April 30, 2014

This week I had an American Idol moment. I was a judge for the Talent Show tryouts for one of my schools. It was kind of under false pretenses because I didn't have any red x buzzers that I could push and we let everyone in if their act was rated G. There were many keroke singers and most of the songs were from the movie, Frozen. Then a little tiny girl approached the stage. She was nervous and when the music teacher asked her what song she was performing she quietly said, " The Cup Song" and she was singing without a soundtrack. This song is from the movie, Pitch Perfect which I've seen two times because my daughter keeps me hip. Well, I got my encouraging smile ready and then....she belted it! What a tremendous voice! You would have thought that Anna Kendrick herself was on stage! She had all the words down and in tune. Oh, and did I mention that she is only in first grade?! All the judges were speechless! I hope she remembers her old librarian when she is rich and famous! 

April 29, 2014

My friend and fellow Teacher Librarian, Mike McQueen is living his dream. He recently published his book, Getting Boys to Read:Quick Tips for Parents and Teachers. He has been working on this book for years while putting his heart and soul into his profession. Mike is a testament to me that if you really believe in something, you throw yourself into it 200%! I wish he could bottle his enthusiasm and motivation- I would be first in line to buy a case! Until then I'll make do with buying his book. If you're interested, it's available on Amazon! Way to go Mike! 

April 28, 2014

Below is the quote of the day..I have an app that alerts me of daily quotes because I don't get enough notifications during the day(!) Anyhoo, this one caught my eye because it is short, sweet and oh so true. I like to go through life blissfully ignorant that mean people exist but every once in awhile I come across one. So the next time you do remember this......

April 27, 2014

Pope John Paul II became a saint today which I agree with wholeheartedly! In 1980, when I was a mere 18 years old, my family visited Rome and saw Pope John Paul II in person. He toured around St. Peter's square in his pope mobile and you could just feel the warmth and goodness in him. He later addressed the crowd in at least 8 different languages. I don't remember what he talked about but I remember being impressed which was something because I had just graduated from high school and felt very impressive myself! He was someone many people admired whether they were catholic or not because he was real, positive, forgiving, accepting and so much more. Here's to you Saint John Paul II!!

April 26, 2014

I'm so glad spring and warmer temperatures are here! It was a beautiful day to sit on the patio and read! Oh I had plenty of other things that I should have been doing but the patio swing was calling me and I needed to bond with my husband as he was doing the yard work. Why is it that all my hobbies involve sedentary behavior? Reading, knitting, watching movies, blogging.....I really need to do something about this and now that it is becoming warmer it's easier to get motivated to walk the dogs and dust off the bike. I'll work on that tomorrow .....

April 25, 2014

I just had a big scare. One of those life altering moments when your life flashes before your eyes. After work today I took a little nap on the couch while catching up on some Facebook news on my iPad. When I woke up my iPad was dark with no sign of life. Oh well it must need to be charged I thought so I plugged it in. 30 minutes -nothing, 1 hour- nothing, 3 hours- nothing. Now I'm in a panic and telling Don that if it's dead he does realize that I will be the first person at the Apple store in the morning to replace it. My iPad and I have become inseparable and I couldn't go a day without it. Don was probably thinking that that is what I used to say about him! I bought my iPad almost three years ago with the sole purpose of getting acquainted with the device because my schools were going to be buying them in the near future. At first I had to make myself use it and not default to the computer because I was more comfortable with my computer. I have become more and more and more dependent on this little rectangle of electric awesomeness which resulted in my panic today. Is my attachment a bad thing- possibly - but there are worse things I could be addicted to. Anyway, it eventually turned back on and we are reunited once again!

April 24, 2014

Today I attended a professional development course about being adaptable. I enjoy learning new things, especially if I think it will help me as a Teacher Librarian. Today did not disappoint. For instance, we talked about having dialogue - really listening to the opinions and ideas of others without making any decisions. This is very hard to do in our hurry-up-we-have-to-get-this-done society! We were reminded that if you are truly listening, you are not thinking about the other person's cute earrings, that they should have never worn those pants with those shoes, or the witty comeback you are going to say if they ever stop talking! No..if you are truly listening, you will just be ....listening. Stop by and talk to me so I can practice!