Happy October! I've seen a lot of Halloween activity lately and it brings this book to mind.
photo via Etsy shop, HoarderRehab, last book available here
This series "More Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark" was the most popular one of all the series and it's been judged by many years and classes of my third grade students. I can safely estimate around 500 third graders!
This is series book 2 by Alvin Schwartz who collected scary folk tales from around the world and compiled them into three or more series. The drawings are by Stephen Gammel and ever since he's illustrated these, it's been considered controversial material.
It's been on the Banned Book list off and on for "I don't know" how many years, however it's was the best book ever to get my third graders into "chapter" books, which is a third grade standard. This book beat out, "Captain Underpants", "Sponge Bob", "Ramona Quimby" and "The Boxcar Children", and I can say with some certainty even more popular than "Goosebumps".
And believe me, this book was much more fun than reading "Captain Underpants" to the class. How many times do one of those chapter books say, "Captain Underpants and Professor Poopy Pants per page?
I'm sure there are better chapter books available for third graders now, but I used what I had to work with as an inner city school teacher.
Oral reading time was after each recess and was most likely one of their favorite times of the day. Students returned from recess in a timely manner and settled down quickly because they all knew I closed the book 20 minutes after the recess bell rang.
I would start reading this book on the first day of October and read it twice daily or students would take turns and practicing through to the end of the month. It's also makes for good suspenseful anticipation if propped up on your desk towards the end of September with a "hands off" sign made with skeleton bone font and hands.
photo via Etsy shop, HoarderRehab, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark with audio cassette, available here
Here's the email story Molly said I could share here:
I actually wanted the book because I love the
illustrations in it! I also grew up reading these books. I probably
will be reading this book to my kiddos this year!
Thank you Molly for leaving me a story in email! Visit her shop, Molly Bee Creations here.
Here's what I wrote back:
Saying Goodbye: Thank heavens there are three of these, except there's only one left and I'm really tempted to keep it for myself now. I would say I'm conflicted about letting the last one go, but the two others went to homes with families with children that will use them and provide some scary fun this Halloween!
Sometimes after I write the description of a listing, I want to keep it so badly after writing about it, in fact, many times an apprehensive feeling will follow me around after I list it. It was getting easier, but is becoming more difficult with less sleep again, so it's flip flopping around because my three or four day sleeping streak that broke my 7 week insomnia streak is now over, so only time will tell if I continue sleeping or not.
I do know now that with less sleep and/or with heavy duty insomnia, it is more difficult to let go (and make decisions) and if the fiasco of the new project is any reflection on my my music art room, my life and room is back to a level 9. I keep reminding myself that I have all the time in the world to fix this temporary setback!
Those are not photos of my room, but is a gif or gift explains the levels I use as a dehoarding tool. It is
from a test tool for Hoarding, at the International OCD Foundation here
What I Learned:
1. My dehoarding is tied to many aspects of my life and as I dehoard it's like peeling an onion with layer after layer unfolding with tears of joy, heartfelt connections, success, contentedness, progress, gratitude, delightful surprises and tears of all other kinds, including sadness, loss, pain, conflict, failure, setbacks, etc.
2. I think it's good for me to sit with these feelings and process them by writing about it because I think it's the negative feelings that cause me the stress that I would mask with retail therapy that ends up becoming hoard, until it's just another endless viscous cycle.
It was like sweeping all my negative feelings under a rug until my feelings were piled so high under the rug, it was like riding a magic carpet over mountains, but in reality I was being buried behind mountains of hoard!
3. Even though I've declined on the "new" project I still feel overwhelmed. I know it's in my best interest, however I feel FOMO, fear of missing out and hope that the opportunity of the project will still be viable in a year or two. Note to self: Address FOMO next month.
4. I felt too overwhelmed to read this emailed article from Nicole Nenninger's blog, but it came when I needed it the most! Just reading the quotes helped slow me down. Maybe it'll help someone else "out there" too.
I took three deep breaths over and over and read these until I know them in my own words.
"Feeling overwhelmed is a choice--a choice in thoughts, actions, behaviors, and beliefs. I choose to feel and be in control of my life."
3. Rewards as Motivation : relates to my inner city teacher experiences
4. Freddie the Frog Puppet: happier teacher experiences and how to forgive
5. Polaroid Camera Story: inner city school challenges
6. US Puzzle Maps: kinda funny story of my teaching days
7. Many other stories about toys or teacher tools under the category, The Destiny of Things
Thank you Molly for leaving me a story in email! Visit her shop, Molly Bee Creations here.
Here's what I wrote back:
Oh man! Those illustrations are the
scariest! My students would cling to each other on some of those
illustrations even before the stories started! Your kiddos will want to
hear them over and over! So fun!
Thank you for your back story, would you like me to leave you anonymous or link it to your shop on my blog?
Thanks again, I'm already wondering what kind of insight I'll gain when I write it up!
Kind regards,
~K
Thank you for your back story, would you like me to leave you anonymous or link it to your shop on my blog?
Thanks again, I'm already wondering what kind of insight I'll gain when I write it up!
Kind regards,
~K
photo via Etsy shop, HoarderRehab, Scary Stories book, series 1 and 2, available here
Sometimes after I write the description of a listing, I want to keep it so badly after writing about it, in fact, many times an apprehensive feeling will follow me around after I list it. It was getting easier, but is becoming more difficult with less sleep again, so it's flip flopping around because my three or four day sleeping streak that broke my 7 week insomnia streak is now over, so only time will tell if I continue sleeping or not.
I do know now that with less sleep and/or with heavy duty insomnia, it is more difficult to let go (and make decisions) and if the fiasco of the new project is any reflection on my my music art room, my life and room is back to a level 9. I keep reminding myself that I have all the time in the world to fix this temporary setback!
 |
What I Learned:
1. My dehoarding is tied to many aspects of my life and as I dehoard it's like peeling an onion with layer after layer unfolding with tears of joy, heartfelt connections, success, contentedness, progress, gratitude, delightful surprises and tears of all other kinds, including sadness, loss, pain, conflict, failure, setbacks, etc.
2. I think it's good for me to sit with these feelings and process them by writing about it because I think it's the negative feelings that cause me the stress that I would mask with retail therapy that ends up becoming hoard, until it's just another endless viscous cycle.
It was like sweeping all my negative feelings under a rug until my feelings were piled so high under the rug, it was like riding a magic carpet over mountains, but in reality I was being buried behind mountains of hoard!
3. Even though I've declined on the "new" project I still feel overwhelmed. I know it's in my best interest, however I feel FOMO, fear of missing out and hope that the opportunity of the project will still be viable in a year or two. Note to self: Address FOMO next month.
4. I felt too overwhelmed to read this emailed article from Nicole Nenninger's blog, but it came when I needed it the most! Just reading the quotes helped slow me down. Maybe it'll help someone else "out there" too.
I took three deep breaths over and over and read these until I know them in my own words.
"Feeling overwhelmed is a choice--a choice in thoughts, actions, behaviors, and beliefs. I choose to feel and be in control of my life."
I
promise you nothing is as chaotic as it seems. Nothing is worth your
health. Nothing is worth poisoning yourself into stress, anxiety, and
fear. ~Steve Maraboli
It worked enough to be able to read the article, "How To Keep from Feeling Overwhelmed", here! Thank you Nicole for the quotes and blog article!
How did the quotes help you? I put them on "post it" notes to keep them handy.
Thank you Molly from Molly Bees Creations for ordering from HoarderRehab and giving the Scary Story book a new life and better home with a family who will enjoy it! That's at least giving some scary fun to four others! Thanks again for the email story!
Check out her craft shop here, Molly Bees Creations. She hand crafts all kinds of different items, like knit wear, natural soaps and scented soy candles. She is also a mother of two, a wife, college student and home business owner!!!! And according to her blog, Molly's Creations, she's starting a new full time job soon, yet still has time to try new crafts! I love her beautiful deep jeweled color hand dyed yarns! Read more about Molly here, on the day she started this blog and learn why she started it. Thank you for the inspiration!
Also a huge thanks for featuring me on your blog! I am happily surprised and honored that HoarderRehab is your guest shop posting for the week of September 6, read it here! Thank you so much for featuring my shop and my HoarderRehab journey as, "A New Blog to Read!"
Thank you Etsy for another amazing connection that brought nothing but joy and surprises! Thank you for making my hoard into a good thing with each passing day!
Thank you Nicole Ninnenger for sending the timely posting from your blog: How to Keep from Feeling Overwhelmed! Read it here.
Thank you US, China, Germany and South Korea for your visits the past few days and keeping me company though my HoarderRehab and The Destiny of Things!
Click on the shop names to visit my hoard listed daily: HoarderRehab, The Destiny of Things and VintageToGoEtsy and now JunkDrawerLoveEtsy!
There are about 68 items listed on JunkDrawerLoveEtsy and will be
listing 1-3 new things there daily and 1-2 items at the other shops!
Thanks for looking!
If you would like to order Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, series 1 with the cassette, it's still available here and the last copy I have of More Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, series 2 is available here. Series 3 sold out to none other than Molly of Ety's: Molly Bee Creations. What a nice surprise! Thanks again Molly!
If you would like to order Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, series 1 with the cassette, it's still available here and the last copy I have of More Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, series 2 is available here. Series 3 sold out to none other than Molly of Ety's: Molly Bee Creations. What a nice surprise! Thanks again Molly!
Stories and their Items Related to my Teaching Days:
1. Read how the new project recently effected and affected my Hoarder Rehab, sleep and mental state here, "Inside the Mind of This Recovering Hoarder".
3. Rewards as Motivation : relates to my inner city teacher experiences
4. Freddie the Frog Puppet: happier teacher experiences and how to forgive
5. Polaroid Camera Story: inner city school challenges
6. US Puzzle Maps: kinda funny story of my teaching days
7. Many other stories about toys or teacher tools under the category, The Destiny of Things
8. Alphabet Teacher Bracelet: My Retail Therapy from back in the day
Most Read Story of the Week, Month and All Time: My Louis Vuitton Collection: the end of my collection is the beginning for someone else. The last piece of my LV collection, my 80s LV gold cornered wallet is available here at The Destiny of Things!
No comments:
Post a Comment