Articles tagged Life, Kids, and Books with Karen Ruben
When I was a little girl sick days were a mixed bag of good and bad. First, you woke up feeling sick. That’s bad. Then you realized you might get a delicious day off from everyday life. And better yet, a day off alone! Your siblings would still have to go to school. Mmm, peace … Continued
2012 was a pretty good year. The year our girls learned to swim and to ski. The year our older daughter started kindergarten and became an “emergent reader.” Another year our old dog survived. We had some ups and downs, but mostly ups. Not too shabby. Of course, we can always improve. Onward and upward, … Continued
Christmas cards! Wrapping! Cookies! And toys! Ornaments! Concerts! Family! And noise! Oh what a season to be someone’s mother Making some magic for your kids and others. The late nights of wrapping and shopping and baking Struggling in the dark morning hours of waking Wishing for peace, but racing instead Fending off “helpers” who won’t … Continued
Are you familiar with Patricia Polacco? I hope you are. I have been in love with her beautiful, funny, moving, and meaningful books for years. My all time favorite is The Bee Tree in which a little girl, with the help of her grandfather and some bees, learns that the “adventure, knowledge, and wisdom of … Continued
(Though I wrote this post, I would like to attribute it to Meg, my daughter. – Karen) By Meg, age 6 This morning I was having a warm and wonderful dream and was very happy… and then sunlight bothered my eyes and someone tickled my face. Then my mom said, “Good morning!” in this very … Continued
General / Book Recommendations
We all know the power books can have. They can persuade, instruct, entertain, stimulate, educate, amaze, etc., etc., etc. But can they make it snow? Probably not all by themselves, but maybe with our help. Just maybe. Remember the old “Think Snow” slogan? Well, this is exactly the time of year to pull it out … Continued
We love Ramona. Ramona Quimby. You know, Beezus’s little sister. The one who is always getting into so much trouble. What kind of trouble? Oh, you know, there’s the time she took one bite out of every apple in a bushel, forcing her mom to make the world’s biggest batch of applesauce. Or the time … Continued
Someone is starting to read! It is so amazing to watch, incredible really. It starts so small, you hardly notice it’s beginning. You’re just going along your merry way packing lunches, patching boo boos, and carrying on as if everything is perfectly normal. But deep in that little brain something miraculous is happening. Behind those … Continued
Halloween Eve 9:00 p.m. I can’t imagine how this is possible. My sugar-hyped children have fallen asleep. Thank God. I look around the house. Some dishes from dinner are still on the counter; we barely gobbled it down before heading out to Trick or Treat. The table is covered in neatly sorted piles of peanut … Continued
Do you see these beautiful children? Oh, they are a handful! I love them so much, but at the end of a long day of chicken herding, I am worn out! Like chickens, they all seem to be going in different directions at the same time. And just when you think you have got everybody … Continued
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