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Summer Reading …
As summer approaches, I am preparing a summer reading plan for my boys which will include: Trips to the book store and library. Books for Silent Sustained Reading (SSR) or quiet time as we call it....
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Reading to My Children, Books They Love to Pieces …
My husband and I have been reading to our children since the womb. We would crawl into bed and choose from a stack of rhyming books to read my rounded tummy. When my husband read he could usually...
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If I Were Being Stalked by a Serial Killer, I’d Be a Goner
Suzie Spoon – Serial Killer (Photo credit: What What) I love routine. My movements could be easily mapped. My patterns of behavior would be predictable. Each day of every week looks pretty much the...
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Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder
Art by one of my dude’s The first time I heard this phrase was from my fifth grade teacher. I don’t know why I remember it. She used to read out loud to us and each character had its own voice. It was...
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How They Became Dudes
Backyardigans. (Photo credit: Vintage Studio. Artes Plásticas e E.V.A.) When my oldest was born, I gave him nicknames like: Little Face, Sweet Pea, and Pumpkin. Only I said Pumpkin like the “m” was an...
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Reading for Screen Time
© 2013 the Jotter’s Joint We’ve entered a new phase of parenting. My husband and I have decided that screen time isn’t free. We are instituting a minute for minute trade off. For every minute our dudes...
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Summer Reading 2013
The first Captain Underpants book. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) The best gift my dudes gave me for Mother’s Day was cuddling up on the sofa at Grandma’s, cracking open the newest Big Nate book: Big Nate...
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… chasing fireflies …
Fireflies 1 (Photo credit: ShutterSparks) Curiosity of children is an amazing thing. I love seeing their imaginations at work as they reason with and negotiate through and interact with their world....
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The Boys Who Stomped a Hornets’ Nest
European hornet with the remnants of a honey bee (Photo credit: Wikipedia) If you’ve never been stung by a hornet, consider yourself lucky. Because each sting is like the prick of a needle followed by...
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Celebrating the Love of Reading …
I’ve been boasting to my dudes about how I used to stay up all night (2 or 3 in the morning and still getting up for school by 6AM) reading by flashlight under the covers. Of course they thought that...
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I Read White: The Issue of a Single Story
© 2014 the Jotter’s Joint When I first started writing fiction I wanted to be intentional about representing a diverse cast of characters: race, culture, and socio-economic levels. For my first novel,...
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Failure IS an Option
© 2014 the Jotter’s Joint Wednesday night is family night. Our standing date to spend time together. It’s the untouchable night. No work. No interruptions. A couple of weeks ago, my husband decided...
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Postcards from Colorado: Adventures in Thin Air
© 2014 the Jotter’s Joint Greetings … Today is post Tuesday and I haven’t had a chance to slow down enough to organize my thoughts and experiences into a cohesive narrative. But instead of missing post...
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Postcards from Southern California: Family Fun in the Hot Hot Sun
© 2014 the Jotter’s Joint It was like a furnace. Temperatures ranged from 90 to 105 degrees. Too hot to do anything other than lounge; which we did. Trying to find a cool spot and stay hydrated were...
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