California: This is another state that had many books written about it. I really liked Our California, Pop's Bridge, Oranges on Golden Mountain, and Harvesting Hope. We also read a few books about the history of the state and colored the flag. I had a hard time deciding what to cook for dinner, and this ended up being the week that everyone got sick with a stomach virus so our dinner plans got all jumbled up. I finally ended up making a pasta dish that had asparagus and artichoke hearts in it, a big green salad with avocado and other veggies, and some oranges.
Colorado: We read C is for Centennial (I wish the library had more in this series) and a book called Dreamplace about Mesa Verde. We also read a bit more about the Anasazi and other cliff dwellers (S-Boogie thought they were really cool) and a book about Rocky Mountain National Park. After coloring the flag we had some yummy beef and pinto bean chili for dinner with warm corn tortillas.
Connecticut: This is another state that was hard to find books for. The only picture book I could come up with was The Taxing Case of the Cows. We also colored the flag and ate pot roast for dinner with custard for dessert.
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
50 States: The Letter A
After finishing up our geography project with countries, the kids really wanted to talk about the 50 states. I wasn't sure it would be interesting, but we've actually found a lot of fun things to talk about for each state.
Alabama: I discovered that Crayola has really fun coloring pages for each state, so we colored the flag and talked about some of the state symbols. We read a book about Helen Keller, a book about Space Camp, a book about the bus boycott, and a few books with general facts about the state. For dinner we had barbecued pork chops, southern corn bread (in a skillet!), and collard greens.
Alaska: The library had many interesting books about Alaska. We read about sled dogs, landmarks, school children, seasons, Inuit culture, and the history of the state. We colored the flag and ate a dinner of baked salmon, rice, and blueberries. The kids loved eating the dinner and told me they were Alaskan bears eating salmon and berries to get ready for the winter.
Arizona: We also found many fun books for Arizona: Tuesday in Arizona, Cactus Hotel, Mule Train Mail, Big Moon Tortilla, and Manana Iguana. I checked out some informational books about the state and about the Hopi and Navajo Indians as well. After coloring the flag we ate Navajo tacos for dinner.
Arkansas: I had a harder time finding books about this state. We just read a few informational books about it and then we found one story that was set in the Ozark mountains. After we colored the flag we had biscuits with sausage gravy and grits for dinner. The kids really liked grits.
Alabama: I discovered that Crayola has really fun coloring pages for each state, so we colored the flag and talked about some of the state symbols. We read a book about Helen Keller, a book about Space Camp, a book about the bus boycott, and a few books with general facts about the state. For dinner we had barbecued pork chops, southern corn bread (in a skillet!), and collard greens.
Alaska: The library had many interesting books about Alaska. We read about sled dogs, landmarks, school children, seasons, Inuit culture, and the history of the state. We colored the flag and ate a dinner of baked salmon, rice, and blueberries. The kids loved eating the dinner and told me they were Alaskan bears eating salmon and berries to get ready for the winter.
Arizona: We also found many fun books for Arizona: Tuesday in Arizona, Cactus Hotel, Mule Train Mail, Big Moon Tortilla, and Manana Iguana. I checked out some informational books about the state and about the Hopi and Navajo Indians as well. After coloring the flag we ate Navajo tacos for dinner.
Arkansas: I had a harder time finding books about this state. We just read a few informational books about it and then we found one story that was set in the Ozark mountains. After we colored the flag we had biscuits with sausage gravy and grits for dinner. The kids really liked grits.
Monday, May 09, 2011
Reading Roundup: April 2011
Stones from the River by Ursula Hegi
I read this a while ago, but it was our book club pick for the month so I read it again. I liked it just as much the second time; it is one of those books that immerses you into a world full of characters that are all interesting, complex, and so real that you feel sad when you finish the book and have to leave them behind.
I read this a while ago, but it was our book club pick for the month so I read it again. I liked it just as much the second time; it is one of those books that immerses you into a world full of characters that are all interesting, complex, and so real that you feel sad when you finish the book and have to leave them behind.
The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson
This book was better than I expected. Some nonfiction, while good, moves slowly. I found that I couldn't put this book down because I wanted to know what comes next. I think it could have benefited from better editing due to some repetition and a few instances that didn't feel as clear as they could have been, but other than that it really is a great read.
Unfamiliar Fishes by Sarah Vowell
I haven't read anything by Sarah Vowell before and so it took me a while to get used to her style. I kept wanting this book to be something it wasn't, but in the end I started to like it and thought it was pretty good. I think I'm ready to try something else by Vowell now that I have a better feel for her style.
Mr. Monster by Dan Wells
This is the sequel to I Am Not a Serial Killer, which I read last year and was surprised to enjoy as much as I did. I'm not really into the horror genre, but this isn't exactly horror. I'm not totally sure what to call it, but it's good. I liked this second book just as much as the first and I look forward to the third one now.
Peculiar People Ed. Wayne Schow, Robert Schow, and Marybeth Raines
I read this book a number of years ago but decided to reread it because I remembered little about it. My first observation is that it is horribly dated; the language used in it and the issues discussed don't feel very relevant anymore. Also, the pieces included are uneven and some of them are very poorly written. I get the feeling that the editors were just using what they had at the time, but I think it is time for an update.
Rift by Todd Robert Petersen
I was prepared to not like this book; it came out a few years ago but I had put off reading it simply because it didn't appeal to me. I admit to feeling a little tired of Mormon books that were about men and take place in rural Utah. This book changed my mind, or at least helped me see that a good writer can take anything and make it good. The writing is beautiful and the main character is likable despite his best efforts to make us not like him.
The Nineteenth Wife by David Ebershoff
This is the book I thought I would like but ended up disliking quite a bit. First of all, the author does too many things and has too many things going on in the story. Sometimes that can work, but it didn't work for me here. I also felt turned off by the details that the author got wrong; for some reason they really bothered me and I had a hard time taking the book seriously.
This book was better than I expected. Some nonfiction, while good, moves slowly. I found that I couldn't put this book down because I wanted to know what comes next. I think it could have benefited from better editing due to some repetition and a few instances that didn't feel as clear as they could have been, but other than that it really is a great read.
Unfamiliar Fishes by Sarah Vowell
I haven't read anything by Sarah Vowell before and so it took me a while to get used to her style. I kept wanting this book to be something it wasn't, but in the end I started to like it and thought it was pretty good. I think I'm ready to try something else by Vowell now that I have a better feel for her style.
Mr. Monster by Dan Wells
This is the sequel to I Am Not a Serial Killer, which I read last year and was surprised to enjoy as much as I did. I'm not really into the horror genre, but this isn't exactly horror. I'm not totally sure what to call it, but it's good. I liked this second book just as much as the first and I look forward to the third one now.
Peculiar People Ed. Wayne Schow, Robert Schow, and Marybeth Raines
I read this book a number of years ago but decided to reread it because I remembered little about it. My first observation is that it is horribly dated; the language used in it and the issues discussed don't feel very relevant anymore. Also, the pieces included are uneven and some of them are very poorly written. I get the feeling that the editors were just using what they had at the time, but I think it is time for an update.
Rift by Todd Robert Petersen
I was prepared to not like this book; it came out a few years ago but I had put off reading it simply because it didn't appeal to me. I admit to feeling a little tired of Mormon books that were about men and take place in rural Utah. This book changed my mind, or at least helped me see that a good writer can take anything and make it good. The writing is beautiful and the main character is likable despite his best efforts to make us not like him.
The Nineteenth Wife by David Ebershoff
This is the book I thought I would like but ended up disliking quite a bit. First of all, the author does too many things and has too many things going on in the story. Sometimes that can work, but it didn't work for me here. I also felt turned off by the details that the author got wrong; for some reason they really bothered me and I had a hard time taking the book seriously.
Movies
I'd seen this movie a very long time ago and had a positive impression of it. It is still a very fun movie to watch even if it is feeling a bit dated.
The Fighter
This movie surprised me--I'm not really into boxing movies, but I like Christian Bale and I'd heard good things about it. The main thing that works is the characters; all of the actors do a phenomenal job. My only problem with is was the fact that so much of the dialogue involves swear words--I was worried to open my mouth after watching it for fear of what would come out.
I Love You Phillip Morris
I had this movie confused with something else in my mind and so it took me a while to get into it. The tone is also somewhat uneven and the story is a bit hard to follow. It still was a very sweet and funny movie despite having some flaws.
This movie surprised me--I'm not really into boxing movies, but I like Christian Bale and I'd heard good things about it. The main thing that works is the characters; all of the actors do a phenomenal job. My only problem with is was the fact that so much of the dialogue involves swear words--I was worried to open my mouth after watching it for fear of what would come out.
I Love You Phillip Morris
I had this movie confused with something else in my mind and so it took me a while to get into it. The tone is also somewhat uneven and the story is a bit hard to follow. It still was a very sweet and funny movie despite having some flaws.
Tuesday, May 03, 2011
My Most Decadent Birthday Ever
Yesterday was my birthday, but the celebrating this year started on Saturday evening. Mr. Fob invited over some friends of ours and cooked us dinner: pasta with shrimp and some roasted vegetables. He also bought me one of my favorite birthday presents ever: a giant hunk of gourmet cheese from Costco and some crusty bread to go with it. After we let dinner settle, we played Settlers of Catan and tried some very tasty cupcakes from The Sweet Tooth Fairy (strawberry shortcake was my favorite).
Then on Sunday we had family over to celebrate both my birthday and my sister-in-law's birthday, which happen to be the same day. Mr. Fob cooked French bread and lasagna, and other family members provided even more goodies for the meal. I received some very nice presents from everyone, including flowers, chocolates, kitchen items, and a new apron.
Finally my 'real' birthday arrived yesterday morning. Mr. Fob's mother spent the night so she could babysit for us to have a breakfast date. We were all set to go try breakfast at Communal, but I didn't read the part on their website that said they didn't do breakfast on Monday. We settled for Mimi's Cafe, and the good thing was that I didn't have to eat anything else until dinner. I spent most of the day being as lazy as possible, and then last night we took the kids up to see the tulips at Thanksgiving Point before stopping by El Pollo Loco for dinner.
Oh, and yesterday morning, Mr. Fob gave me a gift: a sewing machine. I don't think any year is going to top this birthday. I know my hips are going to remember it for many more to come.
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