Whimsical - Fantastic - Playful - Mischievous - SOS no. 73

   

Those of you who know me have probably read some or all of my previous posts about my Princey-Poo-Poo! 

Although I wholeheartedly believe in rescuing dogs from animal shelters, Prince was purchased from a poodle breeder due to my husband's allergic reaction to most other dog breeds.

Prince was acquired during the pandemic; during a time when my mental state was faltering from having to isolate, wear. masks, social distance, teach remotely from home, and all the other "fly-the-plane-while-building-it" shenanigans.

I chose to feature Prince as "WHIMSICAL" after I looked up synonyms for the word.

1. I think Prince is absolutely FANTASTIC. He brings so much JOY to our home. I love him very much; probably too much. He is spoiled, and he knows it.

 2. Prince definitely fits the definition for PLAYFUL. No one can escape playing fetch with him. He is relentless when he wants you to take the toy. He can be a bully, if necessary, if you take too long, forcing you to take the toy. Once you accept his invitation to play, he has the patience of Job and a death stare as he waits for you to throw the toy.

3. Prince can be just as MISCHIEVOUS as a child. He sneaks  around unheard and unseen to get into things that he knows are a NO-NO!

I’m joining an open community of writers over at Sharing Our Stories: Magic in a Blog. 

If you write (or want to write) just for the magic of it, consider this your invitation to join us. 

#sosmagic

Book Review of Polo Cowboy by G. Neri

POLO COWBOY

by G. Neri (Author) - Jesse Joshua Watson (Illustrator)

14 year old Cole decides he wants to stay in Philly with his dad, who agrees, but with a condition. Cole has to get job and earn his keep, which means he will not be spending time riding his own horse on the trails with his posse. He works as a stable hand at a military academy across town, and Cole is in a totally different world from his own. Cole knows all about caring for horses and learns more about the game of Polo after forging a connection with one of the Polo Cadets. Their friendship begins out of necessity when the other cadets go out their way to ensure they both know they don't and will never belong. Cole has to learn how to balance both worlds as he tries to figure out who he is and what he wants for his life and future.

Multicultural Children’s Book Day 2022 (1/28/22) is in its 9thyear! This non-profit children’s literacy initiative was founded by Valarie Budayr and Mia Wenjentwo diverse book-loving moms who saw a need to shine the spotlight on all of the multicultural books and

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Is It A Pretty Girl? - SOL22

 

Tuesday Slice of Life Story Challenge

I really hope I can tell this story so you that you find it as funny as I did.

Picture It: January 18, 2022 around 5:30pm...I am standing in line at the Kroger Pharmacy to pick my prescription.

An older gentlemen gets in line behind me and jokes that I knew I was going to get in line before him. We had entered the story at the same time and had exchanged greetings.

A moments later, another woman, who I remember seeing when I entered, walked up and began talking to the man behind me. An older woman, pushing a grocery cart passed the two, and commented that she was going to sit in elderly section (the waiting area for the pharmacy clinic).

Now, as you can tell, I noticed these people, but I was basically minding my own business, waiting my turn, when I hear something about "a pretty girl" coming from the direction of the seated lady. I glance her way to see who she is talking to and based on her eye contact, it's obvious she is speaking to me.

Since I didn't understand what she said, I leaned a bit closer and said, "Ma'am?" Her response was a bit clearer this time, and I heard, "Is it a pretty girl?". Still confused, I replied, "Who, me"?

She points to my midsection, and says, "Yes, you're pregnant, right?"

I totally bust out laughing and flash my Teacher Fanny Pack her way. It had been completely concealed by my coat.

There are no pretty girls in here. (LOL)

Catch Phrases - #SOS71

Sharing Our Stories: Magic in a Blog

/’kaCH,frāz/ noun: a well-known sentence or phrase

1. "I am an Education Professional." - This statement was borrowed from a radio personality, who sometimes flubbed what she was trying to say. She would emphatically state, "I am a communication professional"; then, perfectly restate that which she had previously flubbed.  I liked it so much I adapted it my profession. I use it to remind myself that I am fully capable of handling all the craziness of being a teacher right now.

2. I follow #1 with "and I can do hard things." This one has been a mantra of. mine for very long time, thanks to Jennifer Laffin, creator of Teach Write, LLC. Both statements together are my 1-2-PUNCH for combatting the doubt that easily and often seeps in, as well as the feelings of being overwhelmed when "IT ALL" seems to never end; when I have more to do than the amount of time I perceive to have to get it done. 

 

Thank you for the kind words - #SOL22

Join us every Tuesday for our weekly Slice of Life Story Challenge!

Teaching!

Education!

Being an Educator!

Being a Teacher!

Either and both can be a struggle, a strain, a challenge these days.

It's refreshing, however, when your teacher efforts are recognized by a colleague.

I'd like to think most/all teachers are doing the best they can under the current circumstances.

I know I am.

So, "Thank You, Ms. J." for your kind words.

I will hold them close to my heart and try to recall them in times when I feel like my best is not enough.

My TBR List for 2022

 

In 2021, I set a goal to read 48 books for the year. I read a total of 64 books. I am quite proud of myself.

For 2022, I have set a goal to read 60 books, but I'm sure I will read more. One condition of my goal is to focus on reading books for pleasure (though I may have to read some for professional development).

I am using two reading challenges to assist me.

1. #mustreadin2022 - a challenge that lets me list the books I wanted to read in 2021, but didn't, and encourages me to commit to reading them in 2022.

2. #popsugarreadingchallenge2022 - a challenge that provides a list of book prompts that will guide some of the books I choose to read throughout the year.

The books that remain on the book shelf 2021 include:

• Ghost by Jason Reynolds
• Rescue at Lake Wild by Terry Lynn Johnson
• Cilla Lee-Jenkins: Future Author Extraordinaire by Susan Tan
• Cilla Lee-Jenkins: This Book is a Classic by Susan Tan
• Cilla Lee-Jenkins: The Epic Story by Susan Tan
• Just Be Cool Jenna Sakai by Debbi Michiko Florence
• Twins by Varian Johnson
• Three Keys by Kelly Yang
• Horace & Bunwinkle: The Case of the Rascally Raccoon by PJ Gardner
• Shuri (A Black Panther Novel) by Nic Stone
• Polo Cowboy by Gregory Neri
• Trouble at Turtle Pond by Diana Renn
• Pax by Sara Pennypacker
• Where the Heart Is by Jo Knowles
• Love is Revolution by Renee Watson
• In the Shadow of the Moon by Amy Cherrix
• The Lucky Ones by Linda Williams Jackson

I am hopeful that I will meet my goal of reading each of these books for the Must Read in 2022 challenge. I am also hopeful that some or all of these books will match a book prompt for the Pop Sugar Reading Challenge. Either way, I am certain I will enjoy spending time reading the books on my list.