Kindles for Kids, Reading

The girls received Kindle Fires for their "big" Christmas present.  The decision to go with Fires versus a straight up Kindle was based on price.  There was some pre Black Friday deal that was too good to let go and so now we are a Kindle family. 

Life with Kindle Fires

Day 1 - Christmas night.  Rich and I are both in the kitchen cleaning.  I'm standing at the sink scrubbing through the piles of dirty pots, pans and dishes that have taken over the counters. I stop.  A silence that I've never experienced before has settled over the entire house.

"Sweet baby Jesus.  This is why people give their kids electronics."

Day 2 - "Mommy, I don't like how sissies are zoning out on the couch on their Kindles."



We knew we were going to set ground rules but because it was Christmas and school vacation week, we were a bit lenient, hoping that the newness factor would wear off.  So now during the week, they can only use their Kindles to read books.  There are two exceptions.  1) Anna can do whatever on hers while she is being cathed.  There were some slight grumblings and that's not fairs.  Hey, when someone has to stuck a tube up your who-ha to drain the urine out of your bladder, you can play some games on your Kindle too.  Okay?  2) As long as all of their homework is complete, they can use their Kindles if they are waiting for their sister(s) at an activity that they don't participate in.  Such as Anna hanging around the lobby at dance while Emily and Allie are in their tap class.  Or Emily and Anna waiting for Allie in a make-up gymnastics class.  That usage should be geared towards math apps, such as IXL.

The girls have a fair amount of homework but it's not so much that they don't have downtime.  I still don't want them zoning out on games during that downtime.  They are extremely creative children and I want that creativity to continue to blossom, not fizzle out on a Kindle. 

One night during vacation week, as the girls were readying themselves for bed, Allie asked if we could all read together on my bed.  Rich was gone for the evening so it was just us girls.  Almost every night, when the girls go to bed, they read to themselves.  Occasionally, they read a few pages to me but for the most part, it's alone time reading.  I thought it was a great idea so we all snuggled up on my bed and read to ourselves.  We named it "Family Read In" (copied the name from school) and it was successful until school and activities started up again.  It looks like Family Read In will be a weekend activity for now.

And I finished my first book of 2016.

I often peruse through my library's online catalog of newly added e-books.  This one popped up a few weeks ago and because I know of Travis Barker (drummer for Blink-182, had that messy MTV reality show with Shanna Moakler, was in a terrible plane crash), I decided to give it a read.  Other than wanting to correct some grammar, this was an extremely likable book.  Travis has a strong work ethic - everything he has and who he is now is due to hard work (and talent, of course.)  Reader beware - certain descriptions are lewd and if you've ever wanted to see the unsavory side of the music industry, well, here you go.  Otherwise, I thought this book had a positive, inspiring feel to it.                  

I don't know why but I've been on a memoir kick as of late.  I'm about 70% through my 2nd book of 2016 (fiction) and still undecided on how I feel about it.