Poetry Friday: Mary Oliver, again

White Eyes
by Mary Oliver

In winter

    all the singing is in

         the tops of the trees

             where the wind-bird

with its white eyes

    shoves and pushes

         among the branches.

             Like any of us

he wants to go to sleep,

    but he's restless—

         he has an idea,

             and slowly it unfolds

from under his beating wings

    as long as he stays awake.

         But his big, round music, after all,

             is too breathy to last.

Read the rest here.

Poetry Friday is being hosted today at Check It Out.  Enjoy!

Book Sharing Monday - Too Many Turkeys

As big fans of Too Many Pumpkins by Linda White and Megan Lloyd, we were thrilled to learn that the same author/illustrator pair had a new book out in time for Thanksgiving!  Too Many Turkeys is just as captivating a story, and one of my children declared she liked it even more than Too Many Pumpkins.

Book Sharing Monday is hosted by Canadian Home Learning.  Stop by to see some great selections from children's books, or post about a book that caught your eye and join the fun!

My weekend looks like this--

--dress rehearsal for this:



then rush home for a birthday party for my baby who will be SIX, and then back out the next day for the actual concert.

The music is the Monteverdi Vespers of 1610, an amazing piece of choral music that I am so jazzed to have had the opportunity to sing.  Above is one of my favorite movements of the lengthy work, and below is one of my other favorites.  Sung here by the Monteverdi Choir and the English Baroque Soloists under the baton of Sir John Eliot Gardiner.

Holiday Stress Reliever

Need help getting into the holiday spirit?

Book Sharing Monday - Where's the Dragon?

Where's the Dragon? by Jason Hook and illustrated by Richard Hook

J.J. picked this one up at one of the (four) libraries we visit.  A charming book with the added challenge of finding all of the hidden dragons at the end, this title will delight young squires of both genders.  My almost-six-year-old and nine-year-old were both enthralled from start to finish while reading, and then from finish while dragon "hunting"!


Book Sharing Monday is hosted by Canadian Home Learning.  Stop by and see what's caught the eye of discriminating families worldwide!