Grin and Bear It

This winter has kind of been bogging me down. If it is not below zero degrees, it's snowing. ALL DAY LONG. Neither is very inviting for a fun day out and about. I just can't seem to shake the cabin fever and winter blues.

In an effort to break the routine and try something new, I decided we needed to stage a photo shoot. I was very diligent about taking monthly pictures of Leo throughout his first year, but haven't done any since his birthday. So I invited a few friends, scrounged up some Valentine props, and made a simple backdrop. It was nice to have some new life in our house after weeks of feeling locked in by ourselves. And we even got a few cute pics out of the crazy day!

How could I not start to warm up with those beautiful blue eyes staring up at me? I had so much fun taking these photos. I feel like I learn more every time I pull my camera out. He's getting harder to photograph though. He's squirmy and curious so I can usually only snap a few shots before he crawls over to me, wanting to check out the cool camera I'm holding (and push all those tempting buttons!).

Shake, shake, shake!

She loves me, she loves me not...

My goofy valentine

A new friend came with her two adorable kids to take some pictures with me and taught me lots of new things. Ashley does photography professionally, so she is a fountain of knowledge and talent. She was patient while I pestered her with questions about white balance, flash, and histograms. I hope I haven't scared her away because I have since thought of several new questions I want to ask her next time we talk. I hesitate posting a few of my favorite shots that she took and sent me because, well, they're amazing and show how much I have to learn. But they're so cute and my desire to brag about my cutie is greater than my pride.

This last one is by far my favorite shot of the day. Leo has started showing off his silly side quite often lately. When he's feeling goofy, he'll flash this super cheesy grin at us. It cracks me up every time, but I haven't been able to get a good picture of it. Luckily, Ashley did! I think he's trying to tell me that even when winter is long and cold, you just gotta grin and bear it. And it sure is easier with this little guy by my side.

Where the Sidewalk Ends

Where the Sidewalk Ends
Written and Illustrated by Shel Silverstein

Okay, obviously this is a classic. It's been around for decades and just never gets old. This book is chock full of fun, silly, sentimental, entertaining poems that children and adults can enjoy. My husband and I started reading a few poems each night this month to our one-year-old as part of our bedtime routine. We just finished all of them and I'm sad it's over! While I'm not sure our little guy picked up on the subtle hilarity of Silverstein's poems, we sure got a kick out of rereading all of our favorites and I have no doubt he will learn to love them soon. I definitely recommend rereading this one with your kids or even by yourself (because I'm sure you've all read it at least once already, right?).

I also enjoyed sharing a few of my favorites with my class during a poetry unit when I was teaching in an elementary school. There are lots of fun activities you can do with his poems, but I chose just two poems to talk about here.

"What's in the Sack?"

        What's in the sack? What's in the sack?
        Is it some mushrooms or is it the moon?
        Is it love letters or downy goosefeathers?
        Or maybe the world's most enormous balloon?

Accompanied by a picture of a solemn man carrying a ginormous sack, the poem continues with all the silly and random things that people suppose he is carrying around on his back. With a fun subject, kids would have fun adding stanzas to this poem. This would be a great practicing lesson after having introduced rhyme schemes to a class. After students are familiar with a few basic rhyme schemes such as AABB, ABAB, and ABCB, students should be able to identify the scheme in this poem. Then, they can create a new stanza for the poem using the ABCB pattern in Silverstein's poem. This is a fun one to use because the man could be carrying just about anything in that sack, so children can be really creative. They need only come up with 3-4 possibilities and rhyme two of the objects (the second and fourth lines). Advanced students could be challenged to create multiple stanzas or think about the number of syllables in each line to make sure their poem flows the way Silverstein's does.

When the activity is finished, you will have to let students read their poems, because I'm sure they will be dying to share their silly ideas!

A real life man traveling with a giant sack! 

"Invisible Boy"

        And here we see the invisible boy
        In his lovely invisible house,
        Feeding a piece of invisible cheese
        To a little invisible mouse.
        Oh, what a beautiful picture to see!
        Will you draw an invisible picture for me?

The only picture for this poem is an empty white box. I love the idea of the invisible boy because it opens the door to imagination. All creative writing is using our imagination to create an image or a story, but the invisible boy helps to provide a bit of structure to this vague idea for children. Since we cannot just watch the invisible boy to see what he is doing (like passively watching a movie), we must use words (the more descriptive the better) to create the scene for our reader. He can do just about anything just about anywhere, but it is up to them to "draw an invisible picture" using words.

Showing versus telling can be a difficult skill to learn and takes a lot of practice. Depending on the age and ability of your kids, this activity might best be done as a creative writing prompt rather than a poetry prompt. Using the idea of the invisible boy (or girl), students can write a story about their character, the setting, and what their character is doing. Encourage students to give as many details as they can to help us see their picture just as they see it. One of my favorite activities to do during revising is to have students share their writing with another student. Afterward, the partner must ask the writer a question about his writing, such as, "While reading about _____, I was wondering, ______." This activity would be a great way to help students find things in their invisible story they can describe in more detail. While sharing stories at the end of the lesson, it might be fun to let the listening students actually draw a picture of the author's story as she reads.

And just in case you were wondering, a few of my personal favorite poems are "Boa Constrictor," "Sick," "Smart," and "Colors." What are yours?

Bringing Up Bébé

Bringing Up Bébé
Written by Pamela Druckerman

When I checked this book out, the librarian told me that it is the ONLY parenting book that people bring back and say they really enjoyed. Not just found something important or applicable, but actually enjoyed reading.

I enjoyed it too! It's a parenting book, but it feels like much more than that. The author, Pamela Druckerman, is an American who moved to Paris with her British husband and had three children in France. She muses about the differences between Americans and the French, but really starts to explore when she realizes that most French children are well-behaved, sleep through the night by two months, and eat (and enjoy) gourmet meals - All while their mothers are skinny, impeccably dressed, and radiating an aura of composure. Surely, they must be doing something right! The novel shares what she finds through anecdotes, observations, and a sprinkling of statistics and scientific studies. It is interesting, informative, and fun to read.

While I'm not sure I agree with everything (most French mothers abandon breastfeeding soon after leaving the hospital) and probably can't incorporate everything while living in America (no cheerios, raisins, or goldfish throughout the day), there were several nuggets of wisdom that I do want to try to use in my own parenting. Here are eight things that stuck out to me while reading.

1. Rather than rushing to soothe a crying baby, pause and observe him to discern what he really needs. Even from birth, he needs opportunities to learn how to self-soothe and fall asleep on his own. (p. 45)

2. Stop snacking! Within a few months, even babies are eating at normal mealtimes (approximately 8 am, 12 pm, 4 pm, and 8 pm) in France. Children have one designated goûter (snack) at 4 pm. This helps them learn to patiently wait until then for a special candy or treat and they come to meals hungry! (p. 56)

3. Coping with frustration is a core life skill. French parents do not believe that teaching children to wait will damage them, but that their kids will be damaged if they can't cope with frustration. Learning patience means learning self-control, which allows kids to have fun rather than be anxious, irritable, and demanding. (p. 73)

4. You must taste everything! French parents want to introduce their children to the rich world of flavors and help them appreciate each one. Kids are served the wide variety of foods that their parents eat (there are no "kids' foods") and, though they do not have to eat everything on their plate, they must taste everything. (p. 202)

5. Talk about food. Introduce a vegetable to your child and ask, "Do you think this is crunchy, and that it'll make a sound when you bite it? What does this flavor remind you of? What do you feel in your mouth?"
You can also play flavor games. Offer different types of apples and let the child decide which is the sweetest and which is the most acidic. Or, blindfold the child and have him eat and identify foods he already knows. (203)

6. Do not offer a different food to replace a rejected one and act neutrally if the child won't eat something. Instead, prepare the same food many different ways and offer it many different times to help your child learn to like it. (p. 203)

7. Believe that babies and toddlers understand what you say and can act on it. You can teach them and they can learn to control themselves, even in their first year. In addition, let the child play an active role in obeying by giving him time to respond. (p. 94)

8. The perfect mother does not exist. Guilt is a trap that is unhealthy and unpleasant. Be balanced in all parts of my life and don't doubt whether I'm good enough. I am. (p. 146)

While I already love everything French, Druckerman admits that she never particularly loved Paris or the French. Nevertheless, she began to see the wisdom in how they view children and what they are capable of. This one is definitely worth reading and thinking about!

1st Birthday Sprinkle Party

Leo turned ONE this month! This first year is so fun and full of firsts. I love watching him learn new things while he grows and changes. We got to spend Christmas with all my family this year, so we had lots of aunts, uncles, and cousins to party with us. It has been so fun looking up birthday party ideas for him. While I certainly wanted to celebrate his big day, I also didn't want to spend big bucks. I fell in love with the sprinkle cake when I stumbled across this blog, and decided to throw a little sprinkle party luncheon for Leo.

There are SO MANY cake batter and sprinkle ideas on there that the hardest part was choosing only a few of the recipes and ideas for the party. I decided to do a sprinkle-covered smash cake and cupcakes for everyone else. I used my all-time favorite frosting recipe for them. Seriously, try it. It's light, fluffy, and not overly sweet. It's SO GOOD!

We also had caramel and chocolate-dipped pretzels and chocolate-dipped Oreos. Both were easy (though a little time consuming) and super yummy snacks.

We also had two of my favorite soups, Corn Chowder and Vegetable Lentil, a strawberry spinach salad, and bread. I made a fun collage with pictures from each month of his first year. Everyone loved seeing how he had changed over that first year. It was all fairly simple, but it came together really well and we had a blast.

I also loved how the balloons with "sprinkles" inside them turned out. All you have to do is cut out circles from tissue paper, slip them inside a clear balloon (not inflated), and then get them filled with helium. The colored circles stay at the bottom for awhile, but the static builds inside and within about an hour they'll be sticking to sides. They made for a really fun decoration.

Of course, the best part was the cake smash! 

He was a little timid when it all started. 

but then then things started getting crazy

...and then he got really into it!

It was such a fun day and so special to share it with so much of our family. He sure adds a lot of excitement and joy to our lives and I feel so lucky to be his mommy.

The Tale of Despereaux

The Tale of Despereaux: Being the story of a mouse, a princess, some soup, and a spool of thread
Written by Kate DiCamillo
Ages: 8-12

"Stories are light. Light is precious in a world so dark. Begin at the beginning. Tell [me] a story. Make some light."

This is a charming story about a small mouse with big floppy ears who just doesn't seem to fit in with his family or the whole mouse community, for that matter. He is not interested in scrounging for every last crumb or in quietly scurrying around the castle in which he lives. Despereaux likes to spend his time reading stories about a beautiful princess, listening to music, and talking with humans! His tale is one that will cause him to meet an interesting cast of characters and force him to be braver than he ever thought possible in order to save someone he loves.

DiCamillo is a wonderful author and she did not disappoint with this delightful novel, which won the Newbery Medal in 2004. It is beautifully written, engaging, and finishes with a happy ending. Though it is written for children, it does not feel childish. The characters are interesting and complex, each struggling with his or her own wishes and reality. One of my favorite things about the story, however, is the lesson it teaches about the importance of our choices. Using symbols of light and darkness, the characters reveal how their choices, not their circumstances, define who they are. The best stories have good lessons and make you feel good, too. Despereaux is the hero of such a story.

Here are a few ideas on how you could use this novel in your classroom or home.

Read Aloud: This would be an excellent book to read aloud to a class. It is very engaging, has fun characters, and would be great to discuss with a class. The best part? It is filled with lots of short chapters! Short chapters make it easy to stay within your allotted time for read aloud or great for filling just a few minutes when transitioning to a new activity. Seriously, students will love this book.

Small group (or book clubs): Students would enjoy using this book in a small group as well. It provides great support to its readers, helping them identify important vocabulary that may be new and even posing a few questions to think about. After using the word, the author asks us, "Reader, do you know what 'perfidy' means? I have a feeling you do, based on the little scene that has just unfolded here. But you should look up the word in your dictionary, just to be sure." She similarly defines or talks about vocabulary in several other places (though it is not so much that it is tiring). There are plenty of opportunities for students to visualize, make connections, ask questions, and discuss important ideas. It is a story that is easy to understand but provides a lot of depth that students can enjoy.

Choice and Accountability: This is a great story for facilitating a discussion with students about the power of their choices. The two main characters, Despereaux and Chiaroscuro, are born into families in which they just don't feel like they fit in. Both are drawn to light but find themselves rejected and left to darkness where they must choose how they will react. One reacts with bravery, choosing to define himself through love. The other chooses revenge. Children can compare and contrast these characters to see how their choices affected them and those around them. We, too, face difficult and sometimes heart-breaking situations, but we still get to choose how we react and how we define ourselves.

Voice (writing): One of the most charming elements of this book is the author's voice. When I taught in Utah, I know my 5th graders were heavily exposed to the six traits of writing. Voice is the trait that shows the personality of the writer, making it feel like there is someone talking to you. This is a great novel for showing an example of strong voice. The author actually DOES talk to you. On page 111 she tells us, "Reader, in the spirit of honesty, I must utter a difficult and unsavory truth: Rats are not beautiful creatures. They are not even cute. They are, really, rather nasty beasts." DiCamillo feels like your friend and your guide, navigating you through the story. It really feels like she is sharing this story with you. Voice, of course, does not have to be so explicit, but hers is a fun one to help introduce the concept.

Writing: DiCamillo has shared the story behind her story of Despereaux (I found it in the description of the author in the back of the novel). Her son's best friend asked her to write a story about an unlikely hero, one with exceptionally large ears. This is the tale she created about that unlikely hero. I love the idea of an unlikely hero. Not a Superman or a James Bond. A simple, relatable character who finds out how to be a hero. In a fun lesson about characters, students could create their own unlikely hero. They would have to describe the character's appearance (and draw a picture, of course), his or her attributes, strengths, weaknesses, desires, and come up with a name. They would then need to write a short explanation of what makes their character a hero. This could be turned into a longer project where students create a setting, problem, events, and resolution for their character as well. I'm sure they'll all be excited to create a life for their hero.

This one will not disappoint! I wholeheartedly recommend reading about Despereaux with your class or family.

Autumn Stroll

Crunchy leaves. A cinnamon scent. Snuggling up in a jacket. And don't forget sharpened pencils, football games, and Halloween. Fall is my favorite time of the year. There is something so exciting about it. This is our first fall in Pittsburgh and it is absolutely stunning. There are so many hills and trees here and I have really enjoyed watching the trees slowly turn gold and red. We decided to go out for a little hike to soak it in before it becomes too cold to be enjoyable. We found a fun little trail that did not disappoint. Here are a few shots from our autumn stroll.

He loved seeing (and feeling) all the new plants.

 

I sure love these two guys.