We are just in super whirlwind mode with 60th birthdays, holidays, hen dos and weddings at the moment!
But however busy things get, there is one time of the day which I know will be calm and quiet and a haven from the action, and that is our read aloud time. Honestly, for us girls, I think its one of our favourite times of the day, and I have LOVED, literally loved watching my girlies play out all this lovely literature in their play. Last months book, The Railway Children, has featured in so much of their imaginative play and its been lovely to see. Of course, their trip on a real, live steam train last weekend only added to the fun!
And now we've started a new book adventure...
One For Them:
The Magic Faraway Tree
Enid Blyton
This month we've been loving the wonders of Enid Blyton's "The Magic Faraway Tree" (Our German copy: Der Wunderweltenbaum) and every night, as the girls snuggle down under their duvets, wide-eyed with anticipation, and as I've settled myself into the little armchair, cup of tea in hand (thank you David!), we've all been loving the adventures of Silky, Moonface, The Saucepan Man, and the four children - Jo, Fanny, Bessie and Dick. Each day, the children climb the Magic Faraway Tree to discover a new land in the clouds - so far we've enjoyed exploring the Land of Topsy Turvy, The Land of Dreams, The Land of Do-As-You-Please and the Land of Toys amongst others... and each night the girls are excited to find out where we'll be "going" next! As usual, the reading time is punctuated by questions... "what would you do in the land of Do-As-You-Please Mama?", "How are they going to rescue Saucepan Man?", and I'm learning that these questions are good explorations of the stories, rather than unwelcome interruptions (I'm always learning!) I never read this book as a child, so its been fun to read it for the first time with the children, and they have been loving it!
The illustrations are particularly cute in our copy too, and perfectly spaced out with one illustration per chapter... its the first thing the girls say when I close a chapter; "Can we see the picture now Mama?!"
One For Me:
Simplicity Parenting
Kim John Payne
I have been tackling the epic "Simplicity Parenting" and highlighting and underlining like there's no tomorrow. This book speaks into our busy culture and challenges us to slow down the pace and simplify for the sake of our children. It's an interesting mix of psychology, case studies and common sense, and considering the topic, is surprisingly readable...
I have really enjoyed this book so far (I haven't yet finished, so can't give a full review), so I'm going to let it speak for itself...
Some favourite quotes...
"To have moments of calm - creative or restful - is a form of deep sustenance for human beings of all ages. Relationships are often built in these pauses, in the incidental moments, when nothing much is going on."
"We're all living too big lives, crammed from top to toe with activities, urgencies, and obligations that seem absolute. There's no time to take a breath, no time to look for the source of the problem" (quoted from Sarah Susanka, "The Not So Big Life"
"Little ones "graze" on our emotions. They feed on the tone we set, the emotional climate we create"
"Time in nature calms and focuses; for most children, it takes only a few minutes for them to begin to explore. Watch as they seek out places that feel particularly right to them, as they gather symbolic objects - leaves, sticks, bits of moss - that they discover. You can't manipulate nature, it must be delved into; its a vibrant but neutral canvas onto which a child can pour their creativity"
Good, isn't it?!
Don't forget you can link up your book-love this month in the linky below! Carie, Katie and myself will be doing the rounds!
Oh you have two of my absolute favourites this month - I loved the Magic Faraway Tree when I was little, especially the chapter where Is it Moonface who comes home with the children for a bit and runs around trying to catch sparrows by putting salt on their tails! And then Simplicity Parenting - oh I think I could quite easily highlight the whole book - it just seems to make so much common sense, and some of the things we've tried out in our family have worked really well for us :)
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