The Sunday Salon - Not a Good March

I have never done end of the month wrap ups on my blog.  Yes, others do it, yes, I read them on others' blogs, yes, it's fun to see the stats, but I just don't do it.  I'm not sure why.  Maybe this past month is a good reason why I don't. 

March was not good to me as far as reading went.  For what it's worth, April hasn't taken off with a bang either, but my plan is to remedy that before the month gets away from me.  Anyway, back to March.  Did I even finish a book?  According to Goodreads, I did...Adventures in Nowhere, but it was at the very beginning of the month, so it's just a blur in my memory.  Did I do a lot of reading?  Not as much as I would have liked, but I started some books:  Alice in Zombieland, Hailey Twitch and the Great Teacher Switch, and The Wilder Life.  These are all good books, but they just didn't hold my attention.  I've been in a reading slump before, but enough already!  I want a book that will "catch" me.  So, last night I started reading Hourglass while I took a bath.  2 chapters in and so far so good...let's hope it lives up to all the blogger hype.  I really need to get through this one, for me, for my reading inspiration, for the love of blogging.

April is a busy work month for me, but I've got to learn to prioritize so that it doesn't consume me.  For those of you with children or who are in the education industry, you know that states give standardized tests.  The end of the month is the TAKS, Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills, test in Math and Reading for our 3rd and 4th graders.  They have been busily preparing, we have been anxiously stressing over practice test scores, etc.  Once it's over, I'll be able to breathe a whole lot easier and so will my teachers.

After that, it's adoption anticipation.  We went for our 2nd and final day of PRIDE training yesterday.  Now, we have CPR/first aid on Friday, our home study on the 13th, psychotropic meds on the 14th and then behavior management on the 23rd.  We've got almost all of our paperwork turned in, so after the 23rd, she can submit for our license and then we just wait on a phone call.  My oldest step-daughter is coming over today to help me clean out and redo the middle room for a nursery and my mom's coming to go get the material for all the nursery "stuff."  My grandmother and I will spend next Saturday sewing everything.  It will make for a long day, but in the end, it will be so worth it.  This is the material that we will be using.

 

It's gender neutral because we won't know if we'll be getting a boy or a girl until the phone call comes.  We don't have a preference one way or the other, just a healthy baby to love.  It's amazing to think that our life will change overnight and I'm trying to prepare for it in a month.  Pregnant women have 9 months to do all of that...hmmm...maybe I'm crazy!

The Sunday Salon - Family News

I'm late with my Salon post, but it's been a busy weekend and I really wanted to write about this, so I couldn't pre-write and schedule the post ahead of time. 

This is a book blog and I don't often share personal information with you, but there are times when I want you to get to know me better as a person, which I think is important in the blogging community.  So, I'm taking the opportunity to let you into my world a little bit today.

My husband and I embarked on an emotional journey yesterday.  We started the process of adoption.  Yesterday was our first training class.  We will go again next Saturday, then 2 weeknights and one more Saturday to fulfill the training requirements.  We will also be undergoing a home study along the way.  This decision has been a long time in the making.  You see, my husband has 2 children from a previous marriage and they have given us 5 beautiful grandchildren, but I've always wanted a child of my own.  Unfortunately, after many years of trying, lots of doctor visits and tears, we just aren't able to do so on our own.  Yes, we could go the in-vitro route, but it's expensive and not 100%.  We decided just to keep trying and if it happened, it happened.  Well, it hasn't, so here we are.

One of my teachers adopted a little boy last year, and she introduced me to Sans Pareil Center, who we are working with.  Sans Pareil does adoption with CPS as well as private adoptions.  Private is very costly, so we are going foster to adopt through CPS.  Our desire is to get an infant, foster until the CPS case is closed and then officially adopt him or her.  No, we don't have a gender preference.  We will be happy with whatever the Lord blesses us with.  We have been told that the process should go quickly, it will be emotional, sometimes stressful, but worth it in the end.  I will keep you posted.

One thing I do want to share with you is One Cause.  One Cause provides adoptive parents a way to raise funds for adoption related expenses in an easy way.  It allows people to earn contributions while shopping online.  Part of the money that is spent with everyday merchants is given back to the adopting family, from the National Adoption Foundation.  I'm sharing with you, the letter I sent to friends and family.

Dear Family and Friends,

We want to share our exciting news with you! We have decided to expand our family through adoption and are busily getting ready to welcome our new child!

For us, the difficult part of this process - other than the waiting - is the expense. As some of you may know, adoption expenses include agency fees, legal fees, document preparation costs, travel expenses and more. We have been saving some, but are still seeking ways to raise more funds for our wonderful venture.

We recently learned of a program through OneCause and the National Adoption Foundation that we think will help us make our adoption dream come true. OneCause is a nontraditional fundraising program that will help us earn the funds we need through everyday opportunities, such as shopping at hundreds of name-brand merchants online or in stores and catalogs, through purchasing gift certificates, by using the OneCause credit card, or through a variety of other easy programs.

We're really excited about this program and wanted to let you know that you can participate and help us build our family by becoming a member of OneCause. There's absolutely no cost or hassle to you - just do what you do every day and we will earn credit toward our adoption costs!

Here's How You Can Help

1. Become a registered member of OneCause. Simply go to www.onecause.com and register as a OneCause member. This only takes a minute and you'll be on your way to helping us out.

2. Once you have registered, find the "Dues Crediting" field at the bottom of the online registration screen. You will see a field called "Benefiting." Enter our registered email address and your contributions will automatically begin to benefit us.

Our registered email address is: shelcows@sbcglobal.net

3. Begin shopping at hundreds of OneCause merchants online, in stores, and through catalogs. You'll earn a merchant contribution on each purchase, a percentage of which will go toward our adoption credit. Remember to begin all of your online shopping at OneCause so we earn credit!

4. Consider signing up for and using the OneCause Visa card for all of your purchases. On every purchase you make with the card - no matter where you make it - the National Adoption Foundation earns a 1% contribution, part of which goes toward our adoption. To sign up, go to visa.onecause.com or call 1-800-297-1286 and use code 28B8. Once your card arrives, be sure to activate, register your card, and start shopping!

5. Ask us about other OneCause opportunities to help us earn adoption credit!

That's all there is to it!

Please call or email us with any questions you may have regarding our situation. We are always excited and happy to talk about this wonderful adventure. When our child arrives home to us, we will contact you with our happy news. Thank you so much for helping us bring our child home.

Thank you!

Willie and Shelly Burns

Register with OneCause and help us build our family! www.onecause.com

The Sunday Salon - Why I've Been MIA

I've been MIA pretty much all week this week and I apologize.  It's that time of year, and I didn't want this to happen, but I wasn't prepared.  That is a problem I'm going to remedy for the upcoming week.

This past week was a busy one for me personally, but not a very productive reading week.  Our 4th graders took the TAKS Writing test on Tuesday, so the first part of my week was spent focused on that.  I had to do all the prep work on Monday, test all day Tuesday, and then pack up and turn in tests on Wednesday.  It takes a lot of focus and the actual testing day tired me out; it's exhausting to prepare for a state test.  The students are glad it's behind us, and now we start to prepare for Math and Reading that will be given at the end of April.

The Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo started this past week as well.  If you've followed my blog for awhile, you know that I volunteer for this 3 week long event.  My work days are scattered throughout the show and during the week are at night, so I'm up late and don't get much sleep on these nights.  I enjoy it though.  It's so fun to see all the people coming off the buses to enjoy the show and then hear about their experiences as they load the bus to go back home.  I'm on a committee called Rodeo Express, and we are in charge of the buses that take patrons back and forth from specific park and rides to the stadium.  This is my 11th year and I'm so glad to be a part of this yearly event in Houston.  It does take a lot of my time though, so there goes my evening reading.

Oh well, the Read-A-Thon is coming up, so I will be able to catch up then.  Have you signed up yet?  You really should.  The Read-A-Thon is so much fun whether you participate as a reader or a cheerleader.  I'm anxiously awaiting this event so that I can catch up on my reading.  Won't you join us?  There are already 102 readers signed up.

So, what did I read this week?  It's sad to say that I am still working on Adventures in Nowhere.  I've been 2 weeks on this one, and I should have been finished by now.  It seems like when I finish a really good book, I have a hard time completing my next one.  It's very frustrating!  Exposed is what I read before this; you can read my review here.  My goal is to finish it this week so that I can start on the mounting TBR pile that is developing.  I'm hoping this week is better than last.

The Sunday Salon - Valentine's Day

Yes, tomorrow is Valentine's Day.  Whether you enjoy this day or not, you can not ignore it, because there are signs of this upcoming day everywhere you look, in the stores and on the television.  In fact, as I'm typing this, they are doing a piece on Good Morning America about which chocolate people like better, Hershey's or Godiva? 

I have always enjoyed Valentine's Day, because my mom made it a special day for us.  We always got chocolate truffles, cupcakes, heart shaped cookies, or some other chocolaty treat my mom had made.  My dad used to give us board games or other things to keep us occupied.  While I don't have kids, yet, this day has continued to be full of wonder for me since I work in a school and little ones are so excited to exchange valentines with their friends and teacher.  To me, not only is it about love, but it's about friendship as well, which is a different kind of love.  Try explaining that to little ones who think love is only the mushy gushy, kissy kind of love.  It can be funny at times.

When I was in the classroom, I always read lots of Valentine's Day books to my kids, for the entire week leading up to Valentine's Day.  Then, unbeknownst to them, I would ask the parents to write a love note to their child, and send it to me before Valentine's Day.  Before our class party, I would read Love You Forever to the class.  The children love the repetitive text and seeing the mom care for the little boy and then the roles reverse.  The book itself makes me cry, but afterward, I would read aloud each letter from the parents.  The kids loved hearing those special words from their mom or dad, and the rest of the class cheered for whomever's letter was being read.  Some of the letters were long and some just a simple, "Happy Valentine's Day; I love you!"  It was truly a special time.  I don't have a class to do this with anymore, but I will be writing my own letter this year, to my husband.  I prefer to do simple, from the heart things for him on this day rather than buy a big gift.  So, today I will be writing my letter so that he has it when he wakes up tomorrow.  Who could you send a love note to?

If you're looking for books to give kids for Valentine's Day, I recently read a couple that I think would be great!

Thumb Love by Elise Primavera
Lulu was a thumb sucker. She and her thumb were very happy together—in sickness and in health, in good times and in bad, Lulu and her thumb were best friends.

Despite the urging of her family and the teasing of her friends, Lulu just would not give up her thumb-sucking habit. That is, until one day . . . when Lulu made up her mind to stop. And to help herself and thumb suckers all over the world, Lulu developed a program—one with steps. Twelve steps, to be exact. Join Lulu in her quest to kick the habit as she goes through the steps in this funny and insightful picture book.
 

This is such a cute book!  Lulu is makes up her own twelve step program, which is very unexpected, from a little one.  The illustrations add so much to this picture book.  They are bright and full of detail.  I gifted this one to one of my teacher's children, who is in kindergarten and still sucks her thumb.  She loves Lulu!  Mom said that the first night they read it, she sucked her thumb all the way through and even had to get her blanket while they read, just like Lulu! 

Ruby Valentine Saves the Day by Laurie B. Friedman

It's Valentine's Day and Ruby won't let anything spoil the celebration! In this follow-up to the popular Love, Ruby Valentine, Ruby's favorite day of the year rolls around again, and she and Lovebird work feverishly to plan the perfect party for everyone in Heartland. But when Valentine's Day arrives, an unexpected snowstorm threatens to ruin all of Ruby's plans. Will Ruby find a way to save the day, or will everyone in Heartland have to wait until next year to celebrate Another heartwarming tale of a girl who discovers the true meaning of Valentine's Day. 

The cover just looks like Valentine's with all the hearts everywhere!  Ruby loves Valentine's Day and wants to share it with her friends, but a snowstorm tries to ruin that.  So, Ruby decides to take the party to them, but all of her decorations get scattered in the snow.  She thinks Valentine's Day is ruined, but her friends help her to see that it is not about the presents, cards and cake, but about being together.  The rhyming text and fun illustrations make this book a fun one for young and old. 

So, what are your thoughts on Valentine's Day?  Is it a day you enjoy, look forward to, or just dread all together?  Do you give gifts to your loved ones?  If so, are they store bought, handmade, or some of both?  I'd love to hear your thoughts! 

The Sunday Salon - Week in Review

It's time for the week in review, better known as The Sunday Salon.  I enjoy this weekly feature because it allows me to wrap up the past week, what I read, what I blogged, what I enjoyed etc. and see the same from other bloggers.  Often times when I read a Salon post, I'm led to blog posts that I may have missed during the week.

This has been a COLD week here in south Texas.  All over the US even, folks are covered in snow and ice.  We had our share and even had to close schools and businesses here on Friday.  It made for a great reading day for me! I shared a picture of some of the ice yesterday in my Snapshot Saturday.

I did get 2 books read this week; Sing You Home & Wrecker.  That doesn't sound like much, I know, but when you work full time, come home to feed horses, squeezing in reading can sometimes prove to be difficult.  I'm very pleased with my reading this week and will be reviewing these titles here on the blog real soon.  After reading about The Radleys on a number of blogs, that is my next read; I started it last night and am enjoying it so far.

Elizabeth Harper stopped by the blog this week for Because of A Book, to share about a children's book that impacted her, The Boy Who Saw True.  Possum Summer was my "Waiting On" Wednesday pick this week, and I reviewed A True Princess as part of a blog tour.

But today, today is the day I've been waiting for!  It's The Big Game's On! Read-a-Thon! hosted by Jenn's Bookshelves.  If you'd like to join in, check out Jenn's initial post about it.  My plan for the day, is to start as soon as possible, even though the actual kick-off of the Super Bowl isn't for a while.  I have lots of housekeeping to do today, but in between loads of clothes, my plan is to get through this stack of children's books I have so that I can get some reviews scheduled.  I have about 20 children's books that I need to get through and to get all of those read and notes made for reviews will be an accomplishment for the day.   We went to the store last  night and I got some Tostitos Scoops to enjoy with my hot sauce while I read.  I've also got homemade banana bread when I need something sweet.  I'll be drinking plenty of water, but I do have some diet Dr. Pepper for when I need a caffeine fix.  My husband made some wonderful chicken soup last night, so if I'm really hungry, I can fix a bowl.  I plan to have a very successful day and hope that you will join us by either reading or cheering on the readers.  If you are on twitter, you can follow us with the #superbowlreadathon! hashtag.  Happy Reading!!

The Sunday Salon - My First

This is my first The Sunday Salon post, ever.  Since starting my blog, I have read many other bloggers' Salons, but I've never participated.  Most of the bloggers with whom I first connected participate, but for whatever reason, I thought it was for a "specific group."  Well, it is a group, but specific it is not.  Anyone can participate, so here goes!

If you're like me, and you're wondering what this Salon is all about, you can check it out on Facebook.  There is an open group for The Sunday Salon.  Here are the details of the meme, from the site:

The Salon is open to anyone who'd like to discuss books of a Sunday (or, frankly, any other day of the week). We've actually been around for some years -- see http://dhamel.typepad.com/sundaysalon/ -- but managing the group via that site became a problem because of its size and we had to limit membership to a little over 500 members. I'm now throwing the doors open to anyone who'd like to participate. Discuss what you're reading here, or link to relevant blog posts, or comment on one another's posts. Enjoy.

My week in books:  hmmm....well, I didn't finish a single title this week, thanks to a crazy work week.  I did start 2 new books this week though.  It's been a while since I've had more than one book going at a time.  Here's what I'm reading:  Little Princes, which has been all over the blogosphere, and Enclave - book #1 in the Razorland series.  Enclave, though marketed as Teen Fiction, is dystopian, which for some reason, seems to be a lot of what I'm reading lately.  Not exactly my genre of choice, but it is what is out there, in YA right now, and I am drawn to it.  Right now though, they are beginning to get predicatable; the people in the "world" seem to be kept down and the "other" world or the world that used to be is kept secret from them, for some reason.  Each book I've read have had different "worlds" but they have many similarities.

I completed the Comment Challenge this week, hosted by Lee Wind and MotherReader.  It was a great 21 days for me, even though I didn't reach 100 comments.  I love the premise behind this challenge - create a habit, share the blogging love, meet new bloggers, and get comments on your blog.  There are so many benefits from participating.  I hope you will join us next year!

Since this is basically the end of the month, I should talk about how I'm doing with my New Year, Renew Blog.  I didn't make personal New Year's Resolutions, but I did make blogging goals for the year.  I know, it's only been a month, but they say habits are created in 21 days, and I'm thinking "so far-so good!"  I have been blogging more consistently, commenting more, cleaning out my reader at least every other day and re-connecting with my blogging community.  I feel wonderful about renewing my blog.  It is fun for me again and that, to me is what it's all about.  Blogging is not my job, I don't stay at home during the day, so I don't have a lot of time, but I'm learning to maximize my online time, schedule posts, and just enjoy this hobby I have.

Like I said, I had a very busy work week, so my week wasn't as bookish as I'd have liked it to be, but some weeks are like that.  The only full days I spent at school were Monday and Friday.  Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday afternoons were spent at different trainings.  We are at the beginning of the testing season here in Texas, and with that brings the busyness of the school year.  I am not going to let it get me down or keep me from continuing with my blogging.  It is time that I prioritize my life, and that is just what I plan to do!

How was your reading week?