SEE ME READ!!!

My little Jackson dude, is getting older! We started last year because he said he wanted to learn to read, but it really was stressful and he was soooo bored (and I was about to strangle something). I was having a hard time not being patient and so reluctantly (for me NOT for him) we put it on hold for, well about 4 months I guess. Now he is blazing through it easily. It was so worth it for the sanity of both of us to wait.

Since we are going to homeschool I had just decided that I would wait for a while to bust out the reading book again later on- that it didn't matter if he was 5 or 6, but just that he learned to read while enjoying it. Today he asked me to teach him to read again, and I decided to give it another try. It was a piece of cake! I debated between starting over in the book and picking up just where we left off, I ended up just starting where we left off knowing that at any point if it was too hard, or he didn't remember I'd just go back. There was no need. He remembered.

I want to recommend this book if you are going to homeschool, or would rather teach your kiddo to read than have a school do it. It is called Teach Your Child To Read in 100 Easy Lessons, it was highly recommended by several families (team Sabo with 12 kids included). It not only covers learning to read phonetically, but also learning to write at the same time. We are pretty lax on the writing, since jackson has always loved to "draw" his letters, that is what is good about all this....we do it when the individual child is ready! No worries though, I promise that if a love of math never develops...it is just something that we must all do our time with! :)

I have to say there were several moments of tears filling my eyes. First, when he remembered so much from before, and second when he read all by himself: "See. Me. Read.(pause) SEE ME READ!!!!" and then he just beamed. I loved being able to be there for that!

What are some must haves that you use for homeschooling? Make sure you let me know, I'd love to check them out.

want to do a book challenge?! tell me about it!

Since there is some interest and so I'll spill the sites that I have found (mostly on other book blogger's pages as my new book buddy Trish ). I will let all my friends know about them too. It isn't nice to hoard anything good, right!?

Here are the things I have discovered so far:

There is a Book Awards Reading Challenge (Which Trisha would probably be interested in!) They have Newbury, Pulitzer, Booker and the Nobel...you can choose a challenge or do them all!!!!

If you are a lover of long saga-esk books, try the Chunkster Challenge 2008
You are supposed to read at least 4 books that are over 450 pages each. I choose to do a couple more, but that is only because the doubled up for other challenges.


If you have not seen a challenge to fit your fancy...go to A Novel Challenge
There you will find, tons of challenges: A-Z Challenge, Dragons and such Challenge, Princess Challenge...Royalty Challenge (Okay...I am just trying to remember what I saw) there are too many so you need to go for yourself!

Interested in memoirs or autobiographies and such?? Go to the In Their Shoes Challenge and you be in heaven. The rules are posted there..it looks like fun!

The TBR (to be read) Challenge is really neat, it is the books you ALREADY own, and you choose from those to read, thus eliminating our ever expanding need for more, and I mean MORE BOOKS!

Okay, so this is the last one I am going to search out for you...it is called My Year of Reading Dangerously...seriously, what a title!? Who wouldn't want to join with that one! This one is for those of us who have been intimidates (scared) of reading certain books, authors, genres, and so on. There is an official list of books that you can read, or you can make up your own scary list! I joined this one, it looked like too much fun. There are 12 picks for this one...so it is a longer list of books. I chose many off of the actual list, because it is always more fun to read with others, and there are many that I am interested on the official list.

A word to the peoples: If you are going to try to do this, start off slow. Also, I noticed that a lot of the challenges will be closed for joining in March, so if you want to join you should think about how many books you can actually read this year. Also, do yourself a favor and use the books several times, or more! You'll be happy when it is time to check off those lists!

Oh, and as payment for all this super-duper useful info: you HAVE TO let me know if you do join a group and what you decide on...I am nosy that way!!!

thanks!

Thank you to all of you who stepped up and gave me a list of your favourite books!! I'm looking forward to getting my hands on those. fo sho!

For those who have yet to leave a list...or still want to leave another list...KEEP THEM COMING!! It is never too late! Oh, and from now on know if you ever read a book that you absolutely love, I'd love to know.

At some point I will post my favourite 10 books of all time...I just have to figure out which ones they are.

Thank you tons!

pretty please EVERYONE!?

Help us on our quest for books!
I know there are a lot of people who read my blog that NEVER comment. It is really easy to comment, you can even do so anonymously and you won't have to create an account or anything.

Anyway my request is that you send me a comment that contains a list of books that are the best books you have ever read. Some of them maybe you come back to thinking about even years and years after having read them. My husband and I both absolutely love books and reading, and our goal at some point is to have a ton of books (as in literally!)...and one of those sliding laders and all, you know? Okay, anyway...so send me books, well send me a comment of a list of books that you think our library should contain! It is easy to find books, but it is hard to know before you have read them if they are any good...

In our yurt (several years down the road) we the entire thing to be lined with wall to wall bookshelves, a couple of nice south facing windows and a nice fire. Shelves and shelves of books, doesn't it just sound like a dream!? For us it is, please help us on the conquest. Thanks a million!

(begging, begging....please?)