Reading

I read, all the time, anything I can get my hands on. I have been known to be be so obsessive about it that I will read cereal boxes and instructions, just to have something to read. I carry a book everywhere I go and I leave a selection of magazines in my car so that should I manage to get out of the house without a book (like if I'm on my way to the library or something strange like that) I'll still have something to read should the opportunity come up. I have a big purse for the express purpose of being able to carry a book with me all the time. I'm also considering buying some cargo pants for winter because the pocket is the perfect size for a book. I have some cargo shorts and I've worn them to death this summer.

Lizzie is following in my footsteps and totes book around with her all the time. She would gladly sit and have 10 books in a row read to her, if we would do it. She keeps several in the car and is always bringing new out to carry around with us.

From day one, we have always read to the kids. It didn't even matter what we read when they were little (when C was a baby, I was taking business classes and I would read my econ textbook outloud to him while he nursed. I had to do the reading and he got to hear me read, everyone was happy). What we have never done is compete in reading programs (aside from summer reading) mostly because I'm really too lazy to fill out the forms and take them in. Since we are at the library at least once, if not twice, a week now, I decided to do the Wild REader program. So we have been keeping track of the books we read to the kids.

Now, all of a sudden, all kinds of reading incentive programs are coming home from school. We got one last week that was "everyday you read at least 10 minutes, put a sticker on the day" When you take it back at the end of the month, you get a coupon for a free pizza. Then we got one today that said "for every book you read, decorate a pumpkin and turn them in" After you do five, you get a $5 GC to Borders. The problem with this one (and I need to clarify with the teacher on this one) is that we are currently reading Harry Potter Goblet of Fire at bedtime. We are about 100 pages into it, but there is no way we will finish it by the end of the time period. I need to find out if I can list like every 10 pages that we read because 10 pages of HP is the same, if not more, reading than your average picture book. I've been counting 10 page sets for the library so I hope they will let me count the same way for school. There is some incentive for the classroom that has the most books read during the time. C's class didn't win the Walk fundraiser so hopefully they can do something with this.