What We're Reading @ 226

Iggy Peck Architect by Andrea Beaty is a masterpiece of a book.  It's about a boy named Ignacious who is passionate about building things and dreams of being an architect.  But, once he reaches grade school, his creativity and innovative thoughts are squashed by his strict teacher.  But later, the class find themselves in a dangerous situation and Iggy and his architectural prowess come to the rescue.  It's silly (in a laugh out loud way) with an inspiring message of steadfastly holding on to your dreams.  Also, the illustrations are straight badass.

If you don't yet own The Curious Garden by Peter Brown, I suggest you hiy the "Add to Cart" button immediately.  It is a great book to read anytime, but is especially apropos as the weather warms and things start to grow.  Liam is a little boy who discovers a forgotten garden in the middle of a gray, gloomy city.  He makes a commitment to bring the little garden back to life and with the help from lots of friends he succeeds!  The illustrations in this one are vibrant and detailed.  We love it.

More book suggestions here.

Don't Be Jealous

but, my wonderful parents (who live part of the year in Key West, FL) just left with both of my children for a weeklong, tropical adventure.  To be even more specific, my dad (solo) is currently on a plane from Atlanta to Key West, the second leg of a six hour trip, with a four and five year old.  Is he a hero, or what?  I wouldn't even sign up for that.  He is more than capable and he does have this magical-Pops-aura that elicits good behavior where there is usually less than.

The kids left me with these gems:

I guess we have a thing for neon shoes.

If I could spend the entire week with a cup of tea in one hand and a book in the other, I probably would.  I would maybe take some breaks to catch up on Downton Abbey, bake bread, write in my journal and nap.  And, I plan on doing a lot of all that.  But, unfortunately, my husband runs a rather tight ship (the opposite of me: he finds it nearly impossible to relax) and insists that we clean the basement before their return.  I guess I need to get something done, right?  And the basement needs some (ahem) attention, so who am I to baulk?

What would you guys do if you had a week to yourself?

To be a little sappy, I will admit that I will miss my Valentines tomorrow...just a little.  Valentine's Day was always sort of blah until they came on to the scene.  Now, we get to play in glitter and make tacky cards and bake all kinds of chocolate and sprinkled deliciousness.  I will miss that, but I know they're in good hands and there are rumors of pink cupcakes at Meems' house!

p.s. Here are their finished Valentines!  Cute, huh?  Thank you's go out to my sister and double-sided tape.

They're erasers, get it?

I wish Reed didn't like washi tape as much as I do.  She calls it fancy tape and wants to put it on everything (as do I)!

Chopsticks!

Psssst...I bought myself a Valentine's Day present and I am beyond excited to receive it and put it to use.  Do you guys do Valentine's Day gifts for each other?  For yourselves?  For your kids or family?

What We're Reading @ 226

Reading is one of my favorite things.  We don't only read to our children before bed, but throughout the day.  Especially on rainy, cold days.  Sometimes they just wander over to the book corner when its quiet and other times we pop popcorn, make tea and bring a big stack of books down to a blanket on the floor.  You know, like a reading picnic.

I'll find any excuse to escape to my room to read and I really want to pass that on to my kids.  A good book is the cheapest and most fulfilling adventure.  And, in my mind, you can never be bored if you love to read.  Like, ever...so long as you have a library card.

Kids books can have me mesmerized for hours.  They make up the majority of the gifts that I get for other kids (and my kids) and Amazon.com can have me reading summaries and reviews for way too long, deciding what our next book will be.  So, in case you're in a reading rut, I'm going to regularly put a few recommendations here to help out.  Please feel free to leave your own recommendations in the comments.

This is a hilarious book by Oliver Jeffers, whom I love.  And whose most famous/popular book is probably I Want My Hat Back, which is a pretty great one.   This Moose Belongs to Me is all about a little boy named Wilfred who finds a moose, and therefore thinks the moose belongs to him.  He teaches him rules and they go everywhere together, until the moose gets lost/wanders off.  The boy and the moose have to reach a compromise.  And while hilarious, it's a great lesson about healthy relationships, ownership and the compromises we make to get there.

The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch is one of my all-time favorite classics.  It sort of comes as a surprise because his other book is so terrifying (and yet so popular, how?) that I had to remove it from our shelves.  But this one couldn't be more different.  It's about a sassy young princess whose prince gets kidnapped by a fierce dragon.  She embarks on a voyage to rescue the prince and by the time she's there, she is a ragged and dirty mess, having outsmarted the dragon.  The prince is critical of her appearance and unsupportive of her heroic arrival.  Essentially, she says...peace out, I don't need you.  I love the not so subtle moral.

Happy Reading!