We have been raising butterflies for a few weeks now and are getting ready to release them - the kids have thoroughly enjoyed the entire process. Rhiannon would like to dictate a bit for me to write now:
"I like butterflies. They are my favorite in the whole world. I am raising some today. I decided I really really wanted butterflies to raise and now I am raising them with my whole family. I will let them free today if it does not rain today, maybe. I knew I would like butterflies. I just love them.
Well we had caterpillars - one did not budge - dad thought it was dead - but it was just poop. Then they were cocoons for a whole year I think but mommy says it was just a few days. Then they nibbled a hole and became butterflies. We put them in a big box as soon as they were chrysalis, dad did. Then one hatched and we went out and when we came home they were all hatched. I don't know I like them. What is it about butterflies? I don't know. It just gives me a love inside of me.
I love my Father in heaven - he created these I know it must be true. These painted ladies I love them they are so pretty. I got these for my fourth birthday. I will love them for all my life."
Ciaran had the following to say about butterflies:
"I love this butterflies and the pictures. I love them in the box. I love them in the TV. I love them in the glue. We raised butterflies - we checked in the mail and they were there. The caterpillars turned into butterflies. They were just ready. Daddy took them out and put them in the box then they become butterflies. We fed them with our imagination - we really feed them with water and oranges. Thanksgiving to butterflies."
I tried to dictate as closely as possible - Ciaran needed a little prompting. Rhiannon has a few more things to say:
"I just knew I would love butterflies for all my life. It was so happy - it gave me a sad heart and a happy heart. I had a sad heart but it made me very happy. I knew it would turn out that way. Mom and Dad, Ciaran, Sirah, our dog would know we would all get butterflies. Every day I knew I would love them. There was a loving heart who noticed me and mine and that was the butterflies. It was just love from me - everywhere I know it is true. There there there in my heart there will be a love - I love this name all there is is love. For all I say it is just in me. Thanks to God for giving me the chance to raise the butterflies. It was just my own inside of me. Praising God just like me, all the time - that would be my praise and that is true. All I say is like a bouquet. All I say is true. They are butterflies, butterflies they are, painted ladies are like me. I'll love them and take care of them. I'll never forget this it will always be just like me inside of me. I'll always remember. For all I say it's good for me. It's never stopping in my heart it will always be there. Me and the butterflies will be just the same. I hope nothing will happen to my own butterflies. There's so very pretty I knew they would become painted ladies. So I would just like to o say to my father in heaven the King - I thank you for all you've given me - the chance to raise my own butterflies. You are mine forever sake. For all the days. I thank you for every man. Thanks to God I've praised your name. Forever I will go and go to my King. Forever I will love, I will love you as love, I will know you as my father, as my king. That is why I love my God, so much that he is my God. I know that he is truly love, he has done so many good things to me, I knew it was true, truly I knew it would be. So I got it last in my heart and in my dreams and angel came to pray for me and love me forever,. I will go, go and go and have that dream thanks today I know it is true. My name is good I love my name thanks for giving the painted butterflies a name. So all I say thanks for giving me - this is all I want to say I knew you were going to be in - once I loved forever now now I love you more than ever, it is so good to have you around. For god is there I know it is true. There is one I pray I pray your name - please give me the angel dreams - of you and me thanks for you and guiding me."
May 27, 2004
May 21, 2004
A Round-Up
Been awhile since I rounded up our activities here. We have been focused on outdoor activities primarily - walks, hikes, water play, playgrounds, biking and of course playing in the yard. All of the kids love being outside - though Sirah has gotten her first sunburn already!
Sirah is growing so fast - she is crawling, standing on her own and beginning to cruise. She can climb up the staircase - though she is confused about what to do at the top. She has no fear yet and I worry she will launch herself over. She has 4 teeth and is working on a 5th. She has begun babbling and "dada" is of course her favorite. She is waving hi and imitating us. She enjoys playing peek-a-boo, ball, and blocks. We sing songs to her and she seems to enjoy the typical ones best "The Itsy Bitsy Spider", "Row, Row Your Boat", "This Little Piggy", "Twinkle, Twinkle" and the "ABC song" to name a few. The kids take turns singing to her as well. She loves eating books, scraps of paper and pea gravel, oh and did I mention she loves the dog's chew toys? Gross. She is a joy to be with, full of smiles and happiness and is so inquisitive and learning now.
Ciaran LOVES being outside and just running and playing. His shoes have been off since the snow melted I think and I've given up on the battle unless absolutely neccessary. He is a very imaginative child for his age and together with Rhiannon can spend hours at a time in their imaginary worlds (often based on books we read). He seems to have recently developed a special friendship with another little boy his age (born just a week earlier) in our homeschool group - the two of them play amazingly well together. WE have spent quite a few days at nearby parks - walking on trails and playing on the playground. He likes me to push him on the swing and to play star wars in the chute slides (they pretend it is the garbage chute) and just to run around. He likes to collect bugs (at least he has stopped picking off their wings) and loves riding his tricycle. He enjoys soccer, sliding and running and hiding inside trees. On a recent hike he picked up a stick and wanted to go fishing. I asked him what he would do with the fish he caught (we are vegetarians) and he said - let them go. He is an energetic little boy and a joy. His emotions are strong - happy and sad, joyful and mad. His language is very well developed and I love just talking with him. He refuses to potty train still but will when he is ready - he often takes off his diapers himself asking to be changed and sometimes out of the blue decides to go to the bathroom instead. He loves to bake and be a helper. His smiles are contagious and his phraseology is fun sometimes.
Rhiannon is turning into a very happy and helpful little girl. She wants to please and generally makes the right choices. She aims to make me happy and will even forgo things she wants sometimes to make things easier for me. She wants everyone to be happy (even her brother) and will often try to be the peacemaker and negotiate terms for everyone. She is very sensitive and cuddly lately and she is clearly growing as she has a "hollow leg" and even asks to take naps from time to time. Her schoolwork is going well - we are still working through Phonics Pathways and she has read all the Bob books in First and Fun series. She is able to read smoothly (without verbally sounding out) almost all phonetically spelled 3 letters words and can sound out longer words. She is working on blends and ending sounds. Her reading is going well and she has moved to reading us a story now. Her math skills are improving without any real focus or work from my end of things - she can add in her head now quite a few numbers and with her fingers or manipulatives 1-12. She is writing words and trying to spell everything (she spells it how it sounds to her) her letters are getting smaller and more controlled - though we have not started a formal handwriting program. She loves to play school and be the teacher, to draw maps and write lists - and then for us all to follow them. She loves being the leader and finds a willing audience in Ciaran - they play imaginary worlds for so many hours in a week and it is fun to listen to them and join in from time to time. She enjoys her dolls, dress-up, craft work (like making potholders) and spending time with me. She still has a passion for reading and asks to be read to all day. Immediately upon entering the car she asks to listen to our current book on tape and then quietly listens for the duration of our car time. She is often found sleeping on a stack of books she had in her bed with her. She reminded me of the woman in "The Library" by Sarah Stewart. She also loves being outside and her favorite activities are swinging (she is so happy she can pump herself) and riding her two-wheeler (she learned last summer) and I'm sure once the weather is warmer - playing in water will be added to that list.
Serona and I are doing fine. He is busy with work and new responsibilities there. I am trying to sort out the priorities in my life and learn to say no. I am becoming more and more active with our homeschool group and find other activities taking a more natural second place in my life. I am also enjoying crocheting - since learning in March I have made 5 full size afghans (including one HUGE one), 3 baby blankets and two small blankets for my kids. I am also working on another two blankets right now. Sometimes I write for my book and blog. Serona enjoys online gaming and writing his fantasy novel. We try to have a regular weekly date and our marriage is continually growing stronger - I love him so much more now than the day I married him - he makes me a better woman and is truly the other side of me.
Peace,
Tenn
Sirah is growing so fast - she is crawling, standing on her own and beginning to cruise. She can climb up the staircase - though she is confused about what to do at the top. She has no fear yet and I worry she will launch herself over. She has 4 teeth and is working on a 5th. She has begun babbling and "dada" is of course her favorite. She is waving hi and imitating us. She enjoys playing peek-a-boo, ball, and blocks. We sing songs to her and she seems to enjoy the typical ones best "The Itsy Bitsy Spider", "Row, Row Your Boat", "This Little Piggy", "Twinkle, Twinkle" and the "ABC song" to name a few. The kids take turns singing to her as well. She loves eating books, scraps of paper and pea gravel, oh and did I mention she loves the dog's chew toys? Gross. She is a joy to be with, full of smiles and happiness and is so inquisitive and learning now.
Ciaran LOVES being outside and just running and playing. His shoes have been off since the snow melted I think and I've given up on the battle unless absolutely neccessary. He is a very imaginative child for his age and together with Rhiannon can spend hours at a time in their imaginary worlds (often based on books we read). He seems to have recently developed a special friendship with another little boy his age (born just a week earlier) in our homeschool group - the two of them play amazingly well together. WE have spent quite a few days at nearby parks - walking on trails and playing on the playground. He likes me to push him on the swing and to play star wars in the chute slides (they pretend it is the garbage chute) and just to run around. He likes to collect bugs (at least he has stopped picking off their wings) and loves riding his tricycle. He enjoys soccer, sliding and running and hiding inside trees. On a recent hike he picked up a stick and wanted to go fishing. I asked him what he would do with the fish he caught (we are vegetarians) and he said - let them go. He is an energetic little boy and a joy. His emotions are strong - happy and sad, joyful and mad. His language is very well developed and I love just talking with him. He refuses to potty train still but will when he is ready - he often takes off his diapers himself asking to be changed and sometimes out of the blue decides to go to the bathroom instead. He loves to bake and be a helper. His smiles are contagious and his phraseology is fun sometimes.
Rhiannon is turning into a very happy and helpful little girl. She wants to please and generally makes the right choices. She aims to make me happy and will even forgo things she wants sometimes to make things easier for me. She wants everyone to be happy (even her brother) and will often try to be the peacemaker and negotiate terms for everyone. She is very sensitive and cuddly lately and she is clearly growing as she has a "hollow leg" and even asks to take naps from time to time. Her schoolwork is going well - we are still working through Phonics Pathways and she has read all the Bob books in First and Fun series. She is able to read smoothly (without verbally sounding out) almost all phonetically spelled 3 letters words and can sound out longer words. She is working on blends and ending sounds. Her reading is going well and she has moved to reading us a story now. Her math skills are improving without any real focus or work from my end of things - she can add in her head now quite a few numbers and with her fingers or manipulatives 1-12. She is writing words and trying to spell everything (she spells it how it sounds to her) her letters are getting smaller and more controlled - though we have not started a formal handwriting program. She loves to play school and be the teacher, to draw maps and write lists - and then for us all to follow them. She loves being the leader and finds a willing audience in Ciaran - they play imaginary worlds for so many hours in a week and it is fun to listen to them and join in from time to time. She enjoys her dolls, dress-up, craft work (like making potholders) and spending time with me. She still has a passion for reading and asks to be read to all day. Immediately upon entering the car she asks to listen to our current book on tape and then quietly listens for the duration of our car time. She is often found sleeping on a stack of books she had in her bed with her. She reminded me of the woman in "The Library" by Sarah Stewart. She also loves being outside and her favorite activities are swinging (she is so happy she can pump herself) and riding her two-wheeler (she learned last summer) and I'm sure once the weather is warmer - playing in water will be added to that list.
Serona and I are doing fine. He is busy with work and new responsibilities there. I am trying to sort out the priorities in my life and learn to say no. I am becoming more and more active with our homeschool group and find other activities taking a more natural second place in my life. I am also enjoying crocheting - since learning in March I have made 5 full size afghans (including one HUGE one), 3 baby blankets and two small blankets for my kids. I am also working on another two blankets right now. Sometimes I write for my book and blog. Serona enjoys online gaming and writing his fantasy novel. We try to have a regular weekly date and our marriage is continually growing stronger - I love him so much more now than the day I married him - he makes me a better woman and is truly the other side of me.
Peace,
Tenn
May 20, 2004
It's All About Outside
May is probably my favorite month of the year. It is usually nice enough to be outside and comfortable in shorts during the day and a light sweatshirt at night. It is excellent bonfire weather, perfect park play weather and hiking weather. In Minnesota atleast the bugs have not hit yet and we can still enjoy the weather before the heat and the bugs. Not to mention my birthday falls in this month (I turn 30 this year) and we usually make our first camping trip of the year.
True to form we have spent nearly all day every day outside whenever possible this week. Sirah and I got our first sunburn of the season unexpectedly and we have enjoyed a variety of parks and playgrounds. We've taken hikes, walks, bike rides and even played in the lakes already (well I did not go in!). It has been so much fun and the beauty of homeschooling. We play when it is nice and work when we tire of being outside or the weather takes a turn.
I've decided to decrease our library books as I have recently realized we have not been able to read them all - I simply want them to be outside playing. As much as I love the summer sometimes it is too hot and the bugs are too much, this is the weather we never want to come inside for (except for the occasional thunderstorm or tornado warning) so I expect blogging will be sporadic in upcoming weeks.
I have gone to a Letter every two weeks as we are spending more time playing and less time on curriculum and I am slowly shifting my focus to preschool for Ciaran and supplementing for Rhiannon. Until recently we had been focused on Rhiannon and adding things for Ciaran. The approach still works nicely for both and I have more ideas and experience as I approach the alphabet for the second time around.
Hope your weather is as nice as ours and that you are enjoying it.
Peace,
Tenn
True to form we have spent nearly all day every day outside whenever possible this week. Sirah and I got our first sunburn of the season unexpectedly and we have enjoyed a variety of parks and playgrounds. We've taken hikes, walks, bike rides and even played in the lakes already (well I did not go in!). It has been so much fun and the beauty of homeschooling. We play when it is nice and work when we tire of being outside or the weather takes a turn.
I've decided to decrease our library books as I have recently realized we have not been able to read them all - I simply want them to be outside playing. As much as I love the summer sometimes it is too hot and the bugs are too much, this is the weather we never want to come inside for (except for the occasional thunderstorm or tornado warning) so I expect blogging will be sporadic in upcoming weeks.
I have gone to a Letter every two weeks as we are spending more time playing and less time on curriculum and I am slowly shifting my focus to preschool for Ciaran and supplementing for Rhiannon. Until recently we had been focused on Rhiannon and adding things for Ciaran. The approach still works nicely for both and I have more ideas and experience as I approach the alphabet for the second time around.
Hope your weather is as nice as ours and that you are enjoying it.
Peace,
Tenn
May 18, 2004
Inspiration
I am inspired by this family's decision to open their homes and their lives to a person in need. Their story shows how often we are called to help one another in unexpected ways and we ain so much more in the proccess. Read the story here.
Peace,
Tenn
Peace,
Tenn
May 17, 2004
Driving to S. Dakota
Yesterday was interesting. Serona slept in and then decided to treat the family to brunch at a local restuarant. After that we were in the car and trying to decide what to do. The conversation went something like this:
Serona: What should we do today?
Tenn: I don't know do you have anything in mind?
Serona: What do you think?
Tenn: We could drive to Wisconsin. Rhiannon said she wanted to see the "big woods" of wisconsin after reading a certain Laura Ingalls Wilder book
Serona: Well why not drive west - we've never gone to South Dakota
Tenn: Okay
So we stopped at home to pack a lunch and pick up our dog. Then for some crazy reason (actually no reason at all) we piled in the car and drove to the South Dakota border. We did not really visit anything or do much there - we just drive there. It was crazy and silly and fun (until the end of the drive home when the kids were done).
Serona drove, I sat in the passanger seat and crocheted an entire blanket for Rhiannon and we all listen to the end of Peter Pan unabridged and about half of The Hobbit unabridged. The kids were incredibly good considering we really just drove all day. We got out a few times for running - but mostly we drove as it started to ran about halfway into the drive. Our dog thought we were nuts.
We got into South Dakota and drove for a few miles and talked about how we were in a different state, then we turned around and came home! Our original plan was to eat dinner there but Sirah was asleep and we did not want to risk waking her up and the other two were content listening to the story and did not want to stop.
We arrived home a little after 9pm, had a dinner of Cheerios and headed off to bed. Serona and I looked at each other in bed and laughed and said "What were we thinking?" I still can't tell you. But it was a good time believe it or not (three kids under 5 and a long car drie) but it just convinced us we are not ready for our usual cross country trips to the east coast - those will need to wait atleast another year I think.
Peace,
Tenn
Serona: What should we do today?
Tenn: I don't know do you have anything in mind?
Serona: What do you think?
Tenn: We could drive to Wisconsin. Rhiannon said she wanted to see the "big woods" of wisconsin after reading a certain Laura Ingalls Wilder book
Serona: Well why not drive west - we've never gone to South Dakota
Tenn: Okay
So we stopped at home to pack a lunch and pick up our dog. Then for some crazy reason (actually no reason at all) we piled in the car and drove to the South Dakota border. We did not really visit anything or do much there - we just drive there. It was crazy and silly and fun (until the end of the drive home when the kids were done).
Serona drove, I sat in the passanger seat and crocheted an entire blanket for Rhiannon and we all listen to the end of Peter Pan unabridged and about half of The Hobbit unabridged. The kids were incredibly good considering we really just drove all day. We got out a few times for running - but mostly we drove as it started to ran about halfway into the drive. Our dog thought we were nuts.
We got into South Dakota and drove for a few miles and talked about how we were in a different state, then we turned around and came home! Our original plan was to eat dinner there but Sirah was asleep and we did not want to risk waking her up and the other two were content listening to the story and did not want to stop.
We arrived home a little after 9pm, had a dinner of Cheerios and headed off to bed. Serona and I looked at each other in bed and laughed and said "What were we thinking?" I still can't tell you. But it was a good time believe it or not (three kids under 5 and a long car drie) but it just convinced us we are not ready for our usual cross country trips to the east coast - those will need to wait atleast another year I think.
Peace,
Tenn
Family Fun
We hosted a family potluck for our homeschool community group on Saturday. It was a lot of fun! All the families got to enjoy themselves and get to know one another better. The kids ran around and managed to not destroy our home and there were plenty of laughs to go around. People survived coming to a vegetarian household for a meal and we survived people bringing several dishes that contained meat (though none was cooked here) and there was more food than we knew what to do with.
I love our community of homeschool families and know that over the years we will just grow into an even closer community. Family eents like this bond us together, I can hardly wait for our upcoming family camping trip.
Peace,
Tenn
I love our community of homeschool families and know that over the years we will just grow into an even closer community. Family eents like this bond us together, I can hardly wait for our upcoming family camping trip.
Peace,
Tenn
May 14, 2004
Joys of Reading
Spending time reading to and with my kids is one of my favorite things to do. We make sure to do a little each day and it is good for all of us. Recently, I have found that if I am feeling very frustrated and upset that reading to my children actually helps by bringing us closer together for some snuggle time and getting lost in a good story. There are so many great children's books and I love entering the worlds of the stories together. We are currently reading Pinocchio and The Complete Tales of Winnie the Pooh - a chapter a day and that has been so enjoyable for us. We are listening to Peter Pan on audio book and recently finished The Trumpet of the Swan. The kids imaginary play often follows what they are reading in our stories and it is enjoyable to watch.
In addition our weekly library trips and our plethora of books here keep up filled with good children's stories. Yesterday during Ciaran and Sirah's naptime, Rhiannon and I worked on phonics and then she read me two stories while I closed my eyes and relaxed - she asked for help on a few words - it was such a neat feeling to have her reading to me. Of course we ended our time together with me reading to her again. Remember if you read just three storybooks a day by the end of the month you will have read nearly 100 books! Obviously I am talking about shorter storybooks here and not chapter books. But reading a chapter or two a day you can often work through one or two of those in a month, more if you do audio books.
I just love how reading inspires my children and truly brings out their creative sides. It also makes them more curious and helps them learn more. One of my favorite books that expresses the benefits of reading is "The Bee Tree" by Patricia Polacco. It is a fun and good read for children and it shows how the work of reading is worth the reward you receive.
Peace,
Tenn
In addition our weekly library trips and our plethora of books here keep up filled with good children's stories. Yesterday during Ciaran and Sirah's naptime, Rhiannon and I worked on phonics and then she read me two stories while I closed my eyes and relaxed - she asked for help on a few words - it was such a neat feeling to have her reading to me. Of course we ended our time together with me reading to her again. Remember if you read just three storybooks a day by the end of the month you will have read nearly 100 books! Obviously I am talking about shorter storybooks here and not chapter books. But reading a chapter or two a day you can often work through one or two of those in a month, more if you do audio books.
I just love how reading inspires my children and truly brings out their creative sides. It also makes them more curious and helps them learn more. One of my favorite books that expresses the benefits of reading is "The Bee Tree" by Patricia Polacco. It is a fun and good read for children and it shows how the work of reading is worth the reward you receive.
Peace,
Tenn
May 13, 2004
TV FREE
A recent Star Tribune article interviewed families without TV and made some interesting discoveries. "TV-free house isn't such a remote idea" found that "Many TV-free homes contend they have healthier, more open families. Brock said her research, to be detailed in a book tentatively titled "No TV? No Big Deal," concluded that 70 percent of her subjects said they felt their marriages had improved once they threw out the set and that their kids were more likely to do better in school and be more physically fit."
Our own family experience is that TV free is better. I have been almost 12 years TV free and I will never go back. We did decide to have a set in the house for the occasional movie or video game (Serona loves his Xbox) however we do not get ANY stations - nothing more than static - we do not have bunny ears or anything. I do allow the children to watch a movie from time to time and we usually have a family movie night once a week where we watch a documentary or family favorite. However we consider ourselves TV free and I can not tell you much of anything about what is currently on television. My kids are not familiar with many of the popular characters and shows and they don't miss it.
Any of you who read my blog regularly know that we fill in our time in many other ways. Reading is a favorite pastime in our home, listening to classical music and creative play are others. Our family is close and we enjoy having the time together. I firmly believe my marriage is stronger and we have more time for each other and the kids.
I do occasionally miss the convenience of TV when the Olympics comes around and when the President gives a speech. But I can see the speech online and listen on the radio. I would recommend going TV free to anyone - it is easier than you think.
Read the article.
Peace,
Tenn
Our own family experience is that TV free is better. I have been almost 12 years TV free and I will never go back. We did decide to have a set in the house for the occasional movie or video game (Serona loves his Xbox) however we do not get ANY stations - nothing more than static - we do not have bunny ears or anything. I do allow the children to watch a movie from time to time and we usually have a family movie night once a week where we watch a documentary or family favorite. However we consider ourselves TV free and I can not tell you much of anything about what is currently on television. My kids are not familiar with many of the popular characters and shows and they don't miss it.
Any of you who read my blog regularly know that we fill in our time in many other ways. Reading is a favorite pastime in our home, listening to classical music and creative play are others. Our family is close and we enjoy having the time together. I firmly believe my marriage is stronger and we have more time for each other and the kids.
I do occasionally miss the convenience of TV when the Olympics comes around and when the President gives a speech. But I can see the speech online and listen on the radio. I would recommend going TV free to anyone - it is easier than you think.
Read the article.
Peace,
Tenn
May 12, 2004
To be a kid again
Yesterday we met a family at a park for the day and the kids had a blast. It was nice for us mom's too - to be able to chat. But the kids had a great time - they played on the big wooden playground for a long time - had a nice snack and then went over to the water. At first it started with dipping their feet into the water and soon they were all fully in the water! I can't believe how cold they must have been - but they had a great time. The other mom said to me "Oh to be 3 year's old again" as she watched them romping and I felt the same. It was one of the moment's you want to bottle and take out on lousy days. I'm glad they had so much fun and I had a lot of fun watching them and didn't even mind the mess in the car that followed. Guess it is time to keep a bag of towels, change of clothes, bathing suits and sunblock in the trunk for those unexpected moments. Somehow I thought May was too early for this - but the kids sure did not mind the cold.
Peace,
Tenn
Peace,
Tenn
May 10, 2004
Fantastic Mother's Day
We had a great Mother's Day yesterday. It started with getting to sleep in late, a WONDERFUL treat for sleep deprived me! Then I awoke to a wonderful brunch the kids and Serona made me. It was a feast eggs, boca sausage patties, french pancakes, griddlecakes and strawberries with tea and juice. We had a nice relaxing meal together. I received many wonderful presents including 3 books, the Hobbit unabridged audio book and a homemade trivet made from the wine corks we have been saving (it is very beautiful).
Then we headed out for a day spent outdoors. We went to an arboretum and walked the trails and looked at many beautiful things. We spent hours there and the kids did well considering how much walking we did. It was pretty hot in the sun too so we found ourselves focusing on the trails that were in the shade. After we were thoroughly tired we took a drive (since the kids feels asleep immediately in the car) and that was nice - we talked, Serona drove and I was able to crochet some on my current blanket.
Then the weather started to look really ugly and we turned on the radio (we had been listening to Peter Pan unabridged audio tape) and had our suspicions confirmed - there were tornadoes nearby! We headed immediately home and into the basement where we watched "Inside the Whitehouse" documentary until the warnings were all over. Serona, Sirah and I watched (I crocheted some more) and the older kids played nearby. While documentaries usually hold their attention - this one was a little too dry for them.
We finished the evening off with a dinner of cold cereal and a cake to celebrate mother's day. The kids went to bed and Serona, Sirah and I headed to the library where Serona and I had set up our laptops to work on the books we are writing. Then we headed to bed where we both read for a little while. It was a perfect day.
Peace,
Tenn
Then we headed out for a day spent outdoors. We went to an arboretum and walked the trails and looked at many beautiful things. We spent hours there and the kids did well considering how much walking we did. It was pretty hot in the sun too so we found ourselves focusing on the trails that were in the shade. After we were thoroughly tired we took a drive (since the kids feels asleep immediately in the car) and that was nice - we talked, Serona drove and I was able to crochet some on my current blanket.
Then the weather started to look really ugly and we turned on the radio (we had been listening to Peter Pan unabridged audio tape) and had our suspicions confirmed - there were tornadoes nearby! We headed immediately home and into the basement where we watched "Inside the Whitehouse" documentary until the warnings were all over. Serona, Sirah and I watched (I crocheted some more) and the older kids played nearby. While documentaries usually hold their attention - this one was a little too dry for them.
We finished the evening off with a dinner of cold cereal and a cake to celebrate mother's day. The kids went to bed and Serona, Sirah and I headed to the library where Serona and I had set up our laptops to work on the books we are writing. Then we headed to bed where we both read for a little while. It was a perfect day.
Peace,
Tenn
May 7, 2004
Albert - Napoli, Donna Jo
Anansi the Spider - McDermott, Gerald
Annie and the Wild Animals - Brett, Jan
Apple Pie Tree, The - Hall, Zoe
Art Lesson, The - dePaola, Tomie
Astronaut Critter - Mayer, Mercer
Babushka's Doll - Polacco, Patricia
Baby's First Bible - Reader's Digest
Barnyard Banter - Fleming, Denise
Beautiful Blackbird - Bryan, Ashley
Best Friends - Kellogg, Steven
Birds: Kingfisher Young Knowledge - Davies, Nicola
Birdsong - Wood, Audrey
Blueberries for Sal - McCloskey, Robert
Boat Ride with Lillian Two Blossom - Polacco, Patricia
Brown Bear Brown Bear What Do You See? - Carle, Eric
Click, Clack Moo Cows That Type - Cronin, Doreen
Curious George and the Puppies - Rey, H.A.
Curious George at the Parade - Rey, H.A.
Curious George Makes Pancakes - Rey, H.A.
Dance at Grandpa's - Wilder, Laura Ingalls
Day With Wilbur Robinson - Joyce, William
Do You Want to Be My Friend - Carle, Eric
Each Peach Pear Plum - Ahlberg, Janet and Allan
Elana's Ears - Lowell, Gloria
Emily is a Flower Girl - Masurel, Claire
Freefall - Weisner, David
Fruit is a Suitcase for seeds, A - Richards, Jean
God Made All The Colors - Lion Publishing
Goodnight Moon - Brown, Margaret Wise
Grandfather's Journey - Say, Allen
Harvest Home - Yolen, Jane
Hugh Can Do - Armstrong, Jennifer
I wish I were a Butterfly - Howe, James
If You Give a Pig a Pancake - Numeroff, Laura
It's Catching, Chicken Pox - Royston, Angela
Just a Dream - Allsburg, Eric Van
Kisses - Szeekers, Cyndy
Library, The - Stewart, Sarah
Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry and the Big Hungry Bear - Wood, Audrey
Little Penguin, The - Wood, AJ
Ma Dear's Aprons - McKissack, Patricia
Marsupial Sue - Lithgow, John
Mrs Spider's Tea Party - Kirk, David
My Great Aunt Arizona - Houston, Gloria
My M Sound Box - Moncure, Jane Belk
My Mama Had a Dancing Heart - Gray, Libba
Noah's Ark - Spier, Peter
Paper Bag Princess, The - Munsch, Robert
Pickles to Pittsburgh - Barrett, Judi
Pinocchio - Littledale, Freya
Playing Poohsticks - Milne, AA
Polar Express, The - Allsburg, Chris Van
Pooh's Colorful Shapes - Walt Disney
President's Day - Ditchfield, Christin
Puddle, The - McPhail, David
Puffer - Pillinger, Ian
Pumpkin Soup - Cooper, Helen
Pumpkins - Giesecke, Ernestine
Pythons - Patton, Don
Snow - Mckie, Roy
Splish Splash Animal Baths - Sayre, April
Story About Ping, The - Flack, Marjorie
Tale of Peter Rabbit, The - Potter, Beatrix
Talking Cloth, The - Mitchell, Rhonda
Teeny Tiny Tingly Tales - VanLoan, Nancy
The Goose Girl - Kimmel, Eric
Toot and Puddle - Hobbie, Holly
Touch and Feel Kitten - DK Publishing
Winnie-The-Pooh - Milne, A.A
Winter Days in the Big Woods - Wilder, Laura Ingalls
Yellow and Pink - Steig, William
Last updated May 7, 2004
Anansi the Spider - McDermott, Gerald
Annie and the Wild Animals - Brett, Jan
Apple Pie Tree, The - Hall, Zoe
Art Lesson, The - dePaola, Tomie
Astronaut Critter - Mayer, Mercer
Babushka's Doll - Polacco, Patricia
Baby's First Bible - Reader's Digest
Barnyard Banter - Fleming, Denise
Beautiful Blackbird - Bryan, Ashley
Best Friends - Kellogg, Steven
Birds: Kingfisher Young Knowledge - Davies, Nicola
Birdsong - Wood, Audrey
Blueberries for Sal - McCloskey, Robert
Boat Ride with Lillian Two Blossom - Polacco, Patricia
Brown Bear Brown Bear What Do You See? - Carle, Eric
Click, Clack Moo Cows That Type - Cronin, Doreen
Curious George and the Puppies - Rey, H.A.
Curious George at the Parade - Rey, H.A.
Curious George Makes Pancakes - Rey, H.A.
Dance at Grandpa's - Wilder, Laura Ingalls
Day With Wilbur Robinson - Joyce, William
Do You Want to Be My Friend - Carle, Eric
Each Peach Pear Plum - Ahlberg, Janet and Allan
Elana's Ears - Lowell, Gloria
Emily is a Flower Girl - Masurel, Claire
Freefall - Weisner, David
Fruit is a Suitcase for seeds, A - Richards, Jean
God Made All The Colors - Lion Publishing
Goodnight Moon - Brown, Margaret Wise
Grandfather's Journey - Say, Allen
Harvest Home - Yolen, Jane
Hugh Can Do - Armstrong, Jennifer
I wish I were a Butterfly - Howe, James
If You Give a Pig a Pancake - Numeroff, Laura
It's Catching, Chicken Pox - Royston, Angela
Just a Dream - Allsburg, Eric Van
Kisses - Szeekers, Cyndy
Library, The - Stewart, Sarah
Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry and the Big Hungry Bear - Wood, Audrey
Little Penguin, The - Wood, AJ
Ma Dear's Aprons - McKissack, Patricia
Marsupial Sue - Lithgow, John
Mrs Spider's Tea Party - Kirk, David
My Great Aunt Arizona - Houston, Gloria
My M Sound Box - Moncure, Jane Belk
My Mama Had a Dancing Heart - Gray, Libba
Noah's Ark - Spier, Peter
Paper Bag Princess, The - Munsch, Robert
Pickles to Pittsburgh - Barrett, Judi
Pinocchio - Littledale, Freya
Playing Poohsticks - Milne, AA
Polar Express, The - Allsburg, Chris Van
Pooh's Colorful Shapes - Walt Disney
President's Day - Ditchfield, Christin
Puddle, The - McPhail, David
Puffer - Pillinger, Ian
Pumpkin Soup - Cooper, Helen
Pumpkins - Giesecke, Ernestine
Pythons - Patton, Don
Snow - Mckie, Roy
Splish Splash Animal Baths - Sayre, April
Story About Ping, The - Flack, Marjorie
Tale of Peter Rabbit, The - Potter, Beatrix
Talking Cloth, The - Mitchell, Rhonda
Teeny Tiny Tingly Tales - VanLoan, Nancy
The Goose Girl - Kimmel, Eric
Toot and Puddle - Hobbie, Holly
Touch and Feel Kitten - DK Publishing
Winnie-The-Pooh - Milne, A.A
Winter Days in the Big Woods - Wilder, Laura Ingalls
Yellow and Pink - Steig, William
Last updated May 7, 2004
May 5, 2004
Reading Lists
I have been creating reading lists for our family - both what we have read and would like to read. I put together a binder with lists of recommended children's books and highlighted the ones we have read (quite a few) - I will bring this to the library with me when choosing our books. Much of this material is free online but I wanted it in a more portable format.
I have also created a spreadsheet of all the children's books we have read so far (started recording in November of 2003). Serona recommended I try to keep them in Excel and it was a great recommendation. Our list is around 600 books (not including all the times we reread favorite books) so far and will just continue to grow. Using Excel allows me to keep track of lots of information about each book. Some records in my database for each book: name, author, which child has read it, whether it is a family favorite, must read, never read again, great reference, content/ subject and whether I would recommend it or not. Excel allows me to sort by any of those features or several at a time. Allowing me to see books by author, title, subject, favorites and so on.
Serona has made fun of me about how excited I am for a spreadsheet! But it truly is a wonderful resource for me and makes record-keeping easy and helps with mommy brain (which Charlotte Zoltow book did we HAVE to read?, Who wrote that book? and so). I also intend to pass this on to my children when they grow older. I can still recall the joy I had the first time I read "The Little House" by Virginia Lee Burton to my kids and recalled loving it as a child myself. I know I want my grandchildren to read "Miss Rumphius" by Barbara Cooney and I hope my children will want to share some of their favorites with their kids and grandkids.
Anyway the time invested is worth it to me already - not to mention for years to come!
Peace,
Tenn
I have also created a spreadsheet of all the children's books we have read so far (started recording in November of 2003). Serona recommended I try to keep them in Excel and it was a great recommendation. Our list is around 600 books (not including all the times we reread favorite books) so far and will just continue to grow. Using Excel allows me to keep track of lots of information about each book. Some records in my database for each book: name, author, which child has read it, whether it is a family favorite, must read, never read again, great reference, content/ subject and whether I would recommend it or not. Excel allows me to sort by any of those features or several at a time. Allowing me to see books by author, title, subject, favorites and so on.
Serona has made fun of me about how excited I am for a spreadsheet! But it truly is a wonderful resource for me and makes record-keeping easy and helps with mommy brain (which Charlotte Zoltow book did we HAVE to read?, Who wrote that book? and so). I also intend to pass this on to my children when they grow older. I can still recall the joy I had the first time I read "The Little House" by Virginia Lee Burton to my kids and recalled loving it as a child myself. I know I want my grandchildren to read "Miss Rumphius" by Barbara Cooney and I hope my children will want to share some of their favorites with their kids and grandkids.
Anyway the time invested is worth it to me already - not to mention for years to come!
Peace,
Tenn
April 29, 2004
At the Library
I truly enjoy our weekly treks to the local library. The kids enjoy spending time picking out books and reading there and they also each get to play a computer game there that they enjoy. While they play and browse I search out the books for the following week. I enjoy being able to browse the sections of our children's section and we always leave with so many books I wonder how we can read them all - but we usually manage it somehow! I select majority of the books - but I allow each child to pick out three books of their own (with my approval) on anything they want. We also pick out an audio book for the car (current choices The Trumpet Swan by EB White and The Silver Chair by CS Lewis) and they may pick out a video every other week.
I love the variety that the library offers us and the ability to try out a wide variety of books. I also love our personal selection of favorite children's books that we come back to time and time again. Together it is a nice mix of books for our children and for me while they are still in the "Read to Me Mommy" stage. As I type this Ciaran is sitting in his bed "Reading" a family favorite "Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do you See" by Eric Carle. He also plays a game with this book that we found here. It is designed to be a felt board kit but I printed them out and laminated them and he plays with them and loves it. Rhiannon also uses it when we read the Spanish version of the same book. Off to read more books.
Peace,
Tenn
I love the variety that the library offers us and the ability to try out a wide variety of books. I also love our personal selection of favorite children's books that we come back to time and time again. Together it is a nice mix of books for our children and for me while they are still in the "Read to Me Mommy" stage. As I type this Ciaran is sitting in his bed "Reading" a family favorite "Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do you See" by Eric Carle. He also plays a game with this book that we found here. It is designed to be a felt board kit but I printed them out and laminated them and he plays with them and loves it. Rhiannon also uses it when we read the Spanish version of the same book. Off to read more books.
Peace,
Tenn
April 28, 2004
Books Coming Alive Through Play
A friend recently asked me if my recently turned three year old son was absorbing everything he was listening to through the books we read and listen to on tape. I said I thought he was and saw it mostly through his play. Today was a perfect example. We spent the day outside, it was nearly 90 degrees and just a perfect day to be outside (there were still nice breezes) so we took advantage of it.
I wanted to have some special playtime with each of the kids - so I put Sirah in the swing and asked Ciaran what he wanted to play - he wanted me to climb up into the fort on top of their swingset - I agreed - he was ecstatic. I asked what he wanted to play and he said he wanted to buy some chocolates and I said okay - where was he going to the store and then he told me he was Charlie Bucket (no joke) and that I would be Mr. Wonka. This is from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl in case you don't recognize it. I called him Charlie and he called me Mr. Wonka and he ate a candy bar and then got to come to my chocolate factory where he met the girl who liked to chew gum and we went on adventures in the factory. We listened to this book on tape a few times about a month or two ago.
A little later (after playing soccer with Rhiannon - yes I actually ran around the yard today) he asked me to make Stone Soup with him. He got a big bucket and put some rocks in it and then directed me and Rhiannon as to what we were to bring to him. We went back to our houses to find the ingredients he needed for Stone Soup. He mixed it all up and then we shared it all together. He requested both of these games entirely on his own and then gave directions pretty closely based on the books.
I've also witnessed him and his sister acting out Bible stories. One moment I caught my breath and had to stop from exploding was when Rhiannon was tying a sled to Ciaran. When I asked what she was doing she said "We're playing Joseph and I'm selling him to the Egyptians" - we had to review the point of that bible story and what was acceptable play and what was not.
So many of the books we read I later see come out in their imaginative play and the games they create. We need to remember to give kids more credit than we do. Ciaran has only recently turned three but it is clear he is taking in much of what he is exposed to. He requests to listen to Vivaldi (which I played in our yard today while we played soccer), likes to look at paintings by Monet and enjoys listening to chapter books with intricate details. He has fun with them and makes them a part of his life. He even makes up stories about the characters from the Hundred Acre Woods and our families imaginary friend Benkin (a mouse who lives under a tree in our yard) - they have quite a bit of detail too!
Peace,
Tenn
I wanted to have some special playtime with each of the kids - so I put Sirah in the swing and asked Ciaran what he wanted to play - he wanted me to climb up into the fort on top of their swingset - I agreed - he was ecstatic. I asked what he wanted to play and he said he wanted to buy some chocolates and I said okay - where was he going to the store and then he told me he was Charlie Bucket (no joke) and that I would be Mr. Wonka. This is from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl in case you don't recognize it. I called him Charlie and he called me Mr. Wonka and he ate a candy bar and then got to come to my chocolate factory where he met the girl who liked to chew gum and we went on adventures in the factory. We listened to this book on tape a few times about a month or two ago.
A little later (after playing soccer with Rhiannon - yes I actually ran around the yard today) he asked me to make Stone Soup with him. He got a big bucket and put some rocks in it and then directed me and Rhiannon as to what we were to bring to him. We went back to our houses to find the ingredients he needed for Stone Soup. He mixed it all up and then we shared it all together. He requested both of these games entirely on his own and then gave directions pretty closely based on the books.
I've also witnessed him and his sister acting out Bible stories. One moment I caught my breath and had to stop from exploding was when Rhiannon was tying a sled to Ciaran. When I asked what she was doing she said "We're playing Joseph and I'm selling him to the Egyptians" - we had to review the point of that bible story and what was acceptable play and what was not.
So many of the books we read I later see come out in their imaginative play and the games they create. We need to remember to give kids more credit than we do. Ciaran has only recently turned three but it is clear he is taking in much of what he is exposed to. He requests to listen to Vivaldi (which I played in our yard today while we played soccer), likes to look at paintings by Monet and enjoys listening to chapter books with intricate details. He has fun with them and makes them a part of his life. He even makes up stories about the characters from the Hundred Acre Woods and our families imaginary friend Benkin (a mouse who lives under a tree in our yard) - they have quite a bit of detail too!
Peace,
Tenn
Simple Pleasures: How To Eat A Mango
The kids had a choice for dessert tonight between a mango or chocolate chip cookies. Surprise! They chose the mango! We surfed around online to try to find the best way to eat a mango. Of course we could have called our good friend who spent 3 years living in Africa and enjoying fresh mangos right off the tree. But it was not the most conveinant time to call I'm sure if she reads this she can correct our method and teach us the best way of eating mangoes.
We found this helpful website: How To Eat A Mango with the following directions for eating a mango:
"Slice the mango length ways close to the seed. Now cut that slice half way lengthwise. Now simply peel the skin back on either side of the slice with your fingers and teeth as you eat the pulp. Now repeat the process with the other side of the mango.
Now you are left with a mango with the two sides cut and eaten. Now simply peel the skin from around the mango and eat around the seed."
The kids thought this was a hoot and they took nturns eating the middle part very nicely - each had two of the sides and they even saved me the last bite! It was yummy and fun. Sweet and sticky perfect summer and apring treat for kids~
Peace,
Tenn
We found this helpful website: How To Eat A Mango with the following directions for eating a mango:
"Slice the mango length ways close to the seed. Now cut that slice half way lengthwise. Now simply peel the skin back on either side of the slice with your fingers and teeth as you eat the pulp. Now repeat the process with the other side of the mango.
Now you are left with a mango with the two sides cut and eaten. Now simply peel the skin from around the mango and eat around the seed."
The kids thought this was a hoot and they took nturns eating the middle part very nicely - each had two of the sides and they even saved me the last bite! It was yummy and fun. Sweet and sticky perfect summer and apring treat for kids~
Peace,
Tenn
April 27, 2004
OT: Ban Fisher Price
While not a fan of plastic toys - my kids do enjoy "The Little People" and accompanying accessories. I was highly disappointed to find out we will need to not purchase anything from Fisher Price and I will be
writing them a letter as I am outraged at their newest contest. According to Hedy Nuriel, LLLI's Executive Director:
Giving away free formula interferes with breastfeeding and encourages the use of artificial breastmilk instead of mother's best. Write and let them know how you feel.
Peace,
Tenn
writing them a letter as I am outraged at their newest contest. According to Hedy Nuriel, LLLI's Executive Director:
Fisher Price is currently running a "Ready-Set-Grow" Sweepstakes on its US
web site. The fifteen prize packages include a six-week supply of formula
delivered directly to each winner's home.
If you would like to let Fisher Price know how you feel about this program,
send your emails to
Mattel. The contest closes
May 17th, 2004
To view the Sweepstakes web site, got to
Fisher Price.
Direct your letters to
Neil Friedman, President
Laurie Oravec, Director of Public Relations
Giving away free formula interferes with breastfeeding and encourages the use of artificial breastmilk instead of mother's best. Write and let them know how you feel.
Peace,
Tenn
Morning at Play
The kids and I have had a morning of play. I let them take turns choosing games. We have played Marbleworks and an owl ABC game for Ciaran, Pretty pretty princess and "pop-up piggy" for Rhiannon. Rhiannon invented pop-up piggy just today. She brought out her pink piggy bank and some pick up sticks - she handed Ciaran and I each two sticks and we needed to match them from the remaining ones. After we had matches - the piggy would pop out and we had to feed him the matched sticks so he would go away again. This cycle continued - there was no real end to it or winner. Though she could have created a way for that to happen she did not. I enjoyed playing her made up game, it was fun and creative.
Peace,
Tenn
Peace,
Tenn
April Reading List
50 Below Zero by Robert Munsch
A House for Mouse by Babs Shook
A Pony's Tale by Jodi Huelin
A You're Adorable by Buddy Kaye
Aardvarks Disembark by Ann Jonas
ABC by Dr. Suess (5)
A Pair of Red Sneakers by Lisa Lawston
A Pocket for Corduroy by Don Freeman
Anno's Magic Seeds by Mitsumasa Ano
A Sip of Aesop by Jane Yolen
Are You a Spider by Judy Allen
Arrow to the Sun:a Pueblo indian Tale by Gerald McDermott
Baby Sister Says No by Mercer Mayer
Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson and Jane Chapman
Best Dad in the Sea: Finding Nemo by Walt Disney
Bitter Bananas by Isaac Olaleye
Blessings Everywhere by Dandi Daley Mackall
Brown Bear Brown Bear What Do You See by Bill Martin Jr
Buzz Buzz Buzz by Veronica Uribe
Carrot Seed by Ruth Frauss
Can You Tell Me How to Get to Seaseme Street by Eleanor Hudson
Celebrate the 50 States by Loreen Leedy
Chick by Funfax
Chicka Chicka boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr (4)
Chuck Yeager Breaks the Sound Barrier by R Conrad Stein
Clap Your Hands by Lorinda Bryan Cauley
Clifford the Small Red Puppy by Norman Bridwell
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett (3)
Color Fun by Snapshot Books
Company's Coming by Arthur Yorinks
Counting Sheep: Why do we Sleep? by Janice Lobb
Curious George Goes to a Chocolate Factory by HA Rey (2)
Dawn by Uri Shulevitz
Ducks Disappearing by Phyllis Naylor
Earth Day by Linda Lowery (2)
Eat up Babies by Pattrice Aggs
Edward in the Jungle by David McPhail
Engines Elevators and Xrays by Janice Parker
Flo the Lyin Fly by Max Lucado
Fox in Socks by Dr Suess
From Seed to Plant by Gail Gibbons
From Sheep to Sweater by Robin Nelso
Fun with Zip and Zap by John Shefelbine
Gigi and Zachary's Around the World Adventure by Gilles Eduar
God Made All the Colors by Lion Publishing
God Made you Special by Eric Metaxas
Going to Sleep on the Farm (2)
Good Morning Little Fox by Marilyn Janovitz
Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney
Hansel and Gretel by Lisa Ingalls (2)
Happy Birthday You Belong in the Zoo by Diane deGroat
Hattie and the Fox by Mem Fox
Hello Shoes by Joan Blos
Here is the African Savanna by Madeleine Dunphy
Hey diddle, diddle by Dianne O'Quinn Burke
I am Playing by Mercer Mayer (3)
I can Swim by Edana Eckart
If I ran the Zoo by Dr Suess
If I went on Safari by Susan Hood
If You Give a Moose a Muffin by Laura Numeroff
If You Give a Pig a Pancake by Laura Numeroff
If You Look Around You by Fulvio Testa
If You Take Mouse to the Movies by Laura Numeroff
I'm Sorry by Sam McBratney
Irish Step Dancing by Mark Thomas
Is it Far to Zanzibar? by Nikki Grimes
Israel by Elaine Landau
It Looked Like Spilt Milk by Charles G Shaw
Jacob's Gift by Max Lucado
Jamberry by Bruce Degen
Jesse Bear What Will You Wear by Nancy White Carlstrom (2)
June 29, 1999 by David Wiesner
Just a Bad Day by Mercer Mayer
Just a Mess by Mercer Mayer
Katy and the Big Snow by Viriginia Lee Burton
Kisses by Cyndy Szeekers
Learn Your Numbers by Sparkle Books (2)
Lots and Lots of Zebra Stripes by Stephen Swinburne
Marshes and Swamps
Me and My Family Tree by Paul Showers
Millions of Snowflakes by Mary McKenna Siddals
Moo Cow Moo by Santiago Cohen
Morgan Plays Soccer by Anne Rockwell
Mother Goose by Walt Disney
Mouse's Birthday by Jane Yolen (2)
Mr Brown Can Moo by Dr Suess
My B Book by Jane Belk Moncure
My First Baby Signs by Linda Acreddo
My First Book by Jane Belk Moncure
My Little People School Bus by Doris Tomaselli
My Many Colored Days by Dr Suess
My X.Y,Z Sound Box by Jane Belk Moncure
Ocean by Samantha Gray
On Sand Island by Jacqueline Briggs Martin
Our Class Took a Trip to the Zoo by Shirley Neitzel
Pet Animals by Lucy Cousins
Picnic with Piggins by Jane Yolen
Pigs Move: Fun With Math and Travel by Amy Axelrod
Playing by Shirley Hughes
Put me in the Zoo by Dr Suess (2)
Quick as a Cricket by Audrey Wood
Rainbow Joe and Me by Maria Strom
Raising Yoder's Barn by Jane Yolen
Recycle by Gail Gibbons (2)
Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur by Dana Rau
Sailor Moo Cow at Sea (2)
Sally Gets 123 by Richard Scarry
Sam and the Tigers by Julius Lester
Scarecrow by Cynthia Rylant
See the Yak Yak by Charles Ghinga (2)
Seven Spools of Thread: A Kwanzaa Story by Angela Shelf Medearis
Shadows by April Pulley Sayre
Shanty Boat by Charles Temple
Sheep in a Shop by Nancy Shaw
Simple Machines by Allan Fowler
Sisters by David McPhail
Skateboarding in the X Games by Suzanne Murdico
Skip to My Lou by Nadine Bernard Westcott
Sleep Book by Dr Suess
Sleeping Beauty by Katherin Lawless
Snappy Little Dinosaurs by Dugald Steer
Snow by Uri Shulevitz
Snowmen at Night by Caralyn Buehner
Snowshoe Thompson by Nancy Levinson
So Far from the Sea by Eve Bunting - for older children (about the Japanese concentration camps)
Sorting and Sets by Henry Pluckrose
Spring is Here by Tara Gomi
St Patrick's Day Alphabet by Beverly Barras Vidrine
Stranger in the Woods by Carl Sams
Stellaluna by Janell Cannon
Stone Soup by Marcia Brown
Subtraction Action by Loreen Leedy
Summersaults by Douglas Florian
Sunflower by Miela Ford
Swamp Angel by Anne Isaacs (2)
Swimmy by Leo Lionni
Tanya's Reunion by Valerie Flourney
The Best Place by Susan Meddaugh (2)
The Crayon Box that Talked by Shane DeRolf
The Crippled Lamb by Max Lucado
The Enchanted Storks by Aaron Shepard
The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry and the Big Hungry Bear by Don and Audrey Wood (3)
The Little Squeegy Bug by Bill Martin Jr
The Magic School Bus Shows and Tells: A book About Archaeology by Joanna Cole
The Mysteries of Harris Burdick by Chris Van Allsburg
The New Friend by Charlotte Zolotow
The Poodle Who Barked at the Wind by Charlotte Zolotow
The Right Touch by Sandy Kleven
The Sailor's Alphabet by Michael McCurdy
The Seasons and Someone by Virginia Kroll
The Snow Tree by Caroline Repchuk
The Snowman by Raymond Briggs
The Story of Noodles by Ying Chang Compestine
The Stranger by Chris Van Allsburg
The Sweetest Fig by Chris Van Allsburg
The Taxi That Hurried by Tibor Gergely
The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle
The Winter King and the Summer Queen by Mary Lister
The Wretched Stone by Chris Van Allsburg
The Year at Maple Hill Farm by Alice and Martin Provensen
This is Soccer by Margaret Blackstone
Thomas the Tank Engine by Re. W. Awdry
Time for Bed by Mem Fox (2)
Tuesday by David Weisner
Twelve Hats for Lena: A Book of Months by Karen Katz
Tyrannosaurus Time by Joanne Ryder (2)
Welcome to Spain by Geraldine Mesenas
Welcome with Love by Jenni Overend (6) - excellent book on homebirth
What if the Zebras Lost their Stripes? by John Reitano (2)
What the Animals Were Waiting For by Jonathan London (2)
When Addie was Scared by Linda Bailey
Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
Wilbur Robinson by William Joyce
Word Bird's Summer Words by Jane Belk Moncure
Yellow by Sarah Schuette
Yellowstone National Park by David Peterson
Yoshi's Feast by Kimiko Kajikawa (4)
You're a Bear by Mavis Jukes
Your Heart by Terri DeGezelle
Yummy:Eating Through a Day by Lee Bennet Hopkins
Zambia by Timothy Holmes (read parts and discussed all the pictures)
Zathura by Chris Vans Allsburg
Zebras by Melissa Stewart
Zebras by Zoo books
Zelda and Ivy by Laura Kvasnosky
Zelda and Ivy and the Boy Next Door by Laura Kvasnosky
Zelda Zach and Zodiac by Bill Peet
Zero Gravity by Gloria Skurzynski
Zig Zag The Sound of Z by Alice Flanagan
Zoe and her Zebra by Clare Beaton
Zoo Flakes ABC by Will Howell
Zoo Patterns by Patricia Whitehouse
Updated April 29, 2004
A House for Mouse by Babs Shook
A Pony's Tale by Jodi Huelin
A You're Adorable by Buddy Kaye
Aardvarks Disembark by Ann Jonas
ABC by Dr. Suess (5)
A Pair of Red Sneakers by Lisa Lawston
A Pocket for Corduroy by Don Freeman
Anno's Magic Seeds by Mitsumasa Ano
A Sip of Aesop by Jane Yolen
Are You a Spider by Judy Allen
Arrow to the Sun:a Pueblo indian Tale by Gerald McDermott
Baby Sister Says No by Mercer Mayer
Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson and Jane Chapman
Best Dad in the Sea: Finding Nemo by Walt Disney
Bitter Bananas by Isaac Olaleye
Blessings Everywhere by Dandi Daley Mackall
Brown Bear Brown Bear What Do You See by Bill Martin Jr
Buzz Buzz Buzz by Veronica Uribe
Carrot Seed by Ruth Frauss
Can You Tell Me How to Get to Seaseme Street by Eleanor Hudson
Celebrate the 50 States by Loreen Leedy
Chick by Funfax
Chicka Chicka boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr (4)
Chuck Yeager Breaks the Sound Barrier by R Conrad Stein
Clap Your Hands by Lorinda Bryan Cauley
Clifford the Small Red Puppy by Norman Bridwell
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett (3)
Color Fun by Snapshot Books
Company's Coming by Arthur Yorinks
Counting Sheep: Why do we Sleep? by Janice Lobb
Curious George Goes to a Chocolate Factory by HA Rey (2)
Dawn by Uri Shulevitz
Ducks Disappearing by Phyllis Naylor
Earth Day by Linda Lowery (2)
Eat up Babies by Pattrice Aggs
Edward in the Jungle by David McPhail
Engines Elevators and Xrays by Janice Parker
Flo the Lyin Fly by Max Lucado
Fox in Socks by Dr Suess
From Seed to Plant by Gail Gibbons
From Sheep to Sweater by Robin Nelso
Fun with Zip and Zap by John Shefelbine
Gigi and Zachary's Around the World Adventure by Gilles Eduar
God Made All the Colors by Lion Publishing
God Made you Special by Eric Metaxas
Going to Sleep on the Farm (2)
Good Morning Little Fox by Marilyn Janovitz
Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney
Hansel and Gretel by Lisa Ingalls (2)
Happy Birthday You Belong in the Zoo by Diane deGroat
Hattie and the Fox by Mem Fox
Hello Shoes by Joan Blos
Here is the African Savanna by Madeleine Dunphy
Hey diddle, diddle by Dianne O'Quinn Burke
I am Playing by Mercer Mayer (3)
I can Swim by Edana Eckart
If I ran the Zoo by Dr Suess
If I went on Safari by Susan Hood
If You Give a Moose a Muffin by Laura Numeroff
If You Give a Pig a Pancake by Laura Numeroff
If You Look Around You by Fulvio Testa
If You Take Mouse to the Movies by Laura Numeroff
I'm Sorry by Sam McBratney
Irish Step Dancing by Mark Thomas
Is it Far to Zanzibar? by Nikki Grimes
Israel by Elaine Landau
It Looked Like Spilt Milk by Charles G Shaw
Jacob's Gift by Max Lucado
Jamberry by Bruce Degen
Jesse Bear What Will You Wear by Nancy White Carlstrom (2)
June 29, 1999 by David Wiesner
Just a Bad Day by Mercer Mayer
Just a Mess by Mercer Mayer
Katy and the Big Snow by Viriginia Lee Burton
Kisses by Cyndy Szeekers
Learn Your Numbers by Sparkle Books (2)
Lots and Lots of Zebra Stripes by Stephen Swinburne
Marshes and Swamps
Me and My Family Tree by Paul Showers
Millions of Snowflakes by Mary McKenna Siddals
Moo Cow Moo by Santiago Cohen
Morgan Plays Soccer by Anne Rockwell
Mother Goose by Walt Disney
Mouse's Birthday by Jane Yolen (2)
Mr Brown Can Moo by Dr Suess
My B Book by Jane Belk Moncure
My First Baby Signs by Linda Acreddo
My First Book by Jane Belk Moncure
My Little People School Bus by Doris Tomaselli
My Many Colored Days by Dr Suess
My X.Y,Z Sound Box by Jane Belk Moncure
Ocean by Samantha Gray
On Sand Island by Jacqueline Briggs Martin
Our Class Took a Trip to the Zoo by Shirley Neitzel
Pet Animals by Lucy Cousins
Picnic with Piggins by Jane Yolen
Pigs Move: Fun With Math and Travel by Amy Axelrod
Playing by Shirley Hughes
Put me in the Zoo by Dr Suess (2)
Quick as a Cricket by Audrey Wood
Rainbow Joe and Me by Maria Strom
Raising Yoder's Barn by Jane Yolen
Recycle by Gail Gibbons (2)
Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur by Dana Rau
Sailor Moo Cow at Sea (2)
Sally Gets 123 by Richard Scarry
Sam and the Tigers by Julius Lester
Scarecrow by Cynthia Rylant
See the Yak Yak by Charles Ghinga (2)
Seven Spools of Thread: A Kwanzaa Story by Angela Shelf Medearis
Shadows by April Pulley Sayre
Shanty Boat by Charles Temple
Sheep in a Shop by Nancy Shaw
Simple Machines by Allan Fowler
Sisters by David McPhail
Skateboarding in the X Games by Suzanne Murdico
Skip to My Lou by Nadine Bernard Westcott
Sleep Book by Dr Suess
Sleeping Beauty by Katherin Lawless
Snappy Little Dinosaurs by Dugald Steer
Snow by Uri Shulevitz
Snowmen at Night by Caralyn Buehner
Snowshoe Thompson by Nancy Levinson
So Far from the Sea by Eve Bunting - for older children (about the Japanese concentration camps)
Sorting and Sets by Henry Pluckrose
Spring is Here by Tara Gomi
St Patrick's Day Alphabet by Beverly Barras Vidrine
Stranger in the Woods by Carl Sams
Stellaluna by Janell Cannon
Stone Soup by Marcia Brown
Subtraction Action by Loreen Leedy
Summersaults by Douglas Florian
Sunflower by Miela Ford
Swamp Angel by Anne Isaacs (2)
Swimmy by Leo Lionni
Tanya's Reunion by Valerie Flourney
The Best Place by Susan Meddaugh (2)
The Crayon Box that Talked by Shane DeRolf
The Crippled Lamb by Max Lucado
The Enchanted Storks by Aaron Shepard
The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry and the Big Hungry Bear by Don and Audrey Wood (3)
The Little Squeegy Bug by Bill Martin Jr
The Magic School Bus Shows and Tells: A book About Archaeology by Joanna Cole
The Mysteries of Harris Burdick by Chris Van Allsburg
The New Friend by Charlotte Zolotow
The Poodle Who Barked at the Wind by Charlotte Zolotow
The Right Touch by Sandy Kleven
The Sailor's Alphabet by Michael McCurdy
The Seasons and Someone by Virginia Kroll
The Snow Tree by Caroline Repchuk
The Snowman by Raymond Briggs
The Story of Noodles by Ying Chang Compestine
The Stranger by Chris Van Allsburg
The Sweetest Fig by Chris Van Allsburg
The Taxi That Hurried by Tibor Gergely
The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle
The Winter King and the Summer Queen by Mary Lister
The Wretched Stone by Chris Van Allsburg
The Year at Maple Hill Farm by Alice and Martin Provensen
This is Soccer by Margaret Blackstone
Thomas the Tank Engine by Re. W. Awdry
Time for Bed by Mem Fox (2)
Tuesday by David Weisner
Twelve Hats for Lena: A Book of Months by Karen Katz
Tyrannosaurus Time by Joanne Ryder (2)
Welcome to Spain by Geraldine Mesenas
Welcome with Love by Jenni Overend (6) - excellent book on homebirth
What if the Zebras Lost their Stripes? by John Reitano (2)
What the Animals Were Waiting For by Jonathan London (2)
When Addie was Scared by Linda Bailey
Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
Wilbur Robinson by William Joyce
Word Bird's Summer Words by Jane Belk Moncure
Yellow by Sarah Schuette
Yellowstone National Park by David Peterson
Yoshi's Feast by Kimiko Kajikawa (4)
You're a Bear by Mavis Jukes
Your Heart by Terri DeGezelle
Yummy:Eating Through a Day by Lee Bennet Hopkins
Zambia by Timothy Holmes (read parts and discussed all the pictures)
Zathura by Chris Vans Allsburg
Zebras by Melissa Stewart
Zebras by Zoo books
Zelda and Ivy by Laura Kvasnosky
Zelda and Ivy and the Boy Next Door by Laura Kvasnosky
Zelda Zach and Zodiac by Bill Peet
Zero Gravity by Gloria Skurzynski
Zig Zag The Sound of Z by Alice Flanagan
Zoe and her Zebra by Clare Beaton
Zoo Flakes ABC by Will Howell
Zoo Patterns by Patricia Whitehouse
Updated April 29, 2004
April 26, 2004
Stealers of Discipline and Joy
If I was a conspiracy theorist I would say there was a conspiracy occurring today to keep me from being disciplined right after I admitted I needed to be. There is something in the water with my kids today, they have just given up on listening. They have used ink stamp pads on their walls and all over their bodies (even the bottom of their feet), they have had a water fight, they have watered the rug thinking it was the garden, they have washed the walls and made big messes while doing it. They have put glue on their wall and their hands and we have been through several outfits.
I've been trying to keep my cool, I've enlisted Serona via Instant messenger from work and I have prayed. I've been patient, I've lost my temper, and I've tried to be creative. Mostly now I am tired and I want the day to be over. I know it is all a normal part of childhood and normal for their ages, but that doesn't make it easy.
If I look hard I can find the underlying causes of the problems and try to resolve them. But the reality is the behavior is still exhausting and incorrect and needs to be dealt with. It seems nothing is making an impression today. It is one of those days I understand "throw the towel in" and "Calgon take me away". Of course I can not do that and no one ever said parenting would be easy - suppose one challenging day in the midst of many other good ones is a small price to pay.
Even in the midst of this day - Sirah smiles and it is contagious. Rhiannon tells a "joke" that makes me laugh and I enjoy some snuggle time on the couch with Ciaran. I look at each of them and see their strengths and remind myself that they will be teenagers someday and these are the good days. I look at their challenging behaviors and try to find the good charachteristic I need to help turn this into and sometimes that helps. When all else fails I have to just laugh or as the indigo girls say - I'd cry my eyes out. It's really not that bad - kind of funny when I look at all in writing.
Peace,
Tenn
I've been trying to keep my cool, I've enlisted Serona via Instant messenger from work and I have prayed. I've been patient, I've lost my temper, and I've tried to be creative. Mostly now I am tired and I want the day to be over. I know it is all a normal part of childhood and normal for their ages, but that doesn't make it easy.
If I look hard I can find the underlying causes of the problems and try to resolve them. But the reality is the behavior is still exhausting and incorrect and needs to be dealt with. It seems nothing is making an impression today. It is one of those days I understand "throw the towel in" and "Calgon take me away". Of course I can not do that and no one ever said parenting would be easy - suppose one challenging day in the midst of many other good ones is a small price to pay.
Even in the midst of this day - Sirah smiles and it is contagious. Rhiannon tells a "joke" that makes me laugh and I enjoy some snuggle time on the couch with Ciaran. I look at each of them and see their strengths and remind myself that they will be teenagers someday and these are the good days. I look at their challenging behaviors and try to find the good charachteristic I need to help turn this into and sometimes that helps. When all else fails I have to just laugh or as the indigo girls say - I'd cry my eyes out. It's really not that bad - kind of funny when I look at all in writing.
Peace,
Tenn
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