Happy New Year!!

I spent all last week getting organized and purging ths house of unnessary things. We made quite a few trips to the Good Will and another thrift store in town that gives its profits to cancer patients. I always feel much better having my home in order. I think I am, no, I know I am very anal in that way. House in order means my life is in order. I still have a couple areas to finish cleaning out so maybe I will get to those on the weekends.

We started "back to school" yesterday. I always figure it's best to begin a whole new week the right way. We started our Human Body unit this week. (My personal favorite!) I was curious as to how much of it Haley remembers because she was very into human body and muscle names when she was 2.5 yo. She seems to remember some of it if I ask her to point to where something is, she can, but she doesn't remember it in the detail she knew before.

Today Daddy had off and suggested a nice trip to the NJ State Aquarium. We have an annual membership so we have been about 5 times this year, though this was the first time as a whole family. This visit we spent time with the children's nature journals, sitting in front of different exhibits to draw. It was very relaxing. This spring I hope to do the same thing at the zoo.

After the aquarium, we went to Olive Garden for a soup, salad, and breadstick lunch. Then went to the bookstore. Haley, Newt, and my favorite place, second only to the library. I purchased all the Little House books for Haley. We have read the first two from the library, so now we can take our time through the others. I also got a few books for the boys, some simpler editions of classics- Dracula, King Arthur, and Robin Hood. These are more for Dylan because Newt could handle the originals but Newt has already devoured the first few chapters of Dracula this afternoon.

Dylan is my reluctant reader and I am trying everything to help him grow to love it like the other two. Letting him pick some of his own books was just another plot to get him to read. We'll have to see if it works. I don't think the child has ever finished a book on his own even though I make him read every day. I am seriously considering having his reading evaluated at the local university though when he reads to me, he does just fine decoding and understanding.