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I think if you have someone you love who enjoys the quick and often eviscerating wit of Anthony Bourdain, chef, writer & host of No Reservations on The Travel Channel, then his new book Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook would be a good pick for this Father’s Day as a gift. I know my husband has hinted, by hint I mean he has said it out right, that he would enjoy a copy for Father’s Day.
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After Christmas (as in the very next day) we started “Project Organize” at our house. We went to IKEA, because we can’t resist the lure of IKEA, and the RIBBA Ledges came home with us. I wanted something so the kids could remove a book they wanted without the chaos of ALL the books ending up ALL over the floor. As was often the case with the more traditional book shelf. We needed something that made use of unused space & wouldn’t break the bank. These ledges do just that, originally they were designed for picture frames but I find they are perfect for making books accessible. You can even theme your books on different shelves & the ledges come in different lengths. We have varying lengths set up in the basement which is where this picture was taken. I took the picture a little off-center so you could see how the ledge looks without any books in it (see the left of the ledge–open space). We also plan to add some above each child’s bed, so they can have the books they like to read before bed right there. Overall, these have been a raging success.
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When I came downstairs today the kids were making me these books. Hubby was getting ready for work & they were hard at work themselves. My oldest was leading the charge, he wanted to get it done before we left to take him to school. It was an intense session of creativity at hand.
I love that they are creative & looking to explore the world around them in all sorts of ways. I keep a scrap bag of paper & craft bin for them to work with. All papers in this bin are approved for using in crafty ways. Making books is the big thing right now. My oldest out of all the kids is the kid most into making books, writing them & illustrating them. The other kids are also getting into the process. I believe that it’s a good way to help kids develop a love of reading, writing, & art without it being high pressure. It’s just fun to do, learning without it being “I HAVE TO LEARN WHAT??”
They all had HUGE (I mean HUGE) smiles across their faces as they showed them off. Yet while I was really impressed with their books & hard work, I’m going to be honest my excitement was damped when I realized that the paper they were using was a batch of important papers I had set aside the day before. Papers that my Hubby had, completely by accident, placed in the scrap paper bag. Normally not a big deal since he had put them in last night. I would have just pulled them out this morning when I realized the mistake. However, this morning my children beat me to the punch.
I can redo the papers, it’s NOT the end of the world. But man it’s hard to continue looking super excited when you realize what has just happened and you can’t burst their bubbles because it was an accident. But just to make sure there isn’t a next time with papers I actually need I will make sure any & all important papers are put away immediately. And that there are still lots of papers available that won’t cause my eyes to get wider by the second in loving dismay as I flip pages with increasing recognition that the work I needed is on the other side of their own beautiful hardwork.
At least I got 3 really cool books out of the deal.
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