Mom, Let's Read

I love to read with my kids.

Really.

Trouble is, the adjustment to four kids means that at any given moment I could count at least 4 things that have to be done next: Feed the baby, change the baby, make breakfast, lunch, dinner, do dishes, laundry, teach violin, get Annelise dressed, change another diaper, Boys' piano practice, Peter's math lesson.....you get the point.

The other trouble is that I was raised with the mentality that leisure should ONLY happen when all other tasks are done. Well, folks? Guess what. My jobs are never done.

So, a few weeks ago when I was gathering up library books to return, I started to realize that I had hardly read any of them with my kids.

I was sad.

At that point I made a goal.

Do you want to hear my goal?

My goal is that, whenever one of my kids says, "Mom, can we read this?" I will try to stop whatever I am doing and read with them, if I can. After all, how long does it take to read a kids' book? Usually not more than 10 minutes. And then I can carry on with the endless barrage of work I have to do.

So, it's been going pretty well so far. As I said, it is only a goal. That doesn't mean I am always successful. Sometimes I am doing something I can't put down. Or that next thing to do really is the next thing I have to do. In fact, now that I have a heightened awareness of the occasions on which my children ask me to read to them, I have realized that there is no earthly way I could possibly always keep up with Annelise. (That may have something to do with her crush on Steve from Blue's Clues and the fact that we have a Blue's Clues book from the library that she wants to read over and over and over again.) But, in general, it has increased the frequency with which we read together and I am happy about that.

So, with that said, I've been wanting to tell you about two of our faves. We discovered both of these at the library and when we had to return them, I just clicked right on over to Amazon and ordered my own.

Orangutan Tongs by John Agee is, quite simply, hilarious. We repeat them, we laugh about them, we have some of them memorized. I have difficulty trying to comprehend how anyone could come up with anything...indeed, so many things, so clever. We have several favorites, not the least of which is....

"Walter and the Waiter"

Walter Witter called a waiter: "Waiter, over here!
I want some water, waiter. Water, waiter! Is that clear?
The waiter brought some water. Walter Witter shouted: "WRONG!
This water's really watered-down! I like my water strong
The waiter brought more water. Walter Witter was upset.
"This water's dry!" said Walter. "I like my water wet!
Bring me wetter water, waiter!" Walter Witter said.
The waiter brought a pitcherful and poured it on his head."

I Did It, I'm Sorry by Caralyn Buehner, is a favorite of mine for a different reason. It teaches basic moral principles in a fun and interesting way. Each story outlines a different scenario with its own unique moral dilemma. This is followed by a multiple choice offering of what the character should do. Once the children have thought over the options, they choose if the correct answer is a, b, or c. Then they check to see if the answer was correct by searching for the letter hidden somewhere in the illustration. They don't ever seem to tire of this game, which I love, because it gives us lots of opportunity to talk about making correct choices.

I'm always open to more suggestions on top-notch books to read with my kids. Knowing there are offerings like this out there, I just want to find and devour them all. What are your favorites?

Game Over

All right, ya big bunch o' yella-bellied party poopers. (Sorry, I just had to say that.) Time to move on...I have other stuff I want to blog about.

I am posting the answers, even though Marec was the only soul brave enough to commit her guesses to the comment board. The good news is that Marec, you were almost exactly right. I confess, I threw in a trick photo just to throw you all off. It's Adam.

See the answers below....

Let's Play "Who's Who"

I was looking at some old pictures of my babies and could not believe how much Angelyn and Annelise look like the same baby. Can you tell who's who? Leave your guesses in the comments and I will post the answers when I get a chance. (ps...don't post your reasons for your guesses. No fair if you have the advantage of familiarity with our clothing and baby accessories.)
I know some of these will be too easy. But I hope not every one will be a dead giveaway.

Annelise

Annelise

Adam

(I used to carry him around in Jonette's pink moby. I had a lot of people ask me, "How old is she?" "well, she's about....." I got tired of trying to explain why I was carrying my baby boy in a pink wrap.)

Annelise

Angelyn

(Kind of too easy since her cheeks haven't totally filled out yet.)

Annelise

Annelise

Namesake

Definition of NAMESAKE

: one that has the same name as another; especially : one who is named after another or for whom another is named

Do you wonder why we chose the name Angelyn?

No, it was not the fruit of our own creative genius. But that's not too far off. It originated with my parents. Or, if my distant memory serves me accurately enough, I recall my brother Mike making the original suggestion. But I was only 4 or 5 at the time so there could be several versions of how the name really came about. The point being, here she is. My sister...

Angelyn Richards Foster

holding our sweet little one.

Of course, she goes by Angie now, and has done for as long as I can remember.

Let's see...how do I do this without embarrassing her too much? Simply stated, I love the girl. Her most defining characteristic is a heightened sense of awareness of the feelings of others. This among many other admirable qualities. I could drone on and on about how we talk several times a week and how she is one of few souls by whom I feel truly understood. But, I won't.

This photo is all about having sisters. I love it.

Fast forward to last Summer. Weston and I are in the midst of that hopeless search for a baby name we both like. During one of several brainstorming sessions, he suggests the name Angelyn. Suddenly in my mind all others are excluded. It is somewhat unique without being too bizarre, it is really, really pretty, and as far as namesake goes, we both felt we couldn't ask for better.

Of course there were some "ifs" about it. One question being how Angie would feel about it. This was second only to the quandary about whether it would be too similar to Annelise. In time, both obstacles were surmounted. So, we may have invited trouble by having two daughters whose names start with the same syllable, but I really don't care. And just for the record, both names were chosen for their beauty and any similarity between them is purely co-incidental.

Angie, thanks for letting us use your name, and for the person that you are. I have been blessed with many, many wonderful friends. But, as Jordana would say, You're my Bestie.

Ah, Motherhood. She makes it look so easy!

Going Private

I am going to go private on the blog again soon. Please send me your email address or leave it in the comments. And PLEASE continue checking in on us (even though we won't show up on your reader...sniff, sniff). I know we have picked up a fair number of readers since Angelyn was born and we welcome your visits. Please do not hesitate to contact me or Weston if you find yourself locked out.

Happy Valentine's Day!

We Love You!!