"Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body."

 Back quite some time ago I wrote a post about mine and Opeie's reading diary which all started because of Mrs M not being able to track down a really important book from her childhood that was read to her at bedtimes by her great Nan. The problem was she couldn't remember the name of the book, only the main character, a very large fat cat.

We managed to find the book eventually but the whole thing made me think that I would hate it if Opeie couldn't remember an important book from his childhood, hence the beginning of the reading diary, which we have been packing full of wild and wonderful stories and plenty of educational content.

Over the last few months though the way we read together has changed and it seems to now be Opeie reading more to me. So last week Opeie asked me if he could have his own reading diary to keep track of what he is reading. I think the way in which we have read as a family to this point has laid down some great groundwork. It means so much to me to see Opeie excited about reading and hearing him say "can I just read one more?" After already devouring two books.

Filling in his book is great for his writing too and I am hoping we continue filling the pages at the rate we are now. If there was one thing I wanted to install in Opeie early on, it is the enjoyment you can get from reading and the knowledge that all the amazing books out there are readily available to him.

"And will you succeed? Yes! You will, indeed! (98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed)"

I don't have many great memories of my childhood when it comes to my family. That's not to say that fun things didn't happen, i just think because of all the bad things that happened a lot of the good things have been blocked out. It's something i battle with all the time. I love listening to Mrs M talk about things from her past though and a lot of the really touching things she tells me are things that have happened with her nan and great nan who have both sadly passed away in the last five years. Since we met (and probably long before that) Mrs M has been searching for a book that her great nan used to read to her and her sister Lottie when they were young. She couldn't remember the title of the book just the name of the main character, a fat cat.

I searched high and low for this book but because she couldn't be sure of the spelling of the name and i had no idea what the cover looked like it was virtually impossible to find. I thought it was really sad than she couldn't find something that had given her such great memories during her childhood and i really hoped it was going to be something i could track down and pull out a time when she needed cheering up the most. The situation got me thinking about Opeie, what if he had a fond book memory from his childhood and couldn't track a book down (we do spend a lot of time reading after all). I have nothing from my past, photos, drawings, school work etc which is quite upsetting as the boys or Mrs M will never see what i looked like as a baby. I never want Opeie to be in that position, So with the reading situation i came up with a plan.

I thought it would be lovely to keep a diary of all the books we have read together over the years, something for him to look back on when he is older and if there is that one special book that he really feels shaped his development or something that really makes him feel emotional then every book we have read will be in there and well documented. I wanted something a little more interesting than a blank diary so i ordered another copy of the very fitting 'Oh the places you'll go!' by Dr. Seuss. Reading is a great interest to have and when it comes to mental stimulation, your child's development and shaping and unlocking your imagination then it on of the best hobbies to have. We read 5-10 books a day and it has helped so much with Opeie's vocabulary.

Ive found the documenting of our reading together really interesting as its made me realise just how many books we have gone through over the years and with Opeie's new interest of the library the diary is filling up quick. With every blank spot in the book being written on i hope that it is going to be a really lovely present to give Opeie in the future and something he can look back on and relive happy times.

Last week Mrs M found the book she had been looking for for so many years (inspiring me to write this post) and when it arrived a few days back the look on her face as she read it to the boys was beautiful. She said she could almost hear her nan reading the words to her and the book obviously brought back many happy memories from her childhood. Documenting your children growing up is so important. Its something lovely to give them when they are older and if you are anything like me, i need to be reminded of things every now and again as i easily forget things. Our reading diary is not only a diary of Opeie's development but a reminder of the time spent happily reading together.