Carpool Candy Reading List for 5-9 Year Olds

Posted on March 13, 2012 | 3 comments

I’m always looking for good books to read to my 6 and 8 year old boys. Some of my fondest childhood memories are of my father reading to me at night.  He always read in funny voices and chose books that sparked imagination. I remember describing what we thought Willie Wonka looked like, long before Johnny Depp and Tim Burton put their modern spin on it.

Maybe that’s why reading to my boys (ages 12, 8 and 6) is important to me. Ever since they were babies, I have been building a library and trying to steer them towards the classics like Big Red Barn, Make Way for Ducklings, and Charlotte’s Web. But sometimes your vision of your relationship with your kids does not mesh with reality. They are their own people with strong opinions, and one of the hardest lessons I’ve learned is how to let them be who they are, even if it means I have to read books about Dora, Star Wars, and Captain Underpants 7,000 times.

My oldest son, Jacob, is 12 and has not wanted to read with me since he was about 8, and able to take on chapter books without help. I mourned that shared time together when he told me he preferred to read on his own, and figured my younger boys would feel the same when they hit that age. So I was practically giddy when I realized my almost 9-year old, Aden, still loves to cuddle up to hear a story.

Six-year-old Eli likes to listen as well but his attention wanes more, especially since most of the books we read now have few pictures. He will wander in and out of the story but I’m always surprised by how much he retains.

I should tell you all my boys are little jocks and prefer to play, watch, and talk about sports ad nauseum, so they are much more likely to handle a ball than a book. But I require them to read at least three or four times a week and get great satisfaction when my kids read fiction.  We have compiled a terrific reading list this year that will appeal to both girls and boys between the ages of 5 and 9.

Consider this the beginning of my Carpool Candy Reading List. I hope to add to it whenever we take on a book that makes my kids ask to stay up late to read “just one more chapter.”

Because of Winn Dixie/Kate DiCamilo

One of my all-time fav stories about a lonely girl new to a small southern town who’s looking to make connections with people and is helped by a stray dog.  After you read the book, rent the movie, which we loved too.

Because of Winn-Dixie

 

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane/Kate DiCamilo

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

I know it’s the same author but she’s so nice you must read her twice. Actually, more than twice because most of her books are excellent. This one is about a stuffed rabbit who gets lost and passed on from one kid owner to another, learning what it is to love. (Caution: keep a hanky handy!)

The Invention of Hugo Chabret/Brian Selznick

The Invention of Hugo Cabret

A suspenseful story illustrated with beautiful drawings. Hugo is a young orphan living on his own in a Paris train station in the 1930’s. As all his secrets unfold– despite his lies and petty theft– you can’t help but root for him and his will to survive and follow his dreams.

Aesop’s Fables

Sometimes I don’t have the energy for a long chapter and just want to get to the couch, the DVR and the cookies waiting for me downstairs. These very short stories are great for kids who love animals, and they’re usually a little twisted, which makes them fun. They have also sparked interesting discussions about morals.

Please comment on the kids reading list and add your favorite books and the ages of your kids. I’d love to get some new recommendations. Happy reading!

 

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Posted in Kids Book Reviews

Kids’ Manners: This Battle Not Worth Picking

Posted on March 13, 2012 | Comments Off on Kids’ Manners: This Battle Not Worth Picking

It’s important to me that my children practice good manners, but it’s always a struggle. I was walking my friend, Sara, to the door the other day after a play date when she told her kids,” Say goodbye to Mrs. Lefferts…” Miraculously, they did.  Sara’s three polite children are 4, 6 and 8 years old. Mine are heathens.

I started thinking of how nice it was to see kids showing respect for adults, even if they were prodded. I thought– for a brief moment –that if my kids’ manners are a priority, maybe I should be telling them to use “Mr. and Mrs.” with all adults until they are asked to use a first name. But then I came to my senses and realized my animals are 12, 8 and 6 and the horse is out of the barn on that one.

It would be odd to give my kids that etiquette lesson at this point and now require them to start using titles with my friends. It’s probably not worth the rebellion and eye rolling that would ensue.

When I was growing up, we always called everyone Mr. and Mrs., even when they gave permission to be informal. But that was also when children should be seen and not heard all the time.  I distinctly remember my mother trotting my brother and me out in our “fancy” pajamas to go around and greet all their tipsy friends at their cocktail parties. We flashed a practiced grin and said a quick hello to Mr. and Mrs. SoandSo before disappearing back into the bedroom to our TV dinners and “Love Boat” episodes.

I have few friends whose children are as polite as Sara’s. Is it because we are progressive thinkers, or just too lazy to fight that fight? I’d like to think we’re more evolved parents now who don’t need such formalities. Actually, I rather like my friends’ kids calling me Brooke– it makes us feel like one big family.

So I’ll leave the notion of being Mrs. Lefferts aside, and focus on basic kid manners, like getting them to say please and thank you, and chewing with their mouths closed.

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The Tadpole: Easiest Family Pet

Posted on March 13, 2012 | 1 comment

If your kids are begging you for a pet and you’re not ready, or you want to test their responsibility with an animal, a tadpole is one of the easiest pets you can get.

Last June, my 8-year-old son, Aden, asked if he could bring home one of the tadpoles from his classroom tank. I told him no, knowing he would lose interest in a matter of days and I would be stuck caring for the squirmy thing.  I’m not sure if he tuned me out or overruled me completely but imagine my surprise when he exuberantly exited the bus on the last day of school with a tadpole swimming frantically around in a plastic bag.

Although I was annoyed, there was no turning back so I accepted our new amphibian and headed for the pet store. Apparently, there are two kinds of tadpoles: some turn into frogs, and others remain tadpoles forever.  Nine months later, I‘m guessing we got the kind that never becomes a frog, or this little guy is taking his sweet time.

Aden named him/her (we’re not sure which) Caroline and “she” lives in a small plastic tank on our kitchen windowsill.  The pet storeowner told us she would need something in the tank if she turned into a frog, so she could climb on and breath above the open air. We had an old plastic shark from a departed goldfish’s tank so that’s all the diversion Caroline enjoys, besides watching us humans rush around.

While I resented her presence a bit in the beginning– because I am the only one that cares for her—I’ve now come to love that easy tadpole.  She is certainly the most appreciative and low maintenance creature in our house.  I try to feed her fish food flakes every other day, but when I forget for days, she doesn’t complain.  I attempt to clean her tank twice a month but sometimes I’ll look over and she’s swimming through green goop like it’s no big deal. The kids love watching her grow and change, and even if she never becomes a frog, the anticipation is a draw.

She ain’t pretty. She has a froglike face but never lost her long tail and has these tiny, deformed looking feet that don’t seem to serve any purpose. But we love her just the same.

At least once a week I am convinced she’s dead because she can float so still for hours, but she’s a survivor. There was an email chain going around among the parents in Aden’s class throughout the summer with detailed updates on the development of each tadpole as they turned into frogs. But by the end of the summer, the emails stopped and it seems almost every one of the other tadpoles had not made it to September.

The pet storeowner told me to only fill her tank with bottled water at room temperature because there was something in the tap water that wasn’t good for tadpoles.  Perhaps the other owners didn’t get that tip. But I’d like to believe our Caroline is special.

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Caroline the tadpole

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Caroline loves her fish food

Next time your child wants a pet, be a hero and say yes to an easy tadpole. Your kid will thank you and then you can thank me.

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Lindsay Lohan Misses as SNL Host

Posted on March 11, 2012 | Comments Off on Lindsay Lohan Misses as SNL Host

NBCUniversal/Getty Images

Really Lindsay Lohan? It’s sad enough that you‘re having a “comeback” at 25, but you chose to do it on “Saturday Night Live?” Last weekend’s hosting gig did not say, “I’m back and better than ever!” More like, “I made it here, be gentle while I muddle through this.”

What happened to that child actress bursting with talent and promise? We only know what we read and see, but if even half of it’s true, you were let down by your attention-seeking, narcissistic parents and a circle of “friends” and handlers who encouraged you to keep partying, despite numerous attempts at rehab and the demise of your once shiny career.

You became a late night comedy punch line (even for SNL) with your endless tabloid escapades, frequent arrests, and dramatic court appearances. But lately you’ve laid low and we were hopeful you were getting healthy. You told Matt Lauer on “Today” last week that you’re making better choices and looking forward to working again.

The problem is, I still don’t believe you, Lindsay. First off, you don’t appear healthy. The over-bleached, extension-tangled blond hair is not doing you any favors. Why not go back to those beautiful auburn tresses that made you famous and brought out your blue eyes? A return to red may remind people why they always rooted for your clever, precocious movie characters. Stop plumping up your lips and wearing too much makeup —you’re 25! Embrace your inner ingénue! You look like you need a fruit smoothie and about two months of sleep.

Secondly, you don’t seem to be making smart decisions. If you’re going to reenter the snake pit that is Hollywood, was  hosting “SNL” the wisest choice? “SNL” host duties require amazing timing, comic chops, and an insane level of self-confidence. Some talented people have bombed on that show (January Jones anyone?) even without all the personal problems and media hype leading into it.

Kudos for being able to laugh at yourself during the self-deprecating opening monologue, but beyond that, your performances lacked any spark or humor. You were clearly relying on cue cards and looked like you were just trying to get to the after party. I don’t even remember seeing you smile.

My advice (not that you asked!) is to give the hosting “SNL” gig a rest and spend a month at Canyon Ranch spa, getting facials, exercising, sleeping, meditating, and attending self-help lectures. Determine what kind of performer you want to be and then start working at it as if you were brand new to the game. The hard work and hustle will be good for you and will lend itself to a great Barbara Walters piece when your real comeback role gets nominated for an Oscar. I think you have it in you Lindsay. But you have to believe it too.

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“Modern Family” Menstruation Episode Strikes a Chord

Posted on March 6, 2012 | 2 comments

ABC’s “Modern Family” 

Another clever “Modern Family” episode this week took on how synchronized menstrual cycles among women in the family affect everyone’s mood.  Daffy Phil wanted to swing on a trapeze to celebrate Leap Day. But Claire and the girls –- who all happened to be menstruating at the same time of the month—couldn’t stop alternatively weeping and bursting with anger.

Phil goes to crazy lengths (surprise, surprise!) to avoid the cycling psychos, which only gets him in trouble.  The ladies just want a little empathy, that’s all. Jeez.

The best part of the Leap Day episode was watching it with wide-eyed Wilson who wasn’t sure if it was okay to laugh at the funny parts. He kept looking over at me timidly, and I could see him trying to determine whether I would giggle or rip his head off.

You see, Wilson shares some of Phil’s fears when I get my monthly gift.  Unlike Phil, I live in a house of men, which often smells like a locker room.  When my menstrual cycle is peaking I’m feeling erratic and emotional, they look at me like I am Medusa: a screaming insanely angry mythical creature with live, hissing, spitting snakes for hair.  That’s not empathy.

Wilson grew up in a male-dominated house and although we’ve been cohabitating for nearly 14 years, he still has no idea how to live with a woman.  We all have our quirks.  One of the reasons I married him is because he was a manly man. It’s also the thing that makes me want to throttle him.

But only once a month.

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Introducing…..Wilson (and Me)

Posted on March 6, 2012 | 3 comments

I’m Brooke and this is my blog. My life is full of contradictions, which provide a lot of material. I’ll explore the challenges of raising three spirited boys (and a husband) obsessed with sports and winning, though I’d much prefer to discuss “Downton Abbey” than a first down in football.

I’ll comment on the irony of moving to suburbia to raise kids after a lifetime of city living without a driver’s license. I’ll write about the illusive “work-life balance” after quitting my job as a TV news producer to spend more time with my kids, and discovering being at home full-time with 3 kids is harder than producing live shots during a hurricane. (Now I work part-time in NYC and freelance write from home in between carpool, preparing meals, and monitoring Netflix and Xbox time.)

Are you in?

I’m also a disciple of pop culture. I watch entirely too much TV, am in two book clubs, listen to hours of podcasts, and try to get to the movies before the Oscars. In this space I will comment on my favorite media moments and culture trends.

I’ll reveal details about my three boys: Jacob (15), Aden (12) and Eli (9) that will certainly humiliate them if their future partners ever get a hold of these posts. But my husband is a loyal and low-key guy so I’m going to try to avoid writing about him whenever possible. He prefers it that way.

Remember Tim Allen’s neighbor in the 80’s sitcom “Home Improvement?” His name was Wilson and he always gave Tim great advice and support, but you never saw his face behind that tall picket fence.  Wilson was also the painted volleyball companion to Tom Hanks’ character in “Castaway.”  That guy didn’t say much either, but he was the rock in that relationship. So I’m going to refer to my husband as Wilson from now on.

I hope this is the beginning of a long and happy conversation.

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