JOIN: Celebrating John Lewis and Honoring Martin Luther King Jr.

Every Saturday, join me as I CELEBRATE This Week 

with Ruth Ayres from Discover. Play. Build.

In November of last year, I was in Atlanta for a conference and I went to The Center for Civil and Human Rights with my friends Brian, Beth, and Kevin. It was a powerful and moving experience, especially since it was shortly after the election that shocked so many of us.

I wish everyone could experience this beautiful homage to people who have fought for civil and human rights here in the United States and all over the world. It's haunting and harrowing but also hopeful. I'm more aware of the history and of how history plays into today's context but also more inspired than ever. 

You may have seen Donald Trump's tweets targeted at Representative John Lewis. John Lewis is a remarkable man who has experienced so much as a civil rights activist. I had been meaning to read his graphic novel trilogy but seeing the tweets made me go out and buy them from my local independent bookstore. Sales of the books have skyrocketed but it doesn't hurt to buy more copies. 

If you haven't read them, you might want to check them out. And if you already have your own copies or you've read them, maybe you'll donate a set to your local school or public library. John Lewis should be celebrated, his work and the work of so many others should be recognized now and always. 

On Monday, I'm honoring Martin Luther King Jr. by teaching my kids about him and his work and taking my nine-year-old to see Hidden Figures. We also have plans for gathering items such as blankets and socks to hand out to homeless people. And lastly, I need to buy yarn to make myself a hat from the Pussyhat Project. I won't be able to march next week because I committed to teaching an enrichment program but I'll definitely wear my hat!

It doesn't feel like enough, especially compared to what Martin Luther King, Jr. accomplished along with the people like him who gave their lives for improving our country...but it does feel like something. And something is always a start towards something more. Little somethings add up to a bigger something.

Do you have plans to honor Martn Luther King Jr.? 

I'd love to hear them. Thanks for stopping in!

I Believe I Can And I Will

I experience a lot of change in 2015. My word one little word was grace and I worked on managing every change that came my way and every change that I sought out that year. Stretching and growing was my game in 2015 and it's also when I adopted this mantra for my life:

I believe

I can

and I will. 

The growth mindset is my thing. After deciding the only real way to encourage others to have a growth mindset was to show them how, I've strived to live and model the growth mindset throughout my life. 

Just the other day, someone said to me, "You have so much energy. How do you have time to get it all done? Do you sleep?" 

I've heard this before. Yet I'm still not sure how to respond. To start, I believe I can and I will...but I only put my energy into things I believe are worth my time. I've learned to pass or say no when it's not something I'm enthusiastic about and I've learned to engage with things I'm definitely excited and enthusiastic about. Sometimes I'm overwhelmed but for the most part I manage my time and bring my love to whatever I'm doing. 

Yes, I do sleep. (Between 6-8 hours a night actually.)

No, I don't do it all. (I'm behind on laundry, need to empty the dishwasher, and there are toys I need to inspire the kids to pick up. Not to mention my husband does lots and lots of stuff. (I'm a lucky girl.))

But most importantly, I do the things I love. I make time for the things I love. I look for opportunities to do the things I love. Because spending time doing things I love is energizing. 

Let's Write! Change helped me find out what I really want to be spending my time on. I took a position in my previous district that wasn't quite what I thought it was going to be and it meant less time reading and writing and sharing my love literacy with students. During that year, I did an activity that I discovered in book. I invite you to try it now. Set your timer for 5 minutes (and give yourself more time if you need it when the times up), and free write your answer to this sentence: My life is ideal when... Write anything and everything that comes to mind, just let your mind wander and smile as you think of everything you really love about life. You want more of what you love in your life, right? When the time is up, look at everything you have written and identify themes. I was able to boil mine down to three specific things. My life is ideal when: 1) I'm spending time with family and friends, 2) I'm reading and writing and connecting with others who read and write, and 3) I'm being healthy (eating well, practicing yoga, staying active, etc.). Then I used those as an anchor to think about where I wanted to go with my life. It's easier to say no to things if they don't fit into your ideal life. 

Bonus: Let's Write! Do you have a mantra? A why? A phrase that continues to spur you forward? This year my one little word is zealous and my catchphrase, "I believe I can and I will", is more powerful and helpful to me than ever. You might know exactly a phrase that you live by or you might need to search for one. Pay attention over the next few days and see if you can notice anything you find yourself saying a lot or ideas that come to mind that encourage you. Write it down, label it your mantra, sit with it for a week and see if you like it. Then, post it somewhere you can see often and live it. 

Read Next! After Magic Tree House

Have a book you would to see features on Read Next here at Teach Mentor Texts? Tweet me and I'll ask the Twitterverse to chime in and then maybe create a post to share here!

If a reader looooooooooooooves...

The Magic Tree House series

by Mary Pope Osborne

Then he or she might like to read these books next...

Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown (series - Original and Worldwide Adventures)

The Treehouse Books by Andy Griffiths (series)

Rise of the Dragon by Tracey West (Scholastic Branches - Dragon Master series)

Weekends with Max and His Dad by Linda Urban

Cody and the Fountain of Happiness by Tricia Springstubb

The Boxcar Children Mysteries by Gertrude Chandler Warner (series)

Love, Ruby Lavender by Deborah Wiles

Milo Speck, Accidental Agent by Linda Urban

And here are books Twitter friends recommend!

Ranger In Time by Kate Messner (series)
Recommended by Lesley Burnap, Maria Selke, Anissa Jones, and Jen Floyd

Time Warp Trio by Jon Scieszka (series)
Recommended by Nora Olig

The Data Set by Ada Hopper (series)
Recommended by Earl Dizon

Secret Agent Jack Stalwart by Elizabeth Singer Hunt (series)
Recommended by Earl Dizon

I Survived by Lauren Tarshis (series)
Recommended by Earl Dizon and Mrs. Hull

Who Was biography series from Penguin Random House

Recommended by Earl Dizon

Capture The Flag by Kate Messner (Silver Jaguar series)

Recommended by Lesley Burnap

Moving Target by Christina Diaz Gonzalez (series)

Recommended by Lesley Burnap

Do you have books to add to our list?

Please share in the comments!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? 01/09/2017

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? From Picture Books to YA! 

It's Monday! What are you Reading? is a meme hosted by Kathryn at Book Date. It is a great way to recap what you read and/or reviewed the previous week and to plan out your reading and reviews for the upcoming week. It's also a great chance to see what others are reading right now...you just might discover your next “must-read” book!

Kellee Moye, of Unleashing Readers, and I decided to give It's Monday! What Are You Reading? a kidlit focus. If you read and review books in children's literature - picture books, chapter books, middle grade novels, young adult novels, anything in the world of kidlit - join us! We love this meme and think you will, too. We encourage everyone who participates to visit at least three of the other kidlit book bloggers that link up and leave comments for them. 

Last Week's Book Adventures:

We're about a quarter of the way into Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban. I love this book! It's got Hogsmeade, and the Marauder's Map, and Sirius Black. So fun. And Little Bean and I finished reading Flat Stanley. I'm still reading Rising Strong and I've convinced my husband to let me read Mexican White Boy aloud to him. 

Reviewed Last Week:
Here at TMT, I celebrated books I'm looking forward to in 2017!

Over at Story Exploratory, I celebrated writing habits!

Click on any picture above to go read my review/post.

Upcoming Book Adventures: 

I'm excited for more Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and to finding a new book to read with Little Bean. I'm determined to finish up Rising Strong and to move onto other books...but I know it'll feel good if I just focus in and finish Rising Strong first!

This Week's Reviews:

Check back throughout the week to read these reviews/posts. 

So, what are you reading this week? 

Link up below and don't forget to check out other blogs to see what they are reading!

To help build our community and support other bloggers, 

we ask that you comment on at least three other blogs before you. 

Also, if you tweet about your Monday post, don't forget to use #IMWAYR!

JOIN: Celebrating Writing Habits!

Every Saturday, join me as I CELEBRATE This Week 

with Ruth Ayres from Discover. Play. Build.

Today I'm celebrating how I've kicked off 2017 by thinking about my writing habits. I thought I would share some of the activities I've used to reflect and plan for the year. 

It started when I joined Julie Hedlund's 12 Days of Christmas for Writers. Each day, she emailed videos that helped me reflect and plan forward for 2017. Reflecting on 2016 helped me think about what I want to focus on doing more of in 2017. Here's a drawing I did (which was one of the exercises Julie had us to) that sums up my 2016 reflections and my hopes for 2017. 

My friend Sara Biren also shared this post on Seven Steps to Setting Goals You Can Achieve from the Institute For Writers. From that I came up with a list of things to learn, teach, quit, face, start, try, and practice. 

Cheryl B. Klein shared a suggestion for some lists to create instead of resolutions in her last newsletter. Thanks to her thoughts, I wrote out lists of things to read, practice, and experience for this year. Just for fun here are the things on my experience list:

To Experience in 2017:

Kundalini

Getting a tattoo

Being zealous!

There was some overlap and I reached the point where I needed to start really thinking forward instead of reflecting. So now I'm taking the Seriously Creative course through YARWA. My friend Marcie Atkins shared it with me and we signed up together. It really helps to have her doing it with me! I want to be more disciplined in my writing and to create a consistent habit of writing everyday. Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday of this week, I actually woke up a bit earlier so I could write for ten minutes before getting ready in the morning. It was awesome! I actually ended up writing for more than ten minutes, I found myself thinking about my writing and wanting to get back to it, AND I felt free to work on housework in the afternoon/evenings because I didn't feel pressure to get to my writing since I had already spent time on it in the morning. It was pretty awesome. I didn't realize how trying and creating a totally new habit would shift how the rest of my day went. It's been pretty cool and I'm hoping to continue it. 

Do you have writing habits that work for you?

I'd love to hear about them!

Let's Celebrate 2017 Books!

It's time to CELEBRATE This Week with Ruth Ayres from Discover. Play. Build.  Every week Ruth invites us to share our celebrations from the week and link up at her blog. What a fun way to reflect on everything there is to be thankful for. 

*                  *                   *

This week I'm celebrating school-wide collaboration!

*throws confetti*

January means thinking about the books I'm looking forward to this year! The Nerdy awards were announced last month and the ALA awards will be announced in two weeks but today I'm thinking about MG and YA books I'm excited to read this year. 

At the top of the list is The Peculiar Incident on Shady Street by my friend Lindsay Currie. Unfortunately, I have to wait until September to read this middle grade novel but I'm so so so excited for it! Isn't the book cover lovely? Lindsay describes it as, "Strong girls, clever boys, ghosts and first crushes️." Can you see why I can't wait?

And there here are some YA books I'm looking forward to in 2017:

 

It's going to be another year of wonderful books, I can just tell. What books are you excited for this year?

What are you celebrating this week?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? 01/02/2017

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? From Picture Books to YA! 

It's Monday! What are you Reading? is a meme hosted by Kathryn at Book Date. It is a great way to recap what you read and/or reviewed the previous week and to plan out your reading and reviews for the upcoming week. It's also a great chance to see what others are reading right now...you just might discover your next “must-read” book!

Kellee Moye, of Unleashing Readers, and I decided to give It's Monday! What Are You Reading? a kidlit focus. If you read and review books in children's literature - picture books, chapter books, middle grade novels, young adult novels, anything in the world of kidlit - join us! We love this meme and think you will, too. We encourage everyone who participates to visit at least three of the other kidlit book bloggers that link up and leave comments for them. 

Last Week's Book Adventures:

Happy New Year! Hooray for 2017! I'm excited about reading more books, writing more words, and making a difference in the world. We finished reading Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets this week...and then watched the movie twice. I'm still working on Rising Strong and A Boy Called Bat.

Reviewed Last Week:

Over at Story Exploratory, I celebrated the start of 2017!

Click on any picture above to go read my review/post.

Upcoming Book Adventures: 

I'm excited to dive into Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban. It's super fun to reread as my nine-year-old does too. Love it. I'm also reading Flat Stanley with Little Bean and it's fun so far. I'm looking forward to all the great books that'll come my way in 2017! Do you have one you're particularly excited about it? I'd love to hear what you are looking forward to!

This Week's Reviews:

Check back throughout the week to read these reviews/posts. 

So, what are you reading this week? 

Link up below and don't forget to check out other blogs to see what they are reading!

To help build our community and support other bloggers, 

we ask that you comment on at least three other blogs before you. 

Also, if you tweet about your Monday post, don't forget to use #IMWAYR!

JOIN: Celebrate the Start of 2017!

Every Saturday, join me as I CELEBRATE This Week 

with Ruth Ayres from Discover. Play. Build.

It's 2017! Hooray for 2017! I'm super excited to start a new year.

I'm celebrating with a latte! Cheers! Salud!

I love having time at the end of the year/beginning of the year to reset. We've been decluttering and getting organized and making plans for this year and it feels awesome. 

Last year at this time I had a lot to celebrate as we started 2016. I celebrated our new puppy but now we've had Perdi for over a year and she's still such a great part of my life. She's adorable and sweet and it's so neat to see how she's another family member now. I'm super glad to have potty training and puppy training behind us for the most part...she could still work on not jumping on people and on not stealing food...but that's okay. 

This year, we have another new addition to the family. My oldest son asked us for a bearded dragon for Christmas. He's wanted a lizard for a long time and it finally felt right. So now we also have a reptile running around. His name is Zeke and he's pretty fun too. 

Besides Perdi and Zeke, I have a list of what I also loved about 2016 to officially celebrate (and move on...).

 What I Loved About 2016:

• My OLW for 2016 was 'revel' and I tried to soak up all the fun things we did in 2016. I used Instagram to snap and share pictures. We did so many fun things but I also tried to just be happy with little things too, like time to write at Starbucks or reading books with my kids.
• I connected with so many new writing friends this year. I met Kelli Newby, Traci Chee and other friends from my 2014 Pitch Wars group in real life. I found new CPs and was buoyed up by CPs I already had. (It's neat to watch how relationships develop over time...the ones that get more special as time goes on are so wonderful.) There are so many wonderful new writer people in my life I can't even list them. How cool is that?
• This year, I made it to Nerdcamp and NCTE again. I'm always honored to present and learn so much from connecting with others there. There's always something to learn and both of these conferences teach me so much. 
• We also did some great traveling. We stayed close and went to Indianapolis for a spring break road trip to visit with my college roommate and her family and then we also did a trip to Wisconsin Dells and had fun at all the waterparks (the kids had never been). But the best trip from 2016 was the two weeks we spent in Guatemala. I had never been before and it was so perfect to be there with all of my family. 
• After Guatemala, the best experience this year was getting an agent. I signed with Danielle Smith from Lupine Grove Creative and I couldn't be happier. Hooray! I'm still so excited and think I will be forever. 
• And finally, I love to live the growth mindset and I did that a few times this year. I hiked a volcano (so cool!), I entered a few contests (like Pitch Wars) and a writing bootcamp, I dressed up like Elena of Avalor (thanks to my mom!), and  I started sending a newsletter.

My 2016 Best Nine

So now it's time to celebrate 2017! Hooray!!! I shared my one little word for 2017 on Instagram and now I'm sharing it here...

*drum roll*

Here's what the word zealous means to me: having great energy or enthusiasm in pursuit of a cause or an objective. This is the first year that a word chose me and I'm all about it. I've already got lots of ideas and plans and I'm full of energy and enthusiasm (it might have a *little* do to with that latte I started this post with...). I'll share more about my plans for living this one little word this year. Let's do this! 

What did you love about 2016?

What are you excited and energetic about for 2017?

I've got (virtual) confetti at the ready. 

Thanks for stopping in to explore with me!