Booked First Cruise!

My family has booked its first cruise. We have booked a 4-Night Cruise on the Disney Wonder, July 1st . Very much excited. I have no idea what to expect - is anyone in my family prone to seasickness? We will find out... Will it be too crowded? I hope not... We are trying to decide whether to take our kids to a swim with dolphins experience. I have heard positive and negative things about the ones available in Nassau. We may pass this one up, and save it for later... I purchased all of us some Hawaiian shirt/dress attire for the pirate/tropics party. My husband is NOT into the Hawaiian shirt thing, but he is a pretty good sport, so this should be very entertaining... Any of you who have cruised with Disney before, and you did it with kids, I would love to hear from you! What was your experience like?

Snow in the Deep South?

OMG! They are predicting a major (major for us, anyway!) snow event Fri night/Sat morning! Multiple inches! It has been such a loooooooong time since we have enjoyed some real snow. Our last major event - the Blizzard of '93. I was sitting in my mother's house, finishing cross-stitching the ring-bearer pillow that would be used in my wedding the next weekend. We were listening to the radio, and heard a woman pleadingly inviting anyone remotely near her church to please come bring a bag to pick up some food, as her wedding had taken place that day and her guests were not able to make it to the church, leaving her reception uneaten. I sat there, looking at the 6+ inches of snow in my parents' back yard, thinking, "This is going to be me next weekend." The sun came out and did its job, and we were all comfortably in the 70s by the time I donned my white gown. Stay tuned... I'll let you know how much we get!

Children's Book Awards Announced!

I called it, my friends! The Invention of Hugo Cabret took the Gold Caldecott Award on Monday when the ALA announced all of 2008's book awards. I was also excited to see There's a Bird on Your Head take the Gold Geisel. I love love Mo Willems - his illustrations are unique, and his stories - a little bizarre, but delightful! Willems took a Caldecott Honor, too for Knuffle Bunny, too - his sequel to Knuffle Bunny - which took a Caldecott in 2007, BTW. Loved watching the announcements live via webcast. My only complaint is that announcing the awards at 8:00 AM eastern time is hard for the rest of the nation enjoy, as most of us are getting our kids ready for the day, or still in bed asleep, depending on when you live. My American Library Association friends - when holding your Mid-Winter Conference on the east coast, please push out your announcements a little for the rest of us!!

Children's Book Awards

For those of you keeping count, the American Library Association is announcing its book awards tomorrow during their MidWinter Conference. Being a children's librarian, I pay close attention to these announcements every January, but I find myself particularly emotionally invested this year.

There is one unique book that I believe could take both the Caldecott AND the Newbery this year - The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick. This book is part novel, part comic, part movie, part documentary - Selznick's ink drawings are AMAZING, and his characterization is beautiful. I will have a complete meltdown if this book does not get some sort of recognition tomorrow.

If you have not read it, the format of the book, alone, merits a look. Don't be turned off by its size - the format and terrific storytelling will have you done with this book in no time!

Welcome to my Blog!

I have recently delved into the realm of blogs and wikis in my professional life - making handbooks, discussing books, etc., but had nowhere to muse about my non-professional life. I needed a place to talk about those OTHER things that are important to me - things outside those 8+ hours I spend in my Media Center each day. (Though I am sure that some of it will finds its way here, too!) SO... Welcome to my "Other Stuff" Blog. Please comment about anything of interest - I am sure that there are others of you out there who need an "Other" outlet, too.

Me - I am a mom of 2 great kids - happily married ... good golly - 15 years in March! Life certainly seems to speed up as we go along. I enjoy a cozy home, a purring cat, and a loving extended family. I love to read, play with my kids, garden and travel when I can. When I'm not doing those things, I am a Library Media Specialist (Librarian) in a large, progressive primary school for kindergarten through 2nd graders - absolutely adore my job! Work with a wonderful principal - wonderful teachers - and truly great students. Reading this over, it seems I live a graced life, and I do. I am blessed beyond measure - though, like all of us, sometimes seem to overlook that stressing about the little stuff.

Non-professional blogging is new to me, but I look forward to sharing the stuff of life here, and hopefully finding out that the world is a little bit smaller place.