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...

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...

Quiet time These days quiet times are few and far between. Quarantined. Together. Always. 24/7. Don't get me wrong. I love this gift of family. Being together. All. The. Time. But ... I'm also that type of person Who loves some alone time. In the past, my schedule allowed me Time alone in the car driving or walking the dog. Time to think. To wonder. To reflect. To pray. To just be. Without someone calling my name. Over and over. And over and over. Today I was gifted twenty minutes. Alone walking the dog. Harley doesn't repeatedly call my name. She just gives me the puppy dog eyes. What a gift. To celebrate my one little word. Peace. And quiet time.

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.  _____________________________________________________ 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.  _____________________________________________________ When I get a text that says: "I'm free for pie night! Check your calendar!" I know that it's been too long since we have gotten together. We used to all work together at the same building and saw each other every day, but over the last couple years, changes have occurred and we are in three different buildings. Yet, these are my people. My tribe. And pie brings us together. Two of my closest friends (and colleagues) and I meet up for pie night. Pie night sometimes includes dinner a...

Slice of Life is  hosted  at the  Two Writing Teachers Join in and share a slice of your life.  _____________________________________________________ I debated writing today. I debated about what to write about today. I did my usual pre-procrastination social media scroll. Twitter. Instagram. Pinterest. Ahhhh ... I linger as I scroll and smile. "Yes. Oh, I like that one. Favorite that! Agreed.  I needed to hear that." And, so, to continue on with my procrastination, I needed to share my love ... And, thus, a tweet that led to writing this slice. This last year I needed some positive reinforcements and to re-c...

The March Slice of Life Story Challenge hosted  at the  Two Writing Teachers Join us for a month of writing! _____________________________________________________ I'm struggling living my one little word lately. I shouldn't be. I mean, c'mon, there is so much to be happy about ... Even the song is playing right now as I write this little slice.  I need to find the sunshine in my days ... So, here's why I'm happy today ... ( clap along if you feel like happiness is the truth ) Happy  to be with my girls -- that will be SIX years old too soon -- growing and learning each day surprising me with what they know ... and say! Happy  to be writing again a little each day, reading as many slices as my ...

The March Slice of Life Story Challenge hosted  at the  Two Writing Teachers Join us for a month of writing! _________________________________________ "Mommy? Why do you go on your computer every morning?" P., my almost six year old, asked me after I flipped open my laptop and waited for the internet to connect as I was rushing her to put on her shoes.  She had noticed my change in routine the last couple days. I prefer to post my slice of writing in the morning before the girls are up for the day.  Since mornings are not easy at my house ,   I haven't been posting before they get up. So the last couple mornings I have tried to sneak in posting in the very last minutes before we leave the house to start our school day.  Not the usual part of our routine, hence her perfectly timed question. "Well, I'm p...

The March Slice of Life Story Challenge hosted  at the  Two Writing Teachers Join us for a month of writing! _________________________________________ The last seven weeks of Non-stop, super busy Craziness of a schedule For us as A family . All the regular routines of life  And then throw in buying a new home Preparing our current home to sell Living in our home in showing condition, But quickly accepting an offer. More paperwork and signatures. A detailed home inspection. A sigh of relief as we move ahead. Then the weekend finally arrived.   And the calendar was (almost) empty.  Girls hockey on Saturday morning.   After that the day was ours. There was nothing scheduled.  Nowhere to go and nowhere to be. And we did much of nothing.   Church on Sunday morning...

The Slice of Life is hosted  at the  Two Writing Teachers Join in and share a slice of your life.  _____________________________________________________ Last week, I wrote about a taste of living slow .  It was just a taste.  One bite really.  Since then life has been nothing but slow living, but rather a whirlwind of activity. The end of the school year is never a relaxing, easy going time. There is much to do.  Book talks and summer reading plans and cleaning and organize and completing paperwork and gift purchasing and whatever else comes my way ... maybe like book room planning ?!? Then throw in a family vacation planned for right after schoo...