hadn’t gotten around to cleaning out.  I had a spare few minutes and decided I’d tackle the tub.  

I started grabbing books and making piles.  I did this without looking, I just grabbed….  About half way down I feel something kind of gooey.  I quickly pull my hand out and stuck to my ring finger is a long cotton swab from the clinic with some kind of ointment on it.  Stuck. To. My. Finger!!!!! 

NOPE!

I ripped it off, RAN to my sink, and washed my hands like a crazy person!!!!!

Who knows how long that cotton swab has been in there! Who knows whose it even was!  

Nasty!  Just plain nasty!

#librarianlife

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

I had a hard time with Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty.  I struggled through the first 3/4 of the book and absolutely LOVED the last 1/4 of the books.                                                                                                                                         I also had a hard time rating this book on Goodreads.  How do you rate a book that you forced yourself to read for 3/4 of it but loved the last 1/4?  The struggle is real y'all.

The characters in the book know what happened but the reader doesn't.  The story is revealed mainly through the eyes of 6 characters but we get a glimpse through 3 other characters as well.  It was frustrating for me not to know what happened.  The characters kept revealing parts of what happened but never the full story.  When the reader finally does learn what happened is when I really started loving the book.

There's betrayal, lies, drunkenness, over the counter meds, flirtation, jealousy, hoarding, sibling arguments, mommy issues, a good time, and a grumpy old man.  The book covers a spectrum.  ha!

Liane Moriarty is coming to an indie bookstore in Houston called Bluewillow Bookshop in September.  My friend and I have tickets to go.  I'm very excited to meet her and have my book signed.  

At school I read The Library Gingerbread Man by Dottie Enderle last week.  I like reading this book the first week of school because it reminds students of the different section in the library.  I shifted some books last year and needed to show students where the new books were located.  This books helped with that.                                                                                                                        The Gingerbread Man escapes his section in 398.2 and runs (we don't run through the library do we?) through the shelves of the library.  The Word Wizard in 423 tries to stop him, the giraffe in section 599 tries to stop him. Some one or something in each section tries to stop the Gingerbread Man but no can stop him.  Until he meets an Artic white fox in section 998.  I hope the clever librarian can get to him in time!




I started The House on Mermaid Point (Ten Beach Road, #3) by Wendy Wax this weekend.  This is a cute beach read series that I started this summer.  I'm taking my time getting through the series because I don't want to get tired of it.  

Five For Friday-Back at School

It was a long week.  The first week of school is always a long week.  I miss the days when we started school on a Wednesday!  The first week back didn't seem to take so much out of ya when you started in the middle of a week.

1.  It was great to see the students again!

2.  It's also good to be back in a routine.  Though I do love the lazy days of summer a routine is always nice.

3.  I've taken a bajillion steps this week.

4.  My feet hurt.

5. Though I love my job dearly, I'm ready for the weekend!

Massage

The first two weeks of school before students can back was stressful. I was fighting a few battles for "my" library that quite frankly I'm tired of fighting.

Add to that seven boxes of new books that needed processing. Which took me 3 days plus help from two para working on them for nearly two more days left me with burning shoulder blades and lower neck tension. 

I made a massage appointment for last Saturday afternoon. 

It. Was. Amazing. A. Ma. Zing. 

She started with my neck and got it all loosey goosey. Then ran her hand up my shoulder blades and I nearly embarrassed myself by groaning.

It felt that good.

She spent most of her time on my back, neck and arms cuz my carpel tunnel has been killing me too. 

It was shocking how fast that hour went. Like lightening fast!

Why does time pass so fast when you're having fun?!?

I am so thankful for massages!

Wordless Wednesday-My iPad Cover

My school district very kindly bought us covers for our school iPads. But they're black, grey, and... boring. So my daughter Duct Taped a sheet of paper and we put it on the clear side of the cover. Now it's totally me! 

14 First Days of School

I just had my 14th first day of school as an educator!

When I was having a very bad day with a student who life was so unfair to while teaching junior high I listed my years of experience in one column, the school year in the other, my age in another and where I taught in the last column. On this particular day I needed to have black and white evidence of when I could retire. Yeap. That day was that bad (funny enough though, I have no idea what actually happened that day). 

I've kept that piece of paper for a lot of reasons. One is to remind me that "this too shall pass" and even though on that particular day I hated my job but all the other 2,431 days I love my job. 

I also kept it cuz the years are all running together. I've taught long enough that I can't always remember exactly how many years of experience I have under my belt. 

And when I pull that list out I think of that student. I remember the good times & the bad times I had with her. And I remember to pray for her and her unfair life. And that I truly am blessed to have the life I have. Which is something I forget more often than I'd like to admit. 

So raise your coffee mugs to a good 14th year for me & good whatever year to you!  Happy first day of school y'all!

P.S. Don't judge my hair. It was all kinds of HUMID Monday!

P.S.S I really do need to learn how to put my hair up in cute styles.  Wearing it down at school just ain't working.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

I just completed two weeks of professional development/work days. And I'm tired. And students haven't even come back yet. Ha!

With that being said I haven't been reading at my usual pace. 

I finished The Fall of Five by Pitticus Lore. It's the 4th book in the YA series Lorien Legacies. This ties as my favorite book in the series with the 1st book I Am Four. The Fall of Five has a bit more action than the other books and a little more romance. All things I love.

There's a spy among the remaining Loriens. Or it one of their human allies? The answer surprised me. The Loriens and their human allies also find an unlikely ally. 

The book ubruptly ends. Like a Maggie Stievater book. Which I hate but at least there's more books in this series unlike some of Steivater's books. 

I'm still listening to Classic America Short Stories and a little over half way through Truly Madly Guilty. 

OLW-Positive

My OLW this year is Positive. 

I've been struggling with being positive the last two weeks. 

Really struggling y'all. 

I don't think it'd be appropriate to put it all out here on the Internet. So I'm not. 

That being said I am going to put out here what I've been trying to remember when I start down the negative highway. 

I've eaten lunch off campus with my school friends for more than a 30 minute time period. That's. So. Nice. 

I'm starting the school year with 7 boxes of new books. I love new books!

My library won't be on the elective schedule. Sweet Moses!!! I'll be back on a flexible/fixed schedule. I'll be able to collaborate with teachers again. 

A good friend at church had a baby. I love snuggling with her. I held her at lunch Sunday and was proud to find that I could still hold a baby with one hand and eat with the other. I still got it! #momlife

I have so much to be positive about. Why, oh, why is it so much easier focus on the negative?

Wordless Wednesday-Little Mavericks

I added a new area in my library for the new award list Little Mavericks. 

My Granny's Doing Better!

About six months ago my granny fractured her spine while taking the sheets off her bed. I've been pretty worried about her. She's very active and spry and always on the go. But while she was recovering she was none of those things. 

It was very hard to see her like that. 

We got to see her last weekend. We met at a restaurant in The Woodlands near her apartment to celebrate Reagan's 13th birthday. 

My mom and Granny "got into it" at the table. Granny was being her feisty self. My mom finally told her she wasn't explaining anything else to her. I piped up "I think Granny's feeling better!" Granny agreed "I'm feeling feisty!" and wiggled her eyebrows at us. We died laughing.  My dad suggest she get back on the meds to calm her down. Ha! It was good to see her being herself!

After lunch we went back to her apartment for coffee, cake, and presents.

 

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

I've been back at school for a week now. We've got one more week of professional development before the students come back. 

Last week I was back to my mix of adult, young adult, and children's book. 

I read Night Noises at a training last Friday. We did a plot mountain with this story. A grandma is sleeping in her rocking chair with her dog on guard. Her dog hears all kind of noises outside. Each time the noises get louder the dog gets louder until there's a big knock on the front door that finally wakes up Grandma. She's in for a big surprise when she opens the door!

I listened to Juba! Juba is a dancer. He gets found by Charles Dickens and gets an opportunity to go to London. Juba has to deal with racism, the entertainment business and a biracial marriage. I really enjoyed this book but man, was the ending sad. 

Poems In The Attic is on our Texas Bluebonnet list. The poems tell the story of a military family. Every other poems are told through the point of view of the daughter or her mom. The daughter finds a box in the attic of her moms memories. 

Most Dangerous was such an eye opening book! I "know" about the Vietnam War but boy, I didn't realize how much I didn't "know" about this war. The deception, the lies, the arrests, the prisoners of war. Wow. Just wow. 

I'm reading Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Morairty and The Fall of Five by Pitticus Lore. 

Six 13 Year Old Girls

I don't remember the last time I was around six 13 year old girls in a party setting. But I was last night. We had Reagan's 13th birthday party last night. We had a great time! Pictures to come in a future post 

1.  They giggle. A. Lot. 

2.  They speak in code. 

3. Have I said they giggle?

4. They are in that awkward middle ground of not being a kid but just barely being a teen. 

5. Did I mention they giggle? A lot?

13th Birthday Party

My sweet baby girl turns 13 years old today. 13. 13! I'm the mom of a teenager. What?!?

She wanted a Harry Potter themed party. She made all the decorations. She did such a great job!

A friend from my school made her Butterbeer cupcakes. So. Yummy!

What did we do before Pinterest? Reagan found all these cute Harry Potter foods. We made them together. She made all the food labels.

She made all the signs and put them up around the house. She even added Moaning Myrtle to our bathroom. 

I found a super easy, no cook Butterbeer recipe. It was shocking close to what they serve at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. I was very pleased!

She got a lot of cute presents!

The night was so fun! I had forgotten how giggly six 13 year old girls are. Ha!

The Cursed Child Midnight Release Party

My dad, Reagan, and I had so much fun at The Cursed Child Midnight Release Party. We went to the Barnes and Noble near my parents house in Houston.

We started with getting sorted. 

My dad and I pulled Ravenclaw and Reagan pulled Gryffindor (little square colored construction paper). We all wanted to stay together and Reagan and I were sporting our house shirts (Hufflepuff!) so we headed over to the Hufflepuff table and asked if we could join them instead. They said yes!

On Pottermore my dad was sorted into Ravenclaw so we took his picture with the Ravenclaw table. 

We played "Who Am I?", did crossword puzzles, a maze, "make new words out of a Harry Potter phrase" (my dad wished he'd brought his glasses! Ha!) etc. 

I loved that this kid dressed up as a dementor.  I asked him if I could get my picture with him. With him being a kid I thought he'd just stand beside me.  Nope, he put his arm around me & posed. Ha! Barnes and Noble had the Sorting Hat sitting out so we took picture with it too. 

LOVE the "Have You Seen This Wizard?" photo booth! 

Reagan and I got tattoos!

We wrote on the wall & I made a wand. 

The bathroom was even decorated. I felt a little creepy taking a picture in the bathroom! Ha!

We had to sit and refuel. Midnight is way past all our bedtimes.  Ha!  Coffee for my dad and I and a hot chocolate for Reagan. And we shared a cinnamon muffin. While we ate and drank my dad did the wand quiz and the Ilvermorny house sorting quiz on Pottermore. My dad was sorted into Pukwudgie like Reagan and me. We were happy about that! 

Then we finally had our books! I stayed up till 1 o'clock reading. Reagan read on the way back to my parents house. And read on our drive back to Nacogdoches Sunday. She was able to finish right before evening worship. I, on the other hand, skipped dinner with friends (was called a loser), ate a peanut butter sandwich and had to stay up late again last night to finish the book. 

It was so much fun experiencing a midnight release party with my dad and Reagan! 

(P.S. My laptop died and went to techy heaven. So I had to use my iPhone to write this post. Which means... I couldn't shrink all my pictures. I can't wait to get a new laptop & my school iPad back!)

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

I finished The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater. The style of writing was different.  The whole time I was reading it I kept thinking about how to describe it.  I finally came up with whimsical and magical.  It didn't always flow like normal sentences.  It really added to feel of the fantasy book. Most of Stiefvater's books just abruptly end.  There's no wrap up.  This book was a bit more wrapped up than her other books.  It was also left a little open for another book.  Steifvater said on a podcast she's definitely not saying the series is over but she's also definitely not saying that there's going to be another book.  When the book ended my first thought was "Really Ronan, you didn't learn your lesson the first time?!?"  

I listened to Mandela: An Audio History by Desmond Tutu.  I don't think I've ever really study Nelson Mandela's life.  I know about him but I didn't really know any details about his life.  This was a good book to learn a bit more about him.  I felt it was a little bias but I'm sure it's hard to really write a completely unbias book.

I finished Fat Angie by E.E. Charlton-Trujillo.  This book made me feel so uncomfortable!  Angie was always referred to by Fat Angie.  Like that was the name on her birth certificate.  That was awkward. Fat Angie's parents are divorced.  Her older sister is missing in the war in Iraq and her younger brother is adopted from Korean.  Their mom is selfish but thinks Fat Angie is crazy and is constantly telling her adopted son "we brought you to America for a better life".  It was awkward.  Have I said that before?  Fat Angie goes to a therapist after trying to commit suicide after her older sister goes missing.  Her therapist makes notes after some of Fat Angies questions and comments.  It was awkward.  Again with the awkward.  In the end you feel sorry for Fat Angie and her adoptive brother and want to throat punch the mom. 

I finished The Rise of Nine (Lorien Legacies #3) by Pittacus Lore I had a hard time getting into this book at first but once I did I was wrapped up in it. It was action packed. There was as much of the love triangle as the first two books. I did miss that a little but it really did work for this book. 

I finished The Curest Child by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany I couldn't wait to finish this book! And now I'm a little bummed. The book wasn't what I had hoped. **Spoilers!** The whole time-turner thing threw me. All the time-turners were destroyed in the battle at the ministry in the fifth book. Even Rowling said that they made things way to easy to change the past to fix the future. And here we are with a time- turner. Wait! No, two time-turners. 

And Voldomort has a daughter? Really? He took time from his evil ways to hook up with Bellatrix? Which also means the daughter would of had to of been born before the Battle of Hogwarts. Can we line this up with canon? Was there months when Bellatrix was in hiding while pregnant and recovering from delivery?

My other problem is more of a personal one. Harry had such a rough childhood. I wanted his adult life to be... well, perfect. I wanted him to be the perfect father. Never losing his temper. Always saying the right thing. 

Really I wanted a book about after the battle. Not a rewrite of The Goblet of Fire. 

I did like seeing my old friends again. Seeing the adults and professions was fun. I would of liked to see more of the kids than just Albus & Scopius and a little bit of Rose but I did like learning more about them. 

I also started the Fall of Five (Lorien Legacies #4) by Pittacus Lore. 

Wordless Wednesday-Midnight Release Party

The Cursed Child Midnight Release Party.