Ma, I’m bored!

Don’t you just hate those words? Do they echo through your head or are they really repeated so often throughout these summer days that they seem like a reverberation? My kids have ALL the stuff. Computers, PlayStation, PSP, toys, toys, toys, cell phones, television, DVDs, and of course each other. Yet they still manage to gravitate towards boredom. And if you don’t do something, they get creative by kicking, teasing, tattling, and whining. I’m BORED.

Sigh.

And this is only the beginning of summer. A friend of mine had some foresight of what was to come and decided to put her resources together to form a pint-sized reading community using that one thing none of us can do without – the internet. Smart Michelle. She pulled it off and started the Jordan Reads Campaign, designed for mothers in Jordan to encourage and promote a love of reading with their children. It starts in the form of a Yahoo! group for moms to band together and get their kids reading some books this summer. Another member formed a Facebook group of the same name so moms and kids can get their updates while getting their facebook fix. I stepped up as well by forming what else, a blog, for the kids to post their reading goals and reviews for each other to see.

My eight year old daughter, Petra, has written the first three reviews. Please take a look at the new blog. Comment if  you like. All you moms in Jordan, I hope you will join us as well. Next week we are planning a kickoff party complete with pizza and an informal book swap for members. While this may not be THE cure for boredom, it will give you a few minutes for a breather. Inshallah.