Good Books

"A children's book read only by children is a bad children's book."

- C.S. Lewis

The Invention of Hugo Cabret

A great story told with a few words and many illustrations. I read it this summer - twice!

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

I've been a fan of Kate DiCamillo since reading The Tale of Despereaux when it came out several years ago. Edward Tulane is a story about life and love and choosing to love even though it brings pain. I read this one out loud to Chloe. We both loved it.

I'm a big fan of children's books, and the above are two of my recent favorites. What are you (or your kids) reading? What are some must reads on your list?

Recipe

We tried this recipe recently when we had a couple of friends spending the night with us. All 5 girls enjoyed mixing their individual cake, watching it cook, then eating it. Thanks for the fun recipe, Mom.

5 Minute Chocolate Mug Cake

4 tablespoons cake flour (plain flour, not self-raising)

4 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons baking cocoa

1 egg

3 tablespoons milk

3 tablespoons oil

3 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional)

a small splash of vanilla

1 coffee mug

Put dry ingredients in mug, and mix well. Add the egg and mix thoroughly. Pour in the milk and oil and mix well. Add the chocolate chips and vanilla essence, and mix again. Microwave for 3 minutes at 1000 watts. The cake will rise above the top of the mug while cooking.

Crunchy Goodness

While shopping at BJ's today, I treated myself to a bag of Stacy's Pita Chips. I absolutely love these. I never buy them, because I will eat the whole bag in one day. And, I'm talking about the big 1 lb 8 oz bag. I start with a few, but can't stop myself until the bag is empty.

It was lunch time when I purchased them. I had them opened and was munching on them before I left the store parking lot. And now I'm just trying not to get chip crumbs in my keyboard as I type and crunch.

First Game

Saturday morning at 7:00, my bedroom door swung open. I woke up to find Chloe standing in the doorway fully dressed in her soccer uniform. Her very first "game" was at 12:00 that day and she was ready. I talked her out of putting on her cleats until closer to game time.

In the 4-6 year old soccer academy, the teams are split up on game days and they play 3 on 3 matches on tiny fields. No score is kept and the coaches are on the field with the kids. It is a lot of fun to watch and Chloe is having a blast. Go Team Italy!

Good Morning, Chloe

I walked into Chloe's room this morning to wake her up.

I sat down beside her on the bed.

She opened her eyes, looked over at me and said, "It's really weird how boy dogs pee, isn't it?"

Time Away

Lance and I leave early tomorrow morning for Refuge.