A conversation with Willie the Cat

It’s 5:15 am. Willie the cat is sitting on me as I huddle under the blankets and try to ignore him.

Willie: Hey. You. Get up. I’m hungry.

Me: Ugh, Willie. Go back to sleep. It’s early.

Willie: You have to get up. I heard you shifting. I know you’re awake.

Me: Willie, the alarm won’t even go off for 15 more minutes. Get off me.

Willie: You said I don’t cuddle enough. I’m cuddling.

Me: You’re not cuddling, you’re pestering. Cuddling happens when I’m awake and feel like petting you. This is not cuddling.

Willie: Feed me.

Me: Listen, you’re a nice cat. I never thought I’d like a cat as much as I like you. You’ve really grown on me in the past couple of months. But seriously, it’s a quarter after five in the morning. Go away.

Willie: If you don’t feed me, I won’t pose for any more pictures.

291:365 Yawn!

Me: I don’t care, I’ve already got half a dozen pictures of you for sale on Getty Images. I don’t need more. What I need is sleep. Please?

Willie: I’m bored. I think I’ll chase this random bit of plastic around under your bed for a while. Don’t you love that skittering noise? Oh, and don’t bother getting up to take it away from me, because I have twenty more pieces just like it stashed all over the house.

Me: Speaking of stashed, could you please stop stealing the kids’ stuffed animals? You get them all slobbery and full of dog hair when you carry them around the house.

Willie: It’s not my fault your dog is a giant shedding hair ball.

Me: Willie, please? Go play with the boys, I’m sure they’d love to be woken up by your adorableness.

Willie: It’s more fun aggravating you.

Me: Clearly. So listen, since I’m up anyway, can we talk about the Christmas tree? I’ve survived three kids’ worth of toddler years and I’ve never yet had a Christmas tree come down. And yet, I’m thinking we may have a problem this year.

Willie: What kind of problem? Lucas is old enough to know not to touch the tree.

Me: Um, yeah. It’s not Lucas, it’s you I’m worried about.

Willie: Me?

Me: Yeah. Like how you like to knock things over? And how you chase shiny things? And steal stuff? And climb things? And chew through cardboard?

Willie: I’m not getting you.

Me: Willie, we are seriously afraid to put up the Christmas tree this year. You’re a menace without a giant tree full of breakables in the middle of the living room.

Willie: You keep your breakable ornaments on a shelf.

Me: Yeah, but I was hoping this would be the year I get to actually put them on the tree, yanno?

Willie: You’ve got three rambunctious boys and you think the cat is going to be the one who brings down the tree?

Me: Okay, you can have that one. But even as toddlers, the boys didn’t climb up on the shelves and purposefully knock things off of them — something you have been known to do.

Willie: See, it doesn’t really matter where you put them. So I can perch in the tree, right?

Me: Oy. I’m going back to sleep…

Willie: Good luck with that. Don’t mind me, I’m just gonna sit here and bat books off the shelf and onto the bed until you get up and feed me.

Me: *whimper*

Edited to add: Ha! From Vanessa’s comment below – yeah, this:

Quick and easy tips for taking great holiday card photos of your kids

Last week, I hauled out the Santa hats for our annual Christmas card shoot. The boys recognize this tradition, and are wonderfully patient subjects. It was getting dark quickly, but the sun was perfectly screened by light cloud cover and the light on the porch was lovely when I got a few good shots. This isn’t the best of the lot, but it is my favourite of the outtakes.

336:365 Christmas card outtake

Here’s the official portraits from 2009 and 2010, too!

Merry Christmas 2009Happy Christmas

(Ha, I just realized that they’re in exactly the same seating arrangement for all three pictures — complete coincidence!)

With a little bit of patience, you too can take great pictures of your kids (no, really!) for your own holiday cards. Here’s a few tips:

– work with them when they’re at their best. Full bellies, post-nap, playful mood and nobody in a rush. Also, a calm photographer goes a long way towards making kids calm, so don’t try to cram a session in while the spaghetti is boiling over or you’ve only got 10 minutes before you have to leave for hockey practice.

– be playful. Tell the kids a knock-knock joke, and snap pictures between the responses. Make funny noises. Make funny faces. Genuine laughs are way more beautiful than what a six year old boy *thinks* a smile is supposed to look like.

– get in close. Fill the frame with the kids, or even just their faces. Also, try avoid shooting down at them. Get yourself to face level or even shooting slightly up at them.

– look for the best light – and turn OFF the pop-up flash on your camera. This is the dimmest part of the year, so good natural light is hard to come by — but it’s worth hunting for! Think about shooting with an open door or window behind you (but watch out for your shadow) or shoot beside a big window or patio door. Soft, diffuse light is better than direct light, though. (Oh, so many rules!) If you’re outside on a bright day, look for open shade with bright light nearby.

– try to capture catchlights in their eyes. Catchlights are those bright points of light that bring sparkle to the eyes, and are either a reflection of the light source itself or a large surface of light like an open window or bright patch of floor. Catchlights are so important that Photoshop books will teach you how to fake them, but it’s better if you can just and capture them.

– avoid having the kids look at the camera and say cheese. Nothing spoils a good photo faster, IMHO! Catch them interacting with each other, with a favourite toy or book, or even interacting with you — but no canned cheese smiles, please!

– give the kids some control. Tell them that once you get a couple of shots you’re happy with, they can do a funny-face one, or one with everyone doing rabbit-ears, or whatever it is that they’re trying to do that you don’t want to send to all 150 people on your greeting card mailing list.

– think about what they’ll be wearing and try to coordinate the colours. They don’t have to be matchy-matchy, but think about having a bit of one colour on each person, or complimentary colours. Or go for matching props, like with my precious Santa hats, or maybe matching mitts or scarves. Unity is good, cloning is not.

This year, I’m feeling mildly guilty that I chose to print flat, single-sided hoilday cards — preprinted with a greeting and our names, no less! — rather than the folded cards that I’ve personalized by hand in prior years. And I had even had grand designs of creating my own template from scratch at one rather optimistic point back in September, but have defaulted to one of Costco’s templates. I feel like such a slacker!

But at least I had the photos taken and the cards ordered before the end of November. I think that’s a new speed record for me! Now it just remains to be seen if I’m organized enough to send them out this year…

Project 365: Heading into the home stretch!

I can’t believe I’ve got more than 90 per cent of my second 365 project in the can. Did this year just fly by or what?

This week’s pictures are all over the map. Actually, that’s not quite true — they were all taken within or around Manotick. But I couldn’t really come up with any sort of cohesive theme outside of “I really don’t have time for Project 365 this week!”

I like it best when cuteness asserts itself for the photographic taking, like when Willie hopped up onto the table to try to entice Tristan away from his homework. I thought him settling in on the Petit Robert was pretty cute, but the yawn was an unexpected bonus that I just happened to be ready to catch.

333:365 Homework is boring

I tried to play with a longer exposure and pan the camera with the movement of these geese, but I’m not thrilled with the result. It was an idea better in concept than execution, I think, but it was the best of the lot and I didn’t have any other pictures for the day. It was fun spooking a giant flock of geese into flight just by stopping by the side of the road, though!

335:365 Goose pan (as opposed to goose in the pan)

When I saw this stump with its little ecosystem, it looked like a faerie playground to me. 🙂

330:365 Fairy playground

And then we had snow! I was pretty excited to see how much snow fell when we woke up on Wednesday — and by the time we got everyone into their boots and ski pants and scarves and hats, I was pretty much done with winter. Lucas seemed plenty perplexed by the white stuff!

334:365 First snowfall

I’ve been playing a lot with textures lately, and I really love the effects from the Spring Painterly sets from Flypaper Textures. I love how the brush strokes and deep blue hues transformed this rather mundane photo into something moody and a little mysterious. I’m really pleased with this one!

331:365 Blue hour at the farm

I used another texture from the Spring Painterly set to enhance this picture of some fall berries.

332:365 Orange and red berries

And last but definitely not least — yes, it’s that time of year again! We hauled out the Santa hats and turned the porch into a portrait studio again. This one is one of the outtakes, but I like the expressions on their faces and the interaction.

336:365 Christmas card outtake

At the end of the day, they’re still my very favourite subjects to photograph. 🙂

Free information session for parents: CHEO Connects

I received this information about a great series of information sessions put together by the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) and I thought I’d pass the information along to you.

CHEO Connects is a free information series for parents in the community, providing trusted information and access to local experts. There will be six evening events rolled out over the 2011/2012 school year — each covering both physical and mental health topics for a specific age group.

Each CHEO Connects session will help parents focus on key such things, including: What is “normal” for this age group? What are the biggest red flags I should watch out for? What I can do to help make a difference? CHEO experts will be on hand to answer questions.

This Monday, November 28 2011, the session focuses on 6 to 9 year olds. The sessions begin at 7 pm at the Adult High School (300 Rochester at Gladstone) and you can choose two of the following breakout sessions to attend:

Self Esteem, Friendships and Social Skills: What You Need to Help Your Child – Dr. Simone Kortstee
How can we help our children accept themselves and be confident in who they are? What can we as parents say and do to help them get along with others without losing themselves? In developing more independent friendships, what do our children need to know about peer pressure and bullying?

Helping your 6 to 9 year old develop skills for co-operation and self-management – Dr. Virginia Bourget
At this age, children develop increasingly effective executive function skills. Learn to understand and facilitate the abilities that will allow your child to regulate his/her emotions and behaviour with growing independence. Parental strategies for those times when adults and children can’t seem to agree will also be discussed.

Depression and Anxiety in Children: Tips and Tools – Dr. Marjorie Robb
With all the changes that children 6 to 9 experience, some stress and anxiety is to be expected. Children become more independent, and school and friends start playing a more important role. This presentation will look at signs and symptoms of depression and anxiety in children with an emphasis on “red flags” that parents should be aware of and suggestions about first steps to take in responding.

Healthy Activity and Balance! Can We Do Everything Well? – Dr. Annick Buchholz. Dr. Laurie Clark, Kelly Hefferman, RD
Healthy active living begins in childhood and carries on into our lives as adults. How can parents ensure a balance amongst school demands, extra-curricular activities, eating and sleeping? This session will review suggestions for how to help create balance in our children’s daily activities in order to promote physical and mental health.

This sounds like an amazing resource, doesn’t it? You can get more information on the CHEO Connects Web site.

Fisher-Price Holiday Gift Guide Part 1: Ages 6 and up

It’s only in the last year of blogging with Fisher-Price that I realized how many of the toys and product lines we already love come from them. One of my concerns when I first started blogging with the PlayPanel was that the big boys might feel excluded, as in my mind Fisher-Price had the best baby gear, and great toys for babies and preschoolers — but I wasn’t sure what they’d have for school-age kids.

Well, I needn’t have been concerned. With great product lines like Imaginext, Hot Wheels, and Rescue Heroes, there are great toys for every age and stage. Here’s my top five recommendations for toys for kids ages six and up from the Fisher-Price catalogue. (Note: Although I am compensated for my participation in the Fisher-Price playpanel group, this post is written purely on my own initiative, and all opinions expressed here are entirely my own.)

1. The Kid-Tough Digital Camera
All three of my boys love our Fisher-Price Kid-Tough Digital Camera. I gave up putting it away, because it migrates out into our living spaces so often. Now it resides, just like Mom’s camera, casually on the nearest flat surface, so it’s always within arm’s reach. I wrote a tongue-in-cheek review of this camera here, but no joke – it really does make a fantastic gift. I think it’s my top toy recommendation this year! (Edited to add: I almost forgot to mention that the most fun part of the camera for an older child is the free downloadable digital studio software. Super-easy to use, and the kids have fun adding mustaches and frames to their pictures!)

Photographer-in-training

2. The Imaginext DC Super Friends Batcave
We bought an earlier version of the Imaginext Batcave for Simon quite a few years ago, and we laughed the whole of Christmas Eve at how entranced then 18-month-old Lucas was by it. Even now, it’s a favourite toy for all of them. It’s got action heroes (kids love superheroes!) and moving parts and it also makes a great clubhouse for your Smurf collection. (Well, that one may be unique to us.) Regardless, I think this is a fun toy, and it’s HUGE, which may be either a pro or con in your books. This is one, though, that you won’t resent for the space it takes up, because the kids play with it so often. Three years later, and this one is still in heavy rotation!

Batman!

3. The Big Action Construction Set with Remote Control
Remote control. Need I say more? The Big Action Construction Set is solidly-built, doesn’t get stuck where the hardwood meets the shag carpet, and happily bounces down the stairs and keeps on ticking. This is a fun set that’s easy for little fingers to manipulate but entertaining for bigger kids who love trucks and heavy machinery.

4. Hot Wheels Trio Super-Stunt Builder
I’ve yet to meet a boy who didn’t like building toys or race cars. This ingenious set combines the best of both worlds. The Hot Wheels Trio Super-Stunt Builder set is a great twist on the classic Hot Wheels set, because you can build and rebuild the set into any configuration that suits your fancy using Trio’s colourful and easy to snap-together and pull apart blocks. You’ll see based on all five of these recommendations that I’m a big fan of toys that allow room for imagination and creativity — this one combines that with a little boy’s need for speed. Another great gift suggestion!

FP Trio Hotwheels 2

5. Kid-Tough Walkie Talkies
Walkie-talkies are such a classic toy, aren’t they? Give two boys a set of walkie-talkies and they’re cops, then they’re truckers on the long haul, then they’re Mission Control and an astronaut in orbit. These are solidly built, easy for little fingers to use (these seems to be emerging as key criteria for success in this review – and Fisher-Price excels on both counts!) , have a decent broadcast reach, and are another toy that’s great for stimulating active, creative play.

Okay, so it occurs to me that there is a definite gender bias in my recommendations, and they’re clearly geared towards little boys — although most little girls I know would happily play with a lot of these toys! I’m at a disadvantage here, as I can only authentically recommend toys for boys with any sort of expertise. Care to add in your suggestions for girls? Bonus points if you found it in the Fisher-Price gift catalogue! (Or, you can always use the Fisher-Price toy finder tool.)

(Disclosure: I’m part of the Fisher-Price Play Panel and I receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this group. However, as always, the opinions on this blog are entirely my own.)

Holiday countdown!

With the last of the leaves of the season finally (mostly) raked up and bagged, I could finally turn my attention to decorating the porch this weekend. I swear, I have as much fun (and take as much time!) decorating the porch as I do the inside of the house. It takes a long time to hang 25 feet of garland, lights and balls and affix them firmly enough that they don’t blow away before spring thaw!!

2:365 8 hrs of Christmas 1 pm

And with that, I officially give myself permission to start getting excited about the holidays! I feel like I’m a wee bit ahead of the curve this year, but I’m sure whatever lead on the season I have now will be lost by mid-December. I’ve got the fixin’s for my famous shortbread and peanut brittle in the cupboard, and I bought a new set of cookie cutters so we could try one of those stacked-stars-into-a-Christmas-tree thingees this year. I’ve got some wrapping paper and tags stashed away, and I’ve even started my Christmas shopping. Yay!

Have you started your Christmas shopping yet? Are you an online shopper, or do you still prefer to head out to the shops? I was quite pleased with myself on the weekend when I knocked off a good chunk of my to-do list with two online stores and a visit to the Third World Bazaar sale here in Manotick. What a great selection they had this year!

If you’re an online shopper, you might enjoy this. As you know, I’m blogging for Fisher-Price this year, and Mattel is pleased to offer this online gift-finder. Or, if you’re more of a hands-on shopper, the Mattel Holiday helpers will be at various stores this Christmas season providing useful advice on appropriate toys for kids of all ages. If you’re in the Ottawa area, you can visit them on the following dates and locations:

  • November 24 – 25, Zellers at Place d’Orleans
  • November 26 – 27, Zellers at Billings Bridge
  • December 3 – 4, Sears at Rideau Centre
  • December 10 – 11, Sears at St Laurent Shopping Centre
  • December 15 – 16, Zellers at Bayshore Shopping Centre
  • December 17 – 18, Zellers at Hazeldean Mall

Mattel has also partnered with Holiday Helper Tarra Stubbins, a professional organizer. Mattel’s partnership with Tarra gives consumers access to expert shopping and organizational advice this holiday season on a series of YTV vignettes and on Mattel’s Facebook page. Mattel’s Holiday Helper will give families everywhere tips for holiday travel with the kids, efficient shopping strategy and advice for gift-giving.

Between now and Christmas, I’ll write a couple of posts with my recommendations for some of the best toys and gear I’ve seen this year with Fisher-Price. I’ll start this week with my favourite ideas for older kids, and we’ll work our way down to the wee ones. Sound good?

In the meantime, tell me: are you feeling the holiday spirit yet? Are you like me, a bit of a kid who delights in the anticipation? Or are you dreading the extra work you’ll have between now and the end of the year? What do you do that makes you feel like Christmas is finally on the way?

Disclosure: I am part of the Fisher-Price Play Panel and I receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this group. The opinions on this blog are my own.

Project 365: Natural beauties

It seems I’m doing most of my picture-taking at sunrise and sunset these days. Not really surprising, since they bookend the work day, and with continuing mild temperatures, dusk and dawn are pleasant times to be out hunting for interesting shots.

These spiky, weedy things, for example. I have no idea what they are, but they make an interesting silhouette in front of the rising sun, don’t you think?

326:365 Picky

And this one, too. The morning sun blazing through a couple of branches and falling on some but not all of the leaves made an interesting composition early one morning. Tip: look for triangles when you’re composing your photographs — threes and triangles always seem to have extra visual appeal. Why do you think I had three boys? 😉

327:365 Sunrise in the forest

This is a sunny beauty of another sort. May you find in your life the joy of being three years old and on a swing!

325:365 Luke on the swing

I am drawn to old barns, especially the really decrepit ones. I couldn’t get far enough back to get all of this one in the frame without falling in the ditch on the other side of the road (apparently there *is* a limit to how far I’ll go to chase a picture!) so I’m not entirely satisfied with this one — but it’s close enough.

324:365 Barn in B&W

I took this one last weekend when we visited my brother’s family. It always warms my heart to see the boys interacting with my parents.

323:365 Lucas and Papa Lou

With this long, lovely and mild autumn, I’ve been slow to get all the leaves raked up. I’d stuffed more than 20 bags myself over a couple of weeks when I finally bribed enlisted the boys to help me. I filled another three while they jumped and tossed and eventually filled this one. With nearly 30 bags filled, I think we’re finally ready for the inevitable snowfall.

328:365 Leaf slaves

Speaking of snow, how do you like these spectacular squall clouds? As I was driving home on Thursday, I was on the lookout for the perfect foreground for these towering snow clouds, and when I saw the baled hay in this field I knew it was perfect. (I’d stopped and taken quite a few others, but I love how the light behind me makes the field golden, and how those giant clouds dwarf the huge trees in the foreground.) Ian Black featured this photograph on his weather report on the CBC Ottawa news on Friday night. 🙂

327:365 Snow clouds coming in

Not long now and you’ll be seeing a lot of snow pictures, I think. How much longer can this blissfully mild autumn interlude last?

Seven days of free family fun in Ottawa!

This week, CBC Ottawa has been doing a series on savvy spenders, featuring ways to save on your groceries and on your clothing budget. And today, they’ll be airing a segment on free activities for families in Ottawa — featuring me and the whole family! It’s been about three years since I wrote what was to become one of my most popular posts: 40 (mostly) free family fun ideas, the post that caught CBC’s eye. I’ve updated it a few times, but I thought it would suit the theme of the CBC segment to repackage it as the story was originally pitched: seven ideas for seven days of free family fun in Ottawa.

Day 1: Be a tourist in your own town

When’s the last time you went up the Peace Tower? Walked around the paths between the Ottawa river and Parliament Hill? Said hello to the feral cat colony near the West Block? Visited Maman the Spider? (And now there’s a brand new Haida totem pole right across the street from Maman.) Not too long now and you can bring your skates for a trip down our very own UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Rideau Canal.

298:365 Peace Tower

Day 2: Visit the RCMP Stables

We still haven’t gotten around to this one, but it’s definitely on my list! At the RCMP Stables and Musical Ride Centre, you can meet the majestic horses and be charmed by their beauty and friendly temperaments, tour the stables where the training begins, stop by the Riding School, visit the farrier station and see the stately carriages used in royal escorts of Her Majesty the Queen.

Day 3: Enjoy free City of Ottawa programs

Did you know the city of Ottawa offers 247 (!) free outdoor skating rinks — or at least they will if this absurdly warm fall ever gives way to winter. And there are dozens of free splash pads and wading pools for free family fun in the summertime.

Day 4: Find freebies galore at the Ottawa Public Library

Everybody knows you can get books for free at the library, and most people know you can now borrow music on CD and movies on DVD. But did you know you can also borrow Wii, Playstation and Xbox games? After all those video games, you might also want to borrow a pedometer! Or how about museum passes for family admission to the National Gallery, Museum of Science and Technology or the Museum of Nature or even a three-in-one pass for the War Museum, the Museum of Civilization and the Canadian Children’s Museum? And that’s not even mentioning all the cool stuff you can download for your handheld devices! Phew!

Day 5: Go for a nature walk

Ottawa is criss-crossed and surrounded by gorgeous open spaces with easy walking paths perfect for families and even easily negotiated with strollers. Stop at the Bulk Barn and invest 35 cents for a big bag of bird seed, then head out to Mer Bleu Bog in the east, Hog’s Back trail in the middle of town, the Stony Swamp in the west and spend some time feeding the chickadees. Simply put a little seed in your hand and the chickadees will land on your fingers to feed — I’ve yet to meet a kid or adult who wasn’t charmed by this one!

278:365 My little chickadee

Day 6: Take advantage of free museum days

Starting in December through the winter months, the animal barns at the Agriculture Museum (aka the Experimental Farm) are open on a pay-what-you-can basis. And the fabulous Children’s Museum at the Canadian Museum of Civilization and the National Gallery are both free on Thursdays after 5 pm.

Day 7: Visit free local attractions

Did you know that Watson’s Mill in Manotick is haunted by the bride of the first owner, killed tragically just days after the Mill opened in 1851? Or that there is a free Currency Museum in the heart of downtown Ottawa? Other free local attractions include the Nepean Museum, Pinhey’s Point (admission by donation), the Goulbourn Museum, the Osgoode Township Historical Society and Museum, and Vanier’s Museopark.

14:365 The Haunted Mill

Isn’t that amazing? So entertaining the family doesn’t have to break the bank! If you’re looking for more ideas for free or inexpensive family fun in Ottawa, try these posts for some ideas. And please do feel free to share your ideas for frugal family fun in Ottawa in the comment box!

Wahoo, made my first sale on Getty Images!

As I mentioned this summer, I’ve been invited to license some of my pictures as stock photography with Getty Images. I was really excited to get the invitation, but it’s been a very s-l-o-w process just to get the invited pictures up on the Getty site and ready for sale.

First, an image has to be invited. You can suggest some images for invitation, but Getty seems to be fairly choosy. Once they issue an invitation, the images go through a review process, which takes a week or two, and then it takes another six weeks or so for the images to have keywords added to them. (Without the keywords, there’s no way for a buyer to find your image, let alone license it.) So really, although I was invited to join in late July, you couldn’t actually find any of my images in the Getty database until mid-September or so. The statements are issued late in the month for the previous month, so the first month I could have possibly seen any sales would have been last month — and there were none.

In the interim, I’ve had a bunch of images invited. In fact, I currently have 85 images either available for license, in review, or waiting for keywords. Here’s the full set of what’s available today (and I’m pretty sure I have another dozen or so pending.)

Getty collection Nov 11

(They’re in the order they were invited, more or less, so the ones near the bottom haven’t yet been processed or had their keywords added. The first 40ish or so are read to go, though!)

So anyway, I’ve invested hours of time thus far. What seemed to be an easy way to make some pocket cash has turn into a bit of an obsession, what with the submitting images for review, and preparing the selected ones, and hearing the success stories of other Getty contributors. (There’s a thread on the Getty Images contributor forum that talks about book covers, and I read it with a fierce sort of covetousness. How awesome would that be, to have one of your pictures turned into a book cover?!?)

Well, I doubt it will be a book cover, but I found out this week that I made my first official sale through Getty last month. Someone in the USA licensed this picture, one of the handful of pictures that were included in my initial invitation to join Getty Images:

199:365 Katie and Willie, the love story continues...

Heh, pretty good one, eh? It still makes me chuckle, and now even moreso! I have no idea for what purpose it will be used, and will likely never find out. But I’m tickled that it’s out there somewhere, and someone paid $120 to license it!

My cut is $24, which goes a good way to covering the shelter fee we forked out to adopt the tabby-striped menace in the first place! 🙂

Five great books to read aloud to boys

One of the great pleasures of my day is reading out loud to the boys at bedtime. Beloved and I take turns; one night I’ll read to Lucas and he’ll read to Tristan and Simon, and then we’ll switch. Lately, Tristan and Simon and I have taken to sharing some of the reading – they’ll read a page or two each, and then I’ll read the rest. It’s been a great way to (a) keep them engaged in the story, (b) share the love of reading and (c) monitor their reading progress.

438:1000 Book club

We’ve been all over the map with our book choices, from JK Rowling to Dave Barry to Judy Blume, and we’re always looking for new suggestions, so I thought I’d share some of our recent favourites. By the way, I called this post “five great books to read aloud to boys” intentionally — while I’m sure that many girls (myself included!) would enjoy these books, I think it’s a little harder to engage boys in reading and these ones have done that well.

1. Peter and the Starcatchers – Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson

This is a wonderful book to read out loud – the language just flows, the dialogue is engaging, and the story is a real page-turner. When I was reading it to the boys this summer, they’d ask me to start reading a little earlier than usual so we could read more, and we’d sit on the porch in the receding light to enjoy it. It’s a quirky, imaginative twist on the Peter Pan story, written by humourist and columnist Dave Barry. There are three more books in this series, and I look forward to working our way through all of them.

2. Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing – Judy Blume

I read this when I was Tristan’s age, back when I devoured everything Judy Blume had written. Although some of the references are a little dated, the boys loved the interaction between 9 year old Peter, his pesky younger brother Fudge and their baby sister. There are now five books in this series, and we worked our way through all of them this summer. Simon especially seemed to love the antics of Fudge – more than one allusion from Fudge to Lucas was drawn! This one is impressively engaging for a 40 year old novel.

3. The Hobbit – JRR Tolkien

I tried to read Lord of the Rings several times in my life. I’d pick it up, put it down. Pick it up, put it down. I loved the mythology (I taught myself Tolkien’s rune alphabet when I was in highschool and used to write notes to friends using it) and loved the movies, but the books — ugh. I just couldn’t get through those pages and pages of Hobbit geneology. But The Hobbit itself? Love it. It’s the perfect quest novel – a diminutive hero, mythical and mysterious creatures, battles, treasure. What more could a young boy want? We’re about 1/3 of the way in right now, and although Simon was a little reluctant at first, I had them both sitting on the edge of the bed last night trying to figure out the riddles that Gollum and Bilbo were trading. (Tristan dropped my jaw by figuring out a few of them as I was reading, and then made up his own rhyming riddle on the spot!) Did you know Peter Jackson is filming a version of the Hobbit? It’s due to be released next year.

4. Percy Jackson books – Rick Riordan

I can’t personally testify to these books, as its Beloved who has been working through them with the boys since last Christmas. All three of them love the series, based largely in the world of Greek mythology. In fact, Beloved and I have occasionally bartered for more reading time when he was reading Percy Jackson and I was reading Peter and the Starcatchers — we each wanted to know what was going to happen next in our respective stories.

5. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone

We read the first book in the series earlier this year, and the boys loved it. I know the books get darker as the series progresses, but I find the first few books to be perfect for where they are right now. Given that it takes a month or so for us to read the average novel (I had to renew Peter and the Starcatchers three times from the library and still incurred a few days of late charges to wade through all 480 pages, and that was an easy read!) I figure by the time we work our way up to Deathly Hallows the boys will be in their teens anyway! I’m trying to read them each book before we watch the movies, but they’ve already seen The Chamber of Secrets — I’ve got some catching up to do!

Clearly, we have a fondness for science fiction and fantasy in our reading material! So, Christmas book-giving season is nearly upon us — what books are on your kids’ wish-lists this year? (Stand by for five more book recommendations for the preschooler in your life!)