tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-46644502436932860682024-03-19T04:05:13.817-04:00Be Your Own LadyA body positive space that celebrates every woman. I fight for autonomy, for consent, for reproductive rights, for a celebration of all body types, for an amplification of marginalized voices, for EDUCATION. I am constantly messing up and constantly learning.ashliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14355427026784107874noreply@blogger.comBlogger216125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4664450243693286068.post-56212791496214521622019-08-31T12:09:00.001-04:002019-08-31T12:09:19.942-04:00Summer 2019 <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We've been back in school for four days, and nothing is like I thought it would be. For the first year in FOREVER, I was not excited to start again- I'm usually chomping at the bit. The boys weren't necessarily ready to celebrate just for the sake of newness, like in the past. They're starting to have their own personalities, and no level of enthusiasm from me can change their opinions. But we made through the first week! We did packed lunches and dinners at the table and homework time, all things I really REALLY wanted to be a part of our school year routines. We held off on takeout until Friday, which is a weird milestone that helps me know I'm staying organized. I battled a head cold and still kept my shit together (kinda) and this is how I know the year is off to a good start.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Before I get too far into celebrating a single well-run week, I want to take a quick peek back at the summer we're leaving behind. It truly was the most successful summer I've lived in a long time. It was a combination of purpose, rest, ENORMOUS amounts of time for myself, and a few sweet trips that went really well. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">First off, I worked this summer. We had a very long break, due to very few snow days, and so my 5-week summer school job technically only took up half the summer. There were three weeks before and two weeks after to go on trips, see friends, and do our normal summery activities. The five weeks in the middle, I taught a summer school class Monday through Thursday, from 8:00 to 12:30. You read that right. Where were my kids during this time? At a summer camp (on the same site as my job!) that they attended Monday through Friday from 8:30-4:30/5. DO THE MATH, LOVELIES! I had hours and hours of unscheduled time to fill as I pleased, and it was MAGICAL. I felt stimulated by my short work day and pampered by my free time. My kids swam, went on field trips, and spent lots of time with friends. This set up was PERFECTION.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What did I do with my time? Some long held-off chores, like getting my engagement ring fixed and resized (it had to be cut off after some postpartum swelling right after I had Milo), some lunches with friends, some (very few) trips to the gym, and lots of hours in front of an air conditioner, playing Stardew Valley. I got back into the habit of posting articles to Book Riot. Every Monday, one of the boys had therapy in the early afternoon, and the alternating set up gave me one-on-one time with my sons throughout the whole summer. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I fell deeply into a nighttime routine that I've kept even in the new school year. Set out clothes for tomorrow, take a shower, do some skincare, get cozy with candles, and read a few chapters of a book. I've been working my way through the giant three-volume compendium of Anne of Green Gables titles that I've had since I was a child, and it is truly the best way to calm down before bed. My nighttime routine has always been a mess, and if I took my makeup off I considered it a win. This new routine is super calming and feels great, especially when I follow it up with a few ASMR videos. That was another touchstone of my summer- ASMR. I've even started listening when I'm working at my desk (there's an amazing video playing as I type this) or getting ready for the day. Every other person in my house is completely freaked out by ASMR so I'm alone in heaven, but it's okay. I appreciate it enough for all of us. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I didn't do a lot of reading this summer, which disappointed me at first, until I reminded myself that I've been writing more and using my planner more consistently. It's almost a journal at this point, with more notes about what actually happened than upcoming appointments recorded. I did read an excellent YA book with a fat heroine (<i>If It Makes You Happy), </i>a few graphic novels, and a few books about ADHD. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We had a family vacation to Pennsylvania- we went hiking, explored some underground caves, when to the Central Lancaster Farmer's Market, and spent a day at Sesame Place. Ben and I spent three days in Portland, Maine on the first grown up vacation we've had since we had kids. Both trips were GOOD, and brought us closer in different ways. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It was actually on a day trip to Wingaersheek Beach that I had a thunderclap realization- we're clicking in to this season of life. It's easier to anticipate what my kids will need- on a day at the beach, during the school year, for a solid dinner. I'm starting my third year as a Media Specialist, and I'm less surprised by the different events that happen and more organized around what I need to accomplish. It's not perfect, and I have to be ready for constant flux, but it's slightly easier, and slightly better, than it was this time last year. It's just going to keep getting better (and weirder) as we go along.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Before the summer slipped away, I just wanted to write down how things went. Focusing on the positives helps me realize what I want to bring into the school year. There will be less white space in my schedule for sure, but I hope I can remember how much pleasure downtime gave me. One on one time with my kids is vital, and solid routines can give me so much peace. I know this year is going to be great because I used this summer to truly recharge. </span></div>
ashliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14355427026784107874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4664450243693286068.post-91172662631817364902019-04-27T07:30:00.003-04:002019-04-27T07:30:29.458-04:00You're reading my diary <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://longreads.com/2019/04/04/how-does-a-person-lose-track-of-their-diary/?mc_cid=e84a07db92&mc_eid=ca3a2fa46b" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">How Does A Person Lose Track of Their Diary?</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This story about diaries is breathtaking. It's illustrated and lovely. It caught me unaware this morning, during an internet browsing session I had to talk myself into. I've been sleeping a lot this week (10 hours a night) and I thought another foggy, rainy morning in bed might be just right. But I dragged myself up and made coffee and hoped that a little aimless clicking might motivate me to finish my work for this course I'm taking. And then I found this. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">"<i>But you're still cognizant that someone might pick the lock and read the pages, and it still matters so much that a stranger likes you. So your diary is never all the way true.</i>"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I kept diaries in high school, and recently restarted one when I first became a contributing writer for Book Riot. It was such a weird time in my life, when I was finally getting this chance I had really dreamed of, and I found myself feeling deeply stupid and inadequate. The people I worked with were really, really smart about books (duh, because it was their job) and I desperately wanted them to like me, or be impressed by me (? Ashlie.) and I spent a lot of time poring over our back-channel communication in the editorial Slack account, grasping for times where I might reach out and make a connection, then terrified that I had said the wrong thing in the wrong way. At that time, Book Riot was instrumental in teaching me the way that books and politics intersect, the way that reading can be an act of activism, and the role I had as a teacher and a writer who recommends books. My mind was crammed with information, and for awhile, I worried much more about how I looked and was received during this education than actually getting it right. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So I bought a diary.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I wanted a place where I could admit that I felt less-than. I am a big oversharer on the internet, but I couldn't even blog about feeling like I didn't have the intelligence I needed- intelligence and literal book-smarts where such a big part of the identity I crafted for myself. The diary was a DUMPING GROUND. I beat myself up for fighting with my husband, mispronouncing Yuyi Morales' name (and calling her 'him') to a publishing rep at a book conference, loving love triangles (the trope that every Classy book industry person I saw was rolling their eyes over), and in general being too green, too awkward, and too unimportant. Looking back, this is also where I wailed when my son's preschool teacher hated him (she did) and when we discovered he might need an IEP for educational support (he did). It was different than my usual online "Parenting is hard and my kitchen floor is messy" stream-of-consciousness. It wasn't a general, feel good, we're-all-in-this-together conclusion. I don't know if it's a coincidence that this was around the time my doctor prescribed me antidepressants and anti-anxiety meds. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">There's not a big lesson-learned ending here, unless you count the fact that I can't find the diary now? I think I started it in 2016. I do a lot of reflection in my passion planner. I do less general sharing on the internet, not at all on purpose, but I feel like I have less time. And most of the things I decide to pour myself into are more about my outreach than my image. That is one of the most beautiful things about getting older. Of course I still care about how I look, but it's much easier to accept that not everyone is going to like me or be interested in my take. Working in a position that serves an entire school instead of a set number of kids/fellow teachers has taught me that universal acceptance is impossible. Learning that the people who run even a super-thoughtful, super-intelligent website are still humans who mess up and, most importantly, have different opinions than my own has let me be more confident in my own intelligence and comfortable with knowing what I don't know. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I might need a diary again one day. Writing is still the best way to sort thoughts and figure out how I feel. Sometimes things are too close or too much a part of someone else's life for me to type until it makes sense, then hit publish and hope it helps someone else. But I'm glad I'm at a point in my life where I'm more comfortable admitting my stories of humiliation, my messes that can't be swiped with a sponge. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Thanks for reading my diary.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">Image credit: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/maria.j.luque/" target="_blank">Maria Luque </a></span></div>
ashliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14355427026784107874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4664450243693286068.post-16014672567392628352019-03-29T06:06:00.004-04:002019-03-30T06:28:49.828-04:00Entering The Middle <div style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I came here because I miss writing. I write. It's one of the only things that I've always done. My mom came to visit recently and brought a bunch of things I wrote when I was in elementary school. There was a strong program at the school I went to from grades 2-5, and I didn't realize my mom had saved these books. They're cringe-y and sweet and sometimes- kind of good? I've always liked words. I've always been proud of how I can string them together.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">It's time that I accept that I am in a different part of my life right now. For several years, I was absolutely obsessed with fiction writing. It was the biggest part of every day for me. I've spent the last two years, since I became a school media specialist and started library school, waiting until the next thing calmed down so I could pick fiction writing back up. Missing the process itself isn't even as exhausting as constantly feeling a like a failure for not getting it done. And yet the idea of shelving it is still pretty scary. I have a singular focus at most times (<i>there is a lot to say here about things I'm realizing as I'm in the process of learning about ADHD through the diagnosis of one of my sons</i>) and when something is in front of me, it's important to me. When it's put somewhere else, it can permanently disappear. I don't want my stories to disappear. But I can't keep tearing myself apart trying to do something that doesn't fit in right now. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">My undercut is growing out. For the first time since I shaved part of my head in November 2017, I'm really not feeling my look. And there is absolutely nothing I can do. I have half a head of past-pixie length hair, and half a head of hair that falls to my shoulder blades, and until I'm in a place where I can sacrifice my messy bun, that's just how it's going to be. An awkward in-between time. The end goal- having hair that's one length, a fresh canvas to play around with- is visible but still a good distance away. I've always been impulsive and bad at long term planning, but I'm holding on. Sitting in my awkwardness, because I know something better is coming. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">All my sisters are having babies. Five new babies to our family in a single year. That's a hell of a lot of beginnings. I'm watching the fumbling, the figuring out new routines, the rewiring of entire families, and I have so much admiration. It's such exhausting work to start completely over, to remake something that was already made to make room for new things that are not temporary. New normals. I don't miss the beginning. And yet I'm a little bit envious, because I am in a middle. An awkward, ever-shifting middle. I had gotten really good at the beginning, and then we moved out of it, and now I feel clumsy and unskilled again. Figuring out which things about my children are permanent, and not byproducts of flying through growth stages. Starting a new career (yes, a dream career) and realizing how it's less of shift and more of a COMPLETELY NEW THING that requires a completely new skill set. Realizing that life is never going to slow down, and making time for exercise, my husband, and my friends is non-negotiable.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Very often, I want to get in bed and sleep and sleep and sleep. This is not a reference to physical tiredness. I can't tell if it's a depressive episode, laziness, or overwhelm, but it's not the world's healthiest coping strategy. But at least in this middle, I can see it for the slightly troubling thing that it is, and wonder, "What's missing?" Schedule a date with my husband. Force myself to start a book that I know will suck me in. Let myself free-associate in a blog post, because nothing soothes my depression like the sound of my own voice. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Here is what I'm leaving in the beginning:<b> the excuse "I have TWO KIDS"</b> (this was something I said with panic/wonder/annoyed overwhelm the first three years that it was true), <b>working on autopilot </b>(acceptable when you've had the same career for a decade and your skills are fire- not when you're new new new and you've got a lot to learn), <b>bonding with my husband only over our kids</b> (this one is EASY to fall into), <b>defining myself singularly</b> (I CONTAIN MULTITUDES), <b>taking friends for granted</b> (oh my friends I love and need you and you're worth the work to connect).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Here is what is coming with me: <b>recognition that I can be toxic and messy and need to keep working on myself</b> (the pinnacle has not been reached), <b>enduring gratefulness to have a school library position</b> (a dream I didn't even know was a dream until a few years ago and I reached it SO FAST!), <b>the work of letting go of needing to be liked</b> (you don't have to like me), <b>my three degrees </b>(I can celebrate that! Three degrees! THAT IS BADASS), <b>my mulletish undercut</b> (grow, baby, grow), <b>a newfound appreciation for identifying and nurturing mentor relationships, a closer connection to my mother and sisters, my planner habit, a fledgling bullshit detector, an understanding of when to stay quiet...</b>I'm realizing that I could go on. I've got some tools.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Here's hoping I keep carving out time to write down my thoughts. Here we go, Middle.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">(<i>I'm struggling to find an image credit for this gorgeous picture- if anyone has any leads, let me know!)</i></span></div>
ashliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14355427026784107874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4664450243693286068.post-48057239490166219972018-12-30T08:09:00.003-05:002018-12-30T08:10:39.380-05:00It's the end of 2018 as we know it, and I feel fine.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I'm not super in the mood to reflect. I wrote a whole post about our year, my family, what we've been through and where I hope we go, and none of it really meant anything to me. It felt like what Shonda Rhimes calls "athlete talk." The stuff basketball players have to say before they're allowed to go back to the locker room. "We moved the ball and they put up a fight, it came down to them outplaying us." Just words devoid of substance.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I am in the mood to start fresh. There has been an interesting backlash against resolutions, especially in the blogging/podcast world. I love how all these women are pretending like they invented the word of the year, or that they've *always* hated January 1st goal setting, when I used to eagerly read every single one of their carefully listed resolutions they posted with filtered pictures of sunrises and coffee cups and silhouetted families. I love that shit! Now everyone's like "I've never ever been a fan of setting myself up against undue pressure. I'm more into WORDS, you know? I've just started doing this and changes everything. I'm DONE with dieting but I'm totally ready to eat clean this year." I stand in the kitchen shaking my head. It's actually one of the reasons I'm really grateful for the #pashfam community (the only hashtag I follow on insta)- goal setting is not vilified and lots of people are posting different spreads to track their small habits and larger plans.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">All that to say, my biggest lesson learned this year is that absolutely nothing is true for everyone. Not a thing. Not a way of pursing health, not a way of setting goals, not a way of preparing meals, not a way of raising children. It's hard for me because I have spent probably 15 years of my life in pursuit of the perfect template. And I'm starting to figure out that it'll never work like that. You might find a person to look up to or a life philosophy to follow and it'll fit for a time but not forever. Eventually one of your personal needs or values will press up against the general idea you were adopting and the dissonance can cause real panic, if you thought you found the way things were going to be from then on out. You have to make your own template. It's corny and it makes me sigh.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I'm not in the mood for athlete talk, but I do want to play through this exercise of answering some year end questions, in case it sparks something for me to help me understand how I want to move forward. I'm getting together with some friends today to think about 2019, set some intentions, burn some stuff we want to let go of. I'm hoping my own template will start to emerge from this interesting work.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">1. What are the three most important things you learned this year?</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">My kids need me more than I thought they did.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I cannot be home for an entire summer and stay healthy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I have to figure out my own template.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">2. What are some things you accomplished that you're proud of?</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Ended first year as a Media Specialist.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Helped Ben get through his tumor scare.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Changed the look and feel of the entire front of the house (with Ben) into a living space I enjoy.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">3. What did you do this year that you'll remember for the rest of your life?</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Ben and I working through everything with his health in the fall will stick with me forever. The raw fear and the way that everything felt frozen, and then the strange, slow-to-come relief when things were okay. Making the appointments and talking to the doctors and planning every second of our lives to pretend to have control. It ending as fast as it started. It changed me.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">4. What was your most memorable day and why?</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Honestly, the day of the surgery will be memorable, and the way that people rallied around us with shocking, breath-taking love and support. But I want to focus on some other positive memorable days this year- our trip to North Conway and spending the day hiking was amazing, or playing hours and hours of Werewolf with my family at my aunt's house over Christmas. </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">5. What would you have done differently? Why?</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I would have worked this summer. There is no way I could have known that I would feel the way I felt this summer, no way I could have seen that the total lack of routine would make me fall apart. I haven't worked during the summer since the boys were born, but when they were smaller, they took a lot more energy and we had to follow a routine- meet up with friends or go on adventures in the morning, excellent napping skills from 1ish to 4-5 in the afternoon, then dinner/baths/books/bed. There was time for me, time for socializing, and even a few chores worked in. Ever since we've moved into this house (this was our second full summer here), the boys haven't napped, and now that they're much closer to self-sufficient, it's way easier for me to spend a day doing nothing, and not in a good way. Short vacations are perfect for laziness- two full months of the year should not be spent that way. This summer will look different. </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">6. How are you different this year than last?</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As a person, I'm more stable. I am able to look at myself and see positive or negative patterns. I understand my reactions more than before. I haven't implemented every single piece of knowledge I have, but I have learned a lot about myself. I'm also closer to understanding my family. This has been a time of transition for us- new house, new life stages, new jobs, new goals. Everything I knew about being a mom is changing. I laugh at newborn-mom Ashlie who was quite certain that as soon as her kids could entertain themselves and eat without choking, this whole gig would get much easier. It never gets easier. But it's kind of comforting to grow into what you don't know. </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">7. What do you look forward to accomplishing in 2019?</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A better relationship with the family that lives in my house, based on our newest needs </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Secretary time (more to come on that one)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Physical thriving</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Better money sense (less Target bans, more long term plans)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I'm just going to link to the <a href="https://passionplanner.com/dated/" target="_blank">Passion Planner site</a> because honestly, get one, they're wonderful, the Instagram community is wonderful, and planning has become a treasured hobby of mine. If you want to use my email address (ashlieelizabeth@gmail.com) as a referral name, cool, but more importantly, check these out and see if they might get you closer to your goals! I'm not affiliated, just deeply in love.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I'm also going to link to my <a href="http://www.beyourownlady.com/2018/05/2018-intentions.html" target="_blank">intentions for 2018</a>, which I finally got around to posting IN MAY, if that gives you an idea of the kind of year it was.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.shutterbean.com/" target="_blank">Tracy Shutterbean </a>is a blogger I've been following for years, and she lives the intentions life way outside of January. Her <a href="http://www.shutterbean.com/2018/intentions-for-the-week-83/" target="_blank">weekly intention lists</a> are completely different from mine but they inspire me every time. Definitely a worthy follow (her Instagram <a href="https://www.instagram.com/shutterbean/" target="_blank">@shutterbean</a> is excellent, too).</span></div>
ashliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14355427026784107874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4664450243693286068.post-64195609456302723982018-12-16T09:20:00.000-05:002018-12-16T09:20:01.893-05:00Coffee and Blogs No. 29<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvx0GzDAM7BkU_hkbov8o_Q5KEZ02L6VBRlw3CsrRsucvzlim1iShpkZh6RFUiwrVJ02kNzi3oxvkttP8Gteya2QrqHzni0tRpuhvDv7sL_pwXA5WDtRztHrEin_jDMZysIxp52x1Ax00T/s1600/sanaakassou.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvx0GzDAM7BkU_hkbov8o_Q5KEZ02L6VBRlw3CsrRsucvzlim1iShpkZh6RFUiwrVJ02kNzi3oxvkttP8Gteya2QrqHzni0tRpuhvDv7sL_pwXA5WDtRztHrEin_jDMZysIxp52x1Ax00T/s640/sanaakassou.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I have been reading so much good stuff lately, and I haven't done a coffee and blogs post in...years? Way too long. It's the season of reflection and goal setting and celebration, so lots of these articles have me pondering on what my focus will be for 2019. ($$$$$$$, your time has come)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm breaking things into sections that might help you pinpoint the area you're most interested in exploring in the coming year, but of course, freewheel browsing (my favorite strategy) always works, too. Get a mug of something warm and cozy yourself. Coffee and blogs is back. </span></div>
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<u><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Finances:</span></u></div>
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<a href="https://www.thecut.com/article/why-you-feel-richer-or-poorer-than-you-really-are.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Why You Feel Richer or Poorer Than You Really Are</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A "feeling" of wealth is much more than the sum total of your assets.</span></div>
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<a href="https://www.wealthsimple.com/en-us/magazine/money-diary-couple-debt-us?fbclid=IwAR1kG9F8oDMAMHy-hgKwFKQtMx3cCO3ykP66lpiwlZYiStnEU8cev_qkh0A" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Debt: A Love Story</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This is the scariest thing I've read in a long time. It could be my family in a heartbeat.</span></div>
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<a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/living-paycheck-to-paycheck_us_5c096505e4b0b6cdaf5d0ebd?fbclid=IwAR1iaUHuVJ6Hpjb4V_k-a5plj4pEbgmZbgDowoFHGSp5BiOznRJoMQ5qbm0" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm 37 Years Old and Living Paycheck to Paycheck</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">These people seem to be working harder than I am and still struggling. What's the point?</span></div>
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<u><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Health:</span></u></div>
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<a href="http://www.smaggle.com/how-to-create-a-baseline-health-routine/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">How To Create a Baseline Health Routine</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'd like to have one of these.</span></div>
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<a href="https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/whole30-changed-my-entire-relationship-with-food-because-im-dead-now" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Whole30 Changed My Relationship with Food Because I'm Dead Now</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm- wait for it- dying.</span></div>
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<a href="https://www.bustle.com/articles/150316-5-reasons-your-head-is-always-aching" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">5 Reasons Your Head is Always Aching</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now that we've had a tumor in the family, every ache and pain is more suspect.</span></div>
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<a href="https://medium.com/@thefatshadow/the-magical-thinking-of-weight-loss-bc8aaa601ae7" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Magical Thinking of Weight Loss</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In 2019, resolve to cut out the diet shit. </span></div>
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<a href="https://yogaclub.com/blogs/news/5-restorative-yoga-poses-for-self-care" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">5 Restorative Yoga Poses for Self Care</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Stretch it out.</span></div>
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<a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/04/adhd-is-different-for-women/381158/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">How ADHD is Different For Women</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I think about this a lot- or am I just distracted by my phone?</span></div>
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<u><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Family:</span></u></div>
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<a href="https://lifehacker.com/have-a-chore-audit-with-your-partner-1828689183" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Have a 'Chore Audit' With Your Partner </span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We run a household with an equal division of labor and its magic.</span></div>
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<a href="https://offspring.lifehacker.com/to-get-your-kid-moving-walk-out-the-door-1827500328" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">To Get Your Kid Moving, Walk Out the Door</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I have driven away from a child dawdling to avoid climbing in the car.</span></div>
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<a href="https://www.thekitchn.com/10-questions-to-ask-your-partner-at-the-dinner-table-219337" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">10 Questions to Ask Your Partner At the Dinner Table</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Slightly cheesy but incredibly necessary. Same disclaimer for the following: you have to keep falling back in love with the person you choose to spend your life with. That's what they mean when they say marriage is work.</span></div>
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<a href="https://theartofsimple.net/upset/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Just Let Them Be Upset </span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm guilty of the expensive treats. I'm guilty of the preaching.</span></div>
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<a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2018/12/parents-kids-belief-santa/577819/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Should Parents Protect Their Kids' Belief in Santa?</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm shocked at how strongly my anti-Santa feelings are turning out to be. </span></div>
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<a href="https://www.vox.com/2018/12/3/18075794/marriage-divorce-happiness-relationships-james-sexton" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.vox.com/2018/12/3/18075794/marriage-divorce-happiness-relationships-james-sexton" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">How To Stay Married- According to a Divorce Lawyer </span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Food for thought</span></div>
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<a href="https://www.vox.com/2018/12/3/18075794/marriage-divorce-happiness-relationships-james-sexton" target="_blank"><br /></a></div>
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<u><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Time Management:</span></u></div>
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<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/oct/05/secret-of-productivity-time-management-theory" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Is the Secret of Productivity Really Just Doing What You Enjoy?</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Not sure.</span></div>
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<a href="https://hbr.org/2018/08/4-strategies-for-overcoming-distraction" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">4 Strategies for Overcoming Distraction</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I mean, take what you need. The scariest thing about this is that we already know most of these strategies. We're usually googling them instead of getting shit done.</span></div>
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<a href="https://modernmrsdarcy.com/what-i-learned-by-keeping-a-time-diary/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What I Learned By Keeping A Time Diary</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Facts are scary.</span></div>
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<a href="http://dev.lauraviviana.com/how-to-stay-organized-productive-amidst-chaos/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">How To Stay Productive + Organized Amidst Chaos</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">How to be productive while living a life.</span></div>
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<a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/rachelwmiller/how-giving-myself-a-dress-code-changed-my-life?utm_term=.iezx84072#.yberbpdEg" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Giving Myself A Dress Code Changed My Dang Life</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This is intriguing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u>Best Life:</u></span></div>
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<a href="https://medium.com/the-mission/the-life-changing-advice-of-100-insanely-interesting-people-962bec174033" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Life-Changing Advice of 100 Insanely Interesting People</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Speaks for itself.</span></div>
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<a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/getdisciplined/comments/1q96b5/i_just_dont_care_about_myself/cdah4af/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I Just Don't Care About Myself</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For the comments.</span></div>
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<a href="https://www.alifeinprogress.ca/want-mediocre-life/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What If All I Want is a Mediocre Life?</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Woah.</span></div>
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<a href="https://www.thecut.com/2018/11/im-broke-and-friendless-and-ive-wasted-my-whole-life.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm Broke and Friendless and I've Wasted My Whole Life</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You can't say this until you're 90.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Art by Sanaa Kassou, an illustrator I'm obsessed with- she has a book on sale <a href="https://www.amazon.fr/Bullet-carnet-Sanaa-K-Kassou/dp/2501130960" target="_blank">here</a> and you can follow her Instagram <a href="https://www.instagram.com/sanaakblog/" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></div>
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<br />ashliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14355427026784107874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4664450243693286068.post-24076384651095654832018-12-08T08:10:00.000-05:002018-12-08T08:10:06.070-05:00Looking Back After Shit Times End<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">A year ago, </span><a href="http://www.beyourownlady.com/2017/12/" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: justify;" target="_blank">I was unraveling</a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">. It was a scary time. I felt like a husk of a person. I honestly can't believe that was only 12 months ago.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM2_zXThVjCh2Ejbdh_QDblV5eSlfjiGxbvQHw1rKG3vF7R7tzyAqTuAqd5BfTVW-tTshvUH5Hjk5jryocLsji3IFBuLxVNmY5Qult_zAXmnY1n4ts3Ta7WMqEqtc6cjKLYn4PlETJr8fj/s1600/pre+surgery.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM2_zXThVjCh2Ejbdh_QDblV5eSlfjiGxbvQHw1rKG3vF7R7tzyAqTuAqd5BfTVW-tTshvUH5Hjk5jryocLsji3IFBuLxVNmY5Qult_zAXmnY1n4ts3Ta7WMqEqtc6cjKLYn4PlETJr8fj/s320/pre+surgery.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The morning of the surgery.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A month ago, <a href="http://www.beyourownlady.com/2018/10/coping-strategies-for-shit-times.html" target="_blank">I was terrified</a>. In September, Ben discovered he had a tumor the size of a second eyeball growing in his eye socket. It was large enough that it was moving his eye out of place and, due to a small gap in the top of his orbital bone, was interfering with his brain. My husband, who lived in mortal fear of needles and tests, lived with constant needles and tests while we made preparations for a major surgery to get rid of the tumor and close up the disrupted bone. In a large way, Ben was processing his mortality. In a smaller way, he was perseverating on getting an IV before surgery. In a large way, I was processing the way this echoed the brain surgery my father never woke up from during the same week 21 years earlier. In a smaller way, I was feverishly planning every single thing I could to fake some semblance of control.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Even before he went under, we were wrapped in love. Friends and family<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0gwSIuILwdBQM-m1zUtPfsrqNVlHHkSfR2ZlbKPHkfhHFrH1V_T21JJ3rxOEqg1hFi8R8tnjGbQwM1Z-zb8Gd4zE-Ny4YXBC1gCzZ8Li3lbYeeDb3gUYSmkbbdgMvJlBaafgdOoBh3hg4/s1600/post+surgery.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="699" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0gwSIuILwdBQM-m1zUtPfsrqNVlHHkSfR2ZlbKPHkfhHFrH1V_T21JJ3rxOEqg1hFi8R8tnjGbQwM1Z-zb8Gd4zE-Ny4YXBC1gCzZ8Li3lbYeeDb3gUYSmkbbdgMvJlBaafgdOoBh3hg4/s320/post+surgery.jpg" width="292" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">24 hours post op!</td></tr>
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supported us with gifts of money, home cooked meals, and their physical presence- my mom and sister stayed with us for a week, taking care of the boys and making sure life ran smoothly so I could concentrate on Ben. Everyone had good words and good luck vibes to send. The prayer committee was working overtime. It was truly an embarrassment of riches, and support we wouldn't have survived without. And then every step of the process yielded a best case scenario. They were able to remove the tumor without going in from the top of his skull, which meant 3 hour surgery versus 8, and a much quicker recovery. He went home the next night. He was driving in two weeks. He goes back to work on Monday. The most relieving news of all? The tumor came back from pathology benign and unlikely to return. My mantra in all of this was "It will all be over by 2019!" And it came true. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I am well aware that you don't get out of an MRI machine to a panicked tech telling you to go straight to the doctors and have the entire issue be cleared up within two months. That simply doesn't happen. We dodged a huge bullet. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5oYh4mxCcV3cU3bycZnX7FTHTU1kZgQnVBlfT4o7JN1xnAR7wI5hos58Ot7GesDrZbNo9usg9m-jwVKKp7K8bPIx6xXQWnf7Wr0i4HCC9xtOev2b_Olmry2Mc7srsXNhNPoed35Xu52ne/s1600/ashlie+and+ben+thanksgiving+2018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5oYh4mxCcV3cU3bycZnX7FTHTU1kZgQnVBlfT4o7JN1xnAR7wI5hos58Ot7GesDrZbNo9usg9m-jwVKKp7K8bPIx6xXQWnf7Wr0i4HCC9xtOev2b_Olmry2Mc7srsXNhNPoed35Xu52ne/s320/ashlie+and+ben+thanksgiving+2018.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thanksgiving Day, strategically posing to hide the incision.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It's a weird time to be reflecting. Maybe also an awesome time? I was thinking about how jumbled things were a year ago, how frozen I felt a month ago, and how interested I am to see how things proceed. All this hardship (<b>which is relative, and mixed in with some extremely wonderful moments/stretches of time throughout 2018</b>) teaches you a lot about what feels good. Knowing I physically couldn't take on the amount of work that slayed me in 2017 made me more thoughtful about how I spent my time in 2018. That felt good. Expecting that I would spent the end of 2018 caring for a significantly sicker husband than I ended up with, I cleared my schedule. We ended up using those empty days to spend family time- lots of dinners together, movie nights, and fires in the fireplace. That felt good. And I woke up this morning knowing I could do anything (It's Saturday, bless!) but I wanted to get my feelings down here. It's not Instagrammable and it won't build my freelance resume, but it will let me look back in a year and see what was happening in the aftermath of this big life event. I love going back and reading about what I thought was worth writing down at different times. That feels good. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Maybe that's the plan for the new year- focus on what feels good. Not necessarily in the moment, but what actually feels <i>good</i>, as in strong, thoughtful, gentle, supporting. What will build a feeling of good that will outlast a moment of desire and help me get to where I want to be? I think it's things like appreciating family time, making sure to reach out and thank the people who helped me survive November, and looking back to celebrate the growth that happens whether you're paying attention or not. It feels good to write here, and have it all down. Thank you for reading it. </span></div>
ashliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14355427026784107874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4664450243693286068.post-88097749185404486392018-10-27T09:02:00.000-04:002018-10-27T09:03:55.377-04:00Coping Strategies for Shit Times<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9dJTCe5hJJT77kki-G7gC82juVj-nJ3BYyCAlM5jKpNV99giDkF6q9uFXpe8In_Y8kEUv2X9CihgDc3v3AikY5zWmbviIHERqSDx37dTD2YE6pw38MB1Cxe5or6sF7xYAVwuZDVs2yt62/s1600/people+ive+loved+mantras.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9dJTCe5hJJT77kki-G7gC82juVj-nJ3BYyCAlM5jKpNV99giDkF6q9uFXpe8In_Y8kEUv2X9CihgDc3v3AikY5zWmbviIHERqSDx37dTD2YE6pw38MB1Cxe5or6sF7xYAVwuZDVs2yt62/s400/people+ive+loved+mantras.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Some really scary health things are happening in my house right now. I never withhold information to be mysterious, but this isn't my story, and so I can't gush every detail the way I usually do. Everything is going to be okay, but this fall is shaping up to be different than I planned. I've never been more grateful that I took a semester off library school, that I freelance with an organization that supports it's contributors so gracefully, that I have family medical days at work, that my family is ready to swoop in and buy plane tickets and make me pumpkin chili at a moment's notice. I do not take this support network for granted. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Still, I'm scared. I'm making connections to past trauma. I'm sad to see people I love in uncomfortable situations. I'm emotionally drained. My body is doing it's "let's-shut-down-shit-is-getting-heavy" thing. I can feel stress curling around the muscles in my upper back. All I want to do is sleep. Sometimes, that's the answer. But that's not going to get my family and I through the next few months. SO...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here is a list of things I do when everything is falling apart. They might not be the things that YOU do when everything is falling apart. The goal for me has been to do things that serve future me- the me that will be stressed, sore, and scared PLUS have to go to work, or figure out the holidays for my kids, or take a block of time away from all responsibilities and be a caregiver. Typing this is list is a literally a way to shake off my depressive feelings and remind myself that there are clear-cut accomplishables that will help.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>1. <u>Move</u></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I don't FEEL like it. But I know that movement is going to save me right now. I'm not calling this "exercise" because that conjures visions of working up a sweat, forcing yourself through drudgery...that's not the goal. If you can't afford to get a massage, STRETCH and give your muscles some kindness. If your body is feeling stiff and stifled, walk outside and let the cold wake you up. I am always happier when I read, but I haven't been prioritizing reading...getting myself on the elliptical with a book improves my mood and wakes me up and is generally A Good Thing. Putting movement on my list helps A LOT, especially in times of crisis when it's socially acceptable to let it slide. It's a reminder that moving your body is not something you have to do, but something that can help you. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When this bad news first crashed into the family sphere, my first impulse was to cook and freeze tons of dinners. It was a smart move. A big batch of a soup, a bunch of marinated meat...even when my brain was fried mid-week, there was no excuse to buy takeout that wouldn't nourish us- dinner was already set. This weekend I want to lay in bed and order lots of Chinese food (a prospect made more tempting by the fact that we were paid and could actually afford this), but I know that I'll be happier and feel stronger if I make a grocery list and chop up a bunch of veggies. THERE IS A TIME FOR TAKEOUT...it is coming. But right now, but I'm going to type "soup" into pinterest and be a suburban mom in the best possible way.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Christmas and Thanksgiving are going to look different this year, full stop. I'm hating the out-of-control feeling I have not knowing where we will eat turkey or what our funds will look like mid-December. One way to handle it? Do everything possible to be ready for the most hectic time of the year RIGHT NOW. Your girl who is, at the mo, struggling to shower regularly has made a Google doc with a spreadsheet with every person we're buying a Christmas present for, a budget range, and gift ideas, as well as place to check off when the gift was purchased and when it was wrapped. I've already scooped up a few gifts using Halloween sales and made plans to take a family picture for our Christmas cards. I'm not usually this on top of things, but it's giving me a small sense of control in an out-of-control time. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If I'm good at one thing, it's comforting myself. I'm watching my comfort shows with zero shame. I'm turning to Christian mommy blogger podcasts with increasing regularity- I find them deeply soothing when I'm stressed, in particular ones that detail chores, housekeeping, and other homemaker-y routines. (This is strange to me, too, and I'm currently exploring this in another essay. Stay tuned.) I'm making time to play with stickers/washi tape/highlighters in my planner and on our family calendar, because it makes me happy AND makes me feel like we're more organized. Is is the BEST use of my limited mental bandwith right now? Actually, yeah. It comforts me.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Yourself, when none of the above works. About half the time recently, these tenants above have kept me breathing and kept our family running. The other half, I've used my gym time to eat an entire box of Triscuts while sitting in my car, or took a two hour after-school nap while my kids play too many video games. It's survival, honey. It's not pretty. It's okay. Video games and Triscuts are coping methods, too. Do what feels good. When it doesn't feel good, reassess. Or write a blog post about what feels good. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Pinterest is my friend right now. I have a private board which I am unlocking called <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/ashlieelizabeth/best-self/" target="_blank">BEST SELF</a>. It's a board of reminders about who I want to be, what I am up against, and what I am capable of. I look at it once a day. I'm also stockpiling yoga stretches and soup recipes and cutesy stocking stuffers as I'm trying to be my most productive survivor self. If Pinterest is one of the things that further stresses you, DON'T CLICK. For me, it's almost like a weird template with ideas I can take or leave, and right now, it's helping.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">How about you? What are some of your basic coping strategies when shit is hitting the fan? What strange thing comforts you? I hope you're doing okay <3 </span></div>
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ashliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14355427026784107874noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4664450243693286068.post-39110738722190522502018-09-17T06:30:00.002-04:002018-09-17T06:43:36.384-04:00This is not a library school post.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Last year, around this time, I started library school. All of my dreams were coming true at once, and I was so freaking optimistic. My kids were both in school full time. I had the job I had always dreamed of. I was in classes full of likeminded people. I was sure I had peaked- I felt weird guilt about how great every single part of my life was. Funnily enough, it wasn't the cakewalk I thought it would be. I overscheduled myself with grad classes and ended up having a <a href="http://www.beyourownlady.com/2017/12/falling-apart.html" target="_blank">really tough fall</a>. I stopped all my medication and my mental health was a mess. I was out of touch with my family, and my marriage and relationships with my kids really suffered. And I stopped writing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It wasn't useless hardship. I've come really far with self examination over the past year. Right around Christmas, when the shit was really hitting the fan, I set myself <a href="http://www.beyourownlady.com/2018/05/2018-intentions.html" target="_blank">a group of goals</a>, and they helped me prioritize my life. I pulled back on my classes and finished my first year as a Media Specialist. I got a great therapist and started taking a new medication that I never skip. I committed to communication, and I talk to husband and my kids a lot about things that bother me. I'm working really hard not to be defensive when they bring up the same to me. I'm still hard to live with at times. I still shut down when things get too real. I'm still scared to watch shows or movies that might make me feel emotions. But I'm working on it and I'm very happy in a real way- an earned way.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">One really tough part of this past year is I completely stopped writing. My blog posts were just for library classes (sorry about that). I wrote very few <a href="https://bookriot.com/author/ashlie-swicker/" target="_blank">Book Riot articles</a>. And my fiction stories were completely abandoned. I dropped my writing group the second I got my new job, and I deeply regret it. There's no way I could have done them the justice they deserve on top of my courses and my scattered lifestyle anyway, but I miss them. I miss my friends and I miss reading each others' work and being deeply invested in the process of writing. I know I'll have it again, one day, and right now I'm trying to make that be enough.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This fall, I'm cautious and optimistic. We have a big huge calendar hanging in the kitchen, a shared Google calendar that we update religiously, and my personal planner- every detail of our lives is written down three times at a minimum. That helps. We have a weekly meeting where we talk about events and chores and every family member can bring up issues (Milo, day one: "I want to talk about how much you guys are on your phones." Ouch.) None of the classes I need are being offered this semester, so I'm taking a break, updating my paperwork with the Department of Education, and trying to be super organized so when classes pick back up, I won't fall to pieces.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I think all the time about what I know was the best year of my life so far: 2015. I had two kids that were so cute, a handsome husband who had just redone our back porch into a little writing oasis that made my heart soar. I had a job that I was good at, that I had been doing long enough that I no longer agonized over every single detail. I had friends I adored, and spent the fall being fawned over as I turned 30- shows, fancy hotel stays, luxurious meals, surprise parties. I ran a book club, blogged, wrote 500+ words of fiction a day, went to the gym regularly, tried new foods and beers all the time, and felt amazing. I felt amazing. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">On paper, my life is "better" now. We bought a bigger house. I got my dream job. My kids are older, out of diapers, in school all day with childcare significantly less difficult. It's all "better," but so, so much harder. And that annoys me. Why is it harder now? It's obvious. I leveled up. I can't have a cozy, lived in feeling in a house automatically- that shit takes work. I can't be an expert at a job in the first year- that shit takes work. I can't anticipate my kids' every need when they're in a completely new section of their development- that shit takes work. 2015 was so great because I had reached the ceiling for that part of my life. I'll think of it fondly for a long, long time. And now, back to work.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">(Art via Pinterest by <a href="https://www.camilarosa.net/" target="_blank">Camila Rosa</a>- her work is absolutely amazing and you should buy some of it.)</span></div>
ashliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14355427026784107874noreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4664450243693286068.post-29367067689444345552018-08-14T00:07:00.000-04:002018-08-14T00:07:10.810-04:00LBS 850- Module 12 THE END<span style="color: #515151; font-family: Trebuchet MS, Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.2px;">It's the last day of my Emerging Technologies for Libraries class, and we're revisiting the Top Ten Tips lists we made at the beginning of the summer. While my big ideas haven't changed, I have definitely acquired a ton of new tools to help me reach my goals. I have two major take aways- I need to make time to stay on top of these tech developments, and focus on the TYPES of tech, because there are too many tools to keep track of without sorting them.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #515151; font-family: Trebuchet MS, Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.2px;">As far as making time is concerned, I know it needs to be a part of my routine in order to take root. Last year I was very worried about staying on top of age=appropriate titles for elementary school when most of my pleasure reading was YA. I implemented a daily silent reading timing as a part of my routine and when the students were reading, so was I. I used the time specifically to read things I would want to add to or recommend in the library. I'm going to set up a similar daily time period to stay up-to-date with tech. MY administration mandates a consistent typing practice, so during the class typing time, I will research or work on tech tools. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #515151; font-family: Trebuchet MS, Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.2px;">For the sorting, Barb organized things for us during Module 3 into ORGANIZE YOUR STUFF, FIND NEW STUFF, and FIND NEW BOOKS. For my students, I might choose categories like "FIND NEW INFORMATION, ORGANIZE YOUR INFORMATION, PRESENT YOUR INFORMATION" Being able to describe the tools and figure out what category they belong to will help students realize how the tools will be used and if they need it or not.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #515151; font-family: Trebuchet MS, Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.2px;">Below is the list I posted at the beginning of the semester. It still stands, but thanks to this class I have a ton of new tools to flesh out the list and meet my technology goals.</span></span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #515151; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #515151; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">10. Don't overwhelm yourself. Pick a technology that you're already somewhat familiar with on a personal level and leverage that for use in the classroom. Then move on to new things.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #515151; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #515151; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #515151; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">9. Focus more on the types of technology (communication tools, research tools, databases, etc) than the actual products. Products change, but the needs remain the same.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #515151; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #515151; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #515151; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">8. Give yourself time to play with new products.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #515151; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #515151; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #515151; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">7. Give your students time to play with new products.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #515151; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #515151; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #515151; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">6. Seek out professional development about new apps/tech- so much is available, a lot of it for free!</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #515151; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #515151; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #515151; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">5. Use social media (Instagram and Twitter!) to seek out other educators who are doing similar work- these connections will inspire you and keep new tech on your radar.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #515151; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #515151; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #515151; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">4. Figure out the curriculum connections before you choose the tech to teach- use these tools to enrich the education already taking place.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #515151; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #515151; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #515151; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">3. Check and find out what your students already know before you plan your lessons. Especially in this 2018 tech-heavy world, students already know A TON. Check in before you plan to teach them.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #515151; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #515151; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #515151; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">2. Ask students what they wish they could learn. Ask them how they would use the tech they want to learn. In general, involve them in this process.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #515151; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #515151; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #515151; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">1. HAVE FUN! The future is now.</span>ashliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14355427026784107874noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4664450243693286068.post-499437425621977942018-08-03T12:33:00.000-04:002018-08-03T12:33:31.753-04:00If you're new around here...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtV4Vrmf2zcykub4mFxP-Drgr7o5m3EaZ8qCQRFkLVe8JPRSSqQHIgEwDucpzr62Wk6tOrIKgHANwai852iDAuY3uKYZGUTe30XR__wim2ZXGHRdX_9Rr6mMQd7i1vVvEVNofRJWR5j_Z9/s1600/ashlie+swicker+green+hair.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtV4Vrmf2zcykub4mFxP-Drgr7o5m3EaZ8qCQRFkLVe8JPRSSqQHIgEwDucpzr62Wk6tOrIKgHANwai852iDAuY3uKYZGUTe30XR__wim2ZXGHRdX_9Rr6mMQd7i1vVvEVNofRJWR5j_Z9/s640/ashlie+swicker+green+hair.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Welcome! I'm Ashlie, an elementary librarian and writer who LOVES books and fat people. This is a space where I've word-vomited about everything from whale-inspired bathroom art to body acceptance to books by ladies. It is also a space where I currently post a bunch of stuff for my library grad classes cause I GOTTA GET THAT LICENSE. I use Instagram (<a href="https://www.instagram.com/ashlieelizabeth/" target="_blank">@ashlieelizabeth</a>) and Twitter (<a href="https://twitter.com/mygirlsimple" target="_blank">@mygirlsimple</a>) a lot, I live for Goodreads (<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/14435850-ashlie-elizabeth" target="_blank">ashlieelizabeth</a>) and I'm a contributing writer for <a href="https://bookriot.com/author/ashlie-swicker/" target="_blank">Book Riot</a>. I also have a freelancing website at <a href="http://ashlieswicker.com/">ashlieswicker.com</a>- check me out! </span></div>
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ashliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14355427026784107874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4664450243693286068.post-66276885674823545382018-07-23T19:52:00.003-04:002018-07-23T19:52:26.395-04:00LBS 850 Module 9- Teaching Teachers This week, our task was to create some professional development for teachers. I was excited for this project, as I believe it will be really useful to implement in real time when I'm back in school. This is a technology class, so I struggled with whether I had to be making up professional development that taught a form of technology or if I could teach any topic as long as I used technology. I finally settled on teaching technology because it felt like the biggest stretch for me and I want to get as much as possible out of this class. I'm proud of myself because I <i>really </i>wanted to do a webpage dedicated to helping teachers find diverse books and use tech tools embedded to leave mini-reviews and network about which lessons and standards they were able to meet with each. I'll tuck that idea away for another time.<br />
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We talked a ton on the discussion boards this week about how useless a lot of PD is, and I've heard this from numerous sources during my 10 years as a teacher. I'm really proud of how my district has been moving away from pointless PD- a teacher-led committee solicits ideas and sets up mini workshops for staff to choose from at the beginning of every year, but through out the year the building principal usually has the final say on individual days of PD. In general, if you can prove that what you're doing is standards-based and building professional knowledge, we're given a lot of space to make the best choices for our personal practice. I know that's not the case everywhere, so I feel really lucky.<br />
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I think, in my actual real-life practice, my best bet is going to be things I can explain via screencast and/or protocol document and then leave up on a website for teachers to access on their own time. I'll also continue to make myself available for one-on-one time helping teachers, if anyone ever has enough time to take me up on it. Meet them where they're at and give them what they need!ashliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14355427026784107874noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4664450243693286068.post-11273463608365208782018-07-16T22:10:00.000-04:002018-07-16T22:10:35.950-04:00LBS 850 Module 8- Top Tech Tools This week our class took a look at integrating tech into lessons for our students. The natural culmination of familiarizing ourselves with these tools is to apply them to our teaching. We were also challenged to look at the tools that are most important to us and rate our absolute top five. I'm struggling between tools I already use all the time and ones that I would like to develop my practice with, so I did a little of both.<br />
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Twitter/Instagram: My social media in the library is still developing- I post to Instagram more often and Twitter rarely, but I find this way of connecting very important and am definitely working to use it more.<br />
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<a href="https://flipgrid.com/" target="_blank">Flipgrid</a>- I'm hoping to use this tool more in the coming year. I love the idea of students making videos of 90-second book reviews.<br />
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<a href="https://www.biblionasium.com/#tab/content-summer-selections" target="_blank">Biblionasium</a>- I can see this tool supporting the development of our school reading culture, which is a major goal of mine. Safe, fun, social reading community? I'm sold.<br />
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<a href="https://kahoot.com/welcomeback/" target="_blank">Kahoot</a>- I've heard amazing tales of student engagement skyrocketing when using this quiz app, and I would love to get my kiddos that excited in the library!<br />
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<a href="https://scratch.mit.edu/" target="_blank">Scratch</a>- This has been a goal of mine for at least half the year. This coding curriculum is already very popular at my school and these are skills that can be developed from a young age!ashliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14355427026784107874noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4664450243693286068.post-37396568837407663582018-07-09T22:33:00.001-04:002018-07-09T22:33:55.424-04:00LBS Module 7- Social Networking and Gaming This week we looked at games! While I found the gaming information interesting, I was really stuck on the importance of the social component for teens especially. I think it's crucial to honor what our students are doing with their time and give them tools to be safe and successful. Basically, my bottom line is that the internet is here, kids are using it, and our job as Library Media Specialists is just to train them up right. Judgement-free zone necessary because frankly librarians need to stay cool and relevant and anyone harping about "kids these days and their gaming!" is not helping our image!! Below are some resources I really like for talking about digital citizenship with kids.<br />
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<a href="https://www.commonsense.org/education/digital-citizenship" target="_blank">Common Sense Media Digital Citizenship Curriculum</a><br />
Great classroom posters h<a href="https://www.commonsense.org/education/posters" target="_blank">ere</a><br />
<a href="https://www.commonsense.org/education/videos/pause-think-online" target="_blank">Pause and Think Online</a> (adorable song and video)<br />
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<a href="https://www.brainpop.com/technology/digitalcitizenship/" target="_blank">BrainPop Digital Citizenship Curriculum</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Dot-Randi-Zuckerberg/dp/0062287516" target="_blank">Dot </a>by Randi Zuckerberg, illustrated by Joe Berger<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Once-Upon-Time-Online-Happily/dp/1472392353/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_14_t_0?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=BC57B5H70GV03FJPZAS8" target="_blank">Once Upon A Time Online</a> by David Bedford, illustrated by Rosie Reeve<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Read-Internet-Mrs-Skorupski-Story/dp/1602130620/ref=pd_sim_14_3?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1602130620&pd_rd_r=31a9089e-83e9-11e8-aa7b-1331fb4ea84e&pd_rd_w=dMTQV&pd_rd_wg=TWxw6&pf_rd_i=desktop-dp-sims&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=7967298517161621930&pf_rd_r=48XMCE95N4ZFYNAFW368&pf_rd_s=desktop-dp-sims&pf_rd_t=40701&psc=1&refRID=48XMCE95N4ZFYNAFW368" target="_blank">But I Read It On the Internet!</a> by Toni Buzzeo, illustrated by Sachiko Yoshikawa<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Pirates-Plagiarism-Lisa-Downey/dp/1602130531/ref=pd_sim_14_4?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1602130531&pd_rd_r=517e241c-83e9-11e8-ae49-d7f1b6fa8ade&pd_rd_w=Yu5x4&pd_rd_wg=ycenk&pf_rd_i=desktop-dp-sims&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=7967298517161621930&pf_rd_r=C2FTH36TVNZ6KCQNCQ9P&pf_rd_s=desktop-dp-sims&pf_rd_t=40701&psc=1&refRID=C2FTH36TVNZ6KCQNCQ9P" target="_blank">The Pirates of Plagiarism</a> by Lisa Downey, illustrated by Kathleen Fox ashliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14355427026784107874noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4664450243693286068.post-51023124583471318012018-06-28T10:03:00.000-04:002018-06-28T10:06:33.335-04:00LBS 850 Module 5 In the library, one of my big goals to grow a pleasure reading culture, which is something that can be tough in an environment where barriers to learning are many. One of the ways to pump it up is to make book recommending exciting. Students were wild for a unit on emoji book reviews, and I'm taking it to the next level next year by trying out 90 second book review videos using Flipgrid.<br />
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I've done a test video to get started, which you can find by going here: <a href="https://flipgrid.com/00fc2d" target="_blank">You Don't Have To Take My Word 4 It</a> and using the password <b>Swicker18 </b>to see the topic starter. If you're feeling adventurous, I'd love to have you record a book review in response to my demo! Any age level of book is fine, as I won't actually use this one with my students when we roll this out. What do you think?</div>
ashliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14355427026784107874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4664450243693286068.post-56134747430046318872018-06-19T11:09:00.003-04:002018-06-27T12:13:35.995-04:00LBS 850 Module 4- Applications<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">In organizing these apps, I’m trying to find a single “frame” to have things fall under. I’m spending some summer PD time on developing my Google skills, because my school uses Google a ton. I want students to be able to track reading and share presentations that are NOT Google slides (because they use this a lot in the classroom), as well as more of a social outreach in general. This brought things like Flipgrid to mind, for sharing information and book reviews- I really want students to replicate the 1 minute book review format that Reading Rainbow has at the end of each episode- and Voki, for reenacting historical situations we might learn about. I would also love to share more student work on our Instagram and website, and I can see that apps that let you create graphics, like Piktochart, could be helpful here.</span></div>
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ashliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14355427026784107874noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4664450243693286068.post-22269624804484089542018-06-12T23:01:00.001-04:002018-06-12T23:01:59.127-04:00LBS 850 Module Three- Tools<i>“Men have become the tools of their tools”</i><br />
<b>Shut up, Thoreau, we're trying to learn here...</b><br />
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The above notes from our class materials made me laugh. This week we delved into tools and apps, a huge umbrella under which so many different things can fall. We roughly split things into three types of tools- things for organizing, things for finding new things, and things for keeping track of your books.<br />
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I'm going to be honest- this type of week/exploration can be very overwhelming for me. So many great resources and as I explore each one, I start to ping around- "I could use this for X, Y, and Z, and should probably go check with administration right now let me immediately sign up." To avoid this, I tried to be very selective with what I dove into, but I also was worried that I'd have some FOMO about the other apps I didn't spend time with this week. For that reason, I am going to group some resources in general lists below so I can revisit.<br />
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Even though is is an area where I have a lot of organization already in place, I was really drawn to the book organization tools shared this week. I'm already an active Goodreads user (<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/14435850-ashlie-elizabeth" target="_blank">my account is here!</a>) and I was really excited when a classmate shared that you can set up your email signature to show your currently reading selection. This is such a good idea. I also use a reading spreadsheet developed by a Book Riot contributor, Rachel Manwill, to keep track of my statistics within a year. I wanted to share it here so others might experience the magic I have this year tracking so far! <a href="https://bookriot.com/2017/01/03/its-the-great-reading-spreadsheet-charlie-brown/" target="_blank">There are tons more details in this article.</a><br />
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For further tool research, I felt most comforted by the articles and posts that rounded up a ton of links for exploring down the road. The list of <a href="http://www.ala.org/aasl/standards/best/websites/2017" target="_blank">best websites for teaching and learning from AASL</a> is definitely one I'll be returning to. I was also really drawn to Livebinders- especially the examples set up to walk students through certain units or summer reading programs. This is something I can see myself setting up as I gather resources for grade levels or teachers around standards and yearly projects.<br />
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<u>More for further reading later:</u><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Educational Technology and Mobile Learning</b>. 31 Educational Web Tools Every Teacher Should Know About. http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2013/12/the-31-educational-web-tools-every.html Links to an external site.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Google Tools for Educators </b>- https://www.google.com/edu/products/productivity-tools/ Links to an external site.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Joquetta Johnson. Google LiveBinder</b>. - http://livebinders.com/play/play_or_edit?id=3803 Links to an external site.</span></div>
In summation, from the Kellet article: <i>If you have multiple tools/apps to do the same job something is wrong</i>. DAMN!<br />
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Basically, I'm going to need to secure my learning targets before I commit to certain tools. I'm far too susceptible to the flashiness of new things to trust myself as all this terrific technology is presented to me. Teaching on a weekly schedule in the library as opposed to teaching on a daily schedule in the classroom really lets me set up units and use universal design to set up my year. For my first year in the library I kept a printed monthly calendar and a single paper notebook, keeping notes as things popped up that I either wanted to avoid, repeat, or anticipate for next year. As I look ahead for 2018-2019, I'll return to both my notes and these posts to pick and "perfect" (as much as possible) the tool I want myself and my students to use.<br />
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ashliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14355427026784107874noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4664450243693286068.post-76883778215251727912018-06-04T20:40:00.006-04:002018-06-04T20:40:59.468-04:00LBS 850- Assistive and Adaptive Technology <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This week we were asked to explore Adaptive and Assistive Technologies from a librarian’s point of view. We reached out to experts and point people in our district, read articles about the need for accessible and welcoming spaces, and were encouraged to begin crafting a plan for evaluating accessibility in our Media Centers. </span></span></div>
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">There were two articles from Janet Hopkins, both of which included punch lists of actionable items to help librarians ensure accessibility for all their patrons. The first one (written for the journal Teacher Librarian in 2004) gives background on what Assistive Technology is and then shares very simple steps that librarians can use to evaluate things in their own spaces. These tips are very elementary, and I suspect this is on purpose. Asking librarians to start by reaching out to special education colleagues and commit to viewing the library space from other perspectives is non-threatening and reinforces the idea that, while very important, this change will not happen overnight. Librarians are given permission, in this article, to seek professional development before diving deeply in.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The following article, written two years later, seems to encourage librarians to reach further beyond the planning stage. This article has more explanations about aspects of AT in the media center and planning for a longer haul commitment. Although the articles are framed differently and weren't published consecutively, they really compliment each other and continue to urge librarians to go further in providing accessibility. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">At the intersection of the book world and the need for accessibility is an issue that came up this weekend at Book Expo, one of the largest publishing conventions in the country. One of the invited authors, Tee Franklin, uses a wheelchair and accommodations were not taken into account when she was asked to speak on a panel about comics. She arrived to the panel with no way to join the other authors on stage, in an embarrassing position in front of the audience already gathered. <a href="https://twitter.com/MizTeeFranklin/status/1002986669300166658" target="_blank">This is the emotional video</a> she posted on Twitter soon after she chose to leave the panel and sign her comic elsewhere. It's a real life face on these issues we discuss academically, and extremely important.</span></div>
ashliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14355427026784107874noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4664450243693286068.post-15085961657504841182018-05-27T21:22:00.002-04:002018-05-27T21:22:28.955-04:00LBS 850- Top Ten Things Educators Should Know About Technology For my latest Library Science course (Emerging Technologies for Libraries), we were asked to browse this thread technology "musts" for educators. People generated top ten lists and gave advice to educators who might be nervous starting out with technology. You can find the list<a href="http://www.classroom20.com/forum/topic/show?id=649749%3ATopic%3A96384" target="_blank"> here</a>.<br />
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While I browsed the lists, I tried not to glom onto any one piece of advice. I'm hoping that I have lots of space in my mind for the new ideas I'll be introduced to over the course of this class. We were assigned the task of creating our own list of top ten tech tips which we'll revisit at the end of the course. Here is where I am as of today.<br />
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10. Don't overwhelm yourself. Pick a technology that you're already somewhat familiar with on a personal level and leverage that for use in the classroom. Then move on to new things.<br />
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9. Focus more on the types of technology (communication tools, research tools, databases, etc) than the actual products. Products change, but the needs remain the same.<br />
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8. Give yourself time to play with new products.<br />
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7. Give your students time to play with new products.<br />
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6. Seek out professional development about new apps/tech- so much is available, a lot of it for free!<br />
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5. Use social media (Instagram and Twitter!) to seek out other educators who are doing similar work- these connections will inspire you and keep new tech on your radar.<br />
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4. Figure out the curriculum connections before you choose the tech to teach- use these tools to enrich the education already taking place.<br />
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3. Check and find out what your students already know before you plan your lessons. Especially in this 2018 tech-heavy world, students already know A TON. Check in before you plan to teach them.<br />
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2. Ask students what they wish they could learn. Ask them how they would use the tech they want to learn. In general, involve them in this process.<br />
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1. HAVE FUN! The future is now.ashliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14355427026784107874noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4664450243693286068.post-73601247780648783232018-05-08T06:32:00.002-04:002018-05-08T09:10:07.374-04:00Week 15- What You Read As A TeenThis is so FUN. Even though we spent a semester talking about books and our childhood connection to them, and even though this specific prompt was fodder for an awesome week on the discussion boards, looking up titles for this post took me down memory lane.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvZR88j1KuTtkaWcJziMIrb6YZ4oedrQ71YskkOI_m383-UgMi4Os8PTsUPR1v-PvDHNQayQZmEkSwcQzodaPiFkWuqR1eso3xrxyHxwhoWZYr2QNgnpHOXUakX9b4SLuBHmBASr3reoau/s1600/running+out+of+time.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="312" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvZR88j1KuTtkaWcJziMIrb6YZ4oedrQ71YskkOI_m383-UgMi4Os8PTsUPR1v-PvDHNQayQZmEkSwcQzodaPiFkWuqR1eso3xrxyHxwhoWZYr2QNgnpHOXUakX9b4SLuBHmBASr3reoau/s200/running+out+of+time.jpg" width="131" /></a></div>
<i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/227658.Running_Out_of_Time?from_search=true" target="_blank">Running Out of Time</a> </i>by Margaret Peterson Haddix<br />
This was one of those titles that I remembered REALLY fondly, but had forgotten the cover and the name. The details tickled the back of my brain for years, and when I saw the movie THE VILLAGE in the early 2000s, I was so offended, because that "original, groundbreaking" plot basically ripped of this book chapter-for-chapter. Haddix mixes all things I loved as a girl in the 90s- thriller with zero gore, historical fiction, fearless teen heroine. I recently ordered a copy for my adult bookshelf.<br />
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<i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/282210.Fearless?from_search=true" target="_blank">Fearless</a> </i>by Francine Pascal<br />
I happily read all the Sweet Valley Twins and Sweet Valley High books by the time I left middle school, and in my first year of high school, I found Pascal's more "grown up" series. I have posited before that I think this was my first exposure to a trope I see a lot in YA: the gorgeous girl with lethal fighting skills who can save the day when faced with evil but doesn't know that she lovely and hopeless with love. That's a thing :) There are about 36 installments in this series, I think? I only remember the first ten or so and mostly I remember swapping them with friends. I tried to reread them a few summers ago and they didn't age well, but the memories are nice.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieXWQ0oaiVs_KdEuGECx7ZMoO3Loar-yPWUoHywsoX_OFizzH6V_sEWIT7WYXBiKLVg2ZqsyWmOR-B_rBSwS_sSGSbH5zAwLi2qaxD-AQI6xrqYJPSeFklgCje4EzNengrvJAc-ObaJyNt/s1600/mixed+up+files+konigsburg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="292" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieXWQ0oaiVs_KdEuGECx7ZMoO3Loar-yPWUoHywsoX_OFizzH6V_sEWIT7WYXBiKLVg2ZqsyWmOR-B_rBSwS_sSGSbH5zAwLi2qaxD-AQI6xrqYJPSeFklgCje4EzNengrvJAc-ObaJyNt/s200/mixed+up+files+konigsburg.jpg" width="122" /></a></div>
<i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/141639.From_the_Mixed_Up_Files_of_Mrs_Basil_E_Frankweiler" target="_blank">From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler</a> </i>by E. L. Konigsburg<br />
Oh man, this one. I know there's a whole incredibly mystery and that is the magic of the story, but I <i>loved</i> the details of how Claudia pulled off the escape to the museum. Several random descriptive sentences have stayed with me powerfully for 25 years: the distaste Claudia has when Jamie eats mac and cheese for breakfast, even though she recognizes they had to eat something filling to get the most bang for their buck, and a line about how hard it is to hold on to a thought when you're starting to fall asleep. A descriptor about Claudia pinching the corner of an accidentally-discarded train pass and grimacing as she removed it from the trash- I can still see that. I don't have my copy out and haven't reread this in years, so Konigsburg's writing style has definitely stuck with me. I don't know if this one would hold up but man do I love it.<br />
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<i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19469.The_Face_on_the_Milk_Carton" target="_blank">The Face on the Milk Carton</a></i> by Caroline B Cooney<br />
Quick bonus title- OMG THIS BOOK! I know this baby holds up because I have fifth grade girls fighting over it right now. A girl eating lunch in the cafeteria sees her baby picture on a milk carton ad for missing persons. There are a bunch of companion titles that I also read, and a made-for-TV movie starring Kelly Martin that I'm not sure I ever saw but I feel like I did. I had to include this book!<br />
<br />ashliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14355427026784107874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4664450243693286068.post-59367885713715852512018-05-05T06:41:00.002-04:002018-05-05T07:14:28.507-04:002018 Intentions <div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">At the very end of 2017, I thought about what I wanted for this year. I went about this differently than I normally do- I usually review the year, then think about 10-15 amazing things that I want to add in, come up with ambitious plans about how to get better at the things that are messy/floundering/failing, and then create a shiny road map, a couple of Pinterest boards, and ultimately crumble within two months.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Last year, however, things were such a disaster at the end of the year that I was too stunned to do any of my scheming. I was over scheduled with a new job and classes and was late on most things (like seriously everything). I had stopped taking my medications a few months earlier, with pretty bad results. I was unhappy at home and plastering a smile on at work. One night I started crying and I couldn't stop. I wrote <a href="http://www.beyourownlady.com/2017/12/falling-apart.html" target="_blank">this</a> blog post. It was one of the scariest times in my adult life. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I went on a trip to Florida, a death in the family forcing me to fly down early with just one of my kids. This maybe saved me? I had such a tenuous grasp on my sanity that for the first time in my life, I literally could not do more than get through the next moment. I remember packing snacks to keep my son quiet during the funeral we were attending, using every ounce of my concentration to find a ziploc bag and fill it with Goldfish crackers. It was the kind of thing I did at home mindlessly, while also making dinner, checking Instagram, scanning the Book Riot Slack channel to snatch up an article idea, planning out my next discussion board post, and reminding a kid to hang up their backpack. It was something my hands could do without any permission from my brain. But on this day, in my mom's kitchen in Florida, it was a singular task. Snacks in bag, make sure you have wipes, find his shoes, find your shoes. For the first time ever, I was ready on time. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I see the trip to Florida (I trip I was dreading, because trips are messy and tiring and I was already so messy and so tired and I just kept thinking, HOW WILL I SURVIVE THIS because even in serious crisis I am dramatic) as a reset button. That time where my only, seriously ONLY responsibility was getting my son and I dressed for whatever was happening next will always be precious to me. We were joined by my husband and other son a few days later, and I had calmed enough to enjoy them, to enjoy our family, to feel prepared for the rush and excitement of Disney at Christmas. The drive home was not awful (no amount of personal growth will let me cherish getting from FL to MA in two days), but on our actual return there was another shock. Walking back into our house was like walking back into the nightmare I had just slipped away from. Everything looked as frantic as I had felt in the days leading up to the emergency get away to Florida. Piles, unvacuumed carpets, mouldering birthday cake, a shedding Christmas tree. Homemaking was never my strongest skill, but I knew something needed to change. It was a second rude awakening. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">All of the above was on my mind when I tweeted out the intentions I shared above. This was not a declaration made after a ton of reflection- I did not comb through all of 2017's posts and carefully select the way forward. I went from the gut, something I am just learning to listen to and trust. I wrote one and then another until I realized that those feelings truly summed up exactly what I hoped this year would be. At nearly halfway through 2018, I find myself referencing these ideas ALL THE TIME. Some of them are already highly developed: we've completely redone the living room and everyone in the family has routine jobs with the end goal of feeling comfortable and happy when we walk in the front door, which is the last thing I felt in January. I changed medicines and found a therapist I really like. I only took one library class this semester, one that does not require me to rack up observation hours, and is actually just reviewing children's/YA books. I love it. I am reading with the boys and spending a bit more time with Ben. I need to do a better job of carving out time for pleasure writing and I need to do a better job of prioritizing exercise, but I'm getting there. I'm balancing. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">2017 knocked me off my axis, and being aware of that is harder than ignoring it. I could keep my head down and keep adding things to my plate, telling myself not to be dramatic and using a whole host of different things to keep myself numb, and I could maybe get a whole other year in before I had another breakdown. But instead, I've been using 2018 to examine, and question things. To take situations down to the studs and rebuild them. It's hard and messy, but it way that has results, so the mess doesn't feel like a complete waste. I'm figuring out what is important to me and what I can live without. It's so weird but I am ending up so happy. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Nothing is perfect and I definitely still have my moments, but I am more able to put them in perspective than I was six months ago. I'm getting through 2018 very deliberately, mostly using eight off-the-cuff tweets to guide me, and so far, so good.</span></div>
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ashliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14355427026784107874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4664450243693286068.post-59232919262493606002018-04-30T21:07:00.000-04:002018-04-30T21:07:24.346-04:00LBS Week 14- Nutritious Books I feel like this week is cresting the wave of the magical library knowledge I one day hope to embody. While I feel comfortable talking books for pleasure, I'm very interested in finding ways to connect titles to curriculum to support teachers and their students. This is where I can't rely on my personal reading, so I've really appreciated several articles where teachers share their best picks for curriculum-connected reading. <a href="https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/teaching-graphic-novels/" target="_blank">This article</a> from Cult of Pedagogy is a roundtable where teachers share their best practices and titles for using graphic novels in the classroom- from this conversation, I found <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1bMh63Tc3KzKhPO47asHJyFjgvSZoo8-J4lIUonivPKY/edit" target="_blank">this master list </a>of graphic novels, including the subjects they support and a rough grade level suggestion. I also enjoyed <a href="https://bookriot.com/2017/10/26/teacher-used-graphic-novels/" target="_blank">this interview</a> with a special education teacher who built a graphic novel lending library in his office that has changed the reading lives of many of his students.<br />
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These suggestions below are *nutritious* with the curricular connections they can support, but I definitely feel this is an area where I have a lot more exploration to do.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjajcQgmUPodeGiUBLbbwiyCIBNYImT6tU87vqenxABjN85zHsGMuKmPML_YAaresdkCPGLfZqQmzZeXIaTzVUzBkc7XgYNPATXO6ShcWso9T7Jpv5th5GJy2BNxj6NB2eB8-lo5jcoTZB2/s1600/i+am+malala+young+readers+edition.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="263" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjajcQgmUPodeGiUBLbbwiyCIBNYImT6tU87vqenxABjN85zHsGMuKmPML_YAaresdkCPGLfZqQmzZeXIaTzVUzBkc7XgYNPATXO6ShcWso9T7Jpv5th5GJy2BNxj6NB2eB8-lo5jcoTZB2/s200/i+am+malala+young+readers+edition.jpg" width="131" /></a></div>
<i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19161872-i-am-malala?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank">I Am Malala: How One Girl Stood Up For Education and Changed the World</a> </i>by Malala Yousafzai and Patrick McCormick<br />
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Malala Yousafzai is becoming a household name, and that is absolutely magical. This Young Reader's Edition of her autobiography only covers the short part of her life that had already been lived, but in doing so covers activism, terrorism, Pakistani culture, and the inspiring power of a single girl who is making a real change in real time. This could be used as part of a study of biographies, or as a compliment to lessons about geography or the effects of modern-day terrorism.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR-MkSsWINTd8pX5Hz7z-EGjwL9DvomBJLm82jGUsUkjfxkXOwi2Zm1kW8-vhGhSd6m59hbMhgP0olKbrJM0glBPiw5XzzPT5FRAZVICJYeNjxTyKmmOVDp2Kh8R26gYvBuOwro4mkz3mH/s1600/americus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="438" data-original-width="318" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR-MkSsWINTd8pX5Hz7z-EGjwL9DvomBJLm82jGUsUkjfxkXOwi2Zm1kW8-vhGhSd6m59hbMhgP0olKbrJM0glBPiw5XzzPT5FRAZVICJYeNjxTyKmmOVDp2Kh8R26gYvBuOwro4mkz3mH/s200/americus.jpg" width="145" /></a></div>
<i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10361139-americus?from_search=true" target="_blank">Americus </a></i>by M.K. Reed and Jonathan Hill<br />
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"Neal Barton just wants to read in peace." This graphic novel about a young man and a youth services librarian facing off against a conservative Christian group trying to remove a fantasy series from the public library seems important not only in the high school civics classroom but as a compliment to our librarian training. Covering issues of censorship and activism, this novel has rocketed to the top of my TBR.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmaF36gqAgJp6ZjIVNpy279-VWiCNI9whOgHPT7ljbs4kny5Eva3cATVDtOgJ7RCzAdCcgljZcWsLrGNp64UlJzgiyssxvctIL5TwzUK0YefvQAb4od4Zz3U6dzK3uNVRg7t9SO9ZxJz_z/s1600/the+arrival+shaun+tan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="474" data-original-width="318" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmaF36gqAgJp6ZjIVNpy279-VWiCNI9whOgHPT7ljbs4kny5Eva3cATVDtOgJ7RCzAdCcgljZcWsLrGNp64UlJzgiyssxvctIL5TwzUK0YefvQAb4od4Zz3U6dzK3uNVRg7t9SO9ZxJz_z/s200/the+arrival+shaun+tan.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
<i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/920607.The_Arrival?from_search=true" target="_blank">The Arrival</a> </i>by Shaun Tan<br />
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Shaun Tan is known for his other-worldly illustrations and quirky, charming subjects- <i>The Arrival </i>embodies all of this. This wordless graphic novel follows an immigrant as he tries to make a better life for his family. This wordless book is a perfect entrypoint for students who struggle with reading or who are learning English- their spoken interpretations will allow them to join class discussions in a meaningful way. <br />
<br />ashliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14355427026784107874noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4664450243693286068.post-32181603775646727452018-04-24T21:00:00.004-04:002018-04-24T21:00:44.565-04:00LBS Week 13- Scary BooksI don't like scary things- not one bit. That being said, I do have quite a few YA favorites that could toe the line. I've already mentioned <i>Evil Librarian</i> and <i>The Diviners, </i>two books that can be adored while also dishing out serious willies (the latter more than the former, but chills and gore in both). For these latest picks on the blog, I stayed with a traditional definition of scary books, which is by the far the most common request I get from students in 3rd-5th grade. When Mary Downing Hahn becomes too tame (actually never if you're me- <i>Wait Til Helen Comes </i>is still on my shelf and still scaring the piss out of me), these YA horror picks just might fit the bill.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ0zS4Ehfr9nsyEoQbwrrNpcO24mM96CnfJlLVg2nf69j3vcf2qkzjRwXC6DaqnoQf8foI3ZTmWgVsCM4SS7ctOiq-VVsc4skl65e5sf3eEwgrceMkTXFSDmZnE15nuBC1Fi9YapXl3e7Q/s1600/the+awesome+eva+darrows.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="309" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ0zS4Ehfr9nsyEoQbwrrNpcO24mM96CnfJlLVg2nf69j3vcf2qkzjRwXC6DaqnoQf8foI3ZTmWgVsCM4SS7ctOiq-VVsc4skl65e5sf3eEwgrceMkTXFSDmZnE15nuBC1Fi9YapXl3e7Q/s320/the+awesome+eva+darrows.jpg" width="208" /></a></div>
<i>The Awesome </i>by Eva Darrows<br />
Did I buy this book based solely on the badass cover? Well...maybe. This edition is gorgeous, and the premise is divine- Maggie Cunningham helps her mother with the family business. Hunting vampires. She's not like other girls (my least favorite phrase about females but it works here) and she's totally fine with it. Except there is a certain rite of passage that must be fulfilled if she wants to get her professional vampire hunting license, a certificate cannot be obtained while one is in possession of virgin blood. That's right- Maggie has to lose her V card, and she has to do it quickly. Read this book for awesome creepy monster fights and a protagonist that you'll love as much for her toughness as for her vulnerability. I will cop that there are some serious plot holes (enough that I assumed a second book would fill some things in but there don't seem to be plans for another...) but the book is definitely fun enough to enjoy on it's own!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE5evQoo8-7852iLZM0gFodRYe6sBm4gOvgfRcYSk3QxyFU6s-YBwKtNdFLGRtzzF2WdFXuC7SXn9K-6dnX1KeJC2pKQEHaD5rYvrYNGLKzIKCUg-OqZVXjFMjInHuaKO_IfGfWRri_NC_/s1600/anna+dressed+in+blood+kendare+blake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="460" data-original-width="318" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE5evQoo8-7852iLZM0gFodRYe6sBm4gOvgfRcYSk3QxyFU6s-YBwKtNdFLGRtzzF2WdFXuC7SXn9K-6dnX1KeJC2pKQEHaD5rYvrYNGLKzIKCUg-OqZVXjFMjInHuaKO_IfGfWRri_NC_/s320/anna+dressed+in+blood+kendare+blake.jpg" width="221" /></a></div>
<i>Anna Dressed in Blood </i>by Kendare Blake<br />
Despite some extremely chilling descriptions and tense ghostly scenes, this is one of my perennial favorites, a book I take out every Halloween no matter what is going on in my reading life. Cas is a ghost hunter who moves from town to town with his mother, finishing the interrupted work of his father- sending disruptive ghosts to their final resting place. Cas doesn't expect anything unusual when he hears the legend of Anna Karlov, the ghostly girl haunting a house in his latest stop, but as he gets closer to completing his goal of ending Anna, he finds it more and more difficult to follow through...<br />
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YEAH HE ACTUALLY FALLS IN LOVE WITH THE GHOST! And it's somehow not corny! And there is a second one (<i>Girl of Nightmares</i>) that I love just as much. It's incredibly fast-paced and leaves you wanting a third. I know Kendare Blake is getting a lot of popularity for her current trilogy but I always hope she'll return to Cas and Anna.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7TBCbIGMBuzuFEEtuwF4YbGyOHL9V9HTV_10dUfnUBhJITV9hd-T_F2O6dX0lCtum1FzWxNFYI7YIhHbtJphiSo-5oBa9aGo-xXjndGc8s3B-lFdOf_ubcu0AN9SAhOTVTLUNQNIhZyYU/s1600/the+girl+from+the+well+rin+chupeco.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7TBCbIGMBuzuFEEtuwF4YbGyOHL9V9HTV_10dUfnUBhJITV9hd-T_F2O6dX0lCtum1FzWxNFYI7YIhHbtJphiSo-5oBa9aGo-xXjndGc8s3B-lFdOf_ubcu0AN9SAhOTVTLUNQNIhZyYU/s320/the+girl+from+the+well+rin+chupeco.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<i>The Girl from the Well </i>by Rin Chupeco<br />
This is the only book I'm recommending that I haven't read. Goodreads is completely split on how scary this is, which makes me assume that it probably toes the line. I'll sometimes scan the Goodreads comments, but they never really match with how I feel about books I've read, so I take it all with a grain of salt. <i>The Girl from the Well</i> is based on the same Japanese legend as the movie The Ring, but this plot has the ghost of the murdered girl spending her time hunting people who hurt children. When she comes across a boy who she cannot save, she uncovers a depth of spirits and doll magic unlike anything she's seen in her three hundred plus years.ashliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14355427026784107874noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4664450243693286068.post-16279546311967450922018-04-16T16:47:00.001-04:002018-04-17T07:55:41.925-04:00LBS 803 Week Twelve- Geeky Books This is kind of my happy place. I reside comfortably in the YA/Chosen One/Girl of the Future/Savior of Her People/Minimum-Three-Book in the Series/Sci-Fi/Fantasy world, and a lot of my favorite reading experiences are from this grand tradition. I'm glad I chose <i>Warcross </i>by Marie Lu as my novel for the week, as it's definitely something I'm enjoying and comparing to a lot of my favorite reads. My blog post this week is unusual in that I've read all of these suggestions, and have rabidly loved them for various different reasons.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmh_WSw1X_qmjOVZteTWExCy8namNmSjT_1aIj7RkllYQk-37gHXrRFAs_O6rtdS2Lz8fUhamWg9OM5rjbD7cAMwf7xYHmLYqhM8BL7IozhPWpJZ_J-ldZmBsYNcpwlZQ4ivMhLDFG9S9I/s1600/an+ember+in+the+ashes+sabaa+tahir.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="318" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmh_WSw1X_qmjOVZteTWExCy8namNmSjT_1aIj7RkllYQk-37gHXrRFAs_O6rtdS2Lz8fUhamWg9OM5rjbD7cAMwf7xYHmLYqhM8BL7IozhPWpJZ_J-ldZmBsYNcpwlZQ4ivMhLDFG9S9I/s200/an+ember+in+the+ashes+sabaa+tahir.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
<i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27774758-an-ember-in-the-ashes?from_search=true" target="_blank">An Ember in the Ashes</a> </i>(a quartet) by Sabaa Taahir<br />
I've listened to this series exclusively on audio, and Steve West's voice in particular stops me in my tracks. The narration on the first switches between the main characters Laia and Elias, and the second in the series brings in a third, Helene. The world building is delicious, but the violence (both physical and sexual) can be a little much, although I am pretty sensitive to these things, and can still really enjoy. Laia ends up taking on an undercover role as a slave in order to convince a resistance group to help her brother. Elias is one of the top students at a school supported by a world he completely hates. They're drawn together repeatedly while dealing with the enormous stress of their responsibilities Two are already out with a third coming this summer!<br />
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<i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17675462-the-raven-boys?from_search=true" target="_blank">The Raven Cycle</a> </i>(a quartet) by Maggie Stiefvater<br />
This is another four-book series, this one completed, dabbling in ancient Welsh myths, mystical ley lines, tarot readings and scrying, a dead king, a dreamer who brings things back when he wakes, and a girl fated to kill the boy she loves when she kisses him. This fantasy series is heavily lined with romance- I tried harder than Blue not to fall in love with Gansey, but it's the romantic developments in the fourth book that I most appreciated. Very dark and no nonsense, this series is often reread by yours truly.<br />
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<i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7728889-the-diviners?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank">The Diviners</a> </i>(a quartet) by Libba Bray<br />
I'm sensing a pattern here...I guess good fantasy is easily tied up in fours. The Diviners series is another that dabbles in the mystical and fortune, similar to <i>The Raven Cycle </i>in that it brings its fantasy elements into a the already-existing world, but the similarities truly end there. <i>The Diviners</i> books are relentlessly researched historical fiction, bringing the 1910s to life in vivid color. A hearty cast of characters with interesting...abilities...work together to understand themselves and various mysteries taking place against the backdrop of prohibition New York City. They take forever to come out because they are SO detailed and well-researched, but they are worth the wait.<br />
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<i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10429092-the-girl-of-fire-and-thorns?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank">The Girl of Fire and Thorns</a></i> (a trilogy) by Rae Carson<br />
Full disclosure, I have not finished this trilogy. I didn't even finish the second book. But I really loved the first, and I have to include it, because INCREDIBLE FAT REP ON THE PAGE! Elisa is a fat heroine who does not suddenly acquire flashy fighting skills but uses her knowledge of strategy to save the day. Also, the gem-growing-in-your-belly-button is the coolest way to mark a Chosen One ever.<br />
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<i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20958632-the-darkest-part-of-the-forest?from_search=true" target="_blank">The Darkest Part of the Forest</a> </i>(stand alone) by Holly Black<br />
This should not have been stand alone. Holly Black paints these really amazing worlds where the supernatural creatures exist in an uneasy truce with contemporary humans (see: <i>The Coldest Girl in Coldtown) </i>and this novel is no different. Hazel and her twin brother, Ben, have always made up stories about the sleeping prince in the unbreakable glass box, and while the seeming whimsy of the situation draws tourists, Hazel knows how dangerous the fae in the forest can actually be. My only complaint about this book is that TOO MUCH happens- there are storylines about romance and bad family situations and parental pressure and stolen identity and faerie courts and changlings- it's too much for one relatively slim novel. There's a new series that just began by Black- <i>The Cruel Prince </i>is patiently waiting for me when this class is over- and I'm hoping that with more space, we'll get more of these themes with more space to breathe!<br />
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<br />ashliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14355427026784107874noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4664450243693286068.post-62832518156396882272018-04-10T17:02:00.001-04:002018-04-10T17:02:25.414-04:00LBS 803 Week Eleven- Sexxxy Books!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcEp40g4n8g0Bo774RFXpoU6iICNyXxULJG2UCRoYW9JGF-_es3YensVWe1BN6tIkoDr3J032_0tcnomfvHQEn8EIHEdIuGR2Zr08Fy72PUN4rNX4gXacGUpbix5bVDaHf27VfQj8e-uLe/s1600/court+of+mist+and+fury+sarah+j+maas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcEp40g4n8g0Bo774RFXpoU6iICNyXxULJG2UCRoYW9JGF-_es3YensVWe1BN6tIkoDr3J032_0tcnomfvHQEn8EIHEdIuGR2Zr08Fy72PUN4rNX4gXacGUpbix5bVDaHf27VfQj8e-uLe/s1600/court+of+mist+and+fury+sarah+j+maas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcEp40g4n8g0Bo774RFXpoU6iICNyXxULJG2UCRoYW9JGF-_es3YensVWe1BN6tIkoDr3J032_0tcnomfvHQEn8EIHEdIuGR2Zr08Fy72PUN4rNX4gXacGUpbix5bVDaHf27VfQj8e-uLe/s1600/court+of+mist+and+fury+sarah+j+maas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcEp40g4n8g0Bo774RFXpoU6iICNyXxULJG2UCRoYW9JGF-_es3YensVWe1BN6tIkoDr3J032_0tcnomfvHQEn8EIHEdIuGR2Zr08Fy72PUN4rNX4gXacGUpbix5bVDaHf27VfQj8e-uLe/s1600/court+of+mist+and+fury+sarah+j+maas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcEp40g4n8g0Bo774RFXpoU6iICNyXxULJG2UCRoYW9JGF-_es3YensVWe1BN6tIkoDr3J032_0tcnomfvHQEn8EIHEdIuGR2Zr08Fy72PUN4rNX4gXacGUpbix5bVDaHf27VfQj8e-uLe/s1600/court+of+mist+and+fury+sarah+j+maas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="410" data-original-width="270" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcEp40g4n8g0Bo774RFXpoU6iICNyXxULJG2UCRoYW9JGF-_es3YensVWe1BN6tIkoDr3J032_0tcnomfvHQEn8EIHEdIuGR2Zr08Fy72PUN4rNX4gXacGUpbix5bVDaHf27VfQj8e-uLe/s200/court+of+mist+and+fury+sarah+j+maas.jpg" width="131" /></a></div>
This week in class we talked about Sexy Books, and the title of this unit is actually a super-clever<br />
branding move on the part of our super-clever professor. Want to talk about romance but want to grab the attention of your teen (or adult) audience? Call it <i>Sexy Books</i> and suddenly everyone is all ears. I'm loving the aspect of this assignment that calls for physical touching of books- I've been making a point to browse in the actual bookstore, and it makes such a difference in the things that cross my path! As usual, the below are a mix of personal favorites and new releases that caught my eye.<br />
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<i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17927395-a-court-of-mist-and-fury?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank">A Court of Mist and Fury</a></i> by Sarah J. Maas<br />
This book, the second in it's series, made the list for it's eye-popping sexual content. A multi-layered high fantasy YA series, this particular storyline from Maas includes sex as a plot point, a ruse to hide true intentions, and the pinnacle of deeply romantic relationships. While the first book in the this series made me roll my eyes quite a bit (some my the tropes were too tropey, even for my trope-loving heart), I got drawn into the interesting politics as the series progressed, and the second is where the shipping (the act of hoping two characters will get together) and the fiery content really upped the game! A note when recommending- I would stick with the upper end of YA and people who won't be offended by gratuitous love scenes- Maas does NOT cut away!<br />
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<i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33916244-a-totally-awkward-love-story" target="_blank">A Totally Awkward Love Story</a> </i>by Tom Ellen and Lucy Ivison<br />
This cover JUMPED out at me in the bookstore. I love the font and sweet colors and the blurb that promises me "raunchy hilarity." Reviews from some of my favorite Goodreads friends spoke of "sexual frankness" and "seriously awkward" situations and this really sells me. Starting the summer before college, Sam and Hannah spend a PERFECT five minutes together at a house party- then get separated without even getting each other's names. A cycle of will they/won't they missed connections makes up the rest of the plot. Definitely looking forward to checking this one out.<br />
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<i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32768522-carry-on?from_search=true" target="_blank">Carry On</a></i> by Rainbow Rowell<br />
I have a huge blind spot when it comes to Rainbow Rowell- she's my...favorite. So when she was releasing a romantic ode to Harry Potter and fanfiction that was coming out on my actual 30th birthday, I was foaming to read it, and have read it a few times every year since. This book is FULL of forbidden romance, badass girls, stubble-chinned kisses, and obsession that seamlessly transforms from passionate hatred to breathless snogging in mere moments. The wizarding school/lead up to the final battle/destiny trope is flipped on its head when the protagonist falls in love with his number one enemy.<br />
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<i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34227670-a-taxonomy-of-love?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank">A Taxonomy of Love</a></i> by Rachael Allen<br />
Another book that called to me because of it's sweet cover. Goodreads and the blurb for this one promise a romance with the girl next door, a science-obsessed protagonist, and lots of really cool diagrams. Interesting points about this one include a time period that goes from age 13 to age 19 and the quest to prove whether love can be scientifically explained. Good luck, kids. This one is going on my TBR for at least a good flip through- the scientific drawings intrigue me!ashliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14355427026784107874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4664450243693286068.post-46831613900851180582018-04-02T22:09:00.001-04:002018-04-02T22:09:11.308-04:00LBS 803 Week Ten- Funny Books <i>*Note to regular readers- it's been awhile since I've "regularly posted," and things are going really well. An aspect of one of my current library classes is posting weekly blogs with book recommendations, so you'll see these posts popping up!</i><br />
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One of the most difficult recommendations to make concerns humor- how is it possible to help someone else pick out a funny book? What makes someone laugh varies so deeply person to person that you almost always need to layer additional knowledge before definitively making a call. Still, as our professor so aptly explained, broaden your definition to "amusing," and you can pad your list. This week our class took a look at funny books with <i>Dumplin' </i>by Julie Murphy, <i>Simon Vs. The Homosapien Agenda </i>by Becky Albertalli, <i>Better Nate Than Ever </i>by Tim Federle, and <i>The Disenchantments </i>by Nina Lacour. Using what I know about these books and some sleuthing in the (often disorientingly-shelved) YA section of my local Barnes and Noble, I've come up with a few more "funny books" that should make a good chunk of your students chuckle.<br />
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<i>Evil Librarian </i>by Michelle Knudsen<br />
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It's no surprise that <i>Evil Librarian </i>makes this list- this is one of my Swiss-Army-recs that fits so many different bills. Cynthia is a typical high schooler, drooling over her crush (who happens to be the lead in the high school musical), designing her dream set (for the high school musical), and hanging out with her best friend (in between- you guessed it- rehearsals for the high school musical). Things are tripping along nicely until the new librarian shows up and WHOOPS, he's a demon who has decided to take Annie, Cynthia's bestie, as his demon bride. Cynthia's voice as a "roach," the common term for a human who doesn't fall under the thrall of a demon, is quite hilarious, as is the world that Knudsen builds around the events of the novel. (My favorite tidbit? The demons are obsessed with musical theater, and when they find out the school is performing Sweeney Todd, they hold off all plans for an evil takeover until after opening night.). This book is not the deepest of all plots, but you will definitely giggle.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQsuMKOywQZX714oICXmarIN5ql37XXkrLhO0uZXjLHh-prQl1Ncbtb92_Rt8lZhZd7MHrpQ6vXLHn1SSNfyQW2-7dO-pl3WFVxAUSc-rocnDWl2S7hYS7YUTETtdNljAge59id3Hn7tBU/s1600/my+lady+jane.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="315" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQsuMKOywQZX714oICXmarIN5ql37XXkrLhO0uZXjLHh-prQl1Ncbtb92_Rt8lZhZd7MHrpQ6vXLHn1SSNfyQW2-7dO-pl3WFVxAUSc-rocnDWl2S7hYS7YUTETtdNljAge59id3Hn7tBU/s320/my+lady+jane.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<i>My Lady Jane </i>by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, Jodi Meadows<br />
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European royalty has been the subject of SO MUCH fiction, and not much of it has been anything to laugh at- using marriages as contracts between countries, killing off wives when you're done with them...it's a grim time period. However, <i>My Lady Jane </i>takes the serious subject of familial obligation and mixes it playfully with fantastical shape shifting, elaborate double lives, and accidental romance. Light and very, very silly, <i>My Lady Jane </i>is a refreshing twist on Tudor England sure to make students crack a smile.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxXoUvHocTYL-BV7bwBdDqPPfUNCRXu0-i2YtOQjXWsbkWcMHjfO5Ri5Klce3bVc3QUJxnyXOxA_bBA9ObtlDI5St7gqkyjs7yeLZ5WAYrd8c3t3Z_WAWiAgIbxkjd1KgUtGidxG8By1AB/s1600/not+now+not+ever.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxXoUvHocTYL-BV7bwBdDqPPfUNCRXu0-i2YtOQjXWsbkWcMHjfO5Ri5Klce3bVc3QUJxnyXOxA_bBA9ObtlDI5St7gqkyjs7yeLZ5WAYrd8c3t3Z_WAWiAgIbxkjd1KgUtGidxG8By1AB/s320/not+now+not+ever.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
<i>Not Now Not Ever </i>by Lily Anderson<br />
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Anderson's books fall into the perfect Venn Diagram of funny and pop culture nerdy. A retelling of <i>The Importance of Being Earnest, </i>Anderson's novel follows Elliot as she embarks on a summer mission to win a scholarship to the Science Fiction Literature program at her dream college. The blurb alone references Ender's Game, Alien, Star Wars, and Octavia Butler. This is a companion to the much-lauded <i>The Only Thing Worse Than Me Is You</i>, a similarly culture-laden retelling of <i>The Taming of the Shrew</i>, and Anderson fans gush about her niche as a geeky/cute reteller of classics. I haven't read either of these books yet, but they've moved to the top of my TBR.ashliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14355427026784107874noreply@blogger.com0