we were all sitting in a circle around the room, some in the floor, some on the couch. she looked at me with contempt as i spoke about the book and my thoughts. i felt the intensity of her stare. me, a mere twenty-something, newly married, seeking the wisdom of those farther along on this journey of love and life. after a while she said, you won't have time for all this reading when you have children.
with three little ones now in our nest, i think about those words often as i open a book and the fragrance of pages to be turned surrounds me.
maybe i don't have time for all this reading, but i make time. you make time for the things you love. i love the written word. it is my hope to pen my own book someday. i want my children to love books and learning. none of these things can come into play without first reading and reading and reading some more.
how do i make time for all this reading?
we do very little television.
i love shows. i love to just sink into a great show and not have to think, but i usually watch shows when i am processing orders for my shop or late at night with my husband. during the day you will find us curled up with books. we check out close to fifty books every week from the library and we read every single one before returning them the next week. my children go to bed with books. they take their afternoon rest time with books.
reading in spurts.
this used to be difficult for me. my personality wants to begin and end something in the same sitting. however, i have learned that doing things in pieces allows me to do more things that i love. i read a couple pages in the morning with my coffee. i wake up an hour or so before the kids so that i can read and write in the stillness. i read a couple of pages during their rest times. i read while i workout on the elliptical. i read a couple more pages at bedtime.
keep books in plain view.
we have stacks of books throughout our home. our library collection can be found on top of the sewing machine my aunt gave me. it's right as the kids walk to their rooms so they are constantly grabbing a couple to peruse. i keep my library stack there too as a constant reminder to get a few pages under my belt. there is a stack on the table by the couch where i usually sit. there is a stack by my desk and by my bed. i walk around thinking, i can't wait to read that one or more of that one.
there is no trick to reading. you just do it, a little at a time.
i love a good book recommendation so let me hear what you have read and loved.
Hi, my house is messy because of the books. LOL :) Now, I have added Kindles, tablets, and laptop computers to the mess too. Literacy development is so critical the future of our children.
ReplyDeleteMary-andering Creatively
Mary-andering Among the Pages
Your house sounds about like mine Melissa...books can be found in every room. There is just something about the sight and smell of a book. I have never gotten into reading books on a Kindle or tablet for that very reason. It is a good thing to teach your children and kudos to you for encouraging them in the way you do. Trips to the Library make for a fun outing.
ReplyDeleteYep, we regularly leave the library with a canvas trader joes bag bulging and overflowing. Almost everything gets read...except for some of the inane stuff they grab without even looking at on the way out. I want my kids to love reading. So far it's working. The three year old folliws us around with piles of books to be read, and the four year old can sense a book being opened from anywhere in the house (same with my chocolate stash) and she just shows up for reading time. The time she almost fell down the stairs because she couldn't take her nose out of a book was almost a moment of joy for me. Lol. Almost.
ReplyDeleteI'm currently reading the glass castle and 1000 gifts. One's a re-read and the other is fresh and new. Books are the best.
ReplyDeleteI'm currently reading the glass castle and 1000 gifts. One's a re-read and the other is fresh and new. Books are the best.
ReplyDeleteSo inspired! I want to read more with the girls and by myself but we often let TV get in the way of that :/ Here's to a change in the new year!!
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