Childhood Book

Daily writing prompt
Do you remember your favorite book from childhood?
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“Mommy when are you gonna take me to the library?”

“I hope they have the next book in the series checked in!!”

I used to beg my mom to take me to the library. It was one of the places that I most loved to go. The door to the library was a heavy door, difficult to open. Once opened, the smell of old wood hit you as the children’s library was in a old house of some sort or old barn converted to a library. The floors creaked as you walked around on the red carpet. The card catalog was at the front by the door and the check out / return desk was to the right of that. Saturday’s was library day. Each week I sped read my way through a book, usually done before Saturday. When Saturday finally rolled around, I couldn’t wait to get my next book in the series. I did not have look through the drawers of the card catalog or ask where I could find the books, as I already knew where my books were housed. They were in the back left corner of the library, bottom shelf, next to a window. Each visit, I frantically searched for the next book in the Laura Ingalls Wilder, Little House on the Prairie series.

Got it!

I Say No to Religon but

Daily writing prompt
Do you practice religion?
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I say yes to God. My relationship with God, as with all, is unique. My beliefs include in being the best version of yourself and doing good for others when possible. I believe in kindness, oneness and respect. Although I see how religon can be a source of comfort, belongingness and maybe unity in life (questionable), I also see how religion is a source of division, exclusion, and force of hate stemming from a system of beliefs that are supposed to create belonging, unity, and comfort.

What a dilemma.

It Ain’t All Bad

Daily writing prompt
Do you remember life before the internet?
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As I scrolled through some posts and liked a few, I noticed a lot of posts talked of the “good ol’ days” as if everything about the internet were terrible. Although life before the internet was good, life after the internet isn’t so bad either. Yes, the “good ol days” were about playing outside, talking on a phone rather than texting, and reading paper books and magazines rather than scrolling on a screen yet, I find life with internet wonderful too. The internet is mostly likely why my husband and I are married today. Before the internet, we put pen to paper to keep in touch, miles and borders between us. The letter were slow to arrive and the information already slightly dated. As time passed, we lost touch, can’t say why. But then, the internet came out, I got an email and there was excitement again, similar to the time of getting letters. Now, hearing the dial up or the ping of the ICQ messenger service letting my know my love was online and chatting with me this is the new excitement and similar to the written letters but better. Today there is daily texting, less wait ,and more frequency. Wow! Sure, before the internet, life may have been better, but I am sure if you look closely, you can see life after the internet is just as good, just different than before.

Short and Sweet

I have not written in a long while. Getting back into it today.

Today’s post is about motivation. My smart watch just sent me a message, ” You can still do it!” I looked at my watch as I woke up from my long unintended afternoon nap and thought, “Self, no you can’t!” I guess I am tired and I am in no state to be active. Although these messages are meant to motivate me to get up and exercise, today is clearly not one them. As I lay in bed, I ponder the idea, does this “You can still do it” message ever really work on me? Have I ever gotten the automatic message and said to myself, “Self, yes you can!” “Let’s go and exercise!” I don’t think so, nice try I guess. The question I am left with is, does this message really work for anyone?! If it does, please drop me a note and share a moment.

Actually, the message did motivate me or at least it sparked creatvitiy within me. It gave me something to blog about.

Until next time,

Relaxed and chilled.

An Ideal Day

Describe your most ideal day from begining to end.

Coffee.

Second cup of coffee.

Seated in my reading chair with the bay windows ajar, summer, spring, early fall only.

Slight breeze.

First cup, scrolling through social media.

Second cup, book in hand

Third cup, a skip through morning shows, stop only if mildly entertaining.

Time to get ready for what may come, if anything.

Move to cream colored sofa.

Watch Law & Order SVU marathon or The Closer

Lunch. Homemade. No processed food please.

A bit of reading or writing perhaps.

Looking, searching, internet.

More TV

What shall I eat for dinner?

Move back to reading chair in front of bay window. Feet up on ottaman.

Dinner, pan seared chicken breast with sliced avocado and boiled sweet potatoes.

Family talk via phone.

Change. Ready for bed.

Cream colored sofa.

More TV, a movie perhaps, binge a show, or maybe read again.

Goodnight.

Almond Pancakes, Stop with the box!

It is of no shock that processed foods are not good for you, and the article published today by CNN only reconfirms this information. So, I am sharing a super easy recipe for almond flour pancakes which I make quite often. They are simple to make and I am pretty sure your family members will end up perfering these almond pancakes to the boxed kind.

I am also sharing this recipe because I know there are healthy pancake recipes out there that require bananas, like the one I published in an earlier post, and I know there are plenty of banana haters out there.

This recipe is dedicated to those who hate bananas, like my son.

Ingredients

  • 1 ⅓ cup of blanched almond flour
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • ¼ cup almond milk
  • 1 tbs of honey
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • Dash of salt
  • Avocado spray/oil for pan

Mix all ingredients is a medium bowl.  If you see that the batter is too dry, add a little more almond milk until proper consistency.  

Serving for 2.  Makes 4 nice size pancakes.  

Yellow Card Method

Getting students to be their best at all times is a challenge.  We create and establish classroom norms, but as we know, self control is something that is still in development and students need help with self regulation.  

A large majority of my students, in my area of teaching, either play futbol, aka soccer, or they are Champions League fanatics.  There is always talk about which team is best, Real Madrid, Barcelona or  Manchester United. One day it occurred to me to capitalize on this futbol fanaticism.  

I have no fancy name for this discipline technique, I simply call it the  “Yellow” card method.  

When a student is not behaving at their best they get a yellow card.  This yellow card is actually a second warning.  The first warning is simply a verbal warning and a reminder of behavior expectations, perhaps a seat change if necessary.   After a warning and the yellow card, if the student still continues to struggle with self regulation  then comes the dreaded “red” card.   Once a red card is given, that means a note home is sent and a discipline slip is given.    

I used yellow and red construction paper.  I cut them up into card size and plastified them. 

 This is a simple but effective technique. 

Drop a note if you try or a variation of it.

Learn Something New

I tell my students that you never stop learning. Learning continues through college and well into adulthood. I give them examples from my own experience in the field of teaching, always learning something to stay current and up to date on teaching trends. Eyerolls are what I get as a response from my middle schoolers. Go figure.

Recently, the English department asked the social studies to team up with them for a cross curricular unit for World Read Aloud Day, February 1st. The book chosen was Brother’s Keeper by Julie Lee. The book is set during the Korean War, when the North invad the South. When I heard it was set during the Korean War, my immediate thought was I did not recall learning about the Korean War or if I had, I remember nothing of it. I immediately searched online to get the gist of information on the war and started reading. As stated in a previous post, I loved Brother’s Keeper.

The discovery of another genre to add to my reading genres is a recent learning. I am a non fiction reader and tend to shun fiction writing. My immediate reaction to hearing that this book was historical fiction was “Oh I am going to have force myself to read this one.” Obviously I was focused in the fiction part. But, to my surprise my feeling quickly changed when the historical aspect was introduced in the book.

Learning about the Korean War is my most valuable new learning. I compare this war to the middle child, the forgotten one, as it is a war that has not had enough attention brought to it within schooling systems. The Korean War or The Forgotten War is of significance, and I highly recommend reading Brother’s Keeper not just because of the story but more improtantly for the learning or the re-learning of Korean War. It was a significant event in history and the effects can still be seen today but rarely is it spoken of.