Love It or List It: Nesting Edition

Ok, I confess, I've never actually seen HGTV's "Love It or List It."  However, I think I can guess at the premise:

1.  You have some things you want to change in the house.
2.  You change them.  (In the case of HGTV, maybe a little outrageously.)
3.  You decide if you "Love It" (aka let's stay)
4.  Or if you'll "List It." (you get the idea)

Something like that, right?

Since I DO watch Househunters, it happens every so often that I get the urge to check our local real estate listings to see what's available and reasonable in our area.  Sometimes they're pretty great!  But I'm held back by two questions:  Do I really want to leave the neighborhood?  And, do I really have the energy to get our house market-ready and keep it that way?

It certainly helps that houses in our neighborhood are actually selling for the first time in years!  Also, now that we've been in our home six years, we figure we could theoretically think about moving.

So that's what this is all about!  We've done some updates to our home over the years, but there are plenty of areas of the home that we'd like to change either to better enjoy what we have, or to make it more interesting to a potential buyer.  Assuming I stay motivated and interested in this scheme, you can check back for future Love It or List It updates.

Note to Readers: We're not REALLY making any plans to sell, or to buy elsewhere, so let's not get too carried away.

Second Note to Readers:  This is the Nesting Edition, meaning... we're expecting Baby #2!  As of tomorrow, I'm "officially" in my Second Trimester, so this is when I'm supposed to have increased energy, right?!?  So some of our ideas are about how we get this house in better shape before our little Who makes his or her first big "YOPP!"  

"Friday" Faves: Books in Pairs

This week, I've picked a few different pairs of books to review - some are related to babies, some to mommies, and some to tutoring.

Books #1 & #2: Top 50 Skills for a Top Score - ACT English, Reading, and Science and Top 50 Skills for a Top Score - ACT Math

I don't necessarily use these books cover-to-cover for my tutoring clients, but I have found them to be worthy supplementary resources. They could be used a number of ways. The pretests contain one question for each skill introduced in the book. This is one quick method of pinpointing skill gaps. Often I cover the same skills when I teach subject-specific strategies and skills using the more all-inclusive materials from KAPLAN or Princeton Review. However, the specificity of the practice questions in these books are helpful for grasping single topics. 

Because of the student-friendly tone of the writing, I find that the skill pages make good homework assignments. Author Brian Leaf teaches each skill by giving a written 

                                   overview, explaining the corresponding question from the pretest, and then providing 

several ACT-format questions of varying difficulties. This can be especially helpful for math because often KAPLAN or Princeton Review will cover many skills without providing questions for immediate practice.

Actually, my favorite subject area covered in the Top 50 Skills books is the one that is not listed in the titles: Writing. Brian Leaf has made several exercises for the skills needed on the optional writing test, including one for creating an outline, writing an introduction, proofreading, etc. Each exercise expects the student to expand on two different ACT-style writing prompts using the writing skills he introduces.

All in all, these two books provide solid advice and ample skill-specific practice. I wouldn't necessarily use the books on their own, but I like them as supplements to my ACT prep instruction.

Books #3 & #4: Baby Faces & I Love Colors by Margaret Miller 

Maisy loves looking at these two books by Margaret Miller. The big bright baby faces have her looking, smiling, and reaching as soon as I turn a page. The words are simple and baby-friendly. It's fun to point out colors, facial expressions, and body parts ("Nose! Here's Maisy's nose!"). 

Oh, and the babies are cute, too. 

(Though not as cute as mine!)

Books #5 & #6: From Conception to Birth and The Happiest Baby on the Block

I wanted to pick two books that I read when I was pregnant with Maisy. What to Expect When You're Expecting was just too obvious of a choice, even though I did refer to it frequently. The best parts are the fruit comparisons ("it's an apple seed! now it's an orange seed! a banana! a cantaloupe! yikes!"). Anyway, I thought I'd pick two that are a bit less commonplace.

Dr. Harvey Karp, author of The Happiest Baby on the Block, talked about different theories of colic, then went on to explain his theory of a newborn baby's needs in terms of a missing fourth trimester. Basically, he said that brand new babies like it when you mimic the conditions of the womb. 

Karp describes the 5 "S's" - Swaddling, Side/Stomach, Shhhh, Swinging, and Sucking - and how to put them together as a "cure" for colic. Now, I can't claim that Maisy was a colicky baby, but she did go through her own version of peak fussiness around 7 or 8 weeks. (There's a cool line graph in the book that shows the average number of hours that newborns spend crying per day.) I can honestly say that when Maisy got on a crying jag, it was often the "S's" that could soothe her again. 

"Cure" may be a strong word, but this book and its 5 "S's" are worth a look.

From Conception to Birth was just plain cool. Week by week, Rick and I were amazed by these awesome images of fetal development. We couldn't believe all of the organs and systems that come into place at such an early stage. This book is proof, in words and pictures, that babies are miraculous. 

Simply awesome - moms and dads-to-be, check this one out!