600th Book!

Yesterday we finished our 600th chapter book. I should say at least our 600th book because there have been times along the way I've realized I had forgotten to include one on the list. I started reading chapter books at the very end of 2012 which means we've been enjoying chapter books together for almost 7.5 years. In the beginning I read all of the books to the kids, and then we also began listening to some audiobooks on CD from the library. About 3 years ago I started obtaining audiobooks from Audible now and then. One year ago we began listening to audiobooks through Hoopla, Overdrive, and RB digital through the Free Library in Philadelphia. I still occasionally read a chapter book aloud to the kids, but now the vast majority of the time we listen to audiobooks together. Usually we listen to audiobooks at meal times and when we are in the van for multiple hours. The kids and I have only been in a vehicle two times from March 21 to today because of COVID-19 so we definitely haven't been listening to audiobooks in a vehicle lately, but the kids have been doing jigsaw puzzles almost every day over the past few weeks, and we often listen to an audiobook while they are working on jigsaw puzzles. We primarily listen to novels, but our 600th book was a biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Some of the other biographies we've enjoyed thus far in 2020 have included Eric Liddell, Alan Shephard, Brother Andrew, Douglas MacArthur, Ronald Reagan, Milton Hershey, and Theodore Roosevelt. 31 of the 45 chapter books we've listened to so far in 2020 have been novels by Richard Peck, Christopher Paul Curtis, Jonathan Auxier, Kirby Larson, and Gary Schmidt. Book #601 is Ember's End by S.D. Smith which we finished today. If I were to select five of our favorites from the ones we've listened to in 2020, I'd pick A Night Divided by Jennifer Nielsen, Echo by Pam Munoz Ryan, Sweep, the story of a girl and her monster by Jonathan Auxier, Rascal: A Memoir of a Better Era by Sterling North, and Wednesday Wars by Gary Schmidt. This evening we started listening to Mary Poppins Comes Back. Ian can't wait until we start Sophie Quire and the Last Storyguard by Johnathan Auxier as he really enjoyed Peter Nimble and his fantastic eyes.

Yesterday was a very rainy day, so I decided to watch one episode of The Chosen with the kids as various people had recommended it to me (including Paul's brother). I think we will save the other seven episodes for rainy days. Today I was able to walk for 3 miles while Oliver was riding his bike. We have certain activities we do every day - play a game, listen to audiobooks, read picture books, etc. Nadia and Ian have been doing jigsaw puzzles every day. Ian did a 300 piece Pinocchio puzzle today, and Nadia did part of a 500 piece Winnie the Pooh puzzle. Nadia sometimes does one or two math lessons on Teaching Textbooks. Oliver usually reads to me. Ian and Nadia read every day. Nadia is currently reading the Princess Academy series by Shannon Hale, and Ian is reading an Olga da Polga book by Michael Bond. Ian practices the piano every day, and Nadia practices a few days a week. Yesterday we decided to start doing at least one Mad Lib together every day. The kids really enjoy them, and it's a fun way to review some parts of speech. We did several yesterday and several more today. We own quite a few Mad Lib books. Might as well put them to good use! The game Oliver played today with me was Monster Math, which was a great way to have him practice subtraction. Ian beat Nadia in chess while Oliver and I played Monster Math. I have warned the kids never to tell me they are bored. I can very easily come up with school work or chores for them to do!

Today was our last day in the red phase, presuming we're never put back in that phase. We still haven't heard if summer camps will be allowed in the yellow phase. Hopefully we'll find that out tomorrow. Nadia has invited two seventh grade girls over for a sleepover. It has been almost two months since she's seen any of her friends face-to-face. Hopefully her friends' parents will agree to let the girls come to our house.