Monday Reading, The Oh, Look, It's Monday! Edition

As I posted on Facebook earlier, I COMPLETELY FORGOT that it was Monday today. It's been a bit of a hectic crazy day (and YAY, the rest of the week looks like it's going to follow suit), and it simply didn't occur to me that I had something else to do today until about 4:00 this afternoon.

Whoops.

So this is the "Monday Reading, WHOOPS." version. Which basically means, you get a bunch of info and little of my entertaining dialogue in-between. You're thrilled, aren't you? It's okay, you can admit it. I promise I won't cry or get my feelings hurt... Much.

I do have a quick couple of things to share though, before moving on to the "reading" portion of today's post.

First things first - in big news for us, I took the Ladybug Saturday to get her ears pierced. Five years old was when her sister decided she wanted her ears pierced, so I told the Ladybug that if she wanted to have earrings, that she would have to wait until she was five. And then I put it off for as long as possible. Which wasn't as long as I had wanted. *Sigh*

But while we were in Florida, we went to the Jewelry Exchange (which, as an aside, I must say - if you are ever in South Florida, and you love jewelry, you simply MUST go. It is mind-bogglingly amazing. On one of our more recent trips, I tried on a diamond-encrusted bangle bracelet that listed for a cool one-hundred-and-twenty-five thousand dollars. It was awesome. Totally gaudy and I never would have worn it, but fun to try on for sure! But anyway...) and I specifically took the Ladybug there to pick out her first "real" earrings.

We have friends who have a booth there, and after looking AT LEAST a hundred-and-fifty pairs of earrings, she finally picked a pair of white sapphires in yellow gold that look like diamond flowers. She loves them, however, she was bitterly disappointed that I wouldn't get her the half-carat-each diamond studs in the case, (literally) sobbing that she needed "BIG EAWWINGS." Good taste she has, at least in jewelry (clothes... are another matter entirely).

But so sorry, kiddo. When you can't even pronounce the word earring right, you sure ain't gonna get a pair of huge honkin' diamond studs. And we won't even go into the fact that Mommy doesn't have a pair of those either.

But I digress. So we went and got her real earrings in anticipation of the upcoming piercing. And then I managed to put it off for about a month because... Well, to be perfectly honest, *I* wasn't ready. But we went on Saturday.

I asked her, "Are you SURE?" and always it was a resounding, "YES!!!" So off to Claire's we went. The girls there were very nice, and the Ladybug was perfectly still for the entire process. She picked her "beginner" earrings (she can't wear the special ones from the Jeweler's Exchange until these have been in for several weeks), and did great. I could tell she was very excited.

Since it is very important to me to tell my girls the truth about pain, so I told her explicitly that it would hurt, although not as bad as some other things she's already been through, but I still think she wasn't quite prepared. When the guns went off, her eyes got as big as dinner plates and immediately welled with a thousand tears. But they only lasted for about a minute-and-a-half, because as soon as she saw her newly sparkling earrings in the mirror, she was happy as a clam and ready for Phase II of her earring experience, which was - as titled by Mommy - "Do And Buy Lots of Fun Things For Being Brave". (I have her sister to thank for this because KayKay had the princess ear-piercing experience including a toy, ice cream AND a trip on the Santa train. And has since talked it up EVERY SINGLE TIME ANYONE BRINGS UP THE TOPIC OF EARRINGS. So yeah.)

She picked out two headbands, a Hello Kitty whistle, and a stuffed pug. She decided to forgo the ice cream in favor of the stuffed pug dog. Which basically meant that she really, REALLY wanted the pug dog. And that she figured we'd get ice cream again soon (which may or may not happen). Then she promptly named the pug dog Mosey, "Or Moses. I like the name Moses. But she's a girl," and made me put hairbows on her. Well then.

But... *Sob* My baby's not a baby any more. She's officially transitioned, earrings, pull-ups, lisp and all, into little-girl-hood. And my heart breaks.

I miss four-years-old already, and she's only been five a month. Don't get me wrong, I'm loving five. Five was great with KayKay, too. It's such a fun age. It really, truly is. But when KayKay was five, I had a baby, so I had the best of both - little-girl-hood and babyhood. Now... I often feel as though I've already hit the drama of "pre-teen," complete with angst, and there is no more babyhood - or even toddlerhood - to reach back into.

Now, it's just all little girls. I love little girls.

So that's that. Now on to reading.

Books

So, since last weeks post, I've blazed through a couple of kids books. I enjoyed them, however they're not all appropriate for KayKay. So I'll dive right into the how's and why's of all that. 

I finished Museum of Thieves by Lian Tanner pretty early in the week last week. Love this book. It just... Flowed. I love the moral of the story - that you can be more than you think you are, if ONLY you try. And that failure is not something to be afraid of (but that one could just be my interpretation). 

There are a few knit-picky little things that I don't care for, but overall, it's a resounding YES. One of the things is that *most* (but not all) of the adults in the book show such little common sense, even when their lives are in danger. The other is that there is no deep - or rather, reasonable - explanation for how the museum came to be. But that's about all I found truly objectionable. There are two scenes of particular violence toward the end of the book, which may not sit well with some parents or readers, but I did not find them to be any more disturbing than a couple of the movies we've watched. The bad guy in the book is REALLY BAD, though - not that he does so many bad things, just the WAY in which he acts. 

But yes, it is great. It is interesting, the characters work well with one another, the main character is creative and thoughtful, and in fact, moves the opposite of young adult books, in that: she, unlike many characters in children's books is taught and learns to slow down and think before acting. I love, love, LOVE that. Rather than jumping into foolhardy behavior and then not having to deal with the consequences of her actions, the opposite is true. In fact, I think I may let KayKay read this one sooner rather than later... But definitely not before she turns nine. I think she will love it.  

I also blazed through Edison's Gold, by Geoff Watson. I liked this book. A lot. But I won't be letting KayKay read it. It read like a movie script in many ways - which I totally don't like - and although it was fast-paced and had a lot of puzzles (which I very much liked), there were way too many pop-culture references for my taste (which will completely date this book in ten or twenty years), and little to the puzzles was left to the reader - it was all set up and sort of waiting for the reader to catch up. I also REALLY didn't like how the kids - often - went behind their parents' backs in order to solve the mystery. So no. It was a fun little read, and maybe when she's fifteen and completely outgrown it will I decide to recommend it, but not right now.

Then I've picked back up where I left off in Beatrix Potter, A Life in Nature. Still thoroughly enjoying it. And loving taking it out with me so that it makes me look smart. Ha! I discovered an interesting parallel in reading it, as well, which has made me appreciate it even more, and not for simply the pleasure of reading it, but for what it can teach.  That parallel is this - although I make no claims to be a student of the Charlotte Mason philosophy for homeschooling, I will say that I am at least somewhat familiar with her methods, one of which is about placing a child in the natural environment... And this book about Beatrix Potter espouses and reaffirms those methods in (to me!) surprising and interesting ways. And has given me ideas about how to go about fostering a love of the outdoors in my own children.

More on that to come... But now, it's off to links, and then off to bed for me!

Links

Playdates, Trampoline: The Well Spring. Oh my goodness, do I love this. So poetic. So beautiful. Such an invitation to be with God. 

How To Find the Holy Grail of Joy: The Huffington Post. A guest-post by the ever-amazing Ann Voskamp. What a rich, powerful read. Enjoy and be blessed by its truth! 

Rebooting Home(Schooling): Living, Learning and Loving Simply. This is a fantastic post that I found through my friend Sherry about how to move past the doldrums of homeschooling. Definitely a necessary read. 

Why You're Not Married: The Huffington Post. This was very funny, and very insightful, even for me, happily married Mommy. Made me think about some of my (current!!) behaviors that perhaps make the Daddy feel less than loving toward me. Hmmmm. 

Introducing Project Simplify: SimpleMom. Ooooooh, I may have to take the challenge! Can I do it, collect-o-holic that I am???? I'm both terrified and enthusiastic. 

When Good Enough Is Good Enough: Productivity Your Way. Great post for all the perfectionists out there. Like me. 

For Better And For Worse: Half-Pint House. Love this post. Love her perspective. We're living Pink Panther for sure. Or perhaps, we're living Swiss Family Robinson, and I'd more envisioned The Sound of Music. But whatever. You get it, right? 

Okay, that's all for now. I have more, but it's bedtime. G'night, friends!