new loves

In our house, reading is a huge deal. The older kids all have an allotted 30 minutes of reading time before bed. SweetPea and PorkChop get read to daily before their naps. Hubby and I both spend quite a bit of time on our Kindles, compiling reading lists and cruising straight through them. Its a rarity when someone is not reading something. Reading for fun, reading for school, reading for learning or reading for enjoyment.... all of us love to read in our own ways.

For Christmas, SweetPea got something that she thought that she had to wait a few more years to get.... an American Girl Doll. And with that gift, a new story line to follow. Last year, SweetPea and I went on a very long journey with Jack and Annie (The Magic Tree House series). And while we didn't finish the series, it created some very fond memories. This year, we begin our journey to 1850s New Orleans!

a favorite past-time

I personally love history. I love hearing about daily life from "ago", I love learning about the styles, the nuances of the culture, how people thought and what motivated them. So far, I have yet to produce a history buff in any of the older children. The American Girl series reminds me of the Magic Tree House series. They both bring history to life in a fun and easy way. They are not "textbook" boring, but alive and colorful. They are fun and make you feel like you are part of the story. I am hoping that that also means that it will spark a flame instead SweetPea, one that wants to learn more about following the past instead of just living in the future.

There are so many series that I want to share with her and PorkChop. I hope that I can. For now, I will take it one small step at a time. And enjoy each and every step of those journeys.