We finally finished reading The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. It took us a little longer than I thought it would since we only read a chapter a night and missed a few here and there. Rachel got the DVD for her birthday and wasn’t allowed to watch it until we finished the book. At first Isaiah wasn’t interested. I let him play with a toy while we read as long as he was quiet. But when Father Christmas gave Peter a sword he was entranced. I don’t think I’ll ever forget the look on his face when Aslan came back. His eyes got wide and I could see him picturing it in his mind. He couldn’t wait to find out what happened next and both kids kept begging me to read more. It was so much fun reading a real book together. I wonder what we’ll read next. Does anyone have an idea for a good book for a 4 and 7 year old? 6 years ago

I went to put them to bed last night but ended up creating a new game. Rachel was upset because Isaiah wouldn’t play barbies but he only wanted to play with his toy dragon. Within a few minutes we had a dragons lair under the bed, complete with a dungeon and prisoners. “Barbie” became a sorceress and attempted to lure the dragon away from the cave with enchanted cookies, while her friend battled “Doc Croc” to rescue the captives. I was searching the toybox for more characters when Tristan came in and reminded me I was supposed to be tucking them in. Darn grown-ups! Spoiling my fun! 6 years ago

I remembered a game we played in school once that I thought would help with this goal. Several people tell a story in turns. One person starts it and then, at any time, they stop and pass to the next. Then that person has to continue where they left off. I tried it with Rachel and we ended up with a great story about two girls who lived in a tree house with no parents but lots of pets. It was really fun and I can’t wait to try it with the whole family. 6 years ago

What is up with kids’ lack of imagination today? When I was young I was always creating make-believe characters and adventures for my friends and I to play. I think kids these days rely too much on tv and video games to entertain them. I’ve always limited my kids tv and game time, but now I’m trying something new. I started doing story time, but instead of telling my kids a story, they tell me one. I show them a picture, and they tell me a story about it. It’s been really neat so far. My daughter found a website with famous paintings and has picked several to make up stories about. My son liked the illustration on the front of the book I’m reading so he tried to guess what the story was based on that. I love seeing what they come up with. Maybe I’ll write some of them down. 6 years ago