What I read in December

"Killing Lincoln" by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard, recommended to readers who like their history to be raw and riveting. Those who only want the facts surrounding the death of Lincoln without a history of the entire Civil War and his presidency. (the end of the war is chronicled briefly)








"Christmas Jars" by Jason Wright recommended to sappy sentimentalists and possibly those who aren't usually sentimental but when it comes to Christmas they don't mind having a feel-good moment.









"Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman" by Robert K. Massie, recommended to those who want to know what was going on in Russia when the colonies were fighting for their independence. Those who are interested in this woman or Russia in general and want a VERY thorough accounting.








"Al Capone Shines My Shoes" by Gennifer Choldenko, recommended to young adults, people who want to visit Alcatraz or have visited Alcatraz and want to see a different side of it. Anyone who enjoys an adventure, preferably those who have read the book "Al Capone Does My Shirts".






"The Princess Bride" by William Goldman, recommended to once again readers who are looking for an adventure. Whether you have or have not seen the movie you will probably enjoy this. Those who are in need of a good laugh.








"The Kitchen House" by Kathleen Grissom, recommended to people who can handle a sad story as long as it is worth reading.






"Look Me In the Eye: My Life With Asperger's" by John Elder Robison, recommended to people who know someone with Apergers. People who are interested in Auto mechanics, the band KISS, snarky humor and/or people who are brilliant enough to fake their way through various situations.








"And Then There Were None" by Agatha Christie, recommended to lovers of a good whodunit.

Healthy Tips

These are some tips from a nutritionist at my church. I don't want to forget them and have very few posts for a healthy lifestyle so......

Lifestyle changes for weight control

Don’t eat after dinner, (by 6:30 or 7:00) and try to have dinner three hours before bed.

Cut all meal servings in half. This is amazing. You will find that you are not really any hungrier- Save the other half for mid morning snack. (Ideas: half a breakfast burrito, breakfast sandwich, or one pancake with a peach half or small serving of egg and one biscuit with applesauce, one serving of cereal, (measure it!) with half banana, though I don’t recommend just cereal for hunger control- I am starving in less than an hour. ((Lunch – half a sandwich and fruit fills as much as a whole sandwich, load it up with cucumber, spinach, tomato for freshness instead of slathering it with mayo type spread.)) Don’t let yourself get too hungry or you will grab the first junk food snack you find and not stop until you've consumed and easy 300-500 calories.)

Visit and talk during the meal- Good for family time, but also allows for the 20 minutes it takes for your body to register that it has eaten, to be filled with more than just shoveling food in. Less calories in- better family relationships WIN-WIN!

Drink your 64 oz of water every day. Try drinking a glass before you have that snack. You will probably eat less.

Dish up your plate at the stove, then put away the rest - Do not put food out buffet style to allow for seconds.

Add a brisk walk with your spouse or child 5x /week - do this in addition to your regular exercise with Becky.

This one is a bit harder, but cuts more calories than most of us can imagine--You’re your desserts/sweet to only three/week. I usually start with none for one week, then allow myself the 3/week. You should find yourself saving for that treat you know will be coming at the party or something, then suddenly you only ate two- wow! You are awesome.

If chips or high fat foods are your challenge, get them out of the house. I don’t know a way to stop once you start in on these high calorie monsters.

Check out the www.caloriecount.com I think they have great email tips and inspiring stories. You do need to register for this site, but it is FREE.

No eating anywhere but at the kitchen table, absolutely no snacking while in front of a screen or reading, etc. Those calories add up so fast and you never even knew the food went in your mouth.

Add more color to your meals. Try adding one more fruit or veggie to every meal. Cut down on the meat and starch size and load up on nutrition.

Hope these help! Let's get started early since the New Year is right around the corner!!

Thank you Janice!

25 days of Christmas books (part 5, finale)

Dec. 21 "The First Night" by B.G. Hennessy, paintings by Steve Johnson with Lou Fischer. Once again beautiful illustrations. Sweet simple re-telling of the birth of Christ. I would really like to find more versions of Luke 2 that I really love. I've found them somewhat difficult to find (ones that I love) so if anyone out there reads this and has some suggestions PLEASE share them with me.
Dec. 22 "The Littlest Angel" by Charles Tazewell. This is another that reminds me of my childhood. More so the pictures than the story. We did more perusing on our own than being read to in our home. My mom is wonderful but she's one of those who doesn't stop moving long enough to read (for herself or others, she does best with books on tape so that her hands can keep moving). This is such a cute story about giving gifts, as well.
Dec. 23 "A Christmas Like Helen's" by Natalie Kinsey-Warnock, illustrated by Mary Azarian. This is a great story for helping kids understand what Christmas was like 100+ years ago. A lot went in to making Christmas special. It was a year-long undertaking. I also appreciate the fact that the author lives at her family's ancestral farm (I think in Vermont?). This is a great one to read before heading out to a local heritage/historic park that does a Christmas event. You could even look for someone who does sleigh rides in your area!
Dec. 24 "The Night Before Christmas" by Clement C. Moore. I don't think this one requires much of an introduction. There are over 400 editions of this classic Christmas poem. Not wanting to sort through and find one of the editions that I owned I just picked a pretty cover and called it good. What is your favorite illustrated version of "The Night before Christmas"?
Dec. 25 "The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey" by Susan Wojciechowski, illustrated by P.J. Lynch. I debated over whether or not to just do Luke 2 on Christmas day. I decided, wanting to include as many books as possible, to do both. I chose this book for Christmas day because 1. I love it and 2. It can be followed, quite poignantly, by a reading of Luke 2. In fact, I would dare to venture a guess that my children will listen more intently to the scripture after hearing this sweet story. Tomorrow I'll find out... Happy Reading!

25 days of Christmas books (part 4)

Dec. 16 "The Snowman" by Raymond Briggs. Since this book doesn't actually have words (and the version that does is shorter) we watch the movie. It's only about 15 min. long. I used to watch this on film in school as a child so it really brings back memories. The song that goes along with the movie is so pretty and peaceful. It really introduces a wonderful spirit into the home.
Dec. 17 "The Little Match Girl" by Hans Christian Anderson, adapted and illustrated by Jerry Pinkney. I am really sad that this was the biggest picture I could find for this book. The pictures are really moving and perfectly fitting to the subject matter. If you are not familiar with this story it is sad, yet hopeful. I like for my children to be dosed with a little piece of reality during this often very self-centered Holiday season.
Dec. 18 "The Story of Holly and Ivy" by Rumer Godden, illustrated by Barbara Cooney. This is an adorable little story about two souls who are lonely and find each other. This story is a bit long which is why I saved it for a Sunday afternoon. It's hard for very little ones to sit through so this would be a good time for everyone to snack on some of the treats that inevitably appear at this time of year!
Dec. 19 "The Gift of the Magi" by O. Henry, illustrated by Lisbeth Zwerger. I actually have two versions of this story. O. Henry's version is a little bit wordy for small children so I like to read an adapted version which has not been attributed to anyone and I can't find it's picture on-line. Anyway- a MUST at Christmas in my opinion. We used to watch a short version of this when I was little that was black and white, it must have been made in the 40's. I planned to read this on Monday night and then deliver cookies to the neighbors, etc. It's not giving away our most prized possession, but still this book can get us in the mood to give.
Dec. 20 "Bear's First Christmas" by Robert Kinerk, illustrated by Jim LaMarche. Seriously. The. Best. Illustrated. Books. Are. Christmas. Ones. Period. I feel like a broken record gushing over each of these books and how lovely the illustrations are but it's really true! This is a fun rhyming story to read and "Bear" just couldn't be cuter. Really. You can see for yourself (why is there no arrow button??? Insert arrow pointing up here).

25 days of Christmas books (part 3)

Dec. 11 "An Orange for Frankie" by Patricia Polacco. My children always enjoy a story more when they know that it really happened once. This is a heartwarming story about a family on Christmas Eve as they wait for their father to return and the events of Christmas morning. Every year they decorate their mantle with pine boughs, apples, dried flowers but most of all oranges. When the oranges finally arrive with father Christmas morning Frankie is too excited to wait. He has to hold his orange and smell it. When his mother unexpectedly enters the room he doesn't have time to put it back on the mantle and stuffs it in his clothing. The orange becomes lost. Each member of the family donates an orange wedge so that Frankie can still enjoy an orange. Although the illustrations are not exactly realistic they are so strange and wonderful and the people in them are so full of life. The expressions and movement make me want to join in these festive family gatherings. Since oranges aren't as rare as they were in Frankie's time we shared some chocolate oranges, YUM! (and a few real ones too)
Dec. 12 "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" by Robert Frost, illustrated by Susan Jeffers. Robert Frost is one of my absolute favorite poets. One of the reasons for this is my New England background. His poems catapult me back into my childhood days of roaming through woods, hopping over rock walls and ambling through apple orchards. This poem is no exception. I have often woken in the middle of the night to find that snow is falling. I've woken up the nearest sleeper (sister, brother, or my neighbor Audrey would meet me) to take a midnight walk in the snow. It is such a beautiful thing it's hard to go home. But I have "miles to go before I sleep..." This would be a such a good one to read on a day when you can go sledding or for a sleigh ride. Unfortunately we did neither of these... maybe next year.
Dec. 13 "A Charlie Brown Christmas" by Charles M. Schulz. Usually we watch this. It should be an interesting experience reading it. It looks a little long.... I guess we'll see how it goes. This would be a good one to read on the night you decorate your tree but I wasn't on the ball with that one. I'll remember next year unless it's really long. In that case we'll probably go back to watching it. Either way it's a Christmas classic with a marvelous message!
Dec. 14 "The Lump of Coal" by Lemony Snicket, illustrated by Brett Helquist. This is another new one for us this year. It is chock full of Mr. Snicket's usual wry humor. I don't know if the kids will find it funny, but I did. I'll let you know. A lump of coal goes out in search of a purpose. He would prefer his use to be in the making of beautiful art pieces, but we can't always choose... *spoiler alert* perhaps there will be a miracle. I'm planning to let the kids practice coloring with charcoal after reading this.
Dec. 15 "Snowmen at Christmas" by Caralyn Buehner, illustrated by Mark Buehner. Did you ever wonder how snowmen celebrate Christmas? Well, here's your answer. Fun, short and the kids can look for hidden pictures on each page. Some of these are easy and some are pretty darn hard to find. This whole series is wonderful ("Snowmen at Night" & "Snowmen All Year")- check them out. Here is yet another chance to show off your snowman building skills. After reading this (to myself, of course, it's not the 15th yet) I seriously wish we had enough snow in our front yard to fashion Santa and his sleigh- free decorations!

25 days of Christmas books (part 2)

Dec. 6 "Petunia's Christmas" by Roger Duvoisin. This funny little story has been around for quite a while but I don't remember it from my childhood (school or otherwise). This is about a pet goose named Petunia (surprisingly) who goes for a walk and meets a very handsome gander named Charles. Charles is being fattened for Christmas dinner which is doubly unfortunate now that he is in love with Petunia. Petunia, using astounding ingenuity for a goose, devises several plots to free Charles. Finally the farmer and his wife have a change of heart when they see the love shared by these geese.
Dec. 7 "Room for a Little One" by Martin Waddell, illustrated by Jason Cockcroft. This is a darling story with stunning pictures. It's short and simple. Good for nights with out much time and easy for the littlest children to understand. Animals that normally might not get along (ox,dog, cat, & mouse) all share the stable and then witness the birth of the Christ-child. Lovely.
Dec. 8 "Olive, the Other Reindeer" by J. Otto Seibold, illustrated by Vivian Walsh. This one never fails to illicit a laugh. Olive, hearing the lyrics "All of the other reindeer", deduces that although she thought she was a dog she must be a reindeer (All of=Olive, in case you're slower than the average bear). She journeys to the North Pole and has several adventures traveling with Santa and his sleigh. At the end Santa gives Olive some antlers that fit just right and Olive joins in the reindeer games. Cute cute cute.
Dec. 9 "The Polar Express" by Chris Van Allsburg. We are giant fans of the movie version of this book at our house. However, it is so nice to sit down and read the pure original story with out all of the additions. Sometimes its easier to get the true message that way. We drink hot chocolate while reading this story. A Christmas classic!
Dec. 10 "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" by Dr. Seuss. Another Christmas classic which has a clearer message in this shorter book version. Of course, this isn't exactly short, but it seems short because it's so fun to read. I love reading Dr. Seuss. We didn't do anything special with the reading of this story but there are many things we could have done (had roast beef for dinner?!?!) We did have a little discussion and sang some songs. Any ideas?

25 days of Christmas books (part 1)

We love Christmas and we love books... so, Christmas books are the best! This year I have decided to start a new tradition. A friend of mine wraps up books and then they get surprised each day by which Christmas story they are going to read. In order to save paper (and my sanity... wrapping 3 or 4 presents per child is about my limit) we are going to try something a little different. I have a little house I bought I few years ago. It's an advent house with numbered doors that open and you can tuck something inside. I took a picture but I have a new camera and I don't know how to download pictures yet, so I'll post a picture next time.

Each day a child takes a paper with the name of a book from behind a door. We read the book. Sometimes there's a treat that goes along with it, sometimes a discussion, sometimes an activity. I choose which books we do on which days- this way my control freak nature is satisfied. I'll be posting 5 books at a time. I'm going to share what I have planned and if you have any great ideas please share them with me too!
Dec. 1 "The Velveteen Rabbit" by Margery Williams. This is a favorite from my childhood that I like to share with my children. We have so many copies of this book. I thought I'd use the classic cover but the kids like the versions with less words to the page and more pictures.

When we finished reading this classic story we talked about real love. We talked about how what's on the outside doesn't matter. We age and lose our "sheen" but that can sometimes just show that we've lived and had many different experiences. We talked about how Jesus' love can make us "real". Each child shared what their favorite toy is. Then we told each other some things that we love about each other. We also enjoyed some Original Werthers, a family favorite.
Dec. 2 "Great Joy" by Kate DiCamillo, illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline. This beautifully illustrated story is short and sweet. Perfect for a night when you have other things going on. We happen to have a Christmas party this night which is why I chose this book for this night.

A little girl notices an organ grinder and his monkey who sleep on the street at night, even when it snows. She invites him to her Christmas play at the church but is worried he will not come. This is a beautiful story and I love how it highlights that often children are more open than adults to opening doors. On the fly-leaf there is a quote "In a dark time, doors will sometimes magically open and let us step inside to the warmth and light of a community." I read the book differently after reading this, so I thought I'd better share it.

In future years I think this would be a good book to read before doing some community service (more appropriate for teenagers) or a sub-for-santa. But for now, we can talk about what little services we can do.
Dec. 3 "Christmas Magic" by Michael Garland. This is a new book for us this year. The illustrations are absolutely stunning. We will be looking for more of Michael Garland's books. Even though this book heavily features snowmen we will go to see Christmas lights on this night. We have a few more books about snowmen and since this book is "magical" I thought Christmas lights were appropriate. (And if there happens to be snow in the yard we may also build a snowman, it is a Saturday after all.)

Emily builds a snow-woman in her front yard while a new boy moves in next door. Later she see's the boy building a snowman. She wakes up in the night and magic is in the air. As she walks around the house magical things are taking place everywhere she looks. She goes outside and the snow people have turned into real people who invite Emily to dance with them. The next morning she wakes up and runs outside. The snow-woman and snowman are standing together.
Dec. 4 "Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus" by Chris Plehal, illustrated by James Bernardin. This is a fun version of the classic publication of a letter that Virginia O'Hanlon sent to the New York Sun to ask the age old question: is Santa Claus real. This book incorporates Virginia's original question and the answer that was printed in the Sun. But it weaves a story around it that makes it more enjoyable for children to listen to. Tonight we'll write letters to Santa.
Dec. 5 We love Jan Brett! I was going to use her for author of the month last month and then got busy (speaking of... Halloween books I never got to will be coming next year. I already have the post written, which is really convenient for me.) We'll have her next month... something else to look forward to.
I like to do this book so that we have an excuse to make gingerbread men and eat them. "Gingerbread Friends" is a fun book too. She has so many that work at Christmas-time it's hard to choose. This is her take on the classic gingerbread man story. Family Night is perfect for cookie decorating!!! If I find a yummy gingerbread recipe I will share it... I've had wonderful gingerbread before just not when it's meant to build gingerbread houses. Wish me luck!