Baby Can’t Read Yet May 7, 2008

Yeah, I know that’s shocking. At 8 months, she still can’t read.

Anyway, I asked you all for book advice back in February, and you happily gave it. While I wanted to buy ALL the books you suggested, we don’t have that kind of a budget, so we narrowed it down to a few.

Husband LOVES Jan Brett (as do I), so we bought The Mitten. Two I remembered from my childhood were Harry the Dog and Blueberries for Sal. Since none of these were really appropriate for where she is right now, I grabbed the Baby Colors book by DK. Even with those literary classics in the mix, the BABY chose the baby book. She loves the colors and will sit patiently while I read every object on the page. As a result, we went back and bought a couple more DK books the other day–an alphabet one and a body parts one. We also picked up a copy of Rosen’s/Oxbury’s We’re Going On A Bear Hunt, which she also enjoys a great deal. Over time, we’ll be able to build our library even more (even though we have many bookshelves that area already full of grown-up books). We hope Anja will love to read as much as her parents do!

We Have A Winner! May 6, 2008

Actually, you’re all “winners,” but since I’m not rich, I did have to narrow it down to one prize-winner. You had some very clever and cute entries, so it took me awhile to decide.

And after deciding that this individual shouldn’t be disqualified, even though it was her idea to have the contest in the first place, the winner is….Miz Booshay with “See here, Vinnie, it’s like this….”

I found it odd that so many of you commented on how cute she is, because I think she’s pretty ugly in this picture, kind of like a little mob boss or something. MB’s quote captured that spirit. Ha!

I hope to continue holding contests, so keep coming back. I was especially excited to see some new first-time readers.

Miz Booshay, for your efforts, you will win aforementioned $15 Bath and Body Works gift card as well as…this FABULOUS prize from my mother’s high school collection! Yessirree, we turned up some treasures last time I was at her house.

The New Sound is copyright 1966, so who knows what phenomenon of the musical realm will be in it? This snapshot was taken shortly after Anja threw it (she apparently doesn’t like oldies as much as her mama).

Q & A, Part III April 27, 2008

Happy Sabbath, everyone! Some more questions answered below…

Lulu (who should get a blog, right everyone?) asked, “In the spirit of Earth Day, what are your favorite ways to be green in your everyday life?”

I actually didn’t celebrate Earth Day in any special way, but I’ve been an avid reducer/reuser/recycler since I was little.

“What are your tips for a fit and healthy pregnancy? Mr. Right and I have what we call a ‘five year plan’ for wedding, house buying, and first baby, but I say it’s never too early to start getting pointers!”

It’s never too early to start building for a healthy pregnancy. The healthier you are when you get pregnant, the healthier you’ll be when you are pregnant. As a general rule, I tried to eat at least 5-6 servings of fruits and veggies a day in addition to taking my Juice Plus+. I worked out at the gym 3 nights a week and walked or ran outside 20-30 minutes on the off days. Even in the winter, Husband and I would suit up and go out for a walk. I continued this patter when I was pregnant, and worked out (lifting weights and everything) up until the day before I went into labor. You might get detractors (“Don’t you think you’re hurting the baby?”), but as long as you keep your heart rate at a safe level and don’t exercise to the point of exhaustion, you’re probably doing your body a favor. Another helpful thing to me was joining an online forum. The one I used was called “Babyfit” and it was helpful to have other experienced and first-time mothers to answer my questions.

“What’s your typical Starbucks order?”

You know, I’m not much of a coffee drinker (water, now that’s my bag), but when I do order something, it’s usually whatever the current seasonal beverage is.

Jamie asked, “What is your favorite book?”

When I was a child, it was probably a toss-up between Matilda by Roald Dahl or The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin. Now? I’ve been reading nothing but non-fiction for so long…it’s hard to say. I read the Bible most regularly, so I’ll go with that.

“How did you and your husband meet?”

This is a rather odd and long story. To make it short, he was coming to the same college as me, and my aunt said, “There’s this boy from my church coming to your college. I want him to get in with ‘good people’ so you should invite him to Campus Crusade.” I did just that at the beginning of the year, and dusted off my hands, duty done. I didn’t speak to him again until Christmas break, when we were assigned to the same discussion group at CC’s Christmas Conference. Our group really hit it off and hung out a lot back at school, and we became good friends. Then during May (finals week) he asked me out.

“What do you like most/least about being a mom?”

Most: I can be having the worst day ever, and just a smile from my baby girl brightens it incredibly. She really is a delight.

Least: I don’t deal well with lack of sleep, and her schedule and mine…they don’t always run parallel tracks.

“How many pairs of shoes do you own?”

This is going to sound terrible, but keep in mind that I have shoes that date back to my high school years and probably 10 pair are $1.99 flip-flops from Wal-Mart…I have 40 pairs.

Jenni asked, “Bein’ as how you’re from Minnesota, do you have any Scandinavian blood coursing through your veins? You look blond and blue-eyed, but that could be German as well…”

You’re correct. I’m mostly Swedish, but I also have bits and pieces of these:

English
Irish
Scottish
Norwegian
French-Canadian-Indian
German
Ukrainian

How’s that for a mutt?

Thanks everyone, this was fun, and not as intimidating as I thought. Once again, if you asked a question, consider yourself “tagged” to do the same thing on your own blog, if you so choose.

Children’s BOOK February 21, 2008

(s)

Husband and I enjoy a good book or 117.  I am constantly trying to pare down our book collection so that it will fit into the 4 bookshelves we have, rather than buying more and more real estate in which to park our beloved volumes (did that sentence even make sense?  All you grammar queens have got me freaking out these days…).

That said, Anja has a fairly small library thus far.  I get sick of reading her the same books over and over.  Do any of you have suggestions for good children’s books*?  Seriously, give me 20 titles.  I’ll check them all out!  Some things I look for/particularly like:

• Beautiful illustrations (this is the initial draw…the inside has to have a little content)
• Decent storylines or interesting characters
• If it’s a Christian book, sound theology (none of this “Jesus loves everyone, we’re all going to Heaven–yay!” stuff)

or

• Complete and utter silliness (sometimes these books are just great for sparking the imagination), accompanied by one or more of the above

Authors I love: Jan Brett, Arnold Lobel, Roald Dahl, Brian Jacques, Joan Aiken…many more…
I also love Quentin Blake as an illustrator, if you couldn’t tell from the above list.

Suggestions, please!!

*”Hilary’s legs are being digested!”

Did you miss out on the classics? February 8, 2008

Cuz I did.  When I was young, I was smart.  I taught myself to read by age 3.  By Kindergarten, when everyone else was learning the alphabet, I was reading The Bobbsey Twins (shout out to my friend Nan!).  But then, reading only series caught up with me.  I graduated to Trixie Belden (old school) and Little House and Babysitters’ Club and Sweet Valley Twins.  I never read anything good.  Nothing enriching.

Then in high school I read Emma by Jane Austen.   And I realized I hadn’t missed out on much.  Now, I’m not trying to offend all you JA lovers out there, but really, her books could be summarized as done here.  I encourage you to go and read all these classics.  It will take you about half an hour, and you should be able to carry on in-depth conversations about them (no) or at least answer elementary-level questions (maybe).  It’s funny, at any rate.  And fairly accurate!

Pregnancy Book Reviews - Part 1 January 16, 2008

It was about this time last year that I was really starting to dig into a bunch of “I’m pregnant–now what” type reading, so I thought I would pass on the impressive amounts of wisdom I’ve stored up since then (ha!). Actually, I’m just going to point you in the direction (or in the other direction) of some resources that may or may not help you or someone you know who is pregnant. How was that for a sentence–sheesh.

So, in no particular order, here are some pregnancy resources:

What to Expect When You’re Expecting*

Don’t let the drab, icky cover fool you into thinking this is your mama’s book from 1967. It’s up to date. I received this book a year or so after marriage with the intention of reading it cover-to-cover and being a walking encyclopedia once I actually conceived. After about one hundred pages I was ready to get out the razorblades. I never finished the book; it took a place on my shelf in the “reference book only” category.

What you get: A month by month question-and-answer format guide to pregnancy, plus some extra chapters on labor and delivery, post-partum, fathers, and trouble-shooting (Heidi–it’s not a computer; it’s a baby!) complications that may arise.

What you don’t get: A positive outlook. The reason I put the book down: it’s a bit too thorough for a straight read. I wound up being worried about all the things that were going to happen to my baby rather than looking forward to pregnancy.

Conclusion: Great as a reference tool, but not a fun read.

*They have a website. Haven’t been there–it may be useful.

Your Pregnancy Week by Week

I received this book from a friend about 11 weeks into my pregnancy. WOW! I love it. While I don’t agree with all of the things the authors purport, it is SO fun to look at your baby’s development week by week (rather than month by month like most pregnancy books).

What you get: Descriptions of the baby’s growth and what it’s doing, week by week (obviously). The same for your own body–what you might be noticing and what you can do to be the best host for your little one. The illustrations of both of these aspects are helpful. Also included are tips for dad-to-be on what he can do to be involved and help you out. Gives a short chapter on post-partum baby cares.

What you don’t get: Over-the-top technical jargon, any help with alternative methods for pregnancy-related discomforts, the best nutritional advice.

Conclusion: Overall, I’d heartily recommend this book. Just remember that it’s from the point of view of an OB/GYN.

The Baby Name Wizard*

Never had I intended to actually purchase a baby name book. I figured the internet, the one I had on hand (Mom used it to name me back in the day) and a few visits to a bookstore would produce the perfect name. But good grief this is an excellent book! After a couple visits to Barnes & Noble, I couldn’t resist buying it (again, eons before I actually conceived). I would sit there with my husband and my coffee, laughing out loud at some of the name descriptions. So it became part of our personal library. And I read a name book cover. to. cover. Can you believe that it’s that good?

What you get: More than a list of names and definitions. Wattenberg (the author) includes a “snapshot” of each name. The snapshot gives a style (”Defines a family of names that share a feeling, from ‘Country & Western’ to ‘Surfer Sixties’.”), a list of common nicknames, a list of variants (for instance, different spellings or pronunciations), a little graph showing when each name peaked in popularity and what number it was on the list (e.g. Heidi peaked in the 1970s at #77), Sisters and Brothers (names that match the style and feeling–you will laugh at the fact that these names often are those of your siblings and/or friends), and commentary (my favorite section). Here’s a sample commentary on the boy’s name Blaise: “A few cutting-edge parents are catching on to this intriguing entry. It was the name of a French saint, and the renowned philosopher-mathematician Blaise Pascal. What could be more respectable? Yet it also sounds like a blaze of glory. A refined way to indulge your need for speed.”

Also, descriptions of the Style Families help you decide if the name bodes well for your child’s future (or if you’re just stuck in the past!).

What you don’t get: A list of a trillion names. If you’re looking for the most options possible, this isn’t the book for you.

Conclusion: HIGHLY recommend it.

* They also have a website. I’ve been to this one, and it’s amazing (and it gives you a better picture than I have of what the book is about). You must try the Name Voyager. Type in your name and see what happens.

Speaking of birth, it’s my birthday…

Kitsch in the Kitchen November 20, 2007

Yesterday my husband had the day off work, so we took the opportunity for a rare mid-morning “date” at Barnes & Noble (one of our favorite date spots).  I had recently heard of Amy Sedaris’ book “I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence,” so I followed the nice customer service lady right to it, picked up a few obligatory magazines (usually they get placed, unread, back where they were on my way out), and found a spot at a table near the café.

Oh.  My.  Goodness.  This is a HILARIOUS read.  I cannot remember the last time I laughed so hard so many times in a row.  I can’t say I would necessarily buy a copy, as I wouldn’t want my children finding something with inappropriate humor on my bookshelf (or in this case, in my recipe cupboard), but…I also can’t say I might not pick it up again the next 3 or 4 times I go to B & N.  This book is even funnier if you are a fan of Martha Stewart, which I am.  Sedaris satirically takes aim at Martha-type entertaining books, filling hers with some useful tips but mostly humorous anecdotes and “to do” lists regarding entertaining.

Sedaris has a few obsessions that are quite obvious even after just a quick scan: squirrels, rick-rack and googley eyes, to name a few.  Her recipe photos seem to be stolen from a 1970s cookbook.  Ugly props (my favorite being a little terra cotta worm who shows up randomly in plates of food), not-so-good looking dishes (including…a cake made out of meat.  After reading some online reviews, however, I saw that many people gave her recipes kudos despite their unpalatable appearance) and random captions fill the pages.

My sides really split when I saw the crafting section in the back.  Gum wrapper necklaces, earrings made of painted penne pasta, peanuts (or clams) with googley eyes, plant hangers made of nylons…it defines kitsch.

Again, not something I’d recommend for the kiddies (I don’t find some of the “adult” humor she includes very funny), but good for a laugh or 247.

Gorey details November 19, 2007

So Anja and I were out doing some Christmas shopping last week and stopped into a store in the MOA called “The Afternoon.” My eyes were immediately drawn to a stack of books at the front door (by immediately, I mean “right after I looked at the ‘Don’t make me come out there… - Dog’ door mat”) by Edward Gorey. After perusing a few of these masterpieces, I concluded that Mr. Gorey must have spent some time contemplating his last name…and how he could live up to it. His books are quite disturbing. But that didn’t stop me from buying two before I left! Check them out…

The Epileptic Bicycle

The Doubtful Guest