The last of the August/September Children’s Books

2014, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Cybil Challenge, Favorites, Fiction /

I’m going to get caught up today, even if it kills me. I’m going to schedule and stagger the posts so I don’t kill the people in my streams with these posts because I’m thoughtful like that.

I hope to goodness I never fall this far behind again. Someone remind me of this the next time JMP comes for an extended visit…

The Bear’s Song is cute and it’s on the Cybil shortlist. It has a Where’s Waldo sort of thing going on and I liked it but young children are going to have some trouble finding the little bear. Heck, I think there was a page where I never did find him.

Wild Animals is one of those touch and feel board books and not a Cybils book. JMP liked it. Because animals and touch and feel stuff. Obviously.

Thomas’ Milkshake Muddle was the very first Thomas book I’ve ever read and obviously not on the Cybils list. I KNOW, RIGHT? It was… fine. Don’t tell JMP but I don’t really understand the Thomas thing. I understand why a two year old loves trains but the books and TV shows creep me out a little. So anyway. This book. It was fine. JMP liked it.

Love Is In the Air was cute and a Cybil. A kite and a helium balloon. Yea, I liked it.

The Bag I’m Taking to Grandma’s House was not a Cybil — it was on a shelf at the library for Grandparents’ Day. JMP and I liked it. JMP doesn’t have to bring all the things in his bag because grandma will buy all the things, though.

If You Want to See a Whale is from the Cybils list and I apparently read it so long ago that I can barely remember it. I gave it four stars on goodreads and to be honest, I have no idea why. I assume this means JMP liked it since I can barely remember what I might have liked about it.

Journey was fabulous and obviously from the Cybils list. JMP loved it. I loved it. I will have to read it to him again next year to see if he still likes it.

Urgency Emergency is from the Cybils list and I liked it more than JMP did. Probably because JMP is not super familiar with the tale of the Red Riding Hood. Don’t worry, we’re going to change that this Christmas…

Punk Farm was a present for JMP from Aunt Michelle and I could have sworn I blogged this but either I didn’t or my search feature is worse than, well, worse than it should be. Anyway. The animals on the farm are punk musicians. They put on a show after the farmer goes to sleep. It’s a great punk show. I loved it. JMP was amused by my screaming of the lyrics. Next year I’m gonna get Michelle and RJ and Chris to PERFORM as I read. JMP’s gonna love that. Don’t worry, we’ll take video.

And that’s it for the kids’ books I feel behind on. I think. Maybe. Hah.

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Six Children’s Books From the Cybils Shortlist

2014, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Cybil Challenge, Don't Read This, Favorites, Fiction, Poetry /

Let’s see…

JMP loved Joe and Sparky Go to School. The book was in the back seat of my car and he read it many times all by himself. I didn’t read it until last night and it’s very cute.

I read most of Sophie’s Squash to JMP and while he was not impressed, I was. It’s a very cute story. I’m going to read it to him again next year, I think he just wasn’t in the mood to read the night we tried it.

When Thunder Comes was excellent. Very well done with a wide range of civil rights leaders represented.

What the Heart Knows is a beautiful book. The illustrations. The charms, chants and blessings. The little red ribbon. I might have to buy this one.

Pug and Other Animal Poems was ok. The illustrations were better than the poetry. I was fascinated by the poem about the mouse. That’s not something you see very often in children’s poetry. What? Go read it for yourself.

The Meanest Birthday Girl was my least favorite. In fact, I hated it. Which is too bad because there’s a big white elephant in the book. There’s enough meanness in the world that we really don’t need it in a children’s book — not like this.

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Reading In September

2014, Books in Bed, Reading /

Hell.

It was a children’s books/non-fiction kind of month. Which makes sense. A total of 24 books which sounds better than it really was.

3 audiobooks (all for children)
5 from the Cybils shortlist
11 Non-fiction.
1 adult fiction (which is not something I usually mention because duh but in this case, have to mention it since I really read so little this month.

I’m also still catching up a bit from the books I read with JMP while he was here. Since I haven’t been able to blog them, I’m going to count them in October even though we read them in September. It would be too complicated to do otherwise.

I really need to catch up on the book blogging… that’s my real October goal, I think?

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Filofax, Art Journaling and Other Goals In September

Daily Dose, Day to Day, Filofax /

Oh right, it’s October. Which means it’s a new month and time to review last month. Thank goodness last month is over.

I didn’t actually create a to do list until after JMP went home and that list was intended to carry me through October so I’m not too upset about the fact that the only thing I’ve managed to cross off is the mailing of packages to five people. I’ve managed to get started on a few other things on the list but I’m not making a lot of progress because September sucks and it’s awfully early in October.

I did order some storage bins to start weeding through the linens and towels and bedding situation.

I did art journal a wee bit at the end of September. I also tracked down a water bottle for Melisa and I think I even know how I want to make this thing… so we’ll see. Hopefully I’ll have that done by December 2 — which is the next time I plan to be in her stupid suburb.

I worked on JMP’s stocking last weekend and hope to keep making progress there. Maybe. Hopefully.

And we absolutely do have to find our winter clothes. ASAP.

Also, Filofaxing — I’m back at it, though I don’t seem to be doing any daily journaling. I need to get that back into my daily schedule. Soon.

Onward into October.

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Re-Visiting The Princess Bride

Daily Dose, Day to Day, Movies & Television /

I love The Princess Bride (who doesn’t, right?) I’ve seen it a trillion times (who hasn’t, right?) So I hesitated about ordering tickets to see The Princess Bride at the Hollywood Palms theater in that stupid suburb that I hate to go to.

But when TW wandered over there and mentioned that it was playing, I thought what the hell. It will be fun. And, they make a really awesome lemon sorbet martini. (I know, you’re shocked.) The tickets were super inexpensive, when you look at how much a movie ticket normally costs, so that was an added bonus.

After a rough couple of days at work, I was totally ready for this particular date night movie. It was even cooler than expected because we got to watch the movie in the special screening room that has like 12 small leather couches instead of the computer desk type chairs. Much more comfortable and intimate. Really nice.

We ordered more drinks and a ton of food (though not as much food as last time) and sat back to watch.

And that’s when I realized, I haven’t really seen The Princess Bride a trillion times. I mean I have, but not all of the way through from start to finish without working while watching or getting distracted by kids or pets or other people. And, I’ve never seen it on the big screen.

If you have the chance to see it in a theater this way, I highly recommend it — even if you’ve seen it a trillion times. It’s totally worth it.

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The Big Tiny

2014, Books in Bed, Non-Fiction /

I’m fascinated by tiny houses and the people who live in them. I’d like a tiny house except I wouldn’t because gah, tiny! I enjoyed The Big Tiny and I was all the sad there at the end. Sniff.

Maybe we could build a tiny house and let people come and stay in it and we could stay in it occasionally, but we aren’t carrying any damn dogs up to the loft to sleep. That’s just nuts.

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Again with the Perennials

2014, Books in Bed, Favorites, Non-Fiction /

More books about perennials and perennial vegetables — leftover from when TW and I were talking about gardens and perennials and well, umm, vegetables.

I really liked both of these books — much better than the others I read last month (or was it July?) Perennial Companions was supper pretty and had lots of interesting ideas for garden designs. All the pretty gardens. And, How to Grow Perennial Vegetables was awesome because it had a lot of ideas for plants that would grow well together, tons of charts about the types of root systems and the plants that are good for the soil or good for bees etc. I liked those charts a lot.

I think I’m done reading about perennials now.

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4 Children’s Books

2014, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Favorites /

Here are four books we read while JMP was here. All four were winners.

My Big Truck Book is a very big board book with a lot of trucks. Which means it was obviously a hit with JMP. Rough & Tough Tractors is a cute little book in the shape of a tractor wheel. Jenn ad-libbed when she read this one which means you always have to talk about the poop and the shovel and the bugs on the grill when you read it. Heh.

Because ThatGrandma’s dance party was such a big hit, I decided we needed some books about grandmas dancing — I ordered Dancing with Grandma and
Let’s Dance, Grandma. He liked them both.

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