Celebrate This Week 2.08.14

It's always good to end the week on a positive note.  Sometimes we concentrate on the negatives.  We have a choice.  Choose positive.  Choose to celebrate.  I will be joining Ruth Ayres and her weekly link-up, Celebrate This Week.  Check out all the other celebrations HERE

This certainly felt like the longest week ever!  First time we had a 5-day workday in weeks! We'll be at the pool all weekend (already started Friday night!) with swim meets, so it will also be a long weekend.  Good thing I like being busy!

Celebration #1:  Books.  I know we celebrate reading and books frequently, but I read some great books the last few weeks.  I love new books.  I love the smell of new books.  I love opening up the spine of a new book for the first time.  I love when I'm reading a book that is so good that I don't want it to end, and I start reading it slower when I get closer to the end.  And then when I finish it, I have to stop what I'm doing and just think about it for awhile.  I can't move on and start something new.  I need to allow for a few minutes of closure.  That's how it was when I finished A Snicker of Magic.  And I was so super excited to see it featured at our Scholastic Book Fair next week.  I ran into a 4th grade class to let them know it would be available.  There are some very excited 4th graders!

Celebration #2:  Collaboration.  I had a great week in one of our 4th grade classes this week.  This particular class has become so into reading - they are talking about what they are reading and asking for suggestions.  Their classroom teacher and I started a Book Talk Thursday time for them this week, and it's something we will continue to do on a weekly basis.  We modeled it a little this week, and many of the kids are excited to get a chance to talk to each other about what they are reading next week.  I was excited that the classroom teacher and I got a chance to bounce titles and discussion off each other.  We had fun discussing Flora and Ulysses - "Holy unanticipated occurrences!"

Celebration #3:  Friends:  My daughter joined her swim team this past summer.  Since then, we have become friends with many families on the team.  These are people who support each other's kids, and celebrate them both inside and outside the pool.  We had our first team Pasta Dinner this week, and it was very nice, walking around and talking with everyone.  I know we will stay close with many of these families for years based on the interest our children have in swimming.  It's amazing how a year ago I didn't know them, and now I plan on seeing so many for years to come!  Holy unanticipated occurrences :)

Have a great week!!!