Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother

This book was recommended to me for our summer book exchange by Andrea.  I really enjoyed reading the book.  It made me think about different parenting styles and what I hope to do as a parent.  I agree and disagree with different aspects of her parenting.  For example: I disagree with calling your children garbage.  I agree with no sleepovers, playing an instrument, and getting good grades.

One of the my favorite parts was at the end when she talked about the reception of Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother.  Initially, people were really mad at some of the things she said to her children and few had nice things to say about it.  Now, it seems, there are plenty of people that have had positive reactions to the book (it does have almost 4 stars on Goodreads).

So here is my question: On a scale of 1 to 10 how much of a tiger parent do you want to be?

I know many of you have read the book and I would love to hear your thoughts.

(I am also curious as to what other parenting books you have enjoyed.)

Reading is Delicious

Has reading a book ever made you hungry?  Many years ago when I read Walking Across Egypt by Clyde Edgerton, I had to stop and make homemade pound cake and lemonade.  When you’re reading about food, sometimes you just need to satisfy your tummy as well as your mind. 

This week I read a wonderful children’s book that forced me to bake pie.  Here’s how it happened:  Daniel read a book called So B. It.  What a perplexing title!  With a title like that, I had to read it.  But as I searched for it on the library website, another book by the same author, Sarah Weeks, also came up—PIE.  I love pie, whether its PIE or pie.  It arrived at the library the next day. 

I love how Sarah Weeks wove together pie recipes and a mystery.  Best of all, she included a recipe for buttermilk pie.  I love the buttermilk pie at Magelby’s Fresh in Provo, so I made the pie.  This is a picture of it.  I had planned to take a picture of the exact pie I made, but I forgot and it didn’t last long.  It did, however, look much like this. 

And here is the recipe from the book.  So, if you are so inclined, have PIE.  It is delicious in more ways than one. 

Buttermilk Pie

1 9-inch pie tin, lined with unbaked piecrust

3 large eggs

¾  cup sugar

3 TBS flour

1½ cups low-fat buttermilk (which I couldn’t find so I used regular)

1 tsp. vanilla

3 TBS fresh lemon juice

1 tsp grated lemon rind

1 tsp butter, melted

½ tsp ground nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350.  Cover unbaked pie shell with parchment paper or a coffee filter.  Press down to fit and toss in a handful of dried beans.  Place weighted shell in preheated oven and bake for 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and empty out beans.  Discard parchment and set pastry shell aside. 

Raise oven to 375.  Beat eggs and sugar until light and lemony colored.  Add flour and beat until well mixed.  Add buttermilk, vanilla, lemon juice, lemon rind, and butter.  Pour into baked crust and dust with nutmeg.  Bake in preheated 375-degree oven for 25-30 minutes.  Cool slightly on wire rick before serving.

I served mine with cream and fresh strawberries just as they do at Magelby’s Fresh, but it really doesn’t need the extras.   

Caldecott Books

Caldecott Week

I seem to have taken a break from posting on this blog for the past few weeks.  Maybe I haven’t blogged, but I have had a wonderful time with the family.  It was great to be together with all of you.

This week has been Caldecott Week.  The Caldecott Medal is awarded annually and recognizes the preceding year’s most distinguished American picture book for children.  The award is named for Randolph Caldecott, a 19^th Century English illustrator.  (Funny that we keep naming prestigious American awards for Englishmen.) 

Can we really count picture books as reading?  Of course we can!  A picture book provides a visual experience.  Just like other books, it has a storyline and a theme, but these are developed through a series of pictures rather than words.  One thing that I love about picture books is that you get to add your own words much of the time.  To be considered for the Caldecott Medal, the target audience of the book should be up to age 14.  But 56-year-olds still enjoy picture books!

Looking forward to next week, it is the GRANDMA CHALLENGE OF 2015.  Here are the rules that I can remember.  (Did I add anything else?) 

1.     Get into pairs and team up to read more pages than I read during the week.

2.     You MUST report on a daily basis.  Daniel is going to take care of the reporting.  There will be none of this wait-until-Saturday-to-report business.

3.     ALL teams that beat me will receive $20 to split, either pro rata or in halves, the team’s choice.

4.     If ANY team beats me, then everybody gets ice cream.  I scream, you scream, we all scream … yada yada yada.

5.     Picture books DO NOT count for adult readers. 

So far I know of three teams that are gearing up for the challenge:  Amanda and Heather; Ben and Violet; Daniel and Whitney.  So pair up and either report your pairing as a comment to this blog or let His Highness the Incentive Master know.  Just so you know, I’ve got two page-turners sitting on my shelf just waiting for me—Sphere (thanks Ben!) and Deception Point. 

At midnight on Saturday night we will “Let the wild rumpus start!”  Who said that and in what book?  

Barnes and Noble

Olivia went to Barnes and Noble today to get her free book.  She filled out the "Imagination Destination" reading journal without any help, recommending books to many of you.  One of the books she logged was 3 Monsters and the Fun Day by Belle Nielson.  Obviously, Barnes and Noble doesn't check up too much on the books.  Olivia chose The Princess in Black by Shannon Hale for her free book.  Way to go, Olivia!