What we're reading these days

I noticed that it has been quite a while since I posted about what we are reading these days, so here is a quick look at what is on our bedside tables:

William: 
A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Reptile Room by: Lemony Snicket.  This is the first series that William has really gotten into on his own (and the first books, for that matter) where he has not gotten bored part way through.  He picked up the entire series at a garage sale this summer and is determined to read each and every one.

Charlie:
Are You My Mother? by: P.D. Eastman

Put Me In The Zoo by: Robert Lopshire.  Both of these are older books (first published in the 1960s) that I remember reading as a little girl.  They are certainly classics though, and a far cry better than the 'early readers' that are published these days.  They have a story that Charlie loves, but are written in simple language with lots of sight words, rather than complex language but with only a sentence or two on each page.

Read Alouds:
Silverwing by: Kenneth Oppel.  This is one that I picked up recently when I needed a'guaranteed' good story after finishing the Mysterious Benedict Society Books.  It has won about a million prizes, and has make bats Williams new favorite animal (after dogs, of course!)

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by: J.K. Rowling.  Not that this book needs any extra  advertisement  but we are on our second round through reading the whole series...

Joanna:
The Night Circus by: Erin Morgenstern is a beautifully written drama / mystery / romance that I am thoroughly enjoying.  I know it sounds corny, but I love a book that calls on me to read it with a pencil in hand to underline the parts that I most enjoy...But still, the discontent remains.  Even the ground beneath feels unsatisfying to his boots. ( Don't laugh !!)

How To Talk So Kids Will Listen, and Listen So Kids Will Talk by: Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish because I really need to read this book as often as I can.

The Bruce Peninsula

I can't resist the chance to publish a few more of the pictures I took when we were camping, so here they are in the form of a guide to some of the most beautiful places to hike around Cyprus lake.  These places are all within an easy hike of each other, and are spectacular.  One of these days I will be able to go and just sit on the beach enjoying the sounds and the views, but for now we all loved hiking and exploring them together.

The Lookout:

Boulder Beach:

Boulder Beach:

The Overhang:

The Marr Lake Trail:

The Boulder Beach:

The Grotto:

Singing Sands:

Somehow I managed to miss taking any pictures of Indian Head Cove (just around the corner from the Grotto, but it is even more spectacular.  If you are at all the 'outdoorsy' type, you will love this place.

Camping with my boys

This past week, William, Charlie and I went up to Cyprus Lake (the provincial campground just south of Tobermory, Ontario) to camp for a few nights. I would be kidding if I implied it was not a whole lot of work, but it was absolutely worth it.  The boys were (mostly) wonderful, and we spent 3 days exploring one of the most breathtaking places in the country. It was a beautiful thing to spend time with my kids doing something that we all genuinely love - hiking, lake swimming, sitting by the campfire, and sleeping all snuggled up together.

Here are a few pics...

The boys also thought that it was important for me to include notes on their most recent culinary creation, called simple "The Masterpiece"

Squish both sides of a pie iron / campfire cookers with refrigerator crescent roll dough (no need to grease the pie irons).  Top one side with marshmallows, chocolate chips, caramels, and crumbled graham crackers.  Put the two sides of the pie iron together and place in hot campfire coals for a few minutes, checking it frequently until it is golden brown.  Let it cool (else you burn your mouth on the hot gooey goodness) and enjoy!!!  Needless to say it took them a while to come down from the sugar high that night...

Every Child...

"Every child should have mud pies, grasshoppers, water bugs, tadpoles, frogs, mud turtles, elderberries, wild strawberries, acorns, chestnuts, trees to climb. Brooks to wade, water lilies, woodchucks, bats, bees, butterflies, various animals to pet, hayfields, pine-cones, rocks to roll, sand, snakes, huckleberries and hornets. And any child who has been deprived of these has been deprived of the best part of education."

— Luther Burbank (American horticulturalist and botanist, 1849 – 1926)

Early Morning Hike

We got up early today and headed for the woods before it became too hot. It was peaceful, quiet, just the right temperature, and beautifully lit by the morning sun through the trees.  Exploring the trails around here always makes me grateful that we live where we do.

The most effective kind of education is that a child should play amongst lovely things.
                                                                     ~ Plato

Preparing for camping

William, Charlie and I are heading up to Cyprus Lake next week for a few days of camping, and we have been in full preparation mode.  The living room is full of sleeping bags, enamel plates, and marshmallows.  Through all of this, William has been adamant that he is old enough to sleep in his own tent (I beg to differ, but I am pretty sure that has to do with my own Mama-ness rather than his lack of skill or maturity).  Actually, he has been talking about going it alone for quite a while now - the afterglow of some great camping trips with his Cub Troupe, I think.

Today we went into town to pick up a few last minute things, and he finally won me over.  Canadian Tire had a little 1-2 man tent on sale for $20, and it ended up coming home with us.

Here is William getting ready for his first almost-solo camping trip.

The NEW Nature Table

We have had this nature table in our living room for a few years now, and the boys have enjoyed playing with it on and off through the seasons.  They both love setting it up and changing it over each season, but lately it has been gathering a bit of dust (I guess that is what happens when you leave gnomes out for 9 year old boys to play with!!)

I decided that rather than scrapping the whole thing (which I really love) we just needed to update it a bit, and fill it a less with things cute and magical, and more with things natural, and creepy.

So, here is the grand unveiling of the 'new and improved nature table'. 

They have been much more interested after the re-vamping, and have been on an endless search for magnifying glasses and field guides - perfect!