A Few of My Favorite Things - Kid Version

This book is for the big kids -- I'd say anywhere from 5 and 6 to 11 or 12 -- and has nearly saved my skin on more than one occasion.  It's a large book, bound on the left, so that kids can doodle all over the "place mats" as they wait for dinner to start.  Sometimes the kids are bouncing around the kitchen and dinner is just about ready, so I don't want them to leave, but I DO want them out of my hair.  So, I'll throw this at them until they can come to the table.  Did I say throw?  Ha, ha....er...I meant "hand lovingly to them with a smile."

There are also step-by-step visual instructions on each page which help kids who don't normally just draw for fun.  Check out the link in the top paragraph for this book as well as others in this same category - I love all of them!

Now for the smaller ones in your mini-van...I would like to introduce Brother Louie! 

And the Sunday School Lady!

I am really enjoying "What's In the Bible" DVDs.  They are the brain-child of Sir Phil Vischer of VeggieTales fame.  These DVDs would be perfect for any kiddo 2-10.  Well, 10 might be stretching it, but frankly, I think these are hilarious.  And I gotta tell ya, I really learned something myself! So much great content!

The first few DVDs cover a lot of great material from Genesis-Deuteronomy.  It's like a Muppet Show for Jesus.

Sorry, that might have bordered on blasphemous...

Then, when the kids are big enough to hang out online, have them go to www.jellytelly.com and play with the characters from the DVDs.

Getting Lost in a Story

I have committed to writing more this year.  This is always my goal, but it hasn't become a habit.  So I've tried to take more concrete steps to make it happen!

I bought a blank moleskine book with a small page for each day and I basically try to write something on each page, whether it's a small poem, a quote I read and want to remember, but I try to keep it original.  Recently I've been doing these small assignments from a book called Room to Write -- it has a short assignment each day.  And it's helped me stay on track.

The last assignment was to write down a dream you had.  Well, the last dream I could remember was something about walking through a little ski village with shops and bakeries.  It was weird at the time, but I thought, okay, let's see where this goes...  What kind of shop would intrigue me if I were in this ski village?  So a little bit of fiction came out and here's the beginning: 
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What was I thinking?  Violet thought as pushed open the doors of the resort where she and a few friends were staying for the weekend.  She took a deep breath, the clean scent of snow and January filling her lungs.  She had agreed to go with some co-workers to this ski resort in the Colorado mountains, even though she'd never skied before.  They convinced her it would be a good "escape" after the disaster of the holidays. (Violet cringed just thinking about New Year's Eve.) 

She didn't have the energy to be with all of them right now, out on the slopes, learning to ski.  She just wanted to be alone, get out of her funk, and maybe eat something amazing.  Since the beginning of the New Year, Violet hadn't exercised or made "good food choices" at all.  Her pants were getting tighter, but she wasn't ready to do anything about that yet.

This environment didn't help.  All these families and couples who seemed to belong to one another.  Who did she belong to?  Who would ever really want her?  Violet pushed these thoughts to the back of her mind as she found herself staring into the windows of a bookstore.  A bell hanging on the door announced her arrival cheerfully as she pulled off her gloves. 

To be continued....

Poetry Thursday

Perfection Wasted
by John Updike

And another regrettable thing about death
is the ceasing of your own brand of magic,
which took a whole life to develop and market --
the quips, the witticisms, the slant
adjusted to a few, those loved ones nearest
the lip of the stage, their soft faces blanched
in the footlight glow, their laughter close to tears,
their tears confused with their diamond earrings,
their warm pooled breath in and out with your heartbeat,
their response and your performance twinned.
The jokes over the phone.  The memories packed
in the rapid-access file.  The whole act.
Who will do it again?  That's it:  no one;
imitators and descendants aren't the same.

Dear Mom in the check-out lane,

I see you in the grocery store, picking up that sippy cup AGAIN because your toddler is in the "throwing" stage.  He kicks his legs from the front of the cart with delight.  It's fun to make you pick that up, Mama!  I'm watching your baby watch you, as he wonders if you will scold him or tease him.  You put the sippy cup in the diaper bag and whisper something in his ear that makes him smile without teeth.

I want to give you a box of chocolates.  I want to sing your praises in front of these strangers.

I'm sure you've already learned this, but it's so easy to be hard and hard to be easy.  I shamefully admit, my default mode is harsh.  It just is.  A snappy comment here, a quick retort there- I embarrass myself daily with the way I act with my children sometimes.  Why can't my default be kinder?  Easier? Is it any wonder I hear them treat each other with harsh words as well?

Humbling myself before my children is slowly becoming more of a habit.  Working through our heart issues and loving each other well -- this is what I pray becomes the language of our home.

So, Mom in Wal-Mart, I high-five you, girl.  This is hard work.  This is the greatest role you will every play in the great drama of life.   Don't give up now.

Lambeau Love

For a belated anniversary getaway, Aaron and I went to the land of romance ~ Green Bay, Wisconsin.

Some ladies want flowers and chocolates.  I want football games at Lambeau.  Yes, even if the loss is horrific and humiliating.  And the cold leaves you shivering for days.  It's still a great story to tell the young-ins, I say.

We met up with Nick and Beth, who flew in from D.C.  Beth and I cuddled throughout the game to keep warm and because that's all you can do when you are hip to hip with over 70,000+ other fans.

Aaron took this great picture of Clay Matthews and unknowingly got the groovy Pam Oliver on the sidelines.  What's up, girl?

Agonizing?  Yes.  Fun?  YES.  I'll always love the Packers.  It's part of loving the man I married 17 years ago.  He's a Packer, so I'm a Packer.  It makes life fun, even when we lose a huge game like last weekend.

Excuse me while I go weep silently into my cheesehead.

Poetry Thursday

For the Anniversary of My Death
by W.S. Merwin

Every year without knowing it I have passed the day
When the last fires will wave to me
And the silence will set out
Tireless traveler
Like the beam of a lightless star

Then I will no longer
Find myself in life as in a strange garment
Surprised at the earth
And the love of one woman
And then shamelessness of men
As today writing after three days of rain
Hearing the wren sing and the falling cease
And bowing not knowing to what

Favorite Books of 2011 (Part Three)

*I am never paid to endorse these books, in case you've ever wondered.  I just love them and want to share them with you!*

There is a quote I saw recently that said, "I buy books the way some women buy shoes."  I couldn't agree more.   I'd much rather spend cash on books than food or clothes. 

That's me - well-read, but hungry and naked. 

This is the last part of my Favorite Book List - Non-fiction!  The book above was such an encouraging read by Eileen Button.  In this book of essays, Button shares what it means to walk with Christ while being patient during "waiting times." 

How many times do I grow frustrated waiting for my kids to be more independent, or waiting to hear God's voice, or waiting for a trial to be over?  I loved her writing style and how easy she was to relate to. 

If you are a pastor's wife, this is also a great read as she shares the reality of that role. 

 (Translation: Church people can be so mean.)

The website came first, and then this book.  I quickly became a huge fan of Jon Acuff.  He writes about revealing the "clutter of Christianity" so we can see the "beauty of Christ."  Let's face it, the culture of Christianity and the church can sometimes be hilarious.  His humor and satire are meant to help us see how ridiculous we act sometimes.  Don't be offended - it's all good, clean fun.

 For example, the book includes sections like, "Fearing Your Church Will Do Something Wacky the One Time You Invite a Friend", "Using Vacation Bible School as Free Babysitting", and "Losing the Will to Clap During Songs" just to name a few.

I also loved the part about how to hold hands in church:
"NEVER interlink your fingers.  NEVER give the "You're great" squeeze, and NEVER linger."
 Amen to that.

The illustrations in the book also had me giggling like crazy.

Michael Perry writes manly books.  It's refreshing to read a love story written by a man who doesn't gush.  Perry's book is about falling in love with a truck and a woman at the same time.  He restores this antique truck, while finally giving in to love in his late thirties.  I also love the fact that he resides in North Central Wisconsin.  I hope to read his other books this year. 

Let me know what books captured you this past year! 

You can always comment as "anonymous" and not log in.  If you don't see your comment right away, don't worry.  I just have to approve all comments, so it takes awhile for them to show up sometimes. 

Favorite Books of 2011 - Part Two

Here we are at the favorite fiction reads of 2011! 

First, The Coolest Book Cover of the Year Award goes to....

I just thought this was marketing genius - a blank white cover with this colorful crayon - I mean, you couldn't help but pick it up and try to figure out what in the world this room was all about!  The room is a small shed, actually, where a little boy and his mom are being held captive.  He was born in "room" and he doesn't know anything else - no trees, no lakes, no sky - it's creepy and fascinating at the same time.

 One of my surprise finds this past year - Sky Blue by Travis Thrasher.  A great mystery about a man trying to find his wife when she disappears during their honeymoon.  Thrasher has written many Christian fiction books in his career -- check out his new ones for teenagers as well, like Solitary and Gravestone.

Have I mentioned T. Greenwood lately?  I would read her grocery list if I could.  Her next book Grace comes out at the end of March this year.  Check out her website for cool book trailers of these two books I have above.

Favorite new author?   Tom McNeal.

 This book consumed me for awhile.  You can view the book trailer here at the bottom of the page.  I hope to read more of his work this year.  It's a love story, but more a story about figuring out who you are and the tiny choices that create a life.

Other fiction I devoured this year:

Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin

When She Woke by Hilary Jordan (a modern take on The Scarlet Letter!)

Rescue by Anita Shreve

I Gave My Heart to Know This by Ellen Baker

Lots of books by Kristen Hannah - She's like potato chips, you can't read just one...

Stay tuned!  The third and final installment of Favorite Books 2011 is next and it's full of great non-fiction.  It's a doozy!

Favorite Books of 2011 - Part One

I've been on the road A LOT over the past couple of weeks.  We drove to Ohio for Christmas, came home for a day, then drove to Wisconsin for my mother-in-law's wedding and New Year's.  But here's a secret for you about long car trips:  I actually look forward to them. 

Here's why:  the kids are old enough to keep themselves pretty happy (translation:  DVD players) so I get to hunker down with some good books for hours on end.  I know it's torture for some, but it's divine for me. 

In fact, I think I'll brag just a little bit. 

I read 5 books over Christmas Break.  MWUAHAHAHA!

And in keeping with tradition, I will share a few of my favorites over the next few posts.  Today I will share the books I loved in the Children's Literature category.  I have really enjoyed finding fun books to read to my kids and to share with my students.  It all started with The Invention of Hugo Cabret.  I pulled it off the shelf from our library at school and fell head over heels in love.  And then I read Wonderstruck, Brian Selznick's second book, and became a fan for life.

I keep both books in my classroom, and my students have loved them as well - even the high schoolers who are "too old" for such books.

Fiction for teenagers can be hard to find and though these may seem juvenile, I figure if I love them, any age could enjoy them. 

This is the first book in a three-part series by N.D. Wilson.  100 Cupboards is about a boy named Henry who is sent to live with his uncle and aunt in Kansas after his parents go missing overseas.  He discovers underneath the plaster above his bed all these amazing little cupboards.  By the end of the book, he realizes he's not exactly the person he always thought he was...and that's all I can really say without spoiling it!

 It's a real page turner and a little scary at the end.  I haven't decided if I'm going to read it out loud to my boys yet or not.  Be sure to have the next book, Dandelion Fire, close by because you will want to know what happens next!  I would recommend this book to kids ages 10-13 or so.  Younger, if reading it aloud. 

Oh, Kate DiCamillo, how I love you.  Everything you write is GOLD, baby, GOLD.  It's not my favorite book by her, (that would be The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane or Because of Winn-Dixie....or the Mercy Watson series....Oh, somebody stop me) but I loved it nonetheless.  The last couple of lines at the end of chapter thirteen caused me to put the book down for a moment, stare out the window of the car, and try my best not to blubber like an idiot.  Beautiful writing.  Just beautiful.

This would be a great read aloud to any child ages 6-10 or 12. 

I found this book on a favorite website - www.rabbitroom.com  - and had to have it for my kids.  It's about a girl living on an island who discovers they are actually living above something.  It's a great adventure that I read aloud to my kids over Christmas Break.  We just finished it last night!  It has great illustrations and fun characters.  There were times I thought, okay, I'm just not into this, I'll put it down, but the kids literally begged me to keep reading.  So, I guess it's a winner for any kids ages 6-10!  All three boys loved it.  The 3-year old girl loved the pictures, but she's too little to "get it" yet.

[If you go to the Rabbit Room website, take some time in the store for all the books they recommend.  It's a website created by Christian artist Andrew Peterson, and he has a great collection there.]

Some others in this category I read this year:

Witness by Karen Hesse (thanks for the recommendation, Connie!)

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs - Whoa.  This was unlike any other book I'd ever read.  It's filled with old, forgotten photographs that support the story.  I loved that idea, but was a little grossed out by some of the "monster" parts of the book.  It's written more for a teenage audience, but I don't think I would recommend it.  I'm sure there will be a series, based on the way it ended and how well it's sold. 

In my next post, I'll talk about my favorite fiction from last year.  Thanks for hangin' out!