a boy and his train

Wrapping up the Holiday Season with Electric Safari

This year our magical Electric Safari night came after Christmas. It was a great end to the holiday season! 

 

Shopping!

What a great Christmas present from Cousin Joe - Bree got to go shopping!

booklist 2012

2012 was a year of memoirs for me. I read 4 of them! (A lot for me in one year.) I enjoyed them all, and especially:

Operating Instructions: A Journal of My Son's First Year  by Anne Lamott

What struck me most about this book was Anne Lammott's complete honesty. We all have friends who are not afraid to say what they are thinking, and that is what this book was like for me, like getting into her head and innermost thoughts and nothing, nothing was sacred or unspeakable. Some things were laugh out loud funny, or achingly sad, or OMG I cannot believe she put that in print her son is going to READ this someday for crying out loud! It made me rethink about how open and honest I want to be with my children. (But maybe not quite that far!) I enjoyed this book for so many reasons. Of course there is the parenting aspect but also her views on faith and religion and strength and on how hard it is to say good-bye but how it is what we all will do. I look forward to reading more from Lamott. 

Committed: A Skeptic Makes Peace With Marriage by Elizabeth Gilbert

A very interesting work on the subject of marriage. I am a fan of Gilbert's work (Eat, Pray, Love is a favorite!) and enjoyed this one as well. Gilbert created a compelling blend of non-fiction research on marriage mixed with her personal story of love and separation due to politics. When the love of her life, Felipe, is detained at the American border, arrested, told he can never again enter America and returned to his native country Gilbert has some big decisions to make. This very much mirrored the experiences of my friend Corinne, whose own true love was stopped at our border and sent back to his native England. (In fact, my friend Corinne and the author, Elizabeth Gilbert, seem to have many shared experiences and would likely be good friends!)

Not a memoir, but another favorite from 2012:
 
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin
  I thoroughly enjoyed this magical story based a bit on Chinese fairytales with an adventure reminiscent of the Wizard of Oz. I read this book out loud to my 2nd grade class, my busy 2nd grade class, and even they sat spellbound as the tale of Minli unfolded. I would highly recommend this book! You may even discover the secret to happiness if you read it. This is one that is sticking with me and will be shared with many children that I will meet. I can't wait until my own are old enough to enjoy it and the lessons it shares! 

Erin's Book List 2012

23. Shanghai Girls by Lisa See

22. 1st to Die by James Patterson

21. When Teaching Gets Tough: Smart Ways to Reclaim Your Game by  Allen Mendler

20. Bereft by Chris Womersly

19. Word After Word After Word by Patricia McLaughlin

18. Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

17. The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls

16. Fairy Tale by Cyn Balog

15. Half Magic by Edward Eager

14. Poser: My Life in Twenty Three Yoga Poses by Clair Dederer

13. Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James

12. Teach Like a Champion: 49 Techniques That Put Students on the Path to College by Doug Lemov

11. Faithful Place (Dublin Murder Squad #3) by Tana French

10. The Shadows (The Books of Elsewhere #1) by Jacqueline West

9. One Thousand White Women: The Journals of May Dodd by Jim Fergus

8. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin

7. Operating Instructions: A Journal of My Son's First Year by Anne Lamott

6. Salem Falls by Jodi Picoult

5. Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo

4. The Trouble With Chickens by Doreen Cronin

3. Abandon (Abandon Trilogy #1) by Meg Cabot

2. The Borrowers (The Borrowers #1) by Mary Norton

1. Committed: A Skeptic Makes Peace With Marriage by Elizabeth Gilbert

In my classroom...

and for me, too.