Peek-a-Boo Peanut!

Here's a recent picture of my little guy!

Gaga for Glee

Well, Glee continues to wow me week after week. I have enjoyed the remake of "V" and Flashforward and of course, Lost. (Though it may be too soon for me to talk about that--I'm still mourning its departure). Yet, nothing really compares to the musical fun of Glee. This recent Gaga episode was fantastic. I love the Rachel meets her mother twist on things and I think both Lea Michele and Idina Menzel are fantastic singers.



In this video, however, it's Kurt's character doing the lead vocals--Chris Colfer. Costume-wise I think Quinn's pink gown and crazy eyelashes were a fave and I think Santana's bit was probably the best part of the performance.

I'll admit I've never really listened to Lady Gaga and after this episode I was revved up to do so. She certainly lives up to her reputation. And I love the song "Bad Romance."

On a sidenote-- "Like a Virgin" was probably one of the most well done song/video sequences on the show. I wish I had a clip of that. I suspect this is one TV show that I will have to own when the full season is available for purchase. I already have three of the four CDs--yup, I'm a Gleek.

You Grow Girl!

Mom decided to rent a garden plot this year after I'd decided I'd probably pass. She went with All Seasons instead of the GF Park District which is probably wise considering last year's crab grass fiasco. I agreed to help her with her garden and so this week we planted. I helped stake out the rows on Sunday and on Wednesday she planted most everything. On Thursday I planted my rows--mostly lettuce and flowers.

If I remember correctly we planted mini pumpkins, gourds, spaghetti squash, cucumbers, corn, Indian corn, potatoes, peas, carrots, parsnips, tomatoes, four kinds of peppers (sweet bell, jalapeno etc), zinnias, bachelor buttons, spinach, lettuce (several varieties blended), nasturtiums, and glads.

Woo Hoo.

I've gone and done it. Given in to peer pressure and purchased my own Droid Incredible. I'm super excited now that it's in my paws. Of course, that's what it feels like I have--paws--when I try to type on it or make a phone call. I've accidentally called a dozen different people already. Sheesh. I was told to give it 2 weeks until I'm comfortable with the whole touch screen technology and I will. I think I may need to watch some tutorial videos, though, on how to set everything up.

Nordic Walking Poles

Gave these a try at work a few days ago. I'm not sure I have the hang of it yet, but I could certainly see the results almost instantly. Engaging my arms like that had my heart rate up instantly. Wow. I am out of shape. The good news is that a few of us have been walking regularly on breaks at work.

Iron Man 2 Inspiration

My brother and I saw Iron Man 2 over Mothers Day Weekend and while he thought it was a bit slow, I really enjoyed it. I love Robert Downey Jr. these days and whether it's as Tony Stark or Sherlock Holmes he couldn't be sexier and more fun. I did leave the theatre with a different sort of inspiration, however. And that was a subtle pressure I felt to shed some of the extra pounds I've let accumulate in the past year. It was at this point a year ago I let things slide as summer school got particularly intense. I'm not gonna lie, Scarlet Johansson is smoking hot in this film, and I want to look like her.

Apparently she went through months of intense training to get that way and I'm guessing she was in pretty decent shape at the beginning of the process. I also know that the film poster we see is photoshopped too. I guess she lost too many curves getting fit and they wanted to emphasize curvy and lean. Oh well. I suspect I won't be losing my curves without some surgery so I'll just settle for some proper lean. I joined the gym again as of this weekend and I hope that by the end of summer school THIS year I'll be down at least 15 lbs. Wish me luck.

With a cherry on top!

In April, I shopped for furniture for my classroom and I ended up getting this groovy chair for me.

Pomplamoose--Music to Make You Smile!

Pomplamoose - If You Think You Need Some Lovin



I love the way they layer their songs and how their videos reflect it. Check out more of their music on their You Tube Channel.

We Live In the Age of Everything. Why Commit?

Just reading an article on branding and this bit really jumped out at me:

"There are 80 million Millennials aged 9-28 in the U.S. alone. Half are already in college or the workforce, and the women will be a tornado. They group around shared affinity more than shared nationality, they're prosumers, not consumers, and they care more about peer recommendation than corporate reputation. They grew up in a world where change is too fast to process, but they know one thing: If you wait a minute or two, something better is sure to be along. They live on an IV drip of real-time connection, and are fiercely interdependent. If you're a company, failing to consider their preferences would be, in their own vernacular, WOMBAT--a waste of money, brains, and time."

via Swiss Miss

Oliver Jeffers -- Illustrator, Author Extraordinaire

Oliver Jeffers' work is some of my favorite among childrens book illustrators and really among any artists. There is a charm that is difficult for me to define. I will just say, whether intentional or not, he's part of the Wes Anderson, Dave Eggers, and Jean-Pierre Jeunet club that hangs out in my brain. Here's a link to his official site.
Following a parade of images is a video in which he describes who he is and where he came from (in a way that only Oliver Jeffers can!) and his creative process. It's long but fascinating.

2010/04 Oliver Jeffers from CreativeMornings on Vimeo.

A Balanced Diet.

I find the best things on the Swiss Miss blog. Here's her post on these handy-dandy plates-- "Wheel of Nutrition” created by Hafsteinn Juliusson, Rui Pereira and Joana Pais.

Reading Rally Spring 2010

Our school held a year-end Reading Rally to celebrate the reading efforts of our students this year. We've done a sort of tally on the wall outside the library all year documenting student books and staff books in a friendly competition. We gathered to announce awards, accomplishments, and to present some books purchased with our NEA Books Across America grant.

Continuing with the theme of popcorn, we celebrated with a popcorn party--featuring the Book Club's favorite caramel popcorn as one of the choices.

In addition, we honored our 2010 Poet of the Year, and read his poem to the group. There were so many good ones this year it was a close race.

This is the kind of stuff that gets my heart beating a bit faster. I loved that kids used the post-its we put on the table to indicate books they wanted to be first to check out. I have a handful I know I am eager to read too. I love it when I get to try an idea I have and I love it even more when it turns out better than I imagined.

What is Wrong With This Picture?

UND Bookstore Childrens' Dept. now features a large screen TV.
I just threw up a little in my mouth.

NDRA Conference Presentation Fun

On Friday I presented a session on using picture books in the secondary classroom. It turns out I had more material than time but I managed to squeeze it all in. I hope folks took something away with them. I am cuckoo for picture books and I am sure that showed!

My pal Andrea and I had the pleasure of presenting a session together yesterday at NDRA on Creating a School-Wide Reading Initiative. It was loads of fun to talk about getting kids motivated to read and all the great YA books available to keep them engaged.

Friday, our luncheon speaker was Jacqueline Woodson and she read from a variety of books. I haven't had the pleasure of reading any of her work, but I want to now!

Jeff Wilhelm's presentation on Teaching with Inquiry blew me away and got me fired up for fall. The whole perspective shift and re-framing lessons just makes so much sense when it comes to teaching. This was my conference highlight!