book suggestions

hey there my family who never posts on this blog.

i am thinking about starting a book club and am trying to gather suggestions for good books to read. does anyone have any book suggestions/favorite books/thought-provoking books/fun group books? the more ideas the better... even if i don't use them in the club, i'll read them on my own.

busy bolanders

i've decided that cleaning my house is just a big waste of time. everytime i'm trying to clean one room, nora is messing up another. instead of cleaning, i've decided to fill my days with adventures.

saturday we went downtown to the berry and dairy festival at this cool market area (called North Market...) and ate some of the yummiest ice cream i've ever tasted. i got the blueberry lavendar flavor. brett got lime cardemom. nora got white.

after church on sunday, we went for a drive in the country.

monday we went swimming at my friend's condo pool and nora made a new friend. normallly she's very shy around other kids, but she bonded with this girl (ally) really quickly. when we were leaving she said "mom, can ally ride in my carseat sometime?" so i figured we'd better give her our phone number.

tuesday we went to the park and had a picnic, then we babysat for a little while at a friend's house. then we went to a puppet show at the library. coincidentally, ally was there. so, after the puppet show nora and ally hung out for a little while. nora kept putting her arm around her, which she only does with one other friend so i was excited to see her making new friends so easily. i've been a bit worried about her social skills because i don't want her to be as shy as i am/was.

yesterday we went to storytime at the library and nora got yet another sticker for her reading chart. that brings her to 6 stickers (6 hours of reading) so she got a prize. she got a book. there was a huge stack to choose from, but she opted for "no, david!" by david shannon. it's pretty great and she's had me read it to her about 20 times so far. in fact i think she's upstairs reading it to herself right now.

brett left on a quick business trip last night and comes home this afternoon. while he was gone i read my book, watered the lawn, and got a little housework done. the best news is that i wasn't nervous when i went to bed like i normally am when he's gone.

today we are supposed to go hiking at a park at 10am but it's 9:30 and nora still hasn't eaten so i don't know if we'll make it. if not, we might just go to the zoo. so exciting, eh?

well i'm glad to see chelsea on here. maybe we can hear from each other a little more often? oh and chelsea, thank you so much for my birthday card!!! you make me feel like a big loser because i never get cards sent to anyone.

any news?

i've been checking this blog daily, waiting for a new post from someone... anyone. i guess it will just have to be me.

i don't have much going on over here in ohio. yesterday we went to the zoo, then to the library to see this kid's musician in concert. nora refused to dance and sing, but i had fun. the zoo is always fun - i just renewed my membership yesterday so we can go whenever we want.

i finished my wonderful book last night and am excited to read The Tipping Point. has anyone read it? i should really stress that i LOVE the book i just read (Seven Types of Ambiguity by Elliott Perlman) so if anyone is looking for a great book to read, check it out. of course it is over 600 pages so make sure you are up for it. it's a pretty quick read, though. i think it took me about 2 1/2 weeks... maybe less.

my poor boy got yet another bruise on his face yesterday. that brings the running total to 4. he has at least 2 on his forehead at all times, and always has one in the same spot. it will start to go away, and then he'll bonk again. poor fellow. he's getting pretty adventurous these days and i'm predicting that he'll be walking within about 6 weeks. we'll see.

summer reading club

well the bolanders have joined the library's summer reading club. each time i read a book, i get to hand in an entry form to win some fun prizes. every time nora reads for an hour, she gets a sticker. after 6 hours, she gets a book, and after 12 hours she gets a backpack. the program just started on saturday, and nora has already earned nearly 3 stickers. most of those hours are me reading to her, but some if it is her reading to herself. she's getting pretty good at sounding out words and is very proud of herself.

i am over half-way done with a 600+ page book. the problem with reading is that i get sucked in and find it difficult to put down my book and engage in life. i'm reading a book called "seven types of ambiguity" by eliot perlman. i highly recommend it. i also just picked up malcolm gladwell's "the tipping point" yesterday. i had been #14 on the waiting list when i reserved it, so i was happy it came in. now we'll see how long it takes to get from #442 on the waiting list for "blink."

other exciting news around here is that nora decided she's too big to wear pull-ups at night, so she's now wearing her panties to bed. it's been about 10 days, and she's only had 2 accidents so i think she's doing great. i do have to say, however, that those 2 accidents sure have added to my laundry pile. i never fully understood how much laundry a family of 4 goes through in a week... even if the parents re-wear some of their clothes before washing them. maybe i should hire a maid to do my laundry and scrub my bathtubs. hmmm... just after i hire the gardner.

hope everyone is doing well. please pass word along that this blog is here. i sent a new invitation to ashley's new email address today so hopefully she'll join us.

what nora has been up to

1. dressing up ari in purple feather boas.
2. pushing ari around in his rocker/bouncy horsey saying "all the board! choo choo!"
3. attempting to carry ari and often bonking his head on walls, toychests, etc.
4. opening yogurt, eating a bite, opening another yogurt, eating a bite, opening another yogurt, etc.
5. stocking our fridge with various toys.
6. begging me to go to school, then deciding it would be okay to just pretend we're at school and she's the teacher.
7. reading! she reads her dick and jane book... for real.
8. removing all the contents from my bathroom drawers and carrying it all around in one of her various purses.
9. sleeping in bathing suits.
10. wearing panty liners on the outside of her panties.

Welcome

Hi Everyone

Welcome to the family blog. I'm hoping that by using this blog, we can all stay in touch a little better. I'm the worst at calling, writing, or emailing. I am pretty decent at blogging, though. Let me know if any of you have any problems, questions, etc. I should specify that I can only help your problems and questions with regard to the blog. If your problems or questions are of a more personal nature, I probably don't know the answer.

Now I don't have email addresses for everyone in the family. Here's who all I invited: Judy, Joe, Christa, Chelsea, Cheryl, Ashley, Rachel, Stephanie, Alex, Rosie... I think that's all. If anyone has Michelle's, Melissa's, or anyone else's email address, please pass 'em to me and I'll invite them to the blog, too.

Talk to you all soon!