The Lorax

     I've always loved the book.  In fact, I thought it was one of the lesser known Seuss books so I always felt a little ownership to it.  When Elijah was 2 1/2, we brought the book home from our public library. Let me start by saying it was a faded, dirty, 1971 copy of the book (see pic).  Terrible shape.  Not sure how often Pearland Library weeds its books.

Anyway, without us knowing, Elijah ripped up 20 of the 70 pages (see pic).  How we didn't recognize that he was up to something, I'll never know.  It had to have taken a good long while.  After the initial shock, that my own flesh and blood would destroy a library copy (cue fainting music), we decided we could put it back together. With great determination, Kenny taped every last puzzle piece of paper.  He really did.  With great skill.

We didn't know what the librarian would say, but we had to make a valiant effort.  We returned to the library and always looking for a lesson to teach, made Elijah walk up to the counter and apologize for what he did.  And he did it, though very quietly.  But, it must have been his cute face that caused the clerk to smile, dismiss the book, and tell us not to worry about it.  I asked if we could keep it, and keep it we did.  We read out of it tonight.

Because tonight we went to see the movie.  I almost didn't get to see it.  I was meeting Kenny and the kids who had already made there way in and were saving me a seat.  But, when I got there it was sold out. SOLD OUT! I couldn't believe it.  Not even opening weekend.  But remember, it's a rainy Spring break day.  After much texting with Kenny, who also had my Chick-Fil-A tortilla soup with him, and much perseverance,  (I went through the line two more times asking if just ONE seat was open), the wonderful Pearland Cinema 6 worker, let me in.  Love her. I missed the first 10 minutes, but I made it.  And it was great fun.  Very true to Seuss.  Same message:  Don't kill trees and other consumerism kind of things.   Of course 70 pages of mostly picture book isn't enough to make an 1 1/2 movie, so  they added lots of new details. Great details. But ones that Lanie could not find in the book tonight (it was her first read) and that really brought on the questions.  Why can't we see the Oncler in the book?  Where is the part when his bed goes in the water?  Where is the little bear? Where is the girl? She even said, "I like the movie better." Or maybe that was Lydia, or Elijah, I"m not sure.

With book remakes this good, it becomes increasingly harder to demonstrate to my kids why the books are better.  If they were old enough to watch "Where the Wild Things Are", then I could point out where the book trumps the movie.  But often, my "They just are" doesn't always cause waves.  But I stand tall and explain that without the creative books, without Seuss and his silliness,  truffula trees, barba-loots and the Thneed wouldn't have been invented.  So, there. 

That's all I got.  Seriously, though -- the Lorax is great if barba-loots breaking out into song is your kind of thing.  It's definitely my kind of thing. 

It Was a Dark and Stormy Night

... and Spring break (Woo Hoo!) has begun. Definitely not the weather of an ideal Padre Island vacation. But who over 25 goes there? Know your audience, right?

     But for us, spring break means a week free of rushed mornings, uniforms, school lunches (how many times can a child eat the same 5 meals??), activity, activity, and a "Do you know how late it is?  You have to go to sleep now!" bedtime routine, and truly, it is a pleasure.

   So, to start off the rainy vacation right, we had a traditional chili and cinnamon roll dinner and family game night. What, you say, are we doing putting chili and cinnamon rolls together? It is the perfect hearty with a gooey sweet touch. Cooper Elementary, and really all Tulsa Public Schools in the '80's first introduced this memorable mouthful of goodness on their Friday menu. It was a favorite school lunch that I still hold in high regard. So much so that when I married Kenny, he had to jump on board and make it his tradition too.  And since I've told people about it, I have heard a number of other unappetizing combinations that are sworn by. I am sure you have yours too.

   The rest of the "first night of Spring Break, Woo hoo" was constructed by Elijah who thrives on family competition. After Connect 4 Launchers, Kerplunk, Go Fish, Sorry, and Guess Who, I am exhausted. With 9 days of freedom left, not to mention a time change that takes away sleep, Let's pray for sunny skies, happy kids who LOVE each other All of the time, and the energy to entertain them.

  Happy Spring Break to you!

Double the Happy Anniversary

March 8th 1997
And yes, I had to tear this
out of a very old scrapbook.

    Today, March 8th, Kenny and I share an important anniversary with our good friends Mike and Tina.  Fifteen years ago today, the Buehring girls (Tina and I) drove to Jefferson City, Missouri to attend a wedding.   It was one of the first post college weddings we'd been to.  You know the kind, where the audience is mostly single people, there's lots of dancing, drinking and no one has anywhere important to go. (like home to get kids to bed or important jobs to work in the morning).
     We stopped at a department store on the way, because of course we didn't come prepared with suitable wedding clothes.  And because it was pre-cell phone days, we got lost from each other.  So, now we were running really late, which I know is not unusual now, but I hadn't turned into THAT girl yet.  I remember running into the church and entering AFTER after the bride, which is never a good thing.  But our lateness didn't affect the wedding, and the ceremony carried on, though I'm foggy on the details. What I do remember is the reception, and that is where two Nebraska boys entered our lives.
      With a couple of gulps of the champagne fountain, I danced the evening with a boy named Kenny. Really, we danced a lot.  I thought I was the DJ's best friend.  To be fair, I had met Kenny 5 days earlier at a restaurant.  He was the bartender there and I was visiting a friend who also worked there and she told me he was in the wedding party.  Small world, that Lincoln.  He made me a grasshopper, I drank it, told him it was nice to meet him, and left. Five nights later, we're cuttin' a rug (wow, like my slang).  Right by my side, Tina was dancing away with this boy named Mike, who also went to University of Nebraska and the same high school as Kenny and they both ran track together. Again, small world.
        After some piano bar singing "Sweet Caroline", the reception was ending, but our night was not.  Everyone who drove a distance to go to the wedding, and really, that was everyone, was staying at the same hotel of the reception.  While the last guests were leaving the ballroom, Kenny and I were not.  Instead, we talked and talked and I laughed, really hard.  I had a bad habit of meeting new guys and forcing them to answer hard questions.  I did this, all night long.  After awhile, we walked the hotel looking for a candy machine, go figure. I recall sitting in front of the exercise room around 3am.  I can still see me in my fat glasses (by this time of the night the contacts were safely put away and lasik was still to come), eyes burning, needing to rest.  But the excitement of the night and the potential of what "this" could be staved off sleep.
     At some point, I did make it to my hotel room for a short nap.  I remember finding extra bodies sleeping on the bed and floor.  Remember we were poor so saving money often trumped comfort.  By morning, late morning, the new day had dawned and Tina and I had a long drive back to our little house in Seward and a lot to talk about.  She, about this new boy she'd met who would sweep her off her feet in the weeks to come and who she'd end up marrying in a year.  And me about this boy who made me laugh.
      It has been through incredible laughter, love and God's grace that we made it through three years of long distance, considerable odds,  a 100 degree July, Oklahoma wedding, twelve years of marriage, several job changes, and three wonderful children.    
     And while we aren't really sappy people who celebrate this day with any fanfare, I thought fifteen years of meeting the person you'd spend the rest of your life with is pretty tantamount and worthy of a post and some embarrassing pictures.

Happy Anniversary Mike and Tina, for fifteen years of so much fun and so many memories.  Your own story of 14 years of marriage and 4 beautiful children,  is a part of who we are.

And Happy Anniversary Kenny -- I still thank God that you knew how to dance :-)

Summer '97 - The Buehring girls and the Nebraska boys

WACKY Wednesday

It's National Lutheran Schools Week at our school and it has our house in a tizzy.

The original intent of the week is an "annual observance [that] recognizes the contributions of Lutheran education through the Synod's 2,400 early childhood centers, elementary schools and high schools nationwide.   Synod schools and congregations are encouraged to take part in the weeklong celebration with special worship and prayer services, as well as other activities that highlight the gifts of Lutheran schools." I imagine a number of important individuals got together many, many months ago to organize and create the affairs of this annual event.  In fact, when I was teaching in Ft. Lauderdale, I recall our entire school going to another Lutheran church to partake in a large scale, Lutheran school church service.  And it's important that Lutheran schools have their day.

With that said, my kids understand absolutely nothing of that.  All they know is that for the whole week, they don't have to wear a uniform.  On Monday they got to wear a crazy hat and mismatched socks to school.  On Tuesday, they got to wear anything related to a country or a state.  I saw a lot of Red, White and Blue and some left-over Go Texan clothes (for the poor Kindergarteners who missed out on it last week - see old post).  Elijah wore his favorite Go IRISH soccer shirt, and I did see a couple of girls wearing kimonos.

Now, today is the day of all days. WACKY Wednesday.  The big kids spent forever in their closets last night trying to come up with "weird" clothes.  (Lanie misses out because she doesn't go to school on Wednesdays.) Because Lydia tends to naturally put together "unique" clothes, it wasn't a huge stretch for her, God love her.  This morning, getting dressed was a snap. No lingering. They were so proud of themselves.  Lydia with her wild braids and Elijah with his inside-out hat.  And I did overhear Elijah say, "this is the best day ever!"

Now, Lanie gets to take part in the festivities tomorrow and it's Sports Day.  Do I advise her to wear her "Texans" shirt leftover from our play-off frenzy this past fall, or do I, like a crazy mom who secretly loves this stuff as much as the kids, go searching last minute for the cute Astros gear you know I want to get her?  I guess we'll find out.

As for the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod and all of their time and effort spent planning National Lutheran Schools Week, my family and I thank you, truly, from the bottom of our wacky hearts.

Conversations with a 3-year-old

 

The other day I was in the car with Lanie and she started spouting off all the reasons she didn't want to ever, ever leave our house.  I stopped the car and asked her to repeat it while I got my phone out.  Her responses and my list of questions turned into a list of who she would marry.   She's a bit fuzzy on why she shouldn't marry family members.   I am kicking myself that I didn't ask her if she was going to college first.  I've got some girl power in me.  

These aren't new themes; I have posted conversations like this with Lanie before, but since I caught this one on tape, I thought I'd post it again.  It may be just a video for those grandparents hundreds of miles away to love, but I thought it was endearing.   Oh, and spoiler alert - Kendra, if you are reading this, tell Bryant that "Ella's dad" is on Lanie's short list. 

Opening Day

     Elijah officially started Spring Baseball this weekend and it kicked off with an Opening Day parade.  Now, I am new to Spring ball and I had been warned by many people who go back for this every year, that it is: competitive, more expensive than Fall ball, so much time, late games, and interesting.  The last person who told me "interesting" said it with a "you have no idea how crazy this is, but I'm being positive" kind of look.  Because I've been to zero practices, I knew very, very, very little about what to expect for the day.
     The first surprise came with the morning parade. It consisted of each team walking onto a football field holding their team banner.  That's it. Some teams were creative and wore cub ears or donned on pirate eye-patches to match their team name, but Elijah is a Yankee this year, much to everyone's chagrin, and they just walked. No fanfare.
     I feel so bad that I told my girls they would be on cars and throwing candy.  Oops. But, and this makes up for it, I also did not know that there would be an all-day carnival going on complete with kettle corn, cotton candy, sno cones, jumpies, carnival games, hair coloring, silent-auctions, and rock climbing.  Not to mention an exhibition game that was only two innings (30 minutes) instead of a full game (1:20) that we came prepared to watch.  When I say we came prepared, I mean Lydia and Lanie brought a big bag of markers, coloring books, drinks and more snacks.
     I feel silly that I knew so little.  It's unlike me not to ask a billion questions, but so it goes.  After a windy, chilly morning parade, the day ended up beautifully and I got to see Elijah play first base for the first time.   Happily, all three Ward kids left the park with colored sno cone teeth and colored hair.   After this weekend, I think we are all inducted into the crazy that is Pearland Little League, and are all now baseball ready.

Happy Texas Independence Day

     While the rest of Texas celebrated GO TEXAN day last week, our school celebrated today, the day Texas won their independence from Mexico.  And here's a little trivia I heard on the car this morning: Texas was its own independent state for 10 years before joining the Union.  Ten years, that's a long time.  It makes sense why dyed-in-the-wool Texans are so proud. (and they are, I know many of them). 
     While Elijah got decked out in his cowboy hat and kickers, Lydia had to wear her "spirit shirt and comfortable shoes" on her class field trip to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo where she got to see calves newly born, chicks hatch, and pigs race. It was fun to spend time with her and she certainly liked clinging to me.  I was amazed by her ability to enjoy just about anyone as she bounced between sets of friends. When I asked her teacher who she "played" with at school, she said that Lydia plays with everyone, from the boys, to the different girl groups.  I love that about her and pray her sensitive, friendly nature will continue as the "girl" years get harder and the friendships get more dicey.  For now, I'll take this sweet, little Texan girl who hated that she couldn't wear her pink boots today.

The Fault of the Stars -- review

I had to steal the cover from Amazon. Shame on me.

I created this blog "Love in the Library" originally for a Library Science class I was taking on Web 2.0 tools.  And the name is not merely to address that I love libraries, it's also a song by Jimmy Buffett that I love.

I restarted this blog (after all my classes were finally over - 5 years later) to review books I was reading both to my kids and personally.  And I did review Charlotte's Web, sort of, but unfortunately not every book can be a Charlotte's Web, so I haven't reviewed since then.  So, I tried today.  But then after a few tries, I realized that I'm just not that good of a book reviewer.  And I should have known, I can't re-tell a story to save my life.  If you've ever suffered through one of my "and then he did this, and she did this" stories, you know that it is true.  I can't tell jokes either, heck, I can't even remember jokes.  I think telling jokes and stories out loud is a gift.  I know people who can do it.  They are charismatic in their entertaining.  But me, not so much.  I'm more of your quiet observer.  Either you got it, or you don't.  And I don't.

But, despite my inadequacies at reviewing, I am wholeheartedly giving a thumbs-up for the book I just finished, The Fault of the Stars by John Green.  It's a YA (Young Adult) book and mostly what I read is either YA or lately a lot of memoirs and biographies.  I received my first John Green book, Looking for Alaska, six years ago when I was given an advanced copy from one of my classes.  It was his first novel.  It was a great novel, though I wasn't sure if the content would work for every high school and I was thinking, at the time, about a Lutheran South library. It's very intellectual and very edgy. But, when it comes to putting words on paper, John Green is good.  He's written 5 books since then and his most recent, Fault of the Stars had enough good reviews that I decided to pick it up and try again.

This book is about two teens who have terminal cancer and how they build a friendship/relationship together despite the fact that death is at their doorstep.  Sounds depressing?  I will admit, I did cry.  But don't let the depressing setting scare you away from reading it.  The interactions between these two teens, Hazel and Gus, is humorous, real, and touching.  And for any teen, or anyone for that matter, living with disease, the book is very honest. Their point of few about heaven, for me, is off-putting, but not enough to keep me from loving the book. I think, though I may be wrong, a movie is in consideration right now.  But, really as stated before, don't take my word for it.  I have found lately that my excited "You'll love it!" recommendations often come back to me as, "It was okay, I guess."  But on Amazon, it had 5 stars and 485 reviewers, so that supports my conclusion a bit. Or if you are so inclined, go to this blog.   My go-to librarian, Naomi Bates reviews YA novels regulary.  She will have you checking it out from the library today. (Notice I said library, and not Barnes and Noble - just a plug.)