Sunday, February 28, 2010

Second Take

I see alot of books working in a bookstore. I usually only see the titles because I don't have time to take a look through them. However, some titles are quite memorable. All of these are kids books or parenting books, as that is where I spend most of my time. I thought I'd share:

1. Moustache Doesn't Let Himself Get Pushed Around(Author unknown)

This is a kid's storybook that makes me laugh every time I see it sitting on one of our tables. Moustache is a cat who is frightened of a dog in a neighboring yard. The storyline isn't ridiculous or funny. The title however? Cracks me up everytime.

2. Your Kids Are Your Own Fault (Larry Winget)

This one isn't so much funny as it is shocking. I agree in some cases but I definitely did a second take and thought "Wow, I wonder what kind of feedback this one got?"

3. It Sucked and Then I Cried (Heather B. Armstrong)

This is pretty much the funniest title of a parenting book that I've ever seen.

4. I Was A Really Good Mom Until I Had Kids (Trisha Ashworth)

I don't know how many times I've heard my friends, who are now moms, say something along the lines of "I never thought I'd let my kid do that but now..."

5. The Legend of Ninja Cowboy Bear (David Bruins)

This is a preschool book that just makes me smile. I haven't actually read it, but the title is just so awesome that I'm not sure there's really a need.
That's it for now. I'm off to find more ridiculously titled books!

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Reading Is Reading

I've noticed something about some of the parents/adults that come into the bookstore. Alot of them have very strong opinions about what their child, or the child that they are shopping for, should be reading, which, let me state right here, I understand. You want your child reading great books. You want them to excel. I do however take issue when I hear parents saying things like "He's just 1 year old. He can't read, why would we buy him books?", or "I don't want her to be able to cheat and look at pictures to figure out what the words are." about a child who is just learning to read. Or getting upset when their child only wants to read a certain type of book. This is what I say to that-

Reading is reading.

No matter what kind of book your kid wants to read, if they want to read, they're doing better than alot of kids. Lots of kids hate reading. Partly, because of school(if it's assigned they want nothing to do with it during their free time) and partly because they have yet to find a book that interests them. If your kid is reading books that are at a lower reading level than their age, don't make them feel bad about it! Reading ability levels can be a sensitive subject for some kids. I read some books now that are in the Ages 9-12 section. They are definitely below my age appropriate reading level but they're great and I enjoy them!

Please, please, please, read to your kids when they are babies, just learning to read, and even after they've been reading on their own for a while. Not only does it let you spend time with them, it helps develop their imagination, their vocabulary and so much more! Instill a love of reading and books in them when they're young!! Keep at it and they'll start to want to read it themselves, when they're ready. Kids don't learn on your schedule. Keep encouraging them and exposing them to great books and they'll get there!!

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Lost In Translation

After years of seeing people write 'lol', 'ttyl' and a host of other texting/messaging acronyms, I just have one thing to say.

I'm not hearing what you're trying to say.

When you write 'lol' I don't hear you laughing, I hear you saying 'l,o,l'.

When you write 'brb' I imagine that you must be cold, not that you're going to be temporarily unavailable.

And the worst one, not that we can blame this on messaging, is RIP. There is nothing restful or peaceful about the word rip. Especially when it's in all capital letters. If you're genuinely upset about the passing of a loved one or public figure take the time to write out three little words. I mean really.

That is all.

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Ready For Change

I was searching through my iTunes library for an appropriate title for this post and I found numerous options. I chose this title because of the lyrics. Here are a couple lines that particularly struck me:

I promised I'd change about this time last year
We both know how that went

What does it take to start over again
Step out of comfort my friend
Yes, and change for the better

The first line describes how I have been feeling recently. Last year, at about this time, I started feeling like God had something big for me. Like I was right on the cusp of something extraordinary. I started getting really excited! I was praying about it and wanted to be ready for it, whatever it was, when it came.

Then, I got distracted. I let other events and people in my life distract me and I simply...forgot that I had been intensely listening for God's voice.

Months and months passed and I started feeling restless. The question "What exactly are you doing here?" would pop into my mind on a regular basis. It popped into my mind not in a "I came into the kitchen but I have no idea what exactly I'm doing in here" sort of way but in a "What am I doing with my life?" sort of way.

About a month ago, I began to feel like I was recalling a long lost memory. At first it was kind of fuzzy but slowly I remembered, "Oh right! I was excited about what God was about to do! What happened to that?"

So over the past few weeks, I've been praying, reading my Bible and trying not to get distracted as I wait for direction. In the past, I've been somewhat hesitant to give up certain parts of my life. I'm trying to let those go this time, to "step out of comfort" and "change for the better".

I don't know what this change will look like. It may be small, it may be bigger than I can imagine. I can only hope, that this time around, I'm ready for it.