First and Last Day of School

C on her first and last day of school this year. What a big girl {and what clean teeth}!

She had her summer break last week and will start back this week in a brand-new class. Fingers crossed she takes it in stride and grows to love these teachers as much as she did her others.

Fort Worth Zoo Fun!

After a weekend of roseola and a busted lip for C, a crashed computer for Jason, and a ceiling fan that rained sparks down on me before dying completely, I thought it would be more fun to talk about our visit to the Fort Worth Zoo, where we went to celebrate passing my oral qualifying exams {isn't that what all PhD candidates do?}.

Jason and I have heard great things about this place and have wanted to go since we moved here in 2007, and I'm so glad we finally made it! Fun fact: the people who took our tickets were named Jason and Tiffany, too; it made for a sort of weird start to the day.

C very much liked the monkeys, which we tried to explain were real-life versions of Curious George.

I'm just people watching...the other people watching me...

What do the elephants say?

Roll Tide!

I'm ashamed to say that I'm not allowed to post some of the best pics we got of the elephants due to...um...an awkward appendage. We were standing with another couple just snapping away when we all noticed it at the same and starting laughing like a bunch of 12-year-olds.

Moving on...it was cool to see the rhino acting like a puppy and tossing around a giant metal ball...

I always feel very much like a first-time parent when we do stuff like this, so I'll pass along things I learned in case any of you are clueless to the zoo:

-Bring your own water and lots of it. It was a mild day, but we still got quite warm walking around and spent a small fortune on waters {ok, and icees}. But they don't allow certain kinds of lids, so be aware of the container policy.

-A baby carrier would have been a better option than the stroller. We were constantly having to take C out to let her see everything.

-Don't forget your baby's hat and sunscreen...like I did.

Overall, we had a fabulous time, and we're thinking about a yearly pass. We probably wouldn't venture there in our summer weather, but it would be fun for the other six months of the year!

Personal Learning Environments

I'm fascinated with the idea of personal learning environments and networks. In the library, we've discussed how these play such a big role in where our patrons go for information and how to make sure the library is included in those networks.

So, besides libraries, of course, I thought I'd share what constitutes my PLE.

Twitter:
I'm not ashamed to say that this is where I get most of my news {and I like that I get it speedy quick!}. I follow NPR, KERA, and Alabama Public Radio, and I keep an eye on the trending topics. You'd be surprised how generally informed you can be from Twitter alone.

Other news sources:
I used to be a total news junkie {as you probably should be if you work in journalism}. But, at some point, it was all just too much--especially the non-public-radio style of news. It is almost painful to watch "regular" news now after listening to the calm tone of Morning Edition and All Things Considered for so long. Plus, I don't really need to know about a car wreck in Dallas every other night.
But, beyond Twitter and public radio, I also skim the headlines of the local paper and the New York Times every morning just to make sure I'm aware and to read a little more about a particular story or issue.

Podcasts:
When I want to be more deeply informed, though, I take to my podcasts. Think, This American Life, NPR Books, and a couple of library podcasts help me to explore issues and think more critically about them.

Blogs:

Scrolling through my Feedly, it looks like most of my blogs are for fun. But I do subscribe to a few book-ish blogs. There are also several that are theologically-oriented and academically-inclined, and those serve a similar role to podcasts.

Listservs and such:

I'm subscribed to several library listservs, email lists, and professional association publications, and I get a lot of information via those. 

Books:
Honestly, books are not as high on my list as they used to be. Don't get me wrong--they're still useful sources--but, for a couple of reasons, they just don't play the information role they used to in my life {when I thought the answer to life, the universe, and everything was to be found in a book}. For one, there's more of a delay in the research and writing phase to the publishing phase than you might find in other formats. This is fine if you're reading about the history of social network analysis {as I am right now}, not as helpful if you're reading about the quickly-changing technology used to actually conduct social network analysis {as I also am right now--jealous?}.

Also, reading a book takes more time than skimming an article or even listening to a podcast {and it's hard to multi-task while reading}. It's very difficult to find the time--especially these days--for reading about things for the simple reason of finding them interesting or learning more about a topic.

That's not to say that I don't read books, though! There are several I'm working through now for school, and I've also been trying to read a commentary along with my Bible study to help me better understand what I'm reading. And, just for fun, I keep a fiction book going, and you never know what you'll learn from those guys. ;)

I feel like I'm overlooking something obvious, but that could just be my 34-week pregnancy brain!

What about you? What makes up your PLE? How do you get your information?

Shoe Shopping

A few weeks ago, we met up with my pal Shelley {and Catherine's pal Georgia} to browse the mall and let the little gals catch up with each other about what's going on at school. ;)

It was the first time I've taken C anywhere shopping {except for the grocery store}, and shopping with a stroller is a whole different game!

She did really well, though, and it was a super fun day.

The only thing I bought was popcorn {major pregnancy craving this time around}, but I was reminded yet again of how much I still struggle with materialism. Seriously, if I had had an extra $700 that day, there would be a new pair of Chanel flats on my feet right now.

But Jason and I were talking on the drive home {drives like that make for great dates because the baby sleeps!} about teaching C balance--in areas like health and critical thinking, but also in this whole materialism thing.

While I really, really don't want her to over-value things of this world, I also don't want her to have a mindset of poverty. {The idea that we can't afford anything or we never have fun or enjoy special treats.}

I am {clearly!} still struggling with this in my own walk, so any tips on achieving this balance? What works for you?

Presentation is Everything?

One of my sweet workers left this snack on my desk recently, and it made my afternoon.

Seeing the oranges and cookies on that gorgeous blue plate made them taste even better, I tell you.

{Yes, I did have the cookies. And, yes, I did feel the effects...groan. Being vegan at work has been tough, but my body reminds me it is worth it.}

Our meals are so often prepared and eaten on the go or in the midst of all the chaos of home as of late. This was a good reminder that the presentation of even something simple can go a long way in the enjoyment.

How about you? Do you break out the dishes every night and make most meals special, or are you eating out of the box like we too often do?

My Second Mother's Day

We had a weirdly wonderful Mother's Day.

Jason and Catherine took me to brunch at my beloved Spiral Diner, which was a present in itself from Mr. Norris, who is so not into that sort of thing. On the way there, we listened to my other gift--the new She & Him album {Catherine and I are both fangirls}.

C fell asleep while we were waiting for a table and slept {with me holding her} halfway through lunch. So Jason ended up getting my coffee, pancakes, and anything else I needed, which was a bit more than he bargained for, I think. But it was delicious, of course, and I ended up eating his leftovers for supper, so I got to have Spiral Diner for two meals today. What a treat!

Little C had trouble with her sleep this afternoon, so she and I took a late nap in the recliner, leaving us at the grocery store at 8 tonight and me prepping meals for the week {and blogging} at midnight.

I suspect I will pay for this later today, but it was, for the most part, a lovely Mother's Day. What a privilege it is to mother these little people!

Weekend Reading

My, my, my--there was a lot of good reading {and listening} around the Internet this week!

In case you missed any, here are a few {ok, a bunch} of links worth perusing and one fun library illustration...

{via http://thisisindexed.com}

On Mothers...
Bas Bleu had a fun take on literary mothers.

A short but powerful essay from NPR's Audie Cornish related to the "choices" mothers have to work or stay home. {Hint: for many of us, it's not so much a "choice" as the necessity to keep food on the table.} This really resonated with our situation right now.

The difficulty of Mother's Day in church and a response.
Having spent nine years going to church when I was neither a mother nor had a mother here to celebrate, I can attest to how difficult, awkward, and/or painful this day can be--particularly in church services. I pray that our church and others will achieve that delicate balance this Sunday.

On Abortion...
This article from Rachel Held Evans is one of the best I've read. It articulates the struggle that so many of us have to maintain a consistent pro-life ethic from conception to death. {There is a nice response here, too.} I have prayed {and will continue to pray} about ways to help with so many of these BIG issues that absolutely grieve my heart. This little blog doesn't seem big enough to have a discussion like this, but I would be happy to chat further if you're interested!

On Veganism...
Two recent Think podcasts dealt with food and reinforced my commitment to this vegan way of life. Don't be scared--neither of the authors interviewed were even vegetarians! But these podcasts will encourage you to think about what you eat and why. Always a good thing. :)

On Home Stuff...
Mrs. Gore's Diary is a new favorite blog for me. She always manages to make me both laugh and think, and this post was no exception. It lines up with a lot of things I've been working on at home lately {especially with nesting!}.

So, what's on your reading list this weekend? Any good stuff around the Internet that I've missed?