Love and Pain

Please forgive me while I take a break from my regular book loving to talk about the last few weeks of my life...

For months now we have been gearing up for my husband to have back surgery. Arranging for insurance, time off from work, people to watch the kids, gadgets to help once he was home.... the list felt endless. It did distract from the thoughts that this was major surgery, that always carries risks. And also that he would be in pain, I had not thought about the pain.

Matt came through his surgery just fine! Everything went better than expected...if you would like to know the geeky and a little gory details you can read his post here. Afterward he suffered from some minor but painful complications.

That's the thing that I was really not prepared for, watching the love of my life, my rock, my beloved in excruciating pain. I could sit by his bed, help him drink or wipe his brow. I could call the nurse, ask questions and request more pain killer. I could encourage him to get out of bed, walk down the hall and even try the stairs. But I could not really make the pain and discomfort go away.

Watching while he grimaced, all I wanted to do was take it away, make it end. I envisioned drawing the pain out and taking some on myself so he wouldn't have to bear it all. I would go home at night and dream that it had magically vanished but in the morning I could tell just by looking at his tired face that the night had not been kind.

Someplace along the way, sometime in a quiet moment while Matt slept as I sat beside him I had an overwhelming feeling of love. I have always loved my husband, through the good the bad and the ugly, but like any couple there were days of doubt and fear. But in that moment and since, there has been no doubt. If doubt comes crawling back in I all I need to remember is that moment to send it running. Because in that moment I knew that all I wanted was my husband to be happy and healthy and free from this pain. I wished above all else that I had the power I had envisioned and that I could rescue him with just my love.

And now I have him home and he is feeling better every day! I am thrilled and proud of his every little achievement. More and more I am looking forward to going for walks, exploring museums, and taking day trips. I can see the light at the end of the pain tunnel!

All in all I know this was not a life threatening illness, that it could have been worse and it could have been better. But it has had the unexpected side effect of refueling my love for my husband. He is my beloved, the love of my life and I am never letting go of him!

Thank you for indulging my mushy feelings. Back to my regular silliness next time I promise!

WE HAVE A WINNER

Congratulations to Wendy W.! A beautiful copy of We're Sailing to Galapagos will be winging your way!

Runner Up...Janine will receive a bag of Barefoot Goodies!

Thanks to everyone who left comments and sent direct messages to enter this contest. Keep your eyes and ears open for another give away in March!

Celebrate Darwin Day with a Give Away!

Today is Charles Darwin Day! Thursday, February 12, is the 200th anniversary of English Naturalist Charles Darwin’s birth.

Don’t we all need something fresh to celebrate today? I am celebrating by giving away copies of
“We’re Sailing to Galapagos” written by Laurie Krebs, published by, whom other, than Barefoot Books. My kids and I love this book! It has a wonderful “sing-song rhyme” rich, colorful illustrations (the collage-y cut paper kind that amazes me every time I study it). Finally, as all of the titles in Laurie’s world travel series, it has an amazing “glossary” in the back - my friend refers to them often as “Harvard extension programs set to rhyme”.

Laurie does a wonderful job of writing informative, yet light, easy to read rhyming stories. She keeps the main part of the book relaxed and fun (this one among many things introduces the days of the week) then by finishing with rich end notes that, for us, make her books top of the top. The end notes are full of robust details of the subject matter featured in the story. In the case of “Galapagos” the end notes include detailed info of all of the creatures we met on our journey. This element is partly why I am Laurie Kreb’s biggest fan. These books can be read again and again and again. We never make it through all of the end notes in one reading, each time we pick it up there is more to learn and explore.

It is also one of those titles that I say is perfect for many ages. It’s information is so complete I know it will be a valuable resource for the kids school days . . .

Finally, Laurie ends the book with write up introducing Charles Darwin and his famous 5 year voyage, most specifically for his work in the Galapagos Islands. (Not a “Darwinian”? fine, don’t read that page . . . regardless of your beliefs the rest of the book is a “must have”)

the fine print:

1. To Enter: leave a comment on this post
   

2. Drawing closes at midnight EST (doesn’t that sound official) on Friday 2/13/09
   

3. My kids will randomly draw comments #’s from a “hat” (not at midnight)
   

4. Winners will be announced on Monday February 16th.
   

Chapter by Chapter

For quite a while now we have taken to reading aloud from chapter books to our children. They are almost 8 and 6. We have chosen books that we read as children, also books we read good things about our have been recommended by friends. We have read Alice in Wonderland, The Whole Narnia Series, and Winnie the Pooh. Over the past year we have read several fantastic books that I don't feel get the praise they deserve!

1. The Tale of Despereaux
by Kate DiCamillo
The book is (as is usually the case) much better than the movie. Sweet, entertaining and suitably dark in some places, it is a brand new and imaginative fairy tale. The narration is the key. At pinnacle junctions in the story the narrator's voice speaks directly to the reader, reminding or easing minds.



2.A Variety of Books
by Edward Eager
Half Magic, Magic by the Lake and Seven Day Magic all have a group of children who love to read as the heroes and creators of the magic. In addition all books were written in the 1950's and 1960's. They are charming and well written and make parents and children giggle aloud!

3. Arabel's Raven
by Joan Aiken

Arabel is a little girl and Mortimer is her pet raven. Mortimer likes to eat stairs, hide spaghetti and sleep in the coal scuttle! They embark on many grand and interesting adventures and misadventures. My son spent the summer pretending to be Mortimer and making his sister pul him around in a wagon while he called out "Never More!


4. The Mysterious Benedict Society
by Trenton Lee Stewart
These were instant favorites! As soon as we finished the first book aloud, my son grabbed hold of it, secreting it away in his room to read again. And not surprisingly did the same with the sequel! The Mysterious Benedict Society revolves around 4 children who have their own unique gifts. These gifts when combined together make a wonderful team, they thwart the evil genius and his henchmen! the best part is these are REAL gifts....photographic memory, puzzle solver, athletic ability and well stubbornness! The children are not super human, they are smart and capable children. Real heroes that real kids can relate to!

5. Little Leap Forward by Guo Yue and Clare Farrow
Would my list be complete with out a Barefoot Book? This is the first foray into chapter books for Barefoot and this one lives up to all I have grown to expect from them. Little Leap Forward is an autobiographical account of a boy growing up in Beijing during the Cultural Revolution. Seen through a child's eyes it shows the day to day changes that affected the people at this time. The book does not get bogged down in history or politics, just this one boy's experience and account. The text is almost lyrical and the pictures by Helen Cann are exquisite!




There is something wonderful and magical about introducing your child to a book they love! Catching them with the light on, long after bedtime, just to get to the end of a book or even a chapter. One of my favorite images of my son is of him floppe don his tummy on his bed with a book propped up in front of him! Good stuff!!
Here are some of our favorites.... what have you read with your children this year?

Care.com Challange

It’s happened to all of us at some point, whether you are at the playground, school function or on a flight, someone makes a rude comment about your parenting style. They may think they are being helpful, but they are really just overstepping their bounds and making things worse! It could be “can’t you get him/her to quiet down” or “you let him/her eat that?” or “little Johnny, tell your mommy it’s cold outside and you should be wearing a hat…” as you are standing right there! There are millions of them and our friends at Care.com want to hear from you. So, they have developed a fun contest for TwitterMoms, designed around this question that all moms can all relate too:

What’s the rudest comment from a stranger you have ever gotten about your parenting style?

So many come to mind but the one that sticks is from when my son was just 2 years old. At a brand new play group, the hostess mom made a snack of PB and J sandwiches. We had just found out that my son could be allergic to peanuts. As he approached the table and reached for a sandwich I dove in and stopped him and politely asked the hostess if I could make him a just Jelly sandwich. Another mom proceeded to make fun of me in the other room to the rest of the group. Talking about how I had completely over-reacted, should just let the kid eat and this is what is wrong with parents these days and why kids get so many allergies.
I went into full Mama Lion mode! Gave her a piece of my mind and a little education about allergies, too!!

Read some other AWESOME stories on Twitter Moms!

About Care.com:

Care.com helps families across the country find trustworthy babysitters and nannies for their kids (including children with special needs). We also help moms connect to home care for seniors, pet care, tutors and teachers, and housekeepers -- everything you need to care for your loved ones and home.

Find the best babysitter, nanny, or other caregiver by reviewing profiles of care providers in your area, running free background checks, and checking references. To ensure the quality of our caregivers, our team of working-at-home moms pre-screens all caregiver profiles before we allow them into the Care.com community.

Find babysitters, nannies, and other great caregivers near you by searching on Care.comtoday.

My favorite books for little Valentines!

One of the things I have always loved about Barefoot Books is their ability to draw the reader closer to the listener. Or Me as a parent closer to my kids. The language and art give you the feeling you are sharing something magical and special even after the 100th reading!

Valentines Day is a day to get closer to the people you love in your life! And so I humbly present some fantastic books to share with your little (and bigger) loved ones!

The Boy Who Grew Flowers

Written by: Jen Wojtowicz
Illustrated by: Steve Adams

Book of the Year Award Finalist 2005, ForeWord Magazine
One of my all time favorite books! My kids love it, too! Great gift for children and adults!

Princess and the White Bear King

Retold by: Tanya Robyn Batt
Narrated by Miranda Richardson
Illustrated by: Nicoletta Ceccoli

Beautiful gift edition hardcover with CD!
I love to listen to the CD of this story. A great reminder that Love can conquer all!

Someone I Like

Poems About People

Compiled by: Judith Nicholls
Illustrated by: Giovanni Manna

"This book makes a wise assumption: children are intelligent and will take from each poem what they can. Some children will delight in the sounds of the poems, some in the content, and others will find joy in both." - BookPage
Each poem gives me such joy to read aloud. I hope this has contributed to my daughter and son loving poetry and having a great self image, too!!




View all the wonderful recommendations for great February books on our website!!

6 year old poetry

Leah has been writing me poems and leaving them on my desk. She is so cool!

You are it!
Bears love you!
Bears are it, too!

You are a Teddy Bear
You are you
I love you

Boo!
Are you Happy?
I love you!

I think this one is really deep...

You are it!
What are you?
You are my Mom!
You are Happy!
Talk about what you are
You think about you
and you make your choice.