Get Ready, Get Set, Go! Book Club starts today!

OK, girls, let's waste no time getting started on our summer reading. I hope you've already gotten a copy of "Parenting by The Book," but if you haven't, it's not too late. Find yourself a copy and join us ASAP.

We'll start at the beginning, of course, and the assignment for this first week is to read the intro and Chapter 1 (not Part One, Chapter One). Next Monday I'll come up with something to post about - some observations or questions - and our discussion will be underway.

Today I thought I'd introduce my three reasons for needing this book:
Chris is my firstborn, currently 14 years old, and finishing up his middle school career. Wait! How did that happen? When did that happen? He'll be starting 9th grade in August. Egad! Just yesterday he was putting VHS tapes in the VCR upside down. Now he's ready to embark on his high school adventure and is psyched to have earned a spot on the drum line in marching band. Thankfully, he's not allowed to bring his bass drum home - on the other hand, it might be a new way of getting people to the dinner table.

Genny (short for Genevieve) is my diamond in the rough - she being the jewel, and her brothers being the rough! :-) She's right in the thick of middle school with 6th grade already under her belt, and speaking of belts, she's been changing her clothes an average of 7 times daily since she became able to stand on her own about 11 years ago. I think she may have a design future ahead of her as she loves to rearrange her bedroom furniture and make Christmas and shopping lists into Powerpoint presentations.

And then there's Eddie. He's not really as tiny as he appears here - I think the board is a 12-footer. Eddie is my happy-go-lucky, imaginative, enthusiastic third child who much prefers skimboarding (or just about anything, for that matter) to school. Nevertheless he has successfully completed third grade, and we're all relieved to be two short days away from summer vacation. Eddie's favorite thing about third grade was making a medieval castle - his ended up being a torture chamber with a bed of mails made out of toothpicks, and styrofoam boulders crushing an unsuspecting Playmobil guy.

So there you have it - these are the children God has assigned to me and Dan, charging us with raising them to adulthood. It is a daunting responsibility, but oh, the joys!

One of the reasons this book appeals to me is that throughout my parenting adventure, I periodically overdose on so-called expert advice to the point that my head practically bursts from confusion and conflict. The back cover of "Parenting by The Book" states that the author "brings parents back to the uncomplicated basics" (I want me some of that!) and that he will "help [me] be the parent [I] want to be, with children who will be 'a delight to [my] soul.'" (I really want me some of that!)

So let's get started. You have your reading assignment, but before you go I'd like for all of us to know who's on this journey. Please post a comment with your name, where you're from (I hope somebody is from somewhere other than Vero!) the first names of your children and their ages, and perhaps a little snippet of what you hope to get from this book and/or book club. If you're new to blogging, below this post you'll see a link "Post a comment" - click on it and enter your info/comments in the box on the top right. Below that you should see a box to check if you want to receive follow-up comments via email. Please check that - it's an extremely convenient way to see others' comments or questions, so we're better able to share and benefit from others' experiences. I guarantee you're inbox will not be overrun! I only pray that someday I'll have to take back those very words! Anyway, the click "Publish your comment" and Voila! you'll be blogging!