Bah. Best Intentions.

Have you noticed?  It's mid-July?  I had promised a Clothesline Challenge this summer which then got, er, hung up, so to speak.  Today we are staying cool inside the air-conditioned bliss of the house while temperatures soar to the hundreds (And Beyond!).

So far the summer had been wonderful, despite the high temperatures and my children's addiction to television.  What brought them to this point?  Well, an overly permissive mama is really to blame but a small creature also had something to do with it.  One that need infinite patience to banish.  One that makes mama throw up her hands and lets her children watch marathon amounts of television (on that first day, inparticular) all while appeasing them with candy.  Can I give you a hint?  Remember my post here?

What has been keeping you busy this summer?

Blasted Blarmy Heatwave!

Well, I don't even know if Blarmy is a word, but that's the one I'm using to describe this continuing heatwave.

It's a Code Orange day today, meaning dangerous heat and humidity.  According to my sources, it is this year's 54th day of 90+ degree temperatures, which is very unusual for these parts (kind of like, um, this year's blizzard!)

So what do you do on excessively hot days?  The movies?  The pool?  A museum or two? 

On Summer Vacation

If your summer vacation starts in less than a week, like mine...congratulations!  But if you are a little anxious about all those unstructured hours, never fear.  Garrison Keillor has some very nice advice:

A vacation of 73 days sounds more like unemployment to me, but of course it will all pass swiftly and sweetly, Katherine, and what you want to avoid is that feeling of guilt at the end, that you were a slug and frittered away the time and didn't accomplish anything. So make a list of five reasonable goals for the 73 days, including a book you think you really ought to read (The Book of Job, Moby Dick, Obadiah, The Robe, a book about the Gobi desert, the biography of Oprah, whatever you like), a physical exercise goal (a daily walk of 30 minutes), a home-improvement goal (paint a room, clean the garage), a spiritual goal (a half-hour of pure silence every day), and a goal of pure pleasure (make a feast for people you love). That's enough for anybody. The summer will pass pleasantly, so long as you don't step in front of a bus, and when you're done, you'll feel good about yourself. Which, of course, you already do, but this plan will stave off self-mortification. Happy days.


Now these are the kinds of challenges I like.

Seasonal SAHM Summer Reading

EC asked what was on my reading list this this summer.  Summer reading...Ah!  Summer is the time when I catch up with my students.  I read a mix of oldies and newbies and hope that a few of my newbies are ones that my students will have read when I return to school.  Usually they return to school more read than myself.  This summer my oldies will include "The Westing Game", "Toys Go Out", "Ralph S. Mouse", "Gregor the Overlander", "Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William McKinley, and me, Elizabeth", book one of the "Warriors" series,  and "Viking It and Liking It."  Newbies on tap include "Adam Canfield of the Slash", "The Name of This Book is Secret", "Every Soul a Star", "Operation Yes", "Crash", "Lincoln and His Boys", "Moxy Maxwell Does Not Love Stuart Little".  To be continued...

But for adults, EC, et al., "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" is brutal but riveting.  "The Girl Who Played with Fire" was just as easy to read, but lacked some of the suspense and detail of the first.  "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest" is currently winging its way to my doorstep along with "The Elegance of Hedgehogs" which comes highly recommended to me.  "The Help" is also a book that I hear deserves all the hype it has received, so that may be on my list as well.

I really enjoy reading non-fiction too.  Currently on top of my non-fiction to-be-read pile is "Eating Animals".  What non-fiction books are on the top of your pile, er, list this summer?

Seasonal SAHM Seeks Successful Summer

It's that time of year again.  I am so ready for summer.  I am very lucky that my job allows for the summer off, yet...  Around this time of year I get a little bit nervous about being a temporary Stay-At-Home-Mom.   Will I find the right mix of structure and fun?  Can I successfully establish a routine for my children and myself?  How much practice will it take to navigate the grocery store with two kids in tow?  Will I ever manage to get dinner on the table?  Yes, all of these things will take some getting used to...  What would be your tip for a successful summer for this seasonal SAHM?

Just Giddy

There are about five weeks left 'til the end of the school year around these parts and although I love my job, oh yes I do, I am giddy, just positively giddy at the thought of Summer and Its Possibilities. I have emailed Mary Beth at saltandchocolate, privately (oops, not anymore! Sorry Mary Beth!), cajoling her, er...coaxing her..., er, politely asking her to whip up a post (in all her spare time) about her plans for the summer. I'm sure we're all looking forward to reading about her plans and then copying them, er, adapting them to my, er, ONES situation. : )

So yes, I am a librarian and so yes, how does this benefit you in any way, shape or form? Well...no way, really. Although I must say that I do read some darn good books that are of interest to children from about age five to about age 12. My current read is the most clever and most touching little gem (also a Newbery Honor book --Newbery Medal/Honor --> award(s) given annually to the most distinguished work of literature for children published by a U.S. citizen or resident--): The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate written by Jacqueline Tate: a doctor, lawyer, and now novelist {see *spare time* above}.

It is 1899, it is Texas, it is hot and Calpurnia Tate has become an apprentice of sorts to her naturalist grandfather. This is a wonderful work of observation and study of the natural world, folded together with an 11 year-old's view of life at the turn of the century.  If you liked the feel and tone of The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs, Love, Ruby Lavender or A Year Down Yonder, I do believe that you will thoroughly enjoy this book as well. 

Back from the Beach

A little tanner but not burnt.

There were a lot of quotable quotes from the trip, but my favorite was from the trip home. Sprout saw a car towing a boat and said, "Mommy, I just saw a boat! And it was pushing a car!"

Now that August is upon us I suppose it's time for taking it reeeeeeal easy as the new school year will be here quicker than we think.

I'm finishing up a P.D. James from the beach, "The Lighthouse". Not my usual fare, but I am enjoying it. How about yoooou?

Speaking, or writing, of books, I wanted to highlight a new find called Learning Parade that is all about teaching, crafting, exploring, whatever through stories and books. I am hoping for find some good ideas and inspiration for my students this fall. Check it out!

Alphabet Summer

Slouching Mom posted her summer acrostic over at Grasshopper New Media Parents. I love acrostics, so I thought I would try my hand at creating my own based on her own "Summer with Kids" - I thought it would be fun to do mine first before reading hers to see how much our summers are similar! (If you really like acrostics, I encourage you to check out Leslie Evans' great book of summer acrostics, beautifully illustrated.) Here goes:


Acting out plays
Beach and Bay
Catching fireflies
Docks
Eating popsicles
Filling sand buckets
Giggling
Hot dogs
Ice cream trucks
Juice boxes
Kiddie pools
Late bedtimes
Meeting up with the cousins
Napping
Outdoors
Popping bubbles
Quiet moments
Reading books about summer
Sweaty faces
Too humid!
Up and at 'Em!
Visiting grandparents
Water wings
Xtra large sunflowers
Youtube!
Zero worries