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Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Broke and The Bookish.

This week’s topic:  Top Ten Characters I Would Crush on if I Were Also a Fictional Character

My top ten are listed in no particular order.

Mr. Darcy and many other Jane Austen heroes.  Darcy is particularly endearing to me because I have a huge crush on Colin Firth.  (Mark Darcy from Bridget Jones’ Diary is a particularly nice twist to this character)

Ren from the Tiger Saga by Colleen Houck is absolutely dreamy…I was so mad at Kelsey throughout this saga for dragging her feet.  Then I was made at the author for throwing so many twists at them.

Noah Shaw from The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer and The Evolution of Mara Dyer.  He is so devoted to Mara and is just mysterious enough to be super dreamy.

Perry from Under the Never Sky.  I don’t remember what exactly I loved about him, but I do remember feeling that book crush feeling and even tweeting about how I was a little in love with Perry.

 Adam from Shatter Me.  He is just so sweet.

 Gilbert Blythe from Anne of Green Gables and the rest of the series.  He is so cute and lovable.  (I also loved the actor that played this character in the PBS mini-series)

Po from Graceling is so patient with Katsa.  He is also just so powerful!

This is kind of a weird one, but I really love Meggie’s father Mo from Inkheart.  He is such a wonderful man and he does such a good job of raising a daughter who loves books.  I have kind of a schoolgirl crush on Mo.

Both Joe Morelli and Ranger are sexy and mysterious and super hot.  If I lived in Stephanie Plum’s world I would be crushing big time on both of these men.

Jack in Blood Red Road is another book crush.  He has more patience than most people would have.  Saba is a brat throughout this book but he is willing to stick with her and is able to see the good in her.

Ruth and Stacey at Two Writing Teachers host the Slice of Life every Tuesday.

When I was younger, Easter was probably my favorite holiday.  My mother dressed us up in matching dresses and sweaters that she knit for us.  I always got a new “Easter bonnet” and the day was filled with fun and family.

For us, the easter basket hunt began as soon as we woke up.  Would it be in the refrigerator?  the stove?  the cabinet?  maybe my closet?  My sister and I hunted for the baskets and inevitably I would find hers before I found mine.  Since I was five years older, mine was always a little more difficult to find.

My Easter basket was always a fun discovery.  My mother did not want us to just gorge ourselves on candy.  While there were always our favorites in the basket, most of the basket was filled with small presents.  The Easter bunny was very literate and I always got a few books that I had been asking for in my basket.  Aside from this, we usually got some socks, maybe a scarf or necklace, and some sort of cute little puzzle game.

After the Easter baskets were found, and sufficient time was spent exploring the treasures found there, it was time to get all dolled up for Easter Sunday church services.  This was one of the few Sundays a year that my father came to church with us.  I always felt so proud of my family.  We were all dressed up and looking quite spiffy.  The church service was always so festive with the music joyful.  Sometimes, we also had the treat of having my grandparents, my father’s parents, visiting.  This was quite possibly my favorite church-going experience every year (a close second would be midnight mass on Christmas Eve).

Then, it was time to go home to Easter dinner.  We had ham and cheesy potatoes every year for sure.  Easter was also one of the few times in the year that I was allowed to have hard-boiled eggs.  My father had heart problems and had been placed on a strict low-cholesterol diet.  This meant very few eggs in our household—or at least few egg yolks.  I loved that we had our colored eggs to eat during this holiday and I savored the egg-salad sandwiches that we enjoyed for a few days after.

One of the things I miss the most about before my father died is the way holidays felt for us.  Yes, we still celebrate and try to have some fun, but it just isn’t the same.  I know this would have changed naturally as we became adults and moved on to celebrate with our own families, but I miss that feeling of special family time.

It’s Monday! What are you reading? –From Picture Books to YA–is a weekly meme hosted by Jen and Kellee at Teach Mentor Texts.  Head over to their blog for links to many great blogs and a plethora of good book suggestions.

I had a good reading week this week.  It was a short week because we had Friday off and it was the week before break so the activities I planned were a little less involved for me.  We have this amazing partnership with a local theater and they came in to work with my 8th grade classes all week.

Books I finished this week:

I finally finished reading Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck.  Her ideas were not new to me but I was curious about how she would explain it in the book.  I found quite a few excerpts that were quite powerful and would be useful in lessons with students about mindsets.  One quote I found to be especially powerful for teachers came from close to the end of the book: “So, are great teachers born or made?…It starts with the growth mindset—about yourself and about children. Not just lip service to the idea that all children can learn, but a deep desire to reach in and ignite the mind of every child.”  I have really been thinking about teaching students about mindsets and now I know I need to spend the time to do this.  I highly recommend this book.

I really liked Splendors and Glooms by Laura Amy Schlitz.  I was captivated from the very beginning with the story.  I could absolutely understand how young Clara would be so enchanted with the puppet show.  From the very beginning of this book there was a sense of mystery and magic.  The book is beautifully written and I was sucked into the enchanting world of this story.  This is another one that is absolutely deserving of the Newbery Honor it received this year.

I enjoyed reading Teach Like Your Hair’s On Fire by Rafe Esquith.  It is amazing to me how dedicated and creative that teacher is.  I love what he had to say and I agree with many of the fundamental values he has about school and his students.  It was refreshing to read a book about education in which an author did not sidestep the elephant in the room.  There are many dedicated and passionate teachers out there but there are teachers who are not willing to put in any extra effort and it was nice to see him say so.  Although I will probably not be starting a rock band any time soon with my students, there are some ideas I can take away from this book.  The one I found most intriguing is the idea of the 6 levels of moral development that he teaches students.  I think this is a good model to use to talk to students about how they are choosing to live their lives.  Since I work with middle school students, this is the perfect time to help them understand this.  I also appreciated some of the links that he provided for good strategies and ideas in the classroom.  This was a quick read and I would recommend all teachers read it.

The Arrival by Shaun Tan is a beautiful graphic novel about immigration.  I love how the story portrays the immigrant experience so well and helps readers to see what it must feel like to be in a new place and not understand the language.  This is a wordless book and would be a great one for introducing inferences.

The Great Fire by Jim Murphy is a wonderful history book.  It was really fascinating to read about the fire that consumed Chicago and all the mistakes that were made during those first crucial hours.  I am glad I finally read this one.

What I am currently reading:

I have about 2 hours left to listen to on The Night Circus.  My plans for working out were foiled by this awful cold that settled in because I am on break.  I hope I will feel better soon so that I can work out and listen to the book.  I also am reading Throne of Glass and enjoying it so far.

What’s Next:
I don’t know what I will be reading next.  I have a ton of books that I want to read so it will depend on my mood this week.  Since I am on break, I expect that there will be quite a few books finished this week.

This post is a part of the Slice of Life challenge which is hosted on the Two Writing Teachers blog.  The month of March the challenge is to write a blog post a day.

We made it!  I did it!  I have crossed the finish line and I feel the euphoria pumping as I do when I am running.  Now, it is time to pig out a little and reflect on my performance.  In running, the training begins again soon after one race stops.  In writing, I will continue to develop the habit of regular writing.

The training involved in this race was quite rigorous.  I did not write every day before we started and I was not sure I would be able to keep it up.  There were some days when the blog post was underwhelming, but I pushed through and made it to the end.  Just as in exercise, sometimes you just have to force yourself to do it and you usually feel better after you finish.

I am proud of the way I made writing a daily habit this month.  I will continue to make writing a more regular part of my schedule because I saw how I started to have more ideas the more I wrote.  It really makes me think about how to structure writing workshop for my students.  I have struggled this year with the need to teach certain things and the culture at my school of assigning prompts.  I want to be able to have students do a true workshop but they have never done this before and they are stopped by their own doubts.  Many of them do not believe they have anything to write about, even though I work hard to help them come up with lists of topics and try to provide examples.  This daily writing really helped me to come up with a lot of topics to write about and also helped me understand that some pieces are worth going back to and some are just first drafts.  It is in regular training that a runner sees improvement and it is in daily writing that a writer will begin to see improvement.

Now that I have crossed this finish line, I can celebrate the accomplishment of writing daily.  I will spend some time celebrating and then get back to the training!  It is through the habit of writing that I will continue to improve.  It is time to keep those fingers tapping the keyboard just as I keep feet pounding on the pavement.  Through the habit of writing daily, I will be able to increase stamina and accomplish my goals.  Now, to start running again (but that’s another post).

Congratulations to everyone who completed the Slice of Life Challenge!  Woo-hoo!

This post is a part of the Slice of Life challenge which is hosted on the Two Writing Teachers blog.  The month of March the challenge is to write a blog post a day.

Since I am not feeling so well, and my throat is sore, I have found myself sucking on a lot of cough drops and hard candy.  This led to my thinking about root beer barrels and other root beer related memories.  Perhaps at some point this might become a poem, but for now I think a list is all I can muster.

My Top Five Root-Beer-Related Memories:

1. Root Beer Barrels–Every week when we went grocery shopping we stopped at the Brach’s display to scoop up more of this delicious hard candy.  My father was obsessed with these little drops of joy.  After my father passed away, one of the most heartfelt and memorable cards we received came with a package of root beer barrels.  One of the employees that my father managed sent us this memorial because she was so appreciative of the way my father listened to her and always had a root beer barrel in his candy dish for whoever came into his office.  It was the perfect thing to hear at that moment of grief.  She helped me to see how my father’s empathy had touched so many lives beyond what he even knew.  I realized that is what I wanted to do in my life also, and root beer barrels still serve as a silent reminder to me of the quiet influence I would like to have on those around me.

2. Even before I could drink actual beer, I loved going to Water Street Brewery, a local brewpub.  They have some amazing root beer on tap!  Another local favorite is Sprecher Brewery.  Their root beer is amazing and sold in supermarkets all around us.  This is a special vanilla treat on a hot summer day.  

3. I will never forget the day when I gave Julia, the German exchange student staying with us, a root beer.  She took one sip and spit it out immediately.  Her face was contorted into the most interesting expression of disgust I have ever seen.  I didn’t have a clue that this sweet and flavorful drink could be so ridiculously disgusting to someone who hadn’t tasted it before.  I have had the pleasure of laughing hysterically as several more of my European friends throughout the years have tried root beer and experienced the same level of disgust.  I still don’t quite understand it, but I guess it’s their loss!

4. When we used to go to a campground near Wisconsin Dells with our motorhome, my parents would go into the tiny restaurant/bar and order a “root beer” for grown-ups.  I never got to have one of these…but I got a tiny sip once in a while.  At this place, the proprietors had dreamt up a cocktail of a simple nature.  Root Beer Schnapps with Cola made up this drink.  It is funny that my parents never had this drink anywhere else.  It was reserved for these camping trips at this special place.

5. Root Beer floats are one of the best treats ever.  I love how the soda froths up and becomes ever so creamy and the ice cream provides the perfect compliment to this amazing drink.  Another favorite of mine is the Black Cow (root beer shake).  There is just something about the way root beer mixes with the ice cream and provides the perfect deliciousness.  

This post is a part of the Slice of Life challenge which is hosted on the Two Writing Teachers blog.  The month of March the challenge is to write a blog post a day.

It never fails.  The first day of vacation from school and I am wrapped up in a blanket, with a box of tissues, and miserably coughing up a lung.  This particular cold was hovering for the last two weeks but did not erupt into explicit symptoms and misery until the last day before Spring Break.

I think that my body and mind conspire against me sometimes.  Although I am glad I do not have to work and can rest at home, I would much rather be completely healthy and enjoying the day.  My body always seems to know when I have time off and that is when I get sick. Not having to miss work is definitely something I am glad about, and my mind must make it a priority.  Is it possible to be that in control of your own body’s reactions to germs and contagion?  Who knows?  Science is a mystery, right?

I hope this cold goes quickly and I can feel better for most of my break.  For now, I at least have an excuse for being lazy and reading all day.  I intend to do a Spring Break bookaday and get through a big stack of books.

Title: Hide and Seek
Author: Kate Messner

Publishing Date: April 1, 2013

Source: NetGalley

My Summary:  When Jose, Henry, and Anna meet again, they are excited to be able to see an exhibit of artifacts from Central and South America.  But when they discover that the Jaguar Cup that is on display is not the real cup, they take off to Costa Rica, along with their parents to investigate.

In Costa Rica, the kids go to stay at a resort in the rain forest with another Silver Jaguar Society member and his daughter while the parents go to San Juan to investigate.  When an earthquake cuts off communication, the kids start to investigate on their own.

My Thoughts:  I loved this one.  It was fast-paced and full of action.  I love how the kids are responsible for solving the mystery and the characters are so lovable.  It would be so much fun to have an adventure in the rainforest!  As she has done in all her books, Kate Messner managed to create a mystery that kept me guessing throughout.  The scenes in the rain forest were more amazing to think about after I saw Kate’s talk at the WSRA.  She showed pictures of herself and her family on research trips.  She writes from the first-hand experience of staying at a resort in Costa Rica and trekking through the rain forest.  I couldn’t help but picture the author there on that path with the big snake when the scene came up in the book.  I absolutely recommend this book to anyone grade 4 and up.  It is a great sequel to Capture the Flag and I will look forward to the next book about the Silver Jaguar Society.

5 of 5 Stars

This post is a part of the Slice of Life challenge which is hosted on the Two Writing Teachers blog.  The month of March the challenge is to write a blog post a day.

This post is a part of the Slice of Life challenge which is hosted on the Two Writing Teachers blog.  The month of March the challenge is to write a blog post a day.

Today I had a little time to dig through my writer’s notebook and look at some old posts from the summer for inspiration.  I found a small portion at the end of a longer post about my reading life that inspired an idea.  To see the post from earlier this year about my reading life you can go here.

I am playing with this idea and I keep thinking of other characters and situations I might add.  I tried to keep it to characters from books I read as a child or teen.  You will probably recognize most, but some are somewhat obscure.

When I Was Young

I drank cocoa on a dark and stormy night with Meg and Charles Wallace.
I spent summer afternoons sluething with Nancy and Trixie.
I bugged Beezus with Ramona.

I fell off the rooftop and into the Cuthbert’s hearts with Anne.
I created a business with Claudia, Mary Anne, Stacey, Kristy and Dawn.
I traveled the Orient Express with Poirot.

I cried until my eyes could cry no more with Scarlett’s heartbreak.
I played a game to win an inheritance with Turtle.
I tormented Peter with Fudge.

I explored the big woods and ran through the prairie with Laura.
I fell in love with more heroes than I can count.
I shrank with Treehorn.

I hoped that god was there with Margaret.
I grieved for Beth with Jo.
I made cranes with Sadako.

And I did it all without leaving the couch.

This post is a part of the Slice of Life challenge which is hosted on the Two Writing Teachers blog.  The month of March the challenge is to write a blog post a day.

My slice today will be short and sweet.  I am so excited for Spring Break…two days left.  Tomorrow is a full moon and I have already been able to tell the crazy at school.

I can’t wait for break next week!  I have a plan to read a LOT of books and relax.  I also want to rearrange my home office and get it better for my at-home work.  I also will scrub down the kitchen this week and vacuum the whole house.

Okay, I just have to make it two more days…I think I can, I think I can, I think I can.

This post is part of a meme in which we write about the books we have read in the last week and the books we are planning to read.  It is hosted by Jen and Kellee at Teach Mentor Texts.  Head on over to their blog for a lot of great books to add to your ro-read list.

I am also participating in the Slice of Life challenge hosted by the ladies at Two Writing Teachers in which we write a blog post every day in March.

With parent conferences and the Slice of Life challenge this week, I have not had a lot of time for reading.  Thank goodness I had the day off on Friday so that I could catch up on some reading.  However, I was also participating in a commenting challenge so I spent much of my time reading blog posts and commenting.

Books I Finished This Week:

I absolutely LOVED Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage.  I was chuckling along with the story and enjoyed the mystery.  This was a book full of quirky and lovable characters.  I wrote a more extensive review here.

Unwind by Neal Shusterman is a thought-provoking and chilling book.  After the Second Civil War about reproductive rights a new law was established.  Life is untouchable from the time of conception until a child turns thirteen.  But from age thirteen to eighteen, parents can choose to “unwind” their children and have them taken apart to live on through their donated parts.  The premise of this book was already creepy, but the writing is so well done that it really made me think.  I read this book as part of The Dystopia Challenge 2013.  See more of my thoughts in my review here.

Books I am Currently Reading:

I am still listening to The Night Circus. I did not get to workout a lot this week so I didn’t make much progress in this audiobook.  I am about halfway through this book and am really enjoying it.  I am also almost all the way through Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck.  It is really great and a book I think most adults should read.

Books I am planning to read this week:

I will probably pick up Splendors and Glooms this week.  I don’t know what else I will read, but I have a LOT of books to choose from.  I think I will probably also read Opening Minds by Peter Johnston.