The Evolution of Our Thanksgiving

Each year our Thanksgiving group changes a little more.  Around 20 years ago, it seemed like the our girls and C & L's would be young forever.  The plays they wrote, rehearsed and performed, were filled with drama--mainly due to personnel issues.  It's amazing those strong personalities were able to put it all together for us to watch at the end.  T and S, seemed to go along for the ride, but I'm sure they added their own quiet demands to the fray.

Now they're grown and my niece and nephew's children are the youngest--although the oldest just entered her first year of college.  Another generation grown in the proverbial blink of an eye!

And now my folks are spending their last winter in Arizona due to health issues (sadly). I've been wondering how the holidays will look next year.

How to be more literate

I grew up being read to by the adults in our circle of family and friends. Once I was able to read, it was my job (joy) to read for those younger than myself. I can still remember reading to my small nieces and pointing out simple, repetitive words, like "the", so they could begin to pick out words on their own.

Every year, it seems fewer and fewer of the short folk who enter L's and my realm know any nursery rhymes or "concepts of print".  And every year I read more and more studies and statistics about how important early literacy is. I have to assume that fewer and fewer children grow up being read to, but I don't understand it.  It's such a special time to spend with a child.  Reading together can be calming amidst a day full of deadlines.  Which is why I chose to continue to read to my girls at bedtime, even after they out grew my lap.

On that depressing note, here are a couple links to some good books for the younger folk--Christmas, fiction and non-fiction included:

Brian Floca books
Never Take a Shark to the Dentist
Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes
Ben Hillman books
Bobby Bramble Loses His Brain

Christmas books:
Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree
Drummer Boy
The Secret of Santa's Island

Early Literacy benefits

I want a dog like this :)

Sorry Hope and Izzy!

One word post?

If I did that tonight, it would probably be something like:
"bleh"
That's pretty much all I've got . . . too many things to list and it's just so complicated.
Isn't that the name of a movie?
With Meryl Streep?

The mail did bring some good news: ODS accepted our paperwork to keep F on my insurance. Now to do the same for N's. I'd like to say I'm getting good at jumping through hoops, but I'm not.

Maybe going to a romantic comedy with subtitles is what I need tonight.
Hopefully, N gets home in time so we can go.

Still one of my favorite gifts

from Liseanne