Summer Reading List 2013

Summer is a great time to catch up on a growing reading list.

Goodreads makes it easy to create and keep up with my reading list all year long, but I wanted to make a special list for the summer. I'm hoping I'll read more than this, but these are my top 5 summer reads for this year.

1. And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini
I really enjoyed his other two books, The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns, so I'm looking forward to reading this one as well.

2. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
I know a lot of people are reading this now because it's been made into a movie, but it's been one I've been interested in for a while. One of my 13 in '13 goals is to read 5 classics and so far I've read ZERO! I need to read at least one this summer, so why not this one?

3. The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown
I enjoyed his other two books, so I'm sure I'll like this one too. They're usually page turners which is one of my favorite qualities in a summer read. 

4. The Best of Us by Sarah Pekkanen
I don't remember how I heard of this one, but it seems like a fun book for summer. Books about friendship always make fun summer reads.

5. Heart of the Matter by Emily Giffin
I read and enjoyed Emily Giffin's other books, so I'm sure I'll enjoy this one as well. Just like the previously mentioned book, I think this one will just be a light, fun summer read. 

I also wanted to let some of my sponsor/swapper friends share their recommendations for summer reads. (Click their picture to visit their site)

 

So far this summer I've been reading The Power of Latino Leadership by Juana Bordas. It's about the unique values that Hispanics use when leading and how different groups, including Hispanics themselves, non-Latinos and "Latinos by association" can implement them into their own leadership practices to make their organization a more inclusive and open place--or a place where people will want to be in. 

 

Next up on my queue is The Carrot Principle by Chester Elton. I learned the basics of it (that people perform better when given incentives than a threat of punishment) in Business School years ago (it's an important book to businesspeople), so when I had the chance to borrow it from my coworkers I immediately took it. (The name comes from how people who train horses place carrots in front of their heads to incentivize them to perform well.)

 

And do the BBC adaptations of Emma and Persuasion count as books, too? :) If so, I've "read" those recently as well, haha.

 One of my favorite books is The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman. I have read it numerous times and it has helped me tremendously with relationships.

A book that I am going to read this summer is "The Perks of Being a Wallflower".  I am in the book club called "Literary Junkies" and that is the book that is on the list to read. I have heard about this book alot, mixed reviews. I think this would be a great summer read because it isn't long and even if I don't like it I have the Summer Air to cheer me up. =]

What's on your summer reading list?

10 Things Teachers Need to Know

As the school year is coming to a close, I began to reflect on things that I think are important for teachers to know. 

1. Wet paper towels, band-aids, and time heal all most wounds. 

Teachers should have to minor in nursing. Kids always have complaints about something hurting. As a teacher, you have to determine when there really is something wrong with a child and when there's not. I can't tell you how many times I say "let's see how you feel in a little while" or  "just get a wet paper towel and put on it."

2. Multitasking and management are essential skills.

Along with minoring in nursing, teachers should also minor in business. You have to manage 20+ people daily. You have to be able to differentiate and accommodate while being sure to cover all of your objectives. Don't even get me started on all the paperwork you have to do. Then, you have to also handle parent emails (or phone calls or stopping by), hurt children (see #1), bullying issues, and drama. You have to keep up with who's done what, who was out of the room when you assigned something, and who still has to turn in an assignment. On top of that, your name is constantly being called. It's exhausting!

3. You will often understand a child better after you meet their parent(s).

A child is going to be most influenced by their home life. Sometimes this influence is good. Most of the time, the children who make better grades have parents who give them a lot of life experiences. They also work with their children and talk with them about things that are going on in the world. On the other hand, children who don't follow rules or are disrespectful are often allowed to act like that at home. 

4. "Winging it" and flexibility are essential skills.

No matter how many lesson plans they make you write out in explicit detail in college, you will still find yourself on some days staring at a blank plan book. Teachers have so many demands put on them that lesson planning is often not a priority. Often all you know is what you're supposed to be teaching and how to teach it comes to you as you're doing it. You are also working in a very unpredictable setting. You never know when your lesson will be interrupted or won't go as planned. 

5. No matter how many supplies you have, they have a way of disappearing.

I don't know what kids do-eat them, but supplies don't last long. You will spend a lot of your own money or a lot of time begging parents for more supplies.

6. If a kid is ____________, you must be _____________er.
You must always be one step ahead of them. Think back and remember what it was like to be in their shoes. What were you or your classmates doing behind the teacher's back? What are all the ways you could possibly cheat? What could you try and sneak in your desk to play with when the teacher's not looking? When could you pass a note? You must be alert and observant at all times. So, fill in the blanks, whatever a kid is-you must be more.

7. A look can say a lot.

This can be a good and bad thing. If you perfect your "you better stop right this second" look, you don't have to talk as much. On the other hand, teachers can often give looks to display their disgust with certain things and students will learn to read and interpret these looks. They often voice your thoughts for you.

8. Students love to be praised.

It's amazing how you can say "I love how Sally is reading her book quietly like I asked" and all of a sudden they're all looking at Sally and trying to mimic her. It can be so easy to criticize and say negative things, that it's important to remember to praise students as well.

9. Remember Pavlov's Dog you learned about in psychology? It can be applied to children. 

Music, bells, chimes, vocal commands-whatever signals you need to use, you can "train" your students to respond. It's really amazing to watch. I personally use music to signal various transitions and it makes things run a lot smoother.

10.  You want them to leave your classroom having learned more than just the required curriculum.
For about 10 months, you get to have a major influence on the lives of others. Many of your students don't have positive influences as home. Even for the ones who do, it's important that you teach them some life skills. These are the things your students will remember more than anything. 

Dear Pregnant Kim

Dear Kim,

I must admit, I love a good reality show. When I want mindless entertainment, I always know I can find a reality show that will do the trick. I don't know what it is that always sucks me in. Maybe it's how unrealistic reality TV is. It's almost like an escape from reality. Anyway, I say all that to say that I have indulged in your family's show quite a bit.

 

source

This letter isn't to discuss reality TV or your family's show, though. I wanted to let you know that I don't think it's fair how the media is comparing you to Kate Middleton. You have two totally different body types. As I've begun to have friends and people I'm closer to becoming pregnant, I noticed something. People who are naturally skinny get a little bump that slowly grows into a larger bump. They're the people who look "cute" while pregnant. They can be 9 months pregnant and simply look like they're carrying a basketball under their shirt. This would be a person like Kate. On the other hand, people who are naturally curvy tend to simply look like they're getting fat when they're pregnant. It's not fair. I know that if I'm ever pregnant, I will fall into this category. People's bodies are different and when you're pregnant, you're going to gain weight.

 

source

The biggest problem, though, is that you're not dressing well for your pregnant body. I'm not a fashion expert, but I cringe at your outfit choices when I see them in magazines or on the internet. I'm sure that if you were to make better outfit choices, the media wouldn't have as much to talk about. The biggest problem to me is that your clothes fit too tightly which accentuates your fuller figure.

As we all know, life is not fair. It's not fair to have people criticize your looks when I'm sure your hormones are on overdrive as it is. We all know you're not getting fat, you're pregnant. With the money to pay personal trainers and nutrition experts, I'm sure you'll drop the baby weight in no time. So, be thankful for that because "normal" people don't get that luxury.

I could go on about how it's ridiculous the amount of money you're spending on your clothes or the fact that you picked Kanye West to have a baby with, but I'll save that for another time. Best of luck to you and your baby.

Sincerely,               

Megan                  

This post may seem really random, but it's something that's gets on my mind every time I go into a store and see a magazine cover because you can guarantee Kim Kardashian or Kate Middleton will be on the cover. It has just bothered me that the media wants to compare these two women. I know that I don't know them and we all probably think they're just wealthy and out of touch with reality, but they're people too.

If people are going to be so critical of Kim's pregnancy weight, what does that say to you and me? I know I'm not at a weight I'm happy with, but I try to keep a positive self image. We don't really need the media calling pregnant women (or any woman for that matter) fat. 

Also, I just had to comment on her outfit choices. I think they're terrible....

I'd love to know your thoughts on any of this....Kate vs. Kim, pregnancy, media's obsession with calling people fat, Kim's pregnancy wardrobe....any of it....

A Mother's Love

This is the story of a woman you'll never meet....

who lives in a country you'll never visit...

who's experienced things you can't imagine.

This woman finds out she's pregnant. Maybe she's married, maybe not. The details aren't important. The fact is she's now a mother.

The father of this baby is no longer around. Maybe he never was. Maybe he died of one of the many diseases that plague third world countries.

Despite the circumstances, this woman loves her child and will make whatever sacrifices are necessary to be able to raise it.

This proves to be harder than she thought. She can't get a job. She has no education and there's no work available. She could resort to prostitution, but that would be no life for her child. She steals what she can for their survival, but fears what will happen to her child if she's caught.

Soon, she and her baby are so sick that they're both on the verge of death. She does the only thing she thinks can be done to give her baby a chance at life. She leaves the baby at an orphanage. There her baby will have food and shelter. Maybe someone will come along and adopt her baby. Then her baby will have a family and security. Things she was not able to give.

She will spend the rest of her life wondering what happened to her child.

*   *   *

As someone who hopes to adopt one day, this story breaks my heart. I made this particular story up, but things like this happen. It's one thing to adopt a child whose parents are dead or whose parents willingly gave it up or whose parental rights were terminated because the child wasn't safe in their care. It's another thing to think that you could have a child that someone unwillingly gave up. A child whose parents saw no other option. This was the only way their child could survive.

This is the sad reality of poverty. While some parents leave their child because they cannot care for them, there are many others who fight for their child's survival every day. Most of us can't even begin to imagine what this is like. 

We live in a world of convenience and comfort. We've never gone a day without a meal, clean clothes, entertainment, and a place to sleep at night. We can't imagine what it's like to have no hope.

There is good news, though. There are people out there doing things about this problem and you can be a part of it. One organization that is helping keep families together is Compassion.

If you'd like to help a mother living in poverty be able to raise a healthy child, you can visit Compassion's website and consider making a monthly or one time donation to their Child Survival  Program.

*Note: The pictures used in this post are from my trip to Tizimin this past summer. These women and children do not represent what was mentioned in this post, but are simply being used to show mothers and children living in poor conditions and poverty.* 

Please Share Your Opinion... {After reading a brief JASTG history}

I started this blog in May 2010. I started it as a way to keep my family and friends updated on my life. I was about to graduate college, get married, and move away from home. My first blog post was nothing special. It actually only has 4 views. I see a lot of bloggers talk about their old posts with embarrassment. I don't feel that way. I actually love some of my first blog posts. They were so genuine because I wasn't writing with any ulterior motive. I was simply writing my thoughts. I knew a lot of people didn't read my blog and that was okay. I was writing for myself.

If you're interested, these are some of my favorites from the early days:
My Life Philosophy Based on the Movie Titanic
Life Lessons Learned through Sarah's Life
Life Interrupted=Divine Intervention
What Would He Say to You?
What's the Point?
Time Machine
Where were you when the world stopped turning?

Anyway, then in March 2012, I decided to try and expand my blog beyond just people I know. This was a slow process. I'm not one of those bloggers who gained hundreds of followers in a month. For a while, I still wrote more personal blog posts than anything. I'd say it was around September 2012 when I really started figuring the whole blog thing out. I started participating in a LOT of link ups, blog hops, and giveaways. I started doing sponsorships. I started posting every day. It became exhausting! I feel like the quality of my posts dropped, yet I was getting a lot of views and a lot of comments.

As 2013 came around, I felt like I needed to back off. I was getting stressed out with blogging and that's not how it's meant to be. In March 2013, I wrote 2 blog posts about changes I wanted to make. I wanted to link up less, blog hop less, stop giving things away, and blog more quality posts instead of just more posts. I also decided to stop taking paid sponsorship. Instead, I only want to do button swaps and promote blogs I truly enjoy. I wanted to focus on writing good content that people would want to share. I've been trying to work on adding my own pictures that are edited with words so that they're pinnable.

Now, I usually only post 3-4 times a week. I think the quality of my posts has improved. I've posted a couple of things recently that were really important to me and I put a lot of time into them. (My 3 favorites being I have a dumb phone, Are you really pro life?, and To those forgotten on Mother's Day.) Yet, my views and comments overall have been down a lot lately. I'm not trying to sound whiny, but it's upsetting when you put a lot of time and energy, not to mention a little of your heart into a post and you feel like it's not appreciated. I wish I could have back that feeling from when I first started and just blogged because I enjoyed it.

ANYWAY....I said all that to get to the point of this post...I've been thinking a lot lately about my blogging and the first thing I realized is-I haven't taken a break since March 2012. Blogging is a lot of work and I think maybe sometimes the best thing you can do is take a break. So, I'll be backing off a lot in June. I'll probably post a couple of times the first week and last week of June, but I'm taking a break during the 2 weeks in the middle.

The next thing I've been thinking about and the part where your opinion comes in is the direction I want my blog to take in the future. I've often thought about what "type" of blogger I am. I don't really blog about one specific thing. I never felt like I knew enough about or did enough of one specific thing to have a whole blog dedicated to it.

I like to read, but I didn't want to only blog about books.

I teach, but I don't want to have a teaching blog because I'm not that creative with it.

I like to do crafts, but I don't do enough to only blog about it.

I like to bake and cook, but I never come up with my own recipes.

I'm not a health and fitness expert.

I'm not into fashion.

I'm not a mom.

I couldn't figure out what niche I could fit into. However, the recent direction of my posts and where my heart has been all along has gotten me thinking about renaming my blog and focusing more on a specific thing than being just a general "blog about whatever" or "lifestyle" blogger.

I can see advantages to be a specific type of blogger. Your readers know what to expect. You can have a target audience. Your blog will be more focused and have a direction which will guide what you write about. 

I want to know your opinion about a couple of things.

What type of blog do you prefer? Do you prefer to follow and read the blog of someone who is a specific type of blogger or do you prefer bloggers who blog about little bits of everything? 

I follow more blogs that are a little bit of everything, but I actually read more specific blogs. I think lifestyle blogs can gain more followers because at different times they can appeal to a range of people, but I've found I lose interest in certain people's blogs because it ends up that we don't have that much in common or that they blog about more things that I'm not interested in than things I am interested in.

However, when I follow a specific type blog, I'm following it because we have something in common or they write about something I'm definitely interested in so I'm going to be more likely to read more of their posts.

I also want to know if any of you have changed your blog's name? Is it a pain? Was there a lot of confusion? Would you recommend it if the direction of the blog is changing? 

If you read all of this-thank you! I did not set out to write a brief history of my blog. I also didn't set out to whine about my lack of comments. It just sort of happened. I felt like it might help explain where I was coming from with my questions. Your input is definitely appreciated!

To Those Forgotten on Mother's Day

People have been celebrating mothers throughout history and in every culture. Mother's Day as we know it was started by a woman named Anna Jarvis. Anna Jarvis worked for this day as a way to honor her late mother. Her mother, Ann, gave birth to 11 children, but only 4 of them lived to be adults. Anna viewed this holiday as a way to show gratitude and give honor to the woman who gave you life. She fought to keep the name Mother's Day instead of Mothers' Day. In her eyes, it was not a day to celebrate all mothers. It was a day to celebrate YOUR mother.

Sadly, like any other holiday in our culture, Mother's Day quickly became commercialized. The way Mother's Day began to be celebrated bothered Anna Jarvis so much that she actually began fighting against this holiday. (National Geographic, SCFI)

For many women, this holiday brings up very painful and bitter feelings. Feelings that are often misunderstood by people who've never experienced any of them. Mother's Day was set up to honor a bereaved mother, yet bereaved mothers are usually forgotten on this day.

In 2010, the Sunday before Mother's Day was set apart as Bereaved Mother's Day. This day was set up to raise awareness. However, I want to recognize the forgotten mothers right here during the traditional Mother's Day.

For those of you struggling with infertility, I'm sorry you have to watch friend after friend and family member after family member get pregnant and give birth while you wait for your miracle. I'm sorry that you are embarrassed and feel like you can't talk about your struggle with anyone. I'm sorry that you have feelings towards those who are mothers that you're ashamed to admit or voice.

For those of you who've had miscarriages, I'm sorry that you experienced that moment of joy only to have it taken away from you. I'm sorry you have to watch your friends or family members or even just acquaintances have their babies. I'm sorry you feel like there's something wrong with you or wonder whether you could have done something different. I'm sorry you had to watch your due date come and go without your baby.

For those of you who've lost a child, I'm sorry you had to experience what I'm sure is one of the most painful things in the world. Whether your child lived a few hours or into adulthood, I'm sorry you will never be able to celebrate a(nother) birthday with them. Maybe you don't get to see them graduate, get married, or have kids of their own and I'm sorry. It's not fair for a parent to have to bury their child.

For those of you who gave your child up for adoption, I'm sorry that for whatever reason you weren't in the place to be able to raise your child. I'm sorry you have to wonder about whether or not you made the right decision. I'm sorry you don't get to watch all their milestones as they grow up. For some of you, I'm sorry you don't even know where they are or what they're doing. For others of you, I'm sorry you have to watch them grow up from a distance with the occasional picture and email update.

For those of you who've had an abortion, I'm sorry that you felt that this was the best or only decision you could make. I'm sorry that you could be living with regrets or wondering what if. I know that this was not an easy decision and it's one you will have to live with for the rest of your life. I'm sorry that people are judgmental and you've been hurt by their comments.

I'm sorry for those of you who are single at an age when you thought you'd be married and have at least one kid. I'm sorry you have to be around all your friends and their families. I'm sorry you feel like you're never going to have the things you want.

There are many complex situations out there and I know that I have not touched on all the possibilities of situations or feelings. Whatever your situation may be, I want this post to honor you.

If you don't find yourself in any of these categories, if you didn't have any trouble having children and they are all with you today, or if you haven't made the decision to try and become a mother or you never plan to, please realize that you know someone (probably multiple people) who are hurting this Mother's Day. Would you reach out to show them love? Would you write them a card? Share this post with them? Invite them over for dinner? You don't have to understand their feelings. You don't have to know the "right" things to say. They just need someone to be there for them. Don't let them be forgotten this Mother's Day.

If you would like more information, to help raise awareness, or if you need a community of support,  Still Standing Magazine is a great resource I'd encourage you to check out.

What I have learned since becoming a mom...

Well, I'm not a mom.  But today I have Erica from We Three Crabs guest posting about her experiences. Her button is over there to the left and I think it's one of the cutest buttons I've ever seen. Anyway, I encourage you to read on because this isn't your typical "being a mom is the best thing in the world" post. While I know being a mom is such a blessing, I love how Erica is really sharing her heart and being honest and real. Enjoy!

What I have learned since becoming a mom.

I had my son “little Crab” when I was thirty-three years old. I had struggled with infertility and subsequently a divorce. I prayed for five consecutive years for a child and was blessed on August 9, 2010 with a healthy boy. I’ve since learned so much. I have learned to slow down and not schedule so much in my day. I’m a doer. I used to make long lists of lofty goals for myself and not sleep until my list was all marked off. With a baby you just can’t do that. I quickly learned that doing anything at all outside of nursing and changing diapers would be a major feat those first several weeks. As he grew, I learned that getting out of the house would take twice as long, and just when I thought we were good to go, he would poop. Eventually we made it out of the house. I learned to always carry the diaper bag, even if you are going to the store down the street for one thing. I always wondered how my own mom managed to have everything we could possible need with her at all times. I learned how to pack the bag and how to keep one in the car just in case. Now that my son is a toddler, every day is like learning something new, for both of us. I used to think it was awful if the kitchen floor was not mopped multiple times a week. I learned that spot cleaning with Lysol in a squirt bottle works just as good.

  

I’ve recently learned that my son doesn’t care is the gold fish on the floor of the car have been there more than three seconds; he wants to eat them anyway. I struggle with things like that. I’m learning to let that go. A quick lesson that I learned this week is I need to follow through with discipline. My son is testing his boundaries. A lot. I need to follow through with the consequence that I say is going to happen or I will lose my authority. Every time I do follow through, he learns a multitude of lessons about behavior and our relationship. After the punishment is given, we always discuss why and how to do better next time. He is learning to apologize for his wrongs. I apologize as well, mostly for not keeping my cool in the thick of it. Transitions are still tough for him. Setting a timer five minutes before bedtime to give him a warning has seemed to help the transition to bedtime go smoother. I'm learning that potty training could be the death of me. After my son looked at me the other day, hand on hip, and said "I don't poop in the potty. I poop in my dump truck." He proceeded to take off his pants and diaper and well, do just that. Oy! Today he actually pooped in the potty, so maybe we are making headway. Let's hope! I know this is only the beginning. I’m glad they start out as babies and we get to learn right along with them! I am excited about learning to the best mom I can be. 

27 I asked him for this child, and he gave me what I asked for. 1Samuel 1:27 GNB   

 

Erica is a mom to a busy toddler boy and a wife to an Alaskan Fisherman. Her blog, We Three Crabs is where she shares the stories of their adventures.