Four Symptoms of Fatigue

You may have a condition known as Wife-Mother Fatigue if you exhibit the following symptoms:

1. You attempt to place the cereal in the fridge, until you realize that it doesn't matter if Honey Grahams are cold or not.

2. When preparing lunch, you repeatedly hit the button on the microwave, thinking, "Oh no, the microwave is dying!"  That is, until you realize that that was the CANCEL button.

3. When preparing for bed, you start to throw your socks in the garbage instead of the hamper.

4. You realize you wore your panties inside out all day, without realizing it.

Treatment for these symptoms:
Sleep

Either that or.....

CHOCOLATE!!!

Reading as a Family

The Love of Reading really has to be a culture.  This was the culture in my growing up years:

- Mom's idea of relaxing (in her rare "free" time), was kicking back with a Janette Oke book.  Other times, she was perusing books, to okay for my sister and me to read.  She had to keep up with our voracious reading habits... my sister read more than I did.

- Speaking of my sister, in first grade, she was assigned to read the first chapter of Sarah, Plain and Tall during class.  While everyone else read what was assigned, she read the ENTIRE book in that allotted time.  Um ya, that's why I say VORACIOUS.

- Dad read at night... usually the Bible.  That's a given for Mom and Dad.  But, we'd also pester and he'd read aloud Bible stories and other books to us. You don't know what it's like having a story read to you until Dad does it.  He had a voice for every character and perfect inflections.  Close your eyes and let your imagination soar...  On the other hand, we loved watching his face as he read.

- There was a big bookshelf in the hallway.  And, on any given day, we were camped out beside, reading and rereading the selections there.

- My younger brother read too... the Guinness Book of World Records and those sorts of things.  Consequently, he became an encyclopedia of what we referred to as useless information.  :)

- And then, there's my youngest brother... I remember him as mostly being on the receiving end of reading.  The way I read to my children was really developed and practiced in the times I read to him.  Additionally, his reading interests were piqued by our brother, which eventually led to him becoming an encyclopedia as well... 

Sweet memories to last a lifetime... my experiences with reading, growing up.

Growing Up Around Books

Growing up, books and the library were just part of life.  And, it wasn't just because we were homeschooled much of the time.  It was part of our lifestyle, even before we were all school-age and during our Christian school attending years.  This is my mom's philosophy:

"It's hot out."
"Let's go to the library." (Air conditioning!!!)

"It's a rainy day." 
"Let's swing by the library."

"We have errands to run."
"Let's stop at the library."

"We're going for a walk."
"Let's drop in to the library."

You get the idea.  The trips were frequent.  Yes, there are the inevitable searches for missing books, but it's all part of the fun.  I mean, when else would you be motivated to vacuum under the couch cushions? 

I can remember finding a M-I-A copy of a Beatrix Potter book in a dress-up purse out in our playhouse.  This was months after Mom paid the fine.  By the way, Mom, thanks.  I really did think we took it back.  :)

So, learn a little from my Mom.  Every day is a perfect day to go to the library.

Your Local Librarian is Your Best Friend

When Skeeter was just 5 or 6 months old, I loaded up my stroller and drove to my local library.  I met the children's librarian, Miss Nancy, on my first trip to the library in our area.  I said, "I don't know if I'm here too early.  She's so young, but I couldn't stay away any longer!"  I didn't even know what kind of books you read to a nice, little round Blossom like mine, but I was determined to read to her.  Miss Nancy immediately pointed me in the direction of books written by Nancy Tafuri, an author who has come to be a favorite here, and a tradition for our babies.  "Oh Skeeter, we won't just read you board books any more!"  Miss Nancy taught me that it's ok for babies to put books in their mouths.  It's their first "impression" of literacy... and it's tasty, as even Sweet Pea knows.  (just kidding)  Through the years, Miss Nancy has taught me in many ways.  I once attended her (free!) seminar on Early Childhood Education and Literacy.  It still affects how I think about reading to and interacting with my children in their early years.  Once, we were headed out the door on a family camping trip.  I didn't have the time or the resources to order a reference book on Butterflies in our area.  I called in, reserved a book and asked my husband to pick it up.  He came home with a stack of 4 books!  They wanted to make sure I had everything I needed!  Miss Nancy graciously helped me teach Skeeter how to use the library.  She is a fountain of information and inspiration.  Who wrote Billy & Blaze?  "C.W. Anderson."  Where can I find some good animal books for Scooter?  "Just over here..."  I need some ideas for read-aloud time.  "How about Stuart Little?"  I can tell Miss Nancy cares about the selection on her shelves.  She's constantly updating things.  We just enjoyed a new audio version of Mr. Popper's Penguins, a title that wasn't always available on cd.  I'm sure this was brought about by her tireless work.  Yes, your local librarian is your best friend.  There are countless versions of Miss Nancy all over the United States, waiting to meet you and your children, thrilled to answer your questions, share their love of reading. 

Go!

Ask!

May your love of reading grow!

Fostering the Love of Reading

Sweet Pea is five months old today.  She celebrated the occasion by initiating her love of reading.  I was in the kitchen, pulling lunch (and a crockpot supper) together.  Scooter was lounging on the floor beside Sweet Pea, reading to her... a book about wind.  I smiled and kept on with my work.  It makes me happy to see the love of reading growing in two girlies, simultaneously.  Next thing I know, Scooter's chomping away at her lunch and Sweet Pea's chomping away on her book!  (Don't worry, she was fine.)  But, I did snap a pic to show Miss Nancy, our local librarian.  :) 

There is a real culture of reading here at our happy little home.  The article below talks about that sort of thing pretty succinctly.

http://simplehomeschool.net/reading-the-good-stuff/

We love (and practice) the idea of fostering a passion for reading, rather than pushing them into it.  It's just normal here.  It's just what we do.  Maybe, that's why I didn't bat an eye when Sweet Pea swallowed two pages worth of info on wind.  She's not the first Blossom to have done so.  :)