If I’m in town I always have the Read-a-thon on my calendar.  What is more fun that spending 24 hours straight reading and connecting with others who are doing the same thing?  It starts for me at 8am on Saturday, but each time zone around the world is different, and I always try to make it the whole 24 hours.  If you are interested in joining me and hundreds of other readers then you should go and sign up right now!

I love the mini-challenges, both as a participant and a challenge maker.  For the first time in 3 years I was not chosen to be a challenge host 😦  I was disappointed, but admit that it did free up an hour making it and close to that in choosing a winner.  In honor of the Read-a-Thon, I’m posting one of my past min-challenges (some of you may remember it!).  I just need the titles of the books in my clock.

One Day, A Tale of Two Cities, Three Cups of Tea, Four Agreements, The Five, The Sixes, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, Hard Eight, Nine Dragons, The Tenth Circle, 11/22/63, The Twelve, 24 Hours.

Gage has plenty of places for books, but sometimes, when the books start spewing over the places I need to walk, I make him go through his entire library and give a yea or a nay.  Yea and we keep it;nay we give it to other kids by donating it.  The nay pile is never very big and this time around I thought he did great with nine.  Sometimes there are books I think he might like but we just haven’t read them at the right time so I make him read it one more time to decide.

The first one I knew he’d probably reject but since it’s all rhyming words and that’s something we’re working on right now (this concept is proving difficult for some reason), we read it anyway.  Play Day by Bruce McMillan .  And, as expected, it was placed in our giveaway pile.

The second was one that Jill sent us last year, The Bedtime Book for Dogs by Bruce Littleworth and illustrated by Paul Heath. 32 pages, published in 2011.

It’s about a dog who wants to play but his human friend is busy so he takes himself out for a play date.  He carries his own leash, opens the door, and goes to the park.  But even as he plays he is lonely because he doesn’t have a friend to share in the fun.  When he returns home he is happily greeted by his friend with a treat.

The illustrations are colorful and simple. There aren’t a lot of words and the story is short.  I didn’t care for the takeaway of not being able to enjoy the park because he was by himself though but it was a fun book.

When I asked Gage to find me his favorite part of the story was, he decided on this…

He liked when the dog opened the door and let himself out. Of course this would be his favorite part, because this is the other bad lesson of the book, the dog is being naughty!  Just recently Gage has decided it’s okay for him to go out into the garage without anyone knowing, where before he would patiently wait by the door until mom or dad was there, so the fact that this bad dog let himself out made Gage laugh, but not this mama.

After reading it this time he decided he wanted to keep it after all 🙂

Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week.Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.

A good week for the mailbox!

The Bookseller by Cynthia Swanson (from Harper Collins)

Denver, 1962: Kitty Miller has come to terms with her unconventional single life. She loves the bookshop she runs with her best friend, Frieda, and enjoys complete control over her day-to-day existence. She can come and go as she pleases, answering to no one. There was a man once, a doctor named Kevin, but it didn’t quite work out the way Kitty had hoped.

Then the dreams begin.

Denver, 1963: Katharyn Andersson is married to Lars, the love of her life. They have beautiful children, an elegant home, and good friends. It’s everything Kitty Miller once believed she wanted—but it only exists when she sleeps.

The Daughter by Jane Shemilt (from Harper Collins)

Jenny is a successful family doctor, the mother of three great teenagers, married to a celebrated neurosurgeon.

But when her youngest child, fifteen-year-old Naomi, doesn’t come home after her school play, Jenny’s seemingly ideal life begins to crumble. The authorities launch a nationwide search with no success. Naomi has vanished, and her family is broken.

The Precious One by Maria de los Santos (from Harper Collins)

In all her life, Eustacia “Taisy” Cleary has given her heart to only three men: her first love, Ben Ransom; her twin brother, Marcus; and Wilson Cleary — professor, inventor, philanderer, self-made millionaire, brilliant man, breathtaking jerk: her father.

Seventeen years ago, Wilson ditched his first family for Caroline, a beautiful young sculptor. In all that time, Taisy’s family has seen Wilson, Caroline, and their daughter Willow only once.

Why then, is Wilson calling Taisy now, inviting her for an extended visit, encouraging her to meet her pretty sister — a teenager who views her with jealousy, mistrust, and grudging admiration? Why, now, does Wilson want Taisy to help him write his memoir?

Girl in the Moonlight by Chaeles Dubow (from Harper Collins)

Spanning several decades, moving through the worlds of high society, finance, and art, and peopled with poignant characters, Naked in the Moonlight takes us on a whirlwind tour, from the wooded cottages of old East Hampton to the dining rooms of Upper East Side Manhattan to the bohemian art studios of Paris and Barcelona. As he vividly brings to life Wylie and Cesca’s tempestuous, heart wrenching affair, Charles Dubow probes the devastating depths of human passion and the nature of true love.

The Residence:Inside the Private World of the White House by Kate Anderson Brower (from Harper Collins for a blog tour)

America’s First Families are unknowable in many ways. No one has insight into their true character like the people who serve their meals and make their beds every day. Full of stories and details by turns dramatic, humorous, and heartwarming, The Residence reveals daily life in the White House as it is really lived through the voices of the maids, butlers, cooks, florists, doormen, engineers, and others who tend to the needs of the President and First Family.

Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week.Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.

Here’s my friend Golda and me in the summer of 2000 in Manhattan.  We worked together at Barnes & Noble in Lansing, Michigan, so when Jason and I were living in midtown and Golda was looking for a New York publishing job AND a place to live, it made sense that she would crash on our couch when we were between guests.  Finding housing in New York is no joke!  Anyway, fast forward 15 years and Golda has been with W.W.Norton & Company for what seems like forever and she’s a New Yorker now. And, bless her giving heart, she sent me this box last week.  It felt like Christmas!  She is the best 🙂

Best Boy by Eli Gottlieb.(to be released August 2015)

Sent to a “therapeutic community” for autism at the age of eleven, Todd Aaron, now in his fifties, is the “Old Fox” of Payton Living Center. A joyous man who rereads the encyclopedia compulsively, he is unnerved by the sudden arrivals of a menacing new staffer and a disruptive, brain-injured roommate. His equilibrium is further worsened by Martine, a one-eyed new resident who has romantic intentions and convinces him to go off his meds to feel “normal” again. Undone by these pressures, Todd attempts an escape to return “home” to his younger brother and to a childhood that now inhabits only his dreams.  (from Goodreads)

Follow Me Home by Cathy Woodman 

Life has been tough for village midwife Zara. Recently divorced and living with her grandmother, Zara is struggling to get back on track. Until one day, love walks in, in the form of an abandoned puppy. Although Zara adores her new friend, the puppy causes havoc wherever they go, so she is grateful when local shepherd Lewis offers to train her. But Lewis has an ulterior motive for helping. And though Zara may be able to trust him with her naughty dog, can she trust him with

her bruised heart?  (from Goodreads)

Racing Driver:How to Drive Racing Cars Step by Step

Space Academy:How to Fly Spacecraft Step by Step

Flight School:How to Fly a Plane Step by Step

My Favorite Animal Families by Steve Bloom

Elephants:A Book for Children by Steve Bloom

Funny Face! Find the Surprises! Draw, Color, Fold!

Let’s Play a Game:All You Need to Play Six Board Games

Make Art with Your Hands and Feet!

Isn’t Golda awesome?

Gage goes to school Monday-Thursday and mornings are a time he usually is willing and wanting to learn a little, so I decided to start doing a little state work each three-day weekend.  We, of course, started with Ohio.

I decided to use this new series I found at the library.  We started by reading through the book and then I chose some things that were in there to do 5-10 minute activities over the three days.  My goal is really just two activities  for each of the three days and then two books, this one and one more picture book.

Here’s what we did

1. Traced the state and marked the capital with a star and added some glitter glue.  Also wrote the name on the state.

2. Used the book to figure out how to color the state flag, the buckeyes, and state flower a red carnation.

3. Colored a guitar for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and marked it with a guitar sticker on the map.

4. Made the cutest little cardinal (state bird) that I found on Pinterest.

5. VIDEO-watched a video of Neil Armstrong (Ohioan) landing on the moon.

6. Read the book The Giant of Seville.

Related activity-We marked everyone’s height on the wall with a sticker and then used the tape measure to measure how high the giant was (he reached our ceiling!).  This was a good estimating activity since my parents were here.  We started by marking his height and then he had to guess who would be the next tallest each time.

Cutting, gluing.Tracing.Estimating and measuring.

History!

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This weekend we’re working on Pennsylvania. If you have any books or fun activities to add for your state please me know!  I am going to need new ideas 🙂

 

 

 

I have a very sick kid at home so I have completely lost track of what day it is.  Please send some positive, healing prayers his way 🙂

My computer keeps shutting off every five – ten minutes so I’m saving myself some stress by not wasting any more time on it today 🙂

Guess as many as you can, one or ten. Sort out these lovers.  I need the ten pairs and if you want extra points you can tell me what book they are in.

No googling or looking at other commenter answers.  Yes, we’re going by the honor system 🙂  Play every week or just one time, you are always welcome 🙂  It only takes once to be eligible for a prize.

The Ladies-Hazel, Claire, Bella, Allie, Elizabeth, Jane, Rosie, Jenny, Cornelia, Anne

The Gents-Jamie, Fitzwilliam, Noah, Don, Frederick, Oliver, Martin, Augustus, Edward, Edward (so nice I’m listing it twice!)

Good luck!

Elizabeth & Fitzwilliam – Pride & Prejudice

Jane & Edward – Jane Eyre

Hazel & Augustus – The Fault in Our Stars

Claire & Jamie – Outlander series

Bella & Edward – Twilight series

Allie & Noah – The Notebook

Rosie & Don  – The Rosie Project

Anne & Frederick – Persuasion

Jenny & Oliver – Love Story

Cornelia & Martin – Love Walked In

The fun answers to last week’s quiz.  The answers and everyone’s responses are up.  I had fun seeing where everyone overlapped!

If you guessed Stacy’s Books – you win!!  Hard to believe the difference between 2008 and today.  This time in 2008 Jason and I were planning our first overseas trip to beautiful Italy and today I drove my 4-year-old to school at 7:40 am in 6 degrees wind chill temperatures.  Seven years ago I would have holed up in the house in my jammies with a good book (after I’d woken up around 9am, of course)!

My reading and blogging time is limited these days, but I still love it.  I know my blog needs a major facelift and I wish I had more time to visit my blogger friends, but I choose not to stress out over it. If the blog causes stress then it’s not fun and there have been a few periods over the years when I’ve considered stopping, but I just can’t.  I get too much out of it.  And most of what I get out of it is the friendship with you who take the time to read and comment.  I can’t believe that I’ve known some of you that long.  Kathy was my first commenter and at the time we were both just starting out.  I couldn’t ask for a better first blog friend 🙂

I chose two pictures from each year I’ve been blogging and I want you to vote for one year to use as my profile pictures.  If you vote you’ll be entered to win a $20 Barnes & Noble gift card.  Interesting how you can see how my life has changed over the years just from these pics each year.

I’ll leave voting up for the month. Open internationally.  Any comment with a #1 choice of year will be entered for $20 at Barnes & Noble.

2008(Florence, Italy)(Rome, Italy)

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2009(New York)(Lake Erie)

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2010(San Francisco)(Versailles, France)

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2011(Chagrin Falls)(Northport, Michigan)

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2012(Home)(Lakeview Cemetery, Cleveland)

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2013(Gage)(Kelleys Island, Ohio)

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2014(Cleveland train show)(postcards from around the world)

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Thanks for taking the time to comment 🙂