If you’re new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!A friend directed me to a website where you can download 6 books for free. There are others that you can purchase, but if you have a library card, you probably don’t need to. Most libraries offer access […]
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I know you know that I know how important reading to kids is. I’ve written a handful of posts about my thoughts on reading to kids, but I haven’t given you a list of great kid’s books. Below are the books that I read every day to my son, Joel, who is 17 […]
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A reader asked if I had any ideas about reading with toddlers, so this post is in response to her question. If you have questions that you would like me to answer, email me or leave a comment and I’ll do my best.
So….reading with toddlers. First of all, reading with toddlers is a […]
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My original focus for this blog was on families and parenting - I’m realizing that I’ve gotten a little distracted. And I think I know why. As the mother of a 14 month old energetic boy, I haven’t yet had to venture out into the realm of real parenting. Sure, we’ve had […]
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My sister told me about this great online library where you can download books to put on your mp3 player. It’s called Net Library - go to your library’s homepage and they should have a link or ask your local librarian about it. You can go directly to the page and log in […]
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At my book club last week, conversation rolled around to Disney movies. One of the girls there said that Disney has a lifetime guarantee on all their movies, so if one of your Disney DVDs gets scratched or broken you can mail it in and they’ll send you a brand new one, even if […]
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Reading Series Part I: Reading TO Children
Reading Series Part II: Reading WITH Children
Reading BY Children
This stage of reading development comes after your child is a successful and frequent reader. Set a time once a day or week that you sit down as a family and have a family reading time or […]
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Reading Series Part I: Reading TO Children
Reading Series Part III: Reading BY Children
Reading WITH Children
As a child is learning to read, reading to him is still vital but reading with him is also essential. Take turns and listen to each other read. A benefit of reading together is that you’re […]
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Reading Series Part II: Reading WITH Children
Reading Series Part III: Reading BY Children
Last summer our family went to a lecture by Dr. Brad Wilcox at our library to learn about reading. He taught us some really interesting things about why reading to kids is important and also how to get kids to […]
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The other night I was at my monthly dinner group and a few friends were talking about goodreads.com. Apparently there is a website where you can open an account and invite friends and share book recommendations. Have you ever heard of a more brilliant idea?!?
As soon as I got home I signed up […]
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Radio West is a radio talk show that I sometimes listen to while I’m out and about, and on Wednesday (1/30) they had writer Caleb Crain on to talk about an article he wrote for the New Yorker Magazine on literacy and books. I only caught the last 15 minutes or so of the […]
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While I am concerned about the environment, I would not call myself an environmentalist. I believe that the resources on the earth are meant for our use, but that we must be conservative and wise in our consumption. As in all things, moderation is the key.
I do consider myself to be a resourceful […]
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Many aspects of the public school system concern me and have encouraged me to search for educational alternatives for my children. I have one son who is not yet of school age, but the time to research and discover alternatives is now so I can prepare for whatever my decision happens to be.
Our home […]
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My sister recently told me about a series she started reading called “His Dark Materials,” by Phillip Pullman. She told me she liked the first book but just emailed me recently rescinding her recommendation after finding out some disturbing information about the rest of the series.
Apparently Pullman has used these books to promote his […]
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“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” –William Arthur Ward
Each night for the last several months my husband and I have taken a few minutes before bed to write down something that we’re grateful for or something that happened that day to let us know that […]
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Before we had kids, my husband and I decided that we wanted to be very selective about the movies our family both viewed and owned. We decided that we only wanted to own movies that are family friendly and appropriate for most everyone. We feel that sexual content is the most offensive and […]
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If you’ve learned anything about me so far, it should be that I love reading and books. Further evidence of this is demonstrated in this morning’s happenings. My husband and I woke up bright and early to get up to the Salt Lake City Library for a book sale. Second only […]
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This poem is the perfect description of what books are to me.
Books are keys to wisdom’s treasure;
Books are gates to lands of pleasure;
Books are paths that upward lead;
Books are friends. Come, let us read.
Emilie Poulsson
In my last semester of college I took a calligraphy class and I actually used this poem for my Italic […]
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A lexophile is a person who loves words and word plays. I do, do you?
A bicycle can’t stand alone; it is two tired.
Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana.
A backward poet writes inverse.
A chicken crossing the road: poultry in motion.
If you don’t pay your exorcist, you can get repossessed.
When a […]
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Zoe’s Hats, Sharon Lane Holm (Colors and patterns)
Water, Water; Eloise Greenfield (Nature)
Look at the Baby; Kelly Johnson (Body parts)
The Cuddle Book, Guido Van Genechten (love, family relationships)
A Nap in a Lap, Sarah Wilson (love, family)
The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Eric Carle
Is Your Mama a Llama?, Deborah Guarino
Sometimes I Like to Curl Up in a Ball, Vicki […]
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A lot of times the best advice comes from long ago and in this case, just over 70 years ago. One of the best books that I have read on how to communicate with others is “How to Win Friends and Influence People” by Dale Carnegie. I’m not talking about superficial tricks to […]
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Reading is, in my opinion, one of life’s luxuries. Unfortunately, in recent years I haven’t been able to read as much as I would like. However, reading is still important for me as an adult and even more important in the development and maturation of children. Reading books helps children develop an imagination, […]
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It’s funny how once you learn about something new, you start to hear about it and notice it everywhere! This is how baby sign language has been for me. I’m sure people have been talking about baby sign language for a while, but I only caught on just recently because I have a […]
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I have always loved to read, and I’ve always been on the lookout for recommendations from other avid readers. If you’re not sure what to read next, try one of these!
Little Men by Louisa May Alcott
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
The Princess Bride by William Goldman
Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
My […]
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A bit of household technology that I think everyone should have is called TVG, short for TV Guardian. This little black box has been one of the most welcome pieces of technology in our home.
My first experience with TVG was actually in high school. I’m not sure how, but my mom heard about […]
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