El Deafo

The most recent Mother-Daughter book club selection was El Deafo by Cece Bell.  Kayla's first reaction was, "Mom, I don't really like graphic novels."  But.  She started it the night we brought it home and finished it the next day. Loved it.  Then Jack read it.  Then Kayla read it again.  Back and forth.  I enjoyed it very much myself.

Cece is telling her own story in this novel.  She became sick with meningitis at age four and lost her hearing.  I love how she uses pictures and speech bubbles to convey how the world seemed to her.  Kids seem to relate to her, down to the humor she includes (which I didn't always love but it was realistic to the age).

Cece Bell was delightful.  She talked a lot about her childhood, both asking and answering questions.  She even brought her original phonic ear and explained more about how the name "El Deafo" came about.

A local bakery decorated sugar cookies to go along with the book.  Cece portrayed herself and all the characters as rabbits in the book.  There are also a couple of cookies with her phonic ear.

Oh and by the way, her book just won the Newberry Honor!

Read This to Your Kids!

I really wanted to get this one up for Read Aloud Thursday...and here it is Saturday.  I'm going to do it anyway because this book is a gem!

A book Brian was reading referenced it.  He asked if I had heard of it and no, I hadn't, so I put it on hold and am so glad I did.

Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch begins with a lonely, friendless man who receives a Valentine package with a note that says "Somebody love you."  He doesn't know who sent it but it changes him.  He begins to smile and whistle and become a friend to many.  I won't spoil the end for you- it's so worth the read- but I will say this sweet story is more than just a Valentine's read.  It's a picture of what can happen to a person when they know they are loved.  Maybe it's even a taste of the freedom we have as believers to love when we know God loves us.

I think I'm buying my own copy of this one!

 Linking (late!) to Read Aloud Thursday!  Check out some of the other read alouds there!

Christmas Baking

Baking plus a cloudy, cold day plus candles and Christmas music makes for my kind of day.  Kids have been in and out of the kitchen- I'm glad they like to help.  Much of our baking will be used as gifts but we enjoy snacking on it, too.  We've made several pans of gingerbread lately, pretzel treats and mom's Lemon Cranberry bread.  Some of our favorite Christmas recipes are here.

We dipped soft peppermint sticks in melted chocolate.  Probably the most fun for kids and certainly easy.

Last week we made a batch of these Oatmeal Fudge bars and gave most of it away.  Today Sam helped make another batch.  Maybe I should say I helped- he did most of the work.

Have you made the Muddy Buddies recipe off of a Chex cereal box?

  Addictive.  

It calls for peanut butter so we substituted soy butter.

And as an added bonus, I received this in the mail from

Amy at Hope Is the Word.  Her blog is full of book reviews.  Love it!  She also hosts Read Aloud Thursdays, which I occasionally link up to.  This is the first blog giveaway I've won.  Thanks Amy!

Around the House and a Few Books

It is still silent in our house except for the tapping of this keyboard.

The tree lights are on but other than that it is dark.  I kind of crave this bit of time lately.  We'll just say the kids are getting a wee bit excited about Christmas and not too interested in school.  So the older two have a couple of loose ends to tie up today and then it's Christmas break!  There's a little baking and delivering of treats to do so it should be a fun day.  Then tonight the boys and I are headed to the Steven Curtis Chapman/Third Day concert in Roanoke.  First concert and Jack especially is excited!!  We were given tickets and are grateful for them.

*On another note, it seems we have Christmas birds.  Most mornings we find them in the garage.  Once, a bird nearly flew into my head- that was one of my first clues that we had visitors.  Another time Kayla was looking out the living room window and announced ,"There are birds in the garage!"  Not quite sure how they are getting in.  Did they just forget to fly south?

*In my book stack lately:

Home and Gilead by Marilynne Robinson   I just love these books.  She draws me in these lives!  I feel the tension between what's in Ames' heart and what he knows to be right and they aren't always the same.  He, and other characters, are so torn.  Can we not relate to that??

I was given a book called Letters to Pastor's Wives and it is excellent.  Different pastor's wives wrote letters on various subjects and the wisdom they have gained from their experience is beautiful.  Even if you aren't a "ministry wife" I think you would glean greatly from it.

I am Half Sick of Shadows, a Flavia De Luce mystery by Alan Bradley is next.  She's an 11 year old sleuth in 1950s England.  This novel takes place around Christmas.  

Finally, for advent readings I always pick up Come Thou Long Expected Jesus, edited by Nancy Guthrie.  She chose selections across the ages: Martin Luther, Jonathan Edwards, Spurgeon, Augustine, John Piper, Tim Keller, etc...  Each one ministers to my heart and brings it far past the busyness and sometimes frenzy of the season and back to a broken, needy world that was given a most holy, humble and beautiful gift.

Don't Forget to Read to the Kids!

One day last week I walked into the kitchen and it was 10:00.  

I  thought to myself- we haven't done a thing yet.  The day is getting away from us.

And then I remembered- we had been reading.  Together in the living room.

That's our usual routine- to read aloud in the morning after we do Bible reading and prayer.  

I had called it unimportant that day- as if reading together had somehow not counted.

I'm struck by how easily reading can get pushed to the side in favor of "more pressing" tasks: math, picking up, doing laundry, washing dishes, etc...  

I'm finally understanding that age old advice people give you- "the laundry will still be there..."

That used to drive me crazy!  The laundry has to get done!  So do other chores.

But here's the thing- I will not always have time to spend with these guys when they are young. I will wish I had spent more time chatting with them, coloring, exploring.  

I will not regret the time we spent reading together.

So what is it about read-aloud times that is so important?  Even with the oldest kids?  (And they are always in on it, too!)

*It's family time.  Away from the tv and the store and whatever else can pull families in different directions.  Together in comfy chairs, spread out on the floor.  Sometimes with blankets, sometimes with a snack.  It's all of us hearing the same story, laughing, talking about the same characters, the same events.  I especially like being able to tackle and discuss tough issues together.

*It's language.  Strong words and details and ideas that the littlest can't read yet and the oldest might skim past.  It's pouring in all that good vocabulary and structure so that it becomes familiar and one day will be used.

*It's memories.  I still remember my mom reading A Wrinkle in Time to me.  Jack and Kayla will always remember their dad reading  the Harry Potter books to them.  I hope Sam and Lucy will remember snuggling up before bed and reading Henry and Mudge and Earl the Squirrel and The Peterkin's and whatever else we got into.

So get those kids- even the ones who can read on their own- and settle in this chilly night with a good book.

Here are some of our favorite read-aloud chapter books over the years:

Little House series

The Family Under the Bridge

Rabbit Hill

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

Johnny Tremain (current)

Carry on Mr. Bowditch

The Phantom Tollbooth

Island of the Blue Dolphins

Strawberry Girl

The Railway Children

The Saturdays

.

Love this Book!

The relaxed pace of life we knew at the end of last week hung around here and there until yesterday.  Seems like we are back in the swing of things fully now.  I know routine is good and even necessary but sometimes...sometimes...I really like to just sit and read a book or play a game and not feel like I "should" be doing something else. 
Need to work on that.
In other news, a friend shared a book with us that was a childhood favorite of hers and is now our morning read-aloud.  I am so very glad she did.  It's quickly becoming a favorite of mine, too.  Tales of the Kingdom by David and Karen Mains.

Think Pilgrim's Progress.  Allegorical  The kids and I have had some rich discussions about how we are valued by God, about His character, the now and the not yet, and the beauty of the gospel.   Good luck finding it, though.  I have seen some used copies online and they get snatched up pretty fast.  I'll keep looking.  It's worth it.

"She discovered that the Kingdom was for outcasts, and one must become an outcast in order to follow the King"

"And the boy learned that a kingdom is a place where it is not enough to say the King's name.  One must do the King's will in the King's way or lose the Kingdom altogether."

 

Christmas Books

One of my favorite ways to slow down and enjoy the Christmas season is by reading good books with our kids.  It is too easy to get carried away in "doing" that we forget why we're doing it.   It's also too easy to get so busy that we don't just come together as a family. I want to share a few we've enjoyed, some old, some new.  I love hearing things like, "Oh yeah!  I remember that story!" or "Read this one, Mom!"

*Most mornings, the kids and I read Let Every Heart Prepare Him Room by Nancy Guthrie.  There's a short devotion on advent for every day leading up to Christmas.  It's written for families- simple enough for kids yet full of truth.
*The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson was new to me this year and I loved it!  I got teary at the end of this chapter book.  Imagine children who have never heard the real Christmas story, throw in a lot of humor, and you've got a wonderful read-aloud.  (There were a couple of places I chose to skip- benefit of reading aloud!)
*The Peterkin's Christmas was also new this year.  The Peterkins, from The Peterkin Papers are silly and funny as they get their "you-know-what" ready for Christmas in this picture book.  Sammy and Lucy especially like this one.
*Something else we enjoy is reading a Christmas chapter out of most of our Little House books.  Most (if not all) of the books have one.  Today we read "Mr. Edwards Meets Santa Claus" from Little House on the Prairie.  It was a cozy read that gave us an idea about what a frontier Christmas could have been like.
*Some others, though not all, that we like this time of year:
Snowmen At Christmas by Caralyn Buehner
Silver Packages by Cynthia Rylant
The Legend of the Candy Cane by Lori Walburg
The Little Fir Tree by Margaret Wise Brown

Linking Up to Read Aloud Thursdays

The Mother/Daughter book club that Kayla and I are a part of read Masterpiece by Elise Broach as this month's selection.
This has been one that all the kids have listened in on and have really enjoyed.  I love to find a good chapter book that appeals across ages.
Meet Marvin- a beetle.  Marvin lives in James's family's apartment and is pretty tenacious and skillful as beetles go!  A sweet friendship forms between James and Marvin which ends up in a wild adventure.  Art, theft, and the Met in New York City.  Fun! 
Overall, I have liked this book.  There's been a good bit of suspense and some pretty humorous parts.  Some good vocabulary, too!  Also, we learn a bit about the artist Durer.
Depending on your family, you may want to consider a few things that pop up in the story:  divorce and remarriage, some lying, and a couple instances of "Oh my God!" (One good thing about read alouds is skipping words I'd rather not have my children repeat!)  While they aren't deal breakers for us in this book, it's good to be aware. 

The Recurring Dream (and a book)

Number one.  I just finished The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman.  Wow.  Just wow.  I am amazed at what kind of mind wove that story.  It was heart-wrenching.  So telling at how we can convince ourselves that we are doing a good and right thing, all the while breaking someone's heart.  A gripping story of grief, hope,deceit, forgiveness, longing, and relationship.

Number two.  I have a recurring dream when I am stressed out or worrying about something.
It came back last night. 
There are two versions, both involve me and college.  In last night's scenario, school starts tomorrow and I have no idea what my schedule is or where an office is or where my classrooms are.  And there is no one to help even though the campus is crawling with people. 
The other scenario is that it's the end of the semester and I have missed a class for the entire semester and am now in a panic.  How will I take the exam or write a final paper in two hours or walk in the classroom I haven't been in once?  How will I explain the big, fat F?
Aaahhh.
I am always so glad to wake up!
The funny thing about these dreams is that once, a few years ago, I told my dad about them.
His jaw was about on the floor.
He has a very similar recurring dream himself. 
Who would have thought?

Beach Read

Do people "summer" anymore?  Go somewhere for the summer and stay for weeks on end?

I think we've about decided that if we summered, it would be at the beach.  Probably the Outer Banks.  I love the beach.  

I could see myself as one of those wrinkly, tanned old ladies who put on a floppy hat in the morning to water her flowers.  I would get to know the people who came in on Saturday with the traffic and tell them the best restaurants.  And I would read good books- a lot of them.

This week's (quality) beach read has been The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey.  It's been one of those books that drew me in- marriage, loss, love, and even a fairy tale element.  Loved it. 

"In my old age, I see that life itself is often more fantastic and terrible than the stories we believed as children, and that perhaps there is no harm in finding magic among the trees."

"Becoming Babe Ruth"

Sammy is all about the Boston Red Sox now since that is the name of his t-ball team.  I don't know if he'd ever heard of them before May but he jumped at the chance to stay up a little late and watch the pros on tv.
I looked around for some baseball books for him and found this one, Becoming Babe Ruth.  We've read it several times- Sam loves it.  I didn't know much about Babe Ruth.  Seems that he was into everything as a child, including trouble, so his parents sent him to a school for boys where his talent for baseball showed itself.  Found out he played for the Red Sox before being bought by the Yankees- Sammy rolled his eyes and made some sort of strange sound when he heard that.  Haha.  Anyway, it's a good book- look for it if you have a ballplayer, or even if you don't.

I'd love to know what they were talking about.

Wednesday Afternoon

 Sammy and Lucy helped "hill" the potatoes.  The plants are coming up so pretty!

The past few days have been full!  

And I think it's going to stay that way for a few more.  That's ok, though.  It's all been fun.

There are cousins in town!  So our kids have been having a great time with them and Brian's parents for the past couple of days.

Don't think that time has been lost on us.  Brian and I have been on a couple of dates.  I worked on curriculum for next year while sipping a chocolate milkshake yesterday.  And today it was lunch on the deck with a book.  It's amazing what a little quiet will do for ya!  And it's amazing how "off" things seems to be without those kids around.

In case you're interested, I saw a summer reading challenge over at Redeemed Reader.  The challenge is called Around the World in 60 Days.  I think we'll give it a try, beginning with Around the World by Matt Phelan.

A Good (Grown-Up) Read

I don't know where Brian heard about this book, The Little Way of Ruthie Leming but he brought it home from the library, devoured it, and passed it to me.  This is one of those books that left me standing in the kitchen, turning the ground beef with a spoon in my right hand and holding the book with my left- cramming in any reading time I could.

It's the true story of  the author, Rod, who grows up in small-town Louisiana and leaves as soon as he is able to see the world.  His sister Ruthie stays.  She gets sick with lung cancer and he watches the ways of the town as it rallies around her and her family.   Rod gives a revealing, honest view into their struggles, choices, and the fruit, both good and bad, from them.

Read it.  It will tug at your heart, for sure.

Linking to Read Aloud Thursdays

We have been into some really good books lately!  Both stem from a mother/daughter book club that Kayla and I are a part of through our library.  We've enjoyed it so much and have especially enjoyed the books!

A couple of months ago, we read Deborah Wile's Love, Ruby Lavender.  Kayla really enjoyed it so we picked up The Aurora County All-Stars by the same author to read aloud in the mornings.  Both books (plus a third) take place in the same fictional county, and some characters overlap.  Watching a highly anticipated little league game cross with a town pageant proves to be pretty entertaining. While this may not be a challenging read in some ways, it has brought lots of laughter along with a little Walt Whitman thrown in.  It has also provided good opportunities to talk about some life lessons like friendship, loss, and sacrifice.  So glad we found it!

At tonight's book club we will discuss Eleanor Estes' The Hundred Dresses.  We've read this one before but it is definitely worth rereading.  As Kayla and I have read this story of a poor girl who is made fun of by classmates, we've again had lots of opportunity to talk about what it looks like to love others, stand up for what's right, and to put yourself in someone else's shoes.  

Such a good story.

Linking up to Read Aloud Thursdays            

Friday Evening

I just stood out on our semi-snowy deck to hear the spring peepers.  It seems like they'll be gone before it's warm enough to open the windows or sit outside to listen to them.  I hate to miss them, though- they're one of my favorite things about spring.

CC ended yesterday.  Can you hear my happy dance???  It will be nice to dig into other things now that we won't be spending as much time on our memory work.

We took today off from school.  Spent a little extra time reading in "The Child's Story Bible" about Jesus' last hours and crucifixion. Got some cleaning done, made a menu for Easter dinner, went to the library, and grocery shopped. The kids got outside to play- it wasn't blowing snow!  All in all I think it's been a pretty good day.

We've read some pretty good books lately.  Here's a run-down:

Inside Out and Back Again  by Thanhha Lai  I've already mentioned this one but it's worth repeating.  One of my favorites so far out of the books we've read for a mother/daughter book club at the library.  The author wrote it based on her own experience as a refugee from Vietnam.
Granny Torrelli Makes Soup by Sharon Creech  Another book club selection.  This is a great story of friendship. 
The Big Wave by Pearl Buck  This is the story of a family who watches their town be swept away by a tsunami.  Another good message of friendship and family. 

What I'm reading:
The Memory of Old Jack by Wendell Berry   Not my favorite of his but still good.
In Defense of Food  and Food Rules by Michael Pollan  I'm considering small changes we can make over time to our overall diet.  I'd love to eat less and less out of a box- so many chemicals!  I don't think I'll ever give up cereal (Cheerios) or ice cream but there are plenty of ways we could eat healthier.  We'll see.

Wednesday Afternoon

Today is one of those days that I'd like to live in a bubble.  Block out the sad path of this world in favor of rose-colored glasses.  Not gonna happen, is it? 
And that's ok but I do feel burdened for our children and the world they are growing up in.

In other news, today has been a good school day.  Kayla's final presentation for CC is on Eleanor Roosevelt so we have spent some time researching and learning about her.  I did not know about her "My Day" column.  Did you?  She wrote a column for the newspaper that began as a way to share her days at the White House with the country.  We were able to google them and read several.  So interesting.

We also spent a good bit of time learning about the Wonderchild of classical music, Mozart.  The kids are going to help me teach about him tomorrow at CC- we're planning on a play of sorts- could be interesting! 

And yesterday we worked on using Borax and water to make crystals in jars.  Fun.  As science goes, some jars worked, some didn't.  Maybe we'll get some pictures up soon.

Lastly, we are reading a book aloud called Inside Out and Back Again.  Fantastic.  It's about a 10 year old girl in Vietnam who has to leave her country with her family during the war.  They end up in Alabama.  It has tugged at my heart- in both good and sad ways- over and over as we read about their loss and the way they were treated here in the US.  I would absolutely recommend it.

quote of the day from Sam:  "Mom, this isn't the spring I was hoping for."  I have to say I'm starting to agree with him.  It's so cold!

Read Aloud Thursdays

 
I saw Infinity and Me in the bin of new books at the library.  Great find!  A little girl ponders the meaning of "infinity" in her own mind and by asking questions to those around her.  I love the answers she gets and comes up with on her own.  Fun for math but also for using our imaginations.  Sammy and Lucy have enjoyed this picture book several times.

I know Amy at Hope is the Word has favorably mentioned The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge in her own reviews, but I wanted to put my two cents in, too.  I have several adult fiction titles by this same author.  I think it says a lot about an author who can write for different audiences and do it so well.

The Little White Horse is our current morning read aloud.  The descriptions of people and places are lengthy and frequent which is part of what makes it so good.  I know, though, that it could be a bit daunting to take on yourself when you're in third grade or if you are a boy who wouldn't at first be interested in a book about a girl.  (smile)  Even my five-year old sticks with us a good bit of the time.  Together, we are all enjoying getting to know the characters.  The mysterious and thickening plot is causing even the most skeptical among us to ask for a little bit more when we're done.   Love this one!

Linking up to Read Aloud Thursdays            

Glancing Back

This is a "repost" from a couple of years ago.  We still enjoy these stories!
 
I love these books because I love to see my children enjoy older people.  They are blessed with three great-grandparents who are still living.  The kids know them and love them.  It's a gift that I don't think a lot of kids have.

 If you get a chance to pick up one of these titles, you should.  If you have grandkids or even if you don't have little ones around right now, I still think you'd appreciate them.  All of the Mr. Putter and Tabby books make me laugh.

Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge is such a dear story about a little boy trying to help an elderly lady find her memories.

And Miss Rumphius is a sweet tribute made to an aunt who tried to make the world a prettier place.

Song and Dance Man made me laugh and cry.  Here's a quote from the end:

"...we tell him we wish we could have see him dance in the good old days, the song and dance days.  He smiles, and whispers that he wouldn't trade a million good old days for the days he spends with us.  But as he turns off the attic light, Grandpa glances back up the stairs, and we wonder how much he really misses that time on the vaudeville stage, when he was a song and dance man."

I'm not sure what makes me love the end of the book but I think it's this.  As I think of my own grandparents and learn more about their lives, what I see are lives well lived.  Full of hard work.  Integrity.  Love of family.  A commitment to care for the people around them.  And I find myself wishing that I could "glance back" on their lives and know them when they were young, know what made them tick.  Know how they were as kids.  

But even more I wonder how they "glance back" on their own lives.  What they miss.  What they don't. 

So much living wrapped up in these special people that has made them who they are.  And who I love.


Linking Up to Read Aloud Thursdays 

Some Favorite Books from 2012

I enjoy looking at other people's book lists- what they are going to read, what they read last year.  It's fun to see titles I've read, too, and even more fun to find ones I haven't read but now plan to.

It's hard to remember all the books we've been into this year but here are a (very) few favorites from 2012.

Jack:  The Mark of Athena Danny Dunn books, Hardy Boys,  The Bronze Bow

Kayla:  Understood Betsy, Meet Caroline,  Nancy Drew, The Littles,  Betsy-Tacy books

Sammy:  Billy and Blaze books, Earl the Squirrel, My Father's Dragon, The Story of Ping, Charlotte's Web

Lucy:  Earl the Squirrel, A Sick Day for Amos McGee, Richard Scarry Books, The Little Fir Tree

For me:

Window Poems by Wendell Berry

A Place in Time by Wendell Berry (which was added to my WB collection this Christmas!)

Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert by Rosaria Butterfield (an excellent non-fiction read)

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley

The Hobbit by Tolkien

The Envy of Eve by Melissa Kruger (another great non-fiction read)

 

I'll have to ask Brian for some of his- I know he's read some good ones.

 

It bugs me that I can't remember more but there's a taste.

Christmas Read-Alouds

Yesterday we read Christmas books and had hot chocolate. We'll do the same this morning, too!  I do love good Christmas stories, stories that take us past the commercialism and the pull for more "stuff."
Here are a few we've enjoyed.

We finished The Coat Hanger Christmas Tree by Eleanor Estes.  So far I've enjoyed all her books and this was no exception.  Marianne and her brother want a Christmas tree; their mother says no- over and over.  Their friend Allie lives on a barge and has a tree but not a house.  It's sweet to read how their friendship grows and how though they may not get exactly what they want, they get something better.  (I could not find a picture of the cover to post!)
A Cynthia Rylant classic- to me anyway!  In Silver Packages, An Appalachian Christmas Story, children from a poor town await every year the train and the gentleman on the train who throws silver packages for them.  One boy comes back when he's grown, and brings the same kindness, just in a different way.
 Since I am a sucker for nostalgia and simplicity, I also love this book by Cynthia Rylant.  We are reminded of a little girl's childhood in the country with her grandparents, and especially of Christmas in the country with them.  Such a sweet book.

Also on our Christmas reading list:
Who Is Coming to Our House? The barn animals anticipate the arrival of Mary and Joseph.
Santa's Favorite Story  Santa explains to the animals of the forest that Christmas is not about him at all.
The Legend of the Candy Cane  A cozy story of how a village learns about Jesus through a candy cane.
We're also reading "Christmas chapters" from different books. like "Merry Christmas" from The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder.
And for any grown-ups who have time to read themselves, I love Miss Read's Christmas by Miss Read.  In it you will find two "short" stories of a village Christmas.  I read it every year.

Linking up to Read Aloud Thursdays