Letters From the Homefront

We slowly slid back in to somewhat of a school routine this week. Although things seemed to go slower than expected, I think in hindsight, it was just what was needed.  Of course, the biggest change of this year was  Buddy Boy starting Tot School , which has been an adjustment for everyone. For me, it meant making sure that I don't get lazy and take my time getting the ball rolling in the morning (summer affected me in a BAD way in that area!). For the other four children, it means that they have the responsibility of getting their own breakfast, getting dressed, and cleaning the house without me being there to supervise. The first hour or so of my morning is dedicated to Buddy Boy now.  One of the most delightful changes of our school year is that we now have an entire room dedicated to NOTHING but a school room (YAY!!!!!) - something I have prayed about for a long time. Until a few weeks before school started, our school space shared a room with our dining room...

The Mine-O-Saur Written by: Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen Illustrated by: David Clark Anyone who has ever been the parent of a toddler knows the feeling of dread that comes when thinking about words you really wish they would just never learn. 'MINE' is one of those words. This story relates something children love - Dinosaurs - with a very BAD  problem - NOT SHARING.  Disclaimer: There is NO such thing as a mine-o-saur. Unless, that is, you have a two year old in the house! :) The story tells us of a dinosaur that wants everything - it doesn't matter what it is, where it is, or how much he already has.  The mine-o-saur took the toys, the food, and everything else he could get his hands on. Which was working out fine - until, that is, he realized he had everything  to play with and no one  to play with him with all those wonderful things! Little Mine-o-saur realized that all the other dinosaurs were ha...

Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon Written by: Patty Lovell   Illustrated by: David Catrow This is a whimsical tale of a little - very very little  - girl that learns to overcome circumstances that she can't change, in a very fun way!  She learns to over come teeth too big, a voice too froggish, a slight bit clumsy at times, and - most dramatic of all - a move away from the sweet grandmother that was such an encouragement to her.  I really love the beauty of the illustrations - they have a fun look for the children, without compromising the fact that they can have a beautiful air about them.    Through every trial that she faces, and all the new experiences she comes in contact with, she never forgets her grandmother's wise advice, and finds in the end that grandmother was right - if she just embraced the things she had no control over and used them to make herself an enjoyable person, everything that...

Night House, Bright House written by: Monica Wellington This is another one that is very well loved, and has seen better days, yet still lives on in our list of favorites! This is a fun, rhyming tale that takes reading over and over again to see everything within it's covers. What you have to look closely for is to see what the book is ACTUALLY talking about, with all of it's rhyming innuendos put in about different things that are happening in this colorful little house :) I really didn't want to reveal too much about this book, because there is just so much. What I love is, of course, all the rhyming matches you can find in it. This would be a GREAT book to buy/borrow when working on teaching rhyming. Not only are they hearing the rhyming words, and picking them out by hearing the ending sounds that sound the same, but they also get to find the things in the pages. For example, in the above picture, when it ...

LLama Llama, Red Pajama written and illustrated by  Anna Dewdney         You have GOT to love the Llama Llama books by Anna Dewdney! Using a llama as a subject, these books give you a different point of view - one of not the adult, but the child. In this particular Llama Llama book, it is a dreaded time of day - bed time! I don't know about you, but I can completely relate with some of my children. Llama Llama goes to bed, but there is a problem - little llama just can't settle down.     Full of bed time woes, the next couple of pictures show the climax of the distress this little llama is going through. What I find interesting here, in looking at this book a little deeper than just as a funny read for a child, is the emotion behind just such a feeling. A touch of seriousness - what if the thoughts our children are having at bed time are far more serious than we think? What may sound absurd to us...