Happy Baby = Happy Family

Like just about every other kids over the past month, our youngest has been S-I-C-K. We had JUST gotten him sleeping through the night, walking and starting to talk when - WHAM, sickness was at our door.

After a week of it, we are finally on the upswing but it has been a rough week to say the least. I was playing with the kids last night and captured some cute pics of our youngest, Boy #2.

This one is a cute one, if you can ignore all of the food on his face...

I guess after all of the exhaustion this week, a nap on the carpet was in order...

We die laughing each night because when he sits in his seat to eat, he pushes his toes up against his tray...it looks almost painful, but he doesn't seem to mind! Little feet are so cute...

Book Loves Nook, Nook Loves Boy

If you follow this blog at all you know that I recently received a Nook. I am obsessed with it, and it absolutely has revolutionized how reading fits into my schedule. However, I am not the only one who loves this captivating electronic device.

Needless to say, I probably have just as many children's books on here as I do adult books, and Boy #1 is quite adept at navigating his way right to what he wants.

Recently, we downloaded Jack and the Beanstalk, and the new game is to search for giants in the woods on the way to school in the mornings. Since our drive is before the sun comes up, and along a two lane back road, it makes it extra fun to see if we spot these elusive beings on the roadside.

We have downloaded so many other great reads, but Boy #1's favorites are the "Read to Me." These books will actually read out loud to him as he swipes the pages - too neat!

Momma ends up checking barnesandnoble.com everyday just to catch deals, because they are updated daily and if you don't keep up with it, you miss them.

As awesome as the Nook is, it does not deter us from the library, where we still make weekly visits. There is nothing like a real library book to hold in your hands.

This device is such a great alternative to video games (which I loathe, and have sworn that my boys will NOT have). It has been a lifesaver in doctor's offices, in the car, and while I am trying to get dinner cooked.

My boy loves this Nook :-)

St. Patrick's Day - Remember the History?

While many of us are wearing green, pinching those who are not, and having a great time with the holiday, I was surprised at just how much I didn't know about why this day is even acknowledged. Boy #1 and I picked up some picture books on St. Patricks Day from the library and they really did provide some insight (in kiddie language). Here is a more "adult" explanation:

St. Patrick's Day is named for St. Patrick. Little is known of Patrick's early life, though it is known that he was born in Roman Britain in the 4th century, into a wealthy Romano British family. His father and grandfather were deacons in the Church. At the age of sixteen, he was kidnapped by Irish raiders and taken captive to Ireland as a slave. It is believed he was held somewhere on the west coast of Ireland, possibly Mayo, but the exact location is unknown. According to his Confession, he was told by God in a dream to flee from captivity to the coast, where he would board a ship and return to Britain. Upon returning, he quickly joined the Church in Auxerre in Gaul and studied to be a priest.

In 432, he again said that he was called back to Ireland, though as a bishop, to Christianise the Irish from their native polytheism. Irish folklore tells that one of his teaching methods included using the shamrock to explain the Christian doctrine of the Trinity to the Irish people. After nearly thirty years of evangelism, he died on 17 March 461, and according to tradition, was buried at Downpatrick. Although there were other more successful missions to Ireland from Rome, Patrick endured as the principal champion of Irish Christianity and is held in esteem in the Irish Church.

Why do we wear green? Originally, the colour associated with Saint Patrick was blue. Over the years the colour green and its association with Saint Patrick's day grew. Green ribbons and shamrocks were worn in celebration of St Patrick's Day as early as the 17th century. He is said to have used the shamrock, a three-leaved plant, to explain the Holy Trinity to the pagan Irish, and the wearing and display of shamrocks and shamrock-inspired designs have become a ubiquitous feature of the day. In the 1798 rebellion, in hopes of making a political statement, Irish soldiers wore full green uniforms on 17 March in hopes of catching public attention. The phrase "the wearing of the green", meaning to wear a shamrock on one's clothing, derives from a song of the same name.

I think many of us celebrate the holiday without appreciating and knowing the history behind them. Let's not lose that, and remember to pass that knowledge on to our kids!

Full and Fabulous February

When writing poems on the California Gold Rush, I challenged my students to use alliteration, hence the catchy title to today's blog!

February was such a full month, and we did so much as a family. As my boys are getting older I am finding it more and more challenging to keep up with the picture taking but I WILL NOT surrender! I love my camera, and their adorable faces too much. Every parent reading this totally gets what I am talking about...

Here are some of the highlights of the fun we had last month (and a few other random pictures that I found too cute not to include):

Look at my new shoes, which I am so excited about that I am flapping my arms too fast for the camera to catch (and my brother in the background yelling at me)...

Can't believe I caught them both being still enough for this picture, but I can't explain the crouching quarterback position...

A day at the swingset...and yes, the leaves that litter the background of each picture are gone as of this last weekend :)

And a trip to the doughnut store...where Rylan picked out five doughnuts he wanted (only one of which he actually ate) and a bag of doughnut holes (which I devoured in the car)...I love that we do this so seldom that it is a huge treat for them!

The Thunder Nationals at the Coliseum...what little boy doesn't love monster trucks?

A trip to Theater IV to see a live production of The Big Friendly Giant, my favorite children's book ever...

And a whole lot of hanging out at the house...which explains why it is in a constant state of chaos, and is resembling tornado-alley.

Here's to an even better March...

Catching Fire (The Hunger Games #2) Book Review

I finally finished the second book in this trilogy, and like the first, it was well worth the read. Although I must admit that I liked the first one better.

In Catching Fire, we follow Katniss and Peeta as they are celebrated victors of The Hunger Games, an annual competition where tributes are chosen from each of the twelve districts to compete in a game of ultimate survival. Killing is the object of the game. That being said, the details of the games are cloudy enough that it is not a consuming part of the novel.

As they are making their Victory Tour across all of the districts, President Snow announces that for the 75th Hunger Games, the victors from the districts will come back for a second round. Back in the arena, Katniss and Peeta form alliances with other players, but they are still soundly concerned with each other. Their relationship is a real point of interest in the novel, because while she loves Peeta, she is in love with another but knows that keeping Peeta alive (and everyone believing in their relationship), means peace and happiness for everyone.

Meanwhile, life back in their home district, 12, is harder than ever. With the removal of their more understanding PeaceKeeper and a new more rigid, hard-lined man in his place, whippings and public punishment become commonplace. Will Katniss and Peeta along with others in the different districts be able to rebel against the Capital that is keeping them on lockdown?

This book is a great sequel to the first book, but I felt like it was more confusing. The characters were a little harder to get to know, and the events in the arena were a little forced and rushed which sometimes leaves the reader wondering, "what just happened?" Re-reading comes in handy.

Overall it was definitely worth the read, you will still be vested in Katniss and Peeta's survival and they become more endearing because of their dedication to winning the games, but in a fair and appropriate way. I am hoping for a little more clarity in Mockingjay, the third book in the series.

Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Characters from Young Adult Fiction Novels

Below is my list of the top ten characters I love from young adult fiction novels...they are in no particular order, I love them all equally!

1) Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games. Katniss is such a strong-willed character and she is always in survival mode.

2) The BFG from The BFG. I really have always loved this character, and the whole book for that matter - he is such a lovable guy, and he really makes the book.

3) Isabel from Chains and Forge. I fell in love with her because she endured so much throughout the two historical novels. I look forward to reading more about her in the third book of the trilogy Ashes.

4. Scarlett O'Hara from Gone With the Wind. What self-respecting southern lady doesn't love her? "Great balls of fire. Don't bother me anymore, and don't call me sugar." (I know, technically this isn't young adult literature, but I just had to add her to the list!)

5. Piper from The Girl Who Could Fly. Piper is another strong-willed character but what charmed me so much was her adorable "Southern" sayings. "Well, butter my biscuits."

6. Cassie from Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. Cassie reminds me a lot of Isabel from Chains because she is being brought up in a very loving home, but in a time of turmoil she must endure and persevere.

7. Matty from The Messenger. This is the third book in Lois Lowry's The Loose Trilogy. I loved it, and really found Matty captivating. It helps that this is an adventurous story as well so you really root for him.

8. Nissa from The Year of the Sawdust Man and Nissa's Place. Nissa is a lost and naive young girl who is left wondering where her mother disappeared to, and she sets out to uncover the mystery.

9. Audrey from Little Audrey. Audrey the author's older sister, and the novel is through her viewpoint of their childhood, or what the author would deduce her version of the story to be. Hardship would not even begin to describe what Audrey and the family endure while living in a coal mining camp in Virginia, but how she tells the story makes you feel as if you are right there in their little clapboard house with them.

10. Brian from Hatchet (and the entire series). I love this character, this series, and the premise of having to survive when thrown into the wild. I think Brian's character is so well-developed and he goes into even more uncharted territory in the books following Hatchet.

Raj The Bookstore Tiger Picture Book Review

This is a wonderful book! I think this is one of the most impressive picture books I have seen yet.

Raj, is a cat who lives in a bookstore - Felicity, his owner, has dubbed him “Raj the Bookstore Tiger” and he daily lives up to his name by strutting around at storytime and giving “growls” to the other readers. When another cat, Snowball, comes to live there too, he challenges Raj and makes him believe with his mean words that he is nothing more than a simple cat, and Raj loses his spirit.

The book follows him as he once again remembers who he is at heart, and with the help of a William Blake poem (which I promptly downloaded and taped into the back of my copy), he finds the real tiger within. He even helps Snowball, the other cat, believe himself to be a tiger - adorable premise for a children's book!

This book could be the basis for many lessons in the classroom – character study, a study on setting, and even an extension study of William Blake’s poems. The illustrations are beautiful and the pictures go right along with the text, and even enhance it. My three-year old could almost tell the story from looking at the pictures. This is a winner for any home or school library!