{review - sort of} Desmond Pucket by Mark Tatulli

I did not read these books. My 10 year old son did. All three in record time. And then I found this in my bathroom when I went to take a late night wee. I think it is an endorsement for the humor and creativity gleaned from the series. Check them out at your own risk!

{copy work} The Enkindled Spring by D.H. Lawrence

I am enjoying my first New England so much. Everything is alive and colorful and misty in its exuberance. - Amy

The Enkindled Spring

Related Poem Content Details

 D. H. LAWRENCE

This spring as it comes bursts up in bonfires green, 

Wild puffing of emerald trees, and flame-filled bushes, 

Thorn-blossom lifting in wreaths of smoke between 

Where the wood fumes up and the watery, flickering rushes. 

I am amazed at this spring, this conflagration 

Of green fires lit on the soil of the earth, this blaze 

Of growing, and sparks that puff in wild gyration, 

Faces of people streaming across my gaze. 

And I, what fountain of fire am I among 

This leaping combustion of spring? My spirit is tossed 

About like a shadow buffeted in the throng 

Of flames, a shadow that's gone astray, and is lost.

sourced from Poetry Foundation

journaling = giving kids a voice

As I get ready to start Journal Jam 2016, and have 3 sessions under my belt, I am reminded why I find  this work so important. 

The act of writing the minutia of your life, reflecting on the memories that shaped you and grappling, on the page, with disappointments, is life changing. Regular (or heck, even semi-regular journallers have better mental health, feelings of deep self-worth and the agency to enact change as necessary. And its fun and creative and sometimes surprising.

Nurturing this practice in kids is such a gift. While my kids and I  do not journal everyday, it is an act we drop into through out the year (especially in the summer) and I am committed to keeping it up. We recently moved and I am able to see the practice in a new light. Journalling and its antcilliary act, letter writing, have created a calm and safe place to remember, honor and share. Can you imagine kids having this skill in their toolbox as they head into adolescent and adulthood? It is pure gold, I tell you. 

Journal Jam is a perfect start or kickstart to your family's practice. It is a fun way to explore the rules-breaking, messy, exploratory journalling that I support and many others have found an enriching addition to their summer. 

Through daily prompts, field trips, thought experiments, art, cultural responses and more, you and your kids will explore their valuable ideas and opinions on paper through various forms of mark making. 

Join us here!

We will gather June 6 through August 12.