scaifea's 2018 Thread #8

Hi, everyone! Welcome!

Art inspired in one way or another by some of my current reads (or sometimes just the covers, to be honest):

Revenge:



Dragonwings:



The Jonah Kit:



Soul Music:



The Final Solution:



The Book of Dust:



Greenglass House:



Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince:



From the Introductions Thread:
I'm Amber, a one-time Classics professor turned stay-at-home parent/lady of leisure. I spend my time sewing, knitting, baking, volunteering at my son's school library and with the PTO, and, of course, reading.

My reading life is happily governed by lists, which means that I read a healthy variety of things across various genres.

I'm 42 going on 12 and live in Wisconsin with my husband, Tomm; our 9-year-old son, Charlie; and our two dogs, Tuppence the Border Collie and Mario the Golden Retriever.

The five-ish or so books I have going and the On Deck books nearly all come from the following categories and lists:

1. A book from the 100 Banned Books book (at least currently. As soon as I finish this list, I'll replace it with another, and oh, I've got tons of lists).

2. A children's book, for Charlie's library. I'm trying to collect books from various award lists, and I like reading them before reading them to Charlie or deciding to add them to Charlie's shelves. For this category, I’m currently working through three lists:
a. 1001 Children’s Books You Must Read Before You Die
b. The Newbery Honor books
c. Cooperative Children's Book Center list

3. A book from the Green Dragon 1001 Fantasy List, in chronological order.

4. A book for the Presidential Challenge. Books for this category are read in chronological (presidentially) order.

5. A list I'm working through together with my best friend, Rob: The Hugo/Nebula/WFA/Bram Stoker (and other) lists (combined, in chronological order)

6. For this category, I cycle through 9 different stacks:
a. Agatha Christie's bibliography (in chronological order)
b. Stephen Fry's bibliography (in chronological order)
c. John Boyne bibliography (in chronological order, sort of)
d. Neil Gaiman's bibliography (in some order other than chronological (don't
ask)).
e. Christopher Moore's bibliography (in chronological order)
f. Maggie Stiefvater's bibliography (in chronological order)
g. The NEH Timeless Classics list
h. The National Book Award list (in alpha order by title)
i. The Pulitzer list (in alpha order by author)

7. An unread book from my shelves.

8. A book from my Read Soon! shelves.

9. A book on Buddhism or from the Dalai Lama's bibliography.

10. Book-a-year challenge: Three years ago, along with a few others in this group (*cough* Paul *cough*), I made a year-by-year list to see how far I could go back with consecutive reads. I've since been trying to fill in the gap years.

11. A book from the couple of series that I'm reading together with my mom.

12. A full-on re-read through Shakespeare's stuff.

13. A read-aloud-to-Charlie-at-bedtime book (or two).

14. An audio book, which I listen to as I knit/sew/otherwise craft/drive.

15. A Discworld book (so many of these are coming up soon on various lists, so I'm just diving into it)

16. This slot is reserved for books that just grab me and shout that they need to be read Right Now.

And on top of these, there will be a multitude of picture books and easy readers, which Charlie and I read together. I've decided again this year also to list our re-reads, but I'll just list them each day and not number them.

What I'm reading now:
-Revenge (Fry bibliography)
-Dragonwings (1001 Children's Books)
-The Jonah Kit (British Science Fiction Awards)
-Soul Music (Discworld read)
-The Final Solution (Read Soon shelves)
-The Book of Dust (audiobook)
-Greenglass House (Charlie's bedtime book)
-Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (and another Charlie bed-time read)

Books On Deck:
-House of Leaves (unread book from my shelves)
-The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up (from my Read Soon shelves)
-Siddhartha (Buddhist readings)
-Crime and Punishment (Books by Year, 1866)
-Unraveled (series that my mom wants me to read so we can chat about it)
-The Two Gentlemen of Verona (Shakespeare re-read)
-Lolita (Banned Books)
-The Man Who Was Thursday (Green Dragon 1001 Fantasy Books)
-Lincoln (U.S. Presidential Challenge)

In addition to these, I have some classics-related texts that I'm working through (VERY slowly (read: I haven't touched them in months)):
-Asinaria by Plautus (reading in Latin)
-Iliad by Homer (reading in Greek)
-Latin Literature by Gian Biagio Conte
-The Cambridge History of Classical Literature Volume 1 Part 1

Books Read

JANUARY
1. Enormously Foxtrot (Tomm's nightly read-aloud) - 9/10 = A-
2. Greenglass House (holiday read) - 9/10 = A
3. Ribsy (Charlie's bedtime read) - 8/10 = B+
4. Lincoln in the Bardo (audiobook) - 8/10 = B-
5. Postcards from No Man's Land (1001 Children's Books) - 8/10 = B-
6. The World According to Garp (audiobook, NBA) - 6/10 = D+
7. Brendon Chase (1001 Children's Books) - 8/10 = B
8. A Solitary Blue (Newbery Honor Book) - 9/10 = A
9. Zlateh the Goat and Other Stories (Newbery Honor Book) - 8/10 = B
10. Real Friends (BB from foggidawn (I think?)) - 9/10 = A
11. The School for Cats (1001 Children's Books) - 8/10 = B
12. Einstein's Dreams (unread book from my shelves + January colorCAT) - 8/10 = B-
13. The Wind Singer (1001 Children's Books) - 8/10 = B+
14. Witches Abroad (Discworld) - 8/10 = B+
15. Key to the Treasure (Charlie's bedtime read) - 10/10 = A+
16. The Year of the Quiet Sun (Campbell Award) - 9/10 = A
17. War and Peace (because Charlie suggested that I should probably read it) - 8/10 = B+
18. The Art of Power (audiobook, Buddhism reading list) - 8/10 = B+
19. Upside Down Magic (Charlie's read-aloud) - 8/10 = B
20. Troy (1001 Children's Books) - 8/10 = B+
21. Like Jake and Me (Newbery Honor Book) - 8/10 = B
22. Finn Family Moomintroll (1001 Children's Books) - 8/10 = B

FEBRUARY
23. Kneeknock Rise (Newbery Honor Book) - 9/10 = A-
24. The Smartest Kids in the World (Read Soon shelves) - 8/10 = B+
25. The Planet of Junior Brown (Newbery Honor Book) - 8/10 = B
26. Wishtree (Charlie book) - 9/10 = A-
27. Andersonville (Banned Books) - 8/10 = B+
28. Dog Man and Cat Kid (Charlie's bedtime read aloud) - 9/10 = A
29. Light Boxes (Read Soon Shelves) - 8/10 = B+
30. The Gods of Pegana (Green Dragon 1001 Fantasy Books) - 7/10 = C
31. Our Lady of Darkness (World Fantasy Award) - 9/10 = A
32. Somewhere in Time (World Fantasy Award) - 6/10 = D-
33. Beezus and Ramona (Charlie's bedtime read) - 8/10 = B+
34. Small Gods (Discworld) - 8/10 = B+
35. Across the Nightingale Floor (1001 Children's Books) - 9/10 = A
36. The Hate U Give (Printz Honor Book) - 10/10 = A+
37. Hello, Universe (Newbery Medal winner) - 8/10 = B+
38. Ivanhoe (1001 Books/audiobook) - 8/10 = B+
39. The Fall of the House of Usher (1001 Books/audiobook) - 8/10 = B-
40. The Headless Cupid (Newbery Honor Book) - 8/10 = B+
41. Long Way Down (Newbery Honor Book) - 9/10 = A-
42. We Are Okay (Printz Award) - 10/10 = A+
43. Ben and Me (Charlie's bedtime read) - 8/10 = B-
44. Piecing Me Together (Newbery Honor Book) - 8/10 = B+

MARCH
45. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (audiobook, 1001 Books) - 8/10 = B-
46. Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang (Hugo & Locus Science Fiction Awards) - 8/10 = B+
47. Mister Monday (1001 Children's Books) - 9/10 = A-
48. A Kid for Two Farthings (1001 Children's Books) - 8/10 = B-
49. The City of Ember (audiobook) - 9/10 = A-
50. Essential Teachings (Dalai Lama bibliography) - 8/10 = B+
51. A Boy Called Christmas (audiobook) - 9/10 = A-
52. The Apprentice of Florence (Newbery Honor Book) - 7/10 = C+
53. The Starry River of the Sky (audiobook) - 9/10 = A
54. Philip Hall Likes Me. I Reckon Maybe. (Newbery Honor Book) - 8/10 = B
55. Lords and Ladies (Discworld) - 8/10 = B+
56. The Worst President (U.S. Presidential Challenge) - 8/10 = B
57. Macy McMillan and the Rainbow Goddess (Schneider Award) - 8/10 = B-
58. On Tyranny (Read Soon shelves) - 9/10 = A
59. Almost Interesting (audiobook) - 9/10 = A
60. Private Peaceful (1001 Children's Books) - 8/10 = B
61. Stephen Fry's Incomplete and Utter History of Classical Music (Fry bibliography) - 9/10 = A-
62. Gateway (Nebula, Hugo, Locus Science Fiction, & Campbell awards) - 8/10 = B-
63. Hobberdy Dick (1001 Children's Books) - 9/10 = A-
64. Honk the Moose (Newbery Honor Book) - 8/10 = B
65. The Hundred Penny Box (Newbery Honor Book) - 8/10 = B
66. The Illustrated Man (NEH) - 8/10 = B-
67. Opal (Raven Boys series) - 10/10 = A+
68. You're Welcome, Universe (Schneider Award) - 8/10 = B+
69. The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue (Stonewall Award) - 8/10 = B+
70. Men at Arms (Discworld) - 8/10 = B+
71. The Wizards of Once (Odyssey Award) - 8/10 = B+
72. Just Add Magic (Charlie's bedtime book) - 8/10 = B-

APRIL
73. Keeper (1001 Children's Books) - 9/10 = A-

The Charlie, Mario & Tuppence Toppers:

Charlie Scaife and the Nine-and-a-Half Birthday Cake:



Mario:



Tuppence:

The Bonus Question:

This one is a bit selfish of me, and to make things worse, I'll not be explaining myself about it just yet. Apologies.

Did you ever move when you were a kid? If so, what was the worst thing about moving for you? What was the best thing? What, if anything, made the move easier for you to deal with/process?

Happy new thread!
We moved when I was three (don’t remember) and again when I was 13. I was in grade 8 and it would have been harder for me if I had to change schools like my sister, but my school let me finish grade 8 because I had a ride each day. We moved to a nice house from a really old house and we had a lot backing onto woods with an outdoor fireplace and really social neighbours so it was a good move.

Happy new thrad, Amber.
We moved when I was six. I missed the mountains but was happy to have more space at the new home even when I had to share the bedroom with my sis. I found quickly new friends due to school.

>7 ChelleBearss: Chelle: So you didn't move far, I take it, if you were able to stay at your old school? An outdoor fireplace sounds pretty great!

>8 Ameise1: Barbara: I feel like it must be easier at a younger age to move and make new friends, because the other kids at school are just so happily curious about new students. I'm glad you found it easy!

We moved neighbourhoods and school districts but it was only about 10 minute drive from where we lived before.
I didn’t move from the city we lived in until I was an adult.

>10 ChelleBearss: I didn't either! I didn't move out of the house I'd grown up in until I went away to college, so the idea of what moving does to a kiddo is completely foreign to me.

Happy new thread! I was a military kid, so moved throughout my growing up. As an adult, we did move once when The Son was in third grade. It was a bit rough for a few months, but he survived. He made some friends once school started and then things were fine.

>6 scaifea: Iiiinteresting.

We moved when I was three, technically from one town to the next one over, but everything stayed the same for me other than *where* we lived (kept going to the same daycare etc). I don't remember much about it, really, being so young. Sorry.

>12 drneutron: Jim: Rough, but in the end fine. Good. Thanks!

>13 lycomayflower: Laura: Uh-huh. I can't talk about it officially just yet, so MUM.

No worries. Charlie was 2.5 when we moved here and it went pretty smoothly, really. But, again, he was 2.5.

>11 scaifea: I think most kids adapt well and make new friends when they are young, especially when a child is a well rounded kiddo. (like, ahem, a certain young fella)
My sister would have been 10 when we moved and she started at a new school and did fine and made friends quickly. I think it's probably easier if timed to the start of the school year.

Happy new thread, Amber! We never moved when I was growing up, but we did move our family to Georgia five years ago, as you know. Let's see, the kids were 14, 16, 17 and 20. They all did great with the move and have said repeatedly that they are glad we moved here. We homeschooled, so they didn't have to do new school systems, which I know can be a big thing, especially with teenagers. But they made new friends easily and adapted really well - kids are very resilient that way.

Happy new thread, Amber, I like the dogs in black and white :-)

>6 scaifea: BQ: We moved a lot, first time I was so young, same age as Charie, so I don't remember much of that one. Next was when I was 7 years, went from a nice city to an awfull village, where I was bullied a lot in the next 8 years. We went to a big city when I was 15 (and all my siblings gone to live on their own), that move was a relief, much better place for me :-)

Happy New Thread, Amber!

We didn't move when I was a kid. My dad (an architect/structural engineer) designed our house, and it was finished the year I was born. They didn't move until I (the youngest) was done with college. It wasn't big, so no kids in it wasn't that significant, but they wanted something new. We (my sisters and I) thought the old house suited them much better than the town home they bought, but they weren't asking us.

BQ I can't help much with this one. We moved when I was 11 or so, but it was just down the road 5 or 6 miles, and didn't involve changing schools (or even school buses, if I'm remembering correctly). My big school change had happened before that, when the one-room school I attended through 5th grade closed (along with a couple other rural schools in the area) and we were all sent to the consolidated K-12 school across the state line. Both my parents had gone to that school for high school, and all my friends were shipped off with me, so although a lot was different, I also had plenty of buffers. Most importantly, probably, I wasn't the "new kid", but rather part of a group of "new kids" many of whom I knew.

I have two stories:

When I was in third grade, we moved from New York (Long Island) to rural western Illinois. I was very anxious about it, because everything was different and I knew no one in Illinois. We moved back to my mom's hometown and lived briefly with my aunt and uncle, but I had never met them before. Two things made it worse: 1) we moved after the school year had started in Illinois so I was coming into a grade where everyone was already friended-up; and 2) I had a strong New Yawk accent that the sheltered humans of rural Illinois found utterly bizarre and fascinating. I couldn't open my mouth in class to answer a question without someone commenting on the "funny" way I pronounced words (channeling my inner Joe Pesci, they meant both "funny ha-ha" and "funny strange"). And I sat on a couch and drank soda and ate cold cuts and wore sneakers instead of "davenport," "pop," "lunchmeat" and "tennis shoes", respectively. What a weirdo! My classmates weren't mean about it, just amazed and amused. I don't remember feeling picked on or bullied, but at that age I hated anything that made me stand out from the crowd. (Who am I kidding; I hate that even now!) Still, by the end of the year I had made some pretty good friends, and it all worked out fine.

We moved again when I was in fifth grade, out of that small town to a rural setting not far away but a different school district. That was less traumatic in a lot of ways, as I had by then mostly wrangled my accent and vocabulary into the appropriate Midwestern drawl. And on the very first day the teacher at my new school paired me with another girl to show me around and sit with at lunch. And that girl became my very best friend right up to and beyond high school graduation, as we bonded over our mutual love of horses. She had one! A real one! And she wore denim cowboy boots to school, which was just too cool. Life was so much simpler then. :-)

>15 ChelleBearss: Chelle: I suspect that leaving old friends and making new ones will be a primary concern for a certain someone, although I agree with you that it very probably won't be a problem at all.

>16 Crazymamie: Mamie: I agree that kids are usually more resilient than we tend to give them credit for, but of course you still don't want to do something that you know will make them sad, even for a little while. *sigh*

>17 FAMeulstee: Thanks, Anita! I love the Gals in black & white, too.

I'm so sorry that you were bullied. That's heartbreaking, and that stuff is *everywhere.*

>18 jnwelch: Hi, Joe! I love that your dad designed your house! How cool is that?!

>19 laytonwoman3rd: Linda: You went to school in a different state? Interesting! Junior high and high school were similar for me: K-6 schools were spread throughout the county, but there were only two junior highs and two high schools for the whole area. So, starting with 7th grade, I went from knowing all the kids in my grade to knowing only a section of them, since we were all thrown together from half the elementary schools. Still scary, but at least we did know a few kids.

>20 rosalita: Julia: I get not wanting to stand out in any way, but I'm also glad that you weren't bullied about it! And I love the very best friend story! Sounds like a middle grade chapter book! Also, I wish I still had my denim cowboy boots, which I think I had in maybe 6th grade...? SO HIP.

Happy new thread Amber my dear and great thread topper photos once again. Sending love and hugs to you all dear friend from both of us.

>22 scaifea: Yeah, looking back on it, it could have been MUCH worse. Didn't feel like that at the time, though. :-)

I cannot tell you how bad my denim-boot envy was! I wasn't even allowed to wear jeans until high school, so their very existence was almost beyond my comprehension.

>23 johnsimpson: Thanks, John!

>24 rosalita: Julia: If it had been during junior high or high school, that could have been brutal. Yoicks.

You know, I'm pretty sure that my denim boots were bedazzled, too...

>24 rosalita: What, you got to wear jeans in high school. I would have loved that. We had to wear uniforms, ugh.

As for the BQ, I changed countries when I was two which doesn't really count except for the accent which made be different from other kids (it lasted for a long time.) The next time I moved was when I was 6. I was told recently that my Mum made us chose just 2 toys to take with us. I don't even remember that. Best part was that it was a brand new subdivision so all the kids were new to each other.

>26 Familyhistorian: Meg: Ha! Funny you should mention a brand new subdivision, because that's, um, potentially very relevant. (I'm not doing super great with the not talking about this, am I?)

We moved when I was in 8th grade but it was same town/same school so no big deal at all.

Happy new thread Amber!

We moved around a lot when I was a kid because we were renters so we never stayed in one place for too long, but the good thing is in all the moves, I only moved schools 2x. Once I was too young to remember much, so I'd say the hardest thing is making new friends again.

>28 RebaRelishesReading: >29 jolerie: Boy, a lot of folks made 'little' moves, it seems!

>20 rosalita: I would so love a pair of denim cowboy boots even today! I did wear cowboy boots a lot as a kid; for a few years my grandmother gave me a new pair every Christmas. I don't remember wearing them to school, though.

>21 scaifea: Yes, Amber. From first grade through fifth grade (which I completed in 4 years, because the grades were very fluid) I went to a one-room, 8-grade school. It was actually on our property. There were still 2 or 3 of those schools operating in our township until 1961 or 1962. My dad was on the township school board, and meetings were often held at our dining room table. I remember overhearing some of the discussions about the options; all the teachers left were closing in on retirement age, the number of students was down, the cost of keeping the buildings open and transporting the kids vs. paying tuition to send us to the closest modern school--which was in New York State. It would have been twice as far for me to go to the closest PA school, not so far for others, even farther for some. We were a very spread-out sparse population. The board eventually voted to pay tuition to send us to New York. As I mentioned, this was where most kids from our home town went to high school, even when my parents were young (at a time when you had to pass an entrance exam to get into high school, and a lot of kids didn't even try--they left school after 8th grade and went to work, often for their family farm). I had the same English teacher my junior and senior year in high school that my parents had. Our principal had been my mother's bookkeeping teacher when he was barely out of teachers' college.

>6 scaifea: My parents looked at a home in the county. They ended up not buying it because I absolutely did not want to go to school in a different district. I don't think they really liked the house that well either. My brothers who were fourteen and sixteen when I was born moved a lot, but it was in town. They had built this home a few years before I was born. My surviving brother still remembers most of the homes in which they lived over the years.

Happy New Thread, Amber! Is Hobberdy Dick related to Chuckles the Dick? Just wonderin'...

My family moved from Oak Park after 4th grade, I was devastated, since I had such a great group of friends. We only moved a couple miles away, but it was in a different town and school district. This does have a happy ending though, since we moved back to Oak Park, 2 years later, so I could go to 7th grade and we stayed put, until I graduated high school.

My family moved from North Carolina to Oklahoma the summer between first and second grade. I don’t remember being too upset, mostly excited about it. New bedroom to decorate, etc. The house we ended up renting was a farmhouse with a big garden, fruit trees, a chicken coop... I have a lot of great memories of that house.

We moved again between fifth and sixth grades, but that one was more complicated for a number of reasons. One thing that helped me was staying in touch with my best friend — we wrote letters back and forth for a couple years, until that kind of petered out. It was always exciting to get a letter from Abby.

Happy new thread, Amber and Happy 9.5 to Charlie.

>6 scaifea: We moved twice before I was two years old and my recollections of the same are, in consequence, a bit fuzzy. I somehow do remember the second house on playing on Grandma's bed whilst seeking out Father Christmas' stash in the wardrobe.

Happy new thread, Amber.

My mother is still living in the same house my parents lived in when I was born. My husband's family still own the house that they lived in when Ed was born. Other than the two of us, it seems that everyone else I know has moved at least once in their childhood. I always wanted to move, because I thought it would be exciting and fun, but the closest I ever got to it was moving after school was done for the year to our summer home on a lake and then moving back again when school was about to start. Not really the same at all. Lots and lots of moving for me until we settled in this house 20+ years ago.

I think its all in how you discuss it with kids. Like anything, I think the more informed kids are, the happier they can be about family decisions - and if they can actually participate in the decision making in some small way, then it makes them more invested in it. (Of course, I'm not telling you anything you don't know.) Certainly, kids can keep in touch with their current friends (technology is wonderful) and also make new friends in the new place. If the current friends are really important they'll likely want to stay in touch; otherwise, they'll just naturally grow apart. I've had friends that moved away and with whom I've kept in touch. One friend moved when we were in middle school and we kept in touch with for many years - we reconnected via Facebook many years ago and still occasionally touch base.

Moving stories huh? *not commenting on why you are eliciting these*
We never moved. I was born 500m away from my home (in the local hospital) and stayed living there til I moved out for university. My dad was a refugee who as a child literally never had a home he felt he could call home (refugee and displaced persons homes at the end of WWII, then a short spell of heaven with his mother here in NZ, then an orphanage so she could work, then into a home with an abusive stepfather until said stepfather sent him away to work as a 16 year old, then he was on his own in the world til he married and rescued his mother from her abusive relationship)...so....he really really wanted us to have a long term home, and long term friends. Which we did, I am still friends with people I met as a pre-10 year old. But- that's not to say we wouldn't have been fiiiiine had we moved :)
/end of my 2 cents ;)

>31 laytonwoman3rd: Linda: Neat! I grew up on the corner of a dusty country crossroads, and katy-corner from us was (still is) an old one-room schoolhouse. I used to daydream about that being my school, so that I could just walk home for lunch.

>32 thornton37814: Lori: Interesting!

>33 msf59: Morning, Mark! Ha! No, Hobberdy Dick is a hobgoblin. Honestly, I wasn't looking forward to this one, because I thought it would turn out to be another too-dated and rickety old children's book, but I started it last night and am really enjoying it so far.

Devastated, eh? Not what I was looking for... Hmm.

>34 foggidawn: I love the idea of staying in touch with friends. Skype/Facetime would help with that, too.

>35 PaulCranswick: Paul: Of course you have memories of being a rascal. Of course you do. *smiles*

>36 rretzler: Good thoughts, Robin. Thanks. Tomm and I are the same, in that neither of us experienced a move as kids.

>37 LovingLit: Megan: I love that your dad was able to give you the childhood he wanted to - what a wonderful happy ending for him, and definitely deserved!

"Devastated", yes, but in an 8 or 9 year old's mind. Just missing my pals.

Morning, Amber!

Good morning Amber my dear.

Morning Amber - and Happy New Thread!

We moved when I was 13...all of across two fields. So I suspect not the info you are after. I moved my two when Will was 4 and Cass 7 - but again, only up the hill to a house in the same parish. Cass moved school the following September which was more upsetting for her - she loved the new school but had some difficulties at first.

>26 Familyhistorian: Whereas I would have loved the chance to wear a uniform to school, Meg, eliminating the angst of picking an outfit every morning and constantly comparing my own (cheap, often secondhand) clothes with those of my (trendy, famous-brand) classmates.

>40 msf59: Mark: Yes, but devastated is still devastated to a 9-year-old, and that's what's weighing on my mind right now...

>41 johnsimpson: Morning, John!

>42 BekkaJo: Thanks, Bekka! Charlie had a bit of an adjustment period when he started the school he's in now (here, buildings are sorted by grade, not by geography, so all 4K-K kids in the town go to one building, then move to another one for 1-4, then on to the middle school), but he loves it now, too.

>43 rosalita: Julia: SAME!!

On today's agenda:
Charlie woke up with a sore throat, headache and stomach ache, so it's a stay-at-home day for us today. I'll likely do some sewing and writing, and then probably some snuggling on the couch and watching movies, too. Comfort food for dinner tonight (as long as Charlie's stomach is up to it by then): Macaroni & Cheese.

On the reading front:
I listened to more of The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue, nearly finished Gateway, and started Hobberdy Dick yesterday.

Morning, Amber!

Oh dear, poor Charlie, hope everything clears up for him my dear. When I first awoke it was glorious, the sun was shining and I was looking forward to a lovely day but within 90 minutes it had turned dull and cloudy and has stayed that way since.

After a steady morning I took Karen to work and have just got back so the afternoon promises a little bit of reading and then doing the upstairs housework a bit more reading before I go and pick Amy up after she has dropped her car at the garage for some work doing. Amy is staying overnight and I will take her to work in the morning.

>46 Crazymamie: Morning, Mamie!

>47 johnsimpson: Hi, John! Thanks! I'm hoping he just needs a rest day and will be back to his happy self tomorrow. Fingers crossed.

I'm sorry that your sunny day is gone - it's not morning enough here yet to tell what kind of day we'll have!

Hope Charlie feels better quickly! Enjoy your cuddles today.

I assume that your macaroni and cheese is not the box kind! I found a recipe for the Instant Pot that I'd like to try as C loves Mac n' Cheese (boxed kind) but I don't care for it.

>49 ChelleBearss: Thanks, Chelle!

Nope, not the boxed kind; the cook on the stove and then bake in the oven kind. One of my favorite comfort foods. I should try making it in the Instant Pot sometime, too!

I bet yours tastes quite a lot better than the gross boxed kind!
I found this one for the Instant Pot and will try it.
Have you ever tried a cake or cheesecake in yours? This one looks pretty yum!

>51 ChelleBearss: I've not been brave enough to try a cake - I once tried to make a cake in my slow cooker and it was a disaster...

Morning Amber!

Just to offer you a different perspective. My C is a very sentimental and attached kiddo. I mean he STILL sleeps with his lovey...and I don't foresee him giving it up anytime soon. He has never had to move schools but he has had a couple of good friends move away. One in each grade so far. And each time he comes out to our meeting area in tears and devastated that it was his friend's last day of school....
The mom in me instantly wants to jump in and prevent heartache. Isn't that what we would all do? Protect their hearts so they never ever ever get hurt? But alas, that is impossible so we try our hardest to be that soft spot where they can take their wounded hearts, that safe place where they can just let their tears overwhelm them for as long as it takes. They will get heartbroken in this world. It's inevitable and unavoidable...
No matter what happens, I'm sure you and the husband will be the best support for C in whatever decisions are made. He is an amazing kid and each experience, whether bad or good will be an opportunity to mold his character.
*HUGS*

>53 jolerie: Thanks, Valerie. Charlie's lost his best friend to a move, too, and they're still best friends! The boy moved about 2 hours away and we still manage to get them together every couple of months and they write letters to each other, too.

I agree with you about wanting to step in and fix it, but trying instead sometimes just to be there as that soft spot (I love that term).

Hi, Amber.

I'm arriving late today. (Had to go into work - boo!) I just read Finding Winnie, and thought it was okay, but was a little disappointed. It's a Caldecott winner, and the Sophie Blackall illustrations are good, for sure, but I expected a bit more from the story. The author's a descendant of the original Winnie the (actual) Bear owner, so there was some cool memorabilia at the end. Five stars overall on Amazon from loads of folks - I'm not entirely sure why, except maybe the universal love for Winnie-the-Pooh.

>55 jnwelch: Joe: I felt very much the same way about Finding Winnie, to be honest. I didn't see that it exactly deserved the Caldecott. The strange thing is that there was another picture book about Winnie the Pooh published that same year, Winnie: The True Story of the Bear Who Inspired Winnie-the-Pooh.

Happy new thread, Amber. I hope Charlie feels better soon.

>57 BLBera: Thanks, Beth! I think he's definitely on the mend.

I think it can be good, in a way, for kids to have experience with big changes. Anything of the sort will always be hard, but the ability to adapt is so important.

We moved across the state line when I was 7 or 8 but I went to the same school. But starting in high school, all my friends scattered to different schools, and I started at a school where I didn't know anybody. Plus, I was away from home, so I remember a couple of bad weeks, but that was it. As everyone has said, kids are resilient and it probably doesn't hurt to exercise the resilience muscle somewhat early.

So where are y'all contemplating moving to? ;-)

>59 katiekrug: So where are y'all contemplating moving to? ;-)
What makes you think anyone's going anywhere? ;)

I agree with Valerie (>53 jolerie:), anything you do will still involve you and T being there for C, so home will be where the (soft spot) heart is.

>59 katiekrug: Thanks, Katie. I agree that it's good for kids to experience this sort of thing, but that doesn't make the parenting part any easier.

And, NOPE.

>60 LovingLit: Megan: Exactly!

And thanks for the kind words. I need reminding of that!

Nothing to add to the moving discussion other than what's already been said e.g., kids are resilient, it helps a lot if they can participate in decision-making, and that difficult situations can be life-changing in a good way.

>61 scaifea: that "NOPE" is killing me though. I know you'll share when you are able, but I'm on tenterhooks!

Not a great moving story here I'm afraid, but my younger brother (he was 9-10 when we moved) seemed to do much better. I think in my case it didn't help that we moved because of my dad's industry, and the new place was pretty rocky, and it took a while for my mum to find something that suited her, so there was a lot of stress at home too.

What helped me was some very kind kids who went out of their way to make me feel welcome, joining groups (choir, youth groups) and the fact that I loved learning so found the teachers (mostly) welcoming - I've since read of schemes where kids are specifically nominated to be the 'welcome' person, which sounds like a brilliant innovation.

The school I left had two libraries, one for the younger kids and another one on the 'senior' site. I was so gutted I never got to be a member of the senior one!

Good morning.

>62 lauralkeet: Laura: I know, and I'm sorry - I'm hoping that I can spill the packing peanuts soon, but there are 'factors' at the moment, but also I want/need the advice sooner.

>63 charl08: Charlotte: Ooof, leaving that senior library sounds a bit rough, but joining up in some extra-curricular things will be a big part of the plan and I think will help.

>64 johnsimpson: Morning, John!

On the agenda today:

Charlie seems to be feeling better this morning, so I'm fairly certain that he'll be off to school today. For me it'll be more of the usual: treadmilling, sewing, writing, library volunteering. I haven't mopped the kitchen floor in yonks, so maybe I'll give that a go, too. woot.

On the reading front:
I'm in the middle(ish) of The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue and enjoying it while being a little surprised that I'm enjoying it. I also read a bit of Hobberdy Dick and started Revenge; the latter, I'm excited to say, is Fry's take on The Count of Monte Cristo and is of course already in the first 30 pages absolutely brilliant.

What We Read Yesterday:
-Hoppy Clubhouse Easter
-Ella Sets the Stage
And bits of:
-Just Add Magic
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

>66 scaifea:, Not mopped the floor in yonks, slipping up there my dear, lol. Must admit I haven't done the kitchen floor for a couple of weeks but with the snow and wet weather what was the point, will do it this week, promise.

Morning, Amber! Happy Wednesday. Hoping that wind is a bit more kind today.

>68 johnsimpson: John: Ha! I'm glad I'm not the only one, then!

>69 msf59: Morning, Mark!

Morning, Amber! Hope you find something more exciting to do than mopping. I need to vacuum today, ugh. Seeing Ellie crawl around makes me remember I should do a better job of keeping my floors clean. At least until she is walking:)

Morning, Amber!

I'm glad our pal Charlie is feeling better.

Ooo, Stephen Fry's take on The Count of Monte Cristo. I'll be following your reading it with interest.

>71 ChelleBearss: Chelle: Ha! Well, Charlie's been walking for awhile, so I'm fine, right?

>72 jnwelch: Afternoon, Joe! Thanks! He's got a bit of a chest cold, it seems, but was eager to get back to school.

And yes, the Fry is one that I bet you'll want to read - I'll keep you posted.

Hi! Happy new one. Glad Charlie is feeling better and that your floor is clean again. Mine is available if you need more practice. The floor, not the kid. ; )

>74 Berly: Kim: Thanks! And Ha! That's a nice offer, but I think I'll pass. I guess I'll probably be expected to mop mine again someday, and that's more than enough for me.

Charlie Update: I brought him home early from school today with a nasty headache and just completely worn out. Not really over this cold business, I guess. Poor tiger.

On the agenda for today:
Treadmilling, menu planning and organizing the grocery list, sewing, writing.

On the reading front:
I didn't crack a book yesterday for various reasons, but I did listen to a bit more of The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue.

What We Read Yesterday:
-Whoever You Are
-Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
-One Snowy Night
And bits of:
-Just Add Magic
-Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Morning, Amber! Hope you can crack a book today.

>78 msf59: Morning, Mark! Thanks - me, too!

>80 Berly: Oh, pretty! Hi, Kim!

Morning, Amber! How is Charlie feeling today?

>82 Crazymamie: Morning, Mamie! Well, he told me that he felt fine this morning, so he's at school. Fingers crossed that it sticks today...

Hope school went well for Charlie today Amber. I meant to add to the school library story- I was so glad to read online (with pictures) the transfer school's library is *so* much bigger/ better than the one they had when I was there. Nice to see someone did something about that.

>84 charl08: Thanks, Charlotte - he did make it through the school day and seems to be doing better today, although still has a slight headache (I'm not convinced that that's just not first spring allergies, though).

And yay for the library spruce-up!

On the agenda today:
Grocery shopping, vacuuming, bills, weekly photo organizing. Charlie has an early release day (he gets out at 12:30), and he has a couple of friends coming home with him to hang out until time for ballet class.

On the reading front:
I spent some time with The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue and Stephen Fry's Incomplete and Utter History of Classical Music yesterday.

What We Read Yesterday:
-Lego City: Follow That Easter Egg!
-The King's Chessboard
And bits of:
-The Terrible Two
-Just Add Magic
-Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Morning, Amber. Happy Friday. I work today and then I will be off until Tuesday. They are finally installing the carpet, tomorrow morning and I need some extra time to put everything back in the Man-Cave. There are stacks of books everywhere, among other things.

>88 msf59: Morning, Mark! It sounds like you've got a busy - but fun! - long weekend planned!

"haven't mopped the kitchen floor in yonks"....yeah. The cat was trying to play with a bit of something she found on the floor yesterday, but it wouldn't move...I think maybe I need to get the bucket out myself.

Happy Friday, Amber!

Morning, Amber! Glad to see that Charlie is feeling better. Hope he enjoys his play date today

>90 laytonwoman3rd: Linda: Ha! That's a fair indication, yeah.

>91 Carmenere: Thanks, Lynda! Happy Friday to you, too!

>92 ChelleBearss: Morning, Chelle! Thanks! He's so excited about this afternoon. His friends, Mara and her little sister, Bryn, are very cool and fun, and they make a great trio. It's going to be in the high 40s/low 50s today, so they're planning on having lightsaber games outside (he made sure to tell them to smuggle their lightsabers in their backpacks - ha!).

Hiya, Amber.

How is Charlie liking the HP Half-Blood Prince?

Star Wars The Next Generation - love it.

>94 jnwelch: Hi, Joe! We're finally getting to the good stuff in Half-Blood Prince (I've always felt that this one takes a long time to get going) - Harry's just learned about horcruxes and he's just tested out that sectumsempra spell, and Charlie's really getting into it.

ETA: There is some serious lightsaber action going on in the back yard as I type!

HBP has always been my favourite of the books. I just love the slow build of trying to understand Voldemort and all the stuff with the pensieve. :)

Happy Friday!

>95 scaifea: Micky: I think it feels even slower this time round because we only read about 10 pages a night, if that. So, yeah, the end has been a very long time coming...

>97 scaifea: That could definitely be the culprit. I usually blitz through each of the books in a week or less. :)

>98 MickyFine: Micky: I know, right?! This reading HP aloud a little each night has really been an exercise in patience for me, to be honest, but it's also SO fun to watch Charlie listening, too, and see his face when big stuff happens. I love it.

OHmygosh, Charlie's friends are always so hilarious and fun! I made brownies and a batch of cookies (Spicy Buttermilk, if you're into the details of the story) so they'd have a choice for an after-school snack. Bryn, who is the youngest of the bunch, after downing a brownie and a handful of cookies (I lost count, to be honest), looked up at me and asked in the politest of terms, "Do you have anything that's not so much in the sweet department? I'm still a bit hungry." *SNORK!!* Love it!!

>99 scaifea: I've been contemplating doing a read-aloud night once a week with The Fianc&eactue; after we get married. I'll have to remember to pick books that you don't want to blitz through super fast. ;)

>100 scaifea: So cute!

>101 MickyFine: Tomm and I read aloud all of the (current at the time) HP books when we were first married, but we read more at a time. It was difficult, though, when the last two came out and we were reading them aloud to each other the first time through - that was a bit more frustrating, I admit.

>102 scaifea: That reminds me of this old Vlogbrothers video.

>103 MickyFine: Ha! Cute!

On the agenda today:
Baking (Rich Chocolate Layer Cake), a bit of laundry, hopefully tons of reading, and also some staring out the window at the place where 5-8 inches of snow are supposed to be but demonstrably aren't...

On the reading front:
I managed a bit more of both The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue and Stephen Fry's Incomplete and Utter History of Classical Music. I'm hoping to finish the Fry book today.

What We Read Yesterday:
-Happy Easter, Mouse!
-Here We Are
-Llama Llama Red Pajama
And bits of:
-The Terrible Two
-Camp Foxtrot
-Just Add Magic
-Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Morning, Amber! Happy Saturday. I think going to work today, might have been less stressful, but I have the Man-Cave cleared out, all but the larger furniture. They should arrive soon and then I'll find somewhere else in the house to curl up with a book, until they are done.

Enjoy your day.

>107 msf59: Morning, Mark! Good luck with the man cave today!

Happy Saturday, Amber. Hope it's a good one at Scaife Manor.

>109 jnwelch: Thanks, Joe! So far so good!

61. Stephen Fry's Incomplete and Utter History of Classical Music by Stephen Fry (Fry bibliography, 304 pages) - 9/10 = A-
Stephen Fry walks his reader through classical music, from a cave painting in France to John Williams' Harry Potter score.
I really appreciated this one for the timeline aspect; I've never been good at remembering who came when in this field, and generally I just assume that Beethoven, Brahms, Bach, Chopin, Rachmaninoff et al. were all kicking around in the 1750s (DON'T JUDGE ME!). So, yeah, this was a good read for me. My only tiny little quibble - because I love Stephen Fry with all my heart and in general think that he can do no wrong - is that I can't quite figure out how to handle the tone. It's flippant and jokey all the way through and after about 1/3 of the book that started to wear a bit and I felt bad that it was starting to wear a bit because, again, I love Stephen Fry. So much. I suspect that it would be easier to take in an audio version, especially, of course, if Fry read it himself.

We moved when I was in first grade, I must have been 6 or 7. The worst thing was that I had to say goodbye to the Great Love of My Life, which was heartbreaking for me (and I was getting hints that it wasn't so heartbreaking for her so maybe it was for the best though that certainly wasn't my perspective at the time). I spent a couple of days wondering if I'd ever find friends, but then I did and things were fine.

>111 scaifea: I recognize the impression that the famous composers were all members of the same club back in the Old Days, even though some of them may have had birth & death dates that *technically* didn't overlap with their buddies'. So you won't be judged by me. The perspective-changing work for me was Robert Greenberg's series of lectures for the Great Courses company, How to Listen to and Understand Great Music. The Fry book sounds like a fun way to revisit that territory, so into the Swamp it goes.

Moves? We moved twice when I was a kid; ages 13 and then Sophomore year in High School. My parents didn't have much choice in either case, it was what they needed to do to support the family.

It was rugged for me, to be honest. I think if I'd been younger, or been a more extroverted kid it would have been easier. But the good thing is that we ended up in Oregon, which I love.

Happy newish thread, Amber. I am late in answering your bonus question, but I moved twice as a kid, and I kinda sorta remember one move and really remember the second. The worst part (of the one I really remember) was leaving a friend that lived across the street. We never really stayed in touch the same way again, though we have both gone on to become librarians and ran into each other at a professional conference last year, which was fun. The best part was it actually got us away from a pretty toxic situation with another neighbor. The other move was when I was three, and I sort of remember the resort we stayed at while we waited for house we were buying to be ready. That was fun! Except I was so stressed out I threw up every night. (My stress usually shows up in the form of nausea, fun right?) But my parents would tell you the best part is we got out of a bad neighborhood and were much safer where we moved to!

>112 swynn: Steve: You had a Love of Your Life at 6/7? Whoa. Player.

And thanks - I'm glad I'm not the only one with the all-the-classical-greats-are-the-same-age syndrome. I may look to see if Greenberg has a print version somewhere.

>113 banjo123: Rhonda: Yeah, I'm hoping that Charlie being younger will help, too. I can't imagine trying to move in high school. Yoicks.

>114 bell7: Thanks, Mary! I love that you ran into your old friend at a conference and that you're both librarians! Very cool.

On today's agenda:
A bit of laundry and then hopefully tons of reading time.

On the reading front:
After finishing the Fry book, I also managed to polish off Gateway (more on that later) and read a bit more of Hobberdy Dick.

What We Read Yesterday:
-Duck & Goose: Here Comes the Easter Bunny!
-Cinnamon
And bits of:
-The Terrible Two
-Camp Foxtrot
-Just Add Magic
-Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

And we watched The Lego Ninjago Movie again. So fun.

Morning, Amber! Hope you get lots of reading time today! I am also working on laundry and hoping to read later.

>118 ChelleBearss: Chelle: Ha! Twins!! Good luck with your reading, too!

Weekend baking results - Chocolate Layer Cake:

Hi, Amber! I'm slowly catching up on threads, and your Bonus Question is very relevant to my childhood, and one that I'll have a long answer to, after I think about it a bit more. We moved twice during my teenage years, but neither move was overly difficult or traumatic, despite what could have been a major culture shock after the first move. I want to give this a bit more thought, and I'll post a reply later today or tomorrow.

Thanks for the birthday cake!😎

>121 kidzdoc: Hi, Darryl! Happy Birthday!! I'm interested in reading what you have to say about your moves!

62. Gateway by Frederick Pohl (Nebula, Hugo, Locus Science Fiction, & Campbell awards, 278 pages) - 8/10 = B-
By means of alternating chapters, this sci-fi award winner follows Robinette Broadhead through a series of psychiatric sessions with a computer-simulated therapist and also through a recounting of his time serving on Gateway. The Gateway is a giant-corporation-owned portal to unknown areas of the universe, the discovered relic used by the mysterious HeeChee, an alien race long gone and little known. Working on Gateway means risking one's life to board ships going who knows where and into unseen dangers with the possible outcome of earning one's fortune, if you manage to discover something the corporation decides is worthwhile. In Broadhead's case, he's risked both is life and his sanity and come back with both very nearly intact.

I haven't completely decided how I feel about this one. The Gateway itself and the story behind it is imaginative and pretty cool, but Broadhead (and essentially all of the other characters, too) never really invokes my sympathies, and the ending was so abrupt and dissatisfying that it felt like reading a hastily slapped together conclusion to a mediocre student's essay. So, *sigh,* meh, I guess.

63. Hobberdy Dick by Katharine M. Briggs (1001 Children's Books, 239 pages) - 9/10 = A
Hobberdy Dick is the hobgoblin who protects Widford Manor and has for countless years. The house has changed hands and no longer belongs to the original family, and Dick isn't too keen on the new owners. He does take a liking to the older son, though, and also a young maidservant, who, it so happens, is the only living relative to the original inhabitant and therefore the rightful heir to the riches buried in the old stable...

I started this one without high expectations, to be honest - I assumed it would be another children's book from the '50s that hasn't aged well - but I was very happily surprised. You can't help but love Dick and his well-meaning antics, and the young protagonists are very easy to root for. I also loved the keeping up of old traditions and beliefs, as lovingly told by the author as they are respected by the manor's working folk. Definitely recommended.

64. Honk the Moose by Phil Stong (Newbery Honor Book, 80 pages) - 8/10 = B
A funny little story about a moose who comes to stay in a town barn for the winter and is befriended by three young boys.
Short and sweet, but nothing spectacular.

65. The Hundred Penny Box by Sharon Bell Mathis (Newbery Honor Book, 47 pages) - 8/10 = B
A glimpse into the relationship between a young boy and his great-great aunt, and the tense emotions that come when an older family member comes to live with her descendents.
I wanted to like this one more than I did. I appreciate the care with which the relationship between boy and aunt is crafted, but the story is too staid for me, and the ending is more frustrating than poetic.

The meh for Gateway matches what I've seen elsewhere. I won't hurry to read it. Thank you for giving it a peruse.

You’re zipping right through some of those old Newbery honors — too bad they are not all fantastic reads.

>127 jnwelch: Joe: Yeah, and it's too bad, really, because the idea for the story is a good one. Oh well.

>128 foggidawn: True, but there are some real gems, too, like Hobberdy Dick, although that's not from the Newbery list, of course.

>123 scaifea: ~meh~ minus from me, too. The thing I liked was the implicit anticorporate message and the thing that made 18?-year-old me roll my eyes so far back I saw my brain was Dane and Robbie's badly handled (b)romance.

I moved a lot from 1966-1970 (Cali to South Texas, South Texas to Austin) then a couple house moves to stay with the same school crowd. Like, from duplex A to duplex B at 8102 Ceberry.

>120 scaifea: Ohhh. Amber, you are soooo cold. Cake, just cake. I want it. Ohhh. But you aren't going to send me a huge, fresh, moist, insanely chocolaty slice overnight, are you? Well! I hope you enjoyed it. It looks marvelous.

I'll just sit over here, eating my ice cream.

>130 richardderus: Richard: Yes, his intense reactions against whatever relationship he had with Dane was ridiculous and a bit part of what was so unlikable about him, I think.

>131 weird_O: Ha! So sorry, Bill. But you're welcome to come over anytime for a slice of whatever dessert is here at the moment, of course.

BG: The first move I remember was when I was five. All I remember is that I felt safe. A Very Bad Thing had happened - that I won't go into here - and I felt like I had gotten away from it. I didn't remember this until I was older though.

We moved again when I was nine. Then twelve. Then twelve. Then thirteen. Then sixteen. None of it really mattered to me because at least one of them was a "felt safe" situation and I was always an introverted bookworm with few, if any friends. The ones I did have were pretty casual.

I wasn't much help was I? My advice, and it is stuff you probably already have in mind is to a) prepare Charlie for what to expect as much as you can ahead of time, b) give him as many choices as is reasonable (do you want the front bedroom or the back bedroom? Blue sheets or red sheets?), and c) find things that are similar enough that he has stuff to look forward to (the library, a ballet class, etc.) Show pictures if possible.

Make a travel/moving journal? He can have his own checklists and photo/collage diary - both of things he is leaving behind as well as things to look forward to in the new place. Have his class and teacher sign his journal. Maybe even special friends as well like the neighborhood ladies or the librarian. Maybe take pictures of/with them. Press flowers or leaves from the old place and new place. Oooh, take pictures of the pld/new town signs either with or without Charlie.

Advice I've found around the 'net:

Tell them why you are moving and where you are moving. Whether it’s because of a job offer, a sick relative, or any other reason, offer your child a clear, honest explanation.

Explain the benefits of the move that relate to their interests—maybe the new school’s swim team or tech club will pique your child’s interest.

Be honest about life changes the move may cause, but reassure your child that their life will remain much the same. Tell your child, “Even though we will live in a new city, we will still stay in contact with old friends and we’ll still do all of the same family activities we did before the move” (such as your weekly pizza night).

Illustrate where you are moving with not only pictures, but also with maps of the road trip (starting from your old home to where you’re moving) and of the new community. Show them where their new library, parks, and other points of interest are in their new town.

As with toddlers and babies, keep your young and middle school age kids’ routines normal before, during, and after the move. Kids of all ages thrive on routines. For example, keep bedtimes consistent and if you always read books before bedtime continue to do so after the move.

Encourage your child to make a list of questions about moving to ask you, and answer them openly and honestly.

Read books together about moving. Younger children (ages up to 8) might enjoy Where I Live by Eileen Spinelli, Maybe Yes, Maybe No, Maybe Maybe by Susan Patron, Little Critter: We Are Moving by Mercer Mayer, and Katie’s Big Move! by Maria St. Inacio. Older children (up to age 12) may enjoy Moving Day by Meg Cabot, The Moving Book: A Kids’ Survival Guide by Gabriel Davis and My Very Exciting, Sorta Scary, Big Move by Lori Attanasio Woodring, PhD. (all available on Amazon).

Make an address memory book together listing your child’s friends’ phone numbers, addresses, and email addresses to encourage them to keep in touch with their friends after the move. Include photos of the old home, friends, and memories. Hand-written letters or postcards are a fun way for your child to reconnect with friends after the move.

Draw a floorplan of your child’s new room and allow your child to pick out paint colors for the walls, select decorations, and decide how to arrange furniture and toys.

Pack some surprises in your child’s moving boxes, such as a new toy or book, or a new shirt for the first day of school.

Take a last tour of your old town and say your goodbyes. Visit your favorite places, and visit friends, neighbors, and anyone else you want to say one last goodbye to.

Plan a fun night. Within the chaos of moving, make sure to take some time for fun and plan one night (or more) to take a break and spend time together having fun as a family. Visit the local arcade, hit up the laser tag center, or have a game night.

Encourage your child to become involved in your new community. Enroll your child in extracurricular activities, set up playdates with new classmates, host a party at your new home and invite neighbor kids, and find kid-friendly places to meet other children such as the park, YMCA, or church.

Take a tour of your new town and explore it like a tourist to get your child excited about all the new town has to offer.

Books:
Moving with Kids: 25 Ways to Ease Your Family’s Transition to a New Home by Lori Burgan
Moving Gracefully: A Guide to Relocating Yourself & Your Family by Carol Miller Fradkin

Movies:
http://localtalk.mynewplace.com/7-movies-about-moving-for-kids-and-teens/

• Camp Indoors at the New Place - The first night in a new, unfamiliar place can be frightening. Turn it into an adventure by allowing your child to camp indoors during that first night. Bring an actual tent into the house, and let your child arrange it how they see fit. Tell "campfire stories" and do other camping-related activities to keep your kid happy and occupied.

• Arrange Your Child's Room First - Make situating your kid's room the top priority. Once their bedroom is arranged how they want, they will have a private area filled with familiar things to escape to when the need arises.

Bubble Wrap Art:
http://mamaslittlemuse.blogspot.com/2012/06/sea-horse-craft.html?showComment=134...
http://www.gluedtomycraftsblog.com/2015/03/bubble-wrap-print-cherry-blossom-tree...
(My favorite):
https://coolmompicks.com/blog/2012/09/14/rosh-hashanah-craft-for-kids/

Craft project for bits and pieces found while packing:
http://www.playathomemomllc.com/2016/06/loose-parts-collage/

tl;dr Just be the wonderful, compassionate, understanding mom you are.

>133 Morphidae: wow, there are some amazing ideas in this post.

>133 Morphidae: Wow, thanks for that, Morphy! I'm feeling quite chuffed that we're pretty much doing/planning on doing most of that already.

>134 lauralkeet: Laura: I know, right?!

On the agenda for today:
Charlie's officially on Spring Break, so we're having a lazy morning. We may hang out at the library a bit today, and then this afternoon we're heading down to Dubuque to meet Tomm for dinner at a new place that's just opened up: Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steak Burgers. Sounds like it's a Steak & Shake sort of place and I'm so there for it.

On the reading front:
I chugged through a few yesterday (see above) and then started on The Illustrated Man last night. Not sure how much reading I'll get in today between trying to get a bit of writing done and hanging out with Charlie. No complaints, though.

What We Read Yesterday:
-The Wishing of Biddy Malone
-Mickey's Easter Hunt
And bits of:
-The Terrible Two
-Camp Foxtrot
-Just Add Magic
-Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

And we watched Wonder again. So good.

Morning, Amber. Enjoying one more day off. I would like to see Wonder. Loved the book. Glad to hear it is a good film adaptation.

So it sounds like this move is definitely happening. Exciting!

>138 msf59: Morning, Mark! Oh, do try to see the movie because it's fantastic. But bring lots of tissues...

>139 katiekrug: Katie: SHHH! OFFICIALLY, not yet...

I'm not doing a great job of keeping this a secret...

>140 scaifea: Worst kept secret ever! But don't worry, your Lt'ers can keep a secret, or at least keep it contained to LT :)

Hope Charlie has an awesome spring break! I don't think I've ever been to a steak and shake type restaurant. I'm intrigued!

>141 ChelleBearss: Ha! Thanks, Chelle.

And, oh, steak & shake places are delicious!

This isn't a direct answer to your question but it's a fun memory for me so thought I would share.

When my son was 4 my ex and I moved from the Netherlands to CA. We sold/donated a lot of stuff and then the movers came and packed up the rest. After they left with the van we got in the car to head for the airport. After a while our little son piped up from the back seat with "do you actually know those guys?"

>143 RebaRelishesReading: Reba, I love that story!!

Morning, Amber! Hooray for Spring Break!

Did you ever move when you were a kid? If so, what was the worst thing about moving for you? What was the best thing? What, if anything, made the move easier for you to deal with/process?

A little bit of background first. I was born in Jersey City, New Jersey in 1961. JC, located just across the Hudson River from Lower Manhattan, is the second most diverse city in the United States, and is often referred to as NYC's fifth borough, as it is closer to Manhattan, especially the financial district, than most of the other boroughs, and, for that matter, Upper Manhattan itself, and many of the newest residents of Downtown JC work in NYC, using PATH, the 110 year old metro system that connects Newark, Harrison, Hoboken and JC with Manhattan. Ellis Island, where 12 million immigrants to the US arrived on ships from the late 19th century to the mid 20th century, is claimed by NYC, but is much closer to JC, and is or was connected to JC by a bridge. As a result, millions of immigrants first settled in both JC and NYC, mainly from Europe and Asia. As I mentioned on my Facebook timeline on St Patrick's Day my Irish paternal great-grandmother and my Indian paternal great-grandfather met as immigrants from their home countries on a transatlantic steamship around the turn of the century, and their only son was my paternal grandfather, whose olive complexion and dark hair and eyebrows gave him an Egyptian appearance.

My father grew up in JC, and my mother moved from Troy, Alabama to Manhattan, along with her mother and two sisters, as part of the Great Migration in 1943, as chronicled in Isabel Wilkerson's award winning book The Warmth of Other Suns. My maternal grandfather was in the US Army during World War II. My father went to a fully integrated high school, with roughly equal numbers of white and black students, and he had friends of different backgrounds, including white girls who asked him to take them dancing in NYC (needless to say he would have been lynched if he was caught dancing with a white female in the Deep South in the early 1950s!). My mother also went to an integrated high school after her family moved to the Bronx in the late 1940s or early 1950s, and her closest friends, other than her sisters, were a Jewish girl and an Irish girl who were classmates with her. Her mother cleaned office buildings at night and her father was a glazier who opened a shop in the North Bronx, and as they scraped their hard earned money they moved from a succession of increasingly better apartments in Manhattan, then bought a house in an Italian neighborhood in the Bronx, with the aid of an Italian man who befriended them.

After my parents married in the late 1950s they moved into an apartment building in JC that had a mixture of races, before moving to a newer complex in the early 1960s shortly after I was born, also in JC. I remember our first apartment building, which was close to the church we attended and to the house of one of his older brothers and his family, but I was far too young to be affected by the move to our new home, especially since it was no more than two miles away. The Lutheran church we attended was a mixture of first, second and third generation German Americans, other Europeans, African Americans, and a few Latinos, mainly from Puerto Rico. I went to the elementary school associated with the church, which was equally diverse. My two closest friends were an Irish kid and a German kid, and IIRC their grandparents or great grandparents emigrated from their home countries around the turn of the century. My parents had a variety of friends from all backgrounds, both Christian and Jewish, particularly the Carons, who were members of our church. Their daughter Marie, a Lutheran minister in suburban Philadelphia who I recently found on Facebook, and I were especially close. Although the residents of the apartment building I lived in for the majority of time in JC were mostly black there were a smattering of whites, especially the beautiful German woman with the awesome beehive that lived directly above us, who was married to a black man she met while he was stationed in Germany after World War II. She baby sat me and my brother frequently, especially if my mother had to go to the store or run errands. (I have a photo of her with me from the mid 1960s with her amazing beehive, which should be amongst my Facebook photo collection. I'll look for it, and post it on my thread.)

I had a variety of interests as a JC kid, and friends from all different backgrounds. I was a bookworm (surprise!), and could happily spend hours in my room reading. My parents and grandparents quickly realized that sending me to my book filled room was not a punishment, so they would send me to their rooms instead! I also liked to play sports outside, watch TV, and, as an older kid, watch and talk about the championship professional teams in NYC, especially the 1969 Miracle Mets and the 1970 Knicks. I didn't have a best friend; instead, I had a variety of friends of different cultural backgrounds and both genders, many of whom did not share the same interests. I could read books with Penny, watch TV with Marie and her siblings, discuss sports and play street hockey with Rod and Chris, and play stickball and basketball with Lenny and José.

My father worked as a civilian electrical engineer at the Brooklyn Navy Yard from the early 1960s until 1973, when its operations were transferred to a resarch & development facility in suburban Philadelphia. After the 1973-74 school year ended we moved from JC to a small suburb just north of Philadelphia in 1974, when I was 13. For me it occurred at an optimal time, as I had graduated from 8th grade and would have needed to enter 9th grade in a new school, anyway. (My brother was in 4th or 5th grade, so he had a tougher time with the move.) We moved into a rented townhouse in a nearly all white neighborhood. Coming from an all black neighborhood (the few whites in the complex had moved out by 1974, including my German neighbor and her husband) it could have been a culture shock. However, many of my closest friends in JC were white, so the adjustment for me wasn't difficult. Although the town we moved to was essentially all white there were substantial numbers of African Americans in nearby towns, and in Northeast Philadelphia, so it wasn't as if we moved to a rural town in the middle of the country or an all white city in the Deep South. I quickly made friends, including Joseph (Tim) Murphy, who remains a good friend today. We were only 70-75 miles from the homes of my closest maternal and paternal relatives, all of whom lived in JC until the 1990s or later, so I frequently saw my aunts, uncles, cousins and paternal grandfather (all of my other grandparents died when I was 10 yo or less) in Pennsylania or JC, especially during major holidays or summers. In 1976 my parents bought their first home in another suburb within the same township, when I was 15. Similar to the first move I quickly made new friends, and the integration into another nearly all white neighborhood wasn't difficult, especially since the African American neighbors directly across from us were members of our church. We became very close to them as a result, although we also befriended our white neighbors. My parents still live there, and their (white) neighbors treat them as if they are their own parents or siblings, which is invaluable to me as they are nearing the end of their lives and their health and independence are slowly declining.

(Yikes. So much for a "little background"!)

So, back to your questions. The worst thing about moving for me was leaving friends and family behind. It did help that we were only 1-1/2 hours away from JC by car, and that I saw my closest friends and especially my aunts, uncles, and cousins on a regular basis, even if it was just for a weekend. My diverse interests helped me to find common ground with new neighbors, and my experience with people of different backgrounds made it easier to feel comfortable around people who weren't black, which is a major problem for African Americans who grew up in segregated neighborhoods and attended HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities), then had to work in majority white groups and environments. The best thing about moving?! Hmm...I'll have to give that some more thought. I love my parents' current neighborhood, and especially their amazing neighbors, and although I didn't dislike living there during my teen years it was far different, and nowhere near as enjoyable, as living in JC, with its proximity to all that NYC had to offer and being close to my cousins, aunts and uncles. If nothing else living there made me more comforable being the only black in an essentially all white environment, but I think my upbringing in JC had more to do with that.

Apologies for the way too lengthy reply!

>143 RebaRelishesReading: Reba: *snork!* Too funny!

>144 Crazymamie: Morning, Mamie! Hooray, indeed! Charlie has already whipped me soundly in a game of Wii Baseball, so we're off to a good start!

>145 kidzdoc: Wow, Darryl, thanks for taking the time to tell your story. I think the worst thing for Charlie will be leaving friends behind, but I've already been talking to his best friends' parents about skyping and such, so we'll do our best to keep them in touch. As far as family goes, we don't have any here, so that won't be a problem, and in fact we'll be closer to them after the move (which is a big part of the reason for the move).

Oh, heck. Why not:

We're looking to move back to Ohio (Columbus) soon, as in within the next year. Tomm's company has an office there and he's currently working out the details of either taking a different position in that office or keeping the job he has now and just working remotely through that office. We've been toying with the idea of this move for a few years now, but we've recently found out that Tomm has some health issues that may become more serious in the next few years (kidney damage, and kidneys can't be fixed, just maintained, it seems), and we want to be close enough to family that it will be feasible to get help from them if/when we need it. Hopefully that situation is years down the line, but it's just starting to feel like the right time to make the move, anyway. I definitely want to do it before Charlie gets to middle school, because I can't imagine a worse time to start a new school with all new kiddos than then. Yoicks.

So, Ohio 75ers, look out and prepare the meet-ups! Woot!

>146 scaifea: Sorry to hear that Tomm has some serious health issues going on. That's scary. Glad you have relatives to move nearer to for that help if/when you need it!

I think you're spot on about the timing as far as Charlie goes. I'm sure middle school would have been the worst time for *me* if we had moved when I was a kid, anyway.

>147 lycomayflower: Thanks, Laura. It's definitely scary, but we seem to have moved on from "Oh crap, what the hell do we do?!" to "You know what, we love each other and got this."

And yeah, middle school (well, for me it was junior high) can be the worst and there's not way I'm going to do anything to tip that Worst bucket any more than necessary. I want to give him time to make good friends and gather a support group before enter that era.

COLUMBUS? *completely loses cool* *muppet flails* *deep breaths* Okay, okay, wow. Sorry to hear that it's not 100% fantastic reasons for considering a move, but it will be neat to have you close enough for meet-ups.

>146 scaifea: Dang. I thought you, Tomm and Charlie were moving to Midtown Atlanta, to be closer to me. Sigh...

I'm sorry to hear about Tomm's chronic renal disease. I would imagine that it's better for him to live in a city with a major medical center, with access to top notch specialists.

I went to three different schools in three years (9th grade in the junior HS across the street from our complex, 10th grade in one HS, and 11th (& 12th) grade in a sister HS). It helped that 9th graders were the big dogs of the junior high school (7th-9th grades), and that I was a member of the football team and a good student, so I fit in with the jocks and the braniacs. I didn't try out for the football team at my first HS, which is one of the traditional powerhouses of the Philadelphia suburbs, but I was a miler on the varsity spring track team in 10th grade, and I was on the varsity cross country team in my second high school during 11th grade. I think it would have been a far tougher adjustment if I was a bottom of the pole 7th grader rather than a smart and muscular football playing top dog 9th grader in junior high school, especially since I may have been the only black 9th grader in the school.

>149 foggidawn: I know, right?! I'm excited to be closer to you for meetups, too! Someone needs to break the news to Stephen...

Thanks for spilling the beans, Amber! I'm sorry to hear about the health reasons for the move, but it sounds like a wise decision. On the plus side, it sounds like this is a move where you can control the pace and the process vs., say, Tomm's job requiring a warp speed relo. That's a real plus when it comes to helping Charlie navigate through the change.

The personal bummer is that you're doing this just as my need to visit the Columbus area disappears (Kenyon commencement is less than 2 months away!!). Oh well ... it's really not about me is it?!

>150 kidzdoc: Thanks, Darryl. Yes, the great hospitals - and their affiliation with OSU - in Columbus are a big consideration, too.

Atlanta? While it would be amazing to live close to you for cilantro-free meet-ups, I couldn't possibly live in the south. Too many slithery critters and bugs and not nearly enough cold weather. Nopenopenope.

Well, sports are really not Charlie's thing, but I've already been researching possible ballet schools, and the local library branches seems to have some pretty amazing book clubs for him, too. He's excited about those things, and also about being so close to the Columbus Zoo, and all sort of other big city amenities. I'm happy about the better prospects for schooling, too, especially when he gets into high school. Columbus has some pretty great magnet school choices. The diversity there is much better than here, too; I've been concerned about him growing up in such a not-at-all diverse small town (I mean, it's pretty nordic looking round here, to be honest), and Columbus also has a fantastic LBGTQ+ community, too. Politically, Columbus is a heck of a lot bluer than the ocean of red we live in now as well.

>152 lauralkeet: Laura: I thought about the Kenyon thing, too - I've completely missed the window for both of your daughters! That stinks.

The timing is still up in the air, but we're leaning heavily toward building a new house and taking advantage of a slow build-up to the move. If Tomm needs to start a new position right away, then he'll be doing some heavy commuting for a bit, because I won't move Charlie at least until this school year is over and I'd like him to have at least some of this summer here, too. A mid-school year move isn't ideal, but that may be what happens. We'll see.

>148 scaifea: Wonderful. That is an excellent place to be. :-)

CML is a fabulous library system, as you already know, so that's a plus. (And all of the outlying suburban systems are great, too. Ohio libraries are the best, says she who works in one.) It's also nice that you're moving to a city that Charlie has some familiarity with already, as you can talk about his favorite attractions from earlier visits.

>154 scaifea: I've completely missed the window for both of your daughters!
I'm trying not to take it personally. *sniff*

But seriously, Columbus is a win for you guys.

Oh, this is very exciting. I love living vicariously through my LT friends :)

Also, Columbus is closer to me, so there is that...

>155 lycomayflower: Thanks, Laura. I think so, too.

>156 foggidawn: YES, it is! I've been scouting the branches for their kids' programs, and the one that I think may be closest to where we want to be has a cookbook club: kiddos check out a cookbook, and with the help of an adult, chose and make a recipe to bring to the monthly meeting, so everyone can sample different recipes and chat about them. That is so up Charlie's street that it isn't even funny.

And Ohio librarians are clearly amazing, although I'm sure going to miss the Wisconsin librarians I've befriended here.

>157 lauralkeet: Laura: Ha! So sorry!

And yes, Columbus will be good for us, I think. I'm looking forward to being close to old friends there, too.

>158 katiekrug: Katie: Ha! Closer, I suppose, but still no afternoon drive, I'm afraid. Still, someday...

Hi, Amber.

Wow, lots of good advice from Morphy, and I enjoyed reading about Darryl’s moves.

We moved from one Chicago neighborhood to another when the kids were 10 and 6, and did woefully little to prepare them. We would’ve done more after this discussion. We did show them the new house and neighborhood, which was nicer and more kid-friendly, so they seemed excited. And we kept them in the same school, even though it was a schlep.

>160 jnwelch: Joe: Well, if you kept them in the same school, I don't know that you needed to do much prep work. We're moving a few states away, so I think a bit more is in order.

Hm, I'd love to hear what my BFF has to say about this, though...

Sure, try to get advice from the smarter one in the family why don’t you. Don’t mind my deep sighs. You may have to post on her thread. She doesn’t get around the LT campus as much as she’d like.

>162 jnwelch: Joe: Ha! Don't take it too personally. I *am* trying to get a kid's perspective, after all.

Sorry for the reason for your move, but medical facilities in Columbus, Cincinnati, Dayton, and Cleveland are all great so you have some in-state backups if it's an issue better treated at one of the other places. Public libraries were well-funded in Ohio when I lived in the state years ago and I think funding held up better there than many places, so you should be in good shape on the book front as well. I'm sure Charlie will adjust fine.

>164 thornton37814: Thanks, Lori. We have quite a bit of first-hand experience with how good the Columbus hospitals are: both my gall bladder and Charlie were taken out of me at Riverside Hospital, and of course the OSU med center is amazing. It'll be great to get back to the library system as well.

So sorry to hear about Tomm's medical issues. It does sound like a good reason for a move, and I bet being closer to family will be a real positive for Charlie.

I've been wondering when we would get the news. It sounds like it will be a good move for you, Amber, though you will be farther from me. :( Still, I also moved when my kids were small to be closer to family, and I get that. I hope Thom can maintain his health for as long as possible.

You've got this.

Sorry to see the reason for the move but it sounds like you are guys are making the best of a not so great issue. That will be nice to be closer to family and to have people that can help out when needed. That was one of our reasons for moving back home from NS, I wanted the girls to know their grandparents well.

Hi, Amber! It will be nice to move back to an area you are familiar with, so that's a plus. And as a librarian in Ohio, I completely agree with foggi in >149 foggidawn: and >156 foggidawn:. I'm sure you will make transitions for Charlie as easy and smooth as possible. How exciting!!

So sorry to hear about Tomm's health issues. I hope the "control" stretches things into the far future. Columbus is a nice city (and much closer to Chautauqua :)) so I think you'll all do fine there. I'm surprised you describe Madison as "an ocean of red". I thought Wisconsin was fairly even and expected a university town to be fairly blue. Shows you what I know. Of course, if you want to be really blue AND have great hospitals there's always San Diego (just sayin'). Anyway, all the best with planning and executing it all.

>163 scaifea: Yeah, sure. Don't worry about it. *returns to his bare, stony cave where no one cares*

>158 katiekrug:, >159 scaifea: ROAD TRIP !!!!!
We need to start planning Katie and Laura's Excellent Adventure!

Hmmmm. You know Columbus is on the way to visit The Son at Notre Dame, right? That means we might actually have to get together some time...

>172 lauralkeet: - Oh. Yeah.

I am All In for that!

>166 banjo123: Thanks, Rhonda.

>167 BLBera: Thanks, Beth.

>168 ChelleBearss: Chelle: It'll be a relief to be closer to my family; closer to Tomm's family, though? Yeah... But, the good with the bad, eh?

>169 aktakukac: Rachel: Yes! More meet-up members!!

>170 RebaRelishesReading: Reba: We're familiar with Columbus (I lived there for 7 years while doing my graduate work, and then we lived just north of the city for 7 more years before moving here). And we don't live in Madison now - we're about 1.5 hours south, and it's pretty red here. Madison is a liberal island, though.

>171 jnwelch: Joe: Aw, poor Joe. *pats on head*

>172 lauralkeet: Laura: YES!!

>173 drneutron: Jim: WOOT!!!

>174 katiekrug: Katie: (See my response to Laura above.)

>173 drneutron: >174 katiekrug: hey, I think Jim just offered to drive.

*fist pump*

>176 lauralkeet: >177 katiekrug: *snork!!*

>175 scaifea: Ha! Maybe Tomm's family will grow on you in time? (like mold?)

>176 lauralkeet:, >177 katiekrug: Hey, I can do that. Can you meet me in Breezewood? 😀

>179 ChelleBearss: Chelle: Well, it's been 14 years and hasn't happened yet.

>180 drneutron: Jim: *kermit arms*

I can't even tell you how excited Charlie would be to meet Science Jim! You're kind of a celebrity here...

On the agenda for today:
Tomm is taking the day off so we can have a cozy family day before Charlie and I leave for Indiana tomorrow through Saturday. I've got some laundry to do, then packing, and I also need to put together a grocery list for Tomm to pick up some Easter dinner stuff while we're gone, but then it'll be relaxing with my two favorite Scaife Men, maybe some board games, maybe a MarioKart tournament...

On the reading front:
I only managed a few pages of The Illustrated Man yesterday. We'll see if I can manage a bit more today; Charlie has his book club this evening, so I'll have an hour of sitting in the library to read then.

What We Read Yesterday:
-Bob's Egg Hunt
-Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile
And bits of:
-The Terrible Two
-Camp Foxtrot
-Just Add Magic
-Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

And we watched about half of the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie. It's Charlie's first time through, and he's enjoying it so far (we're trying to get him prepped for Infinity Wars).

The Wayne and I used to have MarioKart marathons which were so much fun. We haven't dug out the Wii since we moved. Long weekend coming up, so maybe it'll happen. Our trash talk was Epic.

Enjoy your cozy day!

>184 katiekrug: Katie: We LOVE MarioKart! Tomm is ruthless, too, and always plays Yoshi, so Charlie and I trash talk Yoshi constantly. So fun. Tomm bought a For the Family Tax Refund Treat and brought home a Nintendo Switch last week, so we need to get the new MarioKart for that at some point.

Morning, Amber! You day sounds like it will be full of fabulous.

Sorry about your reasons for the move, but it sounds like you are making an excellent and well thought out decision. And building your house should be really fun. I know all about how you can't fix kidneys as our Daniel has only one good one. I will be keeping Thom in our thoughts and wishing him well.

The first Guardians of the Galaxy - I LOVE that one!!

>186 Crazymamie: Thanks, Mamie. Hugs for you and Daniel - does he follow any special diet for kidney health?

Tomm absolutely loves the Guardians movies, so he's excited that Charlie's interested in them. I like them, too, but I think the second one is my favorite - that little Groot is so adorable.

>187 scaifea: Thanks for the hugs. He doesn't follow any special diet - but he is young and very active and eats very healthily. No soda, no caffeine, loads of fruits and vegetables - this is just what he loves, and he is very conscious of what he puts into his body. Hopefully, he will continue this as he ages.

The first movie is my favorite - I was disappointed in the sequel, although I did LOVE little Groot. I felt like they were trying to squeeze everyone's backstory into one movie and resolve their issues, so it didn't work as well as the original for me.

>188 Crazymamie: Mamie: Daniel sounds like such a smart and responsible guy, and that's wonderful. And that sounds like the diet Tomm's trying to stick to, too, along with his gluten allergy and his strict no-garlic and no-onion policy (one bite of either of those sends him straight to the ER). Poor guy doesn't have much choice, to be honest.

I guess I just thought the second movie was funnier somehow, and I really wasn't looking for depth in either of them. Ha!

Those are such tough allergies - tricky hidden ingredients in so very many things. Just dealing with one of those allergies would be enough - I am so sorry he has to deal with all three.

If we all loved the same things, the world would be a very boring place indeed. *grin*

>190 Crazymamie: Mamie: It's rough on him, for sure. Italian restaurants are right out, of course. And it makes cooking for the Scaife Men an adventure.

And agreed! Thank goodness the world isn't boring, eh? Ha!

>175 scaifea: Ah, somehow I thought you were in Madison. So sounds like it is the liberal island I sort of thought it was. I've never lived in Columbus but I like what I know of it and being near family is great.

>192 RebaRelishesReading: Reba: Columbus is pretty great and I'm honestly looking forward to getting back there.

Sorry to read about Tomm's health issues. It's a go8d choice to leave closer to good health care.

I'm sure Charlie will find quickly new friends.

Now that I know the circumstances, Amber, I have to say you and Tomm seem to be making very smart plans. I would be concerned about my little kid just as you are, but I am pretty sure it isn't going to be nearly as tough as you fear it might be for Charlie to make the adjustment. Kids are resilient, Charlie is exceptional, and his parents are thinking of nearly everything. (Oh, there will be something you didn't anticipate, but you'll handle that too. You've raised him this far--you must have learned a thing or two about flying by the seat of your pants!)

>194 Ameise1: Thanks, Barbara. Yes, it will be a relief to be closer to excellent hospitals; I have a fear of small town hospitals and I've been nervous about needing one as long as we've lived here.

>195 laytonwoman3rd: Thanks so much, Linda, for that. Charlie seems to be looking forward to it more and more, and though I know there will be more tears, I'm coming round to the idea of him being resilient enough to handle it.

Hiya, Amber!

Now that I've had my head patted (>175 scaifea:), I feel totally re-energized. Look out world!

>197 jnwelch: *snork!*

66. The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury (NEH, 274 pages) - 8/10 = B-
A collection of short stories, all linked by the idea that they are each represented by one of the magical tattoos which cover the body of the eponymous man.

I'm a bit sad that I'm disappointed in this one. I had read The Veldt as a kid and really liked it, and in general I love Bradbury's stuff, but the rest of these stories were way too grim and unsettling for me.

67. Opal by Maggie Stiefvater (Raven Boys series, 36 pages) - 10/10 = A+
A short story that fits into the Raven Cycle world.
Any opportunity to dip into this world is an absolute treat. One of my very favorite series in the history of ever, and this story is just as fabulous as all the rest.

>199 scaifea: I wonder if this is a timing issue, Amber. Given all the tsurres chez Scaife I would select sunshine lollipops and rainbows books for you ATM.

*smooch*

>201 richardderus: Richard: Not a bad guess, but I've noticed that I have a low tolerance for grim/depressing stuff for a few years now. Had I known going in that all of the stories were such, I would have skipped it altogether.

On today's agenda:
Once we're up and the last-minute packing is done, Charlie and I are driving to Indiana today. We'll be there through Saturday, visiting my family, so I won't be on LT much until then.

Have a great rest of the week, everyone!

Morning, Amber! Have a safe trip to Indiana. Enjoy your time with your folks.

>204 msf59: Thanks, Mark!

Have a safe drive and a fun trip!

Happy Wednesday, Amber. Joining in on the safe travel wishes, and I hope you have a great visit.

Wishing you safe travels, Amber!

Have a great trip, Amber and give my greetings to Indiana. We'll be there is just over 2 months (but not at Turkey Run).

>200 scaifea: Ugh, you just had to do it to me. The Raven Boys has been added to Mount TBR.

Opal is .99 on Amazon today for Kindle.

And your touchstone points to The Opal Deception by Eoin Colfer.

Sweet Thursday, Amber!

So you finally let the cat out of the bag, Amber. That's a good but not so good reason for a move, very understandable. Have a safe trip to Indiana. Did you finish The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue? I just did and it was really good!

>43 rosalita: Ha, you just think you would have been glad to wear a uniform to school, Julia. Just think of wearing a tunic (elementary school) or skirt and blazer (high school) that got cleaned at the end of the term. Plus you got to learn how to chose clothes to wear, what worked and what didn't.

Hope you're having a good time in Indiana, Amber.

I just caught up on the Columbus news. Poor Tomm. Kidneys are tough. My BIL does dialysis at a facility three times a week. I will say, he's one of the happiest guys I know. He just takes things to occupy his time.

Columbus should be a very interesting college town, yes? I've never been there, but I grew up in Ann Arbor and loved that.

Thanks, all, for the good travel wishes! We've been and are back again, all safe and sound.

>209 RebaRelishesReading: Reba: Where are you going in Indiana?

>210 Morphidae: Morphy: Ooooh, do read the Raven Boys books! They're SO GOOD.

>212 Familyhistorian: Meg: I finished listening to the Gentleman's Guide on the drive to Indiana. I'll write a bit more later, but I'll say that for the most part I did like it.

>213 jnwelch: Thanks, Joe. We'll take the health issues as they come and hopefully it will be later rather than sooner. I the meantime, we're letting ourselves get excited at the prospect of moving back to a place we all three love. It's a cool city, and the college part is great, but there are tons of other very excellent areas, too. I think it's quite a bit bigger than Ann Arbor, no? I've only been there (AA) a couple of times, but I loved the college town feel to it, which seems much more like Bloomington, IN than Columbus, which definitely has more of a city vibe.

68. You're Welcome, Universe by Whitney Gardner (Schneider Award, 297 pages) - 8/10 = B+
A high school girl gets expelled from her School for the Deaf when she's caught for creating graffiti on the school gym wall. She struggles at her new school, with her new interpreter, and with her ex-best friend, with her potentially new best friend, at her job at McDonald's, and with herself as she tries to decide whether she should continue to risk it all for her graffiti art. And then someone starts calling her out by painting on top of her tags, and she nearly loses it all trying to figure out how to negotiate this art war and discover who this new enemy is.

It took me a little while to warm to Julia, but overall I liked this story. I can't speak to the way in which the struggles of a deaf girl in a 'normal' school are portrayed, but from my uninformed perspective, at least, it seems realistic and not overly played or too dramatic, and the mystery of the other graffiti artist is really well woven.

69. The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee (Stonewall Award, audiobook) - 8/10 = B+
A young English rogue (Monty), his best friend (Percy, with whom he is desperately in love), and his prickly, too-smart-for-a-young-lady sister (Felicity) set out for their tour of the continent, intent on having a riot of a good year away from strict and abusive fathers and as-yet-still secret ailments. But one disastrous trip to a royal French party, which sees Monty streaking through the crowd after being caught in flagrante delicto and after stealing what seems to be a harmless little puzzle box, and then a run-in with some apparent-but-not-really bandits, has them separated from their tutor, penniless and on the run. While trying to solve the mystery of the box and its importance, they all learn tons about each other and themselves of course, and learn alternately to battle and befriend pirates along with their own fears and demons.

The story of the puzzle box and the trouble it causes is okay, I suppose, but not fabulous. I was much more interested in the story of Monty (whom I didn't really care for at all until suddenly deciding that I did) and Percy (whom I adored from start to finish), which played out most satisfactorily and made me quite happy in the end.

70. Men at Arms by Terri Pratchett (Discworld, 377 pages) - 8/10 = B+
Captain Vimes of the Night Watch is just about to retire and get married, but not before he, Corporal Carrot, et al. (plus the new recruits representing the weird and under-represented of the city - a dwarf, a troll and a woman (who is also a werewolf)) stumble into a beast of an unsolved crime: theft, murder, assassins, and clowns, plus a Patrician who wants the coppers to keep out of it (maybe).

Just another zany day in Ankh-Morpork, just another zany Discworld novel.

71. The Wizards of Once by David Tennant (Odyssey Award, audiobook) - 8/10 = B+
In a long-ago England when the forests were still dark and dangerous and full of magic, the wizards were the Hatfields and the iron-wielding warriors were the McCoys. Zar is a wizard prince without magic; Wish is a warrior princess with a magical pet spoon. They stumble into each other in the forest, get tangled up with really evil and supposedly extinct witches, and all sorts of heck breaks loose.

A fun story with interesting characters, but the very best part is the narration by David Tennant. Fabulously funny and deliciously creepy in turn and where it counts; he could read the tax form instruction booklet and I'd be seduced into applying for a job with the IRS.

Lots of good reading, Amber.

Yes, Columbus is way bigger than Ann Arbor, you're right - I didn't realize by how much. Ann Arbor is around 120,000 people, and Columbus 860,000+.

>215 scaifea: It took me a little while to warm to Julia

Sigh. Story of my life, right there. ;-)

>219 jnwelch: Joe: You said, didn't you, that you didn't care for the Lee book - I'm curious what you didn't like about it.

>220 rosalita: Julia: *snork!* SO not true. You're the coolest Julia I know.

>221 scaifea: I got bored. What can I say? I did finish it, but never fell under its spell. The author seemed to be always there, with an arched eyebrow, saying look at me write this charming book.

>22 scaifea: Joe: Oh, yoicks. I'm glad I didn't notice, because that author-being-please-with-herself/himself bit really irks me. Maybe listening to it helped? The narrator was really good.

>218 scaifea: Glad to see you are home safe and sound!

You hit me with a book bullet with The Wizards of Once!

>224 ChelleBearss: Thanks, Chelle!

If you can, do get it as an audiobook, because David is amazing as the narrator.

On today's agenda:
Charlie has found his eggs and explored his basket; now I need to get started on dessert for tonight - Charlie and I always make the same dinner for April Fool's Day: Meatloaf Cake with Mashed Potato Frosting and Dirt Cake. Tomm is dramatically fooled every year, poor thing. I also have heaps of laundry to get through, and then Charlie has a couple of new games that we clearly need to play today, too: Super Mario Smash Bros., a Zelda themed Monopoly game, and a new card game called Go Nuts.

On the reading front:
I started listening to The Book of Dust yesterday and made progress on Keeper as well.

We got the Zelda Monopoly at Christmas for the family to play - it was a little weird to play in rupees, I must say. 😀

>227 drneutron: Jim: Ha! It looks like it's pretty much plain old Monopoly, rules-wise, though. We have a Mario one with slightly different rules and it's really fun.

>214 scaifea: I have a bunch of cousins in the Syracuse area. I think we'll be staying with one in North Webster and (as I understand it now) there will be a gathering at another cousin's in Cromwell. My dad was from Summitville and his family mostly stayed around there. My mom was from Davies County but her family spread out all over the state. There were 27 of us on my mom's side with 16 still alive and those still in Indiana are mostly in the northern half of the state.

>229 RebaRelishesReading: Neat! I'm afraid I'm not very familiar with northern Indiana, though.

On the agenda today:
Grocery shopping this morning, followed by a much-overdue (by years, in fact) appointment with a chiropractor, then taking down the Easter decorations and a bit of cleaning, sewing, writing, a trip to the library, then my school library volunteering.

On the reading front:
I started The Final Solution and am nearly finished with Keeper.

What We Read Yesterday:
Bits of:
-The Terrible Two
-Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

And we finished:



72. Just Add Magic by Cindy Callaghan (Charlie's bedtime read, 229 pages) - 8/10 = B-
Three girls find a magic cookbook in the attic and start trying out recipes, only to discover that the Rule of Returns applies in a big way.
This is a case of the (Amazon) show being much better than the book, I'm afraid, and the show is quite a bit different, too. The girls in the book are borderline mean and only feel repentant, it seems, because they suffer consequences and not because they actually feel bad about any hurt they've caused. Plus, neither magic nor the backstory for the cookbook itself is nearly as interesting here.

Morning, Amber. Welcome back. Hope you had a good time with the folks. I have The Book of Dust saved on audio, so I might throw that in the queue. I have heard very good things.

>233 msf59: Morning, Mark!

I absolutely loved His Dark Materials, so I knew I wanted to read this prequel when I first heard about it. Then I saw that the audio won an Odyssey award and I immediately requested it. Michael Sheen is the narrator and I'm really excited about that.

>234 scaifea: ooh, I really liked His Dark Materials too, much more than the sequels. Fantasy isn't really my genre but that was a good one. I love Michael Sheen, too. I bet that will be a great audiobook.

>235 lauralkeet: Laura: I started it this morning and it's already good! His voice is excellent.

Happy Monday!
>225 scaifea: My library (and resources available) do not have the audio available. Audible has it for $13 so I may splurge if you think it's worth it!
I actually need to buy some audio's as my library only lends them for two weeks and my listening is so sporadic that I never finish in time.

>237 ChelleBearss: Chelle: It's really good!

It takes me longer than lending time to listen usually, too, so when I check out an audiobook, I upload the disks to my itunes, then sync itunes with my phone. Then, when I'm done listening, I just delete it from itunes. That way I can take all the time I need and not have to worry about a due date.

Morning, Amber!

I do something similar with my audiobooks from Overdrive. I copy the files to my computer and then put them on my phone and delete when done.

>238 scaifea: So you usually take out physical discs? I usually use overdrive and listen in the app. I find my library doesn't have many discs and relies on Overdrive quite a bit.

I bought it :) That makes two audio that I've bought this year so I'll try and listen to those before I borrow any more.

>239 katiekrug: Katie: That's a good idea, too! I've never warmed to Overdrive, I'm afraid. I still don't get why I have to wait in a request line for something that's digital...

>240 ChelleBearss: Chelle: See Katie's response above - you can do it with Overdrive, too!

And yay! I hope you love it!

>239 katiekrug: >241 scaifea: Ok thanks! I'll try that instead of the overdrive app. Would give me more options for books as well since I've been choosing the shorter ones since my listening time is short.

I've been awol and caught up in too much RL stuff. So catching up - really sorry to hear about hubby's issues. Fingers crossed for all the best outcomes. And re any move - sounds like, whilst a big upheaval, it could have some major positives. Much love to all the family.

>243 BekkaJo: Thanks, Bekka! Good to see you!

Amber, I channeled you yesterday and actually baked something.

Here's a fainting couch for you:

>245 katiekrug: Katie: *snork!* How did the banana bread turn out?

It was really good. Of course, I'm not very picky ;-)

>247 katiekrug: Katie: Woot!! Banana Bread is one of Charlie's favorites. I need to make more soon (I like putting chocolate chips in mine. Because, healthy.)

Hey Amber, glad you ended up liking Monty okay. I agree, Percy was a sweet lambkin from page one. I forget the sister's name, she was just a beard anyway, wasn't she.

;P

*smooch*

>249 richardderus: Richard: Felicity was slightly irritating, but the token strong-female-character-born-out-of-her-time character, I suppose. The sequel is apparently told from her point of view and I don't think I'll be reading it. Percy was so adorable, though.

>250 scaifea: From reading modern fiction, you'd think there wasn't a woman alive in that day and time who was anything but a modern, fire-breathing feminist trapped in hoop skirts. Hm.

>251 richardderus: Agreed.

>250 scaifea: What, there's a sequel? I kind of liked Felicity although the boys were the stars of the show, to be sure.

>253 Familyhistorian: Meg: Yep - The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy.

On the agenda for today:
Treadmilling, sewing, writing, a bit of cleaning, voting in the local election, library volunteering. That is, if the weather cooperates (we're supposed to get a wintry mix all day, although nothing's happening yet).

On the reading front:
I listened to a bit of The Book of Dust, read a bit of Revenge, and finished Keeper (more on that one later).

What We Read Yesterday:
Bits of:
-The Terrible Two
-Greenglass House
-Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Morning, Amber! Martin Sheen narrates The Book of Dust? Sweet! I will have to track an audio copy down, pronto.

>258 msf59: Morning, Mark!

Wait, wait, did I say Martin Sheen?! So sorry - it's Michael Sheen. Yoicks. But still, he's amazing!

ETA: Nope, I said Michael Sheen - you just had some wishful reading, I think. Ha!

73. Keeper by Mal Peet (1001 Children's Books, 225 pages) - 9/10 = A-
The South American goalkeeper who has just led his team in winning the World Cup tells his life story to the most famous South American sports writer in an exclusive interview, but Paul (the writer) gets so much more than he bargained for in El Gato's story, and the keeper has his own motives for telling all of his secrets.

I honestly didn't think I'd like this book, because I couldn't imagine enjoying any book about any kind of sport. But this one is about so much more than soccer. It combines a deep-set love of the game with a coming-of-age story wrapped in magical realism and with a healthy dose of environmental consciousness. In short, it's a winner.

>259 scaifea: LOL! I think Michael Sheen is a great choice too, plus he is British. Grins...Regardless, I now have a audio copy and it is loaded in my Nano. This Postal Warbler, does not mess around.

>261 msf59: Mark: Woot! I'm glad you got it! I'm not too far into it just yet, but it's already great.

Morning, Amber! Hope you don't get the wintry mix of gross today!
I ended up buying The Wizards of Once and started listening when I did my chores last night. I think I would end up liking it even if the story sucked, because Tennant!

>260 scaifea: This sounds brilliant, will get a copy for football obsessed godson. Thank you! Am always struggling with ideas for presents that might be any good.

>263 ChelleBearss: Morning, Chelle!

So far so good on the wintry mix front - it's been drizzly, but not icy.

And yay for Tennant! He's amazing.

>264 charl08: Charlotte: Oh, yay! I hope he loves it!

I'm also listening to The Wizards of Once on your recommendation. :-)

>266 foggidawn: Woot!

Gosh, I hope you all like it so you don't resent me later...

>241 scaifea: Ahem. *puts on Librarian hat* The reason you have to wait for copies of digital books (ebooks or eaudiobooks) is because of two things: DRM and publisher licensing models. All (legal) digital books have DRM (Digital Rights Management) software built into it. It's basically what keeps you from pirating (theoretically) and ensures that the publisher still gets paid for their content. Now ebooks (and audiobooks) for libraries also have the added issue of the different licensing models publishers will actually sell e-content to us. So for example, HarperCollins made the news a while back for their 26 checkout license (you buy the book at close to what cover price is and get 26 checkouts, after which you have to buy a new copy). Among the models available is simultaneous use (you'd never have to wait) but these are either super expensive (think over $500 per title at least) or use cost per circ (i.e. every time someone checks out an audiobook the library pays a fee, which for audiobooks is usually in the $5 range). Basically, digital material is expensive, kind of complicated, and you have to wait for it just like you do for the physical stuff because publishers still (rightfully) want their profit. *scuttles off*

>268 MickyFine: Thanks, Micky. I get all that, really, I do. BUT STILL. It sort of doesn't exist in any tangible form, so why do I have to wait for somEONE ELSE TO BE FINISHED WITH IT?!

(Mostly just kidding, of course. But. STILL.)

>269 scaifea: Well, the simultaneous use model (via hoopla) costs our library the price of a new car every month. Feeling more patient? ;)

>270 MickyFine: But, see, it isn't really about patience. It's that it's not real, really. There's no actual taking and returning of a Thing. I get all of the perfectly reasonable reasons for it, but in the end, it's still absurd to me.

>268 MickyFine: I had no idea that eBooks and audios were so expensive to libraries! It doesn't make sense to me that libraries are getting into digital content so much when it seems like a normal print book is way more cost effective!

>271 scaifea: I find it bizarre as well!

>272 ChelleBearss: Chelle: I think I kind of agree with that, although I suspect there are reasons that I can't come up with that make it a good idea (people who can't get to the library and so forth...).

On today's agenda:
Treadmilling, sewing, writing, library volunteering. A bit of cleaning, maybe. Possibly some new thread making.

On the reading front:
I listened to more of The Book of Dust, read a bit of The Final Solution, and started Dragonwings.

What We Read Yesterday:
Bits of:
-The Terrible Two
-Greenglass House
-Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

And we watched Guardians of the Galaxy 2. Groot is by far the best part. So adorable.

Morning, Amber! Is this February or April? I forget...I am starting We Are Okay today. Another BB from my pal from WI. Just sayin'...

>276 msf59: Morning, Mark!

I know, right?! We've got snow on the ground from last night. Yeesh.

And yay! Soon(ish) to be 'pal from Ohio'...

Morning, Amber! Hope you have a good day!
I love Groot! I bought my first FunkoPop and my little dancing Groot should arrive any day now!

>272 ChelleBearss: Yes, I'm sure there is a reason that makes sense to someone but it's confusing to me ;-p

(eta my spelling error)

>278 ChelleBearss: Chelle: Ha! I was just looking at the Groot Funkopops this morning, thinking about getting one for Charlie!

It was a toss up between buying Groot or a Harry Potter or Hermione. I chose Groot because it is small and the reviews say it dances so I plan to put it in my car with a little frog bobble head that Chloe gave me from her Little Pet Shop toys.

>280 ChelleBearss: Chelle: Cute! We have the Harry Potter one, and also a Cap'n Jack Sparrow and a Dr. Strange.

>272 ChelleBearss: Because that's what our customers want. And we live to serve. :)

ETA: And also not every title is crazy expensive. I order non-fiction so most of the stuff I order is anywhere from the $20-125 range per title. Over in fiction (which is much more in demand) some titles can be really cheap. Romance, for example, which is HUGE in the ebook market can often be in the $3-5 range.

Morning, Amber! Are you reading Greenglass House again?

>283 Crazymamie: Morning, Mamie!

Charlie wanted to read Greenglass House as our bedtime read-aloud, so yes, I am!

>284 scaifea: How's he liking it so far?

>268 MickyFine: Most interesting. Thanks for the explanation.

>287 MickyFine: Any time. Library weirdness is one of my favourite things to discuss.

>285 foggidawn: It's too early to tell, I think - we're only a few pages into it. I have a strong suspicion that he'll love it, because mysteries are one of his favorite genres, plus this one has low-key magical feel, too.

>284 scaifea: I bet it makes for a great read aloud - our kids would have loved that one.

Oh man, I loved the Dark Materials books, too. For a while, I really wanted to get my hands on a Subtle Knife. I've been wanting to read The Book of Dust. I look forward to following your journey with it.

>289 Crazymamie: Mamie: I think so, at least so far.

>290 jnwelch: Joe: You know, I never got round to The Subtle Knife. I really need to soon. I highly recommend the audio for this one; it's excellent so far.

>291 scaifea: The Subtle Knife was my favorite part of the story. So cool.

I'm not much of an audio guy, but I'll keep The Book of Dust audio in mind for car trips. We listened to the great Born a Crime Trevor Noah one on the last trip.

>292 jnwelch: Joe: Wait, I *did* read it! My copy is the whole trilogy in one volume, so I don't remember the individual titles so much.

The Noah book was excellent on audio, wasn't it? He's fantastic.

Since I also have a librarian hat I can't resist wearing it.

Micky laid out the situation very well, all I have to offer is illustrative anecdote.

Earlier in my career I worked in a large public library system: at the time it had 26 very well-used branches. Every new John Grisham novel, we bought 100+ copies to meet demand. Those 100 copies didn't last long. Within a week, several copies would be returned so damaged they had to be replaceed. Others would never be returned. Even normal wear & tear would start to show its effects within the first year. We expected this and built attrition into our order, thinking that inventory would reduce itself naturally as demand was met. Still, it was pretty routine for us to buy additional copies as we monitored the length of hold queues. Over the life of a John Grisham novel, I'll bet we bought 150-200 copies. Let's say the hardcover was $30, that's $4,500-$6,000 from our library's budget to Random House. In that context $500/title for unlimited simultaneous use begins to sound like a bargain. But that's John Grisham, a pretty safe bet, and at a large library system. How many debut authors would we have gambled on, at $500 apiece? (I don't know but I'll bet "few.") At smaller libraries, $500 may be unreasonable even for a besteller. Finding fair and natural pricing models for electronic books is a *huge* problem and nobody thinks it's been solved yet.

FWIW, as Micky noted with nonfiction books, academic ebooks tend to be priced much closer to their cover price. Maybe because nobody expects anyone to read them. (Um, sardonic joke.) (Um, mostly.)

>294 swynn: Steve: Oh, interesting example! I hadn't thought about accounting for damaged and lost copies, but that make total sense.

On today's agenda:
Menu planning and putting together my grocery list, treadmilling, sewing, writing, library volunteering. Charlie has a field trip to the university's farm today. It'll be chilly, but he's looking forward to it.

On the reading front:
I spent some time with THe Book of Dust, which is really good so far, Revenge, which is amazing so far, and Dragonwings, which is coming along fine, too.

Very interesting discussion of library ebook considerations.

>297 RebaRelishesReading: Hi, Reba! I know, right? I've definitely learned a thing or two.

New thread is up:

https://www.librarything.com/topic/289699

>268 MickyFine:, >294 swynn: Very interesting information. Thank you.

Hi Amber. I’m a bit late to this party (only 2 months) but you were asking about moving as a child. I’m sorry to hear it’s due to health reasons; wishing you the best with that.

I’ve lived on 5 continents, so I have a bit of experience. As a child I moved from Africa to England for 1 year in boarding school, which had its ups and downs. It wasn’t my favourite year but not the worst thing that’s ever happened. Fortunately for me, our moves coincided with chunks of school, except for that year, so I did most of my primary school in one school, my O-levels in another and my A-levels in another. My mum said she went to 13 (I think) schools because her dad worked all over the country.

My kids have lived and gone to school on two continents and share the perils of being an expat kid in an expat school, which means that my eldest left and returned to their present school and both of them have gone through losing best friends several times due to moving. I think being the one left behind was more traumatic for them than being the one going on new adventures, to be honest.

We all coped well, though some moves were more fun than others. The school I did my O-levels at was my favourite though my sister only liked it. The school we moved to (where she did her O’s) ended up being her favourite, so it’s different for everyone. We had to move for my mum’s job that time, so my sis moved at the age of about 12. The routine of school helps, no matter what school it is; you just get on with it and you sort of know what’s expected. Kids are resilient and the experience helps them become more adaptable in the future. Of course, being near family helps, too. {Usually ;0) } Hope that helps.

>301 humouress: Thanks, Nina. Charlie is now a mix of sad (about friends, of course) and super excited, because he loves our new house and the area and is excited to make new friend in the neighborhood and about school. So there's more happy than sad at this point, and I'm so relieved.