I went on a little Amazon binge last week!
For me: After reading Grace's post about housekeeping, I ordered the book she recommended, Sidetracked Home Executives. I was a little wary because this is something I remember my mom attempting in the 80s and I try to avoid anything from that decade. I've pulled a few gems from the book but overall, I don't think it's a system that suits me. It seems too complicated. I will say, I did make notecards of what has to be done in a particular room for it to be considered clean and that has really made a difference. My clean kitchen card has just five simple steps and I go through those 4 times a day. My kitchen has been "spotless" all week long (I say spotless in the homeschooling-mom-my-children-are-home-all-day sense of the word, you know, which allows for a little wiggle room). I'm still mulling it over. Do you want to hear a funny story? I didn't finish the book yet because I lost it. And then I found it. On a bookshelf. Ironic, isn't it?
For my daughter: We're seeing the ballet Don Quixote this summer. I like for her to do a little background reading first, so I ordered this cheapo abridged version from Amazon. She loved it. She found it hilarious. "He is like 50 years old and he's acting like a child!". So I think we'll delve a little closer, stepping up to an audio version next and have ourselves a little unit study!
For my son: Alligator at Saw Grass Road and Canada Goose at Cattail Lane. Oh, how we love these books. We have most, but not all of the Smithsonian Backyard series. We read them until they fall apart. I would recommend buying the hardcover if you can afford it. I can't afford it without making other cuts in the book budget and who wants to make cuts in the book budget?
I have another order on the way as we are starting to gather our materials for next year (whimper). I'm thinking lapbooks friends! I'm thinking one for every animal phylum. I'm thinking one for landforms, continents, wildflowers! I'm thinking I need stickers. Please (if you made it to the end of this post), inspire me!
Jenn, I loved this post. Your Sidetracked Home Exec story made me giggle & reminded me of the time my dear friend Lisa--a friend who lived two blocks away from me for four years, a friend who was in and out of my house multiple times a day, a friend who frequently cooked in my kitchen and was one of the few people on earth invited into what I affectionately called my Room of Shame, i.e. the spare room where all the craft supplies lived their messy, cluttersome lives--spotted the book Confessions of an Organized Housewife on one of my (dusty) shelves, burst out laughing, and said, "Darlin', did you ever actually READ that one?"
Posted by: Lissa | April 09, 2011 at 11:56 AM
Jenn, I would love to know what the five simple steps for a clean kitchen are. I have a feeling that mine would need several times that!
Posted by: Kathryn | April 09, 2011 at 12:41 PM
Lol on the lost book!! Oh and you would enjoy lapbooks so much. I absolutely love making them. Unfortunately, my daughter, no. Not at all. Not even to listen to ideas about making them. So please, make lapbooks and I can live vicariously through you.
Posted by: sarah | April 09, 2011 at 01:34 PM
Lapbooks! Yes! What kid doesn't LOVE the idea behind them...the scissors, the snipping, and--best of all--the beloved glue pot?
Not that they make glue pots anymore, except for that smelly rubber cement stuff, but it sure sounds more romantic to say than glue stick.
You have my stamp of approval for hopping down the lapbook rabbit trail, Jenn--and you know what another word for stamp is, don't you? STICKER!!!
Posted by: Margaret in Minnesota | April 09, 2011 at 03:28 PM
PS. Happy Almost-Sunday! It's after dusk (well, almost) and I've got my bottle of beer & a much-loved blog to cheer me!
Yay. :)
Posted by: Margaret in Minnesota | April 09, 2011 at 03:30 PM
PPS. And because I'm on a commenting roll, do you know what's playing on Pandora right now? "Momma, don't let your babies grow up to be Cowboys" !!
Tell me, please, since you're a local. Are they referring to the team? Or those guys in chaps with the crinkly wrinkle lines?
Posted by: Margaret in Minnesota | April 09, 2011 at 03:37 PM
I think they are referring to the cowboys (lower case) though after last season, the song would apply to the Cowboys (uppercase) too.
Posted by: Jennifer | April 09, 2011 at 04:17 PM
I'm going to have to look into the Smithsonian Backyard series. Gabe loves animals and is constantly asking questions about them. They look like great books.
May be a silly question, but what are lapbooks? I think I need to do a google search...
Posted by: Donna Jannuzzi | April 09, 2011 at 04:38 PM
We love the Smithsonian Backyard series.
Posted by: MelanieB | April 09, 2011 at 05:47 PM
Me too... lapbooks? What excactly are these? Sound fun though. I want to find the Smithsonian backyard series books you mentioned. Bought a handful of books at garage sale today for cheap, won't cut into budget too bad:)
Posted by: soili | April 09, 2011 at 10:45 PM
Would also love to know the 5 steps you take for a clean kitchen ... How are your other notecards working out?
Posted by: Sarah | April 10, 2011 at 03:03 PM
When I worked at the library, many times patrons would SWEAR they had returned a library book...we always told them to look on their own bookshelves, where they always found them! So don't worry, you are in good company!
Posted by: Tammy | April 11, 2011 at 09:10 AM