Here's a peek at what my family has been reading during the final days of summer.

My first grader is reading independently, but would much prefer to have us read to him. So, in order to encourage his independent reading I have tried to find books that are on his reading level AND appeal to his interests. These books are classified as Easy Readers and many of them are leveled by Steps (1, 2 or 3) on the cover. In my opinion, some of these books can be tedious to read. I find some to be boring, lacking a storyline or awkward to read aloud. The books I mention here among my favorite Easy Readers. They are fun to read and have a little humor in them, which kids love! Well, except for the Hot Wheels books, no humor in there but they are definitely boy-friendly!

My Dog, Buddy by David Milgrim

Hot Wheels series

Dancing Dinos at the Beach by Sally Lucas, illustrated by Margeaux Lucas

Shampoodle by Joan Holub, illustrated by Tim Bowers

My third grader has recently discovered Bill Wallace's books. No Dogs Allowed is his favorite by this author. Some of Wallace's books are written for a little older audience than my nine year old, but most of his animal books are a perfect match for my son right now. I read this one after my son finished it and really enjoyed the story. Kristine's old horse has recently passed away and she is heartbroken. Her grandfather gives her a puppy as a birthday gift, hoping to ease some of her pain. However, Kristine is afraid to get emotionally attached to the puppy; she doesn't want to face the pain of burying another pet.  Great story about enjoying life every day and accepting, as gracefully as possible, the inevitable loss of our pets.

My third-grader also loves non-fiction. Rocks & Minerals in the DK Eyewitness series is his current favorite. He packs it everywhere he goes, just in case he finds a few moments to read. (That is quite a feat because these are LARGE books!) I love that these books provide so much information in such an appealing format.

We have recently started reading the Little House series once again. I have mentioned the importance of re-reading in a previous post and sometimes my kids remind me of the value of visiting characters over and over again. My older boys loved each one of Laura Ingalls Wilder's books. I was amazed at how enthralled they were with these stories. This time my daughter is the one who can't bear to put the book down. I read a few chapters to the kids before bed last night. This morning at 630am she had the book in hand and was pleading for a few more chapters during breakfast. Love to see her so excited about Laura and Mary.

What have I been reading these days? Well, to continue with the re-reading theme, I picked up my copy of To Kill a Mockingbird one day simply glancing at the cover. I flipped it open and browsed the first page. Soon, I was halfway through the book and just like the first time I read it, I couldn't put it down. Of course, this is a classic and most of you have probably read it. I'd like to encourage you to re-read a classic or one of your favorite page-turners. I promise it will be just as magical the second time around.

I'm not entirely sure how I missed this book when it first came out. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls was a bestseller for many, many weeks and deservedly so. A memoir about her childhood of extreme poverty and an alcoholic father. Excellent read and if there is anyone else out there who missed this one, I hope you'll pick it up.

My final book for today is Spilling Ink by Anne Mazer and Ellen Potter. This is a great how-to for aspiring young writers. The authors provide excellent advice and concrete examples. There are also several writing prompts to help get the ideas flowing. An excellent resource for middle grade students.

I have used a few of the ideas with my own kids. We talk about a couple of the writing prompts then create our own story together. I take dictation as they "write" the story out loud. We illustrate the pages and "bind" it with a few staples. I have a shelf full of books my kids have written. They are so proud of their books and love that they can read the whole story to Dad, Grandma or their younger siblings. It's fun for them and me!

Several years ago it was not unusual for us to get upwards of ten snakes a year in our yard. Ten rattlesnakes. I believe our record was thirteen rattlers around our yard in one summer. Consequently, we went to great lengths to teach our kids not to play with snakes.

We moved to a different house a few years ago and were thrilled to discover that although we have some bull snakes wandering around, there are very few rattlesnakes around the house.

Periodically, we continue to remind the kids that snakes are off-limits and apparently the older kids remember that lesson. This afternoon while we were working by the shop, my son started hollering, "Snake! Mom, there's a snake here!" I grabbed a shovel and went to protect my child from a nasty reptile.

Okay, it wasn't exactly a life-threatening situation, but it was a snake. Just an itty-bitty garter snake, but a snake nonetheless. After everyone had a chance to look at the snake we turned him loose, explaining to the kids that he was harmless.

Lesson learned: It may be difficult to convince an almost-two year old that snakes are dangerous when his mother is holding the snake down with a shovel and taking pictures of it simultaneously.  He kept waving hello and yelling, "Hiya snake!" over and over again.

I enjoy doing chores first thing in the morning. Just being outside for a few moments allows me to take a deep breath and prepare for the day. Everything is quiet and still. Peaceful. The new day is bursting with promise.

Typically, this early in the morning I haven't had to referree any squabbling children, which makes sunrise the best part of my day!

It takes an amazing amount of manpower to fight large wildfires. In addition to firefighters on the ground, there are also firefighters in the air. I believe they are officially referred to as aerial firefighters; however we like to refer to them as Bombers. These are small Bombers, about the size of a crop duster. They go in and drop a load of fire retardant either as they are directed by ground crew personnel or where they think it will be most effective. Obviously, they have the advantage of seeing the full magnitude of the fire when they are in the air, making it easier for them to assess where the retardant is needed most.

These planes are great at reaching places that are difficult for firefighters on the ground to access. Around here some of the most difficult places to fight fire is in canyons. We certainly appreciated the Bombers during the Long Butte Fire earlier this week. We were able to make fire lines with equipment, but we weren't able to cross the canyon. The Bombers laid retardant down across the canyon and completed the fire line.

When the Bombers dump their load of retardant they paint a large swath of land with fire suppressing chemicals, such as ammonium sulfate. The retardant is tinted red with ferric oxide to mark the areas where it has been dropped.

Or to mark pick-ups and cowboy hats that were on the edge of the fire. For the record, that stuff does not wear off easily. During the Murphy Complex Fire a couple of years ago, my husband tried and tried to clean his hat, to no avail. He finally admitted defeat and bought a new one. Not a big deal; we can splurge on a new hat once in a while.

But the retardant covered pick-up? He had to learn to live with that.

You guys have some great motivators in your life! I loved reading the comments here on the blog and on the facebook page. Ranging from kids, stress relief, improving your heath and the dreaded bathrom scale; I can relate to all of these reasons to exercise. Thanks for sharing!

The winner of the $50 Nike gift certificate is Shel! Congratulations Shel!

Shel's motivation: I'm a treadmill walker..we have one at work and it's a great stress reliever after a hectic evening. I love putting my earphones on and just walking to the music for 1/2 hour. Since I work 2nd shift, it also makes it easier for me to drive home and go right to bed. I find that when I skip a day, I can't seem to fall asleep for hours.

It's official: Fire Season has arrived. It was a bit late this year; we were beginning to hope that fall would sneak in and we could avoid large a fire. Of course, that was wishful thinking. But, we can dream can't we?

The Long Butte Fire started last Saturday. A lightning storm came in from the west and before we knew it there were five to seven small fires smoking on the desert. All but two of these fires burned out. It didn't take long for those two remaining fires to burn together.

This fire burned an amazing amount of land in a short amount of time; I believe the official estimate is 328,000 acres. It burned down power poles leaving many people without power. (Our power was restored yesterday, but I understand there are still people without electricity at this time.) It burned outbuildings and equipment. Sadly, it also caught some livestock in it's flames.

Although the fire got within a couple of miles of our home, we had very little of our land burn. We were fortunate this time. Many cattle producers to the north of us weren't as lucky. I feel for those ranchers; we were in their position a couple of years ago and it's a terrifying feeling.

I am always amazed in times of crisis how quickly people arrive and pull together to help. Fire crews from all over southern Idaho were on the scene to help contain this fire.

I stood in our yard on Sunday helping our cowboys prepare the generators, fill water tanks, fuel equipment and set handlines around our haystacks and outbuildings. We were all tense and anxious. Everyone worked quickly. I'm not embarrassed to tell you that I got goosebumps watching these guys drive off toward the fire.

You know why that fire stopped a couple miles north of my home? Our cowboys were there with the grader and the disk. They put it in a fire line and they defended it. Awesome.

Do you enjoy working out? What type of exercise do you enjoy?

I have a friend who enjoys workout DVD's. Another friend walks two miles each day. Yet another who lives for yoga and/or Pilates. Personally, I enjoy going for a good run. Ideally, I'd love to go outside for all of my runs, but it's a bit challenging to run with four kids in tow. So, I log a lot of miles on the treadmill instead of on the road. I spend my cross-training days on my bike, dragging the bike trailer with my younger kids inside.

The great thing about running is that my kids want to be runners, too. We are planning to do a 5K Family Fun Run next month. I will push the younger two kids in my jogging stroller and the older boys will walk/run with me. I love that they are supportive of my running and that they think of it as something "fun" to do. I'm really looking forward to doing the race together as a family (my husband will lead our cheering section).

I'd love to hear what you do to stay in shape or what is motivating you to start (or continue) your exercise program. Some days I need a little extra push to get me out the door. A little extra motivation. And what is more fun than having new gear for your favorite sport? Since having new gear is such a fun incentive, I am giving away a $50 Nike gift certificate.

Cool morning + fresh horse = rodeo (of sorts)

The kids and I were in the house getting ready to go swimming. (It was the last official day of summer vacation and I had promised them a day at the pool.) The cowboys were getting ready to gather steers when my husband ran into the house asking to borrow my camera. We followed him out the door, anxious to see what we were missing.

Meet Bill, our new cowboy.

Poor Bill. As the new guy, he drew the short straw this morning and found himself riding this paint horse. Now, he's not a bad horse, he just likes to remind the cowboys that even though he is broke to ride, he doesn't necessarily have to like it.

Don't worry about Bill. He's just fine. The whole ride took only a few seconds and Bill did manage to stay in the saddle. Bill and the paint seemed to have worked out their differences, too. The paint spent the rest of the day minding his manners and together they helped sort steers.

While the kids and I were watching this little morning rodeo, I glanced over at my husband and realized he was laughing. Yes, laughing.

The cowboys around here are absolutely merciless when it comes to teasing or laughing at each other and Bill had just provided the other cowboys with a story to tease him about for several weeks.

Even worse, this time they took photos.

And made a plan to use them.

(Sorry Bill! Come talk to me and I'll tell you a few stories about those guys they probably haven't shared yet.)

1. For reasons known only to himself, your baby has decided he no longer requires sleep. Not only has he forsaken naptime, he has also decided that nighttime hours are the best time to be awake. Wide awake. He has slept through the night since he was nine months old, allowing you the luxury of a full night's sleep, which in turn allows you to act like a normal person during the day.

Goodbye normal person. Hello coffee pot.

2. Your husband and older children moved cows on the mountain today. Your favorite place to ride. Your favorite place to be during the summer. The baby is a bit grumpy (obviously) and there is no way you are taking him horseback for several hours.

You are staying home...with a grumpy child.

3. When your husband and children return, the first thing your husband says as he walks through the door is,"Do I smell smoke?" You take a couple sniffs, because you know that in your sleep-deprived state there is a possibility you could have missed smoke inside your house. Nope, no smoke. The only thing you smell is the roast you put in the oven for dinner. And it is definitely not burning. Harrumph!

(By the way, honey, what are your plans for dinner tonight?)

The only redeeming moment thus far today is that your husband snapped a few photos of your son while they were cowboying.

This boy has grown so much this summer. He's gaining confidence while horseback. He's taking on more responsibility around the house (hallelujah!). He's almost excited about going back to school. Almost.

Love that I can glimpse the changes in him through these snapshots.

Love that my husband thought to take his camera with him today.

Maybe I will forgive him for the comment on my cooking and allow him to have dinner with the family tonight.

Maybe.

Lately, we have had an increase in the rodent population around here. Yuck! I can cope with a lot of things on the ranch, but rodents are not one of them. Consequently, we've increased our feline population. My kids are thrilled to have kittens running around. I have discovered there is no faster way to tame a kitten (or cat) than turn the poor things loose amidst four children who are determined to befriend the new kitty.

First we have this sweet little kitty.

She is rather small, but also adorable. My daughter carries her around like this kitty is one of her dolls. The kitty doesn't seem to mind. The kids have named her Skippyjon Jones. (Have you read those books by Judy Schachner? Hilarious.) Isn't she sweet? Keep her sweet little face in mind as I introduce you to our other kitten.

Our second kitty is named Pete the Barn Cat, after the cat in the Hank the Cowdog series. She is also sweet and playful and the kids have spent hours playing with her.

A brief aside in case you are confused by the names: Yes, both of these female kittens have male names. In our defense, have you ever tried to determine the sex of a very small kitten? I'm convinced it is nearly impossible unless the letters "DVM" follow your name. For the record, the only letters that follow my name are "aka". For example, my name is Kim aka mom, cook, maid, laundress, or referree.

Now back to Pete the Barn Cat. Pete requires a bit of special care on our part. The kids are careful to lavish him with a little extra T.L.C. because we are afraid that the other cats may pick on him. The dogs may even poke fun at him. Pete is perfectly healthy; he has no physical ailments. But, here's the problem: Pete isn't in danger of winning any beauty contests.

That is a face that only four cat-crazy kids can love, don't you think?