As a parent of an 11 and 15 year old, I have found that my job as Mom has changed quite a bit. That made me think, there are a lot of parents out there who have had to change. That's why when I found these kits I realized that I would be foolish not to purchase these, because we need to adapt and think in different ways. I'm hoping that this is one way that we can do this.

Here are the kits that I purchased:
All About Dinosaurs Kit
Electronics, Coding & Bots Kit
Engineering Gears and Mazes Kit
Everyday Science Kit
Examine Science and Nature Kit
Explore the Outdoors Kit
I Love Animals Kit
Yoga for Mindfulness Kit

Each kit has different items that make the learning experience more interesting. While we don't have all of them ready to check out, we have a few and we are getting more of them ready. We want to make sure that we can make change easier for parents and I think this is one of those ways.

Depending on the popularity we will make sure to get more (unless we run out of space!)

A big thank you to you parents who are having to change and adapt your jobs as parents. You are all awesome!

Cathy

She made me scrambled eggs with salsa (in the microwave) and a "griddle cake" ... don't know if that's an actual word, but Leila got a mini electric grill and made me a pancake in it. After we cuddled a bit. :)
Then she had to make me lunch, so she made me a english muffin grilled cheese in (you guessed it) the mini grill.
After lunch we went for a lovely bike ride where I tried to run and keep up. It certainly burned off some of the food calories! They were biking fast!
Then later in the afternoon we video called my Mom and my sisters so we could all virtually hug. It was sad, but lovely. I can't wait to hug them all in reality again.
Finally we ended the day with a surprise dinner from Ferrari's! YUM! I love their fish tacos and fries! :)
It was a great day all things considered. I hope you all had a lovely day too. <3

One way that you can keep the conversation going is to ask them to tell you a story about what is going on in the picture. Want to keep it going even further? Write down that story in nice big easy to read letters. It lets them see that 1. what they are saying is important enough to write down and 2. What they are saying can become "pictures" on paper.
Why not try and see?
Have a great safe day everyone. Try and enjoy the snow!

I know. It's Barbie! That's what girls play with, I spent my whole childhood playing with them, I should love them! However, I've always had an self-esteem issue and she has big shoes to fill ... actually she has tiny feet, but even with those tiny feet, those are some tiny feet to fill!

According to an article by South Shore Eating Disorders Collaborative

If Barbie were an actual women, she would be 5’9” tall, have a 39” bust, an 18” waist, 33” hips and a size 3 shoe!

If Barbie was a real woman, she’d have to walk on all fours due to her proportions.

Now I'm not saying Barbie's intent was to make us all have a horrible body image, (well, the old one was because there was a Slumber Party Barbie that was introduced in 1965 and came with a bathroom scale permanently set at 110 lbs with a book entitled “How to Lose Weight” with directions inside stating simply “Don’t eat.” ) but it can't be helped! How could she not?

After talking out loud non-stop about all the craziness of Barbie, one of my co-workers, Miss Valerie, who has smaller kids, said that they finally are making real Barbies with real human shapes and cool occupations, but they don't have any clothes that you can change your Barbie into and isn't that a big part of Barbie? Change her repeatedly and then lose half the clothes?  Of course it is!

So what do you think about Barbie? Before you say anything, I know that I am exaggerating somewhat. I don't think that every girl that plays with Barbie is going to have a panic attack because they don't look like her, but still, there are the few that will, and I'm into protecting those few. <3

I don't like reading Dr Seuss, especially out loud to kids. There. I said it. Seems unkind of me to say it on his birthday and all, but I did it.

However, it doesn't seem too unkind of me ... in this PBS article When asked about writing for children, Seuss has said: “I don’t write for children. I write for people.”

In my opinion (this is mine, no one else's) it becomes quite obvious that they are not written for children specifically, but for people in general. They are so long that it almost becomes a chore to read them out loud. And sometimes they just feel so cumbersome and unruly.

For those of you who know me, you know that I am a very different kind of reader. I love extremely silly (which, yes, some of Dr Seuss' are), but also quick and to the point. I want to keep kids entranced and since their attention span is (not always, but often) not very long, I want to keep them while I can.

That is why my favorite kids author is Mo Willems. His books want to have the kids interact with adults. They are written for people too, but in a different kind of way.

We Are In a Book!
Mo Willems
Summary
Gerald is careful. Piggie is not. Piggie cannot help smiling. Gerald can.
Gerald and Piggie are best friends.
In We Are in a Book Gerald and Piggie discover the joy of being read. But what will happen when the book ends?
Using vocabulary perfect for beginning readers (and vetted by an early-learning specialist), Mo Willems has crafted a mind-bending story that is even more interactive than previous Elephant & Piggie adventures. Fans of the Geisel Award-winning duo won't be able to put this book down--literally.

Just learned from Mo Willems' blog: Q: If Elephant's name is Gerald, why doesn't Piggie have a name?
A: Piggie does have a name.  Her name is "Piggie".  She was named that because when she was born she looked just like a little Piggie.  Also, Madonna, Beyonce, and Cher were taken.

"Elephant Gerald" is named after my favorite singer (say it fast).

Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus
Mo Willems
Summary
When a bus driver takes a break from his route, a very unlikely volunteer springs up to take his place-a pigeon But you've never met one like this before. As he pleads, wheedles, and begs his way through the book, children will love being able to answer back and decide his fate.
In his hilarious picture book debut, popular cartoonist Mo Willems perfectly captures a preschooler's temper tantrum.

I also like the bear books by Karma Wilson a lot. Her books, similar to Dr Seuss' books have a certain rhythm and rhyme, which is nice to read aloud. However, like Mo Willem's books, there is also a lot of interaction to them, so that the kids can become part of the book, which I think is super important.

Bear Snores On
Karma Wilson
Summary
On a cold winter night many animals gather to party in the cave of a sleeping bear, who then awakes and protests that he has missed the food and the fun.

So now its your turn to interact! Who are your favorite authors? Is Dr Seuss one of them? Let us know!

... and so is the stress! Luckily my kids are a little older so I can get them to wrap all the presents, but it's getting harder and harder to find presents for them. ACK. If you celebrate, how do you deal with the stresses of the holiday? In fact, how do you deal with stress in general?

I HIGHLY suggest it, as does my sister and my 10 year old and 14 year old. My daughter says that it is her favorite Raina Telgemeier book (Drama is her second favorite, BTW).
Need to alleviate your post-holiday stresses? Come in and join us on Friday morning for our FAMILY MOVIE MORNING! I keep wanting to call the movie Abdominal, but that would be a completely different movie and this one is not about your abdomen. :) 

That's right. Time to use some common sense. I'm no good at it most times, but today I've been trying. I would totally be that person to saw the wrong part of the branch. Once, years ago, I used a sledge hammer with sandals on ... yup you can guess it. Luckily I did not lose any toes, but I certainly didn't feel good for a while. More recently, I was cutting some thread that I was using for a bracelet. I was trying to cut it taut so that it didn't fray. Somehow I was able to lose all sense of the common kind and I managed to cut my finger. Enough so that it didn't stop bleeding and I had to go to the hospital. Good grief.
Have you ever had a moment where you had forgotten to use common sense?
Some ways to use common sense is by coming to some of our programs! This week we have:
Monday: Young Librarians from 6-7pm
Monday: Chess Club from 6-7pm
Tuesday: Wizards, Heroes and Myths from 4:30-5:30pm
Tuesday: Sip, Swap and Share from 7-8pm
Thursday: Lego Club from 6-7pm
Friday: Teen Pizza Friday from 5-7pm

That's right! Love your fluffy friends even more today! I should take my little guys out from under my desk. Show them some deserved love. I do have one fluffy friend ... a puppy dog that I've forgotten the name of (shame on me) that I still leave in my bedroom on my bed. For the most part though, all my fluffy friends have made their way here to the library, where I can see them and appreciate them everyday. Want to come see them? Please come by when I'm here and you can say hi! I'm not here? My tsum-tsums are! Just check out the display case (which you can borrow to display your loved items) and see who I have!

As for what we have going on this week ...
Minecraft Monday at 6pm
Witches and Wizards Tuesday at 4:30
Sip, Swap and Share: Toys Tuesday at 7pm

Please come by on Halloween in your costume! We'd love to see you. :)

Oh, it looks so divine! If only there was one in my hand. Of course, there's probably a million-billion calories in them ... but the combination of coffee and sugary goodness? I could totally use that now. The tea (while delicious) is not working at getting me pumped up and ready to go!
So I'm trying to be health conscious and I cannot even tell you the last time that I've had a glorious frappe, however this recipe might give me cause to have one!
BTW, I might be okay if one appeared in my hand since Monday is my long day! :) (HAH) This evening we have Young Librarians, and we will be making fall art to display in the children's room! I need to be pumped and ready to go!
Skinny Caramel Frappuccino
This caramel frappuccino is too good to be true! It's cold, creamy, rich, and satisfying, plus it's only 50 calories per serving.

Yield: 24 ounces
Prep Time 1 minute
Total Time 1 minute Ingredients

• 3 cups ice cubes (3 big handfuls of cubed ice, not crushed ice)
• 1 cup cold strong coffee, previously brewed and chilled
• 1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (or your favorite milk)
• sugar-free sweetener (white stevia powder, liquid vanilla stevia drops, Splenda, or your favorite), to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, optional
• 2 tablespoons fat free whipped topping, for garnishing
• 1 tablespoon sugarfree caramel sauce, for garnishing

Instructions

1. Combine first 5 ingredients in the canister of a blender and blend until smooth, creamy, fluffy, frothy, and combined, less than 1 minute. Taste, and if necessary, adjust with a splash more coffee, milk, dash of sweetener, or a few ice cubes.
2. Garnish with whipped topping and caramel sauce. Serve immediately.

Notes
Tip: Make the full batch and place un-garnished extra portion of frappuccino in a freezer-safe mug. Later on, simply let it unthaw a bit, either 30 minutes at room temp or about 1 minute in the microwave.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 2
Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 57 Total Fat: 1g Saturated Fat: 0g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 1g Cholesterol: 1mg Sodium: 45mg Carbohydrates: 13g Fiber: 0g Sugar: 10g Protein: 1g

Halloween costumes! I have to think about four costumes ... well maybe three. Jack, my 14 year old, is probably too old to think about costumes, you think? My daughter, Leila, who is 10, is super excited and wants to be one of the characters from the anime Fairy Tale. How I'm going to do that, I don't know. So that's two down, two to go. The rest are for me. :)
I need to dress up for the Halloween party on October 26 at the library and I need a costume for a 5k that I'm running called "Scare Away Brain Cancer" earlier in the month.
I have a little idea what I could do for the Halloween party. I have two pajama onesies. A dragon one and a unicorn one. Which one do you think I should be?
As for the 5k, I'm thinking about being Minnie Mouse. That's a little harder because you want to wear something that you can actually run comfortably in, but that is obvious enough to tell what you are. This could be a safe one. :)
So what are you going to be for Halloween? This goes for kids, teens and adults! Let me know! I will of course, make sure to post pictures of said costumes as soon as I wear them. Promise.