Loving Literacy

We are book nerds. I’m not ashamed to admit that. Nor am I abashed to say that we have no TV. The truth is we prefer to read. This love of literacy applies especially to Alli. We have even decided to have Alli’s fourth birthday be a Birthday Book Bash (with her resounding approval, of course) where the guests who choose to bring a gift will bring a book rather than the traditional present pick. This is particularly useful since of late she favors feathers, movie ticket stubs, and stuffed animal innards as her “treasures”. We still have several unopened Christmas and birthday (yes, they’re almost a year old now) presents that she does not care to open and play with.


I digress…

My objective for this post is to share some of the really keen ideas for imbuing the love of literacy in little ones. Disclaimer: do not attribute any of these ideas to my own intelligence; mostly I have gleaned them from my ever-enthusiastic pseudo-sister, Shauna. She is a powerhouse of a woman and actually wrote an article for our Church magazine last spring that helped to substantiate the spiritual affirmations surrounding my impending marriage and stay-home-motherhood with Nick and Alli. So, here’s a shout out for fellow book nerds:

1. The “Book Fairy”

This is one of my favorites since I get to dress up in my wedding dress and tiara (what newly married bride doesn’t seek for that opportunity?!) Also, I made my own wand which was surprisingly gratifying. The idea is that when I catch Alli reading on her own—I quick make the Clark Kent change and come down the stairs carrying a lavishly wrapped box. By the way, the box is reusable so I don’t have to wrap each for each fairy visit—and as Shauna says, “It’s all in the presentation. It could be a D.I. (Salvation Army or Goodwill) book and it still looks appealing to them”. In my “fairy” voice I ask Alli what kinds of books she’s been reading lately, which are her recent favorites, why she likes reading, etc. and then she gets to open the box and the Book Fairy reads them to her. Alli still doesn’t know it’s me but says, “The Book Fairy had your lips” so I think she’s on to me! Also, the Book Fairy only visits once or twice a month, so it's really low pressure and enforces the pleasure of independant reading with a sporadic, big reward.

2. Book Clubs

Since I am currently a multiple book club groupie I thought it only fair that Alli gets to share in the joys of sharing a good book. Alli’s book club took place on a Saturday afternoon and lasted about an hour, so it really is not too hefty of a commitment on my part or participating mothers. The agenda went something like this: we read several books on birds (The Magpie’s Nest, Stellaluna, selected poems from Wings on the Wind, and talking about pictures from a reference guide), interspersed with finger plays and songs, we built paper bag nests with pompom birds inside plastic Easter eggs, and we ended with making edible nests from yogurt, All Bran, shredded fruits and veggies, and grapes for eggs.

Shauna’s most recent book club for her daughter, Coco (Alli’s peer), was not thematic but rather based on the fabulous author and illustrator Kevin Henkes. Really, I encourage any mother of children as young as preschoolers and every age on up to create a book club. This comes from the tremendously profound writings of….

3. Jim Trelease

His book, The Read Aloud Handbook (aka “The Literacy Bible”), has not only changed my life but helped to solidify many of the methods I was already involved in with Alli. I am inadequate in my writing to sufficiently shed light on this remarkable book. It is jam packed with reasons to READ READ READ READ. Please buy this book. You will want to write in it, take it with you to bookstores and libraries, take it to the restroom (what better place is there to ponder on the betterment of mankind?), sleep with it under your pillow….

**What are some of the things you do with kids to boost book lovin’?

The Buzz

Every third bite of food we eat is bee dependant, that’s over $15 billion worth of crops. But, where are the bees going? Scientists and beekeepers are stumped at the mysterious disappearance of the nation’s bees. There have been other declines in the bee population before now, but they have all been regional as opposed to this widespread absence. The cause is unknown since the bees are not returning to the colony to die. However, scientists have several hypothesis—diminished number of beekeepers (and consequently less bees) but still more crops to pollinate, stress (a little bee has a lot of work, you know!), a virus, pesticides, or mites. Something I never knew is that most of our honey is imported from…guess? Yeah, China—what isn’t these days? It is also sent to us from Argentina. Because of this outsourcing, the US honey market is depressed which has led beekeepers to create “pollinating contracts” where they actually pack up the colonies (hives) into 18 wheeler trucks and travel to agricultural sites. So, we will keep seeing the amber colored Sue Bee bears at Wal-Mart for the same price because of our idiocy in saving a penny while in return endangering the nation’s crops.

So, less doom and gloom and more proactivity always helps me to sleep better. What can we do to help our little fuzzy friends? Start locally by planting bee friendly flowers: lavender, glory bushes, jasmine, rosemary, coreopsis, violets, thyme, wisteria, bluebells, trumpet vines, sunflowers, cosmos, and cone flowers. Another way is to support the beekeepers by buying local honey and bee products (i.e. honeycomb, beeswax candles) and by using natural honey instead of sugar at home and in restaurants. Also, you can EAT ICE CREAM to help keep the buzz alive—twist my arm! Haagen Dazs is donating to the bee cause anytime we buy “bee-dependant flavors” such as almond, fruit, or honey flavored.

Many view the disappearing bees as a sign of things to come. I’m not a bee expert, and maybe I’m being paranoid, but I love fruit more than I love any other food and it makes me scared to think of arriving at a grocery store to find empty produce aisles. Let’s help the little striped guys!

Kiting

Costco writes my shopping lists for me. I had no idea I "needed" a seahorse kite, but I'm glad that despite the overwhelming snow drifts, I had the foresight in January to buy it. "Kiting", or the act of flying a kite, was a wonderful way to begin the routine of sunny family outings. Have we mentioned yet that we pracically shed tears of joy that winter has finally ended?

"Seriphina" is the newest addition to the family. The Easter Bunny purchased it as an impulse buy--but the rabbit was obviously inspired. It will not be long before the white kitty is dingy-the cat goes EVERYWHERE with Alli since the arrival of the basket. Seriphina is a perfect fit since Alli's alter personality is a cat.

Nick is a hottie while handling the kite. And of course, no picture taking would be complete without some mack action!

Happy Springtime Easter!

We were really blessed to have Nick's mom and little brother, Drew, stay with us for the past several days and they were able to join in our pre, during, and post Easter celebrations. This year we tried to find some fun traditions to not only maintain but start, as well. For example, Good Friday tasted sweet with Hot Cross Buns (Alli can now sing the tune, even while eating them). We also did Easter "devotions" every night--using cutouts to reinact the last days of Christ's life, singing songs about the life of Jesus, and opening 12 plastic eggs each containing a bit of the Easter story (a broken piece of bread, a miniature cross, nails, etc.).

Of course, Paas came through with flying colors. I really despise the smell of hard boiled eggs, but Drew and Alli had a blast experimenting with the palatte of vinegar extracted rainbows, so I just tried my best to block out the sulfer smells.

The Easter Bunny delivered Alli's basket on Saturday. I highly recommend starting that tradition since the din during the Sunday service was obviously sugar based. Alli got all dolled up for the day, princess hair inclded! (She's so cute waving to Nick who was inside the house trying to hurry us out the door)
The whole family came over for the dinner and egg hunt. Nick and I love to cook and we were pretty proud of our chosen menu and the success of it's tastiness. We had ham, curried fruit, funeral potatoes, green bean cassorole, and more hot cross buns. While the cooking process took place, the adults gorged ourselves on caramel rum pecans with shaved Gouda....wow. What a celebration of new life and the love we have in our beautiful family.

Unfortuantely Perfect

It is sad to discover a tasty recipe sometimes. Drat the internet. The least I can do is pass along the calorie laden goodness in recipe form since Nick and I have devoured most of the baked goodness known as: Unbelievably Good Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Ingredients:
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
½ t. baking soda
½ t. salt
¼ pound (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
½ cup sugar
¾ cup tightly packed light brown sugar
1 ½ t. vanilla extract
1 large egg, at room temperature, lightly beaten
7 oz bittersweet chocolate, cut into 1/2 inch chunks [I just used half of a 12-oz bag of bittersweet Ghirardelli chocolate chips]

1) Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl and set aside.

2) Using a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or a hand mixer, cream the butter and sugars on low speed until it is smooth and lump free, about 3 minutes. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle.

3) Add the vanilla and egg and beat on low speed for 15 seconds, or until fully incorporated. Do not overbeat. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle.

4) On low speed, add the flour mixture. Beat until just incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the chocolate chunks and mix until they are just incorporated. If using a hand mixer, use a wooden spoon to stir them in. Refrigerate dough for at least an hour.

5) Preheat oven to 350. Adjust racks to lower and upper thirds of the oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpats. Spoon the dough using a cookie scooper 2 inches apart onto the prepared baking sheets. (makes about 23 3-inch round cookies)

6) Bake for 11-13 minutes or until golden brown around the edges. Wait at least 5 minutes before serving or 20 minutes before storing in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature.

Rec Center Gems

One of the best parts of not joining a “gym” but rather reaping the civic benefits of a community recreation center is the morning conversation in the women’s locker room. I’m a bona fide eaves dropper and since the water aerobics ladies are such a riot, there are several giggles I’ve had to stifle to mask my unknown involvement in their lives. Sometimes I prolong my pre-swimming rinse off just to catch the rest of a conversation thread. Here are a few of the bits of wisdom gleaned from ladies who spend their mornings gabbing in the buff:

1. As a woman’s body form changes, it is important to become “crease conscious” in the shower—and it’s okay to tell your friend in the next stall to do the same

2. Use a cane to drop over an unattended, locked shower stall and shimmy the lock it to get it opened. “Mischievous little kids!”

3. Grandkids spend too much time with electronic toys

4. All children really want is to spend more time with their elders

5. When one lady noticed some of the scars on my legs, she exclaimed, “You’re too young to have had a hip replacement!” When she found out that wasn’t the case, she resigned, “Well, I guess we’ve all got something, huh?”

6. It is not acceptable to have a friend that goes “cold turkey” on eating out with the girls for lunch just because she wants to watch her weight and save money

Fashion Savvy

The only fashion advice I've been able to successfully impart to our little diva has been "no pink pants/shorts with a pink shirt"—something about walking pepto disturbs the senses. However, I don’t dare try to squelch her creativity by telling her what some of her choices really look like. Oh well. Honestly, who am I to judge when there are many days when I walk out of my house knowingly committing a fashion faux pas of the grandest sort? Panties being worn on the head and polka dot shoes with unbuttoned capris is acceptable as a preschooler just as it will be when she's teetering around as a toothless granny. Who says fashions don't come back in the same lifetime?