Read aloud Thursday - inaugural post

As I was browsing the Read Aloud Revival FB page I came across a blogger doing Read Aloud Thursday posts, and then I saw this post about picture books and thought, "what a fun way to keep track of what we've been reading!"  So here goes!!  I may not be weekly about this, but will try to at least be regular.  ;-)  Without further ado...

Chapter books

Our current family chapter book is The Moffats.  We are only about two and a half chapters in, but this book has a fun feel to it.  Gemma and I read The Hundred Dresses (same author) a few months ago, but this book almost reminds me of The Children of Noisy Village (which I am dying to read again, maybe when Kolbe is just a little older).  There appear to be numerous other books about the Moffats, so I need to figure out the series order and decide if we'd like to read more.  Anyone else read these?

I am also finishing up the Samantha American Girl books with Gemma at bedtime.  I remember loooooving the American Girl books as a tween, but reading them aloud as an adult they seem to have lost a bit of their magic.  I don't dislike them, but I think I wish I would have waited and just let Gemma read them on her own.  She is still not reading chapter books independently and I don't want to force it, but I'm hoping once we finish Samantha I can draw her attention elsewhere (at least when it comes to read alouds).  I picked up a copy of The Courage of Sarah Noble from the library and am thinking about that.  Any other recommendations?

From the library:

Mushroom in the Rain was fun for the boys, especially since we've had so much rain here of late.

Yoko's Paper Cranes made its way back here for no less than the half-dozenth time over the past several years.  I like this book so much, we may have to add it to our "list".  I love books that give insight into other cultures, and this one did a beautiful job of portraying some of the intricacies of the Japanese family and traditions.

Bearymore. With some authors it's just hard to go wrong.

The Ink Garden of Brother Theophane is one I picked up after reading about it I don't even remember where, but it looks really cool so we will hopefully get to it soon.  We read a lot at random times during the day, but I try to be sure we read one picture book all together at the breakfast table. 
Molly and the Tornado was an interesting, true story with a semi-local flare.  A good one to read and discuss during severe-weather season.

I have a handful of books about the United States, and some specific ones about the midwest in hopes of doing a unit over the summer on the states and particularly Kansas.  I will update once we jump in on that.

From the bookshelf:

Clement has rediscovered our small but wonderful collection of Little Golden Books.  I may have to get him a few for his upcoming birthday.  For now his favorites have been Scuffy the Tugboat, The Little Red Caboose, The Poky Little Puppy and The Poky Little Puppy Follows His Nose Home.  The former two I love (although I never understand how the man with the polka-dot tie manages to show up just in time to rescue the tugboat from a life doomed to the endless ocean), the latter drive me a bit crazy but the nostalgia factor keeps me from hiding them.  What are your favorite Golden Books?

We also got daddy a copy of Hurty Feelings for his birthday, because his ability to read this one aloud rivals anyone's I dare say.  Fun times!

Little Pea has had its share of read aloud time lately, but I will say once I realized there were other books by the same author with different characters and essentially the same plot, I liked it a little less.  

A Fish Out of Water made its way out evening before last (I simply do not tire of reading this one), and I have found myself wishing more than once of late that we had more Sweet Pickles books than our two beloved copies (Very Worried Walrus and Me Too Iguana).

I suppose that wraps it up for this week.  Happy reading, friends!!

Seven Quick Takes: summer vacation!

1.  School wrapped up for the year after a short half-day on Thursday!!  The boys had dentist appointments that afternoon so Gemma and I went on a celebratory date.  We started with Eucharistic Adoration (I am soooo excited for her second grade year and the Sacraments that it brings), then off to eat ice cream at Braum's and she picked out a book about St. Teresa of Avila at our local Catholic bookstore.  We had such a nice time!!  Isn't she beautiful?  The first picture just captures her so well I think.

2.  That evening my hubby and I had a date (!!!!!!!!).  We went to Vespers at our Diocesan Cathedral and then spent the evening with the (around 70!!!!!!) seminarians of our diocese, various priests and about 300 people.  I am normally not much of a crowd person, in fact as we were walking in I was like, "Aaron!!!  We're going to have to talk!!! To people!!!!!!!"  But it was a positively wonderful evening catching up with people, some of whom we hadn't seen for years, and it made my heart swell with pride for the wonderful things that are happening in our diocese.  The number of seminarians (men studying for the priesthood) that we have here is astounding.  The Bishop even commented in his opening remarks that there isn't a Bishop in the world who wouldn't want to trade places with him. This morning there will be five young men ordained to the priesthood and last evening one to the diaconate.  God is good.  Sadly there is no pictorial evidence of our date.  OH well.

3.  We kicked the first morning of summer vacation off by turning our heater on, and it's running again this morning.  A little chilly for my tastes this time of year (I thought I was done with hoodies and sweats), but I won't complain.  It has been a gorgeous Spring in these parts!  And rain abounds, and looks like it will continue to abound for most of the holiday weekend.

  

4.  We signed up for the Summer Reading Program at the library yesterday...the kids had been looking forward to this for weeks now!!  They revamped the program a bit this year and I'm really happy with the changes.  The kids have to do four reading inspired activities (there is a list to choose from) and then read 20 twenty-minute reading sessions.  This is sooooooo much easier than having to write 120 titles x3 on papers that have room for 50 books.  Even with Gemma writing her own titles last year it was still so tedious.  This is going to be good.

5.  I printed out our "Summer Schedule" a couple weeks ago and hung it on the fridge so the kids (namely Gemma) could start looking at it and know what to expect each day.  It's not incredibly rigid...I am trying to keep waking/eating/sleeping times pretty consistent and see that prayers/breakfast/chores are the first thing to happen upon waking. Everything else is just divided into tasks that need to be accomplished between breakfast and lunch, and tasks/activities between lunch and dinner with lots of free time for play.  We have a few planned activities, mainly Bible School and swim lessons...just enough to keep us out of trouble but not crazy busy.  I have added a few more chores for the kids.  Gemma is getting to be a huge help around the house and out and about!  I was worried about taking three to the grocery store yesterday, but I think it was easier than shopping with just the boys...she helped load and unload stuff, kept an eye on Clement...  She is growing into such a fine young lady.  I am amazed at how she has changed over the past year.

6.  Yesterday evening our neighbors invited us over for homemade pizza.  We have the best neighbors.  Who knew when we bought this house eight years ago, that aside from the house and neighborhood/park/walking paths etc. suiting us so well, we would also end up with the nicest neighbors in the world. 

7.  I know I mentioned this on Facebook, but it bears mentioning again.  I just finished a beautiful book on prayer entitled Prayer Primer and it was a gem.  I have read several of Fr. Dubay's books recently, they are all fantastic.  One of my favorite parts in this book was the section on Family Prayer, specifically the way it explained teaching/encouraging meditation for young children.  I gleaned plenty of good information from it for myself as well, particularly on the subjects of meditative and contemplative prayer. Well worth the read, and it is a quick read, I think I finished it in six days.

Journal: halfway through May

TODAY

Out my window:  Rainy!  Oh my, have we had the rains this past week.  Today it has just been wave after wave of rain and minimal thunder.  I had a meeting this morning though, and spiritual direction this afternoon, and managed to stay dry on both trips out!  The kids played in the puddles between one of the storm cycles this afternoon and had a BLAST!

Around the house: I think I have our "schedule" (more like a daily routine than a hard and fast schedule) pretty well hashed out for the summer.  I even have it printed out and hanging on the fridge because I am just that nuts.  We have shaken up our bedtime routine a bit.  The kids, for years, have watched an episode of Little Bear before bed.  I know, TV before bed right?  Goes against what all the experts say.  But it is a nice, calm little show and it really was a good time for them to wind down.  Just recently though Gemma and Kolbe have (understandably) lost interest, and while Clem likes it it just was making bedtime crazy and unpleasant due mainly to Gemma and Kolbe's lack of interest which = a propensity to create trouble.  More so than usual.  ;-) Plus I think we'll let the kids stay up a little later this summer since then they'll sleep in a little more in the mornings.  But anyways, Gemma is always our one to freak out when we change things up, so it has been a little hard on her, but I think we will get into a good routine of baths, prayers, stories and bed...and hopefully have everyone down by 8:30 so we can still have 27.832 minutes to ourselves before I crash from exhaustion for the night.  Parenting.  It ain't for the faint of heart.

 

The kiddos: They are fun.  They are getting to the ages where I am feeling less pressure from that exhausting "tunnel" of early childhood...the constant neediness, the strollers and sippy cups and diaper bags and naps and bedtimes, etc. etc. etc., and it is nice.  Granted, we still hope to add another to the mix, but I feel like my life no longer revolves exclusively around toddlers, much as I love toddlers, and it is nice.  To breathe.  To carry on real conversations with these awesome little people.  It is so amazing watching the kids grow and mature.  I am really excited for Kolbe and Kindergarten, and Gemma will have a big sacramental year with 2nd grade.  It's going to be good.

In the kitchen: For main dishes this week I am looking at pork carnitas, honey sriracha glazed chicken bites, chicken stir fry for the Fathers (actually, just Father and seminarian now), although I will admit to using jarred sauce I am going to use fresh veggies.  I have never really made stir fry though.  I am using the linked recipe as a starting point, but does anyone have any tips? Some creamy tomato tortellini. We had our first watermelon of the season and it was great!  We have a date coming up this week too!  YAY!!!!!!

Learning:  Just trying to survive the rest of the school year.  "Academically" this summer I plan to have some handwriting, math and phonics things available for the kids.  And lots and lots of reading.

Reading: Theology, Philosophy, a bit of Confessions here and there, I have jumped back into Introduction to the Devout Life (soooo rich) and Prayer Primer just came in the mail, so I am looking forward to starting that.

Watching: Lots of MLB.  The only two shows we are currently following are Survivorman: Bigfoot which has been so-so, and River Monsters which I always love.  Jeremy Wade is so great.

Bringing me joy: Confession. A really fun road-trip with the fam last weekend; time around the house with Aaron and the kids, LOVE it when we are all together just hanging out, especially outdoors.  I am not a super outdoorsy person, but everyone else is so much happier outside, I am willing to take one for the team.  Especially when the weather is gorgeous.  My job, I am so glad Father asked me to cook for him.  It is the best job I never knew I was looking for, it is such a good fit.

Thinking about: the Sacraments, prayer, heaven, a few things I have coming up on the horizon.

Pictures to share:  

So grateful to be called "mama" by these three.

Me and my honey.

Tuesday Random Five (May 12, 2015)

Normally I put my Random Five on Facebook (and I probably still will, so my apologies for the repeat...I know there is at least ONE of you out there who reads this and is not on Facebook though).

1. Nature.  SO much nature around here.  Multiple fishing trips (just behind the house) each week, sometimes the kids keep the fish in a big five-gallon bucket for the afternoon; we caught a box turtle who peed in our trunk on a road trip this weekend; there is currently a red-eared slider in a bucket on the deck; moths, lady bugs and other random crawlies in the bug cage; a millipede in a plastic container; worms every time it rains and butterfly season is sneaking up on us. It is always something, but boy does this sure keep the kids entertained!!  As does playing in the mud.  Sometimes it is just better not to know until it is time to clean them up and come inside.  I consider it the price of peace.
2. Clement.  He is so funny.  He eats lots of bananas, sometimes three a day.  Every time I hand him one he sets it on the table standing up and says, "it looks like a bridge," before I open it for him.  He has been hugging me and saying, "mommy, you're the best!" several times a day recently. He has very vivid dreams, and often wakes up (sometimes in the middle of the night) with very odd requests.  The ones that come to mind of late are having to cast his fishing pole in the backyard and reel it back in at 2am, insisting on a bite of hamburger from the fridge before he would calm down, and needing to clutch a pretend pineapple that I continually had to hand to him until he fell back asleep.  You can't make this stuff up.
3. Books.  I got a bunch of picture books on CD for our road trip this past weekend, and the kids really enjoyed them.  Kolbe has continued enjoying them this week at home, and we got a few more when we were at the library yesterday.  I see these becoming a staple over the summer.
4. Summer.  It's coming! 6.5 days of school left.  I volunteer in Gemma's classroom for the last time this week.  I can tell that she, as usual, has a bit of trepidation about the impending changes even though she is excited for vacation!  She was talking last night about how it was a little sad to have her last time with her teacher so I can tell she's mulling it over anyways.  We are working on our "list of things we want to do" and I am making a "here are some things you can do when you are bored or driving me crazy" list.  I also have our daily routine pretty well hashed out.  Hopefully.  Time will tell.
5. Marriage.  60 years of marriage!!!  Our road trip was to celebrate Aaron's grandparents' 60th wedding anniversary.  I was so glad to get a picture of them with our kids.

Journal: Malbec! Happy Friday!

I am thankful for: Spring. The kids. Prayer. Good books. My wine re-corker thingy. Theology. My job. Awesome neighbors...they bring us tasty Asian food, love our kids, pick us flowers...  I could go on. We have got some great neighbors for sure. And shot glasses.  I am thankful for shot glasses because they make the best little vases for the flowers the kids bring me.  Couldn't tell you the last time I used a shot glass for its intended purpose (never?), but they make great dandelion vases.
 

I am enjoying: a glass of Malbec.  MMMMMmmmmmm...  Having our bookshelf upstairs and all our books OUT and AVAILABLE to little (and big) readers.  Oh my heavens, why did it take me upwards of 4 years to figure this out??  Previously our picture books had been behind closed doors in the TV stand, and my books had been on the bookshelf in the basement.  I finally decided I needed to do something about this (I am not sure exactly of the straw that broke the camel's back, but something snapped this week) so in a fit of impulsivity I moved the end-table downstairs, the bookshelf upstairs, put the kids' books on the bottom shelf, the ones I read/use all the time on the top shelf, and the rest of my books behind the closed doors of the TV stand.  Our former book basket resides beside the shelf and now we keep the library books there (instead of the fireplace).  I did all this realizing that the setup probably wouldn't be ideal but at least we'd have our books out and that was the important part...and we actually like it better than having the end table over there.  It has really opened up the corner and it looks soooo cozy. I am also enjoying the Benedictines of Mary Easter CD.  Sometimes I close my eyes standing in the middle of my kitchen and honestly it is like a little taste of heaven.  So beautiful.  Track 3 (The Clouds of Night) is one of my favorites. 

I am working: on a glass of Malbec. And a summer routine for the kids. We are planning to make a list of things we would like to do here in a bit.  I have been working on my library lists, and trying to keep us well stocked with good books.  I found a great list of picture books to inspire some library check-outs.  I have a thing for book-lists.  What are your favorites (book lists that is)?  We have read about 1/4 of these so looking forward to some new-to-us titles. Spent entirely too long planning next week's menu but got the grocery shopping done and forgot under 5 items. Yay me? It is a very lucky thing we are only a mile from the store.

I am reading: the usuals.  Theology, Philosophy (I cannot believe how much I love Philosophy, oh my word...), dabbling in a bit more Confessions, (I am just convinced this is one to read slowly) and have been working my way through Mark (almost done with my commentary) and the Acts of the Apostles as well.  Upon the recommendation of my faithful reader, I received a copy of Molly and the Tornado from inter-library loan today to read to the kids. We had a not-very-close-but-close-enough-to-pull-my-"things to take to the basement"-list-out-call the other night with a small storm cell, so the kids should get a kick out of this one. Or it will freak them out.  You never know...  We've been revisiting some of our old favorites as well, now that the picture books are out in the open.  Anyone else out there read And the Dish Ran Away with the Spoon?  We love it! For Mother's Day I really did not need (or want) anything, so I told the kids we would pick out several new (well, used on Amazon but new to us) picture books.  So far we have ordered Little Pea and Adele and Simon in America.  I am particularly excited about the latter.  Started the Samantha books with Gemma this past week, we are on book 3. I will be honest, I like American Girl books but do not think they are great.  If I had it to do over again I would just have waited and let Gemma read them on her own rather than using them as read-alouds.

I am cooking: black bean tortilla soup (this is no way an endorsement of Martha Stewart, it just happens to be a good recipe.  I did modify it a bit though...) for tonight, only it is already done!! I made it yesterday for the fathers' Friday meal and made enough for us so all I have to do is reheat!  My kind of dinner!! Next week we've got breakfast casserole, honey sriracha chicken for us and pesto chicken for the fathers, baked salmon for us, Nantucket baked cod for the fathers, some roasted cauliflower and potatoes and sauteed green beans as sides. Still have a few gaps to fill in next week. menu-wise. I made a tasty banana "cake" (quotes because it is pretty healthy for a cake) and we have more bananas in the freezer, so I may make another one in the next week or so.

I am watching: baseball! Catching an episode of Alton Brown here and there. I swear, I learn some sort of new trick or tip from him almost every episode I watch.  Good stuffs those Good Eats. Many evenings I watch the back of my eyelids. 

Pictures to share:

The kids and their grandma Mary (hubby's mom) on May day!  We made some impromptu May baskets and had so much fun!

Silly kids!