It has been pretty hectic in my neck of the woods with holidays and work and such. Thanksgiving was wonderful and Christmas is sure to be a blast. My parents had Thanksgiving at their house for the first time this year. A perfectly brined turkey (kudos to Uncle Jim!), all the dressings to boot, and sixteen of my favorite smiling faces around the table...
Who could ask for anything more?
Husbando spent the next weekend knocking out a tooth and becoming internet famous at the Single Speed Cyclocross World Championships in Philadelphia. Pay attention about a minute and eight seconds into the video. You can see his epic bike toss in slow-mo.
You guys! Christmas is next week! Hoorah! Husbando and I braved the elements to bring home our tree last Wednesday. Let me tell you. When snow is in the forecast, Cleveland doesn't mess around...
Yep. That's him. Scrambling over the hood of the car. Total swoon. [Side note: He didn't knock the whole tooth out and it was fixed on Monday. I'm just glad he didn't come home with Tetanus.]
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Sushi first!
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Then this happened.
Once home, I promptly blasted the Christmas music and flitted around the house like a Christmas fairy, spreading glitter and lights and tiny reindeer.
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One of my absolute favorite things about decorating the tree
is opening the ornaments from each year and reading
the note from my mom.
I wasn't kidding about the tiny reindeer.
Isn't it glorious?!
Sissy, husband-in-law, and the bean (did I mention I am going to be Aunt Maggie in a few months?!) have made their way to this side of Earth and I just can't wait to see them on Thursday. They live in South Africa and we don't get to see each other nearly enough. I'll be making several trips back and forth from Cleveland to Toledo over the next couple weeks, but it's all worth it to have everyone together. **warm fuzzies** (It's okay, you can roll your eyes.)
So. Library.
Holycowsomanystorytimeslastweek!
Let's start at the beginning...
Tuesday: Roxboro Outreach.
Once a month I visit the Roxboro Elementary Aftercare program and read to the kiddos. [While we were out to dinner last night, we saw a couple of Rox girls with their families. They were giggling and whispering, "Isn't that the librarian?!" I couldn't help but giggle too.]
It is really fun to read to this age group because I can pick longer stories with more depth. This month I read "pourquoi" stories, or "why" stories. These are folktales that explain why a person or animal has come to carry a certain trait or characteristic. Pourquoi stories come from all over the world and most of them are really funny.
Tikki Tikki Tembo retold by Arlene Mosel
A classic! This book has been around for over 30 years and the kids still love the story of Chang, his brother, Tikki tikki tembo-no sa rembo-chari bari ruchi- pip peri pembo, and why the Chinese favor short names.
Raven: A Trickster Tale from the Pacific Northwest by Gerald McDermott
Raven tells the story of how the light was brought by trickster Raven from the Sky Chief to people all over the world. The story inspires a sense of spiritual mystery and the illustrations are enthralling.
Why Epossumondas Has No Hair on His Tail by Coleen Salley
This is a story inspired by the tales of Uncle Remus. Uncle Remus is a fictional character and narrator of a collection of African-American folktales gathered from the Southern United States (first published in 1881). There are several stories of Epossumondas, all as silly as the next. Coleen Salley is a fabulous teller of tales with a southern twist.
How the Ostrich Got Its Long Neck: A Tale from the Akamba of Kenya retold by Verna Aardema
Did you know that the ostrich originally had a short neck? A pain, really, because he couldn't reach the berries in the trees or drink very easily from the stream. Leave it to a crocodile with a toothache to fix that problem!
Wednesday: Story Stop
The theme for Story Stop last week was trains. Remember a couple weeks ago when I had the worst-case-scenario storytime? This was like the exact opposite. Picture me wiping my brow. Phew.
And the Train Goes... by William Bee
An oh-so-fun little book about the sounds on a train; full of sly humor and word-play.
Meeow and the Little Chairs by Sebastian Brown
I love, love, love the Meeow series by Sebastian Braun. Simple text and bright colors hold young listeners' attention, yet the stories are so multilayered it is amazing. You can learn about animals, colors, numbers, using your imagination... the books are all fantastic! What do you think Meeow and his friends (Moo, Baa, Woof, and Quack) are doing with their chairs?
Freight Train by Donald Crews
A Caldecott honor book, I think Freight Train has become a standard go-to book for any train themed storytime. Crews' lyrical text and colorful illustrations from caboose to engine, perfectly convey the day to night movement of a freight train.
Thursday: Urban Oak Waldorf School Visit
I read Raven (above) to the kids from Urban Oak, but I wanted to mention this because I think it's such a cool partnership.
Next to the Coventry Village Library is the old Coventry Elementary School. A few years ago Cleveland Heights decided to close Coventry Elementary and since then the building has operated as a number of different things. It was empty at one point, rented by University Hospitals for training, the Cleveland Sight Center was there for awhile... you get the idea. Anyway, it now holds a new Waldorf school called Urban Oak. I'd highly suggest checking it out if you are into alternatives to the public school system. Right now they do not have a school library, so once a week the kindergarten, first, and second grade classes come to visit me. I read them a story, help them find books, etc. Hooray for building community relationships!
Saturday: Coventry Village Winter Storytime and Sing-Along
Speaking of community partnerships, on Saturday we participated in the Coventry Village Holiday Festival. Omigosh it was so much fun! My partner-in-crime, Meredith, and I put together a winter themed family sing-along storytime complete with violin accompaniment and Snowman Soup.
Meredith is a classically trained musician - which to me is like having super powers - and she played the violin while we all sang Frosty the Snowman, Walking in a Winter Wonderland, and Jingle Bells between books. Talk about a jolly time!
Please Bring Balloons by Lindsay Ward
Take a magical trip to an arctic Polar Bear Rumpus with Emma and her magical carousel bear.
All You Need for a Snowman by Alice Schertle
"One small snowflake fluttering down - that's all you need for a snowman..." or is it?
The Mitten adapted and illustrated by Jan Brett
The Mitten is a retelling of a Ukrainian folktale about Nikki, his very cozy snow white mitten, and some curious woodland creatures. FYI: Jan Brett rules when it comes to detailed illustrations.
With tons of found objects, you can build a whole snow family!
At the end of the program we handed out Snowman Soup to take home. Snowman Soup (thank you, Pinterest!) is packet of hot chocolate, a Hershey kiss, and a little candy cane all wrapped up in a cellophane snowman bag with a tag that reads:
There are several (bad) Snowman Soup rhymes
out there. I took parts of some and made up others.
(Feel free to borrow.)
Everyone had a great time, although I think Mer and I had the most fun! We have decided to do this every year.
All in all, it has been a crazy couple weeks and I know there's just more to come. Remember when I was so proud of myself for not procrastinating with gifts this year? That lasted about a week. Wish me luck!
Enjoy the season. xo
