If you are a student, paying for a course, please for the love of all that is holy in this world open the book.  Open it at least once, even if just to look at the pictures.  The pictures are bright & colorful.  Even if your instructor is not.  You paid for the book, open it.

And as a side note: whatever you do, don’t tell your instructor that “I had a cool party to go to so that’s why I missed class” or anything else along these lines.  Instead read the book, go to class for lecture and prepare yourself. If you don’t show up because you’d rather party don’t tell your instructor because I hate to break it to you she or he does NOT care.   Unless they are invited to said party, keep it to yourself.   It will make everyone happier.

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Mamacita and Mr G. are both learning to read. Mr. G is learning to recognize words. While Mamacita is in the earlier stages of “reading” a book, meaning she looks at the pictures & tries to tell a story based on the pictures in the book. She’s trying to understand the underlying meanings to words, & it’s darn cute. Especially when her stories involve dialogue. “Oh, what do we have here? A sugar bug? Better get the bug spray.” Let’s hope she realizes sugar bugs don’t require actual bug spray before she goes on to medical school–what am I pushing? Just because she reads books on the dentist and Dora going to the doctor doesn’t mean she’s going to medical school? Well, I think it just might.

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One of our favoritest (Yes, that is a word. Why? Because I say it is) books in the whole wide world is Glad Monster, Sad Monster: A Book About Feelings. It’s by Ed Emberley & Anne Miranda. We were introduced to it through the preschool the children have attended. The preschool uses it as part of their feelings section & the kids LOVE it. Each child has their own favoritest monster, well except for D-man. He has a literal taste for all the monsters. Seriously, the kid will try to eat anything.

Mr. J’s…Glad Monster.

Mr. G’s…Silly Monster.

Mamacita’s…Loving Monster.

You can hold the monster faces up to your own & use them as a way to talk about what you are feeling or what makes you feel worried or angry (it covers these too). The kids think it’s freaking hilarious to see Mommy or Daddy or anyone for that matter put on the monster face. Well, actually I would hope NOT just anyone. I mean if it was the mailman entertaining my kids then I’d wonder why the heck was the mailman using our book & why was he entertaining my kids…wait where was I?

Oh yah, the book.

You can also have the kiddos create their own feelings monsters. But no fair asking little Timmy why he wants to be an angry monster who destroys his sister’s toys & doesn’t he want to be a happy monster who loves butterflies. Because it’s about them learning to express feelings in a healthy way. Not like a lot of us adults who express them by eating a carton of ice cream or yelling at strangers while driving.  I mean really they should know NOT to be in the fast lane if they’re only going to drive 50 miles an hour. It’s a 70 mile an hour zone! Move it OR Lose it.

Hmm…It might be time for me to make my own feelings monster.

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Reading:

Mama, PhD: Women Write About Motherhood and Academic Life it was the book I got at the conference, they also have a Mama, PhD blog. I have heard and read others talking about the book & it seemed like it would be right up my alley. It’s a collection of essay reflections on academic mothers. With everything going on in my life, reading it only makes me feel more ambivalent about what to do next. Progressive policies for combining the public & personal, family & work usually stop at the lecture door in most universities & colleges.

Listening:
Grandmaster Flash. ‘Nuff said.

Watching:

Health care discussions: is it so wrong to want answers? to want my representatives who are elected to you know, DO THEIR JOBS AND READ A BILL (any bill) before trying to talk about it or worse planning to vote for it? to NOT get talked down to as if I’m an idiot? I don’t know what the answers are to the current health care situation BUT I DO KNOW that I DESERVE answers beyond talking points. I didn’t like it when the last administration pulled that crap & I don’t like it now. Just talk to me, don’t talk down to me. Anyone else tired of being treated like a child by the government? Especially given the fact that I (and most people I know) treat children as if they have brains.

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