Happy Friday! The kids are off school today and recovering from a nasty cold, and we have visitors this weekend. Looking forward to a few fun adventures around town assuming everyone is well enough, as well as time to relax and hang with my sister and brother-in-law. Here are 5 things on my mind this week.
1. Decluttering. I made actual progress in decluttering this week! My goal for February was to declutter the entryways of our house (driveway, 2 doorways, broom closet, shelves/shoe rack the door). I felt actually motivated to make work on this and dropped off some donations today (not just from these areas). Things that helped: having a box in my closet to toss donations in when I noticed things we don’t want and listening to the Slob Comes Clean podcast by Dana K. White. I highly recommend her book Organizing for the Rest of Us, which I read a few years ago, and listening to her while I declutter has helped remind me of decluttering practices that helped in other seasons. It was very satisfying to make progress in such a small but visible space. Next up is the mantle and living room shelves.
2. Bugonia & film generally. Last weekend I visited my friend in LA, and really enjoyed visiting the Academy Museum and watching the mind-bending movie Bugonia. While I really liked Bugonia, I mostly appreciated the experience of watching a recent movie and discussing it. We don’t tend to gravitate towards movies, which I think is a pattern derived from when our kids weren’t sleeping so well. It was enjoyable to feel immersed in the plot and characters and discuss the twists and character motivations. Do you all have any movies you’ve enjoyed recently? I’m curious to check out some of the Oscar nominees like Sinners and Hamnet, but I’d love some recommendations.
3. In terms of other media I’ve been enjoying, my favorite album I’ve listened to so far this month is Emily Scott Robinson’s Appalachia. Her voice is stunning, and it’s worth checking out if you enjoy folk music.
4. I recently listened to Priya Parker’s episode on the Ezra Klein show and was reminded of her work and substack. I’m always interested in gathering, and we really like hosting, so I found myself hooked by the conversation. She is definitely very intentional about her gatherings, and we often ended up inviting people over more spontaneously, but I liked a lot of what she has to say and am curious to reread her book.
5. My older daughter has to do daily reading homework, and it’s a little bit of a challenge to find things that are not too hard or easy. Early readers can be a bit boring, but she doesn’t have the stamina for chapter books yet. I’ve found that picture books can be a real win for her--the story is more interesting, there is less text on a page, and it’s not as daunting as a chapter book. Some recent favorites of hers have been anything by Mo Willems, the Natalie and Alphonse series by Daisy Hirst, and the Miss Nelson series. Does anyone with older or similar age kids have any recommendations of picture books their kids loved reading to themselves? I’d like to help make reading more accessible for her to do independently at home, and also make it more fun!
What are your plans for the long weekend (if you are in the US)? Please share any picture book or movie recommendations you have.
Mo Williams! My kids loved his Don't Let The Pigeon Drive The Bus! Gosh that brings me back. I watched a great movie on the plane, it was exactly what I love in a movie. It was called...what was it called? I'm blanking. Hang on. The Best You Can! With Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgewick. It was absolutely great and I highly recommend it and HOW IS KEVIN BACON STILL SO HOT.
ReplyDeleteMinnie reads all of the Elephant and Piggie books on her own, as well as the Unlimited Squirrel series. She will also read anything by Dr. Seuss. My older kids loved the Cat Kid Comic Club books by Dave Pilkey as first chapter books. Dorothy also adored the Unicorn and Yeti books and the Diary of a Pug series.
ReplyDeleteMo Willems is my favorite! I will be sad when the kids outgrow those books. I agree that picture books are great for your daughter's age. It's confidence building to be able to read an entire book by yourself. And chapter books are overwhelming. Does she like graphic novels? Those are a hit with my 8yo. I kind of wish he'd read something else, but if he's reading then that is what matters most. Lately he's been super into books about sports.
ReplyDeleteThe only movies I tend to watch are kid movies that I see at the theater with my boys. It's a nice afternoon activity for us. I have not seen a grown up movie in a movie theater in a very very very long time. We watch movies at home but I go to bed so early that we only have time for 30-45 minutes so it can take us 3 or more nights to watch a movie!