Life Artist....random thoughts (and some other book stuff)

Life Artist, by Ali Edwards. Yes, it's a scrapbooking book. But really, it's so much more. It's a creativity booster...it's a self-help guide...it's a love letter to life itself.

Ali Edwards is inspiration personified. And it's not just her art, it's Ali herself. It's her attitude, her way of looking at life and not letting a single moment escape her notice. She's down-to-earth and refuses to take herself too seriously. She's not a "life is nothing but sunshine and roses" type of person, yet she exudes joy. She has a remarkable ability to see the extraordinary in the ordinary. But I've never met Ali Edwards, so how can I possibly feel I her well enough to say all this about her? Read her words, get lost in her art...she's there sharing herself.

I wish my life left more time for scrapbooking. For creating, in general. Someday it will again. And for now, I squeeze in moments when I can. And when I need a shot of inspiration, I guarantee this book will be able to provide me with a dose.













Hooray! I'm now caught up on my book reviews. Which means I finally have a chance to show off all the books I got last week for my birthday (outright gifts and gift card purchases):



It's a varied assortment...from a nice, used hardback copy of The Stand Complete and Uncut to replace my original torn and tattered paperback copy (so sweet of Rich to think of finding this one)...to a few selections that can be directly traced to other blogger's reviews, such as Carl's review of Eclipse One and Eva's review of The Lost Boys...to a couple from my friend Kim that I'd never even heard of, but I'm sure I'll enjoy because we have similar tastes...to a few complete impulse buys...to a few from my wishlist.

Okay, but now I have to start dealing with my problem. This book accumulation problem. It would be bad enough if I was the only one in this house with this particular affliction, but I'm not. Believe it or not, Rich is probably even worse than I am, and Annie is equally as bad. Even the boys, who aren't rabid about reading, each have more books than can possibly fit in their bookcases. Anyway, I was so inspired by Jean Pierre's success in battle that I'm going to start trying to tame my own monster. I realize I have no hope of actually slaying it, as Jean Pierre's doing, but maybe I can beat it into submission. At least I can try. I'm going to start with one small step and see how it goes...the old "buy one new book for each five I get read" trick. And I suppose it shouldn't even count if a book I read isn't mine, because that isn't really taming my own overgrown beast, is it? Cross your fingers for me, would you?

The Field Guide...random thoughts

Well, I had thought that I would whip out one last review today (of Life Artist) and then finally be caught up. That's because I didn't anticipate the way Gray would get sucked into The Field Guide (the first of The Spiderwick Chronicles by Holly Black). Usually 20 to 30 minutes is the limit for the boys' attention spans when it comes to being read to. (Though Gray will, on occasion, read to himself for longer stretches, he's just not of the book-devouring breed that his older sister is.) Anyway, it speaks volumes about this little book's appeal that he had me reading it straight through to the end. And he wanted me to start the next one, but my voice was protesting...it's not used to talking non-stop for more than an hour like that.

After their father leaves them, Jared Grace, along with his mom, his twin brother Simon, and his older sister Mallory, move from the city to an old, dilapidated house belonging to the children's great-aunt Lucinda. (Aunt Lucinda is currently residing in "the nuthouse".) No one is happy about this move. But Mallory has her fencing obsession. And Simon has his myriad of pets. And Jared has his propensity for trouble-making...or so his mother seems to believe. It was in part an incident at his old school that prompted his mother to move the family.

And when trouble immediately finds the Grace family in their new abode, Mrs. Grace is quick to blame Jared again. But is he really the cause of the malicious mischief that is occurring? Or does the book, Arthur Spiderwick's Field Guide to the Fantastical World Around You, which Jared finds in the attic, hold the real answers?

This book does tell a fun little tale. From dumb waiters to cockroach art to tadpoles frozen in ice cubes. Oh, and the artwork by Tony DiTerlizzi...wow, completely charming. The book honestly wouldn't be the same without it. Gray is looking forward to continuing the journey, and I'm so glad I'm along for the ride.

more babbling...and hopefully a book review or two

I think I'm going to have to quit reading, so I don't have to write these book reviews anymore. It wouldn't be nearly so agonizing if I could just do a decent job at it. But then again, if I had to be good at something to do it, I wouldn't be left doing much at all. Ooooh...I think that thought just triggered my 6 Word Memoir.

Finding acceptance and contentment in imperfection.

I was so glad Becky tagged me with this one. Ever since I first heard about these 6 word memoirs on NPR a few weeks back, I've thought I'd like to write one. But I never actually took a minute to stop and really think about it. Turns out I didn't really need to stop and think about it though...seems as if when it was ready, it just popped out on its own.

Boy, I am really babbling here, aren't I? I guess now I should maybe go ahead and post the meme, huh?

6 Word Memoir

1. Write your own six word memoir.
2. Post it on your blog and include a visual illustration if you’d like.
3. Link to the person that tagged you in your post and to this original post if possible so we can track it as it travels across the blogosphere.
4. Tag five more blogs with links
5. Remember to leave a comment on the tagged blogs with an invitation to play!

So, there you go the official blog-meme version. But now I'm pretty much going to blow off the tagging others part. I do hope EVERYONE will do it...they are so much fun to read!

Well, that was a nice diversion. But here I am with that darn book review still to write. Okay, let's just get this over with...


Notes from a Small Island: An Affectionate Portrait of Britain, by Bill Bryson. One of the reasons I've been dreading writing this review is the amazing mix of feelings I have about this book. I didn't love it. I didn't hate it. Or more appropriately I should say, at times I loved it and at times I hated it. I gained nothing magical from this book, and I don't suppose it really has left me with anything lasting.

But I do now understand why Bryson is such a popular guy. (This is the first book of his I've ever read.) The man is funny. I'm sure to tally the number of times he had me laughing out loud, I'd have to use a few toes to go along with all my fingers. But even while I was laughing, I was beginning to get annoyed. By about half-way through the book, I just got fed up with his bitching and complaining. It wasn't even that I disagreed with him. And some of his rants were actually quite hilarious. But I just started feeling like at times the tone of the book was leaning too heavily to the negative...I mean his subtitle is "An Affectionate Portrait of Britain" after all. And in Bryson's defense, it really does come through quite strongly how much he loves Britain and the people who call it home. In fact, the last couple of pages left me a little weepy.

I guess I should have explained the basic "story" here first...Mr. Bryson, born and raised in the U.S., moved to Great Britain as a young man. He lived there for 20 years, marrying and starting a family. He and his family decided to move to the U.S. But before he left, he wanted to travel the through Britain one last time. So he sets off on a 7-week journey through England, Wales, and Scotland, visiting sites and cities he's seen before and many he hasn't. He travels by train, by bus, very occasionally by rental car, and by foot. This book is the story of this journey.

Okay, now back to my rambling thoughts. It was wonderful to hear about each city's unique flavor. It was wonderful to learn a bit about each city's history. But inevitably, Bryson found himself voicing the same complaints. Mostly to do with the loss to "progress" of the historical sites and buildings and overall feel in each city. As I said, it's not that I disagree. I find that a horrible loss as well. But it got to be like the proverbial broken record. Go to another city, walk around, complain about the horridly ugly new buildings.

In a way, I feel like I'm not being fair. Because there was so much about this book I really did enjoy. But then again, as I got farther and farther into the book, I found it harder and harder to make myself pick it up and read it. Yeah, I know, this is far from a helpful review, huh? Sorry about that. I guess it does say something that I still would really like to read A Walk in the Woods (which was the book I'd meant to read in the first place, but couldn't find it in our myriad of bookshelves when the time came).

Hooray! Along with filling in my "N title" for Joy's A-Z Challenge, this also finishes up Ariel's Unread Authors Challenge. I really enjoyed this challenge a great deal...for one thing, it got me to finally read some classic authors that have been embarrassingly absent from my previous endeavors. My list included The Halloween Tree (Bradbury), The War of the Worlds (Wells), A Christmas Carol (Dickens), I Was a Rat (Pullman), Animal Farm (Orwell), and Notes from a Small Island (Bryson). Thanks, Ariel, for hosting such a fun challenge!

By the way, and this has nothing to do with anything, but we didn't get the predicted amounts of snowfall. Ended up with 10 inches, so I can't complain too much (though 16 still sounds like more fun...oops, that's sort of complaining, isn't it?).

babbling, mostly about books

Just the other day, Max sat scratching his little legs and said to me, "I hate winter! It's itchy and I can't ride my bike."

While I'm right there with him on the whole issue of dry winter skin, I really couldn't disagree more about winter in general. I've always loved winter. Heck, I love each and every season. But dang, this winter has been a real let-down. We've just had so little of the beautiful white flakes this year. They're saying that the storm that's arriving now should leave us with 12-16" by tomorrow morning, but at this point I'm not holding my breath. Crossing my fingers, yes, but not holding my breath.

But snow is not supposed to be the subject of this post. Books are. Book reviews, specifically. I'd really like to get caught up. Ah, but first I must admit failure in Kailana's Four-Legged Friends Reading Challenge. But failure's relative, right? I did read two pretty darn enjoyable books because of this challenge (Charlotte's Web and The Tale of Despereaux). Oooh, if I stick in Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIHM (which wasn't on my list, but I did read) for Ginger Pye (which was on my list, but I didn't read), I could really count this as a "win"...but I guess that's kinda cheating at this point, huh? Anyway, thank you Kailana for a wonderful challenge!

Hmmm...what can I ramble on about now to get out of these blasted book reviews? Yes, I'm pathetic. Truly pathetic.


Oh O.K.--I Was a Rat, by Philip Pullman. Loved this book! Loved, loved, loved it! It was so utterly charming! I knew that Annie and I had to read this one for our fairy tale exploration after reading Nymeth's wonderful review. Yes, it is a fairy tale retold. But no, I won't tell you which one. You really don't want the surprise ruined, do you?

The story begins with the arrival of a little boy to the door of Bob and Joan, an older childless couple. Bob, a cobbler, and Joan, a washerwoman, had always wanted a child, but it just never happened for them. The little boy knocked on their door and announced, "I was a rat." No explanation, just "I was a rat."

Roger, as the couple starts calling him, is a sweet, lovable fellow, but one who tends to gnaw the most unusual things. And he has a knack for landing himself in trouble, though really through no fault of his own. When Roger first shows up on their doorstep, Bob and Joan try to do the right thing and find out where this little guy belongs. They try the police and the hospital, but really get nowhere with a host of very unhelpful people. The dear couple without openly discussing it, just take Roger in as their own. But then trouble strikes and Roger is lost. He encounters a host of quite unscrupulous characters, before Bob and Joan once again find him. And even then Roger isn't safe...it takes a princess to come to the rescue (this is a fairy tale, after all).

As I said, it is an utterly charming book. Perfectly delightful.

Though not my original choice, this book is filling in the animal category for Annie's What's In a Name Challenge. It also fulfills another slot in Ariel's Unread Authors Challenge...can you believe this is the first Philip Pullman book I've read (shame on me!). And last but not least, this will fill in the "I title" slot in Joy's A-Z Challenge.













Well, damn. Once again, I really wanted to get caught up on my reviews, and once again, I just can't seem to do it. Guess I'm only good for one at a time. There's always tomorrow, right?

The War of the Worlds...random thoughts

Last week during my at-home mini-vacation, I did manage to finish up a few books. Not nearly as many as I should have, I suppose, but such is the life of an extremely slow reader. The one drawback to having finished these books is that I now have to review them. Well, I guess I don't actually "have" to...there's no gun to my head or anything...but as three of the four of them are for challenges, it does seem the right thing to do. They're quite a varied lot, and I thoroughly adored three of them. As for the fourth, well, I'll try to explain my feelings when I talk about it.

First up...The War of the Worlds, by H.G. Wells. Though I've wanted to read this book for a while, it was really Carl's Sci-Fi Experience that urged me to pick it up at this particular time. Oh, and am I glad it did...so thank you, Carl! I can't tell you how much I loved this book...in fact, it's my favorite read of the year so far. (O.K., O.K., I know I haven't really knocked that many out so far this year, but still.)

I honestly didn't know what to expect from this book. I, of course, did know the general idea...Martians invading Earth. But beyond that, no clue. And as I've never read anything by H.G. Wells, I didn't know what to expect from his writing. I'm willing to admit that I tend to be slightly "afraid" of classics sometimes, that I sometimes don't have the level of appreciation that I probably should. But I needn't have worried here. The War of the Worlds was exceedingly readable. And fun. And suspenseful. And quite simply a great story.

I'm certainly no science fiction aficionado (one of the reasons Carl's Sci-Fi Experience appealed to me so much was the opportunity to expand my horizons a bit), but this book definitely contains some of my stereotypical visions for the genre. Ah, but the way Wells wrote about them was just wonderful...

We've got Martians:

"I think everyone expected to see a man emerge--possibly something a little unlike us terrestrial men, but in all essentials a man. I know I did. But, looking, I presently saw something stirring within the shadow: greyish billowy movements, one above another, and then two luminous disks--like eyes. Then something resembling a little grey snake, about the thickness of a walking stick, coiled up out of the writhing middle, and wriggled in the air toward me--and then another."

We've got heat rays:

"However it is done, it is certain that a beam of heat is the essence of the matter. Heat, and invisible, instead of visible, light. Whatever is combustible flashes into flame at its touch, lead runs like water, it softens iron, cracks and melts glass, and when it falls upon water, incontinently that explodes into steam.

That night nearly forty people lay under the starlight about the pit, charred and distorted beyond recognition, and all night long the common from Horsell to Maybury was deserted and brightly ablaze."

We've got giant metal "monsters":

"And this Thing I saw! How can I describe it? A monstrous tripod, higher than many houses, striding over the young pine trees, and smashing them aside in its career; a walking engine of glittering metal, striding now across the heather; articulate ropes of steel dangling from it, and the clattering tumult of its passage mingling with the riot of the thunder. A flash, and it came out vividly, heeling over one way with two feet in the air, to vanish and reappear almost instantly as it seemed, with the next flash, a hundred yards nearer."

As I said this book is quite suspenseful. Frightening. I can only imagine how much more so it must have been back when it was first published. I think one of the ways Wells managed to keep me so involved was through his first person narrative. Unless I missed something somewhere, we never even learn the man's name. And while the story takes place over just a few short weeks, we witness this man going through a life-time's worth of emotions.

I have enjoyed the Sci-Fi Experience so much that I'm going to attempt to squeeze in one last book before its official end. With all the wonderful things I've read about Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game, how can I possibly resist any longer? I know Chris will be proud of me.

Anyway, in addition to the Sci-Fi Experience, this book will fill the "W title" slot in Joy's A-Z Challenge, the 1890s slot in 3M's Decades Challenge (though this wasn't one of my original choices), and fulfill another requirement in Ariel's Unread Authors Challenge. Four for the price of one...can't beat that, huh?




Hmmm...I'd originally planned to post all of my reviews in one post, but I think that might just be too long, huh? Guess I'll be back later with another.

Annie's new look

I was going to wait until tomorrow to post about this, but I was just visiting my sweet friend Melissa's blog, and it just got me too inspired to wait. During her smile-inducing Good News Sunday post, she said a quick thank you to those who signed up to be a part of Bloggers for Locks of Love. Annie has been growing her hair for quite some time for the sole purpose of donating it to Locks of Love, so naturally she signed up to join Melissa and her daughter.

I've been quite proud of Annie for persevering in this endeavor. I know there were times when she really just wanted to give up. In a way, I guess that sounds kind of silly...I mean how hard is it to just let your hair grow, huh? But Annie's hair is thick. Really, really thick. You can tell it's thick by looking at it, but it's not until you "play" with it, that you get an appreciation of just how thick it is. Not a single person who has ever dealt with her hair has failed to mention it. I tell her that one day she'll actually be happy about this fact, but let's just say that day hasn't yet arrived. What this thick hair has meant to her is literally 20-30+ minutes of agony each morning trying to comb it out. She hated it...yet still she refused to give up.

And good for her! Friday was the big pay-off...




14 inches of hair that will hopefully one day soon make some other sweet little girl feel a bit happier.

And Annie absolutely loves her new look! (I think it's adorable, too, but then I'm her mom so I think it psychologically impossible for me to feel any other way.)




So anyway, good job, Annie...and enjoy your new look!

the week in review

Any idea how hard it was staying away from the blogging world for a whole week?!! Sheesh. I am so anxious to get around and see what everyone's been up to lately! But first I figured I'd post a quick recap of my week. Don't worry, I'll spare you all the novel-length version. In fact, I'll just dispense with the formality of sentences altogether...

The Great Backyard Bird Count, lesson plans, Avatar-Book 3-Fire, crocheting, packing, hi Mom and Dad--bye Mom and Dad, antiquing, Mexican food (a favorite), relaxing, lots of reading, lots of scrapbooking, Borders, fulfilling Easter Bunny shopping duties, Thai food (a first), Barnes & Noble, piles of new books--birthday gifts and gift card purchases, stomach bug, dozing on the couch, scrapbooking magazines, unpacking, Annie's new look, preparing for "back to the real world"...yes, a very fine week indeed...

another week of good stuff

Lying in bed Friday night, I decided that I was taking the week off from blogging. This is winter break here in our little neck of the woods, and it exquisitely wonderful that Rich's college always has winter break matching up with the local school districts. Equally as wonderful is the fact that my birthday always falls during winter break, and it has become somewhat of a tradition for my parents to watch the monkeys for a few days during the week as part of my birthday present. Anyway, I have these somewhat ridiculous ideas about all I can get accomplished during this week (finish up at least 3 books, make at least 10 scrapbook layouts, finish up a lot of lesson plans, etc.)...but figure that I've got a much better shot at reaching these goals if I just make myself stay off the computer. Doesn't look like I'm doing so well, huh? It's not quite as bad as it seems though...it's just that I remembered that I'd already had this draft started for this week's good stuff, so I decided that I ought to just go ahead and post it.

*the return of Jericho (yes, I am slightly obsessed)

*Gray's beautiful Valentine art (though my photographic skills don't do it justice)



*conversation hearts (yes, I know I've said that before, but I just love those little nuggets of flavored sugar)

*and while I'm on the subject of Valentines, there's Dawn's post on love that I thought was quite beautiful (unfortunately I couldn't post to the exact post, but it's entitled "the greatest contradiction" if you decide to pop on over to read it)

*and while I'm on the subject of posts by fellow bloggers, there's this one by Jean about working the polls on election day

*fairy tales

*Uno winning the Westminster Dog Show...go beagles!

*and while I'm on the subject of beagles, there's this photo of my favorite one along with my favorite guy



*the start of winter break

Can't wait to catch up with everyone next Sunday!

total randomosity

*First up, a few words on the book I finished last night. Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume. I have to say it just didn't do much for me. I'm one of those who loved Judy Blume as a kid, but I honestly have no idea if I read this all those many years ago or not. It seemed to me that this book was written in such a simplified manner that it was almost insulting to kids. However, that being said, I still have to admit that Gray really enjoyed it. There were some very humorous moments scattered throughout the book. And I believe a lot of the appeal for Gray was the fact that he could relate so well to the main character and his never-ending troubles with a little brother. In Max's defense though, let me say, that he has never eaten one of his brother's pets. :)

(This was February's read for Becky's Celebrate the Author Reading Challenge.)

*My sweet husband. Rich and I get the kids a few small gifts for Valentines Day, but we decided long ago that we didn't need to be buying each other anything. We have a few little traditions around here...I make chocolate dipped strawberries each year for breakfast and I make the kids heart-shaped M&M pancakes for supper while Rich and I order pizza to eat after the monkeys go to bed. This year, unbeknownst to one another, Rich and I each planned a little surprise. I sent him an Amazon gift certificate that he would find when he checked his e-mail at work. (Nothing says "I love you!" like books, right?) Anyway, when he called to thank me, I could tell he was not only thrilled, but also quite surprised...which was my goal.

But late in the afternoon, he called again. He asked me if I'd gotten a call from UPS. I had no clue what he was talking about, but I told him "no". Then he spilled the story. See, he had tried to surprise me, too, and early in the week had ordered tulips from www.flowers.com to be delivered to me. (No, I'm not a roses kind of gal...really, I'm a daisy and black-eyed Susan kind of gal...but I do love tulips as well.) So all day long, he'd been expecting a call from me. When he didn't hear, he knew that something must have gone wrong, so he checked the tracking and found out that UPS had just marked it as rescheduled for delivery on the 15th. Rich was flabbergasted, and called flowers.com...but they were less than helpful, telling him that if they weren't delivered today, he'd get a discount on the shipping costs. Needless to say, he was livid! I mean how can you take orders for Valentines deliveries, and then just reschedule them for the next day, without even notifying your customer to boot?!! To be perfectly honest, I couldn't care less about the flowers...but I am so touched that he tried to surprise me. (And I do think that was really sleazy of flowers.com, too.)

*It's no secret that computers intimidate me. Technology and I just don't seem to relate on any kind of intuitive level. But I finally decided that since I managed to figure out Mr. Linkys for Annie's challenge blog, that maybe I could figure out google reader. Of course, I know you're all laughing at me now...as it turns out it couldn't have been any easier. But that's okay, I don't mind all that much when people laugh at me. And I'm just so thrilled to finally have done this...I can't imagine how much time it will save me not having to click on each of my links to see if you've all posted anything new and exciting for me to read.

GOOD STUFF

Jericho is back tonight! Oh, I am one happy camper...

Star Split...random thoughts

When I wrote my review (and yes, I use that term loosely) of The Giver, I said that we were using it for homeschooling. I mentioned that it would bring up opportunities to explore topics such as euthanasia and genetic engineering. Jean was kind enough to suggest that we might want to check out Star Split by Kathryn Lasky as an additional read involving genetic engineering. I'd never heard of the book, but I immediately requested it through inter-library loan...and am I ever glad I did.

Thirteen-year-old Darci had always taken for granted the wisdom of genetic engineering. It is the basis of her whole society. The privileged, Genhants, engineer their children choosing the traits they most desire. Umbellation (cloning), however, is the ultimate crime and is punishable by death, except in the elevated circumstances dictated by the government. Darci, quite by accident, discovers that she has an umbula (clone), and her world starts unraveling.

This book is by no means an example of exquisite prose, but I enjoyed it a great deal. Obviously, the issues of genetic engineering and cloning are prominent, but there were also some fascinating discussions on dead languages and the meaning of words. And I'm definitely looking forward to discussing the whole concept of a person's soul with Annie after she reads this book.

So, thank you, Jean...you were right (like there was ever any doubt), this book was the perfect complement.

good stuff

*homemade waffles

*hugs from lovable little munchkins

*this card, sent to me by Jean, after one of my posts last week:


Thanks Jean! I can't help but smile every time I see it!

*a wonderful husband who does the grocery shopping for me

*a visit from two of my favorite people in the world...love you Mom and Dad!

*hearing that all is still going well for my dear friend Kara with her pregnancy (last time around she a really, really rough time)

*finally finishing my first book for the month of February

*new books (Gossamer by Lois Lowry and Wastelands: Stories of the Apolcalypse edited by John Joseph Adams)...and no, I'm not even going to try to justify these purchases

For good news from other little households around the globe, visit Melissa's Good News Sunday.

homeschool happenings and highlights...and public school highlights too

When asked for this week's highlights, Annie had a hard time narrowing it down, but finally went with these...

*The Ensemble East concert, a Japanese chamber ensemble. (Her #1 favorite for the week!)

*The Giver. Annie loved this book as much as I did, maybe even more. And it has set us off exploring. We had a really interesting conversation about euthanasia. And we have also begun investigating genetic engineering. Rich was kind enough to give a short talk about the nuts and bolts of how genetic engineering is done. And we discussed different ways genetic engineering is used today, and may possibly be used in the future. We discussed not only scientific aspects, but ethical ones as well.

*Geometry. That Annie mentioned anything to do with math as a favorite for the week shocked the crap out of me. Though the language arts is where Annie really excels, she manages to do well in math as well...she's just never liked it much. Maybe this is the start of a whole new day :)

*Reptiles. She seems to love everything in the science realm, but she definitely has a special affinity for all things animal. Pretty common kid trait, I think. Anyway, this week, among other things, she watched three Nature episodes (one about snakes, one about turtles, and one about lizards), did some research to find three examples of snakes featured in mythology, and did a dichotomous key exercise to identify, from pictures, several species of turtles.

Each week when I ask Annie about her favorite things from her "schooling", I always ask the boys as well. The answer I usually get from them:

"Nothing."

Gray answers in this manner, because that is who Gray is. With the exception of bears and dogs and gems and drawing, it's hard to get Gray to admit he likes anything. He provides plenty of evidence to the contrary, of course. For example, there was no hiding how much he's enjoyed the weaving they've been doing the past couple weeks at school. But ask him straight out, and he'll deny he likes it down to his last breath.

Max answers in this manner simply because Gray does.

Anyway, imagine my delight when I asked them about their favorites from this week of school, and Gray piped right up with "Measuring!" His face lit up and his voice was filled with pure joy as he went about explaining the wonders of inches and centimeters. Totally priceless to this mama, I tell you.

And as Gray wasn't holding back this week, Max apparently decided it was okay to be excited about school as well. So what did he enjoy most...(1) swinging on the ropes in the gym, (2) building a boat from clay, and working on it until it would float, and (3) building a boat from aluminum foil and testing whose design would hold the most pennies before sinking.

Yep, three kids giving school a big thumbs up for the week...can't beat that!

homeschool happenings and highlights

Not an overly exciting week. A few of Annie's favorites:


*Finishing up and binding her folktales book. (For each folktale we read, she wrote a summary, talked a bit about the elements of folktales contained within the tale, and mapped the country of origin.)












*For our New York Natural History unit, we're learning about wildlife in winter. Annie went on a winter hike to the Birdsong Trail and fed the chickadees.




*We're up to Florida in our States unit, so we whipped up a Key Lime Pie. (A totally quick and easy cheater's version, but still oh-so-yummy!)

good stuff

*Maxidoodle finally seems to be on the mend from what turned out to be another bad go-round with RSV. His fever has been gone now for a couple of days. Now if he could just say good-bye to that awful cough.

*We finally joined Netflix. I've wanted to for sooooo long, but could never justify the expense, since we have tons of unwatched movies sitting around here that we just never seem to have time to get to. But I really wanted to get my hands on Ken Burns The West series for homeschooling. Our library didn't have it, and neither did Rich's school's library system. The cheapest price I could find to buy it was $70+. But then my brilliant husband thought to check Netflix. A-ha! Who can argue with joining for educational purposes, right? Just don't look to see what we put in our queue after The West series ;)

*I could certainly always add reading my favorite blogs to the "good stuff" list. But today I just want to highlight this one specific post. Stephanie, an incredibly sweet person herself, wrote about some of the wonderful volunteers she gets to meet through her job at the Red Cross.

*The kids' unexpected enthusiasm over the Super Bowl. Not a one of them has ever cared one iota about football, but for whatever reason, yesterday they got themselves all worked up about the big game. So for the first time in ages, we'll be throwing a little Super Bowl party. Although it will only be the five of us in attendance. The kids planned the menu: cheese and energy biscuits (the boys' name for beefstick) and crackers, Cheetos, chips and salsa and Rotel dip. (I'll try to throw in a veggie plate with slim hopes that one of them will grab something from it by accident.)

*We went to Borders and I didn't buy a darn thing for myself! (The fact that I put on my sweetest smile before handing Rich a book I discovered (Runemarks by Joanne Harris) and telling him that it would make a really fine birthday present doesn't count against me, does it?)

**To read more good news or link up your own good news post, check Melissa's Good News Sunday.

underachiever

I love the end of one month/beginning of a new one, because I love reading everyone's reading wrap-ups for the month. Really I do. Yet they always leave me feeling like such a slacker. Take Eva and her 28 books or Dewey and her 20 books or Joy and her 16 books. I don't know how many books Carl read, but it was a lot, because I sure added a lot of sci-fi books to my wish list based on his reviews during the past month. Same with Nymeth...no idea exactly how many books she knocked off her pile but it was a considerable number. Again I know this because of the what's been added to that ever-growing wish list. And she got all this reading done despite the fact that she had finals.

And then there's me...and my piddly 6 books. What's even sadder is that that's really not a bad month for me. Pretty average, actually. *Sigh* (Of course, this just makes it more apparent what a fool I am for signing up for all those book challenges, huh?)

In addition to the six books I did manage to cross off the list, I read a smattering of shorter works, mostly folktales and fairy tales. Annie and I have been reading folktales from around the world for school this year, and we are now embarking on a journey into the world of Grimms Fairy Tales. This is really quite a new experience for me...I honestly don't remember reading many even as a child.

Of the folktales I read in January, I would definitely have to say that "Tonino and the Fairies" was my favorite. This is a folktale from Spain, one I was completely unfamiliar with. It is the tale of Tonino, a goat herder with a hunchback. Despite his pain, he was the merriest of fellows and always carried with him a positive outlook. He was well-loved by everyone, except for a boy named Miquel, who also had a hunchback. Miguel was "as cross and resentful as Tonino was merry and forgiving." I'm sure you can guess the message conveyed in this folktale, but I won't ruin the specifics. So if you want to find out the role of the fairies, you'll just have to read this one yourself. (Many of the folktales we've been reading, including this one, are found in Best-Loved Folktales of the World, selected by Joanna Cole.)

It seems a bit sad that I've made it this far into my life without having read Grimms Fairy Tales. I suppose I should just consider it one of those better late than never situations. Thus far, I've only managed to read a handful of the tales. For me, they've been a mixed bag. "The Traveling Musicians," the tale of a quartet of "past-their-usefulness" animals heading for the city to make it as musicians, made me laugh aloud. "The Fisherman and his Wife," a tale of the evils of greed, has long been a favorite of mine. "The Twelve Dancing Princesses" was totally enchanting throughout most of it, but I was extremely disappointed in its ending. It seems the perfect tale for a re-telling. (And of course, it's entirely possible that that has been done already.) I read a few more as well, but those are the three that stick out most in my mind.


And finally, I did manage to knock off one of my stories for The Short Story Reading Challenge..."How to Sell the Ponti Bridge" by Neil Gaiman (from M Is for Magic). What can I say...I loved this story!

It begins...

My favorite Rogues' Club is the oldest and still the most exclusive in all of the Seven Worlds. It was formed by a loose association of rogues, cheats, scoundrels, and confidence men almost seventy thousand years ago.

...and what follows is the tale of how Stoat gained his entrance into this exclusive club.

Don't ask me why, but I just love the story of a good confidence scheme or clever heist. (But only in a fictional setting, of course!) Maybe it's the intelligence and cleverness involved?

And speaking of intelligent and clever...those are certainly two words easily applied to Neil Gaiman. He never ceases to amaze me with his versatility and brilliance.

Okay, despite my efforts to try to "beef up" my list for the month of January, it is still apparent that I'm quite an underachiever.