“Hey Mama!” My 6-year-old screamed from the third row of the minivan on our ride to school.
“Yes, sweetie?” I replied over the sugar beat of our blaring pop-music.
“You’re the best Mama in the world! I think I’ll keep you!” she yelled back.
“Gee thanks Lane!” I replied, “I think I’ll keep you too!”
“Of COURSE you will,” she said with the utmost certainty, “I’m a part of YOU!” And with that she burst out giggling as if I’d said the silliest thing ever!
The little devil on my shoulder nudged me for a moment and said, “Go on and tease her – tell her you could send her out for adoption!” Then the angel came out and said, “Nah, she’s too young – and look how well you’ve done your job mothering! She gets it that your love is unconditional!”
And so I said, “You’re so right Lane!”
How lucky my children are to be growing up safe and secure knowing that they are loved unconditionally. That is better than anything else I can give them as a mother. They have toys, and clothes, food, and books. They go to school, I am very involved, they are smart, and healthy, but most of all they know that they are loved unconditionally. I know that I am doing my job well.
This semester at Pitt I’ve been reading a lot of Young Adult books about kids who don’t have home lives like my kids. Part of the draw to the job as a librarian is that maybe I can make a difference in the lives of other people’s children. I truly believe that it does take a village.
This blog began with my librarian journey in 2008. It’s named for my disheveled barnyard in Radnor, PA -- but the majority of the content is dedicated to education, libraries, and YA literature.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Monday, January 5, 2009
Ending Decades and Ushering in New Ones
For most people, turning 40 is quite a momentous occasion. I turned 40 at the end of 2007 which made 2008 my real year of actually being 40. I didn’t really look at being 40 as all that big of a deal. My husband is six years older than I am, most of my friends were already there, and heck, I don’t look too bad. Besides, I don’t even have grey hair and I am banking on my paternal grandmother’s genes to kick in giving me my dark blond hair into my seventies.
What I didn’t bank on was the rollercoaster ride of change I’d find myself on in 2008. As the country rolled through it’s own changes I went on my own journey searching for how to deal with my own personal challenges. As much as I love motherhood, I hadn’t realized how much my personal sacrifice had taken out of me and needed to find a way to bring balance back into the picture.
The country continued to stir with election turmoil and debate and the economy suffered one setback after another. I applied to graduate school in July, got accepted and at the same time was offered a part-time job in Delaware. It seemed like suddenly my life was a whirlwind! I started reconnecting with friends I hadn’t talked to in years through Facebook. By election time, the country was in a frenzy, I was in a frenzy, but I was having fun.
After finally slowing down through the holidays and soaking in some quality time with friends and family, I look forward to this last year of the first decade of the 2000’s. I do have a little pang from the New Year however. It looks as though the paternal grandmother’s genes may not come through for me after all. My sister-in-law’s bathroom mirror doesn’t lie as well as mine does and showed off just a few strands of grey hair in my dark blond hair. Ah well, guess it may be time to hit the salon.
What I didn’t bank on was the rollercoaster ride of change I’d find myself on in 2008. As the country rolled through it’s own changes I went on my own journey searching for how to deal with my own personal challenges. As much as I love motherhood, I hadn’t realized how much my personal sacrifice had taken out of me and needed to find a way to bring balance back into the picture.
The country continued to stir with election turmoil and debate and the economy suffered one setback after another. I applied to graduate school in July, got accepted and at the same time was offered a part-time job in Delaware. It seemed like suddenly my life was a whirlwind! I started reconnecting with friends I hadn’t talked to in years through Facebook. By election time, the country was in a frenzy, I was in a frenzy, but I was having fun.
After finally slowing down through the holidays and soaking in some quality time with friends and family, I look forward to this last year of the first decade of the 2000’s. I do have a little pang from the New Year however. It looks as though the paternal grandmother’s genes may not come through for me after all. My sister-in-law’s bathroom mirror doesn’t lie as well as mine does and showed off just a few strands of grey hair in my dark blond hair. Ah well, guess it may be time to hit the salon.
Monday, December 22, 2008
Make Salad, Not War
Luke, my 8-year-old, and I alternate nights with my 5-year-old for snuggles before falling asleep. On Luke's nights, he likes to stay awake as long as possible chatting about whatever he can come up with. Sometimes I am dead tired and there is my wide-eyed little Luke all excited for Mommy snuggles and as soon as I lay down he'll start in with, "so, what should we talk about?" I wonder whether I am going to have one of those closeted teenagers or whether he will always be this adorable eager beaver?
Several nights ago it was Luke's turn for Mommy snuggles. I lay down beside him and slid my arm around him.
"Mommy," he said, "did you know that the Stormtroopers in my Lego Star Wars game have guns that turn into carrots?! Isn't that crazy?!"
"Carrots?" I said, "That sure is crazy!"
"They can't hurt anyone Mommy! They're just -- carrots!" he said.
"Wow," I said, "What if that could really happen and we could replace all of the guns in the world with carrots?"
"Yeah!" he said excitedly.
"And bombs could be tomatoes," I said.
"Yeah, it's like salad!" he said even more excited.
"Yeah Luke! Make salad, not war!" I said
And with that the two of us fell into a fit of giggles. Luke decided that he was going to start a major campaign to replace weapons with vegetables and encourage world peace by making salad, not war. Politics with an 8-year-old is so much fun!
Several nights ago it was Luke's turn for Mommy snuggles. I lay down beside him and slid my arm around him.
"Mommy," he said, "did you know that the Stormtroopers in my Lego Star Wars game have guns that turn into carrots?! Isn't that crazy?!"
"Carrots?" I said, "That sure is crazy!"
"They can't hurt anyone Mommy! They're just -- carrots!" he said.
"Wow," I said, "What if that could really happen and we could replace all of the guns in the world with carrots?"
"Yeah!" he said excitedly.
"And bombs could be tomatoes," I said.
"Yeah, it's like salad!" he said even more excited.
"Yeah Luke! Make salad, not war!" I said
And with that the two of us fell into a fit of giggles. Luke decided that he was going to start a major campaign to replace weapons with vegetables and encourage world peace by making salad, not war. Politics with an 8-year-old is so much fun!
Sunday, December 21, 2008
The Semester is Over and I've Survived!
Little did I know a year ago that I'd be sitting at my computer having completed my first semester of graduate school on my way to a whole new career. It's amazing how life can change in a year. I'm so thankful for the amazing gifts that life has thrown my way in friendship and family. As much as I've seen around the globe, it's the amazing relationships I've found with people that have shown me that no matter how much craziness, darkness, and brutality we all may hear about there is far more light and love to be found.
My mother came to me last spring and offered to pay for my education at a time when I saw no opportunity. I have an incredible mother. I delight in every day that I've been able to raise my own children as I hold onto their giggles and snuggles and watch them sprout up before my very eyes. When I jokingly say, "My! You are almost ready for college!" My 5-year-old daughter wells up and says she will never want to leave me and my 8-year-old son proudly proclaims that he is taking "mommy, baby beluga, sleepy bear, and RS Media" (his robot) with him. I chuckle knowing the reality that they will be oh-so independent in a very short while, but know that I am truly blessed. I am thankful for the friends, both old and new. The friends I have known since I was 7, 17, 32, and just a year or two ago. Friends who have made life rich with laughter and compassion as we've shared our growing, our greatest joys, our greatest sorrows and sometimes just a good glass of merlot.
So as 2008 comes to an end, I hope that all are able to look for the light and love, the joy and laughter in your lives and welcome in a bright 2009. Peace.
My mother came to me last spring and offered to pay for my education at a time when I saw no opportunity. I have an incredible mother. I delight in every day that I've been able to raise my own children as I hold onto their giggles and snuggles and watch them sprout up before my very eyes. When I jokingly say, "My! You are almost ready for college!" My 5-year-old daughter wells up and says she will never want to leave me and my 8-year-old son proudly proclaims that he is taking "mommy, baby beluga, sleepy bear, and RS Media" (his robot) with him. I chuckle knowing the reality that they will be oh-so independent in a very short while, but know that I am truly blessed. I am thankful for the friends, both old and new. The friends I have known since I was 7, 17, 32, and just a year or two ago. Friends who have made life rich with laughter and compassion as we've shared our growing, our greatest joys, our greatest sorrows and sometimes just a good glass of merlot.
So as 2008 comes to an end, I hope that all are able to look for the light and love, the joy and laughter in your lives and welcome in a bright 2009. Peace.
Friday, November 28, 2008
muddiest point
Cloud computing and Web 2.0 are a great development, but don't they pose a security risk for sensitive data? How do you ensure that protection is adequate if you are relying on software and hardware outside of your local network?
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Muddiest Point -- Wikipedia
How exactly does one get picked to become a part of the volunteer hierarchy at Wikipedia?
Readings Week 12 -- Social Software
This week's readings were about blogs and wikis. Until I started in the MLIS program, I'd read a few blogs here and there and certainly looked up a few things on Wikipedia, but really hadn't used wiki's all that much. During the past few months, however, I've gained a whole new perspective and appreciation for them. What they really bring to the table is a new way to connect and collaborate.
Blogs allow us to carry on a web-based discussion, be it a scientific or engineering-based discussion as the Reichert article talks about, or a discussion among student from different classrooms in different parts of the world. They open up new possibilities for how teachers can teach or politicians can carry on political debates. I've been quite intrigued by the whole thing and am sure that as a school librarian I'll be using blogs and encouraging teachers within my school to use them as well.
Wikis bring a new face to collaboration. Once skeptical of the validity of Wikipedia, my viewpoint has shifted. I am beginning to look at Wikipedia as a source with as much validity as an other encyclopedia. After reading about the creation of the OED and learning about the process of creating Wikipedia and the standards to which it is being upheld, it seems to be a valid resource. In using wikis for writing collaboratively, I am finding them to be incredibly useful. They force compromise as a group moves toward a finished document. I wonder what an experiment would be like if we took a section of US Copyright Law and put it on the web as a wiki for a year for all to tinker with? Would something reasonable come out or would it be an utter failure? Maybe Lawrence Lessig should give it a try just to see what happens...
Blogs allow us to carry on a web-based discussion, be it a scientific or engineering-based discussion as the Reichert article talks about, or a discussion among student from different classrooms in different parts of the world. They open up new possibilities for how teachers can teach or politicians can carry on political debates. I've been quite intrigued by the whole thing and am sure that as a school librarian I'll be using blogs and encouraging teachers within my school to use them as well.
Wikis bring a new face to collaboration. Once skeptical of the validity of Wikipedia, my viewpoint has shifted. I am beginning to look at Wikipedia as a source with as much validity as an other encyclopedia. After reading about the creation of the OED and learning about the process of creating Wikipedia and the standards to which it is being upheld, it seems to be a valid resource. In using wikis for writing collaboratively, I am finding them to be incredibly useful. They force compromise as a group moves toward a finished document. I wonder what an experiment would be like if we took a section of US Copyright Law and put it on the web as a wiki for a year for all to tinker with? Would something reasonable come out or would it be an utter failure? Maybe Lawrence Lessig should give it a try just to see what happens...
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Muddiest Point -- OAI
Can you spend some more time on OAI? It seemed like you flew through this part of the lecture at the end and I have too many questions to list...
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