Celebrating Lenny Lee!

Today a bunch of us in blog land are celebrating the incredible Lenny Lee who turns the big 1-5.

To Lenny, my birthday 'twin', (yes, I am honored to share my own birthday with him) I hope this year is as special as you are.

I send you a bright, happy, orange-pumpkin-spooked-out-cow birthday wish. I'm so lucky to call you a friend.

Sunshine Fish and Birthday Celebration

Today I am joining quite the celebration in this land o' blogs.  The famous Lenny Lee turns thirteen!  Lenny is a writer, reader, animal-lover, and hugger supreme.  He writes some of the most thoughtful and informative blog posts.  He wrote an amazing picture book with Sharon Mayhew and I felt privileged to be able to read it.  He sends me the most beautiful notes in the mail.  And though I've never met him, I always imagine him smiling, and every note, every word and story from Lenny, makes me smile too.

Along with all the love Lenny shares with me, I am beyond lucky because he and I also share a birthday.  So it makes this day even more special for me.

So, happy, happy, birthday to my birthday twin. Despite the, uh, age difference, we can still be twins right? (Humor me, Lenny, humor me.) 

In honor of the fact that we also share a love of swimming any time, any place, anywhere, (as Lenny says, he is part fish) I give you this Lenny Lee Sunshine Fish, swimming all over the world! 

Happy Birthday Lenny!

 Photo Credit: Sharon Mayhew

I'm A Poemer

This post is to bring some sunshine to the famous Lenny Lee who always spreads sunshine wherever he goes.

Honestly, the idea of writing a poem gives me hives. Over the years I've been assigned poems to write in various classes. I've cried writing villanelles. I've had anxiety attacks while laboring over a cinquain. I don't understand how to write poetry. I am a terrible poet.

However, my friend Krista and I coined the term poemer. A poemer is a person who writes poems. And, while I would never in a million years call myself a poet, I have no problem calling myself a poemer.

I went into the Melissa Files to find some poem-y things I had written for little preschool kids. They are meant to be sung. There may or may not be recordings of me singing them. I can neither confirm or deny that.

I thought I would share them with Lenny because they are fun and silly (and pretty bad). But they make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside and that's what being a poemer is all about.

Friendship Song

Friendship is magic
That’s what I think
Friendship’s amazing
And that’s what I’ll sing
Great things can happen
When you’re with a friend
All kinds of magic
Again and again
I’m feeling happy
So much I can fly
Because when you have a friend
Magic can’t pass you by

Rhyming Song

Lumpity Dumpkin

Boppity Bumpkin

I love to rhyme all the time

Put words together

And hear how they sound

That's what I call a great rhyme

Lumpity Dumpkin

Boppity Bumpkin

Doesn't make sense all the time

Put words together

And hear how they sound

That's what I call a great rhyme

You rock Lenny!

Are you a poet? If not, are you a poemer?