Picture Books We Read in January

Original artwork by Charles Haigh-Wood (1856-1927)

The Picture Book Reading Challenge (sign up here/read my intro post here) has really motivated Linus and I to branch out our reading choices. He and I read every book together with big brother and little brother joining in most of the time. Our goal was to read at least 8 books that fit our list this month because he turned 8 on Saturday. We hit the #8 mark a couple of weeks ago when I first posted our intro post. Since then we just kept reading.

As we stand now:

24 out of 102 read (items in red are new since the last update, items in green are in progress, usually non fiction with a lot of words on each page that we like to enjoy in bite sizes)

1. An alphabet book
S is for Scientists: A Discovery Alphabet by Larry Verstraete
_ 2. A counting book
Hat Tricks Count: A Hockey Numbers Book by Matt Napier
_ 3. Concept book: shapes or numbers or opposites or colors
4. a book set on a farm or in the country
Beatrice's Goat by Page McBrier
_ 5. a book set in the city or in an urban area
6. a book set at the beach, in the ocean, or by a lake
Are You the Pirate Captain by Gareth P. Jones and Garry Patterson
7. a book with human characters
The Quiet Little Woman by Louisa May Alcott
8. a book with animal characters
The Sheep Go On Strike by Jean-Francois Dumont
9. a bedtime book
Mortimer by Robert Munsch
10. a rhyming book
Without Wings, Mother, How Can I Fly? by Norma Farber
11. a book celebrating art
Magic Trash: A Story of Tyree Guyton and His Art by Jane Shapiro
12. a book celebrating dance
Mama Does the Mambo by Katherine Leiner
_ 13. a book celebrating music
14. a book celebrating family (parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, etc.)
My Family Tree and Me by Dusan Petricic
15. a book about feelings, expressing feelings
You're All My Favorites by Sam McBratney
16. a book with a twist (unexpected) ending
Snow Day by Lester L. Laminack
_ 17. a book about pets (cats, dogs, fish)
_ 18. a book celebrating libraries or reading
19. a book translated into English (originally published in another language/country)
The Happy Troll by Max Bolliger
_ 20 Mother Goose related
The Real Mother Goose by Blanche Fisher Wright
21 a book about adoption
Help a Hamster: A Gentle Introduction to Adoption by Hilary Robinson
_ 22 a book by Gail Gibbons
23 a book by Jon Scieszka
Math Curse by Jon Scieszka
_ 24 a book featured on Reading Rainbow
_ 25 free choice
_ 26 out of print
_ 27 wordless picture book
_ 28 a book by Margaret Wise Brown
_ 29 a board book
_ 30. a book about trains or planes
_ 31. a book about cars or trucks
_ 32. a book about starting school
_ 33. a book about friendship (sharing, caring, forgiving)
_ 34. a book about being ME, about being unique, special, loved, etc.
_ 35. a fairy tale
36. a twisted (adapted) fairy tale
Bully Goat Grim by Willy Claflin
_ 37. a book about a holiday
_ 38. a new-to-you author
_ 39. a new-to-you illustrator
40. a book about new experiences (dentist, doctor, sleepovers, movies, playing sports, learning to swim, etc.)
Subway Mouse by Barbara Reid
41. a series book
The Super Red Racer: Junior Discovers Work by Dave Ramsey
_ 42. a book celebrating food (cooking, eating, trying new foods, eating healthy)
43. a book published before 1950
McElligot's Pool by Dr. Seuss
_ 44. a book published in the 1950s
_ 45. a book published in the 1960s
_ 46. a book published in the 1970s
_ 47. a book published in the 1980s
_ 48. a book published in the 1990s
_ 49. a book published in the 2000s
50. a book published 2010-2016
No Pirates Allowed! Said Library Lou by Rhonda Gowler Greene
_ 51. a book published in 2017
_ 52. a book by Dr. Seuss
_ 53. a book by Mo Willems
_ 54. a book by Jan Thomas
_ 55. a book by Eric Carle
_ 56. a book by Laura Numeroff
_ 57. a book by Patricia Polacco
_ 58. a book by Jon Klassen
_ 59. a book by Beatrix Potter
_ 60. a book by Kevin Henkes
_ 61. a book written or illustrated by LeUyen Pham
_ 62. a Caldecott winner
_ 63.  a Caldecott honor
_ 64. a picture book biography
_ 65. a nonfiction picture book
_ 66. a book from your childhood
_ 67. a book you discovered as an adult
_ 68. a book celebrating writing, being an author or illustrator
_ 69. a library book
_ 70. an audio book
_ 71.  a book about dinosaurs OR dragons
72. nonfiction book about animals (or animal)
Creepy but Cool Snakes by Julie K. Lundgren
_ 73. a challenged book OR a controversial book
_ 74. a book that makes you laugh
_ 75. a book that makes you cry
_ 76. hate the text, love the art
77. love the text, hate the art
Now or Later Alligator by Precious McKenzie
78. a book with a great cover
The Barefoot Book of Children by Tessa Strickland, Kate DePalma, David Dean
_ 79. a book with an ugly cover
_ 80. a book about toys
_ 81. a book about weather
_ 82. a picture book for older readers
_ 83. a book of jokes, riddles, tongue-twisters
The Science Zone: Jokes, Riddles, Tongue Twisters & Daffynitions by Gary Chmielewski
_ 84. a book about seasons
85. a song
Deep in the Swamp by Donna M. Bateman
_ 86. a poetry book
_ 87. a book by a celebrity
_ 88.  a book published in Australia
_ 89. a book published in the UK
_ 90. a book about science or math
_ 91. a book about history or historical event
_ 92. a book about sports
_ 93. a book about celebrating birthdays
_ 94. a book about a President or world leader
_ 95. a book about another country
_ 96. a book celebrating faith
_ 97. a pop-up book, or, a book with cut-outs or flaps or fold-outs
_ 98. a bilingual book
_ 99.  a television series that has been adapted to a book
_ 100. a book that has been adapted to a television series
_ 101. an adaptation of a myth or legend
_ 102. a book about babies

Bout of Books - Wrap Up Post

Whew! I made it through the whole week with Bout of Books! Yesterday was the last day and it ended up being the day I was able to get the most pages read. My goal was 100 pages minimum a day, which I exceeded all 7 days, and my total goal was 700 pages and I ended up reading 1.5 times that. Whooo! Nothing like a challenge to keep me focused and start my new year of reading off right.

In the end:

Pages Read Today: 254
Total Pages Read: 1051

Books Read Today: 5, Love Rebel: Reclaiming Motherhood by Anna Eastland and others, Mass Education by Adam Thomé, Theology of the Body in Simple Language adapted by Philokalia Books, Don't Kill the Birthday Girl by Sandra Beasley, and some of my Bible
Books Finished Today: 1, Love Rebel: Reclaiming Motherhood
Total Books Finished: 4

Books Read with the Kids Today: 2, I started reading 2 graphic novels today with Tobias and Linus for our Graphic Novel Reading Challenge. Tobias and I started with A Bag of Marbles by Joseph Joffo and Linus got sucked in as he heard it and was pretty soon leaning over my shoulder reading along with us. This story is based on a true story and the subject matter is heavy so after we finished the first part we started another graphic novel, this time a fiction one, Space Dumplins by Craig Thompson.
Total Books Read with the Kids: 19

Newbery Reading Challenge 2017

As soon as I saw this challenge I knew I'd sign up. There are so many Newbery and Caldecott books that I love, and many many more that I've never gotten the chance to explore yet. With a 10 year old, an almost 8 year old and a 6 year old in the house I am planning on choosing books from the list that I can enjoy with them. Anyone that reads this and wants to join us can do so by signing up here.

Here are the rules:​
Each book you read is worth points. You get:

• 3 points for a Newbery Medal Winner
• 2 points for a Newbery Honor Book
• 1 point for a Caldecott Book (Both Medal winners and Honor books are worth a point this year!)

In addition to that, you pick a level to aim for:

• L'Engle: 15 - 29 points
• Spinelli: 30 - 44 points
• Avi: 45 - 59 points
• Lowry: 60 - 74 points
• Konigsburg: 75+ points

We are going to aim for L'Engle to start, but I aim hoping once we get on a roll we may go higher. Our planned list of reads so far is:

1. From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg
2. Ginger Pye by Eleanor Estes
3. Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George
4. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien
5. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

That will get us to 15 points, and from there... we shall see!

Mother's Day in Pictures

It is Mother's Day weekend, and Mother's Day for me always brings up about eleventy million emotions. Those emotions mirror all of the emotions I've ever felt as a daughter and mother. As I sat today thinking about my journey through daughterhood and into motherhood I decided to go reminisce with some pictures.

Tomorrow will be my sixth Mother's Day. Here is a look back at the kiddos that I am lucky enough to hold in my arms and parent every day over those six years...

My first Mother's Day: May, 2007 (Tobias: 8 months)

May, 2008 (Tobias: 20 months)

May, 2009 (Tobias: 2 years, 8 months; Linus: 3 months)

May, 2010 (Tobias: 3 years, 8 months; Linus: 15 months)

May, 2011 (Tobias: 4 years, 8 months; Linus: 2 years, 3 months; Malachi: 8 months)

Tomorrow I'll have to try and get all three of them in the same shot at the same time... no easy feat these days!

Wordless Wednesday November 16th

Subtitled: How Can They Actually Sleep Like That?

Why Are You Sad Mama?

That was the question my two year old asked me when he came upon me today, tears slipping down my cheeks, lost in my own world.

"I'm remembering baby", I answered him.

"Remembering what?" Those big blue eyes looked up at me and he reached out and placed his hand on my own.

Remembering what? This was a harder question for me to answer completely. At two his heart is big and open and wants to take away everyone else's hurt. I didn't want to burden him with the depth of what I was feeling.

I told him I was remembering Poppa, which was not a lie, although it wasn't really the whole truth either. My four year old piped up with his own memories of Poppa John (his great grandfather).

Poppa John was a veteran of World War II and although he survived the war and came home and went on to be father to eight children, we lost him earlier this year, at the end of June. He was not a perfect man, but he was perfectly what I needed him to be as my grandfather. Fitting then, on this day, for me to be remembering him, along with the other men and women who have served and are serving this country proudly so that me and my children can have our freedom.

This day, in some ways, marked the end of my own freedom several years ago. That pain, those memories, were in fact also bubbling over into my tears when my son found me. I couldn't really explain that to him though, indeed I can't really put into words the depth of my feelings at all. That will be a post for another day. Tomorrow perhaps, or perhaps not.

Right now I will focus my thoughts on gratitude for those men and women, for the ones who came home and the ones who did not, for the ones who fought before and the ones fighting today. For my Poppa. For all the others who were and are spouses, children, parents... loved.

Thank you. I will never forget. May none of us ever ever forget.

Hair Cuts

We are big sticklers in this house for not doing hair cuts until the kids ask for one. Tobias had his first hair cut at 3ish. Linus was only a bit over 2 but his hair is straight and so it gets shaggy looking where Tobias' just kept getting curlier.

Tobias' hair was getting right out of control. He didn't like how it was always in his eyes so we decided to cut it at home. Of course once Linus saw we were doing Tobias' (and Daddy's) he wanted his done too.

I'm happy with the end result and happy that we can save money by doing it at home.

Linus Before:

Tobias Before:

My sweet boys post hair cut:

Saturday Update

So far, so good on our laid back weekend plan. It's amazing to me to see how the kids are totally different when their Daddy is home with us. They miss him so much and even when they aren't saying it, their body language and actions tell how grateful they are to have him home with us.

The only downside is that it's going to fast. I best go enjoy our time before it's gone and we have to pack him up and go back to the hospital.

40 days to anticipated discharge date. So far, but yet every day makes it one day closer.

Wordless Wednesday November 2nd

I'm going to cheat for my blog post today and post a picture instead of a long post. I'm not feeling great so it'll have to do.

These are the moments...

I wish I could bottle them up and hold onto them forever. I love these boys. With the whole of my being I love these boys.

This. Them. Makes everything else worth it.