BulgingButtons

Not bad for a fat girl


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Any Resolutions?

I didn’t make any New Year’s resolutions this year. I haven’t in a while. I know that I’m horrible at keeping them, and then I feel guilty, so I just avoid that whole thing.

I do, however, tend to take stock around New Year’s, which I think is pretty common.

A few thoughts I’ve had are:

  1. Jeez, I’ve eaten a lot of crappy stuff over the holidays. Better cut that out.
  2. Golly, I’ve gotten pretty lazy. Better get moving.
  3. I like books. A lot. I should make time to read more of them.

That’s about it. Simple, right? And yet maybe not. So no, I didn’t make any resolutions, but I’m trying to eat better, move more, and read more. So far, so good. calvin-hobbes-new-years-resolutions.jpg

Eating at home has been a help, and so has the passage of the holidays. There are fewer temptations, and less justifying this little treat or that little indulgence. Don’t get me wrong, I’m far from perfect, and just today we were discussing the fact that vegetables really need to make up a larger portion of our meals, but January is better than December was in this regard.

As far as exercise goes, the fitness challenge at work couldn’t have come at a better time. There is plenty of support for getting up and getting moving throughout the day, and it’s been helping. My Fitbit has been much happier since I’ve been giving it more steps to count each day.

That leaves the reading. I was lucky to get a new Kindle as a gift, along with a sleek new case for it, and I’ve been enjoying it. I also read a “real” book a friend loaned me a while ago, and it was fabulous. I’ve read six books so far in 2018, so I’d say I’m off to a good start.

So that’s where I am with all this resolution-type stuff? How about you? What are you trying to do in the new year?


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Poetry Under the Stars

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We had an event at our elementary school Wednesday evening called Poetry Under the Stars. It was the first year for this event, but I think it will be back in the future. At least I hope so.

Our phenomenal powerhouse of a PTA president approached me with the idea of hosting this event, and she asked for my thoughts. I’m not shy about putting in my two cents, and I do love kids and poetry, so I shared my thoughts and agreed to help out.

A flyer went home asking kids to a submit a poem if they would like to read at the event. The response was overwhelming. Old favorites showed up (there was plenty of Shel Silverstein shared) and original poetry by our own students was submitted. We took them all.

The kids arrived at school in the evening with their families and blankets and fortified themselves with hot cocoa and cookies. Then they entered the “Poetry Pit” for the event. One of the very few benefits of having a school that was built in 1975 is that there are giant concrete “pits” with stair-step levels that allow access to the lower level classroom of our split-level school.

Okay, so maybe they aren’t a benefit most of the time, but for our event the pit was transformed. A microphone was hooked up, and beautiful starlight illuminated the back wall, which displayed some cool fifth grade artwork.

One by one our little poetry buffs made their way to me and the mic and read their poems for the appreciative audience. Even a few of our kindergarteners shared poems, and they were adorable.

I have to tell you, in my role as MC I got to stand near every kid as they read, and during the entire event I think there were only three mispronunciations. Incredible. Those kids were prepared and confident!

In all we had kids sharing poetry for nearly an hour. Last I heard there were fifty-one kids who read a poem. Fifty-one kids showing up for literacy, and all of them brought along people who cared about them. What an amazing thing. What a wonderful thing. What a community commitment to our kids.

Say what you will about testing and common core and “kids today,” but events like this one remind me that I still have the best job in the world.


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Welcome to My World

Meaning the very opposite of what it sounds like.

Let me explain. The phrase “my world” usually means the world in which you live. The actual spaces you inhabit. It also means the day to day experiences you encounter. So I inhabit the world of my neighborhood, my community, my school (workplace), my city, state, and nation. I also inhabit the world of mom of a college student, fourth grade teacher, suburbanite, dog mom, fiancée, blogger, and more.

We all inhabit multiple worlds.

Those worlds, however, aren’t what I’m talking about. I’m talking about the great big wide world which I mostly haven’t seen or visited. I certainly haven’t inhabited it. But I do welcome it, and I do claim it.

I claim it because it is as much mine as it is anyone’s. It belongs to all or us and none of us. It is our big wide world, and I’m glad you’re in it with me.one-world-week.jpg

There are eyes on my words around this planet we inhabit. Someone in South Africa reads my words, and shares her thoughts. Another in the Bahamas shares the experience of raising a young man, and we have a bond. We feel connected because something larger than each of us is at play. We may or may not have anything in common, but somehow you’ve found me, and I find that particularly marvelous, so I want to shout from the rooftoop, Welcome, Welcome to you all!