Navigating comics for kids

Back in September of 2015 I started working for a new comic book and game store in Elkhart, In. Secret Door Games is a great small shop that offers comics, a wide verity of board games, trading card games, and role-playing games, books and toys. Before starting work here I read most of my comics in graphic novel format. Which meant that I read them much later than when they first were published. Now I can follow a handful of series as they come out. :) Good for me. Good for the store. My kids too before would check out graphic novels at the library, and still do to be honest. The library was and is great. I know that books in the kids section are safe for them to read. Graphic novels in the teen section I thumb through before allowing them to check out. And only I read graphic novels from the adult section.

Now that we have access to single issue comics the boys naturally want to read what they see in the shop. That's all great, but navigating what is appropriate for them (age 6,7 &9) is a bit of a challenge. So here's what I've learned and things to keep in mind when looking  to buy comics for kids.

Know your comic book publishers, their websites and their rating systems (if they have one). As you probably know the two big publishers for superhero comics are DC and Marvel. Each one of these have their own rating system. Knowing what their system is will help you figure out if you are okay with your kids reading certain story lines. To find their rating system visit  http://www.dccomics.com/ratings  for DC and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marvel_Rating_System for Marvel
Both DC and Marvel have a kids websites (click the name for the link) Visiting those and seeing what comics are advertised or offered there can be helpful.

For my boys, I feel safe letting them read Marvel comics rated T or All Ages. Anything else I have to read first and most times I just say they have to wait till they are older.  Current favorite is The Totally Awesome Hulk and Avengers Assemble Season 2.  DC I'm only okay with them reading E rated comics. My frustration is that there are not alot to choose from and I find that the art in DC is more gory than I think necessary in the T and T+ comics. But that's a rant for another time.

Sadly IDW doesn't have a rating system. While they have great titles for kids including Classic Disney lines such as Micky Mouse and Donald Duck, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and My Little Pony, the only way to know if they are appropriate for your kids is to pick them up and read them. Basic illustrations can give you a clue though. There are several TMNT story lines and the cover illustration often foreshadows how dark the story line is.  But the only true way to know is leaf through it. Some of my boys favorites are Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Amazing Adventures, and Angry Birds.

I love Dark Horse and Image comics, but most of their story lines are not suitable for kids. I cannot speak for teenagers though. That I'll leave up to the parents of teenagers. Although as a scary thought I'll be there soon. ;)

There is a website that can be very helpful. Kids Comics has lots of great links, games and previews for kids. This is a great way to see some of the kids titles out there and who publishes them.
   
Don't be afriad to talk to the friendly staff at your local comic book store. They will have knowledge of many of the comic lines they offer and can give you some detail about story line, violence and such. Be sure to express what you are looking for, and what you are trying to avoid.

Comic books are not only fun for kids and adults alike, they are a great way to get kids, especially boys, to read. Just check out this great article from GettingBoystoRead.com  We here at the Earthmama household are quickly growing our comic book collection and loving it.

Let the comics abound!!

Menu Planning- Meals for the rest of January

Confession: I have NOT menu planned in a year or more. This has meant lots of frozen pizza, eating out, and panic, scrambling nights of "What do I cook?" This is made worse by the fact that 3 to 4 nights a week I'm not home for dinner due to work. Since my husband doesn't cook (ie hate cooking), I'm often left feeling guilty that I didn't plan ahead.

Well it's a new year. Sure we are already over a week in, but that doesn't mean I can't start anew. And rather than just plan my week of meals, I sat down and planned the rest of the month of meals. The internet and Pintrest are my friends. :) And should be yours two. So here it is. This months meals. Let my husband say he can't cook now. Blah! I won't believe it. Cause I have it all planned. All he has to do is follow the instructions.

January Week 2
Monday: Chicken pot pie from More with Less
Tuesday: GF Orange chicken over rice, frozen green beans
Wednesday: Asian Chicken Salad (using leftover orange chicken)
Thursday: Roasted Squash Lasagna, frozen peas, GF Pamelas Bread
Friday: Fend for yourself Friday! (this just means that they can have leftovers or frozen pizza. I'm leaving it in my husbands hands)
Saturday: Crockpot Pulled Pork, chips, carrots
Sunday: Cheese Corn Chowder from More with Less

Week 3
Monday: Italian Wonderpot, frozen peas
Tuesday: Crockpot Porcupine Meatballs in mushroom sauce, rice, frozen green beans
Wednesday: Midweek meal at church
Thursday: Creamy Pasta with Bacon and Peas
Friday: Fend for yourself Friday!
Saturday: Crockpot Mexican Tortilla Pie
Sunday: Popcorn Cheese and Apples

Week 4
Monday: Shakshuka
Tuesday: Porcupine Meatballs in tomato sauce over pasta, frozen corn
Wednesday: Crockpot Fajtas and toppings
Thursday: Southwest One Pot Wonder (use leftover chicken)
Friday: Meatball subs using meatballs from Tuesday
Saturday: Curred chicken and coconut rice, frozen peas
Sunday: Coconut chickpea curry over rice (used leftover chicken)

Originally I started meal planning due to the lovey lady over at Organized Junkie. You can check out her meal plan plus tons of others by visiting her blog at orgjunkie.com.

Here's to eating well with less stress. And of course being able to answer that age old questions "What's for dinner?"

Why you should read Tales of an Earthmama in 2016

It has been way to long since I have blogged. But 2016 is a new year, and I am committed to sharing my journey. But you may be thinking, so what? What does this blog have that's different? Well to be honest maybe nothing. Doesn't mean following won't be a joy. So here are some reasons I think you should follow my blog this year. :)

1) A household of 3 boys in Elementary school is never dull.
                 When I started this blog I had a toddler and a baby, was tandem nursing and cloth diapering. The journey was crazy, and now my 3 boys babies have grown into 3 boy kids with all the challenges that entails. I will be reflecting on how to continue to connect with my boys now that they are no longer little and cuddly.

2) Raising geek kids while maintaining the innocence of childhood for a while longer
               My husband and I firmly live and breath geek culture. We are both Star Wars, Dr. Who, and Star Trek fans. We are both into board games. He loves video games, mostly computer. And I love comics, mostly Marvel but I do love Batman, Catwoman and Wonder Woman. :) However as awesome as geek culture is there is lots of violence and gore, not to mention sex. Balancing what's safe for them to see  vs what needs to wait till they are older is a difficult process. We are not always right, but we try hard to find the right balance for our kids and our family.

3) Learning to balancing the desire to work with the desire to be present in the kids lives
                After 6 years of being a stay at home mom, I now gladly work outside the home. I have discovered that I need outside work. It allows me to nurture me which in turn allows me to be more fully present with my kids. But there are challenges. We constantly struggle with how to balance two working parents schedules with kids schedules and activities. As the boys schedules continue to change and grow this struggle will only continue.

4) Keeping a healthy diet, while creating easy, fast meals for our busy lives
                The goal has always been to eat healthy and local when possible. I will still be reflecting on meal planning, finding the right balance between healthy and fast, easy meals. In addition we still have one gluten free kids and the challenges that come with that :)

5) Trying to support public schools while fighting to make them better
              I'm a big supporter of public schools. But they are by no means perfect. If fact, their is much to desire in terms of my kids education. Follow us as we figure out how to fight for bettering our schools while still be supportive of our teachers and school staff who work hard withing the limitations they are given.

Overall you should follow me for your own reasons. If something I reflect on catches your attention there is your reason. Truth is I don't have a perfect life. My house is messy, my kids are loud and fight alot, and I often what to pull my  hair out. But my journey might help you. Whether it allows you to see you're not alone, it helps you as you parent your own growing little ones, or just makes your laugh, smile or say "I hear you," I hope you take something good away. Come join me on this journey.

Reading Challenge update.

In January, I made myself the challenge of reading one book from every section in the bookstore I work at. You can read about it here . I thought it was time to update, as June is quickly approaching, thus marking the half way point for 2014. And that right there is a scary thought. Time is a mystery, but one not for today. :) Today it a recording if you will of what I have read thus far, not including online readings including but not limited to various fan-fictions and such.  My own secret pleasure.  So here they are, plus reviews for your reading pleasure. 

Kid's Corner

          Board Books - My First Superman Book- touch and feel by David Bar Katz

                                There is a whole series of DC superhero board books. They are colorful and fun. And as far as I can tell attract the attention of all kids who love bright primary colors and superheros. This one is fun cause it's interactive. But watch out for the glitter, it gets everywhere. 

          Picture Book- I'm a Frog!  (Elephant and Piggie book) by Mo Willems 

                                I love Mo Willems. And I especially love Elephant and Piggie books. We just got this one in a few weeks ago. Piggie is pretending to be a frog. But Elephant doesn't know how to pretend. And doesn't believe he can. Join them while Piggie conveniences Elephant that he can indeed pretend to be anything. Favorite line "Grown ups pretend all the time" 

          Non-Fiction-  Real Ninja by Stephen Tumbull

                                This is a great picture book with lots of information and stories of real ninja from history. My boys loved it. Plus it was fun to learn what a ninja really was. 

          Early Reader- DK Readers: LEGO DC SuperHeros: Super-Villians

                                Early Reader are lots of fun, or just painful. DK has lots of good ones. Legos are popular. Thus Lego themed books. My boys love superheros. Batman for awhile was top of the list. You can guess what they thought of this one. :) It is a level 2. Meaning Ian (1st grade)  can read it but it is on the longer side. 

          Rookie Reader- The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

                                  If you have seen the movie Hugo and not picked up this book, you really really should. The drawings are fantastic. Half the story is told through these alone. Follow an orphan  as he tries to put together a mechanical man left to him by his father and befriends a young girl who's uncle works at a toy store in the train station. It's a wonderful story and a great read. 

          Series- Gregor The Overlander (Underland Chronicles, Book 1) by  Suzanne Collins

                                  Suzanne Collins is the writer of The Hunger Games. This series she wrote before. It's about middle schooler Gregor who's father has disappeared. He stays home one summer to look after his grandmother and youngest sister Boots who is 2. Boot and Gregor wind up in the Underland where people fly on Bats. Rats, Cockroaches and Spiders are bigger than they are. Follow them as they go on an adventure to find his father and fulfill a prophesy. It's a fun book, full of adventure. And while I haven't read the rest of the series I'm sure they are just as fun. 

Fiction

        General Fiction- The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin 

                                  This is an awesome book. And very new. My boss handed it to me and I finished it the day it was released. The joys of  working for a books store and having access to prereaders. :) Anyway, this store is about a bookstore owner, who's wife died in a car crash. One night he finds an abanded child in his store. The next day the mother turns up dead, drowned. The story follows A.J. Fikry and his adopted daughter through the her life to adulthood. The fun part is each chapter starts with a book review. And while in the beginning it sounds like the review is meant for any customer, you get the feeling as the book goes on they are written for someone special. Trust me. Pick it up. Once I got started it only took me a weekend to read. Although I did have a sick kid who state on my lap all weekend while I read. 

        Suspense & Mystery- Naked Heat by Richard Castle - still reading

                                       If you watch the TV show Castle you'll enjoy this. I'm only about a 1/4 of the way in but already it's fun. This is the book Richard Castle is working on in the very beginning of the book. And the characters are clearly resemble all the shows characters. In fact that is the hardest part of reading this book. Reading about tv character by different names. :) 

        Fantasy/ SciFi/ Horror- Game of Thrones: Book One of A Song of Ice and Fire

                      by George R. R. Martin - still reading 

                                        So Mark and I started watching the HBO show Game of Thrones right after spring break. I quickly decided I needed to read it as well. The book is written with each chapter following through the eyes of a different character. I must admit after awhile I started just following my favorite character for awhile. I'll go back and read the rest but for now I want to see where she goes. :) 

        Young Adult-Chopsticks by Jessica Anthony and Rodrigo Corral                

                            This was a visually stunning book. The story if giving through newspaper articles, school letters, drawings, photographs, text messages and others. By the end I didn't know what was real and what was in the characters head. While not a happy ending this is a book I could ready a hundred times and still get something new out of it.  

Non-Fiction 

         Science- The Pluto Files by Neil deGrasse Tyson

                       This was an awesome book. Neil deGrasse Tyson writes like he talks. So it was fun, energetic and engaging. There was lots of sarcasm  and wit. Plus I found it fascinating to read about the history of Pluto and how it captured our love and loyalty. I highly recommend this one. 

        History- The Pirate Hunter: The True Story of Captain Kidd by Richard Zacks- still reading

                     I will admit I'm having trouble getting into this one. I'm only about two chapters in. But I'm determined to finish. I'll let you know what I think once I finish or at least get father into it. 

Humor- How to tell if you cat is plotting to kill you  by The Oatmeal 

             My dog: The Paradox: A Lovable Discourse about Man's Best Friend by The Oatmeal

                           Got to love the Oatmeal. Both of these are funny. And very quick to pick up and read.  I particularly love How to tell if you cat is plotting to kill you. But it's probably cause I have three cats. And I'm convinced they are all out to get me. Not sure I can say more. Just pick them up and read them. Trust me. 

             

 Okay so that's it thus far. Sadly half my list is kids books. But hey what can I say. I'm a mom. In fact I've read many more kids books than this but I listed only one from each category. What to know what else we are reading to the boys? Me I've read Snot Stew by by Bill Wallace to Aiden and Cai. We are also in the middle of Charlotte's Web by E. B. White. Mark and Ian have been reading Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner. They recently finished book 2. 

What good books have you read lately? 

Menu Plan Monday March 10, 2014

Despise the lack of posts, I have been menu planning. In fact in the last month alot has happened that I really ought to record here on the blog. We'll see if I find the motivation. For those not in connection to me on Facebook, I have recently moved from a part time position at the local bookstore to full time Assistant Manager. :) I'm very excited about it and really enjoying my work. However this has meant lots of shifting and changing at home, and we are still working out the kinks. One shift has been more use of my crockpot. As I don't come home till after 6pm, dinner needs to be done when I come home. As let's be honest, Mark IS NOT going to cook unless it's maybe spaghetti. While I like spaghetti I don't want it every night. So slow cooker meals has become our saving grace. The internet is a life saver in the area. But I have also recently bought a new cookbook. Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook by Beth Hensperger and Julie Kaufmann. So far I'm pretty pleased, Although there are recipes I can't used because they only require a few hours cooking time or require you to add ingredients half way through. For someone else I"m sure that's not a problem but I just can't do that. So here is this weeks menu. I'm off Monday so that meal I'll cook without the use of my crockpot. The rest... well just look

Monday: Black bean and sweet potato taco salad (uses the Simple in Season Burrito filling)
Tuesday: Chicken with Onions and Cheese (Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker) potatoes and peas
Wednesday:  Corn Chowder (Not Your Mother's Slower Cooker)
Thursday: Breakfast Casserole
Friday: Sloppy Joes
Saturday: Left overs or simple meal
Sunday: Popcorn Cheese and Apples

For more menus be sure to visit Organizing Junkie. Happy Meal Planning!!

Menu Plan Monday- Feb 10th, 2014

Anybody else sick of cold weather? Despite the fact that I should be excited about all the snow and cold weather (we are going skiing this weekend) I find myself just wanting spring to be here already. What I won't give to see dirt and brown grass, anything other than white and grey. Not to mention that I would love temps to get above freezing. Or even just stay in the mid to high 20s. Anything more than the single digit and neg numbers we been having. On the up side, we are going up to Boyne Highlands, MI this weekend. Hopefully I'll have a renewed love of winter, since it doesn't seem to be leaving anytime fast. That makes this meal plan a short one, as we leave Thursday morning and won't return till Saturday night. But in order to hopefully be prepared and not have too many things in the fridge while we're away here is the menu.

Monday: One Pot Wonder: Thai Style Peanut Pasta- made with Asian style Rice Noodles
Tuesday: Sweet Potato Curry
Wednesday: Leftovers!!!
Thursday- Sunday: Skiing
I am in charge of Saturday's supper- I'll be making Green Spaghetti, roasted carrots and garlic bread YUMMY!!

For more menus go check out Organizing Junkie.

Thoughts from a Night Owl Parent

So I have been thinking alot about sleep habits in relation to kids lately. Now I am a night owl. Always have been. When I was probably nine or so I got a nightshirt for Christmas that said "I may rise, but I refuse to shine." The statement was true then and still true today. But somehow I feel pressure from society to be an early riser as a parent. I hear about moms who wake up an hour before their kids, to have time to center, time to get chores done, time to exercise, time to be. Sounds great. But while my kids will sleep till 7 or even 8am depending on the morning that puts me getting up at 6am at the latest NOT GOING TO HAPPEN. I am convinced that not even God gets up that early. Really! And I am not motivated to get up that early if I don't have to. Let me sleep. I'll get my quite, kid free space at 10pm when the boys are fast asleep.

Now part of my problem is that I'm friends with alot of early risers. And as such I compare my days to their. Not fair to any of us but it's reality. But here is the thing. The advise we give to new parents is sleep when the baby sleeps. Great advise for a newborn who naps during the day yes. But the sentiment then becomes that as parents we change our sleep habit to fit our kids rather than help our kids learn our patterns. For the most part I'm pretty against the idea of sleep training babies. I was always one that let my kids sleep when they slept. But as I look back, I did sleep train my kids. By simply being myself, following my own sleep patterns my kids have learned to adapt to my schedule, just as I have had to adapt to theirs.

 As a college student with an infant, I would often shut myself in a kid safe room, lie down on a mattress, put on some music and let Ian play while I napped. It wasn't deep sleep by any means, but it was rest and Ian learned to play by himself while Mommy got some much needed shut eye. As he got older, we always had quite toys and books around for the mornings. He would get up play on his own and I would get at least another hour if not more of rest. The same thing happens today. The boys know they can crawl in with Mark and I and cuddle. But once they are done they go off and play while Mark and I continue to sleep till either they boys start fighting and need us to intervene or we absolutely have to get up. It's perfect. And works for us night owls.

But my other problem is that we live in a society that works on the early risers schedule. I would be perfectly happy to start my day at 10am. But most other people start at 8am if not earlier. So we adapt. I guess that's my point too. Not being an early riser never has made me a bad parent. I have created routines that work for me and for my kids. And that mean the I'm still laying in bed while my sister-in-law and nephews are already out sledding. Or that I don't realize that school was actually canceled till almost 9am because I went back to bed after finding out that there was a 2 hour delay. From my stand point it's wonderful. You early risers go ahead and wake up at the crack of dawn. I'll enjoy my beauty sleep. With cuddly boys by my side. Or at least the background music of kids at play.

Here's to the Night Owl Parents! May we continue to be Night Owls and not conform to a society of Early Risers!!!!!