Now I remember the book.... it was a book about a Ukrainian princess

I have been learning about Ukraine lately and it occurred to me that I read a book a few years ago about a Ukrainian princess and a man who goes back in time to save her. It is a classic sleeping beauty story written by one of my favorite authors, Orson Scott Card. It deals a lot with the Old Slovonian language of western Ukraine. Now I really want to reread it as fast as I can.....

http://www.amazon.com/Enchantment-Orson-Scott-Card/dp/0345482409/ref=sr_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1328145757&sr=1-6

What I did today....

A friend of mine on facebook recommended this book and I realized that I had in the car waiting to be returned to the library. I checked it out for the girls but they didn't seem to be very interested in it. I started to read it and it is really good. I had to renew it. To the left of the book is a spring of cedar with cones on it. I just had to pick it. I had never seen this particular species before. (I have to look it up). And the candle is a rosemary one. You know, my favorite scent. I picked it up today.

What are the girls reading?

The most popular question the big kids ask lately is, "What can I do?" I always remind the girls they can always read. Lyn went searching through my old books from my childhood and came up with The Half Sisters. She said she was drawn to it because the main character is 11 almost 12 just like her. This book is one that I acquired when my mother worked at the local library when we lived in Mississippi. She would bring books home that were too old or damaged to be in circulation.

Annika enjoys writing songs. I had checked out a book of Emily Dickinson poems recently from the library. I showed it to her and showed her the similarities between poems and songs. She looked through the book and found several she liked. She read them out loud. This is a great way for her to practice her fluency and learn new words. I suggested that tomorrow when she gets bored she could pick poems and draw a picture with the poems as inspiration. We'll see what she comes up with.

Daughter, Have I Told You?

This book was published in 1998 the year my first daughter, Lyn, was born. I came across it in a bargain book bin at a book store. I liked the pictures and the concept. It is an OK written book. The reason I wanted to write about it was because with Mother's Day coming up I have been thinking about my role as a mother a lot lately. I was remembering some one-on-one time I used to spend with Lyn. She would bring me this book and want me to read it to her over and over. When we came to this page she would get all excited and say, "That's me....and that's you...!" She would be so excited. It would just melt my heart.

She is 11 years old now. Every once in a while she will comment about this book. She remembers it to this day. I found it in the garage last night and decided to write this post. With my first born (Danny) my world changed when I took on the role of a mother. When my first daughter was born my heart changed and I became Mama.

Bonding

I was reading one of the books I got at the library today. It was called Amazing Baby. I picked it up because of the wonderful pictures in it. Turns out it is a really good read. It is a detailed look at the development of children in their first two years. I am loving it. It takes a biological and evolutionary look at child development. Of course as all moms of young infants know about the only time one has to read is when your little one is asleep in your arms. That is exactly what I was doing when I read a passage from the bonding section of this book. It stated: "When cradling a baby, most mothers favor the left breast as the resting place for the baby's head." I thought that was a bit interesting and then I looked down. Sure enough, that was exactly where Baby Ben was snuggled down. This book holds a lot of information about child development that strongly supports attachment parenting. I can't wait to finish it. Check out the link to the left to see more info about it.

What did we read today?

It was such a pretty day today. We went for a walk and hung out on the back porch for a while. Eliot picked the book out that I read but she didn't sit still long enough to listen to the whole thing.

"Daughter of Kura"

I have found the perfect time to read. I am pumping two times a day at work when I am away from Ben and that gives me the best time to read. I can't very well be doing much else. I finished my Mary Stewart book and now I'm reading Daughter of Kura by Debra Austin. It's not too bad. I am about a quarter of the way through it. I am a fan of prehistoric fiction. I am not really sure why. My favorite book is The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean Auel. I read it for the first time when I was 13. I guess it got me hooked. I'll pick up any book now that has any type of early man in it. I'll let you know how it ends. Happy reading.

Winter Solstice

Today is the winter solstice. Nine years ago at 7:47am I welcomed my sweet second son, Connor, into this world. It was a cold icy early morning when we made it to the hospital just in time. He weighed 8 pounds 3 ounces. I use this day to talk to my kids about the importance of the change in seasons and the history behind the celebrations centered around this time. Here is a link to some history about the winter solstice. A book that we like to read on this day is The Shortest Day Celebrating the Winter Solstice by Wendy Pfeffer. It is a great book that covers all kinds of celebrations that center around this time of year. It also explains the science behind the change of seasons. At the end of the book it details a lot of winter activities and crafts for all ages. Check out Amazon.com for a more detailed review of the book.

Veteran's Day

(click to learn more about this book)

This book is great to share with children. I usually check it out of the library to read with my older children. This year I waited too late to get a copy. I need to just buy one. It tells the story of fallen soldiers and soldiers missing in action. It is a great tool to explain the meanings behind Veteran's and Memorial Day. Annika asked me the other day why they were going to be out of school on November 11th. I told her it was Veteran's Day. I explained to her what the day was all about. She asked if there were any veterans in our family. I reminded her about her great-grandfather Daniel, my mother's father. He was drafted at the end of World War II. The war ended before he was sent overseas and he came back home safely. I then reminded her that her mother, yes me, joined the Army.

I did not serve very long. I did not even finish my training but I was proud to wear a uniform. I was pregnant with Lyn when I left the Army. I would support any of my children in a decision to join the military. The pride would be immense. Let's hope that all children learn a little about the true meaning of the day and it consists of more than a day off of school and sales at all of the stores. To help start teaching the little kids about the day we worked on some simple patriotic art projects. In these times all of our service members need our support.