Summer's End

The last day of summer. It came WAY too soon this year. With the snow day make up days tacked onto the end of the year, and the ever earlier start of the school year, summer was shorter than ever. It didn't help that I tutored an insane amount this summer...I really only had one free day each week for summer activities!!

Therefore, the last day of summer? I had to SOAK. IT. UP.

I did a little poolside reading of What to Expect the First Year while feeling huge in the maternity swimsuit my cousin let me borrow. But I didn't care, I had to enjoy the last time in about 15 years I'll probably sit at a pool and just enjoy quietly reading a book. And I had to learn what in the world to do with the baby once he comes out!! I feel a bit like Rachel from Friends at her baby shower.

I took a nice dog walk with Maggie. The poor thing, I learned at the vet that she's gained a few pounds and I'm sure it is MY fault. Since my feet starting swelling like watermelons two weeks ago, our walks have gone from daily to almost non-existent. She's getting really good at bringing the tennis ball directly to my outdoor lounge chair, though,...which I think is an important skill for her to learn!

I made some finishing touches on baby boy's nursery {more details and pictures coming soon}! Here's a little teaser:

I'm getting super excited for bringing the Read Right Run Marathon to my school! It is such an awesome program and I have so many ideas for making our monthly meetings fun. I really want to build up the positive reading climate in my building.

And now, back to school! Which is another time of year I love, but I will still miss the long, lovely, lazy days of summer!

Summer Reading List

One of my favorite things about summer is enjoying reading a good book by the pool...or better yet, the beach! I love soaking up the sun while checking out a new read.  Unfortunately, it seems there is never enough time in the summer to read, and now I keep thinking, this is my LAST free summer for reading with baby arriving this fall. Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled about baby Ganz, but I'm just being realistic. The days of lounging by the pool without interruptions are probably near long gone! :)

So, here's my incredibly long list, and is probably beyond my ability to actually get done [what with tutoring and prepping for baby]:

For EDUCATION:
Reading in the Wild: The Book Whisperer's Keys to Cultivating Lifelong Reading Habits

For FUN:
The Hunger Games
Catching Fire
Mockingjay

For BABY:
Hypnobirthing: The Mongan Method
The Happiest Baby on the Block
On Becoming Babywise
What to Expect the First Year

Blank Pages

Yesterday was the first day of school! Here's to a new school year, and a new year (To me, this is the new  year more than in January, because my birthday is coming soon and I'll be starting another year of life)! Being a book lover, I connected with this quote. Since I'm starting a new journey as a reading teacher, and saying goodbye to the experience of being a classroom teacher, I feel like I'm writing a whole new book.

I hope it is a good one!

Provoking and Powerful, a book reccommendation

I love reading, and as you saw on my Summer Bucket List that I had a few books on my list for the summer. This is the current one I'm addicted to:

I absolutely love Peggy Orenstein's style of writing. The way she conveys emotion, truth, pain, and [sometimes irrational] hope is amazing and speaks right to my soul. I certainly don't agree with everything, maybe even many, of her religious viewpoints or perspectives, but it is very interesting, and made me think deeply about various beliefs that I had not considered before. I highly recommend it, whether or not you have faced infertility, I think it is a powerful read.