Our House in the Middle of Our Street

Join others remembering a special moment from the week.

My children have recently become enthralled in the world of board games. I was never a board game player. Sure, I remember long summer hours (days? it seemed like it..) spent around a Monopoly board, but I was never one to suggest to get out the cards, or a game. As my children have grown and they are now able to do activities with me, I started noticing that they really took to puzzles (when done all together) and the one or two board games I happened to have kept in the storage room. They were always asking to play Candy Land and so I figured I should branch off a bit. Over the course of the last year, I have found GREAT games, even ones that I love to play alongside them. The amount of 'teaching' they have gotten through games is jaw-dropping. Counting, team-playing, math related patterning, are just some of the skills I've watched develop. I asked before Christmas on facebook what my friends and their own kids loved and I was thrilled with the response. We have found ov

photocredit I am almost ashamed to write this post, knowing somewhere there will be a mistake. Punctuation Stickler Lynne Truss will be aghast that I read her book, Eats, Shoots, and Leaves , on correct punctuation , and I will continue to make errors--probably my whole life. This was a hilarious book at a topic far from comedy: the founding, history, and correct use for different punctuation marks. The author really knows how to relieve the audience with fits of laughter interspersed between chapters on the exclamation point ( ! ), the apostrophe ( ' ) , and the period (.). Of course, this isn't all her book is about. The reason she wrote this book is to teach the general public on the proper use of these marks and how they change language, tone, and meaning of the written word. She also admitted she cringes when reading signs like, "No Dogs Please", wanting her inner stickler to take a red marker to it and add that ever-needed comma. I found this 200 page lecture to

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photocredit One of the books I received in my kit when becoming an Usborne Books & More consultant was this novel by Kimberly Greene; My Sister's A Pop Star . This book is a little too advanced for my young children but I love doing giveaways and know a lot of friends who have older kids or know a young lady who might enjoy reading this. This story is part of the Pop Star series, and books 1-3 are charming middle elementary school girls state-side over. This is book 1 out of the series, where we meet the main character, Sam, who loves to blog, and her pop-star singing sensation sister, Danni. Series chapter books are excellent ways to get reading going, as children who fall in love with the character set will generally like the entire series. Remember the Box Car Children or the Babysitter's Club? There's a mystery to solve in this series, too. These books are all paper back books, and for $5.99 per title, it's a great deal for your voracious reader, who will no do

photocredit Earlier last fall I heard about a documentary coming out, possibly at University of Nebraska-Lincoln's campus reflecting about how women are presented in the media. A few of my friends had invited me to join the petition to bring the movie to campus, and early last week, at the beginning of National Women's Week, it was here. I went with a couple of girl friends: some single, some married, some with kids, and it was very enjoyable and informative for all. The movie was free to the public, and they even gave away free bags of popcorn for everyone interested in seeing the film, too. There was an hour long panel discussion after the film, which we opted to stay for. This movie hit a lot of nerves, even in my small crowd. There were many things to talk about on the drive home with friends, and many things I re-hashed to Stefan later that evening, and am still thinking about this week. All in all--any documentary that gets you to think critically and review your experien

Source: moxee.ws via Whitney on Pinterest Happy Birthday to Me! I love my birthday and I'm taking the day off from blogging to fully enjoy the gluten free cupcake waiting for me on the counter, read a frivolous magazine, and spend more time with my family. Picnic dinner tonight! See y'all tomorrow! PS-Art from Eva Vermeiren ...in the words of my son, "Isn't art just lovely?" I kid you not. I think he may have gotten that from Kipper. Those Brits.

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Join as we savor moments to remember from the week.

This was, sadly, the only picture I took during my children's last 10 weeks at music class at Around the Corner Music Studio. This was a very fun session, and they seem to get better and better with each season! Here my children are playing a tambourine along with a festive Irish song while a child (they all take turns) dances in the middle of the circle. Even though I have one child who is exceptionally shy when doing things in big groups (just like his mama, he doesn't like attention drawn!), sister livened right up to the challenge each time this song was played and had at it, jumping and getting cherry-cheeked while loving it. Around the Corner Music Studio is such a gem I found about 2 years ago through a friend on facebook. I'd been looking for a music class to do with the kids, and everywhere I found, were 6 sessions for the same price and a full 60 minutes of time. I've never known a toddler or preschooler to sit still for that amount of time, so I knew it would

photocredit This past weekend Stefan and I had a 'kid free weekend'. This normally necessities itself about every 5-6 weeks, when we stop and realize we haven't been on a date in over a month! One or two grandparents will take over for the weekend, spending quality time with Lu and Ani and giving us about 36 hours to do as we please. We usually try to find time to relax, go out to eat or do something special like a movie, do house projects that are much easier when not interpreted , and get together with friends. This time...we did all of those. It was a packed weekend but very fun, and I didn't have to cook for three meals--superb! On Saturday evening we decided to use up some Christmas gifts--movie bucks--and go to a unique movie called The Artist . The movie is a black and white silent film, but modernized with a few sounds when relevant to the plot. The story is about a silent film actor who is popular in the 20s, and his demise of fame (leading to his self-worth sp

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A little lady, enjoying her mother's dolls, clothes, etc. from two decades ago! Join others in remembering a sweet moment from the week.

photocredit I love reading 'seasonal' books to my children, and have had the same go-to list for awhile. The beginning of Spring is no exception, and I have discovered this sweet series of seasonal-literally seasons of the year-book set by author Anna Milbourne and illustrations by Elena Temporin. The Spring book is called, "The Windy Day" and it's a beautiful story about a mother and child go through their day in early Spring to watch the wind work it's wonder. Whether they're walking and watching the leaves stirring, flying a kite, or exploring how wind works, the sweet narrative will take you through a blustery day. Milbourne and Temporin team up for many of the Usborne books, including the seasonal series, like The Sunny Day , The Snowy Day , and the and the Pipkin series , of which I gave away "How Big Is a Million" awhile back. For hardcover books that are good stories, educationally mindful, and durable, the pricing is quite modest. **

The other day it was the perfect temperature for a late winter play at the park. My kids love this quiet little gravelly park down the road from my old school, tucked away near the bike path. We bring the shovels and buckets, and they climb often on this old jungle gym that has the fastest slide in the city (made faster with rolling dirt, don't ya' know?). Some of these are favorites, that last one especially.

photocredit One of my favorite things about Usborne is that there are always specials going on. There are internet specials that change every month, hostess specials, and also book specials, too, that go in a rotation at a wholesale 50-60% off price. There is no reason that you can't include a sweet board or story book along with that baby shower gift for just $3.84! The internet specials this month are especially sweet. Suzy Lee, one of my favorite illustrators and published by Kane Miller Books (a company aquired by Usborne a few years back) has one of her most recent books, The Zoo , on sale for half price in March. The Zoo , like all of Lee's books, are beautiful play in color and aesthetic, and void of any narration, but full of imagination. This is an excellent book, one of my favorites from the artist. This story paired with a tub of side-walk chalk could be the perfect gift for a child with a birthday, and just under $10. A couple of other really good deals going on in

photo taken via Stefan's iphone Join others by savoring a moment from the week. Why did I savor this one? Rain garb means a walk in the wet with dad...and mom stays home ;)

Source: weddingchicks.com via Sarah on Pinterest photocredit Again for another round of links that I love. I hope you find something interesting, encouraging, or that you enjoy as well. As someone who is heavily involved in a mercy ministry at our church (Mercy Meals) I found this article on 100 Ways to Encourage New Moms so awesome and helpful. The newest social media outlet craze in Pinterest, and here is an overview as to what pinning etiquette is (giving credit where credit is due) and what laws govern it. Very insightful read for everyone who pins! Thanks Julie, for the heads up. Nebraska is one of the only two states in the US that bans midwives from attending home births. It's an exciting time as there have been huge rallies for the state to pass laws fixing this. But as my pediatrician friend says, there's reason to worry about safety , too. One of my favorite new blogs. I'm starting to hone down my blog reading to once daily, and categorizing (and thinning) int