{14} Picture Books About New York City

There are a few times of year that especially make me think of New York.  One is early April, when we were on our second trip and got the call about Luke.  The second time of year is mid-May, when we've made two trips with mostly lovely weather although got hit with rain both times (not the whole trip).  The next time of year is mid-September because September 11th memories are still fairly strong even though I was hundreds of miles from NYC on that day, it was a very heavy presence on the news for many weeks.  And finally mid-late October which is when we made our first trip which was one of the most perfectly executed trips we've ever taken (literally nothing went wrong and it was very smooth).  

Of course, I have read a decent number of NYC set picture books to my boys.  Partially because of the sheer volume of books we read, some are bound to slip in.  But, also, both boys have been there (that at least Luke remembers) and it's fun for them (and me!) to learn more about the city and some of it's famous landmarks.  I've said it so many times but I have learned SO MUCH from reading picture books.  Never underestimate what you can learn from some pretty pictures and well chosen words.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, links for which are included within this post, at no additional cost to you.  Thanks for helping support this blog!   Of course, utilize the library or shop used or from an independent bookstore, if you prefer! 

Saved by the Boats: The Heroic Sea Evacuation of September 11 by Julie Gassman, illustrated by Steve Moors
I had read about this before I read the picture book but I loved the kid version of this too - that the largest water evacuation happened in Manhattan on September 11th.  Massive numbers of boats helped get people off the island to somewhere (anywhere) safer.  Miraculous and incredible.

The Man Who Walked Between the Towers by Mordicai Gerstein
This is a the story of a man, Philippe Petit, who tight roped between the Twin Towers, before they were officially done, in the 1970s.  He wasn't supposed to do this and it caused a sensation at the time.  When he was arrested the judge gave him the sentence to perform in the park for children.  This is a great read that briefly mentions the Towers no longer existing.

This Very Tree: A Story of 9/11, Resilience, and Regrowth by Sean Rubin
This is about a pear tree that stood between the Towers and, miraculously, survived the towers collapsing.  It was moved to the Bronx while Ground Zero was cleared out and later moved back to the Memorial (I am fairly certain we saw this tree, I think I found a picture of it from one of our trips).  A story of survival and growth. 

Lost in the Library and Where is Our Library by Josh Funk, illustrated by Stevie Lewis
These are two books about the lions that guard the 5th Avenue branch of the New York Public Library, Patience and Fortitude (so named during the Depression or a World War).  In one book they get lost inside the library (where we've never been but have seen the lions out front) and the other they get lost around Manhattan (stopping many places we have been) looking for their library when part of the collection was moved.  These are fun and made me want to actually go in that 5th Avenue Library.

My Little Golden Books About The Statue of Liberty by Jen Arena, illustrated by Viviana Garofoli
Normally I wouldn't include a Little Golden Book but this holds a bit of a special place because I bought it for the boys when we were at The Strand in New York, a few hours after we had visited the Statue of Liberty with them.  Then I didn't read it to them until we were at the lake a week later.  It's a good, kid size version of how we got to have the famous Lady Liberty!

Liberty Arrives: How America's  Grandest Statue Found Her Home by Robert Byrd
This is a longer picture book with more details about how we (America) got the Statue and all the work it took to make her and get her here.  

Wilbur Wright Meets Lady Liberty by Robert Burleigh, illustrated by Wendell Minor
I find the story of the Statue of Liberty fascinating and also a bit the story of the Wright Brothers, after visiting Kills Devil Hill (twice) where they made the first flight and going to school in Dayton, Ohio, where they were from.  Only a few years after the Wrights flew for the first time, Wilbur brought a plane to NYC for a demonstration and flew around the Statue of Liberty.  Two icons meeting.

Emma's Poem: The Voice of the Statue of Liberty by Linda Glaser, illustrated by Claire Nivola
France was giving us the Statue of Liberty but they weren't giving us the pedestal - that was a problem for the Americans.  It took a lot of people to pitch in and raise money for that pedestal and one such contributing person was Emma Lazarus, a poet who was inspired by the Eastern European immigrants.  She wrote the famous words: Give me you tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free..."  Which are now on a plaque at the Statue (I've seen them).  A young woman making history at a time when not many did.

Watch the Stars Come Out by Riki Levinson, illustrated by Diane Goode
This book is ingrained in my mind as the book on the Statue of Liberty episode of Reading Rainbow.  (And episode my sister found on VHS for me after our first visit to NYC).  The story of immigrants making the trip across the ocean and seeing the Statue for the first time.

Up in the Leaves: The True Story of the Central Park Treehouses by Shira Boss, illustrated by Jamey Christoph
This is the true story of a boy who built treehouses in the trees in Central Park.  The park rangers kept finding them and taking them down even though he evaded capture for quite awhile.  There are a lot of trees in Central Park and it's fun to think about being up in them!

A Green Place to Be: The Creation of Central Park by Ashley Benham Yazdani, illustrated by John Pruden
When we were trying to convince my parents (really my Mom, my Dad was always on board) that they should go to New York with us, there were two big selling points.  1) Seeing the Statue of Liberty and hopefully getting to go in the crown (we did).  2) Central Park.  We didn't get as much time in Central Park as I would have liked (never enough time!) but my parents DID like it.  The design and creation of the park is SO fascinating to me and it's incredible to see any of it in person.  It's a marvel.

When Jackie Saved Grand Central: The True Story of Jacqueline Kennedy's Fight for an American Icon by Natasha Wing, illustrated by Alexandra Boiger
We take the Amtrak to New York, getting off at Penn Station which is a giant station almost entirely underground.  I've seen pictures of it before and it was incredible before it was razed.  That makes the fact that Grand Central was saved all the more impressive because it was also almost razed until Jackie Kennedy stepped in to help. 

Balloons over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy's Parade by Melissa Sweet
We love the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, watch it every year, and I love reading this story of the man who came up with the big balloons the parade is famous for.  We read it ever November!

Have you read any good picture books set around NYC?  We especially love reading how icons of the city came to be.  Are you also impressed that I accidentally got a picture from each of our 4 trips into that graphic??  I am rather proud of that.

Things I Like - August 2021

I always enjoy hearing what works for other people and I like sharing things I like, it's part of the reason I have a blog.  I've been doing these monthly posts for 9 years and they also provide a nice little snapshot in my life at a moment in time! See more here!

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1) Lego fish tank set
Matt sent me a link to this on pre-order sometime in the early summer.  I kept that link open in my phone's browser for TWO MONTHS because I really liked it and who doesn't appreciate a good Lego set??  I even sent it to him as a potential birthday idea for me even though it wasn't released until after my birthday.  At which point Matt hadn't gifted it to me (he gave me a different Lego set) and I ordered it myself.  I justified this by making it an "end of summer" activity for Luke and I, we worked on it over the last 3 days before school started and it was SO MUCH FUN to do a set together with him.  Plus, it is about the cutest Lego set I have ever seen.  He gets a fish tank, we got some bonding time, and I don't have any stinky fish smell.  WIN ALL AROUND.

2) Senita Sports Bras
Here's the thing, I am currently running about 4 days a week.  Until a month ago I only had one sports bra for running and I only do laundry once a week.  You can smell the problem there.  I finally bought myself two new sports bras and it was life changing.  I still usually wear them each twice between washes but it is a HUGE improvement over my 4ish times.  Also the ones I got are very cute and it's exciting to have something new (and needed) to help me stay motivated to run!  I got a Strappy Sports Bra and Cross Paths Sports Bra.  I was worried about getting tangled in the straps of the strappy one but so far, so good.  

3) Flow Camping Puzzle
Speaking of cute, isn't this puzzle ADORABLE??  This was a birthday gift from my parents (maybe heavily suggested after I put it on Elfster which I know my Mom checks for birthday gifts).  We did a bit of camping this summer, which brought back SO MANY MEMORIES of my childhood camping trips, and it will be lovely to be reminded of all of that once it's cold and I have more time for puzzles (in the summer I run, in the winter I do puzzles).  The picture is just so charming and sweet.

4) Target rope coil baskets
Shockingly, Matt found these and suggested I buy some, which, for some reason, I did even though I didn't have a designated spot or need for them. (Who even am I and what is going on??).  We were surprised by the quality (good surprised) and are convinced that they really could be uncoiled into a long piece of rope (we haven't tried this).  One ended up in the boys' room to hold their matching Lemur blankets (not in use this time of year).  One became our library return basket since my old one was broken and never big enough (we've overflowed this one too), and the last replaces a metal basket that was scratching our wood floors and holding board books.  My impulse shopping worked out for once!

5) Ask Father Josh podcast
This is a relatively new find but I really appreciated and enjoyed it lately.  Fr. Josh is a Catholic priest who answers questions that people send in about faith.  He makes it very clear that he is no expert and he prays and discerns and gives the best answer he can.  He's a little goofy (he broke into singing the Wild Thornberries theme song a few weeks back) but that makes it light hearted, especially when dealing with trickier topics.  He gives me a lot to think about and consider and sometimes a laugh too. 

Those are some things I've been enjoying lately!  I'd love to hear what you've been enjoying too!

{10} Fantastic Book Covers

There is something so exciting about picking up a book with a good cover.  I absolutely judge books by their covers before I even crack open a page.  Then the actual content will usually determine how I feel about the book by the end but a good cover can influence my overall rating a bit.  Sometimes it's the color or the actual picture or just a tiny detail but a good cover makes me excited to open the book.  Here's 10 I really like from books I've read thus far this year:

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, links for which are included within this post, at no additional cost to you.  Thanks for helping support this blog!   Of course, utilize the library or shop used or from an independent bookstore, if you prefer!  

1) People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
This one is absolutely color influenced for me - I love a good peach-y orange.  The spine is a green that looks so nice with Beach Read on my bookshelf.  

2) Starfish by Lisa Fipps
I LOVE the reflection of water in real life and it's great on a book cover too.  Also, I have a strong tendency to like things more when they are blue.  Like this cover.

3) New Girl in Little Cove by Damhnait Monaghan
Watercolor almost always works for me on a cover, this picture is just so lovely and soothing.  Also, do I need a striped top and blue skirt?  Do I???

4) The Layover by Lacie Waldon
The bright colors and very tropic setting are just great.  I like the subtle gradient in the water/sky too.  

5) Kisses and Croissants by Anne-Sophie Jouhanneau
I wasn't sure if this would make my list until I noticed the Eiffel Tower shadow from the scooter - a detail I didn't notice when I read the book.  Also, the pink is just fun on the shelf.

6) Come Fly the World: The Jet-Age Story of the Women of Pan-Am by Julia Cooke
I wanted to read this book because I enjoyed the short lived PanAm tv show.  The cover definitely gave those vibes, much less so the book content.

7) Float Plan by Trish Doller
Yellow is not my favorite color but it is eye catching against the blue and the waves are fantastic.  

8) Good Company by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney
This cover has 3 of my favorite colors (blue, green, pink) and the paper flowers are just beautiful.  I would like to buy some of those in real life please.

9) Bookshop by the Sea by Denise Hunter
In the words of Liz Lemon "I would like to go to there.".  A beach with a bookshop?  Yes, please.

10) Anne of Manhattan by Brina Starler
Anne's hair really stands out against the green which I just realize could be references Green Gables even though that doesn't have a huge presence in the book.  

Those are 10 covers that caught my eye when scrolling through my Goodreads (a few of which I remembered as great).  Have any covers caught your eye lately?

Getting Off My Phone

Spending less time on my phone has been a near constant struggle since I got my first iPhone nearly 10 years ago.  There is just something so tempting about the entire's world knowledge at my near fingertips, even if I am mostly tempted by social media and nearly anything that lets me stall doing what I really should be doing.

This is not a new problem for me and one I have conquered better at some points in my life than others.  I've written about it many (many) times in the past before too:

Limiting the Social Media (Sept. 2015)
{7} Ways to Spend Less Time on Your Phone (Feb. 2017)
How an(other) app got me to spend less time on my phone (Feb. 2018)
Cutting my Social Media Time (Feb. 2019)
Why I Take Social Media Breaks (Feb. 2020)

(I DON'T KNOW WHAT IT IS WITH ME AND FEBRUARY AND THESE POSTS.)

I feel like I am doing well at staying off my phone.  Then something happens (say...a global pandemic that feels like it will never end) and all bets and rules and progress I've made it out the window. (At this point, I don't think I can use COVID as an excuse, it's been around for awhile and we've adjusted to whatever the heck life is like when this posts.)

The Moment app was really good for me for a few years.   I spent a few years screen shoting my time breakdown from the day before and then having the app take off time spent on certain apps (Home & Lock screen, Kindle or other reading apps, the library app because that can be a big chunk of time on library days.)  Then they changed their format sometime since the pandemic started and instead started giving you points for staying off your phone for at least 30 minutes.  It added up your time at the end of the day and it was really rewarding to see many many hours where I was away from my phone for at least 30 minutes.  The app change was an adjustment but once I got used to it it was good for me.

Then there was an update to the app where it was SUCKING my battery, like my phone that was barely a year old would be dead by noon.  It was killing it and super annoying to always be charging.  So I sadly had to get rid of the app before it made my battery worthless.  

That caused me to pivot to the Forest App. 

The Forest App works a lot like the Moment app did after the update.  You get credit for being off your phone a certain amount of time.  You set a timer in the app for at least 10 minutes and then I have mine to keep counting even after the set time is up.  If you exit the app before the timer is up then you kill a tree in your fake forest.

I know, killing a digital tree shouldn't be motivation.  EXCEPT THAT IT IS.

In the Moment App even turning on the lock screen to skip ads in a playing podcast would trigger the app and I'd lose progress on my downtime counter.  I got used to covering the front facing camera with one hand while I skipped the ads with the other since if the phone didn't unlock it didn't mess with the app.  (I still find myself doing this sometimes.)

The Forest App doesn't have this problem and sometimes I can get away with using the camera, timer/alarm, or calculator without my tree dying.  When I do kill a tree it's usually for using the camera.

There are many times a day I nearly always start growing a tree.  While I do my morning workout.  When doing to Mass (that is a bit of a cheat because other than the two times Luke did a reading/petitions at school Mass, I don't pull my phone out during Mass anyways).  When I come out of the bathroom on school mornings post-shower generally until after Luke is dropped off (unless I need to check the weather (which has been MANY mornings this school year with many surprise rain storms coming right when I want to be walking to school.)).  When reading.  After school while trying to get through the snack and homework slog.  At work (easier there since I have a Mac and get all my texts on my computer screen anyways).

There are many situations for which I have standard times and plants already set and I just pick from my favorites.  Most of mine start at 20 minutes and then will keep counting after I've gone over that, up to two hours total (I frequently hit that 2 hour max on our vacations, when I'd leave my phone to go to the beach).  I find 20 minutes is a good starting time because I can generally ignore any text message for 20 minutes without it being a big deal.  Only occasionally (generally from Matt at work) does someone require a quicker answer.  It's very helpful that I can unlock my phone and see how much time is left before I kill a tree for quitting.  I know I can do something else for 90 seconds or whatever and then have my phone unlocked, no dead digital trees on my conscience.

And this isn't to say that I still don't spend time on my phone.  I most certainly do and still more than I'd like.  But having dead digital trees hanging over me helps me focus when I really would like to focus.  That bit of time I get with the boys in the morning before school.  The craziness of after school when I'd really like to escape from dealing with messes and homework and whiny kids who maybe should have taken a nap when one was offered.  Sometimes I just need something to remind me to NOT PICK UP THE PHONE.

It's amazing the number of times I am sorely tempted to pick-up my phone to get that quick dopamine hit or just as a break from dealing with whatever I should be dealing with and then see my phone is locked, put it back down, and get on with what I should be doing.  Focusing can be HARD and this really has helped me take bigger chunks away from my phone while also keeping it close in case of an emergency (i.e. a quarantine phone call from school).  

The app cost maybe $3 and I don't use the sounds or anything else that came with it, just my digital trees and the others I have bought with the coins earned from leaving my phone alone.  And I use the screen time function that came with my iPhone even though I'm 90% sure it's double counting some time (it will double up some Safari time, count it as both Safari time and as particular websites).  And I use that to enact some limits on Instagram and the nighttime settings that disable certain apps between certain hours.

This all sounds rather silly but I've found that I do well with external motivation and accountability. This works and I will take a rather silly but helpful win. 

Have YOU tried the Forest App?  Do you have other ingenious solutions to help you stay off your phone?  Because I clearly don't have it figured out and am always looking for solutions!

Quick Lit - August 2021

Let's start with the obvious, I got in a lot of reading this month.  That is in large part thanks to our week in Alabama at the end of the month where I finished 3 books myself, 2 with Luke, and started 2 more.  Plus, somehow July was just a good reading month.  I guess I was reading the right mix of books to keep me engaged and eager to see what was going to happen next!

I'm very active updating my books on Goodreads here, post more about picture books than adult books on Instagram here, and linking up with Modern Mrs. Darcy!

First: 3 other book posts in the past month and they were all picture book posts.  We have been reading a lot of picture books this summer!

{12} Picture Books for Back to School

{10} Picture Books about Bees

 

 {30} Picture Books to Wrap up Summer

Now everything else I've been reading! 

In the Heights: Finding Home by Lin-Manual Miranda, Quiara Alegria Hudes, and Jeremy McCarter
This was part of my In the Heights deep dive since I really enjoyed the movie even though this focused mostly on the Broadway musical portion.  It was interesting reading about it's long journey to the stage and then the screen and seeing the correct lyrics to many of the songs (especially the Spanish parts...I've been mangling those).  If you enjoyed the movie then this might be of interest to you too. 3.5 Stars

The Forest of Vanishing Stars by Kristin Harmel
I've read nearly all of Kristin Harmel's books, starting with her earlier "chick lit" books (I own a few of them!) before she transitioned into mostly World War II historical fiction.  This one was based on a real woman who helped Jewish people hide in the woods for a large portion of that war.  I think I wouldn't survive a night in the conditions described in the book but then also, if my whole life was on the line maybe I could.  It was interesting and horrifying at parts.  3.75 Stars

The Seven Day Switch by Kelly Harms
Freaky Friday but between two neighborhood Moms who each have a very different approach to mothering.  I could see parts of myself in each of them and just so fascinating to get inside their heads.  There are so many ways to be a good Mom.  3.5 Stars

Modern Monarchy: The British Royal Family Today by Chris Jackson
I've been following Chris Jackson's work for a long time (you've probably seen some in the grocery store check-out lane), as he's well known for photographing the British Royals.  Seeing as I have a slight interest in them, I finally purchase requested this book from my library and got to read it.  Mostly just a lot of really well composed and lit photos but also some of his thoughts on his years of being up close to the Royals.  Interesting (and quick) if you share that interest. 4 Stars

Instructions for Dancing by Nicola Yoon
YA by an author I have enjoyed in the past.  Not my favorite of hers but I still enjoyed this one about two teens who are kinda thrown together in a dance competition for reasons I have since forgot.  They are both going through things (as all teens always are).  3.5 Stars

Float Plan by Trish Doller
One of my favorite books of the year thus far and one that should have gotten it's own post if time had worked differently (I finished this book the day before we left on our trip and then by the time we got home was in full prep for the end of summer/start of the school year...just didn't get time to write that post).  Anyways, a woman is grieving her fiance and takes the solo boat trip through the Caribbean they were planning to take together.  She needs a first mate (really, a captain) and ends up with an Irish (Catholic) man who is also dealing with his own things.  They sail the Caribbean.  Hard for there not to be romance.  I really enjoyed this one. 4.5 Stars

The Blue Bistro by Elin Hilderbrand
One of my all-time favorites that I chose to read over my birthday.  Nantucket, a new girl who is running away from a bad (not abusive, just stealing money) boyfriend and becomes a restaurant person when she had always been a hotel person.  Lands at The Blue Bistro, a famed restaurant in it's last season.  There is romance and many mentions of Notre Dame, the South Bend one, not the Paris one.   I love the fast pace and the food and Nantucket and the beach and romance.  4.75 Stars

Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
This was the book I picked for Matt to give me for my birthday (it's just easier for both of us if I pick the books I want as gifts).  I read this in Alabama and it was SUCH a fun reading experience, just knowing I had a good, fun, entertaining book to pick-up on my many chances to read on that trip.  Taylor Jenkins Reid is pretty consistently entertaining and this one was one of my favorites of hers recently.  Set in the mid-80s in Malibu and following 4 siblings with a famous rock star Dad who they never see.  Set in a 24 hour period with flashbacks.  It was fun. 4 Stars

Rock the Boat by Beck Dorey-Stein
I wanted to like this one more than I did even though I had a good reading experience with it (also in Alabama).  New Jersey shore, people coming back home when life hasn't gone their way elsewhere.  Reconnecting with old friends.  Am I the only one who didn't know Jersey had such a resort feel to it's beaches??  3.5 Stars

Blush by Jamie Brenner
I don't drink much wine, at all, and it probably would help my enjoyment of this book set almost entirely at a family winery if I did.  I just...don't care much about wine?  Family problems and winery problems. 2.75 Stars

The Layover by Lacie Waldon
This cover is so fun and the book made me miss flying even though during a pandemic doesn't sound like fun.  A flight attendant on what she thinks is her last trip because her fiance wants her to be home/around more.  She likes flying though and bumps heads with a male flight attendant also on her flights.  They get stuck somewhere tropical thanks to weather or a broken plane or something.  Sparks might fly??  Fun summer romance. 3.75 Stars

Radar Girls by Sara Ackerman
Always nice to balance some lighter romance with slightly more "serious" books even if this one had a rather tropical (Hawaii) locale too.  Except this is set during World War II in the days following the Pearl Harbor attack.  Women are recruited to help with the war effort by learning to read radars and guide pilots back to Hawaii.  I've learned about so many things women did to help the war effort!  3.5 Stars

Better than the Movies by Lynn Painter
YA that felt like To All the Boys I've Loved Before a bit with a fake romance and just the general vibe.  It was fun but not quite as fun as To all the Boys.  3.5 Stars

Surviving Savannah by Patti Callahan
I had been meaning to read this all summer, it went to Alabama with us, but took awhile to get to.  Set around the sinking of the steamship Pulaski in the 1830s and then again in present day with a Savannah historian piecing together what actually happened on that ship and the people that survived.  It was nice reading about Savannah after just being there but then it might have also been good to read before we went since it could have informed some of our stops there.  3.5 Stars

New Girl in Little Cove by Damhnait Monaghan
The cover for this is fantastic and I liked 75% of it - about a lapsed Catholic who needs a change of scenery after a bad boyfriend and her father died of cancer.  She goes to a tiny town in Newfoundland, Canada, to teach French at the Catholic school.  All of this is set in the mid-1980s which wasn't made abundantly clear until mid-way through the book.  Like I said, I was mostly on board with this for the first 75% and then...I was just annoyed and disappointed at story and character choices. 3 Stars

Read with Luke
The Alien Adventures of Finn Caspian: The Uncommon Cold by Jonathan Messinger
Continuing to read all of these to Luke, there was something about the robots getting sick and a bit about quarantine...we don't read these because they are deep fiction, they are just enjoyable for Luke. 3 Stars

Betsy and Mr. Kilpatrick by Carolyn Haywood
Sam assumes every chapter book I am reading with Luke is a Betsy book which I find pretty adorable.  This one about Betsy and her friends teaming up to get a gift for their beloved police officier and crossing guard, Mr. Kilpatrick.  Written in the 1950s they are charming and maybe unintentionally funny at times.  3.5 Stars

Freckle Juice by Jude Blume
I did not remember how short this book was, it felt much longer when I was a kid but Luke really liked it.  A boy wants freckles and buys a horrible recipe for them from a girl in his class.  It's disgusting and he gets sick and then he has a kind teacher who makes him feel better.  It was a really good read aloud. 3.5 Stars

I think my reading will drop-off a bit now with school in session but I'm glad I had at least one really good reading month over the summer!  What have YOU been reading?

The Thing About Road Trips

There is a lot to say about road trips.  I grew up doing them with my family, driving all the way to the Grand Canyon & Rocky Mountain National Park when I was 11 (and my youngest sister was 21 months...I am as amazed with my parents as you are).  We live in Indiana and Google tells me that the Grand Canyon is 1800 miles away.  That's A LOT of time in the van together.  And I LOVED it.  

We didn't always go on SUPER long road trips (although we, again, drove to Yellowstone & the Tetons but I was 20 then and my youngest sister was 9 so it was a bit different in managing kids at that point for my parents) and did many destinations within a day or two of home (it took us 3 days, with a stop at the Petrified Forest, to get to the Grand Canyon).  I was always a little bummed when the trips weren't as long.  Sure, it was a lot of people packed into my parents' Astro van but I also got to read a lot (hello, my favorite thing), draw, I designed houses on my clipboard, we counted a particular fast food restaurant & gas station (I always had McDonalds and won the count at the end of the tip), we played the license plate game (Delaware was always, notoriously, the hardest to find), and I always thought I would craft, taking along cross stitches and crochet hooks & yarn...yet I never ever did.  

I have super fond memories of all the places I visited as a kid with my parents and especially of those countless hours in the van together.  When we were headed on our beach vacation in June, I was driving through the Dayton area, a place that has many sentimental memories, the Anastasia songs kept coming up on my "musical - animated" playlist that we put on to appease the boys.  Well, I enthusiastically sang along, remembering all the times my sisters & I sang along to that whole soundtrack in the van together on trips.  Memories folding in on each other, even if I was the one driving this time.

Most of the trips we've taken with our boys over the past 8 years have been road trips.  We've taken the Amtrak to NYC twice and flown with Luke twice (once for Sam, both times when Matt's work was footing some of the bill) but all the rest of our trips have been road trips.  Sometimes it's just been a few hours in the car, when an 8 hour drive coming south through Michigan felt long.  Sometimes it's the 20.5 hour trip home from Amelia's Island we had in June.   

This summer I calculate that we spent approximately 52 hours on road trips together (including rest stops and gas stops and the inevitable too frequently bathroom breaks necessitated by kids who get a hold of their water bottles sooner than we'd like).  We went HARD on road trips this summer and it was so much fun when it was anytime before 10pm.  (That 20.5 hour drive had us arriving home at 3:45am).  Here's a few things we've learned:

1) Kentucky Welcome Center's are the best rest stops
We drove through (parts of) Kentucky & Tennessee 4 times this summer (north twice, south twice) and have determined that the 3 Kentucky Welcome Centers we stopped at (I-65S, I-65N, I-75N) were the best of the rest stops.  They were clean and brightly lit, had good picnic table situations, and the boys liked the horse statutes.  Meanwhile, Tennessee is a barren waste land of very few rest stops and gets a failing grade from us.

 
2) Twizzlers are the only candy for road trips
These used to be our boat snack but are now also our road trip candy of choice.  They are easy to hand around the car without little Skittles or such getting wedged between seats.  They are relatively un-sticky.  It's fairly satisfying to eat just one or two.  AND we all like them.  Twizzlers are almost entirely a road trip/boat ride/canoe trip down the river snack and it makes it special to have just occasionally in the (mostly) summer months.

3) Let the boys pick some snacks
On our second trip this summer I finally had the idea to take the boys to the dollar store and let them each pick two snacks for the car ride.  They wouldn't necessarily get these entirely to themselves but they did get to pick two.  Even Sam put a lot of thought into his picks and knew if he wanted a different thing he had to put something back.  It was really fun watching them choose and I knew I was still only out $4.  (Taking them to Aldi or Target would have meant a lot more!).  

4) Take a canteen of water
I got a very old Coleman gallon water canteen from my parents' years ago when they were cleaning out their camping stash.  We solely use it on road trips to fill with water and ice before we leave home and then I know I can refill my water bottle without relying on rest stops or their questionably tasting water.  Even at gas stations I can fill up my water from the trunk and minimize my time in possibly less-than-clean rest stops (we visited a variety this summer).

5) Take a Brita filter pitcher
So we got to Savannah this June and the tap water was HORRIBLE.  Ice marginally helped but it still wasn't good.  I suffered through some but not as much water as I should have considering the heat.  We figured it couldn't get any worse when we got to Amelia Island.

AND IT DID.

We got into our condo at suppertime and then the next morning we went in search of a Brita filter pitcher because we couldn't stomach more bad water.  (It didn't help that while we were gone, suffering through this bad water, I saw a news story from back home that our tap water ranked very high nationally or globally in taste.  We understood why.)  The Brita pitcher helped immensely and we were drinking more water.  We lent our extra pitcher to my sister on her vacation this summer and then took it on our second summer trip and, even though I had to work HARD to fit the pitcher inside our dorm room sized fridge...it was worth it.  We will now be traveling with a Brita pitcher on all driving trips.

6) Make a Barrier
My parents had an 8 passenger Astro for much of my childhood and there were 8 of us.  That meant we were often packed in there on road trips.  We have an 8 passenger Pilot and there are 4 of us.  The backseat is almost always folded down for trunk space but there is still an open seat between the boys in the middle seat.  On our first trip we just had their travel bags (backpacks with books and such) between them.  They fought a lot.  On our second trip we built a barrier of duffel bags and pillows and it was magical how much better they got along.  We were constantly moving pillows and things around because they would play and draw and talk with each other but then when they needed a break...we had the option and it was good for everyone. 

7) Take baby wipes for the car
We didn't remember this for either of our trips this summer and I really wish we would have.  Twizzlers aren't messy for snacking but the variety of salty things we took were (crumbs EVERYWHERE).  We minimize our use of them at home but would have been SUPER handy in the car.

8) Take snack cups
This is another we didn't do but I wish we would have.  We ended up often filling the boys' built in cup holders in their car seat/booster with snacks but those weren't the cleanest to start with and it got messy.  We have the older version of these cups (which we still use quite often!) and they would have been great for the trip!

9) Withhold the water
And lastly, we are always trying to minimize stops.  Pre-kids we would drive a tank of gas at a time and would hardly drink anything all day.  Now we can't quite do that but do try to drive a half of tank of gas at a time which means nobody can drink much.  We try to plan out our stops (especially when we are holding out for the Kentucky welcome centers!) and then about an hour before we stop we let the boys drain their water bottles.  I'm all about being hydrated except on road trips.  We all must suffer for a day!  And then another day a few days later when we have to come home.  

We didn't do a vacation in 2020 because it was 2020 and that needs no explanation.  I was out of practice for packing for trips and forgot how much work the prep was to be away for a week (at least when I want to make our transition back home a bit easier) BUT it was so ridiculously exciting to be going anywhere and having family adventures again.  The destinations are almost always fun and the reason we make these trips but I am still enchanted by the hours spent in the car together, especially when it's an easy 7-9 hour day (again, 20.5 hour trip put a lot into perspective).  There is an "us against the world" feeling, where our family has each other and that's it.  It truly feels like an adventure every single time and I love it.  I hope our boys learn to appreciate the magic of hours stuck in the car with their family.

{12} Picture Books for Back to School

As much as I don't want to think about it or accept it...back to school time is here once again.  Somehow Luke's onto his FOURTH year of school (I'd like someone to please explain to me how that is possible because I still think he's about 6).  Sam's school starting is creeping up way sooner than I would like (not this year yet!!) too.  

So, supplies have been bought, all new uniforms too (his last set mostly lasted 1¾ school years and have been packed away for Sam!).  We've met the teacher and found his new classroom.  Now it's just soaking in those last days of summer and enjoying being a YES parent on his last day of summer vacation (really, almost anything besides fire and sledgehammers goes, luckily his requests are more for screen time and ginger ale.).  

As much as I hate to pack away and return the perfectly curated summer book basket (some will stay out a few more weeks), these are some of the books that will be replacing them.  (I also have great affection for our fall book supply so it's exciting to think about getting those out in a few weeks, as much as I am in no hurry for the cold weather.)  It seems seasonal books are some that I am most willing to buy, which doesn't completely make sense since they are all only out for a few weeks or month BUT, also, I've really been leaning into changing with the seasons so it both tracks and doesn't for me.  We all contain multitudes.

Some of these are more for kids starting school for the first time but some are classics that I will still be reading to Luke many times in the coming weeks.  Enjoy! 

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, links for which are included within this post, at no additional cost to you.  Thanks for helping support this blog!   Of course, utilize the library or shop used or from an independent bookstore, if you prefer! 

Click, Clack, Quack to School! by Doreen Cronin, illustrated by Betsey Lewin
My boys got pretty into the Click Clack books last year and this was a fun addition for the school time.  Of course, knowing how things go with these farm animals, school isn't going to be easy.

S is for School: A Classroom Alphabet by Greg Paprocki
We LOVE Greg Paprocki's alphabet books and own many of the seasonal ones (Sam even got one for his adoption day this week!), including this one.  Fantastic primer for young kids heading off to preschool or the preschool age with older siblings headed off to school. 

The Berenstain Bears Go Back to School by Stan, Jan, and Mike Berenstain
There is nary a holiday or season that the Bears haven't touched at least once, many multiple times.  And we've read many of them.  Brother and Sister are headed back to school as old pros but are still nervous heading into a new school year.  By day 2 they have this down (will our school year start as smoothly? We'll see!)

School's First Day of School by Adam Rex, illustrated by Christian Robinson
I LOVED this one about a new school building who was VERY nervous for its first day of school.  Would the kids like him?  Would he make any friends?  It's a sneaky way to explore first day feelings with kids!

If I Built a School by Chris Van Dusen
Chris Van Dusen is one of our all-time favorite picture book authors and his "If I Built" series is absolutely fantastic.  This one is if Jack built his own school, all the things it would have in it.  Let me tell you, my boys think Jack's school looks like way more fun than any school they will ever attend.  Also breeds creativity for what kids would include in their own school!

The Pigeon HAS to Go to School by Mo Willems
Another gold standard of the picture book genre, Sam has gotten really into the Pigeon books lately and I was so excited when my hold came in when this was new that I sat down to read it to myself as soon as we were home from the library.  The Pigeon doesn't know why HE has to go to school, he already knows everything!  Fantastic all the time.

The Berenstain Bears Go to School by Stan & Jan Berenstain
The OG of Berenstain Bear school books, Sister is headed off to her first day of school, in a magic school house that expands to hold multiple classrooms ala the Weasley's tent.  Perfect for new kindergarteners!

First Day Critter Jitters by Jory John, illustrated by Liz Climo
Another fantastic series about a group of animals who all have their own specific concerns about the first day of school, making friends, fitting in, etc. (We also enjoyed the Summer Camp book even though my kids have no experience at all with summer camp.).  I most identify with the Sloth's worried about being late.  You all, there isn't a single morning in the past 2½ months that we've been changed and fed at the time we'll soon be leaving for school!

The Night Before Kindergarten by Natasha Wing, illustrated by Julie Durrell
Obviously this has a very specific audience to new kindergartners but my sister passed on an extra copy of this to Luke which we read the night before he started kindergarten (between my tears...I started crying EARLY).  

Kindergarten Luck by Louise Borden, illustrated by Genevieve Godbout
Another one very specific to kindergarten, Theodore finds a shiny penny on his way to breakfast on his first day of kindergarten and is convinced that will give him good luck on his first day of school.

Time for School, Little Blue Truck by Alice Schertle, illustrated by Jill McElmurry
Two disclaimers, one, I haven't read this one yet even though I bought it.  Just saving for closer to our start date!  Second, none of the Little Blue Truck books have been as good as the first two but I keep buying them anyways because we do still enjoy them.  This is more of an FYI, there's a new Little Blue Truck book!

1, 2, 3, Off to School by Marianne Dubuc
Again, we haven't read this one either because my library hold hasn't come in yet BUT we have really enjoyed so many of her past books, the details she packs into each full page picture is just astounding.  We've read some many times and still find new things we missed each time.  So I am just going to assume this one is great too!

Let me know if you have any more I should add to our basket!

Looking back at July

Well July went fast.  Looking back though, we packed A LOT into those 31 days.  4th of July, 6 zoo trips into 15 days, two baseball games, had a godson spend two nights here, Luke spent two nights at my parents' with some cousins, he spent another night with other cousins, Matt & I did a kid-free overnight without kids, we all stayed with one of my sister's and her family overnight, celebrated Luke's adoption day, we picked blueberries, watched the garden explode, visited ANOTHER zoo, watched a lot of Olympics, AND did a vacation to Alabama.  

It's no wonder I spent a lot of the month tired (besides our Alabama trip, I got blissfully caught up on sleep there).  

July always feels like peak summer and it's my favorite month of the year (my birthday probably has something to do with it).  It was so fun to do so many summer things, many of which we missed last year.  We got to spend time with a lot of people and I even saw all my sisters over a 4 day period (I've seen the two out of town so sporadically since COVID!).  We really packed it into our last full month of summer!

Looking back:
1 year ago: Backyard String Lights - A How-To & Shopping List
2 years ago: {7} Books About Space Travel
3 years ago: On Fridays I Wear Blue (I still do this!)
4 years ago: Book Love: The Shark Club
5 years ago: The No Nap Conundrum (we are fighting this now with Sam!)
6 years ago: Homemade Eye Make-Up Remover (I still use this twice a day!)
7 years ago: Our Michigan Vacation (we just stayed in another cabin like this!)
8 years ago: The Adoption Process

1) The boys touching stingrays at the zoo, this is the first summer either of them actually got to touch one (we've spent a lot of time trying in the past with no luck!).
2) Firework show #1 of the 4th weekend at my BFF's house.
3) Spending a wonderful 4th in our backyard, OF COURSE I have a koozie for the day (which I use all weekend and no other time during the year).
4) Fire show #2 of the weekend downtown!
5) In case you are wondering, a gallon of milk falling out of my trunk in the July heat did NOT make me a happy person.
6) Back at a baseball game!  We took our godson for a much delayed and overdue birthday or Christmas outing (I really don't remember which gift he was due). (We took our boys too.)
7) Sam's crib finally came down!  He was very excited to help Matt with this.
8) The sunflowers got taller than me in July!
9) The boys cruising the neighborhood in a Powerwheels Matt pulled from the trash.  He's the fun parent because he actually takes them around in this.  I literally never do. 
10) Biking Matt's college campus on Luke's adoption day.
11) The zinnias are so pretty (and as tall as me now!).
12) Matt decided, a week before our zoo pass expired, that we should buy a ride pass which means we did 3 rides each in our last 4 trips.  It was pretty exciting for the boys.
13) Sam & my blueberry haul while Luke was at an overnight. 
14) Matt & I did a kid-free night downtown to celebrate (belatedly) our 15th wedding anniversary.  It was SO FUN to be downtown and see so many people out and about.  I never thought I'd be so excited to pay money to stay just a few miles from home.
15) So close that we biked there and back instead of paying $14 to park 2 blocks away.  We are a very specific kind of frugal.
16) The exploding garden.  Anyone want some tomatoes???

Books finished: 18!  It was a very good reading month!
Miles ran: 69.2, also a good running month!
Currently watching: The Olympics! A lot of Olympics.  Also Matt & I are keeping up on Making It! and I am finally finishing Take Two which has sat on our DVR for 3 years...(I watched half of it last summer and then never got around to finishing it.)
Most read post this month: Always Stripping: Laundry Style and then Mixed Drink Monday: The Fizzy Flamingo.
Luke's current favorite song: I'm just going to assume it's "Shut Up and Dance"by Walk the Moon.
Sam's current favorite song: "Victory in Jesus" as sung by Carrie Underwood.

The big thing in August is back to school, a day I am mostly dreading.  I've really enjoyed my lazy mornings with time to read before the boys are awake and not having to deal with homework for the past 2½ months!  But a little more routine to our days might be nice, I'm so grateful life has seasons.

{10} Picture Books about Bees

We have a bit of a love hate relationship with bees around here.  We eat a lot of honey but then the boys are scared of getting stung.  And for good reason, one of them accidentally messed with a hive in our bushes last fall and ended up with ~10 bees on him at once.  I had to physically pull some of the bees off of him and now we are to assume he is allergic to them.  SO.  Their already iffy relationship with actual bees took a sharp turn south after that.  

I have a vivid memory of playing dead in our kiddie pool as a kid when bees came around because we reasoned that bees would sting if they thought you were dead?  I guess it wouldn't hurt you if you were dead but I'm not sure bees were, say, checking a pulse before stinging.  Kid logic I guess.  So I can't fault my boys too much for their fear.

As with anything, knowing more about something can help ease the fear and it's not too hard to stumble into some books about bees, we read quite a few without even trying (although I read much of what my sister reads her kids and she was reading quite a few bees books for about the same reasons I accidentally read them so...thanks, E!).  It was wonderful to learn about all the good bees do besides honey!

If you have kids who are scared of bees or like honey or interested in bugs or ever encounter bees in the great outdoors...here are some great books to learn more.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, links for which are included within this post, at no additional cost to you.  Thanks for helping support this blog!   Of course, utilize the library or shop used or from an independent bookstore, if you prefer! 

Bees in the City by Andrea Cheng, illustrated by Sarah McMenemy
This is the rare picture book that Matt read aloud to the boys before I did (while I was driving on our June trip down south)!  About a boy living in Paris who visit his aunt's farm outside the city.  Her bees are dying and the boy figures out why - they need the variety and density of the plants in the city!  I was shocked by the note at the end that city bees are more productive than country bees!

Give Bees a Chance by Bethany Barton
We really enjoyed Bethany Barton's previous spider book so I was excited when I saw she gave bees a similar treatment.  Bees are important, as much as we'd all prefer to avoid getting stung!  It can be very helpful to know why we should give the bees a change!

The Bee Book by Charlotte Milner
I really liked the cover on this one and specifically remember putting it on the top of my library stack when I used to stack then horizontally.  This was one of the earlier "we should all love bees!" books we read and a good introduction to their benefits besides just honey.

The Thing about Bees: A Love Letter by Shabazz Larkin
This is a poem about bees, from a father to his two sons.  Not just about bees but also has the lovely message that the things we are afraid of might just be because we don't understand them.  Which is certainly the case for many of us with bees.

Kaia and the Bees by Maribeth Boelts, illustrated by Angela Dominguez
This is told as a story and not just facts about bees, which might be an easier way to start sharing the topic with kids.  Kaia is BRAVE but she is still scared of the bees her Dad keeps on the roof.  So she has to learn why they are important and have empathy for some of the smallest around us.

Bee: A Peek-Through Picture Book by Britta Teckentrup
We have really enjoyed these peek-through books by Britta Teckentrup (I had another one on this list!)  Gorgeous pictures and clever cut-outs to show how a bee might go around their day!

Honeybee: The Busy Life of Apis Mellifera by Candace Fleming, illustrated by Eric Rohmann
If you can't tell by the VERY scientific name in the title (which I am sure I pronounced perfectly when reading this to the boys), this is a much more science-y approach to a bee's life, particularly the very early stages.  We learned a lot except for how to pronounce the words.

If Bees Disappeared by Lily Williams
We LOVE this "If _____ Disappeared" animal series.  My kids wouldn't mind if bees disappeared, after they've both gotten stung.  HOWEVER, judging from the contents of their cereal bowls when I stepped away this morning...they ALSO really like honey SO...we need bees to stick around.  And they do A LOT of good besides the honey making.  I like seeing how a small animal can have such an impact. 

Bea's Bees by Katherine Pryor, illustrated by Ellie Peterson
Bea finds a nest of bees on her way to/from school but then one day the bees are gone.  Can she figure out why and how to bring them back??  She's going to try!  I love when kids take action like this, even if it's just fictionally.  Shows my kids they can make a difference.

Follow That Bee!: A First Book of Bees in the City by Scot Ritchie
I am really intrigued by this "bee in the city" concepts that have popped up in two of these books.  We live in the city-ish (not downtown but not the country either) and the thought of keeping bees in our small yard is a bit terrifying but it seems people do it (or just on roofs?  I need to reread some books.).  Even if we aren't going to be keeping bees, this does have other ways you can help bee populations.