karmamatopoeia: Happy Valentine's Day!

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Happy Valentine's Day!

SWEET! An excuse to make cupcakes, eat chocolates, and wear pink socks with cupids on them. Hug everyone you love, or call them if they're far away. Relax today, because tomorrow, you'll be busy checking out the sale in the candy aisle. We'll speak French today, car le francais, c'est la langue d'amour. Et ce soir, un peu de vin rouge, et on ne sait pas...

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So, what's with the weird blog title?

When Dude was in first grade, his teacher read a fable about the chicken and the fox. The moral of the fable was "If you do something to hurt others, the same may happen to you." Dude said, "Kind of like karma." His teacher was amazed that he understood the concept of karma, and she had him explain it to the class. Meanwhile, Super was learning about onomatopoeic words in third grade. She was so fascinated by them that everything that happened at home became an onomatopoeia: bark, pop, crash, bang, whoosh! Our daily life sounded like it was narrated by a comic book artist!

When I started writing this blog, I wanted a title that really described the kids' personalities. I put the two words together and karmamatopoeia was born.

I'm grateful for...

wonderful friends, always supportive and kind.
cool fall evenings.
puppy kisses!
rainy days.
summer peaches.
air conditioning!
local honey.
the scent of pine and sage in the evenings.
books. Lots and lots of them.
my fantastic, funny, supportive mom!
good friends who make me laugh.
birdsong.
summer mornings on my back porch.
being home after a long road trip.
the freedom that homeschooling allows. If circumstances demand that we change our plans...no problem!
rainy days.
antique stores.
quiet nights at home.
libraries.
my silly, smart, fun-loving kids!
waking up to bird song in the morning.
my mom, who visits often and is only a phone call away when I need someone to talk me off the ledge!
homeschooling. Seriously, the best decision we ever made for our family.
Zyrtec. Wish it had been around when I was a kid!
sharing my favorite poems with my kids.
the chubby, snoring pug who sleeps on my feet every night.
watching the green come back to the landscape.
the sweet scent of our crabapple tree in full bloom.

Family Fiction Read Alouds in no particular order

To Kill a Mockingbird
We Have Always Lived in the Castle
Hatchet
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
The Egypt Game
Raptor Red
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH
The Last Unicorn
Hoot
Because of Winn-Dixie
My Side of the Mountain
Dear Mr. Henshaw
Project Mulberry
The BFG
Pippi Longstocking
The Secret Garden
Fantastic Mr. Fox
A Wrinkle in Time
Lunch Money
The Witches
The Twits
Chains
Project Mulberry
Liar and Spy
The Story of Doctor Doolittle
Julie of the Wolves
The Door in the Wall
The Last Unicorn
Small Steps: The Year I Got Polio
Lighthouse Family Series
The Double Life of Pocahontas
The Hundred Dresses
Thornton Burgess Animal Stories
Miss Hickory
Little House in the Big Woods
The Thief Lord
Five Children and It
Rabbit Hill
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret
The Van Gogh Cafe
How to Eat Fried Worms
Molly Moon's Incredible Book of Hypnotism
The White Giraffe
Skellig
The Trumpet of the Swan
The Hidden Cave
The Friends
A Journey to Jo'Burg
Inkwelo Mountain
The Green Glass Sea
The Cat Ate My Gymsuit

Ruth Beechick on Reading and Writing

When you read a book, you are in a mind-to-mind encounter with its author, whether he lived 1000 years ago or lives today. This is the wonder of real books--all kinds of books, not only the serious and factual. Your mind grows through these encounters.

And while you read or after you finish a book, if you have a personal response of some kind, and write, your mind grows even more. You clarify your thoughts. You develop new ways of thinking. This is education, ongoing.

The read-write dialogue is of first importance. So keep your children reading and keep them writing.