After a few weeks off due to camp and our all too brief vacation, J returned to making dinner this week.  Tacos were on the menu last night.  She consulted one of my cookbooks for the idea, but we just used ground beef, a packet of taco seasoning, hard shells, and then added our own toppings, including shredded cheese.  J had never tried the hard shell tacos before this.  She always orders soft ones when we eat out, so this was new for her.  She liked them a lot.   They're so easy to make, something different, and everyone likes them!

J wanted me to read "Among the Hidden" by Margaret Peterson Haddix for some time now.  I had some time the last 2 days to finally read it.  J's 5th grade teacher read it to the class this past year, along with the second book in the series.  The book talks about a place where families are only allowed to have 2 children.  Luke, the main character, is a forbidden 3rd child in his family, so he is constantly in hiding in his own home.  As the land next to his farm is cleared to make way for a new housing development, Luke is forced to watch from the crack in the roof of the attic, where his bedroom is located.  Luke observes the construction and the families moving in, realizing that they are all much more well off than his own family.  The most important discovery Luke makes from his viewing spot is the existence of another "shadow child" like himself.  He creates a plan to meet her, and that's where the action in the book really takes off.  I won't reveal any more in the plot here, but I can highly recommend the book.  J was surprised to learn that there are places in the world where families are limited in the amount of children they may have (like China).  This is especially meaningful for our family since I have a sister who is adopted from China.  Since J hadn't discussed these things in her class, it really created another dimension for her to understand the situation there more fully.  You can learn more about the book, the series, and the author at www.haddixbooks.com

I feel like we are already counting the days until school will start and have already shopped for many school supplies.  Argh.  Where is the summer going?  Hope you are all enjoying the days as they fly by.

Thanks for reading!