today I am grateful fo

quiet moments spent with a book. Some thing about that time brings out a sweetness between parent and child.
For example:
Lucy loves for me to read to her, in fact this morning I woke up to her sweetly tapping the corner of her book on my closed eyes saying "you read dis me?"
When we read she often will "pick up" treats from the pages and "feed" them to me, or she'll "scoop up" the baby and rock it in her arms and sing "rock the baby." She has a good imagination and books really spark it for her.


A couple days ago Lu was in the bath and brother came in with a stack of books. He plopped himself down with his head on my leg and we began to read. He likes to think in math (weird I know) and was really enjoying the part of the book where the m&m's get grouped into different units that equal 12. Like 6 groups of 2, 3 groups of 4, and so forth. We had read several pages and he sat up, held up his hand and said "shhh mom, let me think a minute" Then he said, I think next is 2 groups of 6. And he was right.

Reading with my bigger girls (H is included in this) gives me many opportunities to discuss right and wrong, good and bad, character traits that are admirable, and those that aren't. While talking about lesson's Scout learned from watching Atticus, a man of noble character, we can highlight those traits we value and want for our children to emulate in a totally non-pointing-a-finger at you kind of way. In seeing Harry and Hermione and Ron struggle to fight against evil we can talk about the importance of finding good friends and working together for what's right and we can talk about how they might have been helped along the way if they had asked trusted adults for advice and help. Two good lessons without saying "do you really think _____ helps you make good choices" or "call me if you get in trouble". NOT that I don't' say that too...it's just less personal and there is no defensiveness in the conversation so it reinforces our real life conversations.

and I could go on forever!