Summer Reading... so far

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I have been working through a few good books this summer, between cleaning out my daughter's room, washing lots of dishes (now I know why we like to eat out!) and purging the basement.  Here's a few I've enjoyed:

 (book cover photos from goodreads.com)

My sister-in-law shared Summerland with me.  She devours adult fiction and passes them to me (we love Janet Evanovich's quick reads).  I liked this book as it wove together the small town of Nantucket, MA as three families deal with a teen car accident.  The writing floats between the past and present, and reveals so much about the characters.

 The Caster Chronicles series by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl caught my eye when the Beautiful Creatures movie trailer came out.  They tend to be a bit long, but the characters and the South Carolina town they inhabit are fun to read about.  The magical categories and boy/girl drama between Lena and Ethan keep me reading this series.  The next book in the series is Beautiful Redemption.  I may save it for winter reading.

 Butter is a morbidly obese high schooler who plays a mean saxophone and secretly pines for a girl in his class.  He's bullied by two guys, especially, and decides he should just eat himself to death.  Butter has some great mentors, but you can feel his desperation.  (Psst - it does have a happy ending, don't worry!)

The Book of Broken Hearts is my second read by Sarah Ockler.  I immensely enjoyed reading about Jude and her family (three intense sisters, hardworking mom, dad with early-onset Alzheimer's).  These characters are so real and dealing with such a raw, terrible disease.  There's great sparks and chemistry between Jude and Emilio.  He's a motorcycle repair kid from a family of heartbreakers who Jude is supposed to avoid.  Be prepared for heartache and tears in this story.  I couldn't put it down.

Finally, I need to go back and reread Liar and Spy by Rebecca Stead.  This is my fave middle grade read this summer.  Georges, Mom and Dad downsize to an apartment building in New York.  Georges meets Safer and Candy, two homeschooled kids, who introduce him to the art of spying.  Georges deals with separation from his mom and a few bullies at school.  The ending makes you realize how much you missed while you read this book!  I didn't figure out the clues the author left, so I'm determined to reread and find them.  This would be a great read for those middle graders who crave a little mystery.

Happy summer reading!  I recommend setting up a Goodreads.com account and searching #bookaday on Twitter to find your next great read!

Progress

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Progress

We are all making progress in my house this June.  We have many different goals and dreams, but everyone is taking small and large steps.  

My youngest daughter (nearly 15) conquered her cluttered, tchochke-filled room and closet with just a little help.  She felt better about sending her stuffed animal collection to the basement or my classroom ("Mom, the kids need to have a Read With the Bears Day in your room!").

Her room is nearly ready for a fresh coat of paint, now that we've removed some furniture (*See my progress below) and cleared her space.

My oldest daughter (gulp, a senior) has been applying for a part-time job and deciding which colleges she needs to visit this summer before diving into the application progress.  I've tried my best to give her space and not nag her about the job apps (I'm failing miserably!).  She's asking lots of friends about where she should apply and has successfully answered hundreds of personality and work style questions on these 45-minute applications.

My husband is now at the 5-week mark after heart surgery.  He wasn't cleared to drive yet (UGH!) but he has helped me fix up a few items around the house with a screw gun and circular saw.  This week he plans to spend some time in his office and maybe work a touch on the basement.  He's determined to get into cardiac rehab ASAP so he can start working out.  

I took the bookshelf from my youngest's room and plan to house my home library collection in the basement.  I bought clear shoeboxes and started sorting a few shelves of books.  The basement floor is a total disaster, as I only work on this project when we have crummy weather.  I'm so glad that I've started to sort what I have - I didn't realize how many books need to be in my classroom library.  Once I can get back into school, I'll purge and organize there, too.  This project is long overdue, and I'm excited to finally be making progress.

A Little Stir Crazy

I started my summer vacation a few weeks early when my husband had surgery.  I think we both know we've become a bit stir crazy.  Today's episode proves it.

The UPS and FedEx trucks make frequent stops at our house.  We (especially hubby) enjoy shopping online, especially for hard to find items.  Today I was expecting a box of clothing, but a tall, skinny box was left on our porch.

"Oh! It's my garden weasel!" my husband exclaimed.

The following soliloquy ran through my head and out of my mouth:

A garden weasel?  The garden tool on TV?  You have got to be kidding me.  You really ordered a garden weasel? Why do we need that? We don't even have a garden! Did you order that contraption when you couldn't sleep at 2:00 a.m?  I seriously think you need to change your meds.  Are you out of your mind?  Why do you "need" the most random items? Why did you order a garden weasel?

He opened the box and inside was the famous TV tool.  He just looked at me with his mouth open, shocked that I couldn't understand why he ordered it.

I stomped  away and pouted on the reading chair.  A million ideas ran through my head:  I should call the doctor.  I need to hide his credit card.  The man has lost his mind!

A few minutes later, I found him in the bedroom.  I apologized for my verbal attack on his shopping habits.

"I bought the garden weasel so I could fix the patch of grass that got charred from the fire pit.  I figured it was the best tool for the job, and we didn't have one" stated my husband, matter-of-factly.  "Is that okay with you?"

Oh.

I guess it's time to go read a book or organize my home library.

Encouragement

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Encouragement - that's the word I'm focusing on this week!

Encouraging my teens:
It's the last full week of classes for my teen daughters.

The freshman is covered in papers from the past few weeks of classes, haphazardly thrown in a folder.  We discuss the importance of getting organized for finals. That's too big an idea for my youngest, the right-brained creative-type.  We talk specifics.. sorting papers, writing notes, filling out study guides.
"Thank you for NOT calling me LAZY like some of my teachers!" she exclaims.
She's her worst enemy when it comes to self-talk... she needs encouragement.

The junior has a few quizzes, essays, and reading to do.  Two AP tests are out of the way, so those classes have started showing movies.  Many of her friends are seniors and their last day is this week.  Prom is on Friday.  She needs encouragement to stay focused on school, even with all the fun activities and friends with "senioritis" surrounding her.  Junior year is the toughest, especially at the end!

Encouraging my husband:
I'm on family leave, helping my husband recover from heart surgery, so it's another week of slowwww healing for him.  He needs encouragement in a sly way.  I can't remind him that he can't lift the pot on the stove after he boils pasta.  He doesn't want me to offer to help him find a comfortable position for sleeping.  He needs encouragement to keep positive and not be frustrated by his tight chest muscles and sore back.

Encouraging myself:
Since I'm not working, it's hard not to think about what I could and should be doing at school, with my students, in these last days of school.  I thought about making them an iMovie to remind them to read over summer vacation.  I'm going to start organizing the hundreds of books I have at home.  I hope to scan them into an app and sort them into categories so I can have an awesome classroom library in the fall.

In addition to balancing hubby care with book projects and making meals, I need encouragement to stay out of the fridge and snack cabinet.  It's much easier to eat lots of yummy stuff when I'm at home.  I must encourage myself to keep walking and riding my bike.

I hope you will share some encouragement with someone who needs it this week!

Thankful for nurses

Yesterday, my husband had heart surgery to repair a genetic defect.  The surgery was successful, and I'm thankful for all the awesome people who decided to make their career nursing.

Kind and Caring
The pre-op nurses were calming and funny.  They soothed our anxious nerves as they prepped my husband for his procedure.  They shared stories about their pets (the female cat named Jeffrey) and their families.  All of them had great bedside manner, even at such an early hour.  

Informed and Efficient
The communication nurses balanced their pagers, phones and notebooks.  They gave precise information -in minute increments - about the status of the surgery.  They scurried between waiting areas to find families and delivered messages in a clear language.

Essential and Confident
The nurses in the ICU were able to welcome us into a maze of intimidating machines, scared to see our loved one in such a vulnerable condition.  They gave clear status updates as we stared with large eyes and my knees buckled.  They assured us that we could leave, eat and rest, and they would keep a vigilant watch.

Tireless and Patient
The recovery nurses have the hardest job.  They get to work through the pain, nausea and meals.  They support and walk with my husband when he doesn't really want to.  They deal with family visitors who are in the way in a room that barely fits the patient and his equipment.  They will see the most improvement, but they will work the hardest.

I am so very thankful for the incredible nurses who have helped us navigate this very intense experience.  May they get the thanks they deserve on a regular basis.

Loosening my grip

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Raising teens can be fun - they get your sarcastic jokes and funny comments.  They have some decent reasoning and usually understand the reasons you refuse to let them do something.  They have great stories to share about their social lives (if they decide that you can hear it!).

It's a bit more tricky to raise teens who have a driver's license and access to a car.  There's a balance between over-parenting and under-parenting.  I'm still trying to find ways to keep track of my daughter, allowing her to run errands and even get a bite to eat, without both of us feeling like she's being micromanaged.

I've asked for a message when she moves from one place to another.  That's worked pretty well.  Some days I'll be told earlier in the day that she plans to head for the mall or food after practice.  Some days there is "radio silence."

On those days I'll send out a message, asking if she's still in the place where she started.  Then I get the "sorry... we went..." message.  I try to contain my frustration.  When did a driver's license give you the freedom to jaunt all over town?  I know - when I gave you access to a car.

We are trying our best to get along and keep the communication lines open.  I'm jealous of time she spends with her friends, away from home, but at the same time we have little to talk about when she is home.  Sometimes I'm accused of talking to her too much when she's home.

I'm feeling the stress of walking on eggshells, trying to preserve our relationship.  I don't want to fall into the overly dramatic mother/teen dramatic-I-hate-you/you-are-ungrateful but I feel like I'm working too hard to watch my steps and what I say.  I've heard from other mothers of teens that you should stay true to your mothering style and the teen has to deal with it.

One thing I want to become better at doing is to remind both my girls each day that I do love them to pieces.  That's hard to express when "I love you!" is  a phrase we use sparingly in my house.  My husband and I are mushy when it's funny.  We need to find a way to express our love and feelings of pride to our kids.

I never thought I would say this, but parenting teens is tiring and wonderful, all at the same time.

Emotional day

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Sunday night
Busy mind, tired body
Wind howling through the yard
Little sleep

Monday morning
Testing, thinking
Teaching, lecturing
Students, staff
Long day

Monday afternoon
News
Distress
Concern
Disbelief
Helplessness

Monday evening
Questions, few answers
Discouraged
Processing with my children

Monday night
Brahms, Tschaikovsky,
Winds, brass, strings
Beethoven, Greig
Calm
Peaceful
Sleep