Naturally Optimistic

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!!

The Christmas tree is on it's way to it's seasonal home at the MN Power Plaza in Duluth.  We watched it drive by from work. I could almost smell the pine needles. I almost hate to admit it, but I start getting excited this time of year!!

We had a school carnival at Dahlia's school tonight. It is put on every fall by an education "club" from UMD. A very busy evening of activities & dinner put on by bright-faced, energetic, future teachers. It's a lot of fun. We skipped the dinner (spaghetti) in favor of doing all the activities. Last year we ran out of time. The kids participated in an inter-active "funhouse" (they were training to be clowns - had to stretch, do jumping jacks, hula hoop, jump rope & do crunches); They played charades; they made a bouncy ball at the science table, an optical illusion at the optical illusion table; did some math & spelling & played a "musical chairs" type game featuring different world cultures. They also got to make a cotton candy art project & eat REAL cotton candy (they both like it for about 3 bites & they are done). The made masks & got a free book too. It's a little crazy & hectic, but they really had fun ...

It is dark. And cold. And I'm so so tired. Hibernation season is here. A veil has been drawn around our little house & we live inside concentrating on our life in here. And going to bed early. Good night.

Of course I voted. I vote in all the elections. Even the primaries. I feel it's important. I read up on candidates (although sometimes not enough - who in the heck are all these judges?!?). I try to come up with my own feelings about whose running - regardless of what party they are affiliated with. I don't watch TV so I've been saved from the bevy of political mud-slinging and search out alternate sources for researching the candidates online. It's not perfect, they're not perfect. I am NOT perfect in my research, but it works for me. I voted for several different parties tonight....I sometimes feel like I'm "wasting" my vote by voting for some of the "littler guys/gals" but at the same time, if enough people step back & look at whose running & what they're running for, maybe things will change. I think a 2-party system is arcane & is not representational of the citizens of our country. I put up my flag this morning, I voted,...

Not my photo...but man, I love calling this space my "backyard." *sigh* I wish summer/autumn could hold on a little longer....

Well, I didn't really take any pics of Steve opening his gifts ( Hullo Pillow , Brewhouse t-shirt, wood burning tool) and I am only now making his bday dessert (pumpkin bars) AND we didn't even MAKE IT out for dinner last night....so we're headed to the Brewhouse tonight. Launching the boats. We stopped at "our creek beach" and launched some boats. It was quite hilarious to hear the kids scream in terror as if the boats would be lost forever (the creek is very slow going this time of year...all were rescued). My handsome husband. We did take a lovely hike. Well, mostly lovely. Dahlia crabbed & screamed & whined most of the way until I bribed her with snacks & then she had fun. Oy vey. Heartbreaking when she says she "doesn't like hiking" any  more. She's going to be in for a rude awakening when that's what we're going to keep doing! Me & my little cutie (photo by Dahlia). We stopped in the middle of the c...

Day one of NaBloPoMo - we'll see how I do this year! Hopefully I will be inspired & committed to posting each day in November. It's always hard but let's do it! DPL Main Library Staff Halloween was a lot of fun and a lot of hectic too. Work was good. A lot of us dressed up - especially from Circulation which is always a good time. I was pretty lazy with my costume this year. I couldn't get inspired. I ended up buying a bright orange wig & thought maybe I'd be a scarecrow, but ended up being some kind of "good witch" instead. It worked okay. ;) Me, dorky as usual Farmer Jess I left work a bit easy to get the kids "early" so we could attempt to eat & get our pumpkins out before going trick-or-treating. It's always such a hectic mess. Trying to get two hyper kids to cooperate sometimes is like herding cats. Spiderman & Mike Wazowski Our friends Tomas & Angie headed over with their son M...