keep your head up

After lugging around Queen Ella in her wagon for roughly six months now, it was no surprise that one of her tires gave a loud pop on a recent walk. Robert put on his cape and came to our rescue. After inspecting the other tires, it was discovered they were all bald and seconds away from popping. We decided to go on a tire hunt.  The first store Robert called had all four tires.  Talk about luck!  



Thanks to Robert, the tires were changed in no time flat (haha), and Ella and I were on our way again.

If we hadn't been able to go for a wagon stroll that day, we may have missed all this beauty!

siblings, trains, and doll heads

Robert's sisters, Abby and Jennifer, and brother, Teddy, were here for a couple days of fun and awesomeness.  

I made ribbon wreaths for a few people this year. Jennifer's was my favorite.  I wouldn't be surprised if she finds a giant bug to hot glue to it.  Now that I think of it, I wish I had found a giant bug to hot glue to it.

We visited the Union Station and ran into one of my friends, Neal, who is a model train volunteer. He gave everyone behind-the-scenes tours and proved I have the coolest friends (it's true, I do).

From left is Abby, Jennifer and Neal.

Neal and Rachel.

You can't tell from this picture, but they're inside the exhibit.  

You can definitely tell from this picture though. Giant monster humans attack.  Panic ensues in Little Land.  Well, there wasn't any evidence of panic, but it's a little world.  We might have been too big to see it.

Neal is very enthusastic about a lot of things.  He's a brilliant writer (it helps he's a retired teacher and has the funniest stories), he's a movie buff, and as you can see, he loves trains.  Probably even more than Robert, who was absolutely thrilled by all the train talk.

From left: Teddy, Jennifer, Abby, Rachel, me, and Robert

We also ate a lot of great food (my favorite was Habashi House and their greek salad with pickles), goofed around, played games, walked the dogs, and went thrift shopping.  

As you can tell, Robert's siblings are super fun to shop with.  They were overjoyed when they found a barrel of doll parts at ScrapsKC.

finding our stride

Late November I started training the puppies on the dual leash, which is the leash that allows both of them to be walked at the same time.  Walking two high-energy puppies is a bit crazy, but they're doing really well.  Last week Margo joined me for my style of hiit (high-intensity interval training), and she actually did better than she does on a walk. Though I walked them both right before the hiit, Margo still had another poopy in her.  That was the toughest part - jogging with a bag of stinky.

While I developed a poop plan for the next hiit, Robert and I took the dogs to an easy hiking place on Sunday.  Robert suggested I try jogging with both of them.  This sounded absolutely nuts so naturally I decided to try it.  The puppies loved it. Plus they did an excellent job - stayed to one side, didn't get distracted, and had zero tangles with the dual leash.  

So it's official.  I have dogs who like to jog.  We did a a hiit on Monday and tested out the poop plan - walking to the nearest trash can and picking up the workout from that spot.  It's extra work, but nowhere near the amount of effort it takes to walk them and squeeze in a hiit afterwards.

Because I'm constantly changing speeds, I feel like there's little time for the puppies to make mischief. When we're walking for a stretch they look at me quizzically, as if they're saying, "hey lady when are we going to take out again?" Josie has an unending reserve of energy and makes the best faces while we are jogging. Margo doesn't seem to struggle as much with which way to go around poles when we're jogging, which has been a source of much aggravation during walks.  It appears we are finding our stride.

One thing I'm still trying to figure out is how have more speed variety. I used to have four speeds - run, jog, walk, meditative walk.  With the puppies, I can only manage two speeds - walk and jog. Running will take time and trust.  And meditative walking may just be bust until they're worn out (which hasn't happened yet).  

Yesterday I took them for a regular walk while Rachel pulled Ella in her wagon and a pair of joggers passed us.  The puppies saw this and started jogging after them.  We had a pretty good laugh about this.

I think this will be good for all of us.  I just need patience and possibly some extra energy, which I'm sure I have.  I just need to find it.

moon mice

December has been a very busy month for me so I haven't had time to post.  

Hopefully these bizarre picture book pages will make up for it!

Nothing strange about this:

Or this:

But then this happens:

The above book is Everywhere, Wonder by Matthew Swanson.

This is a totally different book (Katinka's Tail by Judith Kerr), but they kinda go together:

  

Josie and her rubber chicken

I have been battling one of those awful sinus infections again.  Thankfully, Robert has been taking excellent care of me.

Here is a video of Josie's perferred way of playing (and Margo's too). Josie is playing with a rubber chicken who has mysteriously lost one of its toes).

November Reads Part 2

The Wheels on the Tuk Tuk by Kabir Sehgal and illustrated by Surishtha Sehgal and Jess Golden (picture book)

I read this book seconds before a storytime when I had planned to sing The Wheels on the Bus. And I am SOO happy I did. I couldn't just add the book at the last minute, but I did tell everyone we were going to add a verse. I told them what the verse was - "the people on the bus go bobble, bobble, bobble" and showed them my interpretation of bobbling, which is what I now affectionately call the "waddle sit." Their reaction was hilarious. They loved it as much as I do. I cannot wait to use this book in a future storytime. The sounds and words are fun, unique, and will definitely inspire interesting conversations. This book is also super interactive. The first time I read it, I was driving, mooing, jumping up and down, and doing my new bobble move.

With a Friend by Your Side by Barbara Kerley (easy nonfiction)

This delivers a double punch of awesomeness - a positive, easy-to-understand message and beautiful pictures depicting people of all ages who live all over the world.

STEP Into Storytime by Saroj Nadkarni Ghoting (adult nonfiction) 

Each storytime plan walks the reader through an entire storytime, from the welcome song to saying goodbye. Each plan also includes an early literacy tip, which is like finding treasure. I really like the way Ghoting words her early literacy tips.

The Hen Who Sailed Around the World by Guirec Soudée (easy nonfiction)

The only bad thing I can say about this book is that there's not enough pictures. I want a day-by-day chicken diary. My favorite moment was when he said his hen, Monique, didn't like his music, she would give him a look that said, "Guirec! Are you serious?" I had a golden retriever who gave me this look when I listened to rap music.

Above, Monique is wearing a sweater made out of Guirec's winter gloves.

November Reads Part 1

November was another great month for reading, so this will be a two-part post.

Here are my November favorites:

The Heartwood Hotel series by Kallie George and illustrated by Stephanie Graegin (juvenile fiction)

This is a sweet and charming series about a variety of animals who run a hotel inside a tree. The characters are surprisingly multi-dimensional, the language is beautiful and complex for an early chapter book, and the story is engaging and has some surprising twists. This series also has lovely illustrations, which is a total bonus because the hotel and characters are vividly described and do not need the illustrations. I think this would make an excellent read-aloud book and I will be enthusiastically recommending it to animal lovers, people who love sweet stories about animals caring for each other, and anyone who wishes to be immersed in a magical world. Here is a favorite quote of mine: "'But remember, everyone's heart has hurts. Some more than others.' Did a hurt allow you to hurt others, though? Mona didn't think so. Still, she wondered exactly what hurts Tilly had." And Mona continues on, thinking about her new friends and whether they have hurts or not. It's such a beautiful display of empathy and so easy to understand, it nearly makes me weep with joy.

Be sure to take a look at the Heartwood Hotel website, where you can see a bigger picture of the tree and the different levels where each type of animal stays. You can also take a quiz to see which room would suit you best! 

A Couch for Llama by Leah Gilbert (picture book)

What a lovable llama!! And what a ridiculous story, but so funny and compelling you have no choice but to believe it. I have been looking for llamas and couches in fields since reading this, and I know that someday I'm going to get lucky and see such a thing. The llama's expressions are comparable to those of a beloved pet (his face goes from flummoxed to annoyed to complete adoration), the attention to detail is perfect (look for the spot on the couch that the llama chewed on), and the language is unbeatable. For example, "smooshy-mooshy, fluffy-puffy cushions."

Breathe and Be - A Book of Mindfulness Poems by Kate Coombs and illustrated by Anna Emilia Laitinen (easy nonfiction)

This is one of those rare books that checks all the boxes for me - beautiful language, stunning illustrations, and it's just as helpful as can be. I particularly like the poem, "When days crash thunder and throw lightning around I am still, watching. I am a calm umbrella inside the blue and gray storm." I think it's helpful to think of an image of something sturdy that protects us from the hurtful things around us and also from our own emotions, which can rain down on us just as much as the emotions of others. Before reading Breathe and Be, I can honestly say I never pretended to be an umbrella, but now I've been an umbrella a few times and it's fabulous. When it rains I pop open my canopy and can't help but giggle. Thankfully, laughter keeps the umbrella open.