Archives for February 2012

my favorite children’s books: picture book edition

February 16, 2012

The Snowy Day + The Relatives Came + Caps For Sale

Sylvester And The Magic Pebble + The Very Hungry Caterpillar + Madeline

Swimmy + Chrysanthemum + Corduroy

Where The Wild Things Are + The Napping House + Mike Mulligan And His Steam Shovel

The Boy Who Grew Flowers + Fredrick + Pinkalicious

Amazing Grace + Owl Babies + Thank You, Mr. Falker

A Chair For My Mother + Enemy Pie + Hey, Little Ant

Miss Rumphius + Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge + Shortcut

Blueberries For Sal + The Pigeon Finds A Hot Dog + Guess How Much I Love You

Frog and Toad + The Polar Express + The Snowman

Fletcher And The Falling Leaves + Flotsam + The Legend Of The Indian Paintbrush

Owl Moon + We’re Going On A Bear Hunt + The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, And The Big Hungry Bear

Henry’s Awful Mistake + Wave + The Little Yellow Leaf

The Curious Garden + A Sick Day For Amos McGee + Lost And Found

Knuffle Bunny + Ish + Stand Tall, Molly Lou Mellon

So I went a little crazy with this list, but I could hardly help myself. Once I get started I just can’t stop. In fact, if time allowed, I think I could keep going for days. Put me in the children’s section of the library and it will be hours before I come out. There are just so many phenomenal picture books out there, and being an elementary school teacher and serious book lover, I’ve seen (and read) most of them all. This is a collection of my favorites.

They are the books I would absolutely recommend to a parent and without a doubt read to my students.

They are wonderful.

They are meaningful.

They are funny and encouraging and heartwarming and happy.

And children LOVE them.

Isn’t that the truest test of all?

15 Comments · Filed Under: books, children, teaching ·

lobster love.

February 15, 2012

I LOVE lobster.

This is true.

Last night Zan made me lobster risotto (he loves it too). It was more than delicious.

I seriously love that guy.

After an early dinner we headed into Harvard Square for a movie night. We saw Hugo. You might remember me talking about the book? Well, the movie was wonderful. It had mystery and magic and it was set in Paris. Oh, j’adore.

And for dessert?

Zan picked up a little something earlier in the day that is the dessert to end all desserts.

Get

Ready

For

…

A Mike’s Pastry lobster tail.

BE STILL MY HEART.

(And yours too.)

14 Comments · Filed Under: celebrations, food ·

love.

February 14, 2012

{Photo by Sarah // Hemenway Street}

So, I’m not really that big into Valentines Day. I mean, I send adorable love notes and eat loads of chocolate candy hearts as much as the next person, but I don’t go crazy over it or anything.

I say, why not make every day a day for love?

Amiright?

But I’m about to give you a little story about love just because it seems appropriate.

This past Friday night Zanner and I decided to do a date night out on the town. It was a total flop, but I loved it anyways. We drove into Boston to try to catch a movie, and we made it there just in time (despite the crazy rush hour traffic) only to find the line literally out the door and around the block. Bummer, dude.

Instead of waiting and missing half the movie, we headed straight to Island Creek Oyster Bar for some delicious seafood. The good stuff. The real good stuff. And just our luck, the wait was so long we would have been waiting through the night. Seafood for breakfast, anyone?

Rookies, we thought.

Maybe if we went out to dinner more often we would be better at this.

Heads still held high, we headed down the street to our next fave spot: Petit Robert Bistro. Two words: STEAK FRITES. There was no line here, but we were asked to wait at the bar for 10 minutes while some people finished up and their tables were cleared. Got myself a glass of wine and was happy to just be sitting on that bar stool. Well, 10 minutes turned into 30, so Zan went to check what the deal was and was told “just a few more minutes.” Good thing I had that glass of wine in my hand. Fill ‘er UP, please. 30 ADDITIONAL MINUTES LATER and after very little debating we ditched that popsicle stand to look for somewhere else to dine.

What. The. HEY, Petit. I thought you were better than that.

From there we strolled toward Newbury Street looking for another place to pop into.

I remembered how much I liked Cafeteria so we tried to go there. 1 HOUR wait.

Seriously? No fair.

But you wanna know the truth? Do you wanna know what I was really thinking the whole time we were trying to find someplace anyplace that would feed us?

I was thinking how great it was to be spending time with the one I love.

I was enjoying the company and the conversation and the warm night that Boston treated us with last Friday.

I was enjoying just being together.

I wasn’t stressed out about the situation, or annoyed at the restaurant, or complaining about all the walking that we had to do.

I was loving the moment and the night.

I was loving the love.

The real honest to goodness love that happens when you’re just trying your darndest to get a bite to eat.

We ended up at an Indian restaurant that had empty tables and elevator music. The food was delicious and we had leftovers for lunch the next day. We stopped at J.P. licks on the way back to the car and were happy to walk off all the sugar we inhaled.

It wasn’t the most ideal date night, but I loved it all the same.

And tonight? Tonight we’re definitely staying in.

Happy Valentines Day!

11 Comments · Filed Under: life ·

i wanna dance with somebody.

February 13, 2012

{photo credit}

I used to dance in high school. I think I may have told you this before, but I’m not sure. I was pretty serious about it too. Pointe shoes, dance camp, the whole nine yards.

Then in college I kept up with it to some extent, but less for serious and more for fun.

I miss dancing a lot. Sometimes I think I should take a class, but I know it would never be the same. I actually tried a ballet class a few years ago and I held my own pretty well. I was really proud of myself for doing such a good job, keeping up with the steps and jumps and spins. I couldn’t walk for a few days after, and going up stairs was pretty much torture, but I did it. Ok, ok I might be exaggerating a little. But anyways, like I said, it just wasn’t the same.

I think for me, one of the best parts of dancing and being a dancer, besides the thrill of moving through space, were the friends I made. It’s like any sport or hobby, really, you find a connection with other people who have a love for the same things you do. It’s happening to me now with blogging in the same way.

So anyways, I have the specific memory with some of my closest dance friends from college. We were an eclectic mix really, all so very different, but that’s one of the reasons I loved this group of people much. We all loved to dance and the rest didn’t matter.

It was spring vacation and while the rest of our school was away at home or off drinking on the beach on some island in the Caribbean, we were spending our time at a dance festival (taking classes, performing, watching all kind of glorious dance). We were getting to know each other better and better, which is what happens when you spend every waking moment with people, and at the end of one of our last days at the festival, as we were leaving the parking lot, I had this incredible experience I will never forget.

Whitney came on the radio.

This song.

I remember it like it was yesterday.

Without even discussing it we stopped the car in the middle of the parking lot, blasted the music as loud as it would go, opened the doors, got out, and started dancing.

We lifted our heads to the sky and threw our arms open wide.

We jammed and swayed and felt that music in the deepest part of our beings.

We just danced and danced like dancing fools do. Not a care in the world, not a bit of worry or embarrassment or self-consciousness.

We just danced our hearts out. All 5 of us right there in that parking lot.

We danced to Whitney and we loved it.

And forever I will love that song because it reminds me, truly, of when I was young and wild and free.

11 Comments · Filed Under: fitness, friends, nostalia ·