Okay. The dog has been fed and walked. The family is at a place where they are kind-of quiet and taking care of themselves. You have finished your work. Well, you're never FINISHED with your work, but at least you've done what you are going to do for the moment.
QUICK! Its time to relax!
Isn't that how you feel sometimes when you're going to have some time to yourself. You have to grab it! And sometimes that is all you can do. When my kids were little, that time was while they were napping. When naps stopped but they were still young, it wasn't as easy. Leaving twin boys to play quietly together while I enjoyed a book was, well, it just WASN'T! I'm actually laughing to myself as I think back. Those days were about treasuring moments reading books with them. The Big Red Barn. The Very Hungry Caterpillar. The Giving Tree. Before I knew it, they were out of my lap and reading on their own.
I love to read! It has always been one of my favorite past-times. From my early years with Nancy Drew to high school with Danielle Steele and Stephen King to today with many various genres. My mom has always been a magazine reader. Some of her favorites include Good Housekeeping, Guideposts, and Reminisce magazine. We always had plenty of reading material in our home growing up.
Whatever you enjoy reading, here are some ideas to make it more special:
Make a dinner that highlights the latest book you read. I hosted my Book Club after we read "Gateway to the Moon" by Mary Morris. The book followed a Jewish family as they fled Spain to Mexico and finally settled in America. To complement the book, I served bourekas, a common Sephardic Jewish baked pastry, Spanish wines, and chocolates (you'll understand the chocolates after you read the book). Everyone agreed the coordinated food choices made our Book Club a little more fun and involved.
Send a subscription of Reminisce magazine to an older family member. Reminisce magazine is pure nostalgia, filled with stories and images of "I remember when..." stories. Nearly all content is directly from readers. http://www.reminisce.com/
One Reminisce Magazine Facebook post showed a photo of two schoolboys wearing their masks during the 1918 flu pandemic. A sad example of the saying "sooner or later, everything old is new again."
Make and color bookmarks with your child to encourage a love of reading. Click on the picture below to print the Make It Special-designed black and white children's bookmarks.
Simply pour a glass of your favorite drink, sit in your comfiest chair, and spend a set amount of time losing yourself in another world. Some special drink options are water (sparkling or flat) with slices of fresh lime or cucumber; homemade Iced Tea; or a simple glass of wine.
Here are some of my favorite books, from childhood until now:
What are some of your favorite books of all time?
Please share in the Comments Section.