Happy Mother's Day and Happy May!

Happy May!  I'm excited to link up with Andrea from Momfessionals and Erika from A Little Bit of Everything for:

Student Drawn Portraits

My student, Blessings, drew this picture of me, and the resemblance is pretty close.  Of course, I do appreciate the long, thick eyelashes Blessings gave me!

Even after retiring last June (how is it almost a year!?), I still have all these student drawn portraits ~ they are very special!

Playing Corn Hole:

Yesterday I was browsing around in T.J. Maxx when a pink box caught my eye.  I pulled it out from underneath a display, and it turned out to be a Corn Hole game with a donut theme!

For $40, I got a one of a kind game!  If you go online at T.J. Maxx, you can get a similar version with an American flag theme right here!  We were outside in the cool, damp weather playing

Spring?:

I remember to check the weather every day lately ~ just in the event that the sun might peek out.  Here in Massachusetts, it's been a very changeable spring with 

Plus, I'm trying to not wear winter clothes which is challenging due to the low temperatures and rainy weather.

Reading: 

I have been reading online books on the OverDrive app.

Right now I'm reading Hopeful Hearts at the Cornish Cove.  

What I'm especially loving about this book is that the main character, Meredith, is 50 years old!  She decides to jump start her life by buying a lighthouse on the coast.  How cool is that!  If you're looking for an endearing book to read, check out this book! 

A while ago, I read a really fun book, Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, by Gail Honeyman:

 Eleanor is completely honest and sees everything in black and white terms until circumstances, beyond her control, force her out of her comfort zone.  She is forced to assimilate into "normal" society and experience "normal" social situations which cause her to blurt out her own viewpoints ~ which are so true and funny!  If you're looking for a book that you'll remember for years to come, check out this one!

Well, thank you so much for checking in today!  Please let me know what another good book would be!  

Happy Mother's Day and Happy Spring ~ hopefully the weather is more cooperative where you live!

Also, remember to check out more great blogs at:

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Friday Favorites: Sunny Savannah ~ A Walkable and Historic City!

Hello there!  We recently came back from a five day trip to Savannah, Georgia.  If you like to walk and learn about history, you'll love Savannah!  Today I am linking up with Erika from A Little Bit of Everything and Andrea from Momfessionals for:

Savannah, Georgia

This was my first trip to this beautiful city, and it definitely lived up to its reputation!  We arrived on a Saturday at lunch time and hit the ground walking.

That day we visited Forsyth Park:

It's worth visiting for several reasons:  the beautiful fountain surrounded by flowers and watching the people walking by.  Not surprisingly, we saw many photographers taking pictures of their clients for graduations or proms.

After that we headed to Basilica of St. John.  We learned that a church becomes a basilica when it is recognized by the Vatican and has a special canopy to hold over the pope, if he ever visits.

This basilica is being renovated, but look at how beautiful it is inside:

This is called an umbraculum.   It is used to provide shade for the pope, just in case he visits.

We also went to Tybee Island which is about a 30 minute drive from Savannah.  We found a super deal on Trip Advisor for $95 which included round trip transportation from our hotel, beach chairs and umbrellas.  My favorite part of the beach were these brown pelicans: 

These pelicans dive bomb for fish.  When they land in the ocean, there's a big splash.  I could have watched them forever!

Here are some other highlights of our trip:

*Going on a ghost walking tour.  Savannah is a very haunted city.

*Watching giant container ships travel on the Savannah River.  Savannah is one of the busiest seaports in the US.  If you go directly north from Savannah, you end up in Ohio so all those containers can easily access the middle of the country.

That bridge in the picture goes to South Carolina!

That's all for now.  Have you ever been to Savannah?

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Friday Favorites: OK Day; What I'm Reading; Gyres Are Not OK; NYT Spelling Bee Picture Submission

Hello Friday!  Today I'm linking up with Erika from A Little Bit of Everything and Andrea from Momfessionals for:

March 23rd (last Sunday) was O.K. Day!

I do love the Checkiday site as a way to discover little known holidays ~ like O.K. Day!  According to Allan Metcalf, the author who started this celebration, O.K. is such an important word in the American language that he's written an entire book about it.  

Click on cover to discover more at Amazon.

On March 23, 1839, in The Boston Morning Post, the word OK was first seen in print.  The purpose of OK Day is to celebrate the word OK and its history.  Can you even imagine a world without the word OK?

If you're looking for a fun children's book, check out:

The OK Book by one of my favorite authors, Amy Krouse Rosenthal.

Currently Reading:

Right now I am reading another engaging book by Jo Jo Moyes:

I am only at the very beginning, but the main character has quite a chaotic life:  recently divorced; two children including one angry teenager; a big house with plumbing issues,...

What are gyres?  They are not OK!

Change Is Simple is a non-profit group that visits our school four times a year to teach us about keeping our world cleaner and healthier.  During one visit, we learned about the ocean and its different layers:

In our oceans, there are areas of large whirlpools called gyres.  Some of these areas become filled with trash and debris.  The biggest one is in the Pacific Ocean.  I never knew any of this was happening.  In addition, a lot of the debris includes plastic by-products, and that's why it's so important to use reusable bags and as little plastic as possible.

Photo Submission for Spelling Bee

I always love checking out the bee pictures for NYT Spelling Bee!  I finally got around to submitting this photo and hope to have it published some day:

Happy weekend, and thanks for checking in today!

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Happy March Friday Favorites: Massachusetts Children's Book Awards; Tops and Bottoms; and a Perfect Quote!

Welcome to March and Daylight Savings Time!  Today I'm delighted to link up with Andrea from  Momfessionals and Erika from A Little Bit of Everything for their weekly link-up:

Massachusetts Book Awards = Some Perfectly New Books to Check Out!

Even though I'm now retired, I still love children's picture books.  These are the winning and honor Massachusetts Book Award Winners from 2024:

Click on cover to read more at Amazon!

Picture Book / Early Reader Award

Once Upon a Book by Grace Lin and Kate Messner (Little, Brown Books For Young Readers)

Two great authors means ONE amazing book! This colorful and vibrant book underlines the importance of imagination and visualization when reading.

Picture Book / Early Reader Honors

Night Owl Night by Susan Edwards Richmond. Maribel Lechuga, illus. (Charlesbridge Publishing)

This is a beautiful book about science! The mom in the book is a scientist who studies owls, and her daughter (Sova)is finally old enough to come observe (this would be a great accompaniment to Owl Moon by Jane Yolen). Sova observes and learns about owls as well as how to keep owls safe.

Now that we're so entertained by the bald eagles, Jackie and Shadow, this would be an amazing opportunity to learn about owls!

Picture Book / Early Reader Honors

Mole Is Not Alone by Maya Tatsukawa (Henry Holt and Company)

Mole is going to a party, and he is nervous.  He's afraid he won't know anyone.  Also, he is shy.  This book sounds perfect for adults (like me) and kids!  This is a sweet story for kids of all ages!

Perfect Read-Aloud for Spring And/Or Plant Life Cycles:

One of my favorite read-alouds is Tops and Bottoms by Janet Stevens.

Tops and Bottoms is a beautifully illustrated book that teaches lessons about character and plants.  In the story, clever Hare tricks lazy Bear by offering him the parts of the plants that you can't eat ("So, what will it be, Bear?  The top half or the bottom half?  It's up to you - tops or bottoms?").  This is an all-around awesome and engaging book!

Some skills that could be covered include:  character comparison; summarizing or plants.

 I also found this free activity on TPT:

 Here's the direct link:  Click here or on the picture.

Perfect Quote From Weight Watchers

 

This quote is a great reminder for those days that are totally hectic and overwhelming:

I no longer go to Weight Watchers, but I know it's an effective program. . .

Have a wonderful week!

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Friday Favorites: Wrapping Up February!

Happy last day of February!  Thanks for checking in as I link up with Erika from A Little Bit of Everything and Andrea from Momfessionals for:

It's Been A Year....

One year ago this week, my husband was diagnosed with esophageal cancer.  It's been a whirlwind of treatment, surgery, aftermath symptoms (hopefully, you don't know what this means), etc.  Amazingly, his latest CAT scan and blood work look good.  For the next several years, he will need follow-up testing every 3 months, but every day is a gift.  Here's a picture of Matt from - what he calls - the "before times."

Since diagnosis, he's lost over 40 pounds.  Due to his esophagectomy, his stomach has been greatly reduced and is located between his lungs.  It's all amazing that medicine is this advanced.

Do you need a unique personalized gift?

When we went to San Juan last year, we were so enchanted with the art in this store:  The Poet's Passage.  We bought 3 personalized casita doors and 2 prints.  Now my niece is engaged and has bought a house in Texas so I am ordering her a casita door, too!

I'm leaning toward this one, but I haven't made my final decision.  I just think they're so colorful and fun!

Cuticle Cream Worth Checking Out!

My hands, especially my cuticles are so dried out right now.  I've been using this Onsen cuticle cream, and I really love how it absorbs quickly and helping to moisturize my ragged cuticles:

Jane Brocket:  Colorful Non-Fiction Books

Every Saturday I take my weekly trip to my local library.  The first thing I do in the Children's Room is look at the new books.  Lately, I've been trying to find more non-fiction picture books, and this week I was extraordinarily lucky to find a new-to-me series, Jane Brocket's Clever Concepts.  Here are 2 examples:

 Bright color and photographs automatically attracted me to these books as well as the math connections, shapes and patterns.

Circles, Stars, and Squares has beautiful pictures of real life examples of two and three dimensional shapes:

 My students can always review different shapes as well as the difference between 2 and 3 dimensional shapes.  Plus, look at those delicious pictures, and that's only one of the pages. 

In Spotty, Stripy, Swirly, the pictures are equally vibrant and fascinating. 

I know that I'm going to be on the look-out for patterns when I'm out and about.

If you want to learn more about this amazingly talented photographer, author and blogger, she has her own Substack.

That's it for now!  I'm looking forward to more sun and daylight.  What are you looking forward to?

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Thursday Favorite Things: Houses; Socks; Free Covid Test Kits

Hello!  I'm trying out a new link-up:  Thursday Favorite Things hosted by An Artful Mom and Katherine's Corner.

A Normal House is a House for Me!

I saw on Instagram that there's a trend to live in a normally decorated house vs. the decorated houses that are always shown on Instagram (of course, I can't find the post now..).  Anyway, these top two picture show my very normal house.

On the lower left is a picture of an ornament I keep on my twinkle tree in the living room.  In addition to my normal house, I have a Texas street dog who is a lovable and loving mutt!

A Free App to Redecorate Your House

On Instagram, I also learned about the Onton app that virtually redecorates your house in the style of your choice.  You upload a picture of your room, and the app. generates a picture of the redecorated room.

Check out my normal dining room complete with my husband's puzzle board:

Here's the dining room transformed into cottage-style:

I have been enjoying seeing what my house could look like.  Honestly, I am just trying to keep it neat, tidy and somewhat clean!

Fun Socks!

I LOVE socks!  I also LOVE shopping at TJ Maxx or Marshall's.  I got these online:

These socks are colorful and comfortable!  

You can find these and Smartwool socks at TJ Maxx.  They also have Balega socks on Amazon.

Covid Tests

Last week I had Covid ~ just a mild case.  Consequently, I realized all my Covid tests were expired so off I went to CVS wearing my mask to buy a new testing kit.  Since then, I have ordered four free test kits.  Click here to learn more!

Thank you for visiting today!  I hope you enjoy virtually redecorating your house!  It's a fun diversion when you are isolating or the weather is uncooperative.

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Friday Favorites for January 17, 2025: Still Slogging Through January and European Explorers!

Happy Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Weekend!  I love learning about people who have changed the world in such a positive way!

Today I am linking up with Andrea from Momfessionals and Erika from A Little Bit of Everything for:

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Craftivity

I want to give a shout-out for this adorable Dr. King craft that my class did after reading this informational mini-book about his life.  After reading, the kids wrote an informational paragraph about Dr. King.  

To accompany their paragraphs, we did this timely craftivity.  I love how each student puts his/her unique touch on their Martins!

European Explorers

For years, there has been a Social Studies Standard:

European explorers’ first contacts with Native Peoples in the Northeast with the supporting question:

How did European explorers describe the Northeastern part of the United States and its Native Peoples?

I just felt that I didn't have the proper material to teach this standard so I created my own presentation and activities:

I spent a long time researching and learning all about the different explorers and the Native Americans they met along the way. Please click here or on the image to check out more details about this new product on TPT.

An Orchid Makes A Comeback!

I have an unfortunate habit of killing every orchid that I receive as a gift.  Amazingly, I have saved one:

I saw on Instagram that you are not to rotate or move orchids.  I routinely rotate my plants so they grow evenly, but I was not helping my orchid.  This plant came back from the edge and is about to flower!

Here in Massachusetts, the BIG news is snow and frigid temperatures in the forecast.  In other news, my husband is having surgery for his bilateral inguinal hernias on Wednesday (always something to look forward to!).  Thanks for visiting the blog, and happy Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day!

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