In Like A Lion And Out Like A Lamb...

March started out so busy and hectic and since our spring break from school we have all eased right back into the swing of things here.

This week in the library we read several books and  worked on Weather charts and making connections to the weather. In Kansas, we tend to see more severe weather. Over the years I have come to find that our young ones, here at Kennedy, tend to be more frightened by the loud siren than they are by the weather. We discussed the siren and just how loud and scary it is for some of us. I explained, when I hear the siren, I immediately think that the siren is an alert, telling me to get safe. The only reason it is so loud is that people far away need to hear it too.

With the crazy, windy, weather we had this week, discussing weather in the library and Mr. H. also, talking about tornado alerts and going over tornado drills, reminding students what they should do to be safe, where they are to go during a drill and then actually having and participating in a tornado drill the students seemed very well prepared and all did a great job.

Our fact of the week

Also, came from the weather we discussed in Kindergarten.

Our spotlight book

Mole and Baby Bird  by Marjorie Newman

Is a wonderful story about spring, friends and difficult choices.

A must read!

Speaking of great reads I have been on a roll with my tbr (to be read) pile. I finished 4 books over break. I finished up When Crickets Cry Charles Martin as I left for spring break.
I finished my current book When Crickets Cry by Charles Martin. Let me say this is a wonderful story. I was hooked after the first chapter.

This story takes place in Georgia and Martin's writing style envelopes you in the south. This is a love story, a medical mystery and an inspirational and spiritual epiphany. With charming characters and plot twist that will keep you flipping the pages.

Then I started my spring break with Every Day by David Levithan
Romance aside, this story is about people ... All kinds of people in all kinds of scenarios, with different lives and in different environments. It's a wonderful book about what it means to be human. With that being said, this book is not for everyone.

I do not want to give away anything in this book...which makes this review difficult. To summarize:

This book and the writing has a very different feel to me than other books.  Every Day definitely had me hooked. This YA book is a must read, I would love to hear your take on it.

I'm not sure how to start describing "A", the main character. "A" doesn't have a gender, he's not male and he's not female. "A"  leaps each day into a new or different body kind of like a quantum leap. "A" definitely is one of the more interesting characters I have read about, I adored him. The way he felt, the way he thought about things. The way he had reconciled with the life he was leading. He was so unique!

Rhiannon, on the other hand took me a little longer to warm up to.  I started to understand their relationship as it grew and progressed. I was disheartened for both her and A, because waking up in a different body every day makes is impossible for them to be together after all.

This book deals with a lot of difficult and emotional themes as we get a taste of A's lives. With some of them I was definitely feeling very touched. And I loved how David Levithan's book was open to any kind of love.

Overall, Every Day by David Levithan is a beautiful, touching and unique story with a tinge of science fiction. I would recommend it to anyone I know. I'm sure you won't be disappointed by this lovely story.

 The next story I read was actually a memoir called Glitter and Glue by Kelly Corrigan
I selected this book because I loved Kelly's first book The Middle Place & was equally as drawn to Glitter and Glue.
 This story tells the tale of the six months Kelly spent as a nanny for an Australian family whose mother had just died. She was a twenty-something with no thoughts of motherhood, and a barely-acceptable relationship with her own mother, but now - as a grown-up - she traces the beginning of her life as a mother to that experience. She weaves in her own mother's voice throughout, setting down in print those direct quotes we all hear in our heads all day long.

My mother is not like Kelly's, and our relationship is not like theirs, but the core message is universal: Our mothers shape everything about us, and we don't begin to understand (or even fully appreciate) them until we fall in love with and begin to raise our own children.  A wonderfully written memoir take the time to read it you won't be disappointed.

For me I remember thinking after my 1st child was born, If I am loved an ounce as much as I love this child, I am truly blessed.

Let me first say that I love, love, love James Patterson's books. I read them all! Second Honeymoon was my next read.Honeymoon by James Patterson and Howard Roughan, you definitely should, and before you read its sequel Second Honeymoon. Though Second Honeymoon is a quick, fun beach read, (maybe I liked the first one more because I was actually on the beach when I read it) Honeymoon was better, in my opinion.
If you haven't read

Second Honeymoon is about the search for two serial killers, one killing honeymooners and one killing men that have something in common, their name. Sarah Brubaker heads one investigation, John O'Hara, the other. Their paths cross during their investigations, and their chemistry enhances both their professional and personal lives. These two characters endure intense, mental and physical, events that at times seem almost too much, too exhausting, and too unbelievable. That being said, James Patterson has the gift of building a dramatic, exciting story using incredibly short chapters. You literally fly through the pages. I enjoyed the novel and I recommend reading it.



The book I am currently reading is called Innocence by Dean Koontz. I haven't read a Koontz book in some time. I do appreciate his work and I am eager to get started on this one, this evening.

I received an amazing gift from our Soldiers in Afghanistan. I was so shocked and surprised to receive an America flag and certificate from Operation Enduring Freedom.

The certificate reads: 
This flag was flown on October 10, 2013 aboard CH47F 10-08801 call sign "Mafia 36" on a combat mission in support of Task Force Fighting Eagles.  It bears witness to the relentless resolve that American Forces bring to each mission in order to bring freedom to the people of Afghanistan and deter future acts of terrorism against the United States of America. May this flag be an eternal reminder of the effort and sacrifice made by  the men and women of the United States military to keep our friends, families and homes safe from all who threaten America and our way of life.

Happy Reading,
Mrs. Shamhart