I Read It!

I've been saving this review for this carnival from 5 Minutes for Books. The idea is to tell about a book you read because of a recommendation on their site. This is one that I obtained for my daughter and also read for myself based on Carrie's description and approval.

The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart is a wonderful, engaging story about a narcoleptic genius who recruits orphaned or otherwise rejected children to perform a secret mission, with the safety of the world hanging in the balance. The book is well-written, the characters are quirky and interesting, and the story is engaging. There are a lot of mysterious aspects to the story that kept both my daughter and me guessing about how things would finally turn out. There are perilous situations, but not so scary as to keep my daughter up at night. The overall tone is one of a fun adventure story with a lot of puzzle-like twists that challenge your brain. To say more about the details might ruin the fun of reading it for someone else, which I would never want to do.

The overriding themes of the book are positive. I read somewhere that the author intended to write a story showing that kids can do great and important things, and that message certainly comes through. While I have no idea if the author maintains a Christian worldview, there are a lot of Christian themes that can be drawn from the story as well. My daughter even picked up on this thread and commented on it. Her overall take on the book was that it was fun to read and taught that every one is special and it's important to work as a team.

I loved this book for the sheer fun of the story as much as for the empowering message it sends to kids. We are currently in the midst of the sequel and enjoying it every bit as much!

Thanks for the recommendation, Carrie!

the cricket

I've come to the end of my patience with "critters" creeping into the house. Somehow this has been the summer for it. For example, a couple of weeks ago we spent a lively evening chasing a lizard around the family room. Nothing like a rogue reptile to bring a family together.

Our latest adventure in "bringing the outdoors in" has involved a very noisy cricket taking up residence in our heating/air conditioning system. It took us a long time - and a lot of moving furniture - to figure this out, as the chirping would move around to various rooms. Finally one day I figured out that the chirping was quieter if I closed the vent in the room where I heard it. Relieved that the insect was not actually in the house, we figured it was OK where it was and would eventually either find its own way out or perish from starvation.

Fat chance. Apparently these things can live on dirt or whatever other disgusting particles float through the HVAC system. Because the chirping got louder and more prolonged as the days went on. That lovely chirp that sounds so nice when you're spending a lazy sumer evening out on the patio is beyond annoying when it's inside the house at full volume during all hours of the day and night.

One morning this week my husband shined a flashlight down into the vent in the family room and actually saw the little noisemaker. His plan was to grab a can of bug spray of some sort and spray the cricket. (I was a little skeptical of this plan, mostly because removing the vent cover meant our little friend might actually jump into the house. Never mind the ramifications of spraying poison into the ventilation system. )

As we were debating this plan, our 7 year old appeared in the kitchen doorway. Upon noticing the loud (and I do mean LOUD) chirping, she made a beeline for the vent, where she proceeded to call in an even louder voice, "Keep singing, cricket! I like your beautiful music!"

Ah, the innocence of childhood. I'm convinced that if Tess actually saw the cricket she would not be so enamored of him. (This is the girl whose bloodcurdling screaming brought her father running in from outside one night to find that she had simply spotted a spider in the bathroom.) But from its invisible hideout, she only came to know the cricket by his beautiful music. There must be some sort of lesson there in looking beyond appearances, but it just seems silly to try to see something profound in this situation.

Ultimately, the cricket met his end. At least that's what we surmise by his silence. Beautiful, peaceful silence.

refuge

I'm not much for keeping up with the news. For the most part, it unnerves and/or irritates me. I generally let my husband track the news and fill me in on what's going on. Sometimes even his summary reports make me nervous. In an election year, the irritation/fear factor rises even higher.

Last evening my husband and I were having a discussion about the sorry financial state of the country, and I felt that familiar surge of dread well up inside. Sometimes it seems that things are so out of control that there is no hope for the future. I don't want to think about what that means for my children.

Here's the amazing part. Right in the middle of this conversation, Sydney came over and stood next to the table where we were talking. I asked her what she needed, and she responded that she had finished learning her memory verse for the week and wanted to recite it. I said OK, and here's what she said:

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea.
(Psalm 46:1-2)

I complimented her on her memory skill, but I was struck by the timing of that message right to the situation I was in. The nervousness went away. In my focus on the depth of humanity's problems I had forgotten the big picture. He's in control. I belong to Him. And even if the earth gives way around me, He's still there.

what's on my nightstand

Time to report on what we're currently reading and plan to read for the next month at 5 Minutes' for Books' "What's on my Nightstand" carnival.

I'm happy to report I actually read 2 out of the 3 books on my list for September.

The Consolations of Imperfection was an interesting read, although I found it depressing in some places. The premise was to take the different areas of life where we encounter imperfection and see how imperfection actually should draw us closer to God and strengthen our faith. While I liked the overall theme, the underlying message-- that we fight against our imperfections primarily due to an overwhelming fear of death--was a little heavy-handed for me. While I don't doubt that there is truth in the author's conclusions, I found the constant discussion of the fear of death, and the desperation of our attempts to convince ourselves that we can stave off death, and the inevitability of death despite our fears and flailings to prevent it -- just a tad on the morbid side. That probably means that I am in denial and need to acknowledge and face my own such fears. Anyway.

The best thing I took away from the book was a new appreciation for the value of each moment. The author penned a beautiful description of how we constantly race from one thing to the other, wishing the moment we're in away in order to exchange it for a future one, until finally there are no moments left and we haven't really savored any of them. That concept rang very true for me at this particular stage of my life, and I have made an effort to slow down and commit to whatever moment I'm in, whether it be sitting at ballet practice or listening to my daughter do her reading homework, or simply being at home with my family on a Saturday afternoon, in recognition of the fact that life passes so quickly.

The other book I read was The Mysterious Benedict Society, but because I read it on the recommendation of a post at 5M4B, I'm saving the review for the "I Read It!" carnival at on the last Tuesday of the month.

As for future goals, I just joined Katrina's Fall Reading Challenge at Callapidder Days, so my October reads will be some combination of books of off this list. I'll report on which ones I read in next month's Nightstand post.

Happy Fall, everyone. Click over to see what other people are reading.

blogging through Bible study: Week 2

This week's lesson was Exodus 2:1-10, which tells the story of Moses' birth and how his mother placed him in a watertight basket in the Nile to escape the king's death edict for all Hebrew boys. The king's daughter discovers the child and ends up hiring his own mother to be his nurse and basically to raise him for the first few years of his life.

There are a million profound lessons in this short passage, but the one that struck a chord with me this week was God's tender compassion for Jochebed, Moses' mother. As a mother, the prospect of placing a helpless infant in a little boat and setting him afloat is beyond comprehension. Faced with an impossible situation, Jochebed did all she knew to do to protect her child, but at some point she had to release him - knowing that there were countless potential dangers that she couldn't control. How tortured those minutes must have been after she released that little boat into the river.

Of course, God always has a plan. Moses is discovered, the Pharoah's daughter takes a liking to him, and his safety is pretty much guaranteed at that point. But the most amazing part of the story for me is not that God spared Moses. Of course, that would be enough. Faced with the prospect of losing her tiny son forever, I'm sure Jochebed would have been mightily relieved to learn that he had been taken in by the king's daughter. But God went a step further. In a tender showing of mercy to Jochebed, He gave her son back to her to nurture and raise during those important formative years. Even though her time with Moses was cut short, as he was likely taken to live in the palace around 4 years of age, I'm sure she treasured those years as a precious gift.

Of course this lesson makes me think about my own parenting skills. Even though my children are not under a death sentence, and I don't face the prospect of turning them over to the government at a set age, the time that they are under my roof and receptive to my teaching and example is still so short. How much time do I waste, or even resent when they bicker - and talk back - and need a million little things from me so that I can't get anything else done?

The other day Tess, who is 7, was following me around the house as I did some chore (probably laundry). Out of nowhere, she commented, "I want to be just like you as a mommy." I stopped a moment and considered this. "Why?" I asked. She answered as if I must be an idiot to have asked the question, "Because you're the best mommy there is!"

I don't consider myself a particularly good mother. I love my girls dearly, and I try really hard sometimes, but other times I'm too tired, or preoccupied, or simply just desperately in need of my own space. But apparently they love me anyway, and that inspires me. I want to be that mother -- the example my girls will look back on and try to follow when they have their own kids. I want to appreciate and cherish this moment in time, knowing that it is a precious gift to me from the heart of my Father.

Fall Reading List

It's the first day of fall, and it actually has been feeling fall-like for the past week. I love it! Thanks to Katrina at Callapidder Days for once again hosting the fall reading challenge. Here's my list, which includes some genres that are way outside my typical comfort zone, so we'll see how it goes...

Fiction:
The Host by Stephenie Meyer (not my usual type of read -- but I've seen too many good reviews to pass it up)
The Twilight Saga series by Stephenie Meyer - maybe
The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey (Trenton Lee Stewart)
The "Josey" Series by Susan May Warren (Everything's Coming Up Josey; Chill Out, Josey, and Get Cozy, Josey)
Wiser than Serpents by Susan May Warren
Jane Eyre (in progress - 5 Minutes for Books Classics Club selection for Sept)
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Betty Smith (Classics Club selection for Nov)
A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens (Classics Club selection for Dec)

Non-Fiction:
Moses (Great Lives series) by Charles Swindoll
Journaling as a Spiritual Practice, Helen Cepero
Spurgeon's Sermon Series

Kids:
Enchanted Thyme
The Penderwicks on Gardam Street
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane
Despereaux
The Landing -- maybe - I'll preview first
. . . and a big stack of American Girl historical books that they just received on loan from a friend. (My girls are asking for new AG dolls for Christmas, so my deal with them is that they have to read the books too!)

Click on over to Katrina's to see what everyone else plans to read this fall.

violin update

A quick update on Tess's violin lessons:

After three weeks of practicing the correct way to hold the violin and bow and working through a full page of finger exercises meant to strengthen and teach the proper position, I am proud to announce that this week Tess will be allowed to touch bow to string and actually make noise with the violin. She is so excited!

All kidding aside, I am happy with the pace of the lessons as well as the teacher's obvious dedication and commitment to excellence in the smallest details. This week when she told Tess she could actually play some notes on the violin, the teacher seemed as excited about it as her student. And Tess seems to respond well to the training and has, so far, mastered all the exercises and holds beautifully.

I am struck by the way Tess's patient response to the somewhat slow start of her violin experience highlights the differences between my children. Her older sister, Sydney, would have quit after she returned for her 2nd week and found she was still not going to be allowed to "play" the violin. Sydney's short experiment with piano lessons a few years back ended when she discovered she was actually going to have to practice in order to master the instrument, and the learning process was not going to be accomplished in a couple of weeks. She is a multi-talented child who is accustomed to quickly mastering whatever she tries, so the idea of consistently plugging away in order to achieve something is basically a foreign concept to her.

Tess, on the other hand, seemed happy just to learn to hold the violin and even took the instrument to school the first week to show the class how well she could hold it. It seems she has an innate sense of the value of the process. She appreciates small victories and is gratified by her own sense of accomplishment without the need for accolades from "the crowd." These are precious qualities that should serve her well if they extend into other areas of her life as she grows up. I'm sure Sydney would be shocked at the suggestion that she might actually learn a thing or two from her sister....

Now we begin the next phase, which will be the endless repetition of bow strokes to the beat of "Mississippi-Mud-Pie" on the E and A strings. Baby steps, I know. I'll consider this phase a success if I can keep Sydney from requesting ear plugs.

my kids' picks

5 Minutes for Books is hosting a discussion of kids' book picks today. I have 2 daughters, both of whom love to read. My feature for "Kid Picks" today is one recently read by my 7 year old, A Little Bit of Faith by Cindy Kenney. This is the first installment in a new kids' chapter book series by the Precious Moments brand and is meant to coincide with their upcoming launch of "The Precious Girls Club." The club is designed for young girls and includes access to an online "town" where they can choose a character, dress her, decorate her room, and move her around the community, playing games, etc. (Those of you with youngsters who have participated in the Webkinz craze are thinking this sounds very familiar.) The part that appeals to me is the Christian emphasis as well as the fact that moms have access to the site to reward the girls for "real life" good behavior with special bonuses and prizes they can use in the online world. Anyway, about the book ...

A Little Bit of Faith is a junior-level chapter book that tells the story of Katie, a little girl at a new school. She has the usual challenges of making friends and fitting in, but Katie has the special advantage of a guardian angel, "Faith," who helps her along. The story is very sweet, and it is punctuated every so often with beautiful color illustrations in the well-known Precious Moments style. The book was especially timely for Tess, who just started a new school this year and could really identify with the storyline. She finished it in a matter of days and now I'm waiting for them to come out with some more books in the series.

I would recommend this book for young elementary-age girls, maybe up through 4th grade depending on their reading abilities. My 5th grader would consider this book too babyish for her taste, but Tess, who is in 2nd grade, loved it. The story is sweet with a good moral and appears to stand alone without the online component (after reading it, Tess still had no idea you could go to a website and bring the characters to life).

My 5th grader's pick for this month would unquestionably be The Mysterious Benedict Society, but I'm saving that review for the last Tuesday of the month, when 5 Minutes for Books hosts "I Read It!" Stay tuned...

blogging through the Bible: Week 1

I'm trying a new discipline this year in connection with my Bible study lessons. This year our theme is the Life of Moses, and between now and the end of May we will study the books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. In the past, I have found that many of the valuable lessons I learn each week tend to get lost by the end of the year due to the large amount of information I accumulate through the course of the study. So, it is my goal this year to keep a journal of one or two truths that were most meaningful to me for each week of the study. As an extension of that project, I thought I'd try to record one or two thoughts each week here as well.

Moses: Week 1
This week we looked at Exodus 1 as well as some of the preceding history with regard to God's promises to Abraham regarding his covenant with Israel. The theme of the week, at least for me, was God's reliability. He told Abraham - who was childless and old at the time - -that his descendants would number as the stars and be a great nation; that they would be enslaved in a foreign country and mistreated for 400 years, but that they would return to their own land in the 4th generation with great possessions.

Exodus 1 sees the fulfillment of part of that promise. The Israelites are indeed numerous and living in a foreign country (Egypt) due to a previous famine. A new pharoah becomes paranoid that they will try to overthrow Egyptian rule because there are so many of them. The pharaoh's solution is to enslave them and treat them harshly. In order to control their numbers, he orders the death of all newborn Hebrew boys.

Our group took a few moments to ponder the hopelessness and despair the Hebrews living at that time must have felt. Even if they trusted God's promise of their ultimate deliverance, their day-to-day life experiences must have been nearly unbearable. How true that can be of us, as well. Sometimes circumstances can seem so oppressive that we are unable to see beyond the present. But God is not constrained by time. He sees the "big picture." And He is unchanging. Just like then, He offer us hope for the future. And we know He always makes good on His Word.

This week's lesson caused me to pause for a moment and see that my world and the events of my life are very small. Yet I have a big tendency to focus in on little irritations, sometimes allowing them to make me feel as if certain situations are unbearable. I need to redirect my focus from myself and my circumstances and lean on God, who is in control of every detail and knows how it all works out. And who has promised me the security of eternity, regardless of anything I face in this life.

21

Today is our 21st wedding anniversary. In some ways, it seems impossible that 21 years have passed so quickly. In other ways, the number is irrelevant because the experience has consumed the majority of my lifetime (but in a good way!). The vast majority of my memories include my husband. In so many ways, we have grown up together.

The truth of this hit home with me a few weeks ago, when my husband got out some old home movies from our early married years. I watched those videos with an "old married" eye, seeing us in a way that only a pretty big space of time and distance from the actual events can allow. We were young. I don't mean that as a lament at the aging process. I still consider myself young now. No, I mean "young" as in inexperienced, naive, innocent babies that shouldn't be allowed to cross the street without their parents. Watching us in those movies, I understand for the first time the trepidation my parents must have felt when we got married, and I feel a foreshadowing of dread for the day -- which will come all too soon, I know -- when my own young girls will take that step.

How fascinating to see ourselves back across the years. How unsure of our place in the world we were -- but we didn't realize it. We always plodded ahead just like we knew what we were doing. Some of the things we tried succeeded, and others turned out badly but made for valuable lessons.

It was actually a little unsettling for me to see my husband in retrospect. To see that he was young, too, and unsteadily trying to do the best he could to become the man he somehow envisioned he should be. He was a kid, just like I was, but I never thought of him that way. He has always been a hero to me; the person who always knows what to do, how to make whatever is wrong turn out all right. Whenever I don't know the answer to something, he is always the one I absolutely know will be able to turn it around, see it in a different way, and make sense out of it.

So what's the best part of marriage after 21 years? The friendship. We have always been best friends. No one else "gets it" quite as easily or in the same way. We never really run out of things to say. In fact, I think part of the reason we were married 10 years before we had our kids was that we simply enjoyed being together. The kids have been a great blessing, of course, but they also present a challenge, an encroachment on that easy togetherness that we became so accustomed to in those first 10 years. The fact that I sometimes miss that era encourages me that we will still like each other after the kids are grown and gone.

So it doesn't seem like 21 years later, but I'm glad it is. I'm glad for everything we've done and learned and experienced together. And I'm overwhelmed with gratitude for these precious 21 years and hopeful and excited to see what the next 21 bring.

Happy anniversary, K. I love you.

old friends are best . . .

Yesterday the girls returned to ballet class for the fall. Since starting their new school a month ago, they've been somewhat desperate for contact with their old friends. This day provided just the opportunity, and they were eagerly looking forward to it. My friend picked them up from school and I left work early to meet them at dance class near the end of the session. It felt like home, even to me, to see the familiar faces of all the kids we've been separated from all summer. And the room was a virtual wealth of mom-faces familiar to me as well, such that I didn't even get the chance to visit with everyone.

It encouraged me to see my girls and their friends so happy to be together. At the same time, of course, it causes me to wonder whether the new school was such a great idea -- especially for Sydney, who at age 10 has been having a little trouble breaking into the firmly-established social structure of the 5th grade as an outsider. So, while the jury's still out on that decision, it is good to know that they have the security of their familiar extra-curricular routines and friendships to fall back on. And, if nothing else, maybe the break in the same-old, same-old has given them a new appreciation for the friends they've had forever.

As for me, I have long struggled with making friends and feeling accepted. So I won't lie - - to walk into that dance studio and be instantly welcomed and sought after by more than one person warmed my heart too.

the magic of puff

I am a sucker for a beautiful children's picture book. So when I occasioned upon this delightfully illustrated storybook version of the classic song, Puff the Magic Dragon, I knew it was meant to be. I bought 2 copies -- one for my girls (and me!) and one to put away for my one-and-only nephew for Christmas. The book includes a CD by Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul & Mary fame and features a lovely duet of Puff by Yarrow and his own daughter. The text of the book follows the words on the CD exactly, making it an entertaining sing-along for the kids. The CD includes a couple of other fun tunes, like Froggy Went A-Courtin', as well as an instrumental version of Puff.

The magic of this dragon, however, is in the illustrations. The soft, friendly hues used by illustrator Eric Puybaret to depict Puff and Jackie's adventures in Honalee are irresistible. Most of all, the expressive quality given to the dragon in particular is heartbreaking. Puff's sad droop when Jackie leaves him brought both my girls to tears, but his unabashed joy at making a new friend at the book's close is priceless. Tess asked me to make a photocopy of this page so she could cut out the happy dragon and keep him in her room.

Special features include lovely narratives from the authors, Yarrow and Lenny Lipton, reflecting on the meaning of the story and the impact it has had on generations of children in our culture.

On a personal note, Puff holds a special place in my heart from my own childhood. I remember my uncle playing the song for me on his guitar when I was a very little girl. It is a special thing to be able to pass it along to my own little girls and to see that they love it as much as I did.

To see more Children's Classics recommendations, visit 5 Minutes for Books today.

junior virtuoso

Tess had her first violin lesson this week. She is extremely proud of her new violin. Even though the first lesson did not result in a single sweep of the bow across the strings (her teacher says, "This week, it's all about posture!") she still insisted on hauling the instrument to school on Friday to show off the correct way to hold it.

Now, I am not idealistic enough to actually believe that she is headed to Carnegie Hall. Both of my girls have tried and discarded enough activities over the years that I readily realize at the outset that this, too, may go by the wayside. But I am encouraged by the fact that this was her own idea, and one that she insisted on despite my gentle and not-so-gentle attempts to steer her in the direction of piano lessons, which are less expensive and probably generally a little easier.

The violin teacher seems to think she has a good propensity for learning the instrument, or I should say at this point for handling the instrument, as she was very complimentary of Tess' stance and ability to correctly hold the violin and bow correctly. And this particular teacher actually has had students go on to play at Carnegie Hall, so it's not outside the realm of possibility. I really like her attitude too, as she told Tess from the outset that violin is not the easiest instrument to learn, but how well she does with it and how far she goes is entirely up to her.

I like that part, about it being up to the student. Of course it is up to me as the parent to encourage and remind about practice and to praise the smallest effort and advancement. But as a former conscripted piano student who suffered 6 long years of lessons without one iota of interest in actually practicing on my own time (and to this day can barely find middle C on a keyboard), I am sensitive to the boundary where parental wishes overtake child preferences in such matters. Therefore, I let Sydney quit piano lessons after 6 months, when it just didn't appear to be her "thing." (And when the violin teacher quizzed my drop-out pianist about her ability to play an instrument, Sydney's proud response was, "I'm not an instrument-playing sort of person." Naturally, she fashions herself more the lead-singer type. :-)

And so we begin this new musical phase to see where it leads. I think I understand better now the drive my parents had to force those lessons on all us kids. And to their credit, they did succeed in producing one musical child -- my brother is a music and band teacher. It is enticing to think of your child as a renowned concert musician. But my own experiences have also taught me that sometimes the lesson that "it's all up to you" (i.e. taking responsibility for your own actions and the results) is more important than how far you actually go with an instrument, or a hobby, or even a career. And just because you fail or lose interest in one thing doesn't mean you won't be a fabulous success at something else.

So I wish Tess all the best in her musical journey. And I will be as supportive as I can of her efforts. And who knows? Maybe one day I'll be in the front row at Carnegie Hall, pointing and shouting, "That's MY kid!"

down time

The long weekend found my youngest and me both sick in bed for 2 out of the 3 days. Actually, my troubles began on Thursday and turned out to be caused by a recurrent ear infection with trapped fluid that resulted in an extremely painful and stiff neck. Tess came home from school Friday with a sore throat and fever. (Thankfully, it wasn't strep throat!) So, the two of us spent a pretty lazy weekend around the house.

I don't get sick that often, at least not sick enough to completely let go of my various responsibilities. When I do, I am usually amazed at how unimportant everything I usually stress about accomplishing becomes. That was true this weekend. It was frustrating to be basically confined (as once I found a workable position for my head and neck there was no chance I was moving until absolutely necessary), but it was also freeing to realize there was no point in feeling guilty about the things I couldn't do. And so Tess and I spent a nice afternoon on Friday resting in my bedroom together. We talked, and slept, and watched some TV, and the world whirled on around us, but it didn't matter.

Slowly, day by day, we recovered. I spent Saturday and Sunday working on some projects around the house that I hadn't had time to get to before. By Monday Tess felt fine and I felt well enough to take Sydney on a short shopping trip to make up for her "boring" weekend. We barbecued hot dogs and hamburgers and watched home movies in our own little Labor Day celebration.

So life resumes its normal, crazy pace. But I would like to think I learned a lesson this weekend. Actually, I think I learned more than one. I was reminded that good health is truly a fragile gift that those who possess it rarely appreciate. But I also learned that there are blessings in every circumstance, and sometimes we need to be knocked down so we can learn to see things in a new way.