"A house without books is like a room without windows"

My children have always loved being read to, and have lately developed a fondness for "reading" on their own. Neither one quite knows how, but they are both starting to identify some letters and how they go together.

Their great desire to read kind of snuck up on me- struck me out of no where. It started as a delaying tactic- The Girl refusing to go to bed without Mommy reading at least three stories. The Boy going to his room at bedtime, and sitting in his little chair next to the night light, with a book on his lap.

Lately I have noticed them "reading" more and more though, bringing books into the playroom and pouring over them together. Passing them back and forth- taking turns puzzling out letters in Curious George, Dr. Seuss, and the Bernenstein Bears. Turning to books as a way to understand or relive a new experience.

When The Girl had her three year well-child check up, The Boy proudly brought her The Berenstein Bears "Go To The Doctor" to read in the car on the way there. When we come in from riding bikes outside- The Boy sits down with "Curious George Rides a Bike". And yesterday, after finding a spider who had wandered into the kitchen, The Girl brought me "The Very Busy Spider" to read.

I'm finding myself fascinated by their fascination- and thinking back to days gone by. As a child I was quite the voracious reader myself. I remember signing up for the "Book It" program at our local library every summer- and checking out just about every book that was available. When the school reading lists would come out- I would read not just the required books, but also the recommended books, and also anything else any of those authors had written.

While my classmates were complaining about reading "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe"- I was devouring the other six books in the Chronicles of Narnia. I had some teachers who fed my addiction to the written word- suggestion authors and books to me each Friday to read over the weekend. I had other teachers who hated it- issuing demerits each time they found me reading a book for pleasure instead of the chemistry notes I was supposed to be reveiwing for an upcoming exam.

A love of literature was one of the reasons That Guy and I got along so well. The first two years of our relationship was marked by a new book on each gift giving occasion- poetry, short stories, biographies, novels, everything from the great classics to the more modern, and even the occasional children's book.

I was thinking about all of this today when I was cleaning the house. I realized that our bookshelf is now just gathering dust- and has become a "holding pen" for random clutter. A box of pens, the bills that need to be filed away, cigar boxes (That Guy has taken up building cigar box guitars), and toys that the kids have left downstairs and The Puppy has chewed on.

And I realized that we just don't read any more. Sure, I read my school books- message boards, articles online and in the paper. I occasionally pick up a parenting book or a self-help book, the occasional romance novel (my guilty pleasure) and, of course, children's books. But I can't remember the last time I sat down to really read something- just because I wanted to- and completely lost myself in it.

I love that my children are so fascinated by the written word- and I hope that they don't "grow out" of it, as I seem to have done.

"Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadow"

This quote made me smile, so it seemed like a good choice. We certainly have more than enough sunshine to look towards!

I've been a bit of a slacker with my blog- and I am sorry about that. Mostly because The Girl didn't get an entry celebrating the joy of three years here with us. So here it is...

One of the traditions my mother started for us as children was "birthday donuts"- something I have really enjoyed passing down to my own kids. The Girl, however, was a little bit unsure as to why I would want to set her donut on fire!

She had a pretty good birthday, and was spoiled rotten by grandparents, aunts, uncles, and even her great-aunt. She was most excited about her "three year old bike". And that's what we have to call it, too. If I refer to it as her tricylce, or her bike she will correct me and say "No, Mommy, Im 3. That's my 3 year old bike"

I think that this, however, was her favorite part of the entire day. And yes, I know it's not a very pretty cake. But, to The Girl, it was the most spectacular cake ever. Because she picked every part of it. We went to the store and she selected her cake icing and decorations, even the candles. That day she helped me make the batter (from scratch, for the first time ever!) and when the cake was finished baking and cooling, she helped me spread the icing and decorate every last inch of the thing. It certainly isn't going to win me any baking awards. But The Girl was so thrilled to be included in the baking process that I think it's my best cake yet.

And she seemed to agree!

The rest of the month was a bunch of ups and downs for us. We got to go on our first every family camping trip, which was great. The campsite was too small, we were too close to some drunken rednecks who woke up up at 3 in the morning, and we had to sleep with one hand on the dogs leash to keep her from wandering around peeing in the tent. But it was still great. For a first attempt- it certainly could have been worse, and we are definately looking forward to trying it again. I was so happy that the kids enjoyed camping that all the little imperfections about our trip didn't matter- it was great just knowing that I could share that with them!

Things right now are a little strained. That Guy, The Boy, and The Girl have all been sick (in shifts, apparently) since Sunday night. And I am going stir-crazy staying home all the time. Not just right now, because that's understandable. I want out of the house, and I want a job!

I went and applied at the daycare that is opened near our house- but I declined the job that was offered after I took some time to look at the costs involved. They want $150 a week for The Boy, and $160 a week for the girl. They also told me that, in spite of having more than 7 years of childcare experience, I will still be starting out at just $8 an hour. So, even if I got a guranteed 40 hours a week (and without even taking taxes into consideration) I would never make more than $320- and $310 of that would go straight back into the daycare to pay tuition! Definately not worth it!

So now That Guy and I are looking at sending the kids and I home in August, to get The Boy enrolled in school, and give me a chance to find a job and a place for us to live, get everything set up and established so that, come October (when That Guy is officially out of the military) things are already in place.

I don't really want to do a voluntary 2 months away from one another, but all in all it seems like it would be for the best. The cost of living is ridiculous out here, and I know I can find better jobs back in MS (I've had several opportunities discussed with me already). Plus, if I get a job before That Guy is out of the military, we won't have to worry during the time that That Guy is also job hunting, we will always have at least one income.

So hopefully this is the right solution for us. I'm definately looking for the silver lining or, as my title suggests, the sunshine, to keep from dwelling on the things that could possibly go wrong in the future.