Tuning in to the Read-Aloud Revival Podcast. I first heard about this podcast when I read The Read-Aloud Family by Sarah Mackenzie. It's a wildly popular podcast all over the world and a well known resource among homeschooling families nation wide. I've only been listening to the podcast for a couple of weeks but each time I tune in, I find myself automatically applying new information and ideas to my own read-alouds with Jonah and Nicole. I feel energized by the content and am continually going back for more. I wish I would have stumbled across this podcast when I was teaching because I think it would have equipped me with an extra measure of joy and inspiration in my classroom. Even though I didn't get to use it with my students, I'm thrilled to have a resource to help me share quality books with my kids in meaningful ways.
Utilizing the reserve service at my library. I love taking the time to browse through books but ever since Jonah's arrival at the beginning of April, my hands have been too full and my supervision has been far too stretched to effectively select books on my own. I now use various book lists to help me search for and bookmark all of the books we want to read and then once a week I go into the library catalog online and reserve 10-15 books for us to pick up later on. This system has been working phenomenally well for us. We can keep our library trips short if we need to and any extra time we might have can be spent playing in the kids area or visiting with the librarians.
Anticipating another year of MOPS. I am gearing up for my third year in MOPS (Moms of Preschoolers) and I am looking forward to what this year will bring. The group I'm apart of has about 40 moms in it and I recently got an email informing me that 18 of the 40 moms are new this year. I'm excited for the opportunity to build new relationships in a familiar environment. Nicole is also looking forward to a new year of MOPS because she loves playing with other kids, exploring new toys and interacting with her teachers. She gets to eat goldfish crackers at snack time (which is not something she gets to eat at home) and she feels like she's going to school. I am hoping that Jonah will enjoy the time he gets to spend being snuggled and cared for by loving teachers each week too. I'm always a little hesitant to hand my babies over to other people when I know they'll need to nap and eat while I'm away but I'm praying that his teachers will willingly tag me in if they need me.
Exploring all of our local parks with playgrounds. I have always been on the hunt for the best parks for us to play at so you can imagine my delight when I ran across a map containing all of the parks in our town. I discovered this park map early in the summer and I felt like I had uncovered a hidden treasure. I was instantly delighted to have such a comprehensive resource in hand but quickly realized that it was far too hot to use at the time. Months later, it is finally starting to cool down enough for us to pack up and visit each park. I've been patiently watching the temperatures drop and planning our park trips in the process. My mind is swirling with picnic ideas, nature walks and friends to invite along. I am itching to spend extended time breathing in fresh air while Jonah and I watch Nicole jump and run and play.
Browsing my cookbooks. I'm making a conscious effort to reduce the amount of time I spend in front of a screen, especially when my children are awake. One easy way to reduce my screen time has been to cook from my cookbooks instead of recipes I find online. Each week after the sale ads come out Nicole and I select a few cookbooks to browse and we thumb through our books while siting side by side on the living room floor. So far the process is lengthy and filled with interruptions but I love involving her in my menu planning and it's been really fun to get to know my cookbooks a little better in the process.
I hope you are well!
Love,
Erica
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