An Open Book: Two Months Worth

Hello friends! I have been reading a lot lately and though I totally missed last month, I did not forget and definitely want to tell you what I have been reading for An Open Book. Hosted by Carolyn Astfalk, this is the new WWRW linkup.

Have I mentioned I joined another book club? It's been really good for me. I can already tell I like the new book club a little better. The books they pick are discussion worthy which is great. I think I am probably going to slowly start breaking up with my original book club. Not right away or anything, but probably by Christmas or early next year.

Okay, so I kind of wrote here  about Orginial Book Club's (OBC) February book which was The Beekeeper's Apprentice by Laurie King.

It is maybe my favorite Sherlock Holmes continuation I've read. It's smartly written. It has been a long time since I've had to look up definitions while I was reading. Admittedly a lot of the words turned out to be British slang but still.

The plot follows Mary Russell becoming Sherlock Holmes apprentice and them solving crimes. I love a good series and this book is the first of thirteen so that's nice. They are suspenseful but again, it's a series so not too suspenseful.

Verdict: Definitely Read

OBC's March book turned out to be The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Elliot.

For my 8th birthday my friend Ben Watson got me the Chronicles of Narnia series. I promptly read them. I didn't like them. I hadn't read them since. 

I read this one again for book club last Thursday. I still didn't like it. I know that makes me an odd duck in the world but I just don't get it. C.S. Lewis is a beautiful writer but I cannot figure out why this plot and these stories are so enchanting. I mean, I get the Christian allegory (Even though Lewis says it's not so much allegory as it is supposal.) but that's not enough to sway me. 

The world of Narnia just doesn't appeal to me I guess. Magical wardrobes taking children to a land with talking animals is just not my thing. I'd rather hear about their lives in the big house waiting our WWII as it happens. 

Verdict: You should probably read it if you haven't because it's a classic. You don't have to like it though. 

The March book(s) for my New Book Club (NewBC) were To Kill a Mockingbird and Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee. 

You've probably read Mockingbird before. I don't even feel the need to expound upon it. Because Atticus Finch.

But anyway it was probably a bad idea to read them back to back. If you've been living in the complete dark you probably know the scandal about Watchman. But just in case: Harper Lee wrote Watchman first and never wanted it published. Then she got dementia and her sister ran her estate. When her sister passed away, suddenly, after years of saying no, Lee signed the papers that Watchman could be published.

Even under these very fishy circumstances I was still wanting to read it because adult Scout and Atticus Finch sounds fascinating. I admit, now after reading it, I wish I just left it alone. First off, the Atticus we all know and love is radically different, which was actually fascinating. Not that I particularly love this older Atticus but since he regularly wins "Best Fictional Father" awards it was kind of nice to see that he is in fact human. (Not that I agree with his personal stances.)

But that is about the best I can say about it. The book reads like a rough draft and it is certainly clear why Lee never actually wanted it published. Not only does it undermine Mockingbird but it is not an easy read. Fragments and run-ons and thoughts not fleshed out entirely make up a good solid portion of the book. It is a hard read in many ways.

Verdict: If you didn't read Mockingbird for school at some point or since you should get on that. It's an American legend for a reason. As for Watchman, definitely not worth purchasing. Could potentially be an interesting read but proceed with caution. You cannot unread it. Consider reading the spoilers even. 

This afternoon I read the book that NewBC will be discussing on Sunday evening. The Thing About Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin.

The book follows Suzy as she grieves the loss of her long time best friend who drown even though she was a good swimmer. Suzy becomes convinced that it was actually a rare Jellyfish sting because things don't happen without a reason. Throughout the book we get in depth with Suzy while we discover that her friendship had grown complicated in the way that middle school friendships can be, 

When I started reading this book, which is geared for young adults I was rolling my eyes. Suzy is written very complicated and it was hard to read at the start. There are reflections of the past in italics and she is very smart and thinks very fast. Also Benjamin definitely pushes a fair amount of liberal ideas at the beginning. I even began Kindle highlighting the biggies. A supporting character is written as gay even though his sexuality doesn't influence the plot at all, lots of references to the save the planet movement etc. 

But as I got into the book and started to really understand Suzy, her friendship history with Franny, and her grief, it was actually a really beautiful story. I wish I hadn't felt the need to eye roll at the start because the deep heartfelt emotions I felt in the middle and the end were intense. Everything that she experiences was raw and real. It brought tears to my eyes and an ache in my awkward-middle school self's heart. 

The ending was bright without being too unbelievable. It was good. I was really not expecting it to be. I wanted to hate it. But I didn't. It was solid. 

Verdict: I don't know that I would let my 12-year-old read this book but at the same time I would want her to. Definitely a book I am glad to have read as an adult. If M was older and the right age, I would maybe do a "read together at the same time" kind of thing so we could discuss it. There's a lot of openings for some heart-to-heart communication here. 

These aren't the only things I've read this past month but they are the ones worth talking about right now. I am linking up with An Open Book and I hope you'll go over and see what other's have been reading lately. 

Banana "Squirrel"

Once upon a time there was a little boy and girl who enjoyed to watch Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood.
Their mother thought the show had it's merits certainly. While some negative behaviors were learned from Daniel (things being "scary" and "too noisy") for the most part it was okay. Though their mother certainly wished that her little boy wanted to "try new foods 'cuz they might taste good" more often, Daniel didn't seem to inspire him on that front.

The end.

Except it isn't the end. I mean come on, you know me. So in the "try new food" episode Daniel and the real life clip make Banana Swirl. Which is basically that banana "nice" cream that's so popular on pinterest. You freeze bananas and then throw them in the food processor until it is the consistency of ice cream.

I love banana ice cream. Like real ice cream. It's my favorite. I especially like Coldstone Banana with coconut and chocolate chips. Or Ben and Jerry's Banana Split. Or Ben and Jerry's Chunky Monkey. So I don't really understand how Banana Swirl constitutes "a might taste good" thing. It's fake ice cream. What kid doesn't like ice cream? My kids love  ice cream and bananas. But whatever.

C got it in his head that we needed to make banana "squirrel" and so we did. The bananas took a lot longer to freeze solid than we anticipated so it was supposed to be our after Saturday rest snack and turned into our Sunday snack instead. (I am sure the bananas would have been ready by Saturday evening but we weren't home.)

He enjoyed making the banana swirl and putting sprinkles on it. It was good. I do like how frozen mashed banana is the texture of ice cream. We were going for the healthy true recipe of banana swirl but in the future I may add coconut and chocolate chips.

All smiles, though she probably was the least excited about eating it.

He was trying on his new soccer shoes with his soccer uniform and taking his Banana "Squirrel" very seriously.

Overall it was a fun activity using an ingredient we already have in our house because we go through bananas like crazy and we almost always have some unless it's grocery shopping day or just about to be. C was very excited about the whole activity. I wish C had taken away the "eat bell peppers and tomatoes" lesson from that episode of Daniel Tiger but you can't expect all kids to fall for that.

7 Not Fooling QT

one. It's Friday. It's April. I am not playing ANY April's Fools tricks today because I am gullible and don't really care for them.

Except I would be just fine if this was somehow true. 

two. Because it is April there are some exciting Scentsy things that I want to talk about.

It is Bring Back My Bar voting this month which means they have a list of retired scents and the 20 with the most votes will be available for sale in July. If you have no opinion at all use all five of your votes for Happy Birthday okay? (No registering or purchase necessary.) I love it and I have been warming it on birthdays but I am down to one cube. So... I am going to just vote for that a whole bunch. And Fresh Cut Grass because my dad actually keeps asking for that scent.

The warmer of the month is an adult coloring book warmer. It is so cute and I can't wait to color mine. It would be a fun night in for a group of girlfriends young and old! Or a fun gift. Sharpies are recommended and a little bit of rubbing alcohol will take it off so you can have a do-over if you're so inclined. At $31.50 in the month of April it is a steal compared to some of the wine and paint places, plus at the end you have a warmer and not a potentially mediocre art project you don't know what to do with. 

I really love Scentsy. I am not in this for the money, I swear. I just get so excited for these products and want to share the love. 

three. I am going to tell you a story. You should know that C loves taking baths and showers. Like it's right up there as one of his favorite activities. It was after bedtime and I had already taken a shower, but someone who was 3-years-old was still awake and talking in his room. So I went in to talk to him. 

C: Mom is this your hair?

Me: Yes. 

C: Did you take a shower? 

Me: Yes I did. 

C: Did you play with the fun toys? 

Me: No, I didn't. Grown ups don't really play with the toys in the shower.

C: Just children. 

I died. He was all excited and conspiratorial and really thought he was on to me. 

four. One of C's school friends had her birthday yesterday and they had a little party. It was so cute. They did a scavenger hunt and he was very proud of his goody bag and was super excited about going to the party. He had a really good time. 

five. So every year I make a basketball bracket. I should note here that I know basically nothing about basketball and on a list of all the sports it's ranked pretty much at the bottom of my opinion but over wrestling. (It's the squeaky shoes and the crazy repetitive back and forth with no discernible excitement.) Well I have no correct picks in the Final Four this year. But apparently I am right on par with most of the world so that's nice. 

six. Our niece has her golden birthday next weekend. We got her a 3 month subscription to Doodle Crate. If you read Grace you know she does Koala/Kiwi Crate with Julia and Sebastian. Doodle Crate is their arts and crafts box geared towards age 9-16. I am betting my niece will like hers a lot.

Anyway, they sent a link today where anyone shopping through it can get $10 off and then I could also get a $10 credit.  So I thought I'd throw this up there in case you have been eyeing getting a box to try and want a discount. We are probably going to get C a subscription for his birthday. They have a polar bear box in the Koala Crate set that looks exactly up his alley.

seven. Art class was fun today!

We played Play-Doh, had our snack of a bagel with cream cheese, made the shaker, (the thing wrapped in duct tape with glasses) an umbrella, a bird in a nest that suffered the loss of an eye in a stroller mishap and we played in the birdseed-filled water table. 

And now I need to make my minions some lunch so Happy Friday! 

Partying with Kelly. 

Checking In

Every year about this time my blog goes down the drain. A huge part of me doesn't want to do that again but I can feel it tugging at me. It's like blog spring fever.

I just don't know what to write about. Nothing particularly interesting is happening. I don't have cute Easter decorations to show you. We didn't even take Easter pictures. Our days are largely the same. Learning and playtime (or school) in the morning. Lunch. Rest. Outside until Dad comes home.

She loves the Cozy Coupe. She can only go backwards currently but she loves it.

This week the days have all run together in my head. Apparently it is Thursday. I got C to school and all. I have book club tonight. We were supposed to read The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. I read it when I was little and didn't like it then. I just don't love those books. Which is like a C.S. Lewis sin I guess because apparently we are all supposed to love him. But blah. I remember the gist of the book and have perfected the art of the B.S. book club meeting.

We're looking into a different option since this climber isn't big enough for either of them.

After an email exchange with the school I now know that C is officially going to the Parish school for preschool. A huge relief. The morning class was full of kids of siblings at the school already so he's in the afternoon class. I totally get priority enrollment but it really is kind of unfair to oldest kid of a family. M will almost certainly get to be in the morning class when it's her turn. I guess that's the price you pay.

M has started singing. She says random letter sounds and then "EFG" She is very proud of this song and likes when other people join in with her. She can also sing the "Ah Ah Ahs" of If All the Raindrops song. I melt a little every time it's the cutest.

Both are LOVING playing backyard soccer.

So life keeps chugging away and we are just doing our thing. It's not terribly exciting but that's the reality of life isn't it?

The Best

Hello Everybody! Happy Easter!

We are back from our whirlwind trip to Minnesota to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus and some other fun activities. It was just the best weekend. Not only was it full of family and love and all the good stuff, but we did two especially FUN things as well. 

Late Friday, Husband, Brother and I went to see My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 in the theater with the nice leather reclining seats. It was delightful. I love the first one so much! The sequal was a bit more ridiculous than the first, some gag bits that didn't quite read as true but overall the heart was the same. I totally cried. Just as in the first movie, at the core was a family that loved each other but a daughter who fell in love with the "wrong" person and how they coped. At the core of this was that same family that loved each other but examined how relationships ebb and flow. 

Then the real reason we went to Minnesota in the first place was because my mom got us tickets to see Alan Cumming Sing Sappy Songs at Orchestra Hall. (Not that Easter wasn't a bonus, it was, but we usually do Easter at home.) 

It was phenomenal. Everything about the night was great. Getting dressed up and going out in the city was exactly what I needed. Then we were exactly the target audience  for Alan. We understood all the theater references, which were vast. (Threepenny Opera, Brecht, Cabaret, last year's Tony Awards, Liza, Kristin Chenowith, etc.) We appreciated The Good Wife discussion because seriously Eli is my favorite. (He did the Eli face!) And I have a deep heartfelt relationship with sappy pop songs so I enjoyed those immensely. I would tell you to watch some of it on YouTube, but I've seen it and he was so much better live. (PG-13 content but maybe pushed over to R because he's Scottish and swears a lot.) 

He really fed off the audience and was so good. Really really hilarious. Well we thought so. Some of the people we were sitting by bristled a little, and the people next to us couldn't understand his accent. (I'm not sure why, I don't think I missed anything he said. He is a well trained actor with good diction. We were in the 4th row and also it was Orchestra Hall so the acoustics were phenomenal.) 

Lance piano guy, Alan, Eleanor cellist, and percussionist guy

It was so great. I loved it. I love loved it! His cellist played beautifully. I kinda secretly hope one of my kids wants to play the cello but I'm not going to push. I was definitely trying to be in the moment and not taking pictures, but I had to take at least one during the final bows. 

Then we had a great Easter Sunday and good drive back home. 

Awesome. 

Imagination Station

Saturday morning we were up bright and early for the Imagination Station. The local PBS station set up this totally free event and it turned out to be a really fun family outing. We decided to park down the way and take the school bus shuttle. It probably wouldn't have been necessary as there seemed to be a lot of parking but it was fun to ride the bus with the kids and they seemed to really enjoy that.

The doors didn't open until 9 promptly. We were definitely near the front of the line but my kids were not happy to stand around that long. When we could get in we headed straight for Daniel Tiger, as that was the character C said he wanted to see the most. He was of course as far away as possible. And in a tiny little room.

I have a love/hate relationship with that show. Some of the little songs have been super helpful for C but some have caused some negative behaviors as well. Which stinks. But we went to his room. We did the tic tac toe bean bag game. Made the tiger mask and played play-doh. It was good. Even in a tiny little room. I think the station underestimated how popular that tiger is! Then M started to get restless and so Husband took her for a walk while C and I got in line.

C was not happy to be in a line again. And he was really not happy that his dad wasn't there. So he definitely cried all through meeting Daniel. I don't even think it was Daniel he was scared of but maybe.

We went to find Husband and he and M were in line to meet Curious George. I got chewed out from a lady who wasn't even in the room yet but whatever. We were those people and C joined his dad. He cried all through meeting George too. M liked it though!

After we calmed my guy down we set off to find Peg from Peg + Cat. This section of the event was definitely less crowded and I really appreciated that. There was also Mona Lisa, a horse and Batman on the wall and C thought that was awesome. Each kid got a free book from the book room. Such a fun thing! We actually wound up going to the Cat room first. The kids did all the activities in the room and we were second in line to meet Cat. It was awesome.

Then right across the hall was Peg's room and we went in there, did those activities and were second in line to meet Peg. Peg + Cat is my new favorite show. I was resistant at first because it's about math and I kinda sorta don't like math. But those rooms were so chill and had such fun activities that I am sold. The songs and the actual educational value don't hurt either. I am probably going to make M be Peg for Halloween, ukulele and all.

Because we didn't have to wait to see Peg we made it in time to meet Wyatt from Super Why. He had a GIANT room. He should have traded with Daniel! Then we got on the bus and headed back to our car.

While I think the event could have been laid out better (having people go all over multiple building on a college campus was maybe not the most convenient.) it was a lot of fun. Especially for free!

A mom right away at the beginning was overheard saying "Giving birth to my children was easier than this day." and she was not lying. The standing around in line for a half hour to get in put everyone on edge. Then it was very much a "go go go" for people to compete. There was a big open commons area that they should have sent us too. Played some music and let people run around so it wouldn't have been so intense. But it did calm down and get so much better as everyone relaxed.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Let me put this out here right now: I am not Irish. 

Which is a shame, I wish I could claim them as my own but alas, I'm over here all Polish* and whatever. *I am VERY proud to be Polish* But the Poles don't have near the same amount of exciting art that the Irish do. 

I mean really. Is there any art area that isn't touched by the Irish? I love it all. The music, the plays, just good good stuff! 

I don't like to bastardize St. Patrick's Day as one of the teachers I had when we were there for our Theatre in Ireland class instructed us on the subject. But we did wear green today and learned about Ireland. 

I was trying to stay away from sugary treats today because my kids got a bag of Skittles to share in their Leprechaun trap this morning and then we had Lucky Charms for breakfast because obviously. So we had "Pot of Gold" Peaches and fish and chips. (A peaches fruit cup, goldfish crackers and potato chips.) I know that fish and chips started in England but I ate it in several different areas of Ireland so it still counts. 

So I hope you have a wonderful St. Patrick's Day! I'll just be over here watching Riverdance, reading Friel and listening to all the wonderful music I can.