Family__The Thankfulness Continues

Well, Thanksgiving has come and gone, and all the pie and cheesecake is gone as well. But, that is probably a good thing. I had and continue to have so very much to be thankful for.

A beautiful day spent at my brother's where Emily got to hang with her crazy cousins.

 

 

A couple of days spent geocaching with Emily and Bobby.

 

 

 
Black Friday shopping and bargains galore; my best bargain being the $150.00 coat for Emily for which I paid a mere $19.99.

In other words. Family, Family, Family.

And the family book I read this week was Gator Dad by Brian Lies. It was a celebration of dads and the things they do with their children. My favorite part of this story was the phrase was, "Let's Squeeze The Day". Whether you think that means to squeeze all the fun one can out of a day, to squeeze all the fun one can into a day, or to squeeze all the love you can into every minute of the day, it boils down to putting family first. And family is always something to be thankful for.

  
Well, that about wraps it up for this week. Join me next week for another exciting episode, same crazy time, same crazy channel. Also be sure to drop by and join the Literacy Musing Monday Link Up where you will find other great blogs, or my personal website Fun With Aileen where you will find more on reading, writing, and my very own chapter and picture books. And finally, you can find me on twitter @AileenWStewart if you want an extremely brief glimpse into my days. 

Hooray for Fathers!

When summer arrives, quite a bit of my week is spent in preparation for farmers' market and this past week was no exception. I spent last Thursday and Friday baking brownies, scotchies, and mini quick breads. It was another great market day and we had lots of great vendors. I came home with peaches, tomatoes, fresh garden lettuce, and some green onions to go with the soup beans Bobby asked me to make.

With the weekly market day out of the way, I set my mind to Fathers' Day which is just around the corner. Emily will be making a card for Bobby, I will wrap the dark chocolate candy I've been hiding, and I will plan dinner for him which will probably include a trip to the Rib King's tent. All these thoughts of Fathers' Day made me think of a gift Emily made several years ago. It was made using an envelope and was pretty easy, so I thought I would share it. First, you cut the very end off of a letter size envelope and then seal the back. Next, cut a small slit in the center of the top piece (about 1/2 inch) and fold down the ends to form a collar.

To make this envelope look like a man's outfit, you need some construction paper. Emily used a hole punch to make shirt buttons and a square to make pants. An alternate color of paper cut into a thin belt the width of the envelope creates a separation between shirt and pants. When they are all done, your child can slip their father's favorite candy bar inside!

In honor of fathers everywhere, I also read some great books where dads were the theme. The first book I read and probably my favorite of the three was Bertie: Just Like Daddy. As we all know, children try to emulate moms and dads and this adorable book has Bertie trying to be just like his father.

The next book I read was called Hunting The Daddyosaurus. It is a cute tale of a brother and sister in search of the huge and mysterious Dadyosaurus. The follow clues all over the house just steps behind the elusive creature, but in the end, they finally catch him.

And last but not least, I read Papa's Mark which is a beautifully written piece of historical fiction. Taking place at the time when colored men had just received the right to vote, Simms's  father eagerly awaits voting day. However, he can only write an x where his name should go. Simms, who isn't old enough to vote but who shares Papa's excitement, sets about to help Papa learn to write his own name. Night after night Papa practice, and on voting day, he proudly writes his name. I think this book would be a great addition to any American History lessons for both home school and traditional classrooms. It is a bit older having published in 2004, but worth finding a copy if you can.

Well, that about wraps it up for this week. Join me next week for another exciting episode, same crazy time, same crazy channel. Also be sure to drop by and join the Literacy Musings Monday Blog Hop where you will find other great blogs, or my personal website, Fun With Aileen, where you will find more on reading, writing, and my very own early grade Fern Valley chapter book series and my Quack and Daisy picture book series. And finally, you can find me on twitter @AileenWStewart if you want an extremely brief glimpse into my days. 

Summer Reading Finale and Small Moments In Time!

This past week we attended the library's Summer Reading Finale where Emily enjoyed spending time with her friend. There were centers set up with activities for the kids like hula hooping and craft making, and there was free ice cream. Now I ask you, who doesn't love free ice cream?

 
Bobby took Friday off this week so we had a cook out Friday evening and invited my mom and sister over before we all headed out for our Friday night fun__Summer Bowling. After, we stopped at a little ice cream shop for our second day of yummy ice cream.
 
We also participated in our usual Saturday morning farm market where one of my vendors had some vegetables that were so beautiful; I just had to capture the images permanently. And while I was managing, selling, and socializing, the children took advantage of the bubbles I brought.

 

And lastly, we spent Saturday evening at some friends house celebrating a birthday with a feast and a bonfire. Some very adorable tiny kittens were involved as well, but none of them managed to sneak into our car for the ride home.
 
Thinking about all the little things that constitute our week, I realized how important all the seemingly small events are. I realized that these ordinary everyday occurrences are what bind us together as a family. They are what help us to create the memories that sustain us throughout our life times.

The two books I chose happened to be about parents and children and the beautiful bonds we create. The first book was about a father and daughter and was called Ask Me. The father and the daughter in this story take a walk and along the way the daughter keeps asking her father to ask her what she likes. She then regales him with all the things she enjoys like lightning bugs and ice cream cones. It is simply written and quite a beautiful story that children and adults will more then likely enjoy together.

The second book I read was called Where's Mommy? It was the story of two girls, one human and one a mouse. The two girls are friends but they don't tell their family members because they fear that their families will not understand. One night, as each girl gets ready for bed, she comes to the realization that her mother is not there to tuck her in. Her mother is missing. Each girl searches for her mother and in the end, they each find a delightful surprise.

Well, that about wraps it up for this week. Join me next week for another exciting episode, same crazy time, same crazy channel. And feel free to drop by my personal website, Fun With Aileen, any day of the week for even more on reading, writing, my very own early grade chapter book, Fern Valley, the sequel, Return To Fern Valley, the soon to be released Cooking In Fern Valley (fall 2015) and my very first picture book, Quack and Daisy! I'm also on twitter @AileenWStewart if you want an extremely brief glimpse into my days.