Naturally Optimistic

A pandemic game time & conversation (via Zoom)   Well, we're about 13 months into this pandemic and I should've been back blogging then. I mean, I was home an awful lot. I could've done it. But I didn't. I wrote in my actual journal but that's a crazy mish-mash of stuff. This would've been fun to keep just pandemic stuff. Ah well, live and learn. I'll be ready for the next one (no, no, I won't). It's been a year...a year of ups and downs; of being laid off and re-hired; of wondering what to do with my life and starting grad school. We got fish, we got two kittens. What a year.  Kids have mostly been troopers but there have been some tough days. August went back to hybrid last fall, then everything stopped for a while and went back to 5 days a week in February - hooray! Dahlia finally got to start hybrid in.....February? (I can't remember) and then started back in person 4 days a week...but after her first 4 days she was identified as a "...

For our 2020 Winter Reading program, there wasn't an overall theme. I decided to create my own theme. And the Penguins took over the library! I printed out real-to-life sized photographs of penguins...an Emperor, a Fairy, a Chinstrap and a Galapagos Penguin to be exact. I put them on the walls in one area. My hope was that kids would stand next to them and measure up - and they sure did! It put a smile on my face every time. Above each penguin I included some facts. Usually where they lived, what they ate and any quirky stuff about them. It's always great to be able to provide a little learning opportunity along the way. We also included penguin voting. I always think it's fun to add a pre-math activity when I can. I made 4 buckets with a photo of each of the aforementioned penguins. Kids (& adults) were able to ask for a "voting token" (ie: a saved bottle cap) at the desk and then put it in the bucket of their choice. It was fun hearing t...

I miss blogging. And my blogging community. *sigh*

I thought since I'm trying this Whole30 thing, and I REALLY want to commit to it...I am going to start blogging about it. I am nervous & excited. I have never stuck with anything for 30 days...I don't know why this time is any different, but I need to reset my body. I've had terrible tummy troubles lately and really throughout different periods of my life. I have bad habits. I love cheese. I just want to reset things. I'm not saying I'm never going to get another slice of cheese or bowl of yogurt or rice or pasta or drink another diet coke...but I *do* want to give this a fair shake. So - Day 1 Over the weekend I did a fair amount of research on the Whole30, read the rules, made lists, pinned a bunch of recipes to my Whole30 board and yesterday I set off to the grocery store to stock up. Boy did I stock up! Our fridge is packed with fresh veggies, fruits & lean meats. The pantry is stocked with crushed tomatoes, canned pumpkin and Larabars.  To...

My 'sample' yarn sticks and the calm before the storm. I work in a great place. A place of learning. A place of exploration. A place of inspiration & community. It makes me so happy when I get to plan something that brings a little bit of all of those together. One of my favorite most recent forays has been Crafternoons.  2 of 3 beautiful sticks a pre-schooler & her mother were working on. They planned on tying them together to make a mobile. This was so pretty.  Crafternoons is a aft/craft program aimed toward pre-school through elementary aged kiddos. I try to tie projects into a book, a specific artist but sometimes I just follow my gut & go with a project that looks fun & fits my budget (this project was essentially, free).  We made Yarn Sticks. I didn't know if they would like it. I didn't know if it would capture their imagination and I didn't know if it would hold their attention. But boy did it.  Kids & parents alike enjoy...

Oh boy - it's been a while. I've been thinking about reviving this format for quite some time. And I haven't really been successful in the past, but maybe it's a good time to make a change. A new season arrived (early) the other day (ugh winter - TOO SOON!) and a new month is right around the corner. A friend of mine let me know she is deactivating Facebook in the coming days. I think it's a great idea. I think I should do it. I'm sick of it but I am afraid I will NEVER EVER KNOW WHAT IS HAPPENING IN EVERYONE'S LIVES or see cute pictures of their craft projects or get new recipe ideas or or or or or or.... It's stupid. I feel like a damn addict. I don't NEED Facebook. Facebook has just made me FEEL like I need it and for that I hate it. So should I take a break? Will I be happier (probably)? Will I miss seeing my friends/family/etc's posts? Can I just cut back? Or does it have to be cold turkey? Would I feel better if I posted here more oft...

Well, I guess I'm winning the Eating Lottery this week. Aside from the taquitos incident, this week has been EASY! Tonight - potluck/picnic at August's pre-school. His LAST EVENT at Pre-SCHOOL - FOR.EVER. AND EVER. *sigh* I digress. So the kids had: August: some plain crackers, a handful of cheetos, apple juice and a cookie (not homemade - one with all sorts of crap in it). Dahlia: some meat balls in marinara (about this I was COMPLETELY SHOCKED!), fruit salad (various melon & one grape), cheetos, crackers, the same "fake" cookie that August had and a brownie with apple juice. AY YI YI At least EVERY OTHER SINGLE KID THERE was eating the same thing. *sigh* Okay - tomorrow on the menu plan - MICKEY MOUSE WAFFLES and bacon. Yup. It was Dahlia's turn to pick a meal. So be it. We will load up on vitamins & cantaloupe, won't we......

Ugh - been failing at the whole feeding my family well thing since the first post. Last night I had a birthday dinner with some girlfriends that I went to. I made the kids some Star Wars Mac & Cheese (I always add a little greek yogurt these days for extra creaminess) and green beans. I'm not sure what Steve ate. I had a delicious bacon-cheeseburger with fries. I don't often eat red meat so when I actually want it, I indulge. It was good. Tonight I worked late; I had a soup on the meal plan and it was 80+ degrees all day so in no way did I want to consume, nor make soup. I suggested spinach strawberry salads - that got no one excited, except for me. Steve ended up eating up frozen leftover Chinese (yes, he reported that it tasted as good as that sounds....blech) and the kids had leftover dinner from last night. I never did get around to making that salad....I ate what was left on August's plate after he magically disappeared from the dinner table, and reappeared on...

Last autumn a friend of mine posted on Facebook that he was looking for people, parents in particular, who were willing to read Karen Le Billon's books about getting your kids to eat & have a healthy attitude about doing so. Not just to "eat" but to eat things that are GOOD for you; that have layers of tastes & textures. Having a well-rounded palette and not being expected to be catered to. Hi, my name is Carrie and I have two small children. ONE who is particularly challenging when it comes to eating anything other than "Creamy Macaroni" or frozen nuggets & fries. *sigh* The other one isn't far from that mark either but at least gives an effort and occasionally finds something new that he loves. YES! I want to take this challenge. I want to read these books, implement ideas, try new things, blog about it - perhaps correspond with the author? Sure! Sign me up. And then...the holidays. And then....randomly, suddenly and unexpectedly w...

Wow - I guess I'm not keeping up with my storytime blogs. I will try to do better. I'm considering relocating these posts so I can share them with my Storytime crowd. We started by talking about SHAPES just a little bit as a precursor of the Storytime to come. I wanted to let the adults know that SHAPE recognition is very important as an early literacy skill and it is the beginnings of reading. We talked more about it throughout today's Storytime. The More We Get Together - song with signs Shapes that Roll by Karen Nagel/Illustrations by Steve Wilson This book was a lot of fun. We had a great time moving (a little) like the shapes or making them with our hands, talking about all the different shapes on the pages, and guessing some of the more unusual shapes. The bright colors & slight textures of this book make it a really eye-catching fun book to read. Next we read The Shape of Things by Dayle Ann Dodds/Illustrated by Julie Lacome. This took basic shapes ...

Well, another week has passed and I've only posted about Storytime. Ah well. So it goes. This week's storytime's theme was THANKSGIVING. Of course. There are not a lot of books (that we own) about Thanksgiving that aren't SUPER wordy. So picking & choosing things didn't go as easily as I had hoped. I also wanted to do more books about autumn, harvest, etc but with early snow & extremely cold temperatures here this year, that didn't feel right. In the end I found a few things that worked, and we had a great time! In November by Cynthia Rylant A great book which is perfect for this chilly, snowy November! Beautiful illustrations, talks about animals, people, the Earth... in November. :) Next we did a Turkey Felt Board (idea courtesy of Kathryn Roach ) I cut out a turkey shape (free hand) along with feathers. LOTS of feathers. Since we have a lot of kids at Storytime, I wanted to make sure everyone had a feather in their hands. I used all the...

I do Storytime every Tuesday at 10:15 at the Mount Royal branch library of the Duluth Public Library system. I enjoy it. I really do. I enjoy reading to the kids (my weekly "performance"), I love putting together themes, activities & songs to go along; I really enjoy creating flannel boards & fun activities to go along with it.  I've decided I'm going to start blogging about my Storytimes as it's a great resource for me down the road. I sometimes forget what worked & how well; what failed; what wasn't worth it and what TOTALLY was. I also lose track of what books/songs/fingerplays I do with what books/themes.  So here ya go. Today's Storytime: Today our theme was COLORS. A fun Storytime theme and one I've used in the past & will use again in the future. Opening song - The More We Get Together Early Literacy Aside #1 - We talked about VOCABULARY as today's enhanced storytime element. Vocabulary is my favorite. I love talki...

Yep - I failed. I made it 10 days. Oh well. I kind of feel like I'm blogging in a vacuum or void or something so I know that the only real person I've disappointed is myself. Ah well. I"m going to try to continue blogging more. I really enjoy it as a journal of my own life, if not for connecting with others. So, onward.

Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald by Gordon Lightfoot The Edmund Fitzgerald     The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down of the big lake they called "Gitche Gumee." The lake, it is said, never gives up her dead when the skies of November turn gloomy. With a load of iron ore twenty-six thousand tons more than the Edmund Fitzgerald weighed empty, that good ship and true was a bone to be chewed when the "Gales of November" came early. The ship was the pride of the American side coming back from some mill in Wisconsin. As the big freighters go, it was bigger than most with a crew and good captain well seasoned, concluding some terms with a couple of steel firms when they left fully loaded for Cleveland. And later that night when the ship's bell rang, could it be the north wind they'd been feelin'? The wind in the wires made a tattle-tale sound and a wave broke over the railing. And ev'ry man knew, as the captain did too 'twas the witch ...

Okay  - so it wasn't "vacation," but it might as well have been. My kids got to hang out with cousins & grandparents, eat popcorn every day, go have fun "Sassy Strawberry" frozen yogurt treats, make craft projects, play with video games (Dahlia is seriously ridiculously good at Wii bowling - what the heck?!?0, get spoiled by grandparents, see Great Grandma (what an excellent 'title'); there were train tracks, board games, super-yummy meals, sleeping over (in Mommy's bed - SHOCKING!), ETC. We love going to Grandma & Grandpa's house. We played, created, enjoyed, indulged, etc. And then I had to drive home. Bahhhhhhh. I absolutely LOVE my parents. And my sister. And her kids (duh, of course my family/kids). We have so much fun. I feel a TAD BIT like I'm a lazy loser as my Mom & Dad prepare food, activities, etc while I 'zone out' and knit or run errands or whatever....but seriously - we all love it. If my kids constit...

This is a stupidly, ridiculous, fun time. And the people that came up with it are probably millionaires by now. Give people wine/cider, a canvas, the paint, the painting/inspiration, an instructor & a Friday night to work it all out. GENIUS. We did ours for My Mom's & Aunt's bday's and it was AT the actual vineyard. So much fun....... I could do this once a week. I'm not lying. Ordering beverages My blank canvas, paint, brushes & my cider (no ACTUAL Chardonnay - lame!) Ready-set-go! Blank canvases in front of us..... Step 2 Serious concentration Step 3 Uh....Step...whatever.... And another step (note, my painting is upside-down...) A weird panoramic of all of our paintings. My latest work of "art." I adore how these all look together!!