Good Morning Girls

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And is it awesome.
You still have a chance to participate.
Click on the picture to visit the Good Morning Girls website.

I want to live intentionally with my kids. I want them to know how much I love and cherish them. I completely blew it as they were walking out the door to school. I need to apologize and ask forgiveness. They should know every moment of the day that I love them. They also should know that holes in their shoes are not important.

Book Basket Day

Back for another week of what is in your Book Basket over at The Happy Housewife. I have not had a chance to go look through the list that other people have linked, but I look forward to settling down soon.



Today has been a fun, but long day. We went to a wild animal show on base and stayed to watch "Race to Witch Mountain." We also visited the library, the post office, a quick run by the grocery store, and then the kids went kind of wild when we got home.



All the running and screaming. I certainly hope that they are tired.



I had to drop off some books and pick up some books we requested and needed. We haven't read these, but look forward to getting into them soon.

• The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein What a sweet story, this is the first time I have read the story to my little boy, that kind of surprised me.


• No Jumping on the Bed by Tedd Arnold


• Be Gentle with the Dog, Dear! by Matthew J. Baek I grabbed this one quickly thinking that it my help us with J's rough actions around our new dog. We'll see.


• Mishka: An Adoption Tale by Adrienne Ehlet Bashita C picked this one out and we have not read it yet.


• The Wild Horses of Sweetbriar by Nataloe Kiney-Warnock. This one is from FIAR, and we will start it on Monday


• Mercy Watson Goes for a Ride No 2 by Kate Dicamillo C read Mercy Watson No 1 last week


• Mercy Watson Fights Crime No 3 by Kate Dicamillo


• Lottie's New Beach Towel by Petra Mathers


• Big Words for Little People by Jamie Lee Curtis and Laura Cornell. I like Jamie Lee Curtis but have not read this one.


• Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. We have read and read this book. I don't know why we don't own it.


• Where's Waldo by Martin Handford. J say this book for the first time today and had to have it. Let's see if he can find Waldo.

Now head over to the Happy Housewife and see what is on everyone's book lists.

Books Galore

I love going to the library. Visiting the library is always one of our first adventures when we move to a new town. Now, I have my gal C on the bandwagon with me, she loves to get her library card as much as I do. She takes having her own library card very seriously. At the library that we live closest to now, they have self check out. How awesome it is! There are 2 self check out centers side by side and we check out books at the same time.




Here is where we keep our library books. Separate from all the books that we own and confined so that they (hopefully) will not end up under beds or dressers or who knows where. That pink and brown bag is from The Old Schoolhouse. It is good and sturdy and will hold a good amount of books. C has her own bag from GA's and we fill them both up. The basket is metal and to heavy to carry.

The Happy Housewife has the idea to share what library books are working for you. She will have a linky up on her website once a month. You can participate by adding your list of books or doing a book review.

So now, a list of what is in our basket this month. Now please know that I don't force books on the kids. I do try to steer them away from some books and encourage them toward books that will challenge them. Some books they get just because it looks fun. Some of the books that C picked out she reads while spending some quiet time in her room. She has struggled with reading and has improved a lot this year. So some books are below her reading level and some above it and some of the books are for our 4 yr old little boy.

• The Aurora County All Stars by Deborah Wiles. She also wrote another favorite of ours. Love, Ruby Lavendar is based in Mississippi, which is where we used to live.
• Breakfast for Jack by Pat Shories No words, just pictures and I encourage the kids to make up a story to go along.
• Animal Babies in the Rain Forest Cute baby animals
• Belinda the Ballerina by Amy Young
• Bertie at Bedtime by Marcus Pfister I got this because it is written by the same guy that worte Rainbow Fish
• The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn
• My Freight Train by Michael Rex
• The Big Bug Book by Margery Facklam great pictures, guess who that is for?
• What Do Parents Do (when you're not home) by Jeanie Franz Ranson what children think their parents are doing at home without them.
• Rainbow Fish to the Rescue by Marcus Pfister Same great fish that helps another fish avoid a shark
• Spicy Hot Colors by Sherry Shahan names of colors in English and Spanish
• Eating the Alphabet by Lois Ehlert
• The Library by Sarah Stewart
• Daddy All Day Long by Franseca Rusackas
• Tippy Toe Chick, Go by George Shannon
• Mercy Watson to the Rescue book 1 by Kate DiCamillo from the author of Because of Winn Dixie and The Tale of Despereaux, small chapter book, pretty easy reader, fun and quirky. 12 easy chapters.
• Fairies, Trolls, & Goblins Galore Poems

School books - most of these we use just for pictures and some things to talk through while doing the lessons. We are just now getting to this in our lessons because I was able to do some reviews of other curriculum this year and we are back to our books.

• Thanksgiving on Plymouth by Diane Stanley


• Pilgrims in America by L.L. Owens


• The Plymouth Colony by Pamela Dell


• Squanto and the first Thanksgiving by Joyce K. Kessel


• Eating the Plate: A Pilgrim Book of Food and Manners by Lucille Recht Penner my favorite, good realistic pictures


• The Mayflower Pilgrims by Brenda Colloms

I also read:

• Distant Shores by Kristin Hannah
• Homeschooling the Child with ADD I have no idea if C has ADD, but she cannot CONCENTRATE

You can probably find everyone of these books on Amazon. I linked a few so that you can read more about them.

The ABC's

I found a neat ABC book at the library that we have had fun with. It is called the ABC Animal Riddles by Susan Joyce.

Here is a sample of what you can find in the book.

C _ _ _ l

I start with a C and end with an L.
I live in the desert,
a hard place to dwell.
When I'm feeding well,
my large hump will swell.
If I have 2 humps,
they swell as well.
I carry people,
or goods that they sell.
What am I? Can you tell?

Can you see all the discussions that can come out of that little riddle? And then dig out the dictionaries, you tube, and any other books you may have and you kids will know everything there is to know about a camel. Other animals in the book are: beaver, elephant, quail, whale, newt, octopus. Also, the answers are at the back of the book if you get stuck on an animal like Zebu.
I am trying to peak J's interest in letters and this is helping. Look for it at the library or you can buy it at Amazon. The author also has some other ABC riddles books.

Fear Not

I picked up a mom's devotional book this morning and read about the fear that mom's have. You name it and we fear it. Something struck a nerve. Maybe that is how C and I are acting towards each other. We are living with so much unknown and fear in our lives that we are lashing out at each other. I have always thought that it was her misbehaving, but maybe her acts are out of fear and my reactions are out of fear. Does that make any sense.

My heart stopped for a moment when I walked in my room and heard the news announcer claim that 9 American troops were killed in Afghanistan. The last time that there was a mass casualty on foreign soil one of the sailor's parents were notified by phone because there were not enough personnel to make all the rounds before the names got to the media. You can read about that disaster in the book Lone Survivor. Talk about bringing on some fear.

I don't watch the news, speak of the danger, or voice my worries in front of the kids but I am sure that C knows it more that I realize. I am halfway through this deployment and things are not going to get any easier. Today is a new day and with my faith in God I am sure that we can overcome our fears and start treating each other better.

AMANDA

A Favorite Military Book

I have a new favorite book about miltary life that I want to tell you about. The Homefront Club by Jacey Eckhart. This is a knock down funny book about what it is really like inside the life of a miltary spouse raising a military family. She tells you how hard it is on the hard days, what it is like to be separated from your family, and some of the fun and exciting things.

Jacey is a military brat who married a military man. She has truly been there and done that with the ability to write it all down.

If you are a military spouse, know a military spouse, or just interested in the real story then read this book. Let me know what you think when you do.

Amanda