Like most of you, this week will be our last at school until Christmas break. We’ll have parties and movie days and on Thursday the boys will be part of the school age Christmas Concert. Each year the music teacher puts on a pre-k concert and a school age concert in the church. The BIG difference this year is that a student will be narrating the school age edition and a couple of weeks ago I found out that Sam volunteered for the role!

From what I have gathered the teacher asked who would rather talk than sing and Sam’s hand went up. I am not sure he knew exactly what he was getting into, but there is no backing out at this point. He has two full pages of narration to deliver…microphone and all. It is a good thing I am a teacher there and can steal a front row seat for support……I think he is going to need it.

Each time we talk about the concert Sam seems a little more nervous. First it was the mic that caused him concern, then he thought he had to memorize the words….each day some new part of this seems to add to his unease. I can only hope that the dress rehearsal two days before will help ease some anxiety. That and being able to stare right at me two feet away from him the day of the big show may be all  he needs.

I know he will do well and he will deliver his lines. I just want him to be able to enjoy the experience too. We’ll see…..

Has your child ever performed and experienced stage fright or did they sail right through it?

I absolutely adore when my tween gets lost in the wonderful land of reading.  I find it so interesting that some books hold his attention better then others.

I have mentioned previously that my tween loves ‘The Magic Tree House’ book series.  He just gobbles those books up.  He continues to love to read that series.

Now, there is another series of books that he loves.  He totally checks out in the land of fiction when her reads the ‘Diary of a Wimpy Kid’ books.  These books are perfect for my tween.  The books are silly, have fun little pictures and lots of laughs.  I am always so happy when a new series of books become my tween’s favorite.

Here is a little overview from one of the books:

The Last Straw opens with Greg’s entry on resolutions to make yourself a better person: “Well, the problem is, it’s not easy for me to think of ways to improve myself, because I’m already pretty much one of the best people I know.”

He’s sandwiched between older and younger brothers who cause all the problems (as he sees it). He has an enthusiastic mom he’s easily embarrassed by and a dad who’s frustrated Greg isn’t more of an athlete.

As Greg puts it, “I tried to explain how with video games, you can play sports like football and soccer, and you don’t even get all hot and sweaty. But as usual, Dad didn’t see my logic.”

Greg “isn’t a character to be emulated,” Kinney says. “But I think kids get that. They’re more sophisticated than we think. They laugh at Bart Simpson, but they know you’re not supposed to be like Bart Simpson.”

There you have it, a two thumbs up from this Mom!!  Pick up a copy for your tween boy and I guarantee that they will be MIA for a large part of the day!!

What book series does your tween enjoy?

Do you remember books from your childhood?  Was it the nursery rhymes your mother read to you or the little tattered book about a girl taking her animals on a picnic?  Books bring out emotions.  The smell or feel of a book can bring out emotions you felt while reading that book.  Book’s are truly amazing!!

Where did your love of reading begin?  Where was it for you…. in your home, in your school or at your Grandparent’s house?  As a family we have our favorite books we read.  There are certain books my kids know by heart and there are some that we read occasionally.  There truly is nothing more wonderful then a good book.

My tween is currently reading the book Flat Stanley in his reading group at school.  I am so impressed how his teacher is making this book so much fun for him.  They made their own version of Flat Stanley (the character in the book).  They were asked to take their Flat Stanley on an adventure and take a picture of  it/him.  My tween was so excited about this.  We had to print the picture and attach it to his Flat Stanley journal.  Next, they had to choose a person to send their Flat Stanley to.  The person who receives Stanley must take a picture with him and send him back!

This is brilliant to me.  It makes reading fun, it brings life and adventure to reading.  Thank you to wonderful teachers who go the extra mile to give children a love of books and reading and GO Flat Stanley.

Where did your love of reading begin?

These cutie boys and friends recently went on a fun outing.

3 Moms +

3 Tweens=

A Fabulous Night out!!

We took them out to dinner at Red Robin and to a book club at Barnes and Noble.  As I have said earlier, my tween is a huge fan of the Magic Tree House book series.

Barnes and Noble hosted a book club for book # 6, Afternoon on the Amazon. They talked a little bit about the book and then made a craft that coordinated with the book.  Lincoln loved the craft that they made and loved that he was surrounded by lots of other kids who also loved the same books that he does.  I think Barnes and Noble also has a book club for the American Girl books.  I have said many times before that I want my children to love reading.  I think the most educated and well rounded people are those who read often.  I wish I could say that I am a more avid reader, but it just isn’t my season for that.

When I attended the open house for my tween’s school, I was so happy to see the great variety of books his teacher had in the classroom available for my son.  She had each book series in a different labeled basket.  I can imagine all those fabulous books he will be reading in her classroom.

Moral of the story…Barnes and Noble ROCKS!!  I never get enough time there, usually spend too much money, but always come away from there with a smile on my face!!

What are some activities you do to keep your tween excited about reading?

One of my favorite childhood songs goes a little something like this,

“What do you do in the summer time, when all the world is green; Do you fish in the stream, or lazily dream, or watch all the clouds in the sky? Is that what you do?  So do I.”

Summer time is a wonderful time of the year.  We have a had a fun packed few months.  On those normal summer days, what are some of the things your tween does?  Here is a top ten of my tween’s favorite summer activities.

1.  Go to the beach and boogie board with his friends.

2.  Swim at the pool (don’t forget his goggles because he has a horrible time without them…sheesh)

3.  Read books – Magic Tree House wins the award for favorite book series this summer.

4.  Play his FIFA World Cup soccer video game on the game cube.

5.  Jump on the trampoline while being squirted with the hose.

6.  Take long family walks.

7.  Spend time playing with his cousins.

8.  Eat lots of watermelon, blueberries, raspberries and strawberries.

9.  Check LOTS of books out from the library.

10.  Count how many teeth he can lose this summer.

I have really enjoyed this summer with my tween.  I feel like we have really enjoyed our time together as a family.

If I could change anything about this summer, to make next summer even better…this is what I would do.

- Teach Lincoln how to make breakfast on his own.

- Have a little bit more of a schedule when we aren’t traveling.

- Finally, give him a big summer project to work on over the summer (ex. – a poster or bottle for a shell collection)

What would you change or do different next summer with your tween?