What's Up Wednesday: Lunchtime Edition

WHAT'S UP WEDNESDAY
I'm catching the What's Up Wednesday hot air balloon from the blogs of Jaime Morrow and Erin Funk. Go to Jaime's blog to add your link and make the rounds to get to know other bloggers!

I’ve got just a few minutes to scribble down a post while I eat my lunch. So without further ado:

WHAT I’M READING
I finally got around to reading SEAN GRISWOLD’S HEAD by Lindsey Leavitt. I loved GOING VINTAGE and SGH didn’t disappoint – a very sweet story, perfect for any age YA reader. I also read DARE YOU TO by Katie McGarry and re-read THE SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING PANTS by Ann Brashares, which is one of the selections for this month’s Reading Mutiny at YA Buccaneers. It’s a favorite and still made me cry. Guess I’ll have to re-read the others in the series, too. I have SISTERHOOD EVERLASTING but haven’t read it yet.

Up next: THE DISREPUTABLE HISTORY OF FRANKIE LANDAU-BANKS by E. Lockhart.

WHAT I’M WRITING
Not gonna lie, since emerging from the Cave, there hasn’t been quite as much writing activity in my world. I accomplished my goal for Ready. Set. Write! of completing revisions on WAITING FOR THE SUN… and tonight, I go back into the Cave. It’s been good to take a break – even a short one – and I’m ready to get back to it.

I did put in about 1500 words on my new WIP as well, mostly thanks to the Word Sprints hosted by the YA Buccaneers. There’s another one tonight at 7:30 pm CDT. Join in! Super fun times.

WHAT ELSE I’VE BEEN UP TO
School preparation. I’m exhausted. I neglected a lot of life maintenance stuff during my time in the Writing Cave, and last weekend I tackled some of it. Mainly school supply/clothes/shoes shopping. Last year I took the kids separately but this year I forgot how much easier that was.

Toad starts Middle School next week, so he had Orientation at a couple of different times last Wednesday plus an Open House last night. Birdy’s in a new school, too, as she starts 1st grade, so we had her Open House Monday night. Cub Scouts started up for me again, too. This year I’m the Recruitment/Membership Chair. It’s our last year – next year Toad will graduate to Boy Scouts.

Hammer Guy has been out of town for work a lot these last couple of weeks but comes home late tonight and has no trips planned in the near future. Hurray!

WHAT INSPIRES ME RIGHT NOW
This is going to sound crazy. It’s so hard for me to grasp that I have a child who is old enough for Middle School (which starts early in our district - 5th grade), but I’m really inspired by how hard the school has worked to make this an easier transition for the kids.

I’m inspired by Toad’s teachers – his math teacher has almost as many books in his classroom as his language arts teacher. His science teacher will help with organization and the logistics of moving from classroom to classroom. His art teacher combines the creativity of the subject matter with a high expectation of structure and routine. His music teacher is a huge Beatles fan, the walls of his room covered in Beatles posters.

I sort of want to go to 5th grade.

There’s some other stuff going on, too, and I will probably write about it at a later date, but I will say this: I’m inspired by people who see and value the Big Picture. Who understand that compassion is as important as the drive to succeed. Who realize that we all need a little room to grow.

How about you? What are you up to?


Comments

  1. 5th grade is an awesome grade to be in! I sometimes wish I could go back to that one. 7th and 8th grade...not so much. :)

    Congrats on finishing up your revisions on WAITING FOR THE SUN. (great title by the way)

    Hope you have a wonderful week!

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  2. When I worked in a school a couple of years ago I really wished I could go back in time and be a student there. It was such an amazing place! Kids don't know how lucky they are sometimes ;)

    Congratulations on completing the revisions. I love the title :D

    Have a great week!

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  3. Love this, "I’m inspired by people who see and value the Big Picture. Who understand that compassion is as important as the drive to succeed. Who realize that we all need a little room to grow."

    Admiration and respect for teachers and all they do!

    Have a wonderful week Sara, good luck as you reenter the CAVE.

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  4. GOING VINTAGE is the next book in my TBR-pile, it sounds so cute and can't wait to read it. I'm a fan of the first few Sisterhood books, but not so much Everlasting. It felt a little hollow compared to the others.

    Good ol' 5th grade, I remember that being a good year!

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  5. The SISTERHOOD books are some of my absolute favourites--although I don't think I've read them all, because I think another came out pretty recently? I don't know, but the first book is falling apart it's been read so much.

    WAY TO GO finishing your revisions and heading back into the cave! And I hope you get some relaxing time in with HG, too :)

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  6. I'm glad I'm from a generation where fifth grade was still solidly part of elementary school and not junior high! I hated junior high, and starting it two years early would've been a nightmare. I hope your son does well in his own fifth grade.

    Congratulations on finishing your revisions, and good luck with your future writing progress.

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  7. Omg - so much here I want to say! First, I LOVED SISTERHOOD EVERLASTING, but I will just warn you - have a box of tissues nearby. I don't cry much with books (movies, yes; books, not so much). This one got me. And I love Frankie! I hope you enjoy that one too!

    Also, yay for getting revisions done! And yeah - I know the feeling on the little ones going to school. I have a freshman in high school. How is that possible?! I am too young for that! My daughter's math teacher has posters of Led Zepplin, The Who, The Doors... I want to be in that class! And I had quite a few books on my shelf when I was teaching math too. Good times.

    I hope you have a great week! And I absolutely loved what you had to say in that last paragraph. ME TOO!

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  8. Oh I loved SEAN GRISWOLD'S HEAD, even more than GOING VINTAGE. It was so cute. Congrats on finishing revisions! That must feel good. :)

    I'd also like to go back to fifth grade. That was kind of an awesome time.

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  9. Congrats on finishing revisions. I loved Going Vintage. I need to read Sean Griswold's Head. Have a great weekend!

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  10. A music teacher who's a Beatles fan? How cool is that! Although, I suppose these days The Beatles is considered classical music... ;)

    I hope you get a lot of writing in this week, Sara! :)

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  11. Congrats on finishing your revision!

    I haven't read any of Lindsey Leavitt's books but I really want to. I loved THE DISREPUTABLE HISTORY OF FRANKIE LANDAU-BANKS!

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  12. Wow. It sounds like you have a lot going on. I can't imagine what it's like to be a mom of one kid much less two who need to be ready for school! Hopefully once they're settled in things will come down a bit. Have a good Labor Day weekend!

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