He Wrote Back!!!!

A couple weeks ago, Erin wanted to show us some interactive art thingie she did in her class that was based on Peter H. Reynold's book "Ish".  We browsed his website and came across this in the Contact section:

Snail Mail

I actually love snail mail... so feel free to send me a note the old fashioned way at:

c/o The Blue Bunny
577 High St.
Dedham, MA 02026 USA

Robin set down and wrote out a "letter" to him consisting of a few pictures, and probably the word "Butterfly" which she is currently fond of writing.  We sealed it up, popped it in the mail.  I put a little note on the back envelope that it was from a fan, "Robin, age 3" and briefly described the drawings she did.

LOOK WHAT CAME IN THE MAIL TODAY!!!!!!!!

I'm so excited!!  I'm so curious to know what's inside.  We will have to browse other authors' websites for similar invitations to communicate. 

"Parenting: Illustrated with Crappy Pictures"

I got a surprise in the mail today. Surprises are always wonderful, this one totally made my day!!!!

That's right, a pre-ordered copy of "Parenting: Illustrated with Crappy Pictures." by Amber Dusick.  You're totally jealous, I know.

Oh wait, you've never heard of Crappy Pictures?  

Truly? 

Check it out. 

Some of my faves: 

The Worst Park Ever (I think I've been there with the kids)

Public Toilets

Coffee and Wine

Showering

Reaction to Pregnancy Announcements

Really, there is so much good stuff, so many times when she makes me laugh out loud, or nearly pee my pants.  Go. Read. Her. Stuff. And then, come ask me to borrow the book. Or better yet, buy a copy yourself. And one for a friend.*

Thank you, Kathy!!!  Thank you thank you thank you!!!!!  

Now I'm off to read it. I'll probably have to lock myself in the bathroom and tell the kids I need some "privacy" to actually read it.  But I know that's probably how Crappy Mamma gets her reading done too. 

*No, I'm not getting any royalties or kickback from endorsing you to buy her book.  She's just really funny. I have no doubt even non-parents will enjoy it.

Raising a Reader

Robin loves books. She loves to read. As soon as she could hold a book she would read. To herself. It's hard to read a story to Robin because she's very happy just reading alone. Sometimes to a friend.

 

Time to do serious recycling

We're cleaning out the kitchen to prepare for the remodel.  I've come across my college and grad school textbooks.  It occurs to me that
(a) I have two copies of MBOC
(b) They are different editions
(c) Parts of the earlier edition have been rendered invalid through the last 20 years of experiments
(d) I really need to get rid of some of my college and grad school books.

Anyone need something to prop up a wobbly coffee table?  Or maybe some kindling?

Today's reading list

Down By the Bay
Three Hungry Spiders and One Fat Fly
Peek a Who
Goodnight Moon
The Daddy Book
Monsters
Go Dog, Go
Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See?
Farm Animals
Giggle, Giggle, Quack,
Click, Clack, Moo
Maisy's Big Book of Flaps
Good Night, World
My Cold Went on Vacation
Ladybug Girl (2x)
Officer Buckle and Gloria
If You Take a Mouse to School
Diary of a Worm (2x)
I Loved You Before You Were Born
The Desperate Dog Writes Again
Where's Waldo: The Great Picture Hunt
365 Penguins
She's a Good Skate, Charlie Brown
Haiku Baby
I Must Have Bobo
10 Minutes to Bedtime
Ladybug Girl Dresses Up
Pete & Pickles
Insect World


We still have snuggly reading time (just before bedtime) to go.

My voice is hoarse.

Crazy Trip to the Library

The girls and I often go to the library for the local story hour and to grab piles of new books. Erin and I were looking at the science books in the Children's section and found this:

What a useful book for kids! It contains all the relevant information they would want including chemistry:

Cultural and historical information:

And botany! 

Yup, we totally scored at the library. 

L-I-B-R-A-R-Y!!

The girls and I went to story time at the local library.  It was great - they had one geared towards 0-1 year and another for 2-5 years.  We went to both.

Turns out they have a great summer reading program for both age groups.  For the babes, we do 16 "reading ready" activities such as sing a song, clap to a rhyme, and talk about what we're looking at.  The reward is a new board book.  In two days we're already done!  For the 2-5 age group, it's reading time.  20 minutes per chunk.  45 chunks.  Ummm.... correct me if I'm wrong, but that's 15 hours of reading.  Man, things get tough when you're not a baby! We're already on hour 3 though, so it shouldn't be a problem.

One thing the director was saying was kids need to be read about 1000 books from birth to when they start kindergarden to be ready for school.  I did a little math, and Robin should be ready by age six months.

Book for baby nerds

As Brian mentioned, Ms. A in Colorado attending the AACR annual meeting.  In between seminars, networking sessions and marathon poster sessions (seriously.  There's miles of posters) there is also a vendor fair featuring all the products you could ever want for your lab.  One booth was a little different.  

The Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press displayed the requisite laboratory manuals and over-everyones-head science books, but there was a small section for children's books. How cool is that?  This will be way better than an "Erin's Bike" Colorado license plate as her present!

Reading Nook

One of Erin's favorite spots in the house is sitting in her reading corner.  It consists of a few pillows and an inflatable turtle cushion from Ikea.  No one is allowed to sit on it except her.  No kidding, she will kick you out. Here she is enjoying her reading nook:

At McMiller PDX, reading is clothing-optional. 

Nighttime routine addition

Our pre-bedtime routine now includes reading.  Lots of reading. We must go through the entire stack of books. Luckily they're baby books and thus contain an average of 15 words/book.  And we don't typically make it all the way to the end of each story.  I'm just happy we have a reader. 

p.s. The cool thing Erin and Brian are sitting on is a blow-up sea turtle cushion from IKEA, one of the many items purchased during this trip.

p.p.s. Ms. A is participating in NaBloPoMo, hence the copious postings.  We will return to a more normal rate of a few posts a week in December.  I've made it this far - can't stop now!

A goose?

Apparently mcmillerpdx has been goosed. Not 100% sure what this means but it appears to be a chain-letter type thing. I'm a sucker and the subject is seemingly random enough to be interesting. Kind of a Dada form of chain mail. Here goes nothing.

The rules:

* Look up page 123 in the nearest book

* Look for the 5th sentence

* post the three sentences that follow the 5th sentence on pg. 123.

Nearest book at hand: "Clinical Dermatology, An illustrated Textbook", by Rona M. MacKie, 3rd edition

" A cutaneous infection, usually due to streptococci, but with deeper involvement of the subcutis than in erysipleas. Cellulitis presents as a raised, hot, tender, erythematous area of skin. The organism enters through a cut or abrasion, or pre-existing dermatological disorder such as a leg ulcer."

That was icky. If only I could post the pictures, then everyone would be grossed out. So here is the book I'm currently reading: "What Einstein Told His Chef, 2" by Robert L. Wolke

"The leaves would be a sickly yellow instead of green, because plants use iron in synthesizing chlorophyll. (next page) Plants in general are made up almost entirely of compounds of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen - compounds that chemists refer to as organic, with no relation to the word used to designate foods that conform to the USDA's National Organic [Foods] Program. Minerals, on the other had, are the seventeen inorganic chemical elements that are essential nutrients for plants. "

Hmmm. Both seem pretty nerdy. Heavy on the Science, light on the Fiction.

I choose to ignore the implication of "pass-it-on". However, I encourage you fellow bloggers to participate. I'd love to see what other people are currently reading and/or what books people keep in their proximity. Let me know if you post, as I'd like to follow along!

Reading is Good!

Erin asked me to post this for her, as she is not yet very proficient at typing:

"I like books.  I like the pictures.  I like the squiggles that make the words Mommy reads to me.  I like turning the pages...."

"... I also like eating books.  Each page is so tasty.  I like books!"

Eat Mostly Plants

I read Omnivore's Dilemma late in 2006.  Having belonged to a CSA for a few years already and living in Portland, the epicenter of the Localvore movement (Ok, really it was Alice Waters who initiated this, but Ptown has taken over the title through the likes of it's multitude of dedicated local-only chefs), I felt pretty darned smug about doing my part to eat locally, seasonally, consciously.   I even went so far as to buy half a lamb from a very small local producer, a friend-of-a-friend to tell the truth.  (For the record, half a lamb is not actually a whole lot of meat.  But there absolutely was a difference eating meat from a locally pasture-raised animal rather than the standard fare.  So tasty!) But then.

Today I heard an interview with Michael Pollan talking about his next book, "In Defense of Food."  He states that where Omnivore's Dilemma investigates the marketing, production, business side of food, this book explores the consumption of food.  In his summary: "Eat food.  Not too much. Mostly plants."  In the interview he gives advice that nutritionists have been saying for decades now.  A carrot is better for you than a beta carotene pill.  Shop the periphery of the grocery store, not the aisles.  Make your food yourself.  Leave the table just a little hungry. 

So what is new in this book?  Not having read it (yet) possibly more insight into the food industry.  For example, unstead of a warning to reduce the intake of red meat, we are told to eat more protein that is low in saturated fat.  Those are two very different messages.  

So now "In Defense of Food" will go on the library hold list.... of course reading this book in a reasonable amount of time is a blog post for another day.