6th

Somehow, my firstborn son is in sixth grade. It doesn’t make any sense, really, because I’m pretty sure it was just a few weeks ago that he was trotting off to Kindergarten.

Six years? It’s been that long?

He’s traded in his crayons for pens (erasable, for school), his backpack for the now-popular messenger bag, coloring pages for loose-leaf paper and countless notebooks. He has a locker, changes rooms for different classes (remember the excitement of changing rooms?), and owns a scientific calculator.

We’ve noticed that he spends more time adjusting the direction of his hair in the morning, and that he’s carrying breath mints to school with him. (Uh-oh. Is this cause for concern?)

Sixth grade officially started last Wednesday.

I rush outside with him to take the annual quick-before-the-bus-comes photo. Coaxing a smile is getting more difficult. He’s ready to go; who has time to pose for mom?

That afternoon, when asked about his first impressions of sixth grade, he diplomatically tells me, “Well…it’s not as bad and I thought it would be. But it’s not as good as I hoped it would be.” Which I think is code for, “Meh…it’s school.”

Though he keeps getting older, there are things that remain the same. He’s creative. He loves books. He’s loyal and stubborn and full of opinions. He analyzes everything and memorizes like a champ.

Those things were true six years ago and they’re true today.

Oh, and another thing. We love him with everything we’ve got. That’ll never change.

Coming soon…

Fall Into Reading 2010

Watch for details later this week.

On my nightstand

It’s time for the monthly “What’s on Your Nightstand” carnival sponsored by 5 Minutes for Books.

At the moment, there is only one book on my nightstand. And to be honest, it’s in my hands more than on my nightstand.

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

I’m not sure why I even have this book already. Amazon.com still had it listed as a pre-order as late as yesterday. Bookstores promise to have it in stock today, the 24th. And the pre-order I placed with Amazon told me not to expect the book until August 26th.

And yet, it arrived in my mailbox on Saturday. Three full days before its official release.

Perhaps someone at Amazon read my Things I’m Waiting For post, and sneakily got my copy in the mail a few days early. Or maybe a number of people have been pleasantly surprised by receiving Mockingjay early. Or perhaps there was just a random mix-up.

Either way, I’m about 200 pages into it and will likely finish it before the end of the day. Since Sunday, I’ve been reading as often as I can, in between things like church, meals, errands, and get-togethers with friends.

Mockingjay is just as absorbing as the previous books in the trilogy (Hunger Games and Catching Fire). I’d tell you more, but I have to get back to reading. Must find out how things end for Katniss, Gale, & Peeta.

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Visit 5 Minutes for Books to find out what others are reading this month.

End of August Ambivalence

Every year, toward the end of August, I’m struck with this same feeling.

Or rather, struck with these same feelings.

On the one hand, I am quite ready for school to begin. I’m not exactly the parent leaping through Staples singingIt’s the most wonderful time of the year…” (though I do love those office supplies), but I’m ready for the fall routine to kick in. Even though we probably won’t be any less busy, our schedule will at least be more predictable, more consistent.

I’m a big fan of consistency.

Besides, I find fall (or at least early fall) to be delightful. I love the cooler air, the changing leaves, the idea of drinking hot coffee on a cool morning.

On the other hand, I am wondering if I squandered the summer — at least to some extent. I second-guess my choices, the way I filled our days. I fret about missed opportunities to teach my kids important life lessons, lessons more easily taught when the distraction of school and homework aren’t around. I wonder if I was too grumpy too often, and I hope my kids could tell how very much I love them.  I worry that, with the start of school, my ability to influence them wanes.  I regret the shushing, the impatience, the times I messed up. I wish I’d been a better steward of the summer months.

My husband would tell you that I worry too much. And he would tell me that things are fine — the kids are happy and healthy and they know I love them. They had fun this summer, they learned, they tried new things.

But still. Sometimes I’m just overwhelmed by the whole “we only have one shot at this parenting thing” concept. And I wish I would do a better job.

Today, I’m thankful for my kids. And I’m thankful that every new season — even the busy school seasons that fill up with homework and projects and all kinds of activities — present new opportunities to teach them and to love them and to learn with them.

Elephant & Piggie: a delightful series…mostly

L. (4) has been captivated by the Elephant and Piggie book series by Mo Willems.

Personally, I get a kick out of the books too. Comprised entirely of dialog, each book tells a simple story about two friends — Gerald the Elephant and Piggie…the Pig.

Gerald tends to get worked up over just about anything, though Piggie certainly isn’t above a bit of melodrama. Put the two of them together, add some bold and expressive illustrations, a dramatic incident, and a touch full helping of humor, and you get a delightful series.

We’ve slowly been collecting each Elephant and Piggie book, and L. reads them often all the time.

His favorite is probably There is a Bird on Your Head, which explores the stressful day when a bird couple decides to set up house on Gerald’s head. Some close runners-up are Pigs Make Me SneezeAre You Ready to Play Outside? and Today I Will Fly!

L. carries the Elephant and Piggie books all around the house, lines them up, looks through them, takes them to bed… Bottom line: he loves them.

But recently, something happened.

An Elephant and Piggie book entered our house…and has been less-than-loved.

In fact, L. asked me if I could take it back to the store, or if I could find someone else to buy the book from us.

That book is I Will Surprise My Friend. It has a simple premise: Gerald and Piggie decide to surprise each other — imagining how much fun it will be — but things don’t go exactly as planned.

The storyline doesn’t bother L. at all. The problem, apparently, is a few faces that Gerald makes.

Though the book receives high praise in the reviews on Amazon.com, L. is unimpressed. There are two or three pages where Gerald’s facial expressions just bother him. At first, L. was afraid of them, and asked me to keep the book in another room. But then he gave the book another try, and simply pronounced the expressions “disturbing.”

Yesterday, he told me we can keep the book, but he’s not going to read it until he’s older. He’s done with it for now. It doesn’t live on the shelf with the others; it doesn’t get carried around or read before bedtime. It’s simply ignored.

I guess every book in a series can’t be a winner with everyone. And when it comes to kids, you never know what’s going to give them pause. We’re definitely not giving up on Elephant and Piggie books, though — we’ve enjoyed far too many of them to do that. These are books that make preschoolers laugh…and give the grown-ups a giggle too. They’re fantastic for early readers and make perfect bedtime stories — not too short, not too long.

So overall, we highly recommend the Elephant and Piggie books for preschoolers. Just watch out for some of those facial expressions…

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Visit 5 Mintues for Books to see what other kids have been reading this month.