I think it has something to do with getting up early enough to play on my fully charged phone & kindle to run the batteries down completely by 6 am.
It's a good thing she is so sweet.
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Sweet, right?
Shall I tell you why she's sleeping so late this morning?
I think it has something to do with getting up early enough to play on my fully charged phone & kindle to run the batteries down completely by 6 am.
It's a good thing she is so sweet.
I think it has something to do with getting up early enough to play on my fully charged phone & kindle to run the batteries down completely by 6 am.
It's a good thing she is so sweet.
Monday, September 17, 2012
Books and Stuff
Recently on Pinterest, one of the people I follow has posted a bunch of books that look really good. So I went back and pinned them too and more than that, I actually reserved a bunch from the library. Most of them are young adult books, so I've read them before just handing them off to Harry and Sam.
In the last couple of days I've read The Invention of Hugo Cabret and Wonder. I'm pretty sure I am the last person on the planet to read Hugo Cabret, but for some reason I couldn't get into it. I've checked it out a few times, but returned it without reading it each time. Honestly, I think it is the size of the book and the fact that the sticker on the spine says "fantasy" that kept me from opening the book. Finally yesterday I just decided to go for it. I opened the book and found out that it is so big because of the amazing pencil drawings and pictures that make up a lot of the story. So I read the book and really enjoyed it. I especially liked that it talks about a real person--the filmmaker Georges Melies. Harry will like it, but I plan to give it to Sam to read first.
One thing I love about reading young adult books is that I can usually finish one in a few hours. But every once in a while, even though I've finished the book, it still sticks with me. Wonder is one of those. You'll have to read it and because I really don't want to give anything away, I won't say much. I handed it off to Harry once I finished it and he just finished it a couple of hours ago. I could keep track of where he was in the book, though, by his comments. He would ask me, "why is (situation A) happening? Why don't people do something?". And I'd know that he had gotten to a certain part. He's way more talkative about this book than he has been with others.
I think I can safely say the book has some bullying and cruelty in it without giving away any major spoilers. I've been open with the kids about what I went through in middle school--the torment and the bullying that happened there. They know how I reacted and how much I hated school because of it. And because they've heard a first-hand experience from me, it's even more mystifying to them why kids are cruel. Wonder opens up with middle school and deals with a specific kid there and what he goes through. It's sparked a lot of good discussions with Harry, not just on bullying, but on how we treat people. Is it bullying to not want to be near someone? What crosses the line to actually being a bully? What makes people think it's okay to treat others so badly?
Throughout our discussions though, it occurred to me that the words "bullying" and "bully" have lost a lot of their meaning. There is a big poster at Annika's school that says something like Stop the Bullies and has a little acrostic poem about how the can do that. But by bandying around the word "bully" we are weakening it and almost normalizing it. Annika's school is really into anti-bullying, which I heartily agree with, but every day she comes home with another phrase about bullying or bullies. I'm not sure what else I want the schools to do or what word I want them to use, it just feels like it's become the new educational catch phrase rather than anything helpful.
Anyway, Wonder was excellent and has sparked several discussions, not just on bullying, but on being a kid and what it's like to grow up. I really would recommend it to anyone.
As for my own reading, nothing too spectacular. I'm reading A Knight in King Arthur's Court with Harry and Peter Pan with Sam. Annika is reading some beginning chapter books. Another stand out though has been The Prairie Thief. It feels like Little House on the Prairie with magic. It's our read aloud at bedtime and we're all into it.
In the last couple of days I've read The Invention of Hugo Cabret and Wonder. I'm pretty sure I am the last person on the planet to read Hugo Cabret, but for some reason I couldn't get into it. I've checked it out a few times, but returned it without reading it each time. Honestly, I think it is the size of the book and the fact that the sticker on the spine says "fantasy" that kept me from opening the book. Finally yesterday I just decided to go for it. I opened the book and found out that it is so big because of the amazing pencil drawings and pictures that make up a lot of the story. So I read the book and really enjoyed it. I especially liked that it talks about a real person--the filmmaker Georges Melies. Harry will like it, but I plan to give it to Sam to read first.
One thing I love about reading young adult books is that I can usually finish one in a few hours. But every once in a while, even though I've finished the book, it still sticks with me. Wonder is one of those. You'll have to read it and because I really don't want to give anything away, I won't say much. I handed it off to Harry once I finished it and he just finished it a couple of hours ago. I could keep track of where he was in the book, though, by his comments. He would ask me, "why is (situation A) happening? Why don't people do something?". And I'd know that he had gotten to a certain part. He's way more talkative about this book than he has been with others.
I think I can safely say the book has some bullying and cruelty in it without giving away any major spoilers. I've been open with the kids about what I went through in middle school--the torment and the bullying that happened there. They know how I reacted and how much I hated school because of it. And because they've heard a first-hand experience from me, it's even more mystifying to them why kids are cruel. Wonder opens up with middle school and deals with a specific kid there and what he goes through. It's sparked a lot of good discussions with Harry, not just on bullying, but on how we treat people. Is it bullying to not want to be near someone? What crosses the line to actually being a bully? What makes people think it's okay to treat others so badly?
Throughout our discussions though, it occurred to me that the words "bullying" and "bully" have lost a lot of their meaning. There is a big poster at Annika's school that says something like Stop the Bullies and has a little acrostic poem about how the can do that. But by bandying around the word "bully" we are weakening it and almost normalizing it. Annika's school is really into anti-bullying, which I heartily agree with, but every day she comes home with another phrase about bullying or bullies. I'm not sure what else I want the schools to do or what word I want them to use, it just feels like it's become the new educational catch phrase rather than anything helpful.
Anyway, Wonder was excellent and has sparked several discussions, not just on bullying, but on being a kid and what it's like to grow up. I really would recommend it to anyone.
As for my own reading, nothing too spectacular. I'm reading A Knight in King Arthur's Court with Harry and Peter Pan with Sam. Annika is reading some beginning chapter books. Another stand out though has been The Prairie Thief. It feels like Little House on the Prairie with magic. It's our read aloud at bedtime and we're all into it.
Saturday, September 15, 2012
My Girls' Room (for my sister)
When we moved to this house we bought a new bed--it was a daybed from IKEA and I loved it. Originally It was to be the guest bed, but the kids kept growing and it became Annika and Emma's bed.
That worked for a while but they still kept growing and we needed to do something. So we sold the white daybed that I loved so much and bought bunk beds for the girls. Annika is thrilled to be on top and Emma is happy to have her own space.
Last week Jason found a bedroom set on Craigslist. He saw the mirrored vanity and knew our girls had to have it. So now they have a dresser with shelves and a vanity. The set also came with a table and desk but we ran out of space in their room.
All of this to say, "hey Celeste, these are the pictures you wanted to see!"
We also painted the room a bright yellow that actually shines out the door during the day. We do plan to wallpaper one wall when the rolls get here from England in a couple of weeks.
That worked for a while but they still kept growing and we needed to do something. So we sold the white daybed that I loved so much and bought bunk beds for the girls. Annika is thrilled to be on top and Emma is happy to have her own space.
Last week Jason found a bedroom set on Craigslist. He saw the mirrored vanity and knew our girls had to have it. So now they have a dresser with shelves and a vanity. The set also came with a table and desk but we ran out of space in their room.
All of this to say, "hey Celeste, these are the pictures you wanted to see!"
We also painted the room a bright yellow that actually shines out the door during the day. We do plan to wallpaper one wall when the rolls get here from England in a couple of weeks.
Friday, September 14, 2012
Agree to Disagree
Last week I put an Obama 2012 sticker on the back of my car. Harry had helped me pick it out and we'd discussed who I plan to vote for and why. It's part of an ongoing dialogue we have around here. But it always ends with, "we know lots of people that will be voting for someone else. They are good people and we don't worry about it. Political differences aren't as important as how people treat each other."
I anticipate using those lines a lot over the next few years or decades. The truth is I don't agree politically with many of the people I spend a lot of time with and that I trust. And barring some kind of revelation, I don't think I ever will. This puts me in an uncomfortable place a lot of the time. How much do I share with people? How is it that we can believe in so much of the same things and come to completely different conclusions in the political arena? But it puts my kids in an even more uncomfortable position. Kids, we know, see the world in black and white, right and wrong. And they have no filters. So what they hear they speak without thought. It can make it confusing when your parents think something else.
I remember realizing that people, at church especially, didn't agree with my parents politically. I was ten and Walter Mondale went against Ronald Reagan. I remember the yard signs and I think my parents were on the ballot to be delegates to the convention that year. It surprised me that people were so wrong (remember, I was ten) and that they didn't understand that my parents knew what they were talking about. We all know how that election turned out. But for me it was more than an election, it changed how I saw the world. I realized that there were sides and opinions and that a lot of people disagreed with things I had grown up with. It was probably the first time I saw outside my little world.
Over the years I've gotten used to being the minority in my circles. In some ways it's made me a better voter. Because I know that the vast majority of people I see often disagree with me politically, I research and study my own opinions. I don't want to start spouting something off and have it be wrong or poorly researched. Even if I don't change anyone's mind, at least they know that those of us on the "other side of the aisle" aren't always reactionaries or just following the party line. People also see that sometimes Mormons are Democrats and that's okay.
No matter what party my kids support when they are old enough to vote, they will learn that good people can disagree. They will learn early that we don't vilify people even when we don't agree with them. And that's a good lesson for all of us to learn.
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Awww
This might be a bit controversial but I think it's harmless and cute. A little boy in Annika's class wrote her a note yesterday complimenting her clothes and freckles and telling her that he likes her.
She wrote him back today telling him thank you and that his note was very funny. She also said that she likes him back.
Yep, I think she'll fit into elementary school just fine. Maybe a little too fine in fact.
She wrote him back today telling him thank you and that his note was very funny. She also said that she likes him back.
Yep, I think she'll fit into elementary school just fine. Maybe a little too fine in fact.
Emma Compares
"The juice in the applesauce is really good.
As good as a mushroom."
"Have you ever had a mushroom?"
"Nope."
As good as a mushroom."
"Have you ever had a mushroom?"
"Nope."
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