Literacy Learning Zone

This summer, as with anything in 2020, has been anything but usual. Days at the pool non-existent. Playdates with friends on hold. Camps delayed. One vacation delayed a year. Another vacation postponed until deemed safer.  But, thankfully, we did get away as a family for a week.  We are so blessed to have a family cabin in the woods in the middle of Wisconsin. We packed the mini-van FULL with AnythingAndEverything we may need (or want). Here there seems like there is nothing to do. Here we just get to be in the slow moment of time... We stayed up late and slept in until we stretched out of bed.  I stole moments to sit in the quiet and read.  We noticed the beautiful Monarch butterflies fluttering in the breeze.  I was in awe of the bright blue sky and puffy white clouds.  We hung out in bright pink flamingo tubes cooling off in the lake.  I enjoyed lots of walks with the dog on a new dirt road.  We bounced around in a UTV on the trails splashing i...

Saying goodbye  This week has been full of many kinds of goodbyes ... I've been trying to remind myself:  It's not goodbye forever -- it's until we meet again.           To staff and colleagues waving through a computer screen                To my students through snail-mail in a postcard           To fifth graders moving on to junior high                To trusted teachers and staff at my daughters' school           To the last two months of doing school online                To a school year full of joy and hope ... and strife and stress           To the last day of school today Saying goodbye is always hard. But closure is necessary to move on. So goodbye until we meet again. And hello summer.

Run happy I'm not a runner. Well, that's what I tell myself anyway. My girls were signed up to participate in Girls on the Run (GOTR) through their school. It is a wonderful program that promotes girl empowerment by teaching life skills through lessons and running. The goal is to run a 5K and celebrate their accomplishments. Both the girls' dad and I agreed to be their running buddies. So we all had some work to do to be ready. Then the world stopped. We decided to train at home during this stay-at-home order. We had the time. We had places to run. The fresh air was good. No excuses. Maybe a few grumbles. As a family, we ran. Sometimes a mile. Sometimes a mile and a half. Sometimes two. It wasn't ever easy. Or fun. What mattered was that we did it together and the running made a difference (more for us than them). We ran in the morning, sometimes lunchtime, or after all our school work was done. We ran in the cold, the rain, and the sun all through the e...

Tomorrow. May first. They turn ten years old. Ten years ago, my twin baby girls came into this world. God blessed us with so much when He gifted them to us. When I found out we were having twins, it was a big surprise. One is never really ready for a newborn, let alone two!! They have changed my life. Made me who I am today. Created me into the mother I didn't know I could be -- it is a scary, unknown role. But, every day, they make me a better person. Not perfect. But always reflecting and progressing. Lots of hugs ... and plenty of apologies. These two, though, bring us so much joy. They are similar, but yet so different. Sweet, stubborn, silly, kind, sassy, loving, funny, creative, special, determined, thoughtful, smart, beautiful inside and out. These girls are growing up before my eyes. In a blink. Ten years. A decade. Double digits. 10. I'm extra thankful for this time together now -- to savor every moment of every day. Before another ten ...

Walks I've always enjoyed my extra daily walks ever since adopting our Harley dog two years ago. Quiet, alone time to think and pray walks. Or listen to a podcast, a book, or music kind-of-walks. But THEN it was always a chore to check off the to-do list. Quick. Let's go. C'mon. I've got to get back and ... {fill in the blank with any number of chores.} But TODAY the three-times-a-day walks happen as a family. Our walks together provide us with opportunities to talk, notice, wonder, surprise, question, wait-and-watch in awe, share memories, make memories, and take more pictures. Each walk brings something new -- A group of little yellow birds A family of ducks with five newly hatched ducklings All the trees sprouting buds and flowers and little green leaves A big white bird diving into the pond for a fishy snack A bunch of spring flowers blossoming The sun and clouds or bright clear blue sky, depending on the day Walks get us outside, away from the ...

Slice of Life is  hosted  at the  Two Writing Teachers Join in and share a slice of your life.  _____________________________________________________ Summer is here. And I'm loving it. Even though I keep saying that being a full time mom and working through the to-do lists is more exhausting than going to school every day! In summer, there's ... More  slow mornings reading time baking yummy goodness dinner creations More  spontaneous moments hanging out with friends hiking, swimming, biking it's past bedtime nights More  'yes, let's do it' days summertime adventures special memories captured time to just ...

  Slice of Life is  hosted  at the  Two Writing Teachers Join in and share a slice of your life.  _____________________________________________________ The very afternoon my girls were out of school, they were already making plans. They disappeared into the playroom ... and an hour later they emerged. "Momma! Come and see what we did!" They called out. The girls transformed their playroom into a new space: a classroom for summer.  Using items "gifted" from their teachers and other handmade essentials, the girls created a learning space, including a daily schedule made of popsicle sticks and a magnetic pointer on a pipe clea...

  Slice of Life is  hosted  at the  Two Writing Teachers Join in and share a slice of your life.  _____________________________________________________ Who can resist picking  the round  ball of perfection? Waiting and willing anyone or anything to -- * b *           * l *                          * o *     * w * Amazing how it is so beautiful and delicate, yet carries the power of unwantedness Once the beauty i s carefully plucked and a quick, forceful  * b *           * l *             ...

  Slice of Life is  hosted  at the  Two Writing Teachers Join in and share a slice of your life.  _____________________________________________________ I knew I always wanted to be a mom.  Jon and I were married almost seven years before we were blessed with our twin daughters. I remember the day vividly when I found out I was officially pregnant with twins. It was a shock at first. I remember asking, "How does that happen?" The nurse just laughed. And, in what seems like a blink, the girls are eight. Eight. Eight!  I can't even believe it. They are growing up to be amazing little people. They are sweet and caring a...

Slice of Life is  hosted  at the  Two Writing Teachers Join in and share a slice of your life.  _____________________________________________________ Every night for years, my almost (in ONE week) eight year old daughters and I snuggle up in our big bed before bedtime and read. Some days, it's picture books from our library. Or new books from a Scholastic book order. Or even books the girls checked out from their school library. Or an old favorite we have read and read and read again.  The book selections and options are endless and always growing. Bedtime reading is one of my favorite moments of my day. Over the last year, ...

Slice of Life is  hosted  at the  Two Writing Teachers Join in and share a slice of your life.  _____________________________________________________ The girls love shoes. It's the shopping part of it that makes it difficult. When they were little, it was so easy to buy online. I found cute, reasonable, practical shoes. And I bought two pairs in a click. Now, shoe shopping with almost eight year old twin girls has it's challenges. And they have strong opinions that usually differ as well. We bring our patience and try to have fun ... They look for style.  "What about this one? It's cute." Wrinkled nose. Shake of the he...

__________________________________________________ The March Slice of Life Story Challenge hosted  at the  Two Writing Teachers . Join us for a month of writing! __________________________________________________ My almost eight year old girls are swimming in the seas of graphic novels. They started with the popular "classics" of Smile and Sisters . I read these books years ago, but cannot recall the details of the content. I wonder if it's appropriate for second graders, but I understand that some things will just go over their heads. I decided I better reread these books, but also thought about introducing them to another graphic novel series I thought they would enjoy: Babymouse. I brought home the first five books in the series and Peyton devoured three of them in two days. I agreed to bring home the rest of the ...

__________________________________________________ The March Slice of Life Story Challenge hosted  at the  Two Writing Teachers . Join us for a month of writing! __________________________________________________ Every morning ... "Good morning! Rise and shine! " I softly say as I flip on the light switch, turn off the globe that is used as a nightlight, and push the off button to quiet the sound of rain. I touch her leg to start the wake up process. Then I repeat all of this in another bedroom with my other daughter. I sit on her bed, usually chatting about the day ahead or about the weather, so she knows how to dress for the day. I may hear some groans. There is major stretching. One eye opens slowly. Then the other. Squinting at me in the bright light. Then I repeat all of this in the other bedroom with my othe...