Summer Reading

It's my favorite time of year. Sure, the weather, the pool, the freedom and laid back feeling of summer are all great. But those aren't the primary reasons I love summer.

Summer is the perfect time for reading!

Here's what we're working on right now and in the months to come:

For the Kids:

1. The Fly Guy Series - These are books Jack is reading aloud. We had a friend lend them to us, and at first I was unsure because I was afraid they would be twaddle, but they are perfect chapter books for a budding, and sometimes reluctant, reader. He reads 1-3 pages a day, so it feels like slow going to me to make it through each one.

2. Roald Dahl Books - I read through most of our local library's collection of Roald Dahl books with Jack several years ago, so I figured it was time to do the same with Mattie. We started with "The Witches," which is an interesting take on living with and getting rid of those pesky creatures. We finished "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" last week. It might be the most well known of his stories, but it's my least favorite of them all because that nutter Willy Wonka grates my nerves. We are currently on "James and the Giant Peach," and have a stack of others including, "The Fantastic Mr. Fox," "Esio Trot," and, my favorite, "Danny, the Champion of the World," among others, to work our way through.

3. The Lemony Snicket Series - We are listening to these on Audible. We started them when we drove to DC, and now we can't stop. There are 13 in this series. The language and narration are superb. I'm so glad we ventured into the audio foray with these.

For Me:

4. "A Dance with Dragons" - I don't know why I do this to myself. These books drive me crazy, but I have to find out what happens to the Starks. And that's why I hate them because George R.R. Martin is all about killing off that family. I almost put this book down three chapters in because it felt like the same old routine. But some old, and new, characters were introduced, and I plodded along. I can't tell you who I'm rooting for anymore in this Game of Thrones.

5. "Someone" - I had this on my book list for a while. Compared to "A Dance with Dragons," it was a speed read. It's not so much about the choices we make in life as the things that happen, and don't happen, to us and how those define our lives. A simple, yet deeply moving and poignant story.

6. "Super Sad True Love Story"- All I can say is think "1984" written in the tech age. I'm about a hundred pages in. Sometimes I shake my head in agreement. Sometimes I want to cry for the protagonist because he's such a glutton for punishment. Other times I'm afraid of what the future holds; by that I mean our future.

Other reads on the list for the summer:

"Freakonomics"

"The Wealth of Nations"

 
"The Opposite of Loneliness"
 

"You Should Have Known"
 

"Bittersweet"

My Favorite Poems for Younger Children

I've come to relish the almost daily rhythm that poetry has created in our lives in the two plus years I've been reading it aloud with my children.

We have three standard anthologies we use. I typically read one to two poems from each anthology every weekday. Once we finish all the poems in a book, we simply start over.

And having read the same poems again and again, I'd say the following constantly stand out as crowd pleasers in our home:

1. Amelia Mixed the Mustard by A. E. Housman - My daughter loves this poem. It makes her laugh every time. If you've read it you probably understand why I can't decide whether I should be amused or anxious!

2. Me by Walter de la Mare - We read this poem just this morning, and what always strikes me is the encouraging tone for total acceptance of one's self.

3. Daddy Fell Into the Pond by Alfred Noyes - this silly and entertaining poem always puts a smile on my face.

4. maggie and millie and molly and may by e.e. cummings - one only has to love the sea to understand the beauty and depth of this poem (though cummings lack of capitalization always throws me). This is one we all know by heart.

5. Bed in Summer by Robert Louis Stevenson - this poem perfectly captures what children truly feel in relation to bedtime.

6. If Little Red Riding Hood by Jeff Moss - this witty poem hits the nail on the head when it comes to disputing the classic fairy tale.

7. Bad Morning by Langston Hughes - short and completely on point about how a bad morning is one of the most frustrating things on earth.

8. Casey at the Bat by Ernest Lawrence Thayer - this classic is long but, oh, so worth the read.

9. Casey's Revenge by Grantland Rice - this lesser known poem leaves you satisfied. It also includes one of my favorite lines in all of poetry: "And Fate, though fickle, often gives another chance to men."

10. The Cremation of Sam McGee - it's an odd one, and some would argue not for young children, but mine are often rapt by the long, bewitching story.

11. Hunting-Song of the Seeonee Pack by Rudyard Kipling - the cadence and rhythm of this poem is mesmerizing.

Picking Time

After three years participating in a local Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program, things have changed a bit.

Gone are the days when we drove to the farm and the farmer handed over the fruits and vegetables. This spring and summer, we must do the picking.

Things have also been much more spread out this season, and we haven't been going on a weekly basis as before.

We've received about 4 dozen eggs every other week since January. The farmer does still collect those for us, which is a win!

We went twice to pick strawberries and were hoping to go more, but rain ruined the crop.

I went out one Saturday to pick eight heads of lettuce, which is a task to eat before going bad even when you share some of those with neighbors and family.

I also picked leeks, which I wasn't too sure we'd like. To my surprise, we found them quite tasty sauteed and paired with mushrooms to top a steak several weeks ago. Most of the leeks I chopped and froze for later use.

There's just one thing about picking during the summer that has me a bit apprehensive: the idea of coming across a snake. AAAAHHHHHH!!!

A Week at the Beach

I haven't posted in a while because I teach at a local university, and with end of the semester grading and final exams, we weren't out adventuring much.

But this past week we did take a week-long beach trip to Perdido Key, Fla. We went with my husband's mom and sister and her 7-month-old twin boys. My husband joined us about mid-week, and a few other family members were there from time-to-time.

Considering the last trip we took was a whopper of a drive, the four hours to Perdido Key flew by!

The kids and I spent most of the week dividing our time between the beach and the pool. We would usually head out about 8 am and come back in around 11 or 11:30 each day. We'd stay in for an hour or two and then go back out to do all over again - swimming, playing in the sand, running from the monstrous waves and walking along the beach looking for shells.

After about three days I realized the sun and I just aren't friends anymore. Actually, I've known it for about 12 years now, but I hoped between the 30 and 55 sunblock I kept on the entire time, I would have better luck.

Nope.

When I spend more than three days in the sun for long periods of time, my skin breaks out in a rash. It first happened years ago when I was on a cruise, but I was on an antibiotic at the time and thought I was having a weird reaction to it. It happened again several more times in subsequent years when I was at the beach. This time, the rash appeared on my upper thigh first. By the next day it was on my chest and then by that evening on my feet. On Wednesday night I had to borrow some Benadryl from my sister-in-law because I was itching so bad I couldn't sleep.

We spent Thursday at a local putt-putt/arcade riding go karts, driving bumper boats and playing a round of 18.  And Friday we went to lunch with a family friend I've known since childhood that has both a house and condo there in Perdido Key.

Those last two days we headed out late afternoon to the pool so I could avoid the sun. We wanted to spend Friday night on the beach with our flashlights hunting for crabs, but a thunderstorm rolled in just as we were getting ready to search.

All in all it ended up being a trip for the record books. I know it's one my children will always remember and cherish because of the memories made last week.

There's just nothing quite like a week at the beach with family.

More Than Trees

Our recent trip to Washington DC included a bit more than Cherry Blossoms.

For instance:

Eating at my favorite restaurant in DuPont Circle: Kramerbooks & Afterwords Cafe

Taking Selfies While We Wait on the Food to Arrive

Doing a Happy Dance in Our Penthouse Suite - Either they were giving these away randomly or I looked so pitiful when we checked in after an 11 hour drive the folks at the front desk decided to help a momma out

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Enjoying all the perks that come with an entire lounge located on the penthouse floor - who knew?

Spending an afternoon at the Air and Space Museum

On a Whim

Last Tuesday one of my students was talking about her weekend in her hometown. She's from DC and mentioned that the Cherry Blossoms were supposed to be in full bloom within a few days.

For three years I'd been telling myself that we were going to find ourselves in DC just to see the Cherry Blossoms. I thought and thought, and checked the price on flights and hotels, and decided to do it. While tickets for a flight turned out to be too expensive, driving was certainly an option.

So on Friday morning the children and I set off on our grand adventure to see the Cherry Blossoms in DC!

We were not disappointed.

It was absolutely breathtaking. The only surprise was how white the blossoms looked. When you got closer you could see the pink hues, but all in a group, like in the picture above with the sun shining down, they appeared as white blossoms.

I'm so glad we didn't wait. I was going back and forth between last weekend and this upcoming weekend, but when we returned home last night I checked to see what the report was on the blossoms and the foliage was already falling off because of rain and wind. It would have been a total bust for us, especially considering the drive, if we would have waited.

Speaking of the drive, it took two days to get there and two days to get back. It was 11 hours, so with me alone in a car with two children, I knew not to push it.

There were times I got a bit nervous thinking how far we were traveling from home without my husband. I'm not sure I'd do it again anytime soon, but we enjoyed every minute. Well, almost every minute. There were still moments of sibling strife and an occasional meltdown, but on the whole, things went well.

The kids did fantastic in the car. We listened to the first three Lemony Snicket series audiobooks. They watched DVDs. We listened to music and Veggie Tales cds.

It was when we stopped for breaks at random rest stops that the wildness could not be tamed. And who can blame them? It was a long ride.

My First Podcast

Three week's ago was the first time I ever listened to a podcast.

EVER.

Of course I would be listening to one about reading.

The title of the podcast, "Read-Aloud Revival," is all about reading good books and reading them with your children, of all ages, aloud.

While the host and the conversations she's had so far are all related to people that homeschool, the idea of reading aloud isn't confined to just homeschoolers.

I've yet to get through a podcast uninterrupted. It's more like I get to listen to snippets at a time during the day, pause, then play again when I have a spare minute or two.

I've listened to the first three podcasts and each time I glean insights about good books. We're even going to try our first audio books on an impromptu road trip the children and I will be taking this weekend.

The most valuable lesson thus far has been the encouragement to keep reading aloud because of the the memories made through hearing a story spoken.