Thursday, February 11, 2016

Bookish and Not-So-Bookish Thoughts



Bookish and Not-So-Bookish Thoughts is a weekly blogging event hosted by Bookishly Boisterous. It allows book bloggers (and non-book bloggers) to write about pretty much anything, bookish or otherwise (i.e. share exciting plans for the weekend, rants on things&encountered during the week. **************************************************************************************

1) Ethan & I went to the library last night to pick up a few books, for him primarily, but then of course you know I had to get a couple for me...though I'm not sure why I bother as I prefer to read on my iPad and e-books just seem to be faster for me. I still love the feeling of leaving the library with a couple of real books though - even if I never open them up. *face palm*  Oh and my nightstand is it's own mini-library at this point.
2) We had to get books for Ethan because it turns out he is reading at a 5.2 grade level. Um, what?!!? He is in 2nd grade. I knew he was above grade level and I think when he started 2nd grade he was at a 4.1 level, so that's a huge gain this year already though I'm not sure how it happened because he fights me tooth and nail on reading at home, which pains me greatly. I'm struggling with these battles because I don't know how much to push him, I don't want him to hate reading, but I want him to read more than he is. We typically read at least 15 minutes in bed every night, but also last night he wanted me to read half the book and he read the other half. It was a simple picture book (3.3 grade level) that we had picked up because it was a recent award winner (Last Stop on Market Street). If you have suggestions for how to encourage him to read more at home, please DO let me know. 

3) I'm officially "behind schedule" in my Goodreads Challenge...already! *sigh*

4) It has been painfully cold here this week! So much so, that once I am home, we are NOT going out again, which means I have not been to the YMCA all week. Thank goodness my treadmill is back in working condition, I've put it to good use this week. Tonight though I have to brave the cold as I won't miss my awesome Yoga class for anything...I've also been doing a Spin class which I feel is a good change for the legs (no impact on the knees either), so I do Spin at 6pm and Yoga at 7pm, it's been a great way to finish out each week. 

5) The kids get Presidents Day off. Teachers - not so much....another "con" to the long summer and construction...oh well, at least it's only a half day in-service. With food provided!! There is a threat of snow that day though, so maybe teachers will get a day off after all. #bringonthesnow

6) RunDisney released all the Princess Half Marathon Weekend shirts and swag. I am TOTALLY bummed that I DO NOT LOVE the colors or designs of ANYTHING I saw posted. Well, except for the Glass Slipper Challenge hoodie (blue) and I'm NOT running the GSC, so that ruins that. I'm seriously hoping there are more clothing items available when I get there compared to what I saw on-line yesterday. Please Please Please. 

7) I know it's really (totally!) NOT an option to run the Disneyland Half Marathon this September, but my brain has not completely accepted that yet. I would get the Coast to Coast medal too!! Want soooooo bad!!!

8) I'm so very glad that January has ended. It was an awful month. I am hoping February proves to be better and with a trip to Disney, I can't imagine it not being better. Disney makes everything better. 

7 comments:

~**Dawn**~ said...

1. It's funny to me how some people prefer to read digital and others physical books. I'm in the latter camp, because I just can't bear to be looking at another screen, but I get the benefits and appeal of digital, for those that prefer it.

2. Not sure if it's a avenue you want to take, but what would he rather be doing than reading? And could he be "earning" minutes of that activity by getting his reading done? Maybe in the process, he'd realize he really does love reading too?

3. I am officially three books behind and this monster I'm reading isn't even half done yet. No one to blame but myself for that. =P

8. Disney does make everything better. I can go there in the worst mood and by the time I walk from my car to the gate, I've left it all behind. I can't imagine living anywhere else now.

k said...

@Dawn - I'm going to have to implement iPad minutes earned for reading a certain amount...he would of course much rather be on the iPad 24/7 but I've limited him to 1 hour on weeknights...weekends are a mess and need to be reigned in. Yesterday his teacher made a reading group of her high readers to do a "novel study" on a (fun) 4th grade level book...he has shed BUCKETS of tears over it, saying it's a stupid book (he's read 4 pages) and gone on an on about it. Ugh!!

~**Dawn**~ said...

In part, at least, I feel his pain. I know, for me, I taught myself to read when was 5 and I read everything I could get my hands on. And then I hit the level of school where they started assigning reading. The book might well have been something I would love, if I picked it up on my own, but something about "having" to read it sucked all the enjoyment right out of it for me. I never changed in that aspect, all the way through college. I read just enough to get a decent grade and that was it (and I really learned how to "work the system" for that too). Funny thing is I've made a list of all the books I can remember being "forced" on me and I'm reading them now, by my own choice. I've found I like about 50% of the books, so far (Hemingway is depressing and I find Dickens a bit tedious at times). Anyway, I wonder if part of it, for him, is the fact that it's a book he isn't reading by choice?

k said...

I was just like you in school with reading...doing the minimum to get by with any assigned/forced reading. I get what you mean about E balking at being forced to read this book but he's like that with just about everything, except for 1 series he found over the summer and loved and has already read them all...they take 20 minutes to read the entire book so it's not a big challenge either. I guess the fact that he is so "narrow minded" (?) in trying anything new...he even has friends in this reading group and he has only read 10ish pages total (some I read TO him last night) and he still says "it's a stupid book about stupid wizards and stupid magic"...with that last one I asked if he thinks magic is stupid and he said "yes" (this morning) so then I told him I guess he'd have to stay home from WDW since it's all about magic (mom: 1, Ethan 0) :) Anyway, I don't know what can ease the pain for him, he has to take the book on our trip but I know that when I say, "take 10 minutes to read" (and away from the iPad) he's gonna flip his lid, tears, etc. I really don't want to spend the road trip that way...Ugh!!!

~**Dawn**~ said...

Ugh indeed. Is the series he found over the summer a particular genre? I know when I was younger, I would read anything Nancy Drew, any Babysitters Club, and the Little House series. I would read them all, as far through as current, and then start over again from the beginning. It took me a long time to really start grabbing random books to see if maybe I'd like them. I definitely don't find myself drawn to anything horror, fantasy, dystopian, or sci-fi (although all of those genres are represented in this Stephen King series I'm finishing up, which I read at the pleading of one of my best friends, and I haven't hated it, so there's that). Maybe he just hasn't "matured as a reader" yet? I guess all you can do is keep trying to encourage him to branch out and hope it "catches" at some point. And sympathize with him not wanting to read something he must, and hate it or not, has to be done. Maybe...tell him you know he hates it but since he has to do it, he can read for just ten minutes and then he can tell you everything he hates about what he just read...but that he can't just say it's stupid? ;-) And maybe set the timer and let him play on the iPad for ten minutes to show him just how short ten minutes really feels (because you know that time will fly right by)? I'm totally grasping at straws here. LOL

k said...

Great ideas!! Thank you!! We will do the 10 minute thing for sure, but I guarantee you he will say "10 minutes reading feels like forever, but 10 minutes on the iPad will fly by because I'm having fun"....yes, he already knows that darn phrase "time flies when you're having fun" and uses it "against" me whenever he can. Ugh! I'm hoping part of it is maturity too...I consulted with a 3rd grade teacher yesterday and she said it's likely developmental...thank goodness...I'm holding on to that for now too. :)

~**Dawn**~ said...

Dang, it's hard to out maneuver a kid. ;-) LOL