My eight year-old and I were snuggled on his top bunk when he started to talk about classmates whose parents were divorced. Someone has two moms and one dad. Someone else lives in a different house on the weekends. Another says Dad lives in a different state.
Creating Rhythm at Home
I truly enjoy summer vacation. But I have to admit, I love the routine and rhythm the school year brings my family. It always takes a bit of work right at the beginning to find where all the needs and wants are going to fit in that 24 hour pocket we call a day, but the reward is a much smoother day filled with intention.
Bryan’s Post
There are a lot of people reading this blog these days, and I thank every one of you. But there is one reader who took me a bit by surprise.
Someone’s in the Kitchen with Dinah
This is a repost of one of the very first blog posts I wrote. Since there were only about three of you reading here back then, I thought it might be time to revisit!
Building Family Culture with Traditions
When you’re actively working to build a positive family culture, traditions can play a large role in establishing that culture.
Book Activity: More Spaghetti I Say!
In More Spaghetti I Say, author Rita Golden Gelman weaves a silly tale of a monkey named Minnie who is so in love with her spaghetti she can’t possibly play with her brother. There’s a wonderful mix of rhyme, rhythm and hilarity as Minnie explains to Freddie, just how much she loves her spaghetti. She not only eats it (and pairs it with almost any other food) but plays in it, and even skis down it! As Minnie, and eventually Freddie, say, “I love it, I love it, I love it, I do!” This book is just classic! A fantastic, simple read that children love!
Book Activity – The Seven Silly Eaters
Mary Ann Hoberman’s The Seven Silly Eaters is a well-written book, taking advantage of rhyme and rhythm (great for pre-readers) as well as silliness and excesses. But I have to confess, Marla Frazee’s illustrations are what really makes this one of my all-time favorite books. She captures such detail and such reality in the portrayal of this growing brood of seven children. The familial scenes run the gamut from pastoral to chaotic, including details like sneaky indoor snowball fights, sick kids falling asleep amid scattered tissues, and piles of laundry and childhood art projects scattered in the background. I love these illustrations so much, I have honestly considered buying another book, just so I can frame a few of my favorites!