Monday, January 28, 2008

Registration's up for Pact Camp!

Camp is officially scheduled for Sunday July 13-Friday July 18, and online registration is up. I'm really excited to be going back this year. I learned so much last that is still having huge ripple effects through our life. I'm really looking forward to another week of transracial adoption conversation and community.

While I've not been to any other camps for transracial adoptive families, I'm convinced that Pact has something very special and unique going. I hope that other TRA families from the Seattle area will join us there, and you can bet your last Twinkie that I'm going to put plenty of energy into convincing several of you to come.

The visiting guest line up is breath-taking. Some of the fantastic speakers from last year are back, along with some rock-stars from the adult adoptees of the TRA world. Check out the full camp program here. And then go here to register! There is even an early bird discount if you register before March 1 (which will help with covering family airfare between Seattle and San Jose).

If you've read my posts about our experiences from last year, you'll know the logistics were challenging for our family - especially Theo. Last week I had a long conversation with Beth Hall from Pact about what we can do to make this work for our whole family. She did a great job of hearing my concerns and letting me know what was in Pact's control and what the camp itself controlled. I think we came up with several ideas that will work for us, so I'm feeling relieved about the logistical side of camp. Whew.

Beth and I also talked about the tone of my earlier posts. I'm still new at this blog thing and had not taken into account how my self assessed "clever" titles might scan to someone who didn't know me or read the full posts. She expressed concern that just a quick read of the titles might scare internet information gathers off from Pact Camp. Because my intent in this blog is to express myself authentically, and truly support the terrific resources and communities I find, I've chosen to slightly edit a few of the posts and change the titles.

So I hope you'll join us. Pact Camp really does change lives.

Monday, January 21, 2008

The 888 Challenge

Mama Peep over at Classical Education Our Way put me on to the 888 Challenge.

I am always up for a challenge that includes lots of books and learning more about whatever tickles my interest, so I immediately started making catagories and lists. Very exciting, though I'm stuck on a few of the catagories (sometimes just for want of a few more unpacked boxes). Let me know if you have any suggestions to fill the gaps!

Sara's 888
Adoption and Race
1. Outsiders Within
2. Why Are All The Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? by Tatum
3. Can We Talk about Race? by Tatum
4. Real parents, Real Children by van Gulden
5. Bone Black by bell hooks
6. Rock My Soul: Black People and Self Esteem by bell hooks
7. I’m Chocolate, You’re Vanilla by Wright
8. … Looking for a book by first moms… ideas anyone?

Parenting (some of these are re-reads)
1. Kids are worth it by Coloroso
2. Playful Parenting by Cohen
3. Kids, Parents and Power Struggles by Kurchinka
4. Protecting the Gift by deBecker
5. The book about raising healthy black children on my desk
6. How to Really Love You Child by Campbell
7. Temperment Tools by Neville and Johnston
8. Our Bodies, Ourselves

Education (for me about teaching the kids)
1. Young, Gifted, and Black: Promoting High Achievement Among African American Students by Steele
2. Smart Girls by Barbara Kerr
3. Dumbing us Down
4. The African history book hiding in one of the unpacked boxes
5. Eight Great Plays by Piekoff (on tape)
6.
7.
8.

Homeschool (novels for us to read together)
1. Battle for the Castle
2. D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths by Ingri and Edgar Parin D'Aulaire
3. Return of the Indian by Banks
4. The Trumpet of the Swan – E.B. White
5. The Sword in the Tree – Clyde Robert Bulla
6. Thimble Summer – Elizabeth Enright
7. Call It Courage – Armstrong Perry
8. The Door in the Wall – Marguerite di Angeli

Graphic Novels
1. Usagi Yojimbo book 7
2. Usagi Yojimbo book 8
3. Elfquest 4
4. Elfquest 5
5.
6.
7.
8.

Make me laugh, make me cry
1. Thank you Jeeves by PG Wodehouse
2. Right Ho Jeeves
3. Something by bell hooks
4. The Tower at Sony Wood by Patricia A. Mchillip
5. iPhone, The Missing Manual
6. Strong Enough? By Mark Rippetoe
7.
8.

The Wanna Read Someday Shelf
1. Healing the New Childhood Epidemics by Kenneth Bock
2. Home Comforts by Mendleson
3. Body Clutter by FlyLady
4. Good Calories, Bad Calories by Taubes
5.
6.
7.
8.

Victorian Pulp Fiction
1. George by Alexandre Dumas
2. Cyrano de Bergerac
3. Count of Monte Critso by Dumas
4. Kim by Rudyard Kipling
5. Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte
6. Women in White by Wilkie Collins
7. Tale of Two Cities by Dickens
8. The Wrong Box by RL Stevenson

Saturday, January 5, 2008

Does this look like fun to you?

So much cool information to share, but for right now all I can say is: does this look like fun to you? Because it does to me (in a sort of make me puke sort of way).

I need a little more consistancy in my life before I can pull it off, but whooo-wheee!