Kid Reading Update

For a long time now, I've had a Sunday routine with the kids, where we go to the Schenectady Greenmarket and then to the Open Door (which is right next to the outdoor market, and a couple blocks from the indoor location), then to lunch at Panera, and usually grocery shopping. We have a standing deal that they get one book per week free, but if they want toys or a second book, it comes out of their allowance.

SteelyKid very consistently finds something to read, but The Pip was recently in a mode where he only wanted to read Pokemon books, and the Open Door doesn't carry those, so he would sulk. The last couple of weeks, though, he's gotten into random other books again, and started grabbing things from the kids-book section. This is, of course, very gratifying to a bookish parent, which is also why there's the standing book-a-week deal...

This week, SteelyKid got and devoured a new graphic novel, 5 Worlds: The Sand Warrior (I handed it to her to look at, and she just sat down and started reading. After ten minutes or so, I had to decree that we weren't just reading the entire book there in the store...). The Pip got a book about a tech-obsessed cave boy.

In the car on the way to lunch, they were so engrossed in their books that the quiet was actually a little alarming. So I got selfie-mode photos of the two of them, to document their reading:

SteelyKid (r) and The Pip in the car, reading. SteelyKid (r) and The Pip in the car, reading.

SteelyKid actually corrected me to say that she wasn't reading her book in this, but doing kenken puzzles on her tablet. Which is another quiet activity I'm very happy to encourage...

So, there's your cute-kid content for the week. They were even more entertaining on Saturday, when both of them had friends over for the afternoon, but the photos I got from that necessarily include other peoples' kids, and I try to avoid posting those.

More like this

[Scene: Dinner at Chateau SteelyPips. DADDY is starting to say something about his day at work, when STEELYKID interrupts.] STEELYKID: If you eat too many hot dogs, you'll turn into a hot dog!
Long-time readers will remember that I used to do weekly kid-blogging, posting pictures of SteelyKid with a reference animal, Appa the sky-bison from the Avatar cartoon.
In the car, on the way from day care to campus to watch a softball game DADDY: So, what did you do at school today? STEELYKID: Daddy, I'm a superhero. They call me Strong Ninja Girl. Strong World-Saving Ninja Girl. DADDY: Because you save the world?
SteelyKid was born five years ago today. I'd try to be clever and schedule this for exactly five years to the minute of her time of birth, but I've mercifully forgotten exactly when the delivery was, only that it was early in the morning after a very, very long night.

Chad, I'm glad to see you posting here a little more regularly. Fun to see the kid updates, too. My daughter is about half a year younger than the Pip, so it gives me a chance to steal ideas.