What we're reading...

The boys and I just finished the audio version of this book:

The Fast and the Furriest by Andy Behrens

It was a great book, fun ride and huge character development and change.  

There were true laugh out loud parts, and parts we still quote

"Seriously, Cromwell, gross."

Very fun read.

(There is one curse word, used late in the book about someone being Bad-***)

Lots of fun. We listened to the audio version, which was very well done.

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We are now on night 75 of our consectuive nights read-aloud promise and finished 

Lemony Snicket's Who Could That Be At This Hour.

Weird little book, but good story line.  Lots of loose ends, but there is another coming out.

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And we just finished Jack Blank and the Imagine Nation.

It was a long, thick book, but the boys loved it.  I think it was probably written to a little younger audience, but even my 14 and 15 year old enjoyed it.

Story full of superheros who live in the Imagine Nation and the an orphan boy who finds out he is part of the nation too.  Part Harry Potter, part Comic Book, and a great adventure.

I think we'll listen to the other books (four in the series) on CD though, because it took all the 

library renewals allowed to read aloud through it.

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I'm still working through 

Give Them Grace

Though there are parts I roll my eyes at (the long, long talks in the heat of the moment), so much of the information is eye opening and really helping me see that it's not about the boys' outward behavior, but inward heart, and who is ultimately responsible for that change (not me, not them, but God).  Good stuff, but thick reading and a lot to digest.

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For my biography reading, I'm currently enjoying this huge book on Walt Disney

I picked it up on our vacation in Disneyland and have enjoyed it so far, but am only up to where is is about 18, and there's the WHOLE book left to go.  Great so far though. I really long for that small town life that he had growing up, though not ideal, I can see how he formed such a love for art and hard working personality.

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For Bible Study, I'm working through Crazy Love by Francis Chan

That link is to the workbook I'm going through with a friend.  It adds a whole new level to the book, but the book is great on its own too.

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I'm not sure what is next on our read aloud list (we had to put aside Kidnapped by Robert Lewis Stevenson because it was just too hard to read through aloud... I was tongue tied, the boys were disinterested.  Maybe we'll re-visit it later.)  We have this book, so maybe we'll try it. Next year in school the boys will be reading The Iliad, so having a different version may help them understand it a bit more when they're in the thick of it.

That's it for now.  If you know of any great read-alouds, let me know!

Thanks!

Our Reading Promise

I was wandering in the library a few weeks ago in the 1's section of the Dewey decimal system and stumbled across a book about books (LOVE) and picked it up to glance through.  It is called The Reading Promise by Alice Ozma.  

I'm only about halfway through it, but it inspired me.

And I told my boys and it inspired them.

The story is about a father and his daughter and about the promise they made to have the father read aloud to his daughter EVERY evening for at least 10 min without missing an evening.

Overwhelming to think about...

but they did it.

And then they continued on... eventually reading every evening, without fail for over 3,000 evenings!

Impressive... and, I thought, impossible in our crazy busy lives.

But, the boys wanted to try it... and deep inside, I wanted to try it too.

So we set a goal to read together for 101 consecutive nights 

("Because, mom, we have to do MORE than they did or it wouldn't be worth it.").

Big. 

 Crazy. 

 Audacious.

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Currently we are almost finished with this weird little book... by the author of
The Series of Unfortunate Events books, which we all enjoyed (and it has a great character to do a semi-angry British sounding accent for, a fun diversion for me).

And last night was night fourteen.

And last night was probably the hardest night.

Harder than the nights we get home from our crazy busy Wednesday nights of AWANA and we are so tired we want to just collapse into bed... but we read.

Harder than the nights I forget we're doing this and I'm all cozy in my bed, with my book, and my son reminds me of the goal, and I set aside my book to read for ten minutes with them when I really just want peace and quiet, but we read.

Last night was harder, because right before I stepped into the shower, one of my sons accidentally (but thoughtlessly and carelessly) broke the ceiling fan/light fixture in the living room.

And Mr. Measure is gone for the week.

And we don't have money to replace it.

And I WAS MAD.

And I YELLED because 

WE. 

HAD. 

JUST. 

TALKED.

ABOUT. 

NOT. 

THROWING. 

THINGS. 

INSIDE. 

THE. 

HOUSE!

I sent him to his room and spent my shower time in prayer and tears and anger.

And knew there was NO WAY I could go read to the three of them tonight with all this emotion and anger.

I prayed for God to change me, because it is definitely not within myself to do it.

And He reminded me that 

the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God.

And I want righteousness for me, and for my boys, more than anything...

and He calmed me.

And He reminded me of another mom who promised to quote verses in the present tense when she is angered and frustrated.

And He was faithful, yet again, to this sinful, easily angered, just-leave-me-alone mom.

And because of His unending grace, and His example,

 I was able to call my wild, angry-tearful boy into my room, 

calm my voice,

lower my eyebrows,

hold my pointing finger in check,

and tell him I was wrong.

My anger does not teach him, or help him figure out what he is going to do about the light.

And could he forgive me?

And he said yes.

And he was sorry.

This full of life, active, testosterone filled man-boy forgave his sin filled mother.

And we we able to complete night 14 of our 101 nights, 

all because of the wild, unrestrained grace of a God who unconditionally loves His daughter.