Reading List 2015

2015 was a big year for us.  We made it through 35 more read alouds, most from our list of 100 Books to Read.  We discovered some great new series The Cricket in Times Square Series by George Selden, The Penderwick Series by Jeanne Birdsall, The Benedict Society Series by Trenton Lee Stewart and The Spiderwick Series by Holly Black & Tony DiTerlizzi.

We read books by our favorite authors, Kate DiCamillo, Roald Dahl, Beverly Cleary, & Judy Blume. We were introduced to some of our new favorite authors like Andrew Clements, Jerry Spinelli, & Christopher Paul Curtis.

I have loved discovering books that I have never heard of or having my opinion changed on books I was "judging by its cover."

I asked each of the boys what their favorite book that we read in 2015 was and this was what they each had to say.

Greyson: "There are so many good books.   You read so many great ones last year.  I am not sure how to choose.   I can't narrow it down to one.  My top three are Half-Magic, Bud, Not Buddy, & The Penderwicks.  I liked the adventures in all of these book. "

            

Lincoln: " Can I have more than one?  We read so many great books.  They keep getting better.  My three favorite were Bud, Not Buddy, Cricket in Times Square, and Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry.  I hope our books this year are even better, but I don't know how that could happen. "

                         

Britton: " My favorite was Trumpet of the Swan. I liked it because the swan had a real trumpet and then he would get in the pond.  It was funny."

                                              

I am excited to get to even more of the amazing books on our list.  There is just never enough time to read all the books I want to.  I would love to hear some of your favorite reads from the past year.


Books we read in 2015:


29. Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown
30. The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket
31. James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
32. Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
33. Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
34. Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard Atwater
35. Henry Huggins by Beverly Cleary
36. The Enormous Egg by Oliver Butterworth
37. The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart
38. Winnie-the-Pooh By A.A. Milne
39. How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell
40. Frindle by Andrew Clements
41. Ramona and her Mother by Beverly Cleary
42. Ramona Quimby, Age 8 by Beverly Cleary
43. Homer Price by Robert McCloskey
44. The Field Guide: Spiderwick Chronicles by Holly Black & Tony DiTerlizzi
45. The Tale of Desperaux by Kate DiCamillo
46. Pictures of Hollis Woods by Patricia Reilly Giff
47. My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George
48. Loser by Jerry Spinelli
49. Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
50. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor
51. Stuart's Cape by Sara Pennypacker
52. Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume
53. The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sister's, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy by Jeanne Birdsall
54. The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden
55. The Best Halloween Ever by Barbara Robinson
56. Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis
57. Runaway Ralph by Beverly Cleary
58. Half- Magic by Edward Eager
59. The Trumpet of the Swan by E. B. White
60. The Time-Wrap Trio: Knights of the Kitchen Table by Jon Sciezska
61. When Santa Fell to Earth by Cornelia Funke
62. Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary
63. The Last Holiday Concert by Andrew Clements

Chinese New Year 2016

After the Christmas season, a long winter vacation, and a hospital stay, I am back and ready to start blogging again.  I have a lot to catch up on, but I wanted to share our past couple weekends with you.
This year has been fun because the holidays, so far, have fallen on days that my husband is home from work.  He has been able to join in our holiday celebrations and it has been fun to show him how the boys and I celebrate.

First up...Chinese New Year.  The boys and I started off this holiday celebration by reading up on the history and traditions of this holiday.  We made paper lanterns, cut out Chinese symbols, and made a good luck ornament.  We also watched a couple short clips explaining what this holiday is all about.

Our CNY tradition for the past two years has been to go to the mall and get new shoes for the boys. We realized that we did the exact same thing last CNY.  My poor kid's feet were hurting and they desperately needed new tennis shoes.   When your kids wear flip flops all year long you lose track of whether their tennis shoes fit!  We also checked out the acrobats at the mall for the CNY performance. We didn't see any dragon dances this year, but we still remember the dragons from last year and they were a highlight of our celebration.

Dragons from last year 2015

After the mall, we came back home and prepared a feast.  We made lo mein, dumplings, spring rolls, pork buns, sweet & sour chicken, and Chinese donuts.  The boys finished out CNY by burning Joss Paper and sending wishes to family members who have passed away.  The boys are still waiting for their red envelopes though...

Wish you luck in the Year of the Monkey

猴年大吉

Inspirations: Chinese New Year Pinterest Page