Reading Through Christmas....

Day three into December, and around our house, we are reading tons of Christmas gems. We found this in our Advent mail box this afternoon. Upon finding it in the mail box, I have read it about ten times. It is a book about two little mice exploring the house on Christmas Eve after a visit from Santa Clause. It is a very simple book written and illustrated by Richard Scarry.

This book was published by Golden Press in 1965. If you have Richard Scarry's Christmas Mice, it is almost exactly the same book. I purchased the Christmas Present Book online, thinking that it was a new book we haven't read yet, but was surprised when I read it, to realize that it was the same as Christmas Mice. Since now, we have two copies, we will be gifting Christmas Mice to a family I know through work that just adopted a one year old last Friday.

When my son found Christmas Mice in my purse, he pulled it out and asked me about why it was in my purse. I explained to him that there was a little boy who had no books at home, and asked my son if we should give him a book to read. He replied with an excited yes! Then proceeded to ask if we could go see the little boy. I had to explain that we couldn't because he was getting used to his new mommy and daddy. So that satisfied him for now. I love how books can connect people in so many different ways. I hope that this book helps to connect a new family in some small way.

Having a Simple Christmas

I am a huge Laura Ingalls Wilder fan, have been since I was a little girl when my Ma gave me my first set of Laura's books. I could never get enough of the adventures of Laura, Mary, Pa, Ma, baby Carrie and Grace. Since I have a little boy, I thought that I would never be able to share my love of the Ingalls family with him, but I was wrong. I have already read him Little House In The Big Woods, which he loved by the way. I think it was the stories about the forest, bears, and hunting that intrigued him.



I was so happy when I was thrifting to come across My First Little House Books, which have been adapted from the original Little House Books. We have quite a few of the books in our home library which are frequently in the rotation to read. It took me a while, but this summer I finally found Christmas In The Big Woods. I put it in with our Christmas books, but when I have tried to read it to my son he has refused, until bedtime last night.

This book is an adaptation of the Christmas story from the original Little House In the Big Woods book. As I read the story to my son, the thought occurred to me that our lives are way too complicated. Here is a family who lived a hard life, but took pleasures in simple things. Children who had way more responsibilities in their their lives, than the teens of today. Yet, they delighted in homemade gifts, a piece of candy, making pictures in snow, maple candy, and pancake men.

Even though this story is fiction, there probably is a lot of truth to it, in the sense that this is the way things were on the frontier. Maybe people took pleasure in the simple things. Home, hearth, working with their hands, cooking, growing their own food, and time with their families. Then again, maybe I am wrong. I do know one thing, there will be pancake men and the making of maple candy in our very near future. I am going to cherish every simple moment this holiday season.

Christmas Stories at 2:30 in the Morning...

Last night was so much fun, figuratively speaking, of course... I am getting over a sinus infection, and trying to wing my son off his nightly bedtime cup of milk. Which resulted in him waking up five times, with complaints of extreme thirst. After a long sleepless night, and a very long day at work... It's no wonder that I look in the mirror and see deep dark circles under my eyes... Ahh, the hidden joys of motherhood. I wouldn't trade it for the world!

It seems to me that everything we have experience thus far is a step. We went from quitting nursing at one, to quitting the bottle at two. (The bottle weening was the worst for me, I cried like a baby, because I knew that the "baby" stage was over.) Now at three, I think it is time to stop the nightly cup. I seriously think this will be the hardest for him, even harder than quitting the bottle.

My son has always been somewhat of a night owl, some nights he does not go to sleep before eleven at night. Plus, he wakes frequently in the middle of the night, sometimes, two or three times a night.

There have been many times that I have been awakened in the middle of the night with a little voice asking "mama will you read me a story?" Trust me, no matter how tired I am, and sometimes I am really tired, I do my absolute best to read him his story. Do you know that one book usually does the trick, and he is back to sleep in no time. Every once in a while, it may take two stories, but this is rare.

Last night, we had one of those nights. Except this time, he asked specifically for The Berenstain Bears Trim the Tree by Jan & Mike Berenstain. This is a cute little lift the flap book I found at the thrift store this summer for .99 cents. My son loves this book. We read it for the first time a few days ago, and since then, have probably read it about fifteen more times to him. 

So I spoil my son, but since he is the most precious thing to me in the world, I feel I can lose a few winks of sleep to read him a story. Especially if it leads to him going back to sleep, which means this mommy can sleep too. 

We Love Christmas...

Sorry for the absence yesterday, I was really sick, but feeling better today. December 1st is on Saturday, and my little guy's third birthday is next Friday! He is going to be three!!! Where did the time go? I feel like it was just yesterday that I was nine months pregnant, uncomfortable, and ready for my son to enter this world.

We saw Santa on Sunday, my son was very nervous, but did splendidly well. He sat on Santa's lap, got his picture taken and got his candy cane. He didn't say a word until daddy helped him off Santa's lap, then he gallantly turned around and said very quickly, " Santa, I want a blue train." Cute right?

As you can see, Sunday was very warm, hence my son wearing shorts while having his picture taken in front of the Christmas tree. I think this is the warmest November that I can remember!

Anyways, I want to tell you about a wonderful Christmas Treasury by Jan Brett. It contains seven of the most lovely written and illustrated Christmas stories. The stories are as follows: The Mitten, The Wild Christmas Reindeer, Trouble with Trolls, The Twelve Days of Christmas, The Hat, Christmas Trolls, and The Night Before Christmas. We usually read this treasury in one sitting, though when my son saw it in the book bin, he asked if we could read The Mitten, which her remembered from last year. It is a huge book, and quite heavy, but that is what makes it so wonderful.

I hope you are able to read this with your little one's this Christmas.

Read It Again Mommy....

Once again the high in Phoenix was around eighty degrees... My heart says it's time for Christmas, but my mind says no, how could it be when I am still wearing shorts? Weather aside, I brought out all the Christmas books I have been gathering all year and placed them in bins around the living room. As I was sitting on the couch, my son was searching the bins, and came across a favorite from last year, Duck & Goose It's Time For Christmas by Tad Hills.

So I read it once, which lead to " Mommy, read it again." Which then lead to about fifteen re-reads.

Then after fifteen re-reads.... he decided we need to make snow angels in the "snow". (I promise you this was all his idea, and not staged for your blog entertainment. I was lucky to grab the camera just in time before he stopped.)

Then after making snow angels, we had a few more readings, in which many questions were asked...



"Mommy why is it snowing?"
"What's that goose doing on the hill?"
"Why is that snow castle doing there?"
"What is that bird and duck doing to the tree?"

I absolutely love the conversations that a book with beautiful pictures, and simple sentences will spark. I love that even though it's seventy five outside, we can still imagine the beauty of snow at Christmas time.