Oh, the books we will read!

Posted on May 21, 2009 by

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Ever since discovering the super-and-completely-amazing new used bookshop that is literally a 20-second walk from my office, I have been hooked.
I bought some books for me, and then decided I should start stocking up on books for le bebe. I’m a voracious reader, and I plan on reading to our kids every single day.
Some of my favourite memories are of Mom reading to me and my sister — and then, later, me reading to Little Sis. We got to pick a couple of stories every night, without fail, and that is one traditional I’m determined to continue.
I know we’ll probably get some books as gifts, but you can’t even imagine the sheer quantity of books I already own. I need many. Many, many, many books.
And I don’t just want to limit my reading to baby books. I want there to be a good mix, with some books for older children, too. Maybe it will even made my baby smarter, to be listening to books above their age level? Can’t hurt, anyway.
So here is my list of books I want to start picking up — crossed-off titles indicate the ones I have already nabbed:
  • A Bear Called Paddington by Michael Bond
  • Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst
  • Amelia Bedelia by Peggy Parish
  • Angeline Ballerina by Katharine Holabird
  • Berenstain Bear series by Stan & Jan Berenstain
  • Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey
  • Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? Bill Martin, Jr.
  • Clifford the Big Red Dog by Norman Bridwell
  • Curious George by H. A. Rey
  • Eloise by Kay Thompson
  • Five Little Peppers and How They Grew by Margaret Sidney
  • Fox in Socks by Dr. Seuss
  • Good Dog, Carl by Alexandra Day
  • Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
  • Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss
  • Guess How Much I Love You? by Sam McBratney
  • Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson
  • Hop on Pop by Dr. Seuss
  • If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff
  • Little House on the Prairie series by Laura Ingalls Wilder
  • Love You Forever by Robert Munsch
  • Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans
  • Make Way For Ducklings by Robert McCloskey
  • Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton
  • Mr. Popper’s Penguins by Richard and Florence Atwater
  • Oh, The Things You Can Think! by Dr. Seuss
  • One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish by Dr. Seuss
  • Pat the Bunny by Dorothy Kunhardt
  • The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss
  • Mr. Men and Little Miss books by Roger Hargreaves
  • The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper
  • The Owl and the Pussycat by Edward Lear
  • The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown
  • The Story of Babar by Jean de Brunhoff
  • The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter
  • The Trumpet of the Swan by E. B. White
  • The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams
  • The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
  • The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
  • Where The Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
  • Where The Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein

Please send me your favourite childrens’ books, and I’ll add them to my trusty list. There are thousands of options in this shop, so I want to know I’m picking some tried-and-true ones.

I am SAHM? SAHM I am?

Posted on May 20, 2009 by

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On Monday, I had another taste of Stay-at-home-Momism. 

And I liked it.

OK, so technically, there were no children. And yes, that is a big part of being a SAHM. But I had Little Dog … and … what? Oh yeah, forgot to walk her. Minor details.
Anyway, my day was like something out of The Sound of Music …
  • Got up at the usual time
  • Baked fresh muffins for Darling Husband
  • Made him coffee
  • Packed his lunch
  • Kissed Darling Husband good-bye
  • Was busy all morning re-organizing/painting trim in our bedroom
  • Stopped for lunch and made delicious veggie-chicken wraps
  • Did some more home-repair-ish work
  • Folded laundry
  • Had lovely apple-slices/cheese/crackers/milk afternoon snack
  • Read my book on the couch
  • Greeted Darling Husband enthusiastically
  • Played Wii together
  • Cooked dinner
  • Cleaned up
  • Laughed at Little Dog leaping over my legs
  • Took a long bath
  • Packed lunches for the next day
  • Read in bed
OK, OK, I know that sounds monotonous. But truly, it was a really nice day. Just the right mix of “getting stuff done” and “enjoying oneself.” I felt happy and rested. 
Bonus: Darling Husband was happy that I was happy and rested — and not taking out work stress/anxiety on him. 
I know it would obviously be a little lot different with a baby — no Wii tennis, for instance — but is it possible that I’m just one of those people who are really happy in the home?
According to a great article on iVillage, the four things that every SAHM should know are all things I already know:
  • Feel proud of what you do: Some SAHMs take flack from people for not having a “real career,” but I think I could happily reply that what I’m doing is important.
  • Keep in touch with friends: We will hopefully have our kids around the same time as other friends, so it would be great to have a support/social network.
  • Get organized: Storage baskets? Hello! I live for storage baskets … OK, that came out wrong.
  • Get in touch with your creative side: Crafts? Projects? I have no shortage of hobbies to keep me — and the kids — busy.
Fingers and toes crossed that this will be in the cards for us …

Not Me Mondays

Posted on May 19, 2009 by

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My bloggie friend, Lindsay, over at Musings of the Mrs., does a very funny thing called “Not Me Mondays.” It originated over at My Charming Kids, and I thought I’d give it a try.

Oh, and since today feels like a Monday, I’m doing it today! So here goes nothing …

I did not forgo making dinner on Sunday, and eat chips instead. I did not attempt to trick Darling Husband into thinking he already ate dinner … and then give up and hand him his own bag of chips. I totally prepared something healthy and involving veggies and salmon.
I did not forget to take Little Dog out for almost 11 hours yesterday — I am always on top of that, and take her out every two hours. For brisk runs.
I did not go online and order copies of Eating Well When You’re Expecting, What to Expect Pregnancy Journal and Organizer, and What to Expect the First Year. I would never be that obsessive or O.C.
I did not spend most of Monday reading Little House on Rocky Ridge — a book written for eight-year-olds. I actually went back and forth between the bible and War and Peace.

Before I was a Mom

Posted on May 19, 2009 by

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Just found this sweet poem — originally an e-mail forward — in Nadine Silverthorne’s column on SweetMama.ca, and thought I would share it with all of you mommies and future mommies …

Before I was a Mom,
I never tripped over toys
or forgot words to a lullaby.
I didn’t worry whether or not
my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom,
I had never been puked on.
Pooped on.
Chewed on.
Peed on.
I had complete control of my mind
and my thoughts.
I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom,
I never held down a screaming child
so doctors could do tests.
Or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night
watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom,
I never held a sleeping baby just because
I didn’t want to put him down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces
when I couldn’t stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so small
could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom,
I didn’t know the feeling of
having my heart outside my body.
I didn’t know how special it could feel
to feed a hungry baby.
I didn’t know that bond
between a mother and her child.
I didn’t know that something so small
could make me feel so important and happy.

Before I was a Mom,
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night
every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth,
the joy,
the love,
the heartache,
the wonderment
or the satisfaction of being a Mom.
I didn’t know I was capable of feeling so much,
before I was a Mom.

Two months from today! Yay!

Posted on May 19, 2009 by

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Best Friend’s wedding is in exactly two months! 

Everything is really coming together — she has her shoes, I have my shoes, we have shoes for the bridesmaids, her wedding lingerie, garter, etc. Hair appointments are booked for the big day.
And, of course — bonus — I am not pregnant, which means I will definitely be fitting into my sleek gown.
Two months, two months, two months!!!

I’m Heather Laura Clarke. I’m a writer living in beautiful Nova Scotia, I have a 15-year-old son and a 13-year-old daughter, I married my high school sweetheart, and this is the story of my handmade life.

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