Missed It: Happy Father's Day

Even though I failed to publicly declare it, or share it in a timely manner on this blog, my hubby and Ali's grandpas did get their Father's Day wishes from Ali on time.  This photo shoot went much like the Mother's Day photo shoot, except this time Ali's Grandma Erickson played the part of assistant instead of Doug so he could be surprised by this shot.

We used the chalkboard just like last time, but I didn't know what to draw.  I tried a goldfish, but that didn't look right, so I just wrote the message and went without a drawing, until Ali pawed at it the second I put it down, that's what lead to her little hand prints.  Then I drew the best heart of my life in the other corner.  Too bad her darling head is in the way!

There aren't as many outtakes this time.  It was the kind of annoying overcast day outside that makes it look perfect for pictures, but your still squinty, so that's why her little eyes are nearly closed.  She was also playing with an Easter egg the whole time, but she's happy.  And did you notice that she's in basically the same pose as the Mother's Day photo?  She knows what looks good!

Just like last time, we have a scheming kind of photo.  More accurately, she's watching Lucy our beagle run amok in our yard.

I love this little bonus picture.  When Ali gets really excited, this is kinda her look.  Mouth wide open and laughing.

For Daddy and Grandpa Erickson, we did a quick costume change and put her in a Cubbie Bear tee.  It's a little big, but still adorable.  She was getting a little tired of being outside, so I just went with this pic.

Happy Late Father's Day to all of the dads, grandpas, uncles, and friends out there.  I hope you had a great day and got lots of snuggles from your little ones!

Sing a Book

Have you noticed that Every Day in May has dissolved into Maybe If By Chance in June?  Summer does have a way of running away with you.

But today I share a singable story time!

Continuing with the Read to the Rhythm theme, my story time last week was all in song.  Some children were delighted, others dismayed, but since I can carry a tune in a bucket, it went over pretty well.

I kicked things off with She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain by Jonathan Emmett.  This sassy cowgirl rides into town with style, and plenty of audience participation.

Wiggle by Doreen Cronin might seem like a dance book, but not when you sing it to the tune of Do Your Ears Hang Low?.  A friend in librarian school taught me this neat trick and I've loved using this book ever since.

Next, we did some more rock star stretching, because you have to warm up to sing!

I Miss You Everday by Simms Taback is based on a Woody Gutherie song, but when I first read the book years ago, I started singing Taback's lyrics to a tune of my own design.  We sang along to this lovely book next.

And what would story time be without a tale about accidental arson?  Mrs. O'Leary's Cow by Mary Ann Hoberman recounts the barn burning that may (or may not) have caused the Great Chicago Fire.  Just so all the kids know the truth, I did tell them that the poor cow was not to blame.  But this lively book offers some great sing-along parts for the audience and nonsense verses.

Due to another ear infection, my baby girl was with me the whole time, and thankfully she napped through her first mommy-led story time.  Don't worry, there will be countless others!

Go check out these books and sing along to the rhythm!

5 Things: Summer Days

5 Things to Brighten Your Day

Despite the BS that May Get in Your Way

1.  Easy summer days, so quiet and peaceful.

2.  Today is not oppressively hot, maybe oppressively humid, but not bad enough to keep me from taking a couple mid-day walks.

3.  I'm looking forward to some epic baked pasta tonight.  Ali was playing in the cookbooks and recipe sheets and pulled out this recipe that looks amazing.  This might be how I meal plan from now on.

4.  Lunch with Lucy.  I love going home to see my furry baby.

5.  It's Friday!  Enjoy it.

Strike Up the Band!

This year libraries around Illinois are participating in Read to the Rhythm and celebrating all things musical.  I'm back doing story time at the lovely Colchester Library on Mondays and I'll be sharing my story time outlines with you here.

These story times are the highlight of my week!  There were roughly 15 kids this week, and we meet outside by a busy highway, but they still pay pretty great attention.  The ages are 4 to 10, so it's a broad range, but I always have fun, and I think that most of the kids do too.

First up, Strike Up the Band!

I opened with Punk Farm by Jarrett J Krosoczka.  This is a go-to book for me.  The kids really loved the punk rock flavor of this book.

Then, we did some Rock Star Stretching.  This is an activity that I totally made up in the car on the way over.  We reached for the high notes, bent low for the low notes, arranged our keyboards and stretched to reach them all, played the drums, and did some pretty epic air guitar.

Next, The Remarkable Farkle McBride.  I'm not normally a fan of celebrity books, but this one is great, and it has a nice meter along with some wonderful sound words.  Plus, how many books introduce children to the orchestra?

Our next movement activity was a marching band.  I split the kids into three rough groups, gave each a sound to make, and we were off.  We marched a bit, made our noises, and sat back down.

Finally, I read Thump, Thump, Rat-a-tat-tat about a marching band that comes closer, and then moves farther away.  The kids did help me with the refrain and got louder and softer.

I have three more weeks of musical fun ahead of me.  My next story time will be all about singable books, and I am planning one on dance as well.  Stay tuned!

Happy Reading

5 Things: Travel Edition

5 Things to Brighten Your Day

Despite the BS that May Get in Your Way

Hello from the road!  This is the biggest hurdle I will face during my Every Day in May challenge.  I'm on traveling across the country, baby in tow.  Challenging for many reasons.

But there are still plenty of reasons to smile.

1.  Morning cuddle time.  Ali woke up at 5 am and being in a strange place means it's totally cool to sleep curled up to her in bed for an hour.  She's a little bit of a difficult sleep partner.  

2.  Pretty good travel conditions.  Very little rain, reasonable traffic, overall about the best we could have expected.

3.  Ali was a good traveler today.  Again, about the best that we could have expected from her.

4.  Great dinner at a tapas place.  My favorites were the asparagus and bacon wrapped dates.  

5.  Making it back to the hotel before flooding rains poured down.  It was raining as we walked back, but luckily, not horribly bad.  And Ali just smiled the whole time.

The Babies: Furry and Otherwise

The relationship between Ali and her furry sister Lucy is pretty fun to watch.  Once Ali started being aware of the world around her, Lucy became a source of constant interest, and that's still very much the case.  She laughs when Lucy runs into the room, tries to get at her water dish, and wants to pet her all the time.  Now that she is mobile and a bit more coordinated, Ali loves to interact with Lucy, or at least try.  We've even let her play tug with Lucy just a little bit and it makes at least one of the babies very happy.

Lucy is a pretty well-behaved dog, but she has her flaws.  She sniffs all over everything and still gets at Ali's toys, although she has yet to ruin one.  Lucy wants attention very badly and will bark and howl when we come home, even with a sleeping baby.  And she begs and jumps up on Ali's high chair constantly.  It doesn't help that Ali finds this hilarious and intentionally feeds her.  These two are already partners in crime!  To her credit, Lucy is amazingly gentle with Ali.  She does jump around and race past her, but I have yet to see her knock her down.  Plus, Ali loves when Lucy sniffs her.  It's just a funny puppy kiss to her.

Slowly but surely Ali is gaining the coordination to be gentle with Lucy and pet, not grab, her hair.  I can imagine that once Ali starts to walk, they will really gang up on us.  I can't wait to see them chasing each other around the yard and play.

They are sisters already.  When I take the two for walks, Ali will reach her hand out of her stroller to hold on to Lucy's leash.  It's a sight that melts this mama's heart!

Confessions of a Reformed Board Book Snob

Board books abound in my home.  They are in the living room, the nursery, my bag, the diaper bag, my bedroom, the kitchen.  THEY ARE EVERYWHERE!  

And I love it!  Books should be everywhere, especially with a young child in the house.  Ali should never be far from a book.  But the kind of books that I have let her read and play with have changed.  Once I realized how destructive little uncoordinated hands can be, I came to love the idea of board books.  Tough and sturdy mini replicas of all my favorite picture books like The Napping House, Guess How Much I Love You, and The Three Snow Bears are just perfect for babies.  But I wasn't going to let lesser board books in my house.  No, nothing but the finest in board book literature for my little biscuit.

Then I realized that Ali doesn't actually read the books, she plays with them.  They are chewed and thrown and sat on.  When I try to read them, she grabs for them, not letting me finish a page.  The only time that I can get through reading an entire book to her is when she's playing with another toy, or book.  I usually give her a book to hold while I read her a book, and it's a system that has worked out just great.  

While her library collection is full the best in picture book board books, it's also full of simpler, less fancy books.  I love the books in the above picture because of the handle.  The pictures are simple, the text is pretty marginal, but they are easy for her to carry.  And she'll pick them up, and spin herself on her bottom in a clockwise circle.  Never counter-clockwise.  Only clockwise.  It's adorable.  

Having some less-than-stellar books in Ali's collection means that I'm not afraid to let her play with books.  She is learning that books are fun, and that's the most important lesson of all.

Happy Reading!

5 Things: Sleep

5 Things to Brighten Your Day

Despite the BS that May Get in Your Way

1.  Ali slept until 6:15 this morning!  She's sleeping through the night now, but mornings are very early, so this is a victory.

2.  Reading time today.  I'm finishing up Daughter of Deep Silence.

3.  Manicure time today.  I wish that I had time for a proper manicure with polish and everything, but I'll take nicely filed nails instead.

4.  It's grilling season, which means shish kabobs for dinner tonight.  

5.  Bright, bright sunshine makes everything better.  

Children's Book Week Experiment: The Results

This lovely collection of books has been sitting on my office counter for two weeks, waiting to be read by college students desperate for a break from studying for finals.  The semester ends today, so I thought I would give you a recap of how this little experiment went.

In a word, poorly.

Not poorly exactly, just very few people even glanced at these books.  Maybe it has something to do with the basket full of candy placed right next to it.  I guess candy trumps books any day.

A couple of students did come it to drop off homework one day and delightedly flipped through my collection, and we have a 15 minute conversation about their favorite children's books.  That was a great time.  Another student will have his first child later this summer and was saying that he needed to read up on these books so he'd be ready for his baby.  Yes, babies enjoy Mo Willems much more than Richard Feynman.

I've caught a couple other students or faculty browsing, but not taking a book off the shelf to read it.  But maybe it triggers a happy memory for a moment.

I guess my original statement is rather false.  While this experiment wasn't a resounding success, it did make me happier just looking at these books for the past two weeks.  And who wouldn't be happy when lovable, furry old Grover is waving at you all day long!

Happy Reading!

5 Things: Breakfast

5 Things to Brighten Your Day

Despite the BS that May Get in Your Way

1.  Only four more days of finals!  Then town gets a lot quieter and the pace of life slows to a crawl.  I can't wait!

2.  "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz played on the radio this morning.  Such a happy summer song.

3.  Ali loves finger foods now, so life is pretty messy, and Lucy is getting lots of people food, but breakfast this morning went pretty well.  Ali didn't actively feed Lucy anything, and most of the Cheerios went in Ali's belly.

4.  Lunch with Lucy today.  It's great that I can go home most days and show my furry baby some love.

5.  With this lifestyle slow down, I have more time to read.  Right now I'm working on a galley for Circus Mirandus.  I've only been able to read bits and pieces, but I'm super intrigued and very excited to carve out some time for reading.

Mother's Day: Getting the Picture

Yesterday, I shared this little gem of my Ali Pie wishing everyone a Happy Mother's Day.  I actually made this into a nice little card from Mpix to send to everyone in place of proper Mother's Day cards.  

I normally go big on Mother's Day cards.  They go to everyone-moms, grandmas, great-grandmas, aunts, etc. etc.  But since this year was my first year without my mom, I couldn't face the card aisle.  So, our homemade chalk board and camera became our way to say Happy Mother's Day.  And given how darling this turned out, I think we'll do it every year.  That way all the women in our families will see Ali grow over the years.  Pretty neat!

This photo shoot took all of 10 minutes, but it was a very fun 10 minutes.  The family had just taken a walk on a positively glorious day and it was getting late.  Ali really should have been settling down for bed, Lucy was amped from the walk, but this was the time.  Lucy was all over the yard and Doug was simultaneously trying to keep Lucy away from Ali and make Ali smile, while I was trying to keep Ali on the blanket and snap the picture.  Wouldn't you know that the last picture was perfect, but how about some of the others?  Enjoy some of my other shots, complete with captions.

Hey, what's this?  

What is that dog doing?

What's this crawly thing?  Can I eat it?

Mom, I think this picture would be better if it were a movie!  Watch me go!

Yes, most of Ali's waking hours are consumed with moving and putting things in her mouth.  I wonder how her Father's Day photo shoot will go!

Happy Mothers Day!

Happy Mother's Day from the Ericksons!

We wish all mothers, grandmothers, daughters, aunts, godmothers, and friends a beautiful and happy day.  Take time to hug the women in your life.  

5 Things: Countdown to Summer

5 Things to Brighten Your Day

Despite the BS that May Get in Your Way

1.  So far May has been perfect weather wise, and it's the same today.  Warm and sunny and lovely and perfect.  

2.  Our mythical bathroom is now finished, and I need to take some pictures and write a whole post about it because it is just so awesome!  But for now, it's one of the things that makes me happy.

3.  Coffee.  I'm always a little sad after that last sip.

4.  Morning baby cuddles!  Ali has become a good sleeper, but she's a morning person.  Like 5:30 am kind of morning.  But we let her talk in her crib until 6:00 am on the off chance that she'll understand that anything before that time is just ridiculous.  Even so, after you feed her, she's the sweetest little cuddle bug.  I'm not a morning girl, actually I love my sleep more than coffee, but I love my morning cuddles.

5.  School is winding down, so there is basically only one week left before summer break starts.  Which is great because I will be volunteering at two different libraries in June and running VBS, and taking a long vacation that involves driving through five states.  Bring on July!

Happy Children's Book Week!

How do you celebrate Children's Book Week when you are a secretary?  Bring books to the office of course!  I've wanted to bring books to the office for a while now.  I figure that it will be a great distraction from the stress of finals week, and that CBW falls so closely to finals is just a great excuse.  My theory is that students can read a book, reminisce and relax for 5 minutes.  I haven't had any takers yet, but my display has only been up for about 2 hours.  It is right next to the candy basket, and I usually have a lot of people looking for candy in the afternoon, so I am excited to see what happens.

You got a glimpse of Ali Pie's bookshelf yesterday, so you know that this is only a fraction of her collection.  And some of these came from my collection in the basement library bar.  Our library bar is a very diverse collection striving to serve the needs of children, civil engineers, and soccer fans.  The Erickson Library has a very odd collection development policy.

I'll let you know how my experiment goes later in the week.  Hopefully I'm able to brighten some students day with a little nostalgia.

Happy Reading!

Baby Bookshelf

This is the bookshelf in Ali Pie's room.  You would probably guess that as a librarian's daughter, she'd have quite a few books.  And you would be right.  I've been hoarding review books, sale books, and other randomness for years for just such an occasion.  

Well, actually I've been buying books for myself, but it's nicer to say that I've been planning my baby's library instead.

This is a bookshelf that my dad made for me in college.  It suits the purpose of baby bookshelf pretty nicely since that top shelf is short-perfect for board books. 

The second shelf is taller, just right for those picture books.  I have some odd ones in here left over from reviewing.  If you look really, really closely, you'll see a children biography on Derek Rose of the Chicago Bulls.  I noticed it a couple of months ago while pulling a book to read to Ali, but I left it, because, why not?  She might love sports as much as her daddy.

So far, her bookshelf is not dominated by any one thing.  There are picture books and board books.  Books on animals and people and construction and pigeons and cupcakes.  It's not too girly or too masculine.  It's such a great balance.  

And these aren't all of her books.  There's a bin of board books in the living room, and I guess if I'm sharing, there are shelves of Mo Willems and Dr. Seuss books in the basement.  Do I have to share those?  I guess, but I'm not quite ready.  Then if you take into account all the chapter books lying about, and the adult novels and non-fiction, she's going to be really well read.  And very into environmentally sustainable construction techniques.  Thanks for busting the curve, daddy!

I love this bookshelf.  It sits right across the room from the chair I feed Ali in every day (and night).  It's a nice colorful thing to look at while I'm singing to her or just rocking her.  Now most mornings after I get her dressed, we grab a book and read before going on with our day.  It's just me, Ali and our dog Lucy hanging out with a book.  It's the perfect way to start the day.

Anyone else wanna share their baby bookshelf.  Check out my Instagram for some other bookshelf pics, because, like I said, this isn't the only place Ali has books!

Happy Reading!

5 Things: Ice Storm (you read that right)

5 Things to Brighten Your Day

Despite the BS that May Get in Your Way

1.  Yep, you read that title right.  We had a small ice storm here (in March no less) which meant that we had a weather advisory at work.  I'm a big wimp when it comes to ice, so I said yes please to the weather advisory and spent two extra hours with my little biscuit this morning.  She took a nap, I took a shower, then we read some books.  Great morning!

2.  I drank real coffee this morning.  So good.  Not something I normally do, but Ali has taken to waking up early, 5:15 am this morning, so real coffee was necessary.

3.  The Ericksons have a new workout plan.  We alternate nights of exercise and washing bottles/dishes.  Last night was my workout night while Doug did the washing.  It's great because that way we each get a little alone time to workout without the guilt of neglecting each other, and we also share the dishes burden.

4.  I scored a great little dress online at Land's End today.  With tax, shipping, etc. it came to $30!  Check it out here.

5.  Ali is a big splasher in her infant tub.  It might be time to wash her right in the bathtub since she's a good sitter.  I think I would get much less wet that way.  It's like I'm in the front row at a Sea World show every time I give her a bath.  Lucy won't even hang out in the bathroom anymore when Ali gets a bath because she hates to get wet.

Not much reading getting done these days, other than my Booklist reviews, but I'll share my new reading strategy soon.  And I do have a review to share, but I am still wrapping my head around the book I read.

Happy Day!

Book Review: Wild Things

Wild Things:  Acts of Mischief in Children's Literature
By Betsy Bird, Julie Danielson, and Peter Sieruta
Candlewick, 2014
Review from eBook
Audience: For the Pros
ISBN:  9780763651503
Publication Date:  August 5, 2014


I've been name dropping this book for a while now, so it's time to get down to talking about it.  If you are a librarian, or teacher, or crazy person that thinks children's authors are the real celebrities, then Wild Things is the book for you.  To the outsider, children's books might be all fluffy bunnies and smiling authors living in quaint Vermont towns sipping cider and typing on old-timey typewriters.  But those of us in the biz know that Roald Dahl was a grumpy-face, Go Ask Alice was written by some doctor, and the best children's morality stories are scary German tales about barbers.  

The whole book is one big unveiling of some of children's literatures greatest secrets and funniest stories.  There's plagiarism, sex, unusual starting careers, and treating children like capable human beings that can make their own decisions.  The whole book flies in the face of conservative American ideals for children and books, and should quite frankly be banned in all 50 states right now!

Please ban this book!  Then everyone will read it!

Honestly, I read this book in fits and starts in the early days after having Alice.  I would read aloud from it while trying to ease her to sleep, which is no easy thing since I was reading her the section about the previously mentioned crazy German barber.  This book is most likely for a scholar of children's literature.  It's the kind of book that a librarian wants to talk about at a cocktail party, but none of her friends know these authors and can't really get into it.

So if you're a librarian and you've read it, call me!  Then we can also get all gushy about the YMAs.  Six Caldecott honors?  What the what?  

I need more librarian friends people.

If you want a book that will make you laugh out loud while discussing children's books, then this is perfect.

Happy Reading!

5 Things: Ten Things

5 Things to Brighten Your Day

Despite the BS that May Get in Your Way

1. Here's a first for me since having Alice:  I made it to work on time!

2.  This morning Ali was playing with her wubbanub when I went to wake her up and she was just so sweet.  I must have snuck up on her because I got the startle arms, which is always funny.

3.  A warm house.  Our furnace when on strike over the weekend, and a furnace isn't something you think about until your house is cold.  Thankfully we had it replaced all in one day.  

4.  Had a great night just hanging out with a friend, watching Parks and Rec and talking about how old we feel being out on a school night.

5.  Ali wore her Cabela's dress, which is now a tunic because she's so big, to school today and was just darling.  Until she spit up on it.  But that happens.  

Bonus:  Lucy Puppy, Leggings+Dress+Boots combo, Dougie, my Dad, Bubble Baths, so much to be thankful for!  Definitely enough to get me through the first day of classes. 

Book Review: Ghosts of Tupelo Landing

The Ghosts of Tupelo Landing
By Shelia Turnage
Kathy Dawson Books, 2014
Reviewed from eBook
Audience: Grades 4 to 8
ISBN:  9780803736719
Publication Date:  February 4, 2014



Tupelo Landing is all abuzz about the big auction, but when Miss Lana makes a bid on the old inn, the town really gets to talking.  How with Miss Lana and Grandma Miss Lacy run an inn?  Is it really haunted?  But the kids at school are more concerned about the new kid in town, Harm, who just happens to be the grandson of mean old moonshiner, Red Crenshaw.  Mo and Dale have a lot to look after at the Desperado Detective Agency, what with the ghost being their only shot for a passing grade in history, and the success of the inn being the only shot for the town to stay afloat.  Just like before, you can expect beautiful language and colorful characters in this companion to Three Times Lucky.

Funny story about how I came to read this book.  When Alice was a newborn, she was a fuss face.  I was constantly singing and talking to her, and I found that she liked being read to.  Instead of reading her picture book after picture book, I just read to her from whatever I was reading.  She liked the constant tone of my voice, and it would usually put her to sleep.  However, I was reading Wild Things:  Acts of Mischief in Children's Literature (review to come, I promise!), and she didn't appreciate anecdotes about German stories involving crazy barbers and children burning to death.  Instead, I thought I would read her some beautifully written chapter books and get her started out right.  My first shot was The Westing Game, which opens with the murder of Sam Westing.  Strike One.  Then I turned to Three Times Lucky and it's lovely southern language.  Again, another murder book!  Strike Two.  I settled on The Ghosts of Tupelo Landing.  Same southern tone and pace, but no murder, just a ghost.  Not too scary for a newborn, right?  I'm questioning all of my parenting decisions right now.

Back to the story.  I would say that you could read this book on its own, although it would make more sense if you read Lucky, although I don't necessarily see this as a sequel.  There is something rather cheap about a sequel, or a series, it's likely my own bias, but a book of this caliber doesn't feel like a sequel.  It's too beautiful on its own.

I have to say that my favorite part was Dale.  He's just a great straight man.  Some of his one-liners were just too much.  I did a lot of highlighting in this book-one of the great positives about eBooks, I don't feel like I am defacing a book to mark in it.  

Take this passage for example:

Dale said. “Dogs don’t change their spots.” 
“Leopards,” Harm said, frowning. “Leopards don’t change their spots.” 
“The animal of the saying can be changed,” Dale said, very cool. “The spots cannot.”

Turnage, Sheila (2014-02-04). The Ghosts of Tupelo Landing (Kindle Locations 1503-1504). Penguin Group US. Kindle Edition. 

That is just typical Dale for you.  He does not exactly understand the world as everyone else does, but it makes for a very entertaining story.

I like revisiting Tupelo landing.  This is a great book to pick up at random, read a couple chapters, and set aside again.  It's a great book to read aloud, and I would recommend reading it to any child in your life, young or older.  I am curious to check out the audiobook because I bet it is just magical.

Happy Reading!

5 Things: Friday

5 Things to Brighten Your Day

Despite the BS that May Get in Your Way

1. It's Friday.  That can count as 3 things, right?

2.  Hot chocolate.

3.  I'm having Ramen soup for lunch.  It reminds me of a simpler time.

4.  Wild Things:  Acts of Mischief in Children's Literature.  Excellent book and a must read for every children's librarian.  I'll be reviewing it next week, but until then, check out the Wild Things blog.

5.  Tights+leggings=warm legs on a cold day.  Thanks to my friend Sara for the tip!

Happy Friday!