To Nap or Not to Nap....

...that is the question.  If you ask my 3-year-9-month old daughter, the answer is definitely "NOT".  If you ask her mother, the answer is definitely "NAP".

You never end up parenting two children alike, because the children are different, life's circumstances are different and you as a parent are different the second, third , or fourth time around.  I tend to compare the whole napping issue I'm facing with my second child to the one I faced with my first.  But when my son was three and a half, we had a one and half year old in the house.  One and a half year olds definitely still need a nap, so there was no question that the three and half year old was also going to lay down at the same time, so the house could be quiet, so Mom could get a little break, and whether he believed it or not, so that he could also have the rest that he still needed. 

Thinking back on it, I can remember him fighting it somewhat, but he always had some time with the lights out in his room.  Maybe half the time he fell asleep, the other half he talked quietly to himself.  I was fine with that either way, as long as we all got a break in the afternoon.  It wasn't until he was almost 5 that I finally relented and turned "naptime" into "quiet time" for him.  He keeps the lights on, can draw, look at books, play quietly, but he is in his room for the most part for a little over an hour.  On days we know he is tired or crabby, or if he has been sick, then we even do turn out the lights for half an hour, hoping he might actually catch a little shut-eye.

Of course, because big brother doesn't have to nap anymore, little sister thinks the same should apply to her.  I tried allowing her to look at books by herself for a few minutes and then having her lay down, but that "few" minutes has stretched out.  She has always been put down for a nap in Mom and Dad's room (because they share a bedroom) and now she wants to stay up to play in there.  I have tried laying down with her, in hopes that it will allow her to settle down and drift off.  Usually, I end up almost asleep while she is crawling all over the bed playing Lion King!

So, is it time to finally admit that she has given up naps?  I really don't want to.  If I admit it, it means she is growing up, no longer a toddler needing naps and more of a pre-schooler segueing to afternoons filled with activities.  She is not quite as good about staying in the room for a full hour of quiet time; she comes out frequently to tell me she has been "waiting forever to get up!"  That hour alone seems like forever to her.  She doesn't draw or write like her brother does during his quiet time and she quickly exhausts her interest in the books and few toys she has in there.  Maybe she'll get better at accepting quiet time; maybe it doesn't fit her personality as well and she will always fight it a little.  Either way, Mom is standing firm.

I know we are certainly not giving up on the sanctity of Quiet Time in our house for a while.  She will continue to have it until she enters kindergarten and I think even her brother will have it on days off from school.  Mom just needs the chance to get a few household tasks done, or put her feet up with a book or crochet in hand to have a little mental break herself. 

Here's hoping we continue to have nap time/ quiet time for as long as I can possibly keep it going!





 Gone are the days of a blissful sleeping baby ;(









Books of 2011

Last year I did not exactly set myself a firm goal of the number of books I wanted to read.  In 2010 I managed 24 and hoped that maybe I'd do the same for 2011.  I got close with 20, once again starting off with many books at the beginning of the year, fewer in the summer, a spurt again in the fall, and then tailing off around the holidays.  That seems to be my pattern and I am satisfied to be in the 20 to 24 book range for my annual tally.  Here is a list and a few words about some of the books: (*denotes books read for my book club)

Dark of the Moon - John Sandford

The Girl Who Played with Fire - Stieg Larsson  I felt compelled to read after reading TGWTDT in 2010 and I've read some of the final installment, with a lot of skimming; perhaps I'll try reading TGWKTHN in its entirety this year

Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins  Despite being classified as "Young Adult", I absolutely loved this series (thanks J.L for pointing me towards it!)  Some may scoff at the YA rating but I still found all the books great page-turners, about teenagers surviving in a post-apocalyptic America and fighting to the death in the barbaric "Hunger Games".  I know I am but one of many fans looking forward to the first movie coming out in March http://hungergamesmovie.org/category/hunger-games-trailer/

Catching Fire - Suzanne Collins

Mockingjay - Suzanne Collins

Pomme de Terre - Candace Simar The second book by a local MN author about Norwegian immigrants around the time of the Sioux uprising (1862) and in the years following.  Makes one appreciate all the modern conveniences we have today!

The Shack - William Paul Young  * Read for book club; an interesting look at God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit but in novel form; I learned a lot.

Water for Elephants - Sarah Gruen Thought it was good, the movie as well.

Moloka'i - Alan Brennert * Read for book club; an eye-opening look at leprosy and the effects it had on the Hawaiian people.

Vermillion Drift - William Kent Krueger The 11th book by this author (guess I'm a fan of his too) about a small town Minnesota sheriff-turned-PI.  I like the main character and recognizing some of the locales and settings.  The author is coming to a local library in February and I plan to go listen to his presentation.

The Thirteenth Tale - Diana Setterfield * My choice for book club though I had no knowledge of it, just sounded interesting.  It was very Jane Eyre-ish, and most of the book club gave it a thumbs-up.

Divergent - Veronica Roth  Another teenage-post-apocalyptic plot line, not sure why I picked this one up but found it decent.  Funny, I am reading ANOTHER similar book right now, must be a theme I am into.

Sex with Kings - Eleanor Herman  Very interesting and informative book about royal mistresses (and yes, Camilla Parker-Bowles did receive mention) throughout history.  I found the format of the book a bit hard to follow but it made me want to read more about some of these highly influential women.

The Forgotten Garden - Kate Morton

Birdie - Candace Simar  Third book by the local author about MN settlers

Bossypants - Tina Fey  Good for a few laughs

The 19th Wife - David Ebershoff *  Book club selection about the Latter Day Saints; I think we all learned a lot about the history of polygamy and the development of this religion through this novel.

The Hiding Place - Corrie ten Boom * Dutch resistence during WWII; made one thankful for fleas (you'd have to read it to understand)

Unbroken - Laura Hillenbrand  Probably my favourite book I read last year.  The true story of an American airman shot down over the Pacific in WWII, survived 40-some days on a life raft, only to be captured by the Japanese and stuck in POW camps for 2 years.  I learned so much about the Pacific theatre of war, the unbelievable and inhumane treatment that POWs suffered at the hands of the Japanese and the resilience of the human spirit.  The author did such an astounding job of research that you would swear she was perched on Louis Zamperini's shoulder through it all.  Tough to read but I highly recommend it.

Bride of New France - Suzanne DesRochers  The hardships faced by French women brought over to marry fur traders and help populate the colony that became Quebec.  Made me thankful for electricity, central heating and indoor plumbing!

And I am proud to include a list of the books that I read to my children last year.  I took some book suggestions from "The Read-Aloud Handbook" by Jim Trelease and others I just decided to read when I came across the book on the shelf ("The Wizard of Oz" for example). 

The Magic Treehouse series #1 to #37 - Mary Pope Osborne  History, adventure, culture, biology all rolled into a kid-friendly package.  My kids would sit and listen to a whole book in the Magic Treehouse series in one sitting if I felt like reading that long; they love the Jack and Annie books, we learn a lot from them and as soon as we finish one, they ask "what's the next one about?"  We have almost caught up to the end of the series and then will unfortunately have to wait a little longer between books.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl  Fun book, haven't shown them the movie yet

The Incredible Journey of Edward Tulane - Kate DiCamillo

Wizard of Oz (shorted but beautifully illustrated version) - Frank Baum

Stuart Little - E. B. White  (We just started "Charlotte's Web" last week!)

Babe:  the Gallant Pig - Dick King-Smith  I didn't know the movie came from a book; the author has a different style that made reading aloud a bit awkward sometimes but we loved the book.  We'll rent the movie soon.

The Water Horse - Dick King-Smith  A suggestion from "The Read Aloud Handbook", great story about kids finding and raising a Loch Ness-type monster!

I have only finished one book so far this year, "Northwest Angle" which is the 12th by William Kent Krueger, but I do have another three books on the go.  I always love to hear good book suggestions, ones you have read yourself or to your children that you enjoyed.  I'm hoping for a 24 book year again this year and have a stack on my nightstand and a list of requests at the library to help make that happen.