The Family That Reads Together...

The family that reads together learns together.  Papallama wisely says that children learn not only from what we do, but also by what we don't do.  PDub and Baby Bird remind me that reading needs to be what we do everyday.  I am so proud of Mama at Law and Mama Cat for making reading such an important daily routine for the boys.

Mama Cat says that Baby Bird tuned in to Good Night, Moon recently.  She thinks it's probably due to his visual development.  This book contrasts black and white pages to color pages, so it not only teaches Baby Bird the sweet rhythmic sound of reading, but also helps his little eyes start to focus.  I'm a big fan of Margaret Wise Brown and this book will be a favorite for many years, I'm sure, since it is such a great bedtime story.  She also wrote Runaway Bunny, another must have in a child's library.

PDub is reviving some old favorites at bedtime.  He has shelved Peter Rabbit and checked out The Kissing Hand and LlamaLlama once more.  Both of those stories deal with separation and I can understand why they would appeal to him once again.  He's moved to a new classroom with new challenges and the arrival of baby brother is starting to become a reality as Mama at Law's tummy expands. 

I have even managed to share some new books with Mama Cat and Mama at Law.  Mama Cat is reading The Help and What Alice Forgot.  Mama at Law tried out my Kindle version of The Weird Sisters.  She loves the book AND the Kindle. Maybe This Time or Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption will be my next read.  Right now, my nose is in books about antiques and costume jewelry as I list the things that are left from Mom's estate.  You can follow that in our Etsy Shop. (See the link in the right sidebar for updates.) I am learning that you can't know much about antiques without learning history in the process, and for me, that's been very enjoyable.  Messy, cluttery fun.

Back to the bling~

Cheese!

Mama at Law called with the big news that our beach pictures had arrived.  Thanks to Brook Bertschy for capturing a small piece of our family time at Kiawah in July. 



The chance to have us all together gets more and more precious.



As sweet as he looks



Bored already



Hair is looking a little red.



Come on, PDub, picture taking can be fun!



His job was demolition.



He has no fear of the water.



Is there any better backdrop?



Biker Grammy

I had so much fun this weekend that I thought I would blog a quick post about it while the peach cobbler is cooking.  Thanks, Mimi, for the recipe that has alluded me for years!

On my last birthday, Papallama humored me when I asked for a bicycle.  Then I informed him that in order for me to enjoy a bicycle, it would mean he would need one, too.  Who else was I going to ride with?  And I sure wasn't going alone!  So he gave me a sweet ride.  It's a Specialized Arial 24 speed number.  It's not a road bike.  Those tiny tires would be the death of me!  Still, it's a speedy bike and like Charles Shultz said, "We all have gears we never use."  At first, I would shift gears every few minutes playing around with it.  Mama Cat informed me that I should not be changing gears unless absolutely necessary, so for once, you can call me conservative.  Just once though.


This is such a great amenity for Greenvillians.





Papallama  had one last Friday free before school starts back, and he invited me to go to The Swamp Rabbit Trail for a ride.  I love The Swamp Rabbit Trail!  We had already explored the upper end when we first got the bikes, but I have been wanting to go downtown and explore there (See Map G).  We parked close to the Peace Center and headed toward the Greenville Zoo.  Wow!  What a beautiful trail!  I told Papallama that it was like an amusement park built for bikes!  We crossed over stone bridges, rode along a bubbling brook, stopped to look at a WW II fighter jet on display as a memorial to Rudolph Anderson, the only human casualty of  the Cuban Missile Crisis, and just enjoyed the breeze you get while gliding on your bike.  We rode for about an hour and decided to grab lunch at one of our favorite downtown dives, Chicora Alley.  Oh, and of course, I had to step into the ice cream parlor on the way back to the car.  Riding sure works up the appetite! Speaking of appetite, the cobbler is done!

Happy Trails to You!~

First Day Jitters

When the calendar turns to August, my brain goes into teacher mode.  Even after retiring, I can't help anticipating those first hectic days when school starts back.  I flipped my ME calendar yesterday ( Yes, I still keep an old fashioned wall calendar and a day planner in my purse even though the iphone is keeping track of everything.)This month's quote was one I had not seen before and it is so fitting for this time of year.

"There is one thing which gives radiance to everything. It is the idea of something around the corner." ~G.K.Chesterton

Even after thirty years, I would still lie awake the night before the first day of school, absolutely unable to calm my excitement and anticipation.  The day itself was always exhilarating and exhausting.  You know, that good kind of exhaustion, where you feel a great sense of accomplishment. 

Some joke that they fear change.  I prefer to take Chesterton's outlook on it. I am eager to see "what is around the corner."  There are so many wonderful opportunities and experiences ahead, it makes me absolutely giddy to think about them. 

So I will be thinking about all the folks, big and little, who are beginning a new school year.  I hope it brings learning, adventure, friendships, and most of all, great accomplishments.

~Welcome back!