AAaaaa-CHOOO!

Our Christmas Cantata is this weekend and things have been crazy around here. There have been practices nearly every night this week and to top it off, I lost my voice yesterday. Since I started getting sick last Sunday everyone has been giving me their own tried-and-true home remedies for getting over a cold. I think that probably most of these things are superstition, because ultimately, my own body has to fight the virus on its own, but some of the remedies might help my body's immune system do its thing right?

So I've been taking my prenatal vitamins, and drinking this vile tea made with vinegar and honey, and drops of elderberry extract. I've been rubbing essence of Eucalyptus on my chest and back at night and inhaling steam and peppermint extract. And Emery and I are practically drowning in the amount of citrus we have consumed in the last two weeks. We polished off a whole bag of Cuties in about 3 days. Poor Jimmy was only able to get about 3 of them... Emery and I ate the rest. The only remedies I haven't tried are the ones that could turn out to be counter-productive, such as the one where I wrap my neck in a wet cloth, then a wool scarf and then sleep in that the whole night. Frankly, that sounds horribly uncomfortable, and I think a good night's sleep would help me fight disease better.

So today my voice is back... although very croaky still. I'm able to talk, though my voice is much lower pitched then normal, and my attempts at singing in the shower this morning were a total failure. At least I can make noise... that's a step in the right direction right?

The problem with most of these remedies is that one measly ounce of elderberry extract is like $15 at the co-op and they all go for that kind of price. Home remedies are expensive!

So just as I'm starting to get better, Jimmy woke up with a sore throat and raging fever this morning. So I made him a cup of vile tea (that's what we call it) and he grudgingly sipped at it between faces. Here we go again... round three of this awful cold. Emery first, then me, now him. I'll be so happy when we're all back to a reasonable state of health around our house! And when the trash cans aren't perpetually full of used kleenexes. Gross!

Merry Christmas from the Painters and Shutterfly!

So this Christmas Shutterfly is doing a promotion which is actually quite genius in my opinion. They are offering 50 free Christmas cards to bloggers who write a promotion of their holiday collection. It's genius because I get 50 free holiday cards, and they get cheap advertising. And presumably, you'd be more likely to buy from them after reading my blog then you would be from seeing a banner on the side of your web page. I know I would.

So I had a delightful morning browsing their holiday collection and I was really quite impressed! They have TONS of cards to choose from too. I spent some time pondering whether I like the cards with multiple pictures or the ones with single pictures, and I decided that I like them both! But for my own Christmas cards I think we'll go with just one picture. And I like the cards best that feature the picture with a minimal design as opposed to the ones that feature the design more prominently. And did you know that they have certain cards you can pick where 10% of the proceeds will be donated to various charities? They do "Livestrong," "American Lung Association," and "Heifer International." Cool huh?

Just look at that adorable little girl! How precious. Here's the link to this card.

This one is nice for a family picture. Here's the link.

As you can see, my favorites are always the very simple ones. I like the snowflake design on this one. And it's very conducive to a family photo, whereas others look more like a single photo of a child. Since we're doing a family photo, I tended to be more attracted to the family looking ones. Here's the link to this card.
And here's one more super cool thing Shutterfly does that I didn't know before this morning. Calendars! I love that you can not only personalize your pictures into the calendar but also add pictures onto certain dates and your own special family dates like birthdays or your anniversary. In fact I like it so much I'm tempted to make one for my family! :) Here's the link to the calendar page. By the way, they also do desk calendars, not just wall calendars, for the friends and family in your life who sit in an office.

So here's the end to my plug for Shutterfly, and I know I'm getting free stuff for doing this, but I was genuinely impressed by what they have to offer. Seriously... go check it out! Here's the link.

A Day in the Life...

A few months ago my friend Heidi wrote a blog post with pictures explaining what a day in her life is like. I loved the idea, and I resolved to do it when I had a "normal" day to document. But after several months I'm beginning to realize that I don't have any "normal" days so you're going to get just one abnormal day in my life.
Also, a warning. I was trying out the camera on my new iPhone 3G which isn't a bad camera, but you have to hold absolutely still when you're taking the picture, and it doesn't do very well in low lighting. So these pictures aren't the best quality, but it's enough to get the idea.

Here I am at 6:30 in the morning eating breakfast, putting on my makeup, and making my evil parts-of-speech quiz for the 7-10th grade English classes I teach. Emery and Jimmy are still sleeping.

On my way to school... and yes I'm late... again. I'm supposed to be there for staff worship at 7:20. The girl in this picture is one of my 9th grade students. When I told her that I was taking these pictures for a blog she looked confused and actually said to me: "Is that like a twitter?"

Wow I feel old. I thought the concept of writing a blog was still relatively new...

Here's me at my desk getting ready to start my 9/10th grade English class. I feel like I shouldn't post any pictures of my students without their parents permission so no classroom pics. After this picture was taken we had morning worship, took hot lunch orders, took attendance, reviewed the parts of speech, then took the quiz I made in the morning. Then we did pretty much the same thing in 7/8th grade English minus the worship and hot lunch, and I gave the 7th and 8th graders some extra time to work on the fictional stories that are due on Monday and study for their spelling test tomorrow.

The bell rings at 9:33 and now class is over and I'm done teaching for the day. Normally I would go home now, but today I have my piano lesson. Unfortunately I didn't get much practicing done with Thanksgiving break and family visiting. Luckily my teacher has grown children and remembers what life was like when they were young. He's lenient on me when I don't have enough time to practice properly.

Luckily I have about 20 minutes to quickly run through my songs before he arrives.

It's 10:45 and I'm home at last. Emery was glad to see me. She's got pink-eye in both eyes and has a cold, and is getting two molars at the same time so she's pretty clingy, snotty, and sick right now. You may not be able to see the dark red around her eyes in this picture, but it's pretty awful. Jimmy was happy to get going to work also. And this is what greeted me when I got home... *sigh* it's going to be a long day...

But before we tackle the living room, it's time for Emery's snack/1st lunch. Here she's munching on apple slices and string cheese... and that's spilled milk on her tray. She also ate some leftover lentil stew after I took this picture. While she eats I put the first load of dishes in the dishwasher and get it started.

Now Emery is all ready to help me cook dinner. We're putting it in the crock pot so it'll be all ready when daddy gets home! I'm trying a new recipe called Mediterranean Lemon Chicken that I got from my friend Ruthie's blog. However, I'm modifying it for the crock pot and instead of using chicken legs, I'm using chicken breast because that's what I have. I hope Ruthie won't mind!

Emery made her own concoction including milk, lemon zest, and pieces of garlic. She mixed it enthusiastically, then when I wasn't watching she tried to pour it from that bowl into the cup there, spilling it down into the burners. So after I put her down for her nap I had to take the stove apart and clean down under it to get all the milk.
Nap time!

Here's my lunch. Lentil stew, toast with butter, and apple juice. I take this opportunity while Emery is asleep to sit down, eat my lunch, and watch one episode of "Psych." "Psych," is one of the dumbest TV shows ever made, but it's quite entertaining and usually very brainless, which is the exact criteria I'm looking for right now.

Load of dishes #2

2:00: Mommy come rescue me!

Time for snack/Lunch #2. We'll eat some broccoli while mommy makes the macaroni with tomatoes.

Off to the post office to mail a couple of packages.

Even when Emery's sick she likes to get out of the house for a little bit in a day.
Back home we've cleaned the living room and are getting ready to vaccuum. Emery looks so brave in this picture, but when the vaccuum turns on she runs to a far corner. :)

And now she's in time out for disobeying mommy...

4:00- Living room is vaccuumed, and realitively clutter-free. Kitchen is clean. Dinner is in the crock pot. Mommy is tired of cleaning so it's time for a little mommy-Emery time.

5:00- Daddy's home! Time to get dinner on the table.

The chicken was very dry and didn't have a lot of flavor. I'm positive that if this recipe hadn't been modified by me it would have been delicious. Try Ruthie's recipe... I'm sure it's wonderful. But when I made it it didn't turn out. But the broccoli was yummy!7:00- Choir practice. We're preparing for the Christmas Cantata in a week and a half. Here I am sharing a folder with my friend Betty! Choir practice got out about 9:15... then I came home and wrote this blog post!

Emery's directions for helping mommy make Lentil Stew

1. Point and make unintelligible noises at the computer till mommy turns on the Christmas music.
2. Dance a little to get in the mood.
3. Climb up on the chair mommy pulled up the the counter.
4. Pull carrots out of the bag so mommy can peel them.
5. Take the chopped carrots out of the bowl and put them into the crock pot (which already has lentils and water in it) one fistfull at a time.
6. Wait after each fistfull for mommy to gratefully and exuberantly thank me for my helpfulness.
7. Remind mommy every minute or two that the crock pot is "hot."
8. Take a few bites of raw carrot before throwing it in the crock pot.
9. Drop a carrot on the floor, climb down off the chair, pick it up, climb back on the chair, and put it directly into the crockpot. (mommy's insert: don't worry... if we are having visitors mommy will omit this step).
10. Now add fistfulls of celery to the crockpot. (repeat step 9 as needed)
11. Now add fistfulls of onion to the crockpot. (repeat step 9 as needed)
12. Every so often, stir with a wooden spoon.
13. Take a big bite of raw onion, make a face, and spit it out.
14. Hold the measuring spoon while mommy measures the oregano, basil, salt, celery salt, and paprika. Then dump it in the crock pot.
15. Hold each seasoning one by one as mommy lifts me up to put it away in the cupboard.
16. Put each vegetable back in the refrigerator.
17. Dance some more to the Christmas music
18. Get my blankie to go down for a nap.

The New World of Imagination

I have been wondering when kids begin to develop an imagination. I have been watching for signs of Emery playing "pretend." And recently I finally saw the first glimmers of it.
She was holding a small wooden zebra that comes from a Noah's Ark set of animals that my mom gave her last time we went to visit. And it was like for the very first time in her life she recognized it as the representation of an animal instead of an irregularly shaped object. She turned it the correct way, so its little zebra feet were facing down, and then she moved it across the couch, forward, the way a zebra might walk.
It was a small thing. The kind of thing only a mother would get excited about, or even notice. But it was exciting to me. And I know as her brain continues to develop she will open up into the world of "pretend" and imagination. And I love it!
It is so fun watching her grow and change. And she does it so unobtrusively, so unconsciously, that if you weren't paying attention, you might not even notice.

My Little Helper

So in the past couple of days Emery and I have started doing one of the things I was most looking forward to about motherhood... doing things around the house together!
Of course, this means that it takes twice as long to do anything... sometimes three times longer, but it's worth it. Now I can do housework and spend quality time with my daughter at the same time!
Take laundry for example. When I go around the house to collect the laundry, Emery helps me pick up any clothes that got left on the floor, empty the laundry hamper, get the wash cloths, towels, and dish cloths from their various places, and load them into the washing machine. And she loves to push the button to start the washer. Then she "helps" move the clothes from the washer into the dryer. This consists of me handing her each wet item of clothing so she can shove them individually into the dryer. As you can imagine, this takes WAY longer then if I just did it myself. But it's also way more fun!
The folding and putting things away is even more fun! I fold one item, say a pair of underwear. And before I can grab another item to fold, Emery grabs the folded item and races into the bedroom to put it away. So I pick her up and open the correct drawer and she throws it in (usually its previously folded state is unrecognizable by this time) and then we go back out into the living room to fold one more thing. One pair of socks... put away in the bedroom. One dish cloth... put away in the kitchen. One shirt... hung in the closet (for this I pick her up so she can hang it on the rack). One towel... rushed to the bathroom. Etc...
Doing it this way takes FOREVER but it brings joy to my mama's heart.
And we do dishes this way, and pick up toys, and cook meals (Emery loves to help stir), and dust, and even sweep the floor!
And I love every minute.

Spending fast

Jimmy and I went to a financial seminar last week and decided that we really need to rethink our spending. So last night we decided that we're going on a spending fast that will last at least three or four months because we need to save for the birth of this baby. But it's only 10:00 in the morning and I've already thought of dozens of ways to spend money today!

The car needs gas, and it is very overdue for an oil change.
I was late to work this morning so I wanted to run through Starbucks for breakfast (which is actually much quicker then making something at home.)
On the way by the grocery store I was remembering some things I would like to make for lunch.
On my way past the co-op I was thinking of some "natural remedies" that my midwife was recommending to ease some of the discomfort of pregnancy.
On my way past home depot I was remembering that I wanted to buy rat poison for our garage intruder, and fly paper for our recent invasion of fruit flies.
I also remembered that my mom's birthday is coming up and I haven't bought her a card yet.
These things don't include the drive past Big Lots and JCPenny and Kohls where I could easily spend LOTS more money.

So I had a bagel with cream cheese from my own toaster this morning... no Starbucks.
And I'll make something for lunch that we already have in the house.
And the natural remedies will have to wait... and so will the fly paper and rat poison (although the rat poison will have to be purchased sometime before the spending fast is over because I can't stand to have that guy in there all that time!)
And I got some construction paper from the teacher's lounge and Emery and I will make a birthday card for my mom.
Obviously I'll still have to fill the tank with gas and get the oil changed.
but this is going to be harder then I thought!

Chess: the random-move strategy

I've been trying to find new and interesting ways to teach spelling words to my 7-8th graders. Spelling is unfortunately kind of a boring subject so i'm always trying to find new ways to make it more interesting to practice our spelling words for the week.
This week I decided to have the students do some game modification. We have played games before using our spelling words, one of our old favorite standards is Hangman, of course. Today We had several board games and card games and the students were supposed to modify the games to incorporate the spelling words. It was much more of a success then I was expecting!
One team modified the game "Sorry" so that every time you got out onto the board, every time you entered the home base, and every time you got a "sorry" card you had to correctly spell a word before moving on.
Another team changed the game "Skip-Bo" so that every time you wanted to play a card from your deck you had to correctly spell a word, or lose your turn!
But the one I remember the best was the game I was involved in. One of my students is excellent at chess so he challenged me to a game. We decided that anytime you want to take another player's piece, you have to correctly spell a word.
Now you have to understand that playing chess with me is a frustrating experience for good chess players... or so I'm told. This is because I have a very unique strategy (and also because I am TERRIBLE at chess). My strategy in chess is to move my pieces around the board, blocking or protecting my pieces as I see them in danger. But the part of my strategy that drives people nuts is that when I don't know what to do I make some kind of illogical but bold move with one of my key pieces. For example, let's say that we're part-way into the game, the pieces are moved around the board in such a way that if anyone makes the first move taking pieces it will cause a chain reaction that will wipe out half the pieces on the board. So instead of focusing on that, I will take my queen and move her randomly to the other side of the board. or my rook. or my bishop. Or I'll move my king up one space. Now, good chess players, since they have a long-term strategy, assume that I also have some kind of strategy. So when I make a bold move like that they try to figure out what I'm thinking. But my brilliant secret is:
I'm not thinking anything!
So chess master playing opposite me is sitting there scratching his head and replanning his whole strategy to incorporate my random move. This is very satisfying to me. It's the only reason I play chess. Because losing a game over and over and over is MUCH more amusing if you can at least succeed in puzzling and confounding the other player.
And since I'm going to lose anyway... I might as well enjoy myself right?
So today I was playing against 7th grade chess master and employing my random move strategy when to my great surprise (and his) I found myself in a position to take one of his important pieces. Of course, that would mean sacrificing my queen, but oh well. It would be exciting wouldn't it? So after he confusedly replanned his strategy around this new move, he made the move that would wipe out my queen. And to my great delight... he spelled his spelling word wrong! Allowing me to put him in checkmate... And so I won a game of chess... possibly for the first and last time in my life. He declared good-naturedly that it wasn't a real game and I shouldn't be able to congratulate myself.
But I'm going to count it.

Music Lessons

So now I remember another reason why I haven't been blogging since I got pregnant. Because by the time I sit down to do it I'm so very tired that it seems like a chore and I decide to put it off till later. Sigh.
I started taking piano lessons about a month ago. I took piano lessons when I was in elementary school but in 8th grade I quit my lessons because I didn't like practicing. So now my mother gets to gloat because not only do I have to pay for lessons that she would have paid for herself, but I have regressed dramatically from years of not playing. I am currently playing level 3 songs... You know, the ones with extra big notes and unicorns and rainbows decorating each page. So mom... I'm going to say it... you were right. I shouldn't have quit my lessons. I officially regret my choice. :) And my children will equally suffer through years of music lessons because I now recognize how important they are. Are you smiling?
I enjoy my lessons, and I enjoy practicing too, but I really have very little time to practice. I can only practice when Emery is sleeping, and during her nap I'm either busy doing other things I can't do when she's awake (load the dishwasher, fold the laundry) or taking that time to sit down for the first time in the day. Then when she goes to bed at night I find myself ready to read, watch TV, or check my facebook. It's quite hard for me to motivate myself to sit there and play. But since I'm paying for these lessons myself, it helps to motivate me. :)
Jimmy is likewise starting guitar lessons next week. He is very excited. He is a self-taught guitar player (he started learning just after we got married) and has gone through the initial painful part of learning how to play all by himself. I'm so very proud of him! But he's still not confident enough to play in front of very many people and his song leading is pretty rough still. I think these guitar lessons will really help him smooth out some of the rough edges of his playing and help him get past the plateau he seems to have reached in his self-education. His practicing is the opposite of mine. He is encouraged to play when Emery is awake, not only because his loud twanging wakes her up, but because she dances and shrieks and claps her hands, or sometimes she just sits in rapt attention listening to him play.
I'm glad he's taking lessons too, because I want our children to see models of both their parents enjoying music in an effort to encourage them to take pleasure in it too.
Ok now I'm really going to bed. Gotta get up and give my 7-10th graders their final quarter exam tomorrow. Mwahahahaha!!!!

Shadow the Sentinel

This morning my sister, who is here for a short visit, wanted to go running. She's training for a half marathon next month. We took her and her dog, Bele, and my two dogs, Shadow and Dr. Watson, to the school so Erin could run the track with the dogs and I could watch Emery and cheer her on. I was very pleased and surprised at Shadow's behavior.
We let the dogs off their leashes when we got there, there being no one else around. They began running with Erin around the track and racing each other through the field in the middle. Emery and I started running around in the middle of the track also. I noticed that periodically Shadow would break from the other dogs and run up to check on us. He has done this before and I find it quite endearing.
After awhile Emery started getting bored just running around so I went back to the car to get my key to get in my classroom and find some balls for her to play with. She walked with me to the car and then to the classroom but she was preoccupied with the shiny locks on the lockers so I went in the classroom by myself, got the balls, went out the back door of the classroom and deposited the balls on the field. When I came back I didn't see Emery anywhere. I had that brief moment of panic thinking the worst. It didn't take long for me to find her and when I did there was Shadow standing right beside her guarding her till I got back. When I picked her up he looked up at me and gave a low questioning whine which I interpreted to mean, "Now you have her, and she is safe. Can I please go run with the other dogs again?" So I told him he could go and gave a wave of my hand and he was off racing with the other dogs again.
Later, a man came to run on the track for a little while. Shadow is afraid of people he doesn't know and in the past he has always cowered in fear. But today, although he was clearly still afraid, he made sure that every time the man came around to where Emery and I were playing he was standing between us and the man. He was cowering in fear still, but he was standing his ground.
It makes me feel good to know that our dog is so protective of Emery and me. I don't know how he would fare if he felt that we were actually being attacked, but I have a feeling that his protective instinct would win out over his fear. And that makes me feel slightly better.
Good dog Shadow! Good dog!

Update for errr... 5 months or so...

So it's been a REALLY long time since I posted on my blog. The long and short of it is that I got pregnant again and for the first part of the pregnancy we weren't telling people yet... then when we were telling people I had morning sickness (which is a misnomer! I have it all day long!) and didn't feel like blogging. Then when my morning sickness went away I just didn't know where to start off again.
So instead of coming up with some spectacular way to start blogging again, I'm just going to start blogging again. Sorry about the 4-5 months of no posts. I hope that not all of you have abandoned me. :)
Anyway... Emery is doing well. She's learned a few words. Her favorite word is "Hot" which she says over and over again while she goes around the house. She also says milk, doggie, dada, and several others but they are incomprehensible to anyone but me. Her vocabulary is expanding greatly though.
She also knows how to point to her eyes, nose, mouth, ears, belly button, knees, elbows, and oddly, nipples. The last one is because she has recently become fascinated with my nipples whenever she sees them (since I bathe with her most days that's almost every day). This twist of irony is not lost on me since she had absolutely no interest in my nipples when she was SUPPOSED to... ie when she should have been breastfeeding.
She has lots of teeth but is currently struggling through getting her canines which is turning out to be more difficult then some of the other teeth, also more lengthy. She is also showing some strange signs of being clingy and cuddly lately which I attribute in part to a stage she's going through, and in part to a reaction to the pregnancy.
This pregnancy is, overall, much milder then the last one. However, I'm having to work much harder this time because being pregnant and keeping up with a toddler is a challenge! (Of course... I'm sure having an infant and a toddler at the same time is a breeze... hehe).
We also got two dogs... before I knew I was pregnant. They are both puppies and are keeping me very busy. They love to watch out the window to defend their territory and the smaller one (who isn't tall enough to see out the window from the floor) likes to sleep on the top of the couch. Yes, not on the part you sit on, but the very top, where your head goes. From there he has a very comfy perch and he can see out the window and the front and garage doors in case someone dares to approach.
Well I better not overwhelm you in this first post. But I'll do better about posting the interesting and exciting things going on in our lives (at least they're interesting and exciting to ME!).

My Wimpy Dogs

They told us at the vet that we needed to avoid taking the dogs out for walks or to public places until they have all their vaccines because there's a risk of them developing Kennel Cough (or something worse!). But our little Mini Aussie Shepherd (Shadow) is acting out because he's clearly not getting enough exercise. He's chewing things up like a crazy dog and sometimes he'll race from room to room with clearly too much energy. And when we pen them up at night, Watson will go right to sleep, but Shadow turns around and around in his crate and barks and whines for a few minutes. He's cleary not expending all his energy.
So this morning I decided to take them for a walk to see if I could help with that problem. Not too much risk of Kennel Cough in our neighborhood block right? So I strapped Emery into her stroller and put the dogs on their leashes and got ready to leave. But I couldn't even coax the dogs out the door! I had to actually carry them to the curb! But surely after we get going they'll get into it right? Wrong! We walked only two or three houses down and I was practically dragging them (and I mean that quite literally in Watson's case) down the street the whole time. If I gave their leashes any slack they turned around and raced back toward the house.
I've never seen such wimpy dogs... hopefully eventually when they get older they'll get bolder too. But for now... WIMPS!

Family showers!

When Jimmy and I got married one of our favorite ways to start the day together was to shower together. It's a fun way to spend some time together, talk and laugh and splash each other with water and soap suds.
When we moved to our last house in Michigan our shower wasn't in a bathtub, it was free-standing and very tiny. It was hard to shower in there with just one person... not to mention I was 7-9 months pregnant in that place. We missed our morning shower time. Then when Emery was born we lived apart for 4 months, then it was just too hard, one of us needed to watch Emery while the other showered.
Well this summer we decided to reinstate the group shower, with an addition. Emery showers with us now. We usually wait till after she eats breakfast so we can use the shower time to rinse the oatmeal and strawberries and bananas out of her hair. We take turns holding her so the other can soap up or rinse off. It takes much longer... but it's worth it. It's a bonding time for everyone in the family. We play with Emery, make her squeal when the water hits her, spin her around, play with her bath toys, and generally interact with her. And we interact with each other. We bought one of those hose shower heads so we can take it off it's mount and spray each other with it or let Emery hold it and watch the hilarity!
It's funny how family traditions come about. We have found that when we try to start a tradition for the sake of starting a tradition (tacos every Friday night for example...) it doesn't seem to pan out the way we wanted. We forget to do it, or we have other plans, or we're going to be gone. But real traditions spring out of the togetherness of families. From something special that you share with only your family.
Now I know that someday, for the sake of being appropriate, we're going to have to change this tradition. Either we're all going to have to wear swimsuits or Emery or daddy will have to be left out of the family shower. But for now, the family shower is my favorite time of day!

The mystery of teenage boys

I have always been of the "video games are evil" school of thought. Especially for teenagers or younger kids. But recently, to my surprise, I've started to see some small benefit to these games. It's the mystery of boys... I try so hard to grasp the concept of boys and they seem so foreign to me. But I'm working on it.
Jimmy spends a lot of time in his job just being with the teenagers. He goes every morning to their 1st period class. He goes to their PE class and plays with them. And he also has them frequently come over for youth parties. And even occasionally he'll have one of the boys come over here to the house just to hang out with Jimmy alone. And this is where the video games come in handy. See, if I were trying to bond with a teenager, I would sit down with them and talk. Well... that's what comes naturally to me. And if it were a teenage girl, that just might work. But it seems that teenage boys (in general) aren't wired that way.
For example, a boy, we'll call him Jonny, will come over here after school. He'll sit awkwardly on the couch, maybe he'll play with the dog or make faces at the baby. Sometimes I try to talk to him. But I always get monosyllabic answers to my questions.
But then Jimmy pulls out the X-box and some kind of weird teenage boy transformation occurs in front of my eyes. Shy, awkward, monosyllabic Jonny becomes confident, loud, and even arrogant Jonny. There is lots of friendly banter and trash talking. Lots of laughter, shoulder shoving, and cheers and boos depending on who is winning. And every once in awhile... every once in a great while all of those hours at the school playing PE with them, all of the hours in the backyard in Jimmy's homemade forge banging on hot metal with them, all the hours of video games and field trips and youth parties and camping trips pays off. And in between killing each other with swords (or whatever) I hear from my spot doing dishes in the kitchen something wonderful. Something like:
"Why is it important to wait till I'm married to have sex?"
"Does God really hate gays?"
"Why should I get baptized? Doesn't God know I'm committed to him?"
"What does it really say in the bible about jewelery?"
"Is God going to save Buddhists and Muslims?"
Etc...
And when I hear a question like this I marvel and the wisdom of my pastor-husband. He knew that all those hours would pay off. He knows about boys. And he may not have the answers to all of those questions, but he certainly is equipped to talk to them openly and honestly about whatever issues are in their hearts.
Issues, that are apparently easier to discuss after some kind of manly display of prowess.
Hmmmm... such a mystery...

In Defense of Books

My beloved husband is a very practical man. Truth be told, I am a practical woman too. I am one of those strange women who, if I need a vacuum cleaner, would rather receive a vacuum cleaner for my birthday than flowers or something. But when Jimmy told me that he wanted to buy a Kindle to save money and space on books I became irrationally impractical.
For those who don't know, a Kindle is an electronic device sold through Amazon.com. It can store thousands of books on it... books that you read on a screen. The designers specifically had "eye fatigue" in mind and they designed it so that it is no harder on your eyes than reading a written page. Books are sold in "Kindle" form for much cheaper than buying them in book form. And think of all the space you could save by packing up all those books!
However, all of my mind, body, and soul cries against this Kindle. To me it is an invasion of something sacred. You see, to me, a book is more than the sum of it's words. A book is something special all by itself. It's something magical and mystical. Can you really read "Walden Pond" on an electronic screen and have it mean the same thing to you? Isn't there something awe inspiring about losing yourself in the pages of a book? Being transformed into someone else in a different era, a different world, wrapped up in the warm embrace of a book is an experience that no screen, no matter how well designed, can duplicate. Can you explore the Mississippi River with Huck Finn or take your dusty broken-down car cross-country with the Joads? Can you feel the bitterness of revenge with Shylock or fear the encroaching madness with Hamlet? Can you swoon with Elizabeth Bennet over Mr. Darcy? Can Dickens and Shakespeare and Austen and Twain and Bronte and Whitman, and all the rest really be appreciated to their fullness when read on a screen?
Not to me.
Another thing that is magical about a book is its complete separation from technology. I am not a technophobe. I love my computer. But a book is completely free of technology "bugs." My books are never formatted wrong because they were created in a different program than I'm reading them in. They never have errors transferring files. They never lose power or run out of batteries. They don't stop working if they get a little wet (although they are damaged a little). I never fear reading them in one of my favorite reading spots... the bathtub. They never have unexplained "errors" that keep me from reading them. With a book I never get a one or two page teaser and then have to pay more to finish reading. I don't have to download, save, copy and paste, or anything when I'm reading a book. Isn't that something worth saving?
To me books are special all by themselves. A bookshelf is something sparking with life and imagination just waiting for someone to choose one of it's adventures to live in for awhile. I will not give up my books for any number of space, money, and time saving devices.

My Home's Tiny Scientist

I'm noticing more and more that my child's "play" is really more like elaborate scientific experimentation. She doesn't play like an older child plays. She doesn't use her imagination or pretend. She doesn't cradle her doll or talk to her. What she does is very fascinating. She tests things to see what they will do. For example, what she's doing now. She found a loose roll of toilet paper. First she dug her fingers in and ripped some chunks straight out of the middle of the roll. I can almost hear her thinking.
"What will happen if I bite it. Will it come out? How about if I throw it. Will it make a noise? Will it bounce? Will it roll? OOohh look! It unrolls! I wonder how long it will unroll. What will happen if I pull on it. Will it tear?"
or if she's playing with a simple 3-piece puzzle:
Will the cow fit in the horse piece? Will the horse fit in the sheep piece? Can I fit the sheep back in it's own place if the cow is already there? What about my ball? Will it fit in the sheep piece? What about this empty roll of toilet paper? Will it fit in the sheep piece?
And on and on and on. She's not really "playing," she's experimenting. And she's as tireless and eager in her discoveries as any of the world's most celebrated scientists.
And now I must go so I can pick up the scraps of toilet paper from my living room floor.

Potty training!

So Jimmy and Emery and I have foraged into the wonderful and frightening new world of potty training! I found this wonderful book called "Diaper-Free before 3." This lady has done a bunch of studies showing that earlier potty training is actually easier on the parents and the child and reduces a lot of health risks. So we're giving it a try.
So we went out and bought a little potty yesterday at WalMart and Emery has already successfully gone "peepee" in it. Woo hoo!
Wish us luck!

Motivations

I'm learning to be a better person by being a parent. There are many things that I should do because they are good things to do... things I sometimes don't do. But I'm starting to realize that if I want my child to do those things then I need to do them myself.

Is it wrong to use my daughter to be motivated to do things?

So before Emery was born Jimmy and I didn't always wear our seatbelts. Most of the time we did, but not every time. We don't always pray before meals. Sometimes I only brush my teeth once a day (gasp!). Sometimes I don't floss. Sometimes I'm lazy and don't do the dishes or put away the folded laundry. And most days I don't make my bed. Sometimes I eat foods that are bad for me. Sometimes I watch too much TV.

But I don't want Emery to get any of these habits! How can I teach her to live a better life then I'm living? I can't. So the only solution is to live a better life myself. How inconvenient!

But the one thing that is the most important... the thing that really cuts deep into my heart is my sometimes lack of devotional time with God. Sometimes I don't feel like doing it... and sometimes when I don't feel like spending time with God... I just don't. And I want to ALWAYS want to have my devotional time. And I want it to be important enough for my own soul's salvation to do it. But sometimes it's not. But now that I'm a parent there's absolutely no excuse for me to not be right with God. It's more important then it has ever been because it's not just my own soul that will be saved by it.

How can I teach my child to have regular and intimate devotions with God when I don't do it?

I can't. God help me.

Manly and Brave!

Lindsey: Jimmy thank you for killing that bug. You're so brave and manly!

Jimmy: Yes I am. (hands on hips, feet spread apart, head up, chest out, stomach sucked in)

Lindsey: You know, you don't have to stand like that, I already know that you're very manly.

Jimmy: But I'm so manly and brave.

Lindsey: Well could you be manly and brave over there? You're blocking the sink and I need to brush my teeth.

Jimmy: (manfully takes a couple steps over)

Lindsey: Just a couple more steps. Your manly elbow is hitting my back...

Jimmy: Well shoot! (relenquishes his manly pose and stalks into the bedroom.)

Lindsey: Don't worry... you're still very manly!

Why I don't teach Elementary School

So I substituted for the third grade class today. And I was reminded, once again, why I don't teach Elementary school. I always thought it was funny how, in general, Elementary school teachers tend to fear a high-school classroom and, in general, how high-school teachers tend to fear Elementary school classrooms. It's good that God gave us all different passions and skills.
Now, a little side note here... I love kids! I really like them... I just prefer them in smaller doses, and in a non-structured non-educational setting. And I would also like to say that I really don't mind substituting for the lower grades occasionally, I just know that I could never do it as a full time job. And one more add on... the kids I watched today were really wonderful kids. They gave me no problems and were very sweet and helpful. Ok... back to the rant... Here's a list of the reasons I don't teach Elementary school.

Reason #5- Never ending questions when the answer would be given if the class would just wait about 6 seconds for me to finish my instructions.

"Mrs. Painter when is PE class? Mrs. Painter how many problems are we doing? Mrs. Painter do we need to turn this in? Can we work with a buddy? What page are we on? How are we going to split up the teams? Do we need scratch paper? What are we doing after this?"

Reason #4-"Helpful advice" when I already am aware of the situation or problem and am currently dealing with it.

"Mrs. Painter, the teams are uneven! (I know this... we'll figure out a solution) Mrs. Painter Jonny isn't supposed to play PE today. (I know that, that's why he's sitting out today.) Mrs. Painter, we already watched this learning video. (I know that, we're reviewing it) Mrs. Painter, we don't have any scratch paper. (I know that, I'm actually walking to a stack of scratch paper as you talk to me so I can hand it out for you)"

Reason #3- Having to repeat myself... and repeat myself... and repeat myself... and.........

"Ok class, turn to page 307 in your math books." (rustling in desks and backpacks for a minute or so.)
(student #1) "What page?"
"307"
(student number 2) "What page?"
"307"
(student number 3) "What page?"
"307. Ok we're learning about division today. So let's take a look at the example problem in your book..."
(Student number 4) "What page?"
"307. Ok the example problem in your book starts out with 40 divided by..."
(Student number 5) "What page?"
"307."
(Me waiting for it... waiting for it... waiting for it...)
(Student number 6) "What page?"
"307."
(Me waiting for it...)
(Student number 7) "What page?"
"307."
(And it continues...)

Reason #2- tracking down lost or missing items

"Mrs. Painter, I lost my math book."
"Is it in your desk?"
"no"
"Is it in your cubby?"
(student checking...)
"Oh yes, here it is!"

"Mrs. Painter I lost my jacket."
"What does it look like?"
"It's blue"
(Quickly scanning the classroom for blue jackets and coming up empty)
"Did you leave it in the gym after lunch?"
"No I am positive I had it after lunch."
(another student loyally joining in...)
"Yes Mrs. Painter, I saw her get it from the gym after lunch."
(Me scanning the classroom again for blue jackets...)
"Well let's just go check the gym ok?"
(arriving at the gym, noticing a blue jacket on the floor...) "Is that it?"
"Yes!"

And the #1 reason I don't teach Elementary school?

Reason #1- TATTLING!

"Mrs. Painter, Jonny took my ball away when I was playing with it! Mrs. Painter, Suzy cheated at the game we were playing. Mrs. Painter, Larry isn't doing his work. Mrs. Painter, Harry hit me (which is always quickly followed by a very defensive...) "But Mary hit me first!" or "I didn't mean to!"

So I'm a high-school teacher to the core. Bring on the attitude problems. Bring on the sleeping in class. Bring on the lack of motivation, the hyper-hormonal behavior, the sarcasm, the drama of high-school. Bring on the teenagers! I know how to deal with that stuff. I feel equipped to deal with that stuff! But although I'll substitute for an elementary classroom, it just reminds me all over again that I really don't belong there!

Yardwork

So this is the first time I've lived in a house as a married adult. Jimmy and I always resided in apartments before now. And I'm discovering something that never occured to me before.
All those people who live in houses with beautiful yards... their yards don't just grow like that!
Who knew?
Anyway... our yard is getting very scruffy looking. There's several bushes and flowers of random variety and besides the obvious rosebushes, I haven't the faintest clue what kind they are. They are growing out of control in the front yard and some of them look like they might have some kind of plant disease. But how would I know?
And did you know you have to mow your lawn like once a week for it to really look nice? You should see our house. On either side of us there are perfectly manicured lawns and neatly planted flowers and bushes, and our house in the middle looks like some kind of wilderness. You could say that we're going for the "natural" look.
Anyway... we have vague plans to change that look. Wish us luck!

A little bragging...

Ok so I admit it, this post is a little bragging. I apologise to everyone. But I'm so proud of my little munchkin that I feel that every once in awhile, it's ok to say HURRAH! about your own offspring... but only every once in awhile.
So yesterday we were at the pediatricians office getting her 1 year checkup. In an effort to encourage parents to read to their children the office gives you a free board book when you go in for regular check-ups. So the doctor came in and handed me the book which I immediately handed to Emery. He asked me a question about something and I started talking but before I even got a sentence out he stopped me and said in a shocked voice, "Look! Look at what she's doing!"
What she was doing was opening the pages of the book and "talking" to herself as she pointed at the pictures on each page. This is completely normal behavior for her so it didn't seem odd to me, but he said, "Wow she's turning the pages! And she's pointing at things with her finger instead of her whole hand! She's really smart!"
"Well," I said, "We read to her every night and we let her turn the pages."
But inside I was bursting with pride! The pediatrician said my baby is really smart! Huzzah!
Of course... I knew that already. But it makes me feel great to hear it from someone else too. :)

Remembering one year ago...

Since Emery just turned one year old I've been thinking about one year ago how I felt on this day. My time in the hospital was such a magic time.
There was lots of pain. I was surprised at the postpartum pain. I had mentally fortified myself for the pain of birth and left no mental energy for the pain of postpartum and it took me off guard! I couldn't even get out of bed easily or sit down, or use the toilet.
And there was frustration. Emery wouldn't or couldn't breastfeed and I didnt know it then but her problems breastfeeding would turn into months and months of frustration, anxiety, and heartbreak for me... but at that moment I was frustrated that it wasn't working, but confident that soon it would work out fine. With the exception of a couple of nightmare experiences with the breastfeeding consultants in the hospital (shudder shudder) I felt pretty good about that.
But there was also contentment mixed with wonder. Today is the Sabbath and I remember that her second day of life was also the Sabbath. I lay next to her in the hospital bed and I told her all about the Sabbath. I told her about Jesus and how he died for her. And I told her about creation and how God rested on the Sabbath. And I told her why the Sabbath is important to me. And I told her about Adam and Eve, Noah and the ark, and Jonah and the whale, and David and Goliath... and I remember being surprised to discover that almost all the bible stories I know involve death and destruction.
But there was something magic about that time. When there was nothing in the whole entire world except Jimmy and Emery. And when Jimmy was asleep, there was nothing but Emery. And I held her little feet in my hands and I felt her hair and her hands and her tiny neck and her perfect nose and her soft ears. And I never minded getting up to rock her or feed her because she was the only thing in the world that mattered. And that feeling of contentment is what I remember most. The fear and the pain and the heartbreak all fade, but the contentment and the wonder is what I remember. And I hope I can always remember it.

1st Birthday!

How can Emery be one year old already? I can't believe it! She still seems like such a baby to me. We had a little birthday party for her yesterday on her birthday. We played silly games like "Name that baby food" and "guess how many cheerios are in the jar." We ate yummy snacks and pink cupcakes and opened presents, even though I told people they didn't need to bring gifts. She still got lots of fun toys and cute clothes!
And she was so tired that she went to bed a half hour early and I think even then it wasn't soon enough!
Happy birthday to my little baby!

Road Trip March 2010!

Grandma...

Grandpa...

Cousin Owen...

KayLynn and Kimber!

We just got back from a crazy road trip vacation! We all had a blast visiting family... truly it was good for the heart to see everyone. I only wish it hadn't been such a whirlwind trip and we could have spent longer with each family member. As it is, we stayed in five different homes during the week and a half we were gone.

First I went to my cousin Katie's wedding shower. It was fun to see all my relatives, and of course, I love wedding-related stuff. It's so exciting because Katie is my youngest cousin and here she is getting married!

Then we went to visit my sister Erin and my cousin Kelly, Kelly's husband Ricky, and her son Owen. Owen is only 4 months older than Emery and they had lots of fun playing... well... near each other. They haven't quite figured out how to play together yet... but it was fun for us adults! :)

Then we went to see Jimmy's mom and sister and their respective families. Again, Emery had a baby about her age, her cousin Kimber to play... around. Kimber is adorable, but she was going through a stage where she would walk up to whatever Emery was playing with and take it away forcefully saying "MINE!" This would make Emery cry, but if we forced Kimber to let Emery play with her toys then Kimber would cry... so that was fun! :) My favorite was when Kimber's mom (Jimmy's sister) Tracy would hold Emery then Kimber would fuss and cry and cling to her mama's leg and say over and over "MINE! MINE!" I don't think poor Kimber was sad to see us leave.

On the upside, Kimber's older sister KayLynn gave me a FABULOUS pedicure... she's hired! and it was really fun to see Tracy (Jimmy's sister) and her husband Josh. We even went on this crazy outing trying to catch little calves! When we finally caught one I learned a whole new respect for mama cows... who knew that cows could be agressive??

It was really good to see Jimmy's mom too, although Emery had to sleep in the bathroom because the temporary house they're living in while they build their house is all one room... except the bathroom. So in order to avoid the lights and sound and people milling around, we put her inthe bathroom. She didn't seem to mind at all! :)

Next we went to see Jimmy's dad and stepmom, Jim and Rene. I think Emery struck fear into their hearts because she was "cruising" the furniture and basically tearing their house apart. We spent the whole time following her around saying... No Emery don't tear up the magazines... No Emery, stop pushing buttons on the DVD player... No Emery, Don't poke your cousin Shielle (who's only 6 months old) in the eye... No Emery, don't pull all the books out of the bookcase... No Emery, don't eat the cat food...

Jim and Rene watch Shielle 5 days a week while her parents are at work. She has been a difficult colicky baby and she always sleeps best in grandma Rene's arms. When she's not hanging out on grandma's lap, she sits and plays with her toys in a little "house stroller" they have for her. Having Emery there was a reminder that their days of having an un-babyproofed house are nearing an end and soon Shielle will be tearing around just like Emery is!

On our drive home we stopped at my grandma's house for the night. It was nice to see her too but by that time we really just wanted to get home! So we only visited for a few minutes over breakfast and then headed on home.

You know that commercial where this couple gets back from a vacation and she falls face-first onto her bed and says (it's subtitled so you can understand her muffled words) "I love you... I missed you... I'll never leave you again!" That's how Jimmy and I felt sleeping in our own bed. and I'm sure Emery would agree when she was back in her own crib again!

I don't want my children to be happy

Everyone should read this blog post called "I don't want my children to be happy!"

As a side note, I remember when the news story came out about mothers giving their teenaged daughters boob jobs for their high school graduation gift. Crazy!

Even though I'm not planning to adopt a child, I think the principle is very good.

Thanks to my cousin Callie for pointing this out to me!

Sun baby!

Today Emery and I went outside! Really Emery hasn't spent a whole lot of time outside. She was born in April and we spent some time with her outside last summer, but she was too little to do any kind of exploring. And it was kind of cold to spend any lengthy time outside in the winter. So since we've been cooped up inside for almost 5 days from being sick (yes Jimmy and I also caught the nasty bug that Emery got) and it was a sunny day today, I decided to put a blanket down in the backyard and let her do some exploring.

She LOVES being outside, but the funny thing is that she's afraid to leave the blanket. She crawls to the edge and puts her toe out... literally... just one toe... and touches the grass distainfully. Then pulls it back in and looks at me questioningly... like "Well? What are we gonna do now?" I even tried picking her up and setting her in the grass but when I started to put her down she lifted her feet and began to cry in protest.

I laughed and put her down on the blanket. Then I thought to myself... boy is Jimmy going to be disappointed if she turns out to be the kind of girly-girl who doesn't want to go outside for fear of getting her perfectly manicured toes dirty! :)

That would crack me up!

Reading

Reading to Emery at night before she goes to bed is one of the joys of my life. But sometimes it's even more of a joy to listen to Jimmy reading to her. Sometimes I just stand in the hall and listen to the rhythm of his voice as he says,

"One Monday he ate one apple but he was still hungry.

On Tuesday he ate two pears but he was still hungry.

On Wednesday he ate three plums but he was still hungry!"

And I am enchanted by my husband. My husband who reads to her and likes it! Who lets her turn the pages, and sometimes, if he's in a good mood, he even does the voices.

I am a lucky wife and mommy.

sick baby

So Emery is sick sick sick! She has never been truly sick before. She has gotten the sniffles for a day and been extra fussy, but she's never gotten truly yucky sick.
Starting yesterday morning (and the night before that if her crib sheets are any indication) she has been throwing up everything she eats. She also has horrible foul-smelling diarrhea that soaks out the sides of her diapers onto her clothes and whatever she happens to be sitting on. She is fussy and clingy and won't be put down. Yesterday I changed her clothes 6 times... today we're on outfit number 4 and it's only 1:00.
I find that my baby surprises me when she's not feeling good. She is fussy and clingy and cries a lot more than usual... but she also has spells when she plays happily with whatever is around her and there's no indication that she isn't feeling well until she opens her mouth and her breakfast comes out all over the carpet.
When I'm sick I do not have times when I act like myself. I wallow in my misery and feel generally sorry for myself and pout and wish someone was waiting on me hand and foot. It seems that I should learn a lesson from Emery. She doesn't feel sorry for herself... she keeps doing what she thinks she should be doing until she needs something or someone.
Poor baby...
I thought she was feeling better this afternoon because there had been no puking for several hours. She was clinging to me and crying so I thought she might be hungry. She refused solid food so I gave her a bottle. After the bottle she was playing by herself when she spit up just a little. I picked her up and started cleaning her up and the spot on the rocking chair where it had landed. Then I carried her into the kitchen. There, in the kitchen she regurgitated the entire contents of the bottle all over me and herself and the kitchen floor (which thankfully is much easier to clean than the carpet).
For a moment I just stood there in shock wondering what to do. I must confess, to my shame, that for a brief moment I considered putting her down so I could clean up. Then I remembered how miserable it feels to throw up and I pulled her to me, vomit and all. She whimpered and laid her head on my shoulder and I knew in that moment that I had made the right choice. And I repented of my brief moment of worry about the kitchen floor and my clothes.
And if there are some moments that are sweet in their horribleness... that was one of them.

Young Adult Book Review

I have been substitute teaching at the local SDA school and consequently I've gotten on an adolescent novel kick. And it has gotten me thinking about my different perceptions from when I was a child (or Jr. High-er) and now as an adult. Isn't it funny how we like or dislike books based on our perspective?

Pollyanna:

I just re-read Pollyanna. Pollyanna is a completely ridiculous book that contains characters who are so unrealistic and underdeveloped that it's enough to induce nausea. And I LOVE it. I loved her as a child when this book was read to me, and I loved her as a Jr. High-er when I first read the book myself, and I love her now as an adult. For some reason inexplicable to me I totally BELIEVE Pollyanna. Even though from a literary perspective she's just so flat, my adult suspension of reality is complete and I totally fall for her every time I read the book. Can anyone ever really be that GLAD about everything all the time? Well probably not... but who cares? Pollyanna is a great read!

Anne of Green Gables:

I unfortunately do not have the perspective on this book because I never read it as a child. Therefore, I did not have the good fortune of falling in love with Anne (with an 'e'!) when I really should have. As an adult I must confess that I am not charmed by Anne. She is not believable to me. Like Pollyanna, she is an orphan, but unlike Pollyanna, she has been neglected her whole life. And yet she seems to have no lasting scars from her neglected childhood. I believe I would have loved Anne if I had read this book in my pre or early teen years because those years are so full of drama and imagination. But Anne's drama and imagination seem tiresome and overblown to me now. How sad that I waited too long to read it and the charm of this book is lost on my adult mind.

Matilda:

I LOVED Roald Dahl when I was a kid and Matilda was hands-down my favorite. As an adult I am horrified by the frightening and dangerous realities this book presents. Neglectful and abusive parents, extremely abusive schoolmistress, ghosts and poverty and fear. But maybe that's Roald Dahl's secret. He doesn't pitter patter around in his books just because they're written for children. Children are smarter than we give them credit for I think...

Anyway, I love Matilda. I identified with her unquenchable desire to read and the power it gave her to absorb knowledge. Although I could never move objects with the powers of my mind, I felt that maybe there was something special about me too...

Romeo and Juliet:

I absolutely HATED this book from High school until late college, but I don't think I really understood it until recently. I recently re-watched the Leonardo DiCaprio movie version of this play. And I had a revelation during the scene when Romeo first sees Juliet. His face is so open when he sees her... it's so full of wonder and childish romance. It got me thinking... this story isn't about true love, which is what always made me hate the play. It's about the tragedy of teenage impulsiveness. And for the first time in my life, I actually BELIEVED the play. Teenagers with their not-quite-all-the-way-developed brains are capable of this kind of lunacy. Look at how Romeo spent the whole first act mooning over some girl named Rosaline, then in one night he was so in love with Juliet that he was willing to die for her. That's because teenagers are totally capable of that kind of behavior. The overwhelming desire to act based not on reason, but from the strength of our feelings, regardless of sense, reason or consequence. And teenagers have the strongest feelings of us all. And that's what the play is about. And it's tragic and sad in it's sweetness. And I completely loved it.

Literature for Children

Jimmy and I take turns reading to Emery every night before she goes to bed. She has absolutely no interest in books or reading and only wants to chew on the book or squirm off our laps so she can grab at something interesting on the floor. Nevertheless, being an English major, and teacher, I believe in reading to children and I believe that she will learn to like it. And that maybe, somewhere down there, its doing some good.

However, after reading "Touch and Feel Farm Animals" and "Peekaboo Under the Sea" about 6 million times both Jimmy and I have decided to read something a little more entertaining for us, seeing as how Emery doesn't seem to care either way.

I chose a book by one of my favorite childhood authors, Sam Campbell, called "Eeny, Meeny, Miney, Mo, and Still-Mo." About 5 rambunctious red squirrels.

Jimmy chose a book on wilderness survival.

So if Emery pays attention, she can hear about my red squirrels and laugh with me at their antics...

AND she can learn how to...

...build a snow cave, where to find water in a desert, or how to trap wild game. Among other useful information.