Library Love

If there is one solid victory I can claim as a mother, it's that I've taught my children to love to read. Sometimes, when I'm wondering if I've completely ruined my children because they can't seem to follow simple directions/eat like human beings/stop fighting for 5 minutes together, I pack the kids up and we go to the library. It really is my Mommy happy place. (I guess except for during that difficult stage when they are about 1 and they just want to pull as many books off of the shelves as possible--luckily Nate's outgrown that.) We have been coming to the library almost every week since Elizabeth was about 1. We love it.

We get to the children's section, they grab books, and just sit and read. Or Nate will play with the toys. I walk around and pick children's books that I want to read. I frequently get a bit carried away and end up looking like a pack mule carrying everything out (this library doesn't seem to have a limit on the number of books you can check out--or we just haven't discovered it yet).

Here was the haul from last week

(Yes--there are quite a few movies in there, as well. We do a bit of that, too. :)

The only unpleasantness of the library is check-out time. This almost always turns chaotic. Picture me trying to check out 50 items while trying to pry the DVD Nate picked out of his hands so I can check that out and still avoid a screaming tantrum, Natalie sprawled on her stomach in the middle of the library reading something, Elizabeth trying to help by checking out her own books but usually forgetting some so we set off the alarm--just general madness. But then, if we can make it to the car with our load, I enjoy the quiet all the way home.

Sometimes they even sit in the car in the garage after we've gotten home:
(and wonder why their mom is taking a picture of them)

Then, I enjoy a few hours of peace while they read (and Nate naps, hopefully).

Any new book recommendations for us?

Here are some we've liked lately:

-Grace for President, by Kelly DiPucchio--if you need a book to explain the election process this year, this is a great one!
-Many by Patricia Polacco--I've just discovered her and I love her books. We especially liked Mr. Lincoln's Way and The Keeping Quilt.
-Knuffle Bunny Free: An Unexpected Diversion by Mo Willems. This one makes me cry every time. I think I've mentioned my love of Mo Willems before. We've read everything he's written, and loved it all--especially the Elephant and Piggie books.
-The Fly Guy series by Tedd Arnold. Natalie loves these ones and I think they are pretty funny.

La Mer

Last Thursday, at about 8:15am, I decided to escape the drudgery of every day life--for a few hours at least. I knew it was supposed to be a sunny day so we headed here:

Can you blame me?

I left the dishes on the counter, packed up Natalie, Nate and a lunch and took off. I'm so glad I did. It was an absolutely perfect day. And we pretty much had the beach to ourselves.

The kids were in heaven:

Unfortunately, Nate still has an aversion to the ocean. He would get close until a wave would come and then he'd shout, "Hey! Stop waves! I leaving!" and take off for higher ground. Pretty darn funny.

This beach gets some flak for all the debris on it but it sure entertains the kids. They loved using this washed-up, double palm-tree (I think?) trunk as a balance beam and a see-saw.

I love the ocean. I decided while I was there that the ocean is my favorite thing in nature. Although there is beauty everywhere in this amazing world we have, nothing beats the ocean for me. It inspires awe and calms my spirit. Now I just need a house right on the beach in some remote area.

Zanzibar, perhaps?

(circa 2004)