About Carmen

Wife, mother, and avid reader

1, 2, 3 Favorite Counting Books

Posted on February 3, 2014 by Carmen

We haven’t made it to the library recently – the snow keeps messing with our schedule! So, we’ve been reading a lot of the books off of our own shelf, which is probably a good idea anyway.

We All Went on Safari: A Counting Journey Through Tanzania by Laurie Krebs. I love the fact that the setting of this story is Tanzania, and David loves the different animals, such as warthogs and wildebeests. I’m curious what a Tanzanian would think of the book, since it is written by an American.

Roar: A Noisy Counting Book by Pamela Duncan Edwards. A little lion cub is having trouble finding some animals to play with. Once again, David likes the warthogs.

Over in the Grasslands by Anna Wilson and Alison Bartlett. We enjoy singing this to the tune of “Over in the Meadow.” And yes, this book has warthogs as well.

Give Them Grace: Dazzling Your Kids with the Love of Jesus

Posted on January 20, 2014 by Carmen

I received Give Them Grace: Dazzling Your Kids with the Love of Jesus for Christmas and now, after reading it, I have a lot to think about.

Fitzpatrick and Thompson give a refreshing picture of parenting: “When God calls our children to come to him, even if we haven’t gotten it all right, even if we’ve trained little Pharisees or have a house full of prodigals, nothing is impossible for him. He can break through all our flawed methods and redeem all our frail errors” (p. 77). All too often I put too much responsibility on myself for the choices David makes; there is no magic formula for guaranteeing his obedience. This book is not just about giving our children grace, but about giving ourselves as parents grace.

Although I really appreciate the message that Fitzpatrick and Thompson presented, I was a little annoyed at one part of their work: their example conversations when training and disciplining your children. The explanations seemed so long! Perhaps my annoyance is because I am currently parenting a toddler and I try to make my instructions as short as possible. Or, maybe it is because I just finished reading The Happiest Toddler on the Block and 1-2-3 Magic: Effective Discipline for Children 2-12, both of which emphasize the importance of being succinct when speaking to children. Either way, this is only a small part of the book, and the rest of the book had a lot of wonderful things to say.

I have a lot to learn about the richness of grace. Grace for me and my family – when things are going smoothly, and when I want to scream. Grace for people who hurt me, and grace for me when I hurt others. I thought I was going to read a book about parenting, but this is a lot broader than that. I shouldn’t be surprised!

15 Minutes Outside (yes, even in the cold)

Posted on January 13, 2014 by Carmen

David in Snow

One of my recent goals for myself and for my family is to spend more time outside. I know that this is a strange time of the year to have that goal! Sometimes our “time outside” consists of getting the mail. Or, even worse, opening the door to get a package on our front porch.

I found a book at the library that gives some other ideas – 15 Minutes Outside: 365 Ways to Get Out of the House and Connect with Your Kids by Rebecca Cohen. She’s organized the ideas by month, and January is conveniently the first month. I love that her ideas are simple, quick, and don’t require a lot of extra materials. I don’t want to wait until the summer to be outside more, even though I hate the cold. Now that my sprained ankle is healing and David is getting over his cold, maybe we can work at this a bit more. Any ideas for things to do outside?

What My Husband is Reading

Posted on January 6, 2014 by Carmen

PJP_9437

I’m so glad my husband is a reader too. We spend a lot of our “together-time” in the same room reading different books (VERY different books!). We do read together sometimes. We started Devotions for Sacred Parenting, and he occasionally reads Little House on the Prairie to me.

He is currently raving about Weeds: Guardians of the Soil by Joseph Cocannouer, and he just finished Catch Me if You Can: The True Story of a Real Fake by Frank Abagnale.

He tends to enjoy books about farming, economics, or politics. . . the books that I would be least drawn to. Oh well. It makes for interesting conversations!

My Favorite Books of 2013

Posted on January 3, 2014 by Carmen

I hate when people ask me to pick a favorite book. (Do I really have to pick one?)

But, just to be fun, and to do my first link-up with Modern Mrs. Darcy, I thought I should compile a list of my favorite books I read in 2013.

Fiction:

1) Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford. This beautiful story of friendship gives a glimpse of one Chinese American’s experiences during the 1940’s. Read my post for more info.

2) Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline. I’ve always been fascinated with stories of orphans, and Kline tells a good story.

3) I really cannot pick a favorite of Kate Morton’s works, but thought she was worth a mention. Check out The Forgotten Garden or The Secret Keeper first.

Nonfiction:

1) Toxic Charity by Robert D. Lupton. Lupton shares a different perspective on helping people in need, giving me a lot to think about. I share more in this book review.

2) Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain. I understand why this book is so popular, and I understand a little more about my introverted self.

3) One Small Boat by Kathy Harrison. A peek inside the ups and downs of foster parenting, written by a veteran foster mother. Read more here.

4) The Dressmaker of Khair Khana by Gayle Tzemach Lemmon. Lemmon tells the story of a young Afghani woman and her courageous entrepreneurial spirit. Read my book review for my details.

What are some of your favorite books you read in the past year?

This Bookworm’s Christmas Acquisitions

Posted on December 30, 2013 by Carmen

Christmas isn’t just about the gifts, but I thought I’d share some of my gifts that I’m excited to dig into.

Give Them Grace: Dazzling Your Kids With the Love of Jesus by Elyse Fitzpatrick & Jessica Thompson. This has been on my to-read list for awhile – it’s officially now on my 2014 Books To Read List.

The Dehydrator Bible by Jennifer Mackenzie, Jay Nutt, & Don Mercer. We love using our dehydrator, but I thought I could use more ideas of things to do with it. The thing I love about this book is that has a variety of recipes, including things to give as gifts, and just-add-water mixes that would be perfect for camping or backpacking.

Baby Knits Made Easy by DK. Yes, I’m learning how to knit. I think I should have another hobby besides reading, right? I’m excited to try some of these projects. Technically, most of the things can be made larger so they’d fit David as well. I love how the patterns are cute, but not super elaborate. There’s a variety of patterns, too, from stuffed toys to blankets to clothing.

Thrilling Quilling by Elizabeth Moad. Ever since I borrowed a quilling book from the library, I’ve been wanting to try my hand at it. But, I told myself I’d put a book and the supplies on my Christmas wishlist and see what happened. Well, I’m all set to go now once David takes a nap and I have my other work done!

I’ve never included magazines on this blog before, but I received a subscription to Mother Earth News, and I’m excited to read it. And sometimes as a stay-at-home-Mom, getting the mail is the highlight of my day. Josiah and I are into gardening, cooking, and “homesteading” type things, so it’s a good fit for both of us.

In Case You Need More Christmas Books for Kiddos

Posted on December 16, 2013 by Carmen

Here are some other books David and I discovered that are not part of his Christmas countdown:

Stable in Bethlehem: A Countdown to Christmas by Joy N. Hulme. This is a simple board book – we enjoy counting the different things on each page.

Clopper the Christmas Donkey by Emily King. Illustrated in a cartoon-ish style, this book tells the Christmas story through the perspective of a donkey. I included it in this list because it’s so different from other Christmas books I’ve found.

Room for a Little One: A Christmas Tale by Martin Waddell. Cute story featuring the animals in the stable. I’ve seen this in paperback and board book versions.

The First Christmas Night by Keith Christopher. Beautiful illustrations and lyrical verse. Thanks to a friend for this book!

A Book a Day ‘Til Christmas

Posted on December 9, 2013 by Carmen

david christmas books Just for fun, I wrapped 24 books for David to unwrap in the days leading up to Christmas. Some are Christmas books, and some are winter-related. (Don’t tell David, but most of them came off of our bookshelf.) It’s a good after-breakfast activity.

Here’s the list:

1) First Picture Book of Christmas Carols – illustrated by Mary McClain

2) The Christmas Story – Pingry

3) Who is Coming to Our House? Slate & Wolff

4) Baby Jesus is Here – Holley Gerth

5) Winter is Here – Weinberger & Dubin

6) One Night in Bethlehem – Lord

7) Touch & Feel Christmas – Henning

8) Jingle Bells – illustrated by Darcy May

9) My Very First Christmas – Rock

10) The Little Drummer Boy – Keats

11) Come and See – Mayper

12) The Snowy Day – Keats

13) The Story of Christmas – Pingry

14) This is the Stable – Cotten

15) The Story of Jesus – Pingry

16) The Friendly Beasts – illustrated by Ruth Sanderson

17) Where is Home, Little Pip? -Wilson & Chapman

18) Christmas in the Manger – Buck

19) A Star for Jesus – Bowman

20) A Christmas Goodnight – Buck

21) The Colors of Christmas – Phifer

22) The Christmas Pageant – Winthrop

23) The Snow Bear – Moss

24) Song of the Stars – Lloyd-Jones

The Little Hands Art Book

Posted on November 27, 2013 by Carmen

I don’t want to wait until David is 5 to start doing art projects. And although I have ideas of my own, it’s nice to find some new ideas for things to do with him. My goal is one “art” project (besides coloring and water-colors which he does frequently anyway) a week. The great thing is that I have a ton of supplies left-over from when I taught preschool.

Here’s a book I’ve been using for inspiration:The Little Hands art Book by Judy Press. It’s geared towards 2-6-year-olds. I love that the materials are simple and the projects are simple. Last week we made a caterpillar out of an old egg carton, markers, and pipe cleaners. I have the old version of the book (thrifted!), but apparently there’s a new edition out there.

Toddler Thanksgiving Books?

Posted on November 25, 2013 by Carmen

I’ve been struggling to find toddler-appropriate, culturally-sensitive Thanksgiving books. I at least wanted to introduce David to the idea of Thanksgiving and gratitude.

Here’s the best I could do:

My First Thanksgiving by Tomie dePaola. Simple, short, and nothing too offensive content-wise. I’ve always been a fan of Tomie dePaola.

The Story of Thanksgiving by Nancy J. Skarmeas. I like the ending: “Thank you, God, for our families, our food, and our homes,” but I’m not completely sure about some of the historical content.