Post Category → books

reading to my kids

One of our very favorite story books is this, Patsy Scarry’s Big Bedtime Storybook. It’s out of print, but the good news is that you can buy it for about a dollar! My dad would read these charming little stories to us at bedtime, and now the boys ask for them all the time. The illustrations are charming, the characters endearing, and the individual stories only a few short minutes long — but each very captivating. I can’t recommend it highly enough!

I really enjoy reading to my kids. Books increase their vocabulary, their listening and comprehension ability, and their attention spans — not to mention their imaginations and their world! It’s so much fun to see the little wheels turning, or watch them burst out laughing at some silly antic.

Having them enjoy being read to has been very important to me, and I’ve done a few things to make reading a highlight of our day:

— When we sit to read a book, only Mama touches the pages. I have an eager beaver who’s always antsy about what’s next, but this rule has helped focus and saved us from torn pages.

— For the most part, we don’t ask questions during stories. Obviously I make exceptions, but questions seem to often derail storytime. Silliness is always there lurking beneath the surface!

— I read books that I think are fun, beautiful, educational, or otherwise endearing. How can I expect them to like reading if I make them sit still only to hear some drivel with awful illustrations? I can’t! Also, I can emote excitement about what we’re reading when I’m actually excited. That matters! I’ve kept a running book list of titles to either purchase or get from the library, and that is very helpful.

— Books are special. They get a book for Easter, books as gifts at birthdays and Christmas, and new books through the year are a big deal. I try to rotate a basket of seasonal or holiday-themed books so that even old titles get a fresh appeal regularly.

— We read chapter books at naptime, and I’m constantly surprised by how much even William learns from just listening quietly, with very little explanation. It’s a great way to unwind, as well as expand their little worlds in a way story books don’t. We’re well on our way through the Little House books, and Jameson just said this morning, “Oh, I thought for a minute we were eating lunch, but it’s breakfast! I wish it was lunch so we could hurry up and read The Long Winter!” And William is in love with Almanzo and his moccasins. Whatever floats your boat, kid!

None of those things are revolutionary, I know, but I thought I’d pass along the basic things that have helped thus far!

two books, and a recipe

Remember when I used to post links to books that we’ve really enjoyed? Maybe you don’t, but I do. I also used to clean my bathroom before it got totally gross. Boy. There are a lot of things I used to do. Ha!

For the mamas:

If you’re friends with me on facebook (or friends with someone I’m friends with on facebook), you probably already saw me or someone raving about this book.

Loving The Little Years — Motherhood in the Trenches by Rachel Jankovic

This book kept popping up in the “If you like that, you’ll like this” suggestions from Amazon, and finally, I just bought it.

You should, too.

It’s easy to read. The chapters are only a few pages long. You just may love it. There are some great ideas, perhaps some new thoughts, but most of all, it’s the attitude check and kick in the pants and “go, girl, go!” that you need. (Every single morning, if you’re like me.) It’s not fluffy. It is edifying.

I’m going to read it again, soon.

And for the kiddos:

Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening by Robert Frost, illustrated by Susan Jeffers

This was our first special winter book purchase when we moved back to northern New York, and the magic of both words and illustrations delight me every time we read it — which is every time I ask William to pick a book! The dust jacket is vellum, and the beautiful cover illustration, which is perfectly lovely on its own, is transformed into a winter blizzard when viewed through the vellum. The boys love it! (And I love looking out my window and seeing the inspiration for such illustrations in our fields and woods. What a Master Artist!)

And for the tummies:

I threw dinner together a few nights ago, and it turned out to be such a yummy meal that I thought I’d record it here for my future reference. I sort of pictured a Whole Foods salad we used to buy, and headed in that direction.

Kale, Butternut Squash, and Quinoa
Serves 4 as a main dish

For the squash:
Peel and dice one large butternut squash. Toss on foil-lined rimmed pan with olive oil, kosher salt, and pepper. Roast at 425 for about 40 minutes or until camelized, tossing every 15 minutes. Drizzle with a bit of maple syrup, and set aside.

For the quinoa:
While squash is roasting, bring 1 cup of quinoa, 2 cups of water, and 1 tsp of salt, and 1/2 tsp of thyme to a boil. Cover and simmer on low for 15 minutes or until tender. Set aside.

For the kale:
In large pan, saute one chopped onion in olive oil until soft (or beginning to brown, if you’re like me and lose track of things like onions.) Add 4 cloves of minced garlic and 1 tsp of thyme; saute till fragrant. Add one bunch of kale — stems removed and chopped. Sprinkle with 1/2 tsp of salt, a pinch of crushed red pepper, and a splash of water. Stir, then cover over medium-low heat, till kale is cooked.

Stir squash, quinoa, and 1/2 cup of dried cranberries into the kale mixture. Squeeze half a lemon over the whole thing, and ta-da! A meal fit for an Whole Foods fan.

today

Today, I am three weeks from my due date. So, so soon, our family will change forever. We’ll meet someone we’ll love instantly, and who will change the shape of who we are.

Today, I am folding towels and sheets and washcloths and sealing them up, labeling them “clean”, and checking one more thing of my list of preparations. I am digging through a newborn box and finding receiving blankets and hats and tiny socks. Into the wash they go, too. Soon, a corner of my room will house these and other birthing items. Crazy.

Today, we did a few chores in the morning, then donned suits and packed pb&j and headed to the beach. I’ve been happy to just do pool time this summer, but the boys love sand — and since they needed baths, anyway, why not? When we left, I thought, we need to do this more. So fun.

Today, there is so much to do, so many piles — of dishes, of doorknobs in boxes, of crown molding, of tools, of books… But today is not the day for that, not really. And so I do what I can, put my feet up for a bit, and decide that we’re okay. (And tomorrow, I think I’ll paint my newly-finished closets and start putting away some piles as soon as the paint dries! Excited!!)

Today, I read Hello, Baby to my two boys, and watch as their eyes take on awe, wonder, and sparkle. A baby being born — even these little guys understand how amazing it is. Jameson volunteers in a hushed voice, “We will help you, Mama, when the baby is born.” William just smiles.

Today, I peek into their bedroom as I pass by and have to stop, just for a minute, to take in their sweet sleeping faces. Pink cheeks, fair eyelashes bleached by sun, parted lips, and little bodies that aren’t so little anymore. Today, I want to cherish these little lives. How precious they are.

books: raising kids who hunger for God

There’s a book I read last summer and forgot to mention, but it needs to be mentioned. If I could have only one book about family and parenting, this would be — hands down — the book:

Raising Kids Who Hunger For God, by Benny and Sheree Phillips

This little book — and it really is little! — packs a punch like no other. Be ready to do some serious unpacking on your own time, because they clip right along, hitting huge topics in each short chapter. Starting with a look at the American family in crisis, they cover everything from teaching responsibility, to getting a vision for your child’s future, from respecting authority to how to discipline, from training toddlers to shepherding young adults — all within the context of aiming your arrows for fervent, passionate, God-oriented lives of effective service. There is tons of scripture cited, so it really is just a launch pad for further study. I made myself read only one chapter a day, but I wanted to just devour this book. I can’t begin to tell you how often I was in tears, my heart racing as I was stirred to get God for my children. Yes, I want good kids. Yes, I want to discipline well. But yes! I really want kids in love with Jesus!

Get this book. That’s all there is to say!

a ramble

I’m tired. The boys just went down for their naps, and my down comforter sounds awfully nice, but I’m telling myself that if I just sit here in the delicious afternoon sun for a few minutes, it will be positively energizing. Right?

It’s fall here. That means that at the peak of the day, the sun will warm you all the way through, and you may even want to put on a skirt and flip-flops. But come evening, when that sun goes down, the temperature plummets, and all you want is the biggest sweatshirt you own. And so we’ve begun the cold-weather habits of lighting candles, eating soup, and settling in for evenings of togetherness. Is that so bad?

Several weeks ago, I tried to take a step back, get a fresh look at this season of life and our family’s needs, and come up with a new game plan. I’m not always very good at that. Getting off track is way too demoralizing for me, considering it’s just part of life. (I need to get better at that.) I’m also learning, though, that most of the time when we’re off track, it’s because our train changed direction, and I need to get a track in place. Does that make sense? I don’t think of myself as a routine, organized person. My spices, for instance, are a chaotic mess, all dumped into a basket and hidden behind a cupboard door. (Not that I wouldn’t prefer something else, but I’m not enough of an organizer to figure out what that something else is.) However, I’m realizing how inflexible I am about life and how I think it should go. I figure our house should be continually getting prettier and tidier. It is a shock to my system when I realize that the needs of husband, children, or household rhythm dictates that instead, my house has to become more functional. I figure my house should get cleaner and cleaner, and then I realize that Jameson needs me more, I want to spend time with friends, church events happen, and my housekeeping gets bumped further and further down the list. Things like that. Recognizing where the train is going and getting a new track in place. Embracing my call to be a student of husband, children, and home, and then adapt to their needs. And finding joy in knowing their needs are met. Even if my bathroom gets cleaned only once a week. (Get over it, Danica. It’s still not about you.)

I’m loving reading with Jameson lately. He’s old enough now that we can read any book on the shelf — even long, complicated stories — and he gets thoroughly engrossed. Yesterday he pulled out a Happy Hollisters book, sat himself down with it, and then sadly discovered there were no pictures. “I not know how to read this one, Mama!” So I told him I’ll help him read it. I think it’s time for chapter books at bedtime. (How fun!) He found a pictorial encyclopedia of military uniforms of the last century, and has been poring over the pictures, examining the Chronicles of Narnia action figures he has, and delighting in all of the weapons he’s finding. He is particularly fascinated by the German entrenching tool. I’m not sure why, unless digging a hole in dirt and hiding in it is just universally appealing to the male gender. I just slipped into his room and found his arms wrapped around the book, the page opened to military bands. I love, love, love watching his curiosity and fascination with life and the world around him. It’s exhilarating.

I had my first cleaning-with-a-mobile-baby day on Monday. Over the weekend, William officially began crawling. He’s been scooching himself via a series of hysterical movements for several weeks, but now has figured out the efficiency of being on his knees. This means the outlets need to be checked, magazines lay in torn fragments on the living room floor, and he’s finding out the world is not his oyster. It also means that I can fold laundry for 20 minutes undisturbed, because Jameson and William are outside playing and laughing together. I like the undisturbed part, but I absolutely adore the laughing and together parts.

Tonight, I’m finally doing what I’ve been thinking about and wanting to do since I first realized there were women my age at church: I’m starting a small group. I’m incredibly excited about the prospect of being encouraged, challenged, and growing close to these girls. We’re going to start by reading Feminine Appeal, which I’ll do a review of soon. Suffice to say, I really, really enjoyed the book myself and highly recommend it. Perhaps I’ll post my thoughts as we read through the book in our group, so you can read/study along.

Okay. The sun has warmed me in that wonderful way autumn sunshine does. Time to get up and pull the house together a bit.

books: little heathens

Last spring, I finally got my hands on a book I’d been eyeing for awhile: Little Heathens: Hard Times and High Spirits on an Iowa Farm During the Great Depression. It’s an older woman’s memoir, and reading it was very much like sitting on a front porch, rocking alongside Mildred (the author) as she reminisced in a very prosaic, very simple way. I was completely charmed. What a fabulous window into a life I’ll never know.

Having her childhood memories tucked away was also fun when I later read Parenting by the Book, as John Rosemond refers regularly to “Grandma’s common sense” style of raising children. His reference was fresh in my mind, having just read about young children who knew how to work, respect, would never dream of throwing a tantrum, and loved life.

On the flip side, her story made me a bit sad and acutely aware of how completely dead the form of religion is. Her family had gone to church for generations, but by the time she and her siblings arrived on the scene, that was about all there was to their Christianity. Knowing how to tell the truth and work hard without complaint is nice, but knowing Jesus is even better.

(I’d like my kids to know both.)