It is not often that I see something funny enough on the internet to make me cry, but here is a video that does the trick over on the Girl Talk blog.
Clementine Series
September 9, 2009 at 7:59 pm (Favorites)
We LOVE read-alouds! Jake often reads to all of us before the girls go to bed, and I read to the girls during lunch when we are not running too, too late. While Jake reads books like the Little House series and devotional-type books, the lunch selections are usually just fun, fun, fun. I am not good at titles, but we often read books about princesses and other such fantasy. We just recently finished a series of three books, though, that had the girls rolling in their seats (I should be careful with my words – that seems to imply that they actually sit in their seats!).
The series is about a girl named Clementine, by Sara Pennypacker. There are three books that I know of. She is a funny girl with a very peculiar way of thinking. She admits that she is always being told to pay attention, but she claims that she is paying attention – just not to what everyone else is paying attention to! While she has her own way of doing things, she is not disrespectful of her parents, like other books that I have seen of this sort. She is genuinely loving and compassionate to others, which does lead her to do things like help her friend cut her hair off when she gets glue stuck in it (though the girl’s mother was not so appreciative!). She did help to color it afterward, too…orange… with permanent markers!
I do need to say this about these books: I would NOT give them to my daughters to read. There were a couple of spots in each book that I had to censor out. For example, she talks about seeing the janitor and the lunch lady kissing in a car. May not be a big deal, but not something I am ready to explain to the girls. It is really easy to “spot” these lines coming and cut them out. Still, all-in-all, a great read-aloud series!
Lest you think I completely lack depth, the book I am currently reading to the girls is a biography about David Livingstone, the missionary to Africa in the 1800′s. We plan to enjoy several bios of missionaries this year as we study geography.
Always Wear Your Safety Helmet
July 3, 2009 at 1:43 pm (Favorites, The Girls)
One of our favorite picture books is Officer Buckle and Gloria. Officer Buckle has a police dog who helps him relate safety tips to elementary school children. However, the dog helps in a way that Officer Buckle does not initially appreciate!
You will have to read the story to understand everything, but one of the safety tips is “Always wear a crash helmet.”
We found Suzie coloring one day last week. I am glad to see she was following the rules!
The Saturdays, by Enright
January 2, 2009 at 11:45 pm (Favorites)
Ruthie got this book for Christmas. It is the first book in a series of four by Elizabeth Enright. This past summer, Rachel and I both read the books, known collectively as the Melendy Quartet. They were written in the 1940′s/50′s. I cannot believe I never heard about them before (actually, it should not be too surprising considering the fact that I probably read only about 15 books before I turned 13 – I blame that darn TV!).
The books are set during the WWII era, and they follow four siblings as they have one adventure after another. I love the kids: their affection for one another, their respect for their father and their housekeeper (who serves as their grandmother of sorts, since their mother has passed away), and their ability to create their own fun. The books actually remind me of Little Women (despite the fact that there are two boys and two girls).
The other three books in the Melendy Quartet: The Four-Story Mistake, Then There Were Five, and Spiderweb for Two.
We are always on the look-out of wholesome books for our older two girls to read. Any recommendations of chapter books for perhaps ages 6-9?
Planning for the New Year
January 1, 2009 at 9:12 pm (Favorites, Homemaking)
I am a big planner. I like to be organized. I want to know what is going on now and what is going to go on next. For the past couple of years, I have used a weekly planner to help me keep my tasks and plans in order. I just got a new one at Target for 2009. The kind I use looks much 
like this one. Lots of lines to write on for each day of the week.
Here is why I like this over simply a daily list for the day:
- I can plan out my week – ballet, my cleaning schedule, a specific meal I may need to make on a particular night, phone calls I need to make…
- I can forget about next week until next week – Do I have library books due, or do I need to schedule an appointment? I just flip ahead and write it on the appropriate day and forget about it until then. Otherwise, I worry that I will forget about it, which just wastes my time.
- I can plan far in advance – Is there a certain craft I want to make with the girls next Christmas season? I write it somewhere in November, so I will have time to get the materials – but I don’t have to think about it again until then. In the back of mine, there are also some blank pages, so I use those to write down gift ideas I have for birthdays and Christmas.
This method has been perfect for me. I know that a PDA would be much cooler, and Outlook or something like that would make me look so technologically savvy. But I really prefer to have something handy right with me in the kitchen, where I am much of the day. And with the use of a pencil and eraser, nothing is set in stone. I love it!
Duck on a Bike
November 14, 2008 at 11:02 pm (Favorites)
I never paid attention to picture books until I had kids. I am sure that my parents read to me, but I remember very few of the books. Jake, on the other hand, taught elementary school for five years. He LOVES picture books. Put him in the children’s section of the library, and the girls are actually ready to leave before he is.
He has found some great books for us to read. Here are a couple that we have checked out of the library several times. Reminds me – I need to see if the Akron library has them!
Duck on a Bike, by David Shannon. Such a funny book! Pay particular attention to our favorite character, the goat. We cannot see a goat without quoting this book!
The Relatives Came, by Cynthia Rylant. I have not read all of them, but there is not a Rylant book that I have read that I did not like. And this is the book that introduced us to her. She also has the Little Whistle picture books. For semi-new readers she had a cute series about a lighthouse family of animals called, well, The Lighthouse Family Series. A couple of the titles are The Storm and The Eagle. Both of my older girls liked them. Perhaps a first grade reading level?
Anyone else have some good children’s book recommendations?
