This month I took pictures of my outfits every day, not just on work days. So I have a rogues gallery of myself while sick (the 4 days in pajamas), wearing Adam’s McLaren shirt for Favorite Sports Team Day, in costume as Waldo, and sometimes even with Adam lurking in the background.
Tag: october
I think I’m due for another Halloween booklist. This is such a great time of year for picture books, it’s definitely worth rounding up a few more since last year.
Zen Ghosts by Jon J. Muth (2010).
As far as I’m concerned, Stillwater the panda can do no wrong. Jon J. Moth’s Zen Shorts (2005) and Zen Ties (2008) are some of the most soothing, gentle, genius children’s books of the last five years. And now he’s written a Halloween story that sidesteps a lot of the gimmicks holiday stories fall into with a Stillwater ghost tale that is far more thoughtful than books for this age group tend to get.
After the trick or treating is finished, a mysterious storyteller arrives (is it Stillwater?) to tell Michael, Karl, and Addie a ghost story that we don’t realize is a ghost story until the last breath. And it succeeds in being beautiful and touching rather than scary, I think. A love story about a woman in 2 places at once. I think it’s every bit as strong a book as the first two Stillwater adventures, and I was surprised by how much the story of Senjo moved me. A standout, and not just in Halloween stories.
It’s been a good, fall week. I’m really thrilled that the weather has finally dropped below 70. Boots and jackets season!
I made these paper bag “apples” with my Multiply Disabled class of kindergartners and 1st graders. We also read Salina Yoon’s Apples, Apples and Leaves, Leaves this week, which the kids liked. I’m having fun with my fall theme in this class, earlier in the season I taught them the “Fall Song” and made leaf cut-out drawings with them like I did with my pre-k kids last year.
I started putting out Halloween decorations at home. Mr. Ghost Potato Head has been in the Halloween rotation since we bought the house, but Pumpkin Pig and the spooky garland are new (from Target). Those hooks I accidentally permanently hung on the mantel for Christmas stockings our 1st year in the house are so handy year-round. Really! I also bought Ghost Pig, who is actually my favorite.
I went to work today. I’m still feeling pretty terrible, but I just refused to be out a whole week. Adam worked from home so he could drive me to and from school (Best Husband Ever). And I managed, even though I’m back in bed now.
October is my favorite month of the year, hands down. And even though it’s still a week away, I thought it would be a great time to start planning! Nothing beats NYC in October, but if you live in the tri-state area here are some ideas to pack your weekends all over the place:
1. October 2nd, 2010.
Valley Shepherd Creamery Cheese Festival.
Last year I went to Valley Shepherd Creamery in Long Valley, NJ for their annual Sheep Shearing Festival (where I shot this photo of the sheep pre-haircut). We had a great time, but the thing that stuck with the most was the phenomenal cheese and butter made on site and sold in their country store. It is to die for, honestly.
So imagine how excited I was when my friend Meredith and I saw their stall at the Rutgers Farmers Market and heard about the Autumn Leaves Cheese Festival this fall. Wine/beer and cheese tastings, cheesewich and panini stations, and their incredible gelato? And it’s just $15 to get in? I will be there with bells on.