Boys will be boys

It was a weekend night. And so because it was I allowed the kiddo to choose who to sleep with: me or Grandma or a friend's kids who were spending the night with us. Obviously he's gone creative with the grocery carton as his head board, homework notebook as his pillow, skateboard as his bed, Grandma's scarf as his blanket and with Snoopy his sleeping buddy, he nearly gave me a heart attack.

The Grandma woke up to go to the bathroom and to check on him, as she always does. Well, thanks to her instincts. The entire house was in muffled commotion at midnight before we all breathed back normally at finding this handful under the dining table.  Morning found him on my bed, and me - semi-conscious on a nearby swivel chair.

When you're a mom of a handful, you never get bored. If you are like me or know someone in similar shoes, here's a list of books I thought would help keep things sane.

1

How to be a happy mum: children behaving badly

Siobhan Freeguard

Netmums guide to stress-free family life

"Do you ever look at your children and wonder where you are going wrong? Do you sometimes feel if you're doing this parenting thing all wrong, and that just when you think you've got it all under control they press those buttons and it all comes tumbling down around you?" Netmum

2

Young gentleman's handbook(x): boys behaving badly
Jeremy Daldry
A book I may read for when Mr. Handful is a teenager.


"At the heart of this book is a simple, humane message: youth can be blissful and it can be nightmarish...." Books for Keeps

3

Also known as Harper

Ann Haywood Leal

A book to help explain the economy

"...Jacki is able to maintain her sense of humor though she is forced to learn some harsh realities about the economy when the recession begins to affect her own family and lifestyle." Scholastic

4

Hour of the Olmpics

Mary Pope Osborne

A kid's book about the Olympics

"Their magic tree house takes Jack and Annie back to retrieve a lost story in ancient Greece, where they witness the original Olympic games and are surprised to find what girls of the time were not allowed to do. Scholastic 

 5

Big dog...little dog

P.D. Eastman

A book about friendship

"This delightful book chronicles a day in the life of Ted and Fred-two dogs who are different in every way, but also the best of friends." Scholastic

6

Tuck Everlasting

Natalie Babbitt

A book with a female lead which is also perfect for boys

"History passes the Tuck family by... but though they live outside the rules of time, they never live beyond the rules of human compassion and feeling. Scholastica

7

Alexander and the terrible, horrible, no good very bad day

Judith Viorst

A book for dealing with tough issues

 "a kid with an unruly crop of hair, who gets out of bed to face a day that seems to grow increasingly worse with each passing minute" Scholastic

8

Gus and grandpa at basketball

Claudia Mills

A book celebrating grandparents

A great intergenerational team.... They're lucky to have each other. Readers are lucky to have them." Scholastic

  
9

The giving tree

Shel Silverstein

A book about gratitude

 "Once there was a tree...and she loved a little boy." Scholastic

10

The view from Saturday

E.L. Konisburg

A book for building confidence to face academic and social challenges

"Four students... develop a special bond and attract the attention of their teacher, who chooses them to represent their sixth-grade class in the Academic Bowl competition." Scholastic

11

When is a planet... not a planet?

Elaine Scott

A book for learning about life in space and reading about fun space adventures

"Because of the history-making reassignment of Pluto from "planet" to "dwarf planet" on August 24, 2006, all books on the solar system are now out of date." Scholastic

12

Weather whys

Mike Artell

A nonfiction book that will help expand your child's knowledge of the weather

"Why can't we see through fog? Why do I see lightning before I hear thunder? Why do some places have hurricanes?" Scholastic

13

If I ran for president

Catherine Steir

A book to help a child explore the drama of campaigning, voting, and competition

"The entertaining yet informative text is a good conversation starter for discussions on the election process." Scholastic

Links: Thursday Thirteen * Favorite Things * Sally's Blues