Monday, May 19, 2014

Book Report Day

I think I'll start a new category: "Book Report Day."  I put no actual day of the week because there's no guarantee I will be able to stick to a day, and it will quickly become "Book Report Some Other Day When I Get to It." But I'll start with it now since the Muse is not completely lazy at the moment.

Each week we go to the library for story time for my son and for checking out new books for the three out of four people in our household who are voracious readers.  We check out children's picture books for all of us to read and chapter books (which usually means American Girl books) for my daughter to read.  We also check out books for me to read.  Yes, I do take time to read.  I would be lost without it.  And I don't know if I could actually go to sleep properly if I didn't have reading time before bed.

I've been reading The Martha Years and The Charlotte Years by Melissa Wiley (though I haven't been able to read the last of The Charlotte Years because the library doesn't have it and I can't find it for less than about $30-used-on Amazon).  Not only are the books enjoyable to read, Ms. Wiley seems to be an amazing woman.  She writes children's books, blogs, has a recommended book list, does appearances, and homeschools her six children. Ah, well.  We can't all, and some of us don't, as Eeyore said.  Anyway, the books, which are about Laura Ingalls Wilder's grandmother and great-grandmother, are excellent.

Two children's books stand out recently.  What to Do if an Elephant Steps on Your Foot by Michelle Robinson, illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds.  This is a concise and humorous instructional book on what to do and what not to do if, indeed, and elephant steps on your foot. The Narrator, possessed of much patience and compassion, helps you learn these lessons.  The second book is  Thomas's Snowsuit by Robert Munsch, illustrated by Michael Martchenko.   So as not to have to include a spoiler alert, I will say simply this: Thomas does not want to put on his snowsuit, as his mother, his teacher, and the principal all learn to their exhaustion and the reduction of their sanity reserves.  Both of these have become favorites of ours because of the vast amounts of humor in both very short books; the humor includes the illustrations, without which the books aren't quite as funny, although nearly so.

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Friday, May 9, 2014

The Tiki Bar Is Open

My husband found this sign at Garden Ridge a long time ago. He hung it out on the back porch, never moving it even for inclement weather, and our daughter found it exciting to move the little flip sign (shaped like a bare foot) from "Closed" to "Open." Since it was never taken inside, it became faded and a bit mildewed.  So I sanded it down and repainted it with bright colors.  Now it hangs in our sunroom and has become somewhat of a symbol for the relaxation of the weekend.



Friday nights the kids are forced to eat a dinner of pizza or macaroni and cheese and to eat it watching a movie.  Surprisingly, this is an event for them; possibly because they rarely get to watch much TV. My husband and I hang out either on the deck or in the sunroom, depending on the weather, and have a drink (in between refereeing movie night).  It's a nice, relaxing start to the weekend.

So why should anyone care what we do on a Friday night?  You don't have to, and I don't expect you to do so.  But since I like to give ideas to overworked, stressed, and tired women, I wanted to give some ideas for bringing peace to nutsy lives.

First: Tradition! Tradition!  TRADITION!  (Close your eyes and picture "Fiddler on the Roof.") My husband and I like to have traditions that make our home a place where our kids want to be, not just where they have to be, seeing as they are too young to be anywhere else for the most part. So we have our Friday nights to relax.  We rarely plan to go anywhere, unless on a vacation or the occasional date night (in which case, the kids go to the grandparents, and my husband and I stay home and relax).   Besides, where we live, traffic is horrendous on Friday nights.  Saturday nights we grill hamburgers and make fries and baked beans.  This has become such a normal part of our lives that our daughter tends to freak a bit when it doesn't happen.  Not that things don't change from time to time, but we like to have traditions to provide a peace and stability to our lives.

Second: We don't like to overcrowd our lives.  I can hear some of you saying, "But your kids are still young; there's not so much to do."  Yes and no.  'Yes' because we know that as they get older, they will have more schoolwork and other extracurricular activities.  And, 'No,' because we don't intend to have them in every activity known to man.  When I was young, my parents allowed us one out-of-school activity (I took clarinet lessons) and limited the school activities (we weren't staying after school every day of the year or going to games or competitions on a regular basis). We did not do any activities that interfered with church on Sunday and Wednesday nights.  I enjoy swimming and took lessons when I was young, but since the meets were Sunday mornings, I did not continue.  Do I miss it?  Not at all.  Our priorities were church, family, and academics.  I understand that many colleges today want tons of extracurricular activities, but I believe that God will place my children where they are supposed to be and no college can keep them out if He wants them in there.  Meanwhile, I believe my husband and I are to make our priorities God-fearing ones where family and church come first.

I don't presume to tell anyone what to do; no one's life is the same as mine.  As Frodo said in The Lord of the Rings, "Go not to the Elves for counsel, for they will say both 'yes' and 'no'."  And in reply, Gildor says that advice is a dangerous gift even from the wise to the wise.  I simply want to encourage you to take time to relax, to be with family, to enjoy your years here on earth and the years God has given you with little lives to add spice and joy.  I want to encourage you with the thought that you don't have to rush it away convinced that you have to do this and that to keep up with others or some social standard. Let the tiki bar (or coffee house or game night or whatever flies your starship) be open once in a while and enjoy it.

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Strawberry Picking

Now that spring is here (and, unfortunately, too warm weather, though I shouldn't complain because we've had unusually cool weather as well), I like to get the kids out in the fresh air.  So today we went strawberry picking.  The "strawbits," as my son calls them, were in fine form today. Berries abounded, and flowers promised more.  Thankfully, what did not abound were the bugs. For some reason, we were avoided, and I am profoundly grateful.  We got out before lunch so the sun wouldn't be too strong.  My daughter really did enjoy it, and partly, I think, because it takes less time to fill a gallon bucket with strawberries than blueberries (last time we did that, she and her friend got bored in about 10 minutes).  My son tried to carry the bucket, but he doesn't balance well.  This was especially evident when he wobbled and sat down on some of the strawberries.  He also picked up flags that others had put at the point they stopped picking, per the farm instructions.  I had to figure out where they went, but there were so many berries, and more on the way, that it wasn't a big deal.  My daughter insisted on carrying a bucket, too, though on the way out she unintentionally did a "Hansel and Gretel" with the strawberries.  I played the part of the birds who picked up the "bread crumbs."  My son also kept trying to eat the strawberries right out of the bucket.  He adores "strawbits."  I think we'll make a slushy strawberry lemonade this afternoon. Just right for a warm day.

(one of the gallons picked)


 When we were done, we had lunch at a cute little pizza place in an old town area (as is usual in old town areas, we had to go round and round actually to get to it, what with all the one-way streets whose names are different on the signs than they are on Google maps).  Next door was a delightful little bakery called "Special Kneads and Treats," which we found out when we went in is a non-profit bakery that employs special needs people and ministers to the community.  And the icing on the cake (pun intended) is that the cupcakes we ate (not to mention the chocolate popcorn) were fabulous.  The frosting wasn't the kind that tastes like sweetened shortening but the light and fluffy kind.  My son made short work of his cupcake and left a huge mess on the floor.  My daughter, who is the only person I know - including myself - who could manage the "Intuitive Diet," ate only a small portion of hers.  The rest was saved for later.  She may be deficient in delayed gratification of some things, but food is not in that category.

All in all, it was a fun and rewarding day.  We got to spend time together with my sister, patronized two local businesses and one local farm, and enjoyed the out-of-doors.