Snapshot

What I'm Reading Now (and Later)

2015-02-24T13:52:00.000-05:00

I haven't posted here in ages, but I wanted to think through my reading goals this month and participate in 5 Minutes for Books' What's on Your Nightstand carnival. I am currently reading three books and of course want to finish them:

Love the One You're With, a $2 clearance shelf impulse buy at Half-Price books. I've been looking for something light and easy.
That's why I put aside Whisper Hollow, but I was enjoying it a lot and will get back to it soon.
Resilience: Two Sisters and a Story of Mental Illness is a memoir, and it's so well-written.

So what new books do I want to read? I have a couple of middle grade novels that I'd like to get to:

I received The Keepers: The Box and the Dragonfly many months ago, and Kyle (10 1/2) read it right away. It doesn't come out until March, so I put it off, but he is urging me to get to it.
I received The Truth About Twinkie Pie as an unsolicited review copy, but it caught my eye.

And as always, there are some other novels I could read:

The Precious One is Marisa de los Santos' newest novel and comes out later in March. I can't wait to read it.
A Fireproof Home for the Bride is also waiting
I also have a memoir that I couldn't resist, because that is the size shoe I wear!9 1/2 Narrow: My Life in Shoes

Check out the reviews for the books just off my Nightstand:

Zodiac Legacy: Convergence is a super hero novel from Stan Lee, Stuart Moore and artist Andie Tong. Please enter to win a copy of the novel, plus an original character sketch.
Girl Online is a really fun YA novel.
The Secrets of Midwives is a novel about family secrets and 3 generations of midwives who are impassioned by what they do.

The Good Lie, a GREAT choice (Or "Why I didn't see Gone Girl this weekend")

2014-10-03T15:20:00.001-04:00

I had my heart set on seeing a movie today. I had planned to see Gone Girl. I read the book, I enjoyed the book, but it was definitely a disturbing read (you can read my 2012 review of Gone Girl at 5 Minutes for Books). The movie looks amazing. Everyone is totally excited about it. It's been long enough since I read the book that I did not remember all of the things that disturbed me. I knew there were many twists and turns; I knew it was psychologically dark. But movies! Movies are fun! They are a different type of art.

Recently I saw This is Where I Leave You after having read the book. The book was fine, but I didn't love the book. The trailers for the movie moved me. The cast was phenomenal. I couldn't wait to see it, and it didn't let me down. I'm not saying that I thought that would be the case with this movie, but I know it's a riveting, unexpected story, and I wanted to see it play out on screen with good guy Ben Affleck in that role.

I don't know what made me hesitate in buying a ticket to see Gone Girl. Perhaps it was reading a few early reviews from people who were disappointed by the movie. People thought it was strange (and honestly, if you haven't read the book, it's going to shock you). I consulted Plugged In Online and my gut fears were confirmed. Gone Girl is a dark movie telling a dark story. From what I read I think the violence, the sex, it goes too far.

When I was looking at the movie listings I saw a movie called The Good Lie which was also opening this weekend. It stars Reese Witherspoon. I later saw that it is produced by Ron Howard and Brian Glazer. You can't go wrong there, even though it's a tough tale about the lost boys of Sudan.

The truth is I will probably see Gone Girl at some point. But what I did today was to lat the power of my dollars tell Hollywood what kind of movies I want to watch. Gone Girl is going to make millions this weekend. It will probably be number one, but do I want more violent, sexually explicit thrillers made? No. Do I want touching, thought-provoking hard movies that make you think and make you love made? Yes I do.

The Good Lie was a hard movie to watch. War is hard. The loss of life and family and home is unjust. It was sad, but it is The Good Sad. This Sad reminds me that our world is troubled. I was reminded that people need help. But in the midst of this sad story I was reminded of hope and determination and courage. I saw people who did not give up on God's plan for them, even in the midst of inexplicable evil.

As I left this movie I couldn't help but think about the ALS ice bucket challenge. It is hard. It is shocking. It is cold. But people are thinking and talking about ALS and other diseases that need money to find a cure.

I am issuing my own challenge to my friends and family. I am challenging my friends to read a book, to watch a movie like The Good Lie. Let your heart be broken for the true injustices in this world, but also let your heart be filled with hope for those who are determined to survive.

I'm Gonna Eat Some Worms

2014-06-07T11:26:00.002-04:00

I'm not talking the self-pity "Nobody loves me, Everybody Hates Me" kind, but the "Early-Bird Gets The..." variety.

I'm an early-bird by nature. I was not happy when my dog woke me at 6:30 yesterday on my first day of summer, especially since much of my summer will involve waking early so that I can take my daughter to her babysitting job. But if I sleep until 7:00 a.m., or gasp -- even 8:00 a.m., I am completely raring to go.

I feel especially as if I've gobbled all the worms this morning, because I woke up, cooked breakfast for Kyle (my fellow early-bird family member) and me, and went to the grocery store and put away every last can. Tell me I'm not the only one who sometimes loses steams and leaves a bag of dry goods in the floor of the pantry after a harrowing shopping trip?

All of this was accomplished by 10:00 a.m.

Now I'm sitting back on the couch doing some random internet surfing, but it's somewhat guilt-free, knowing I already have some productivity under my belt.

Reading Together (Still and Again)

2014-04-21T21:03:00.005-04:00

This blog started off as a sort of general blog about my thoughts and life. I was trying to get into the habit of writing, and I think I did. Blogging was different back in 2006. It was smaller. It was more about writing and connecting and less about business, so I connected. I connected with people about books and tips that "worked for me," and faith, and all sorts of topics. Was that better than what I do now? No. I needed it then, but I don't think I'd have the energy for it today.

All of that is to say that one of things I did back in the day was have a little Read To Me challenge. It was for me as much as anyone, though I did want to encourage others to read to their children as well, especially once they were reading on their own.

I recently wrote at 5 Minutes for Books about a similar initiative that Scholastic is undertaking, challenging families to make a new habit by reading for 20 minutes for 20 days. I still read with Amanda, my 15 1/2 year old, but with her schedule, there's no way that we'll read for 20 minutes a day. But I can commit to read with Kyle, my son who is almost 10, each day, and to continue to make the effort to read with Amanda.

If you don't make it a habit to read with your older children, I encourage you to do so. It is something that is a treasure to me and to my kids.

So for this month's What's on Your Nightstand, I'm going to focus on what I'm going to read with them.

Kyle and I have started Jarrett J. Krosoczka's Platypus Police Squad: The Ostrich Conspiracy over the weekend. If we really do read every day, it won't take us 20 days to read it, so I need to be ready with our next selection. He's been reading Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events. Amanda and I read the first two or three of them together, and I enjoyed them, so I'm thinking that I might jump in and read the next one with him. I think he's on 8 or 9, but he can fill me in.

Amanda and I have started Rick Riordan's The Lightning Thief, because it's probably her all-time favorite series, Kyle fell in love with it last summer, and they still can't believe that I haven't read it. We are maybe 20% into it right now, so though we won't be reading every day, I'll try to finish it this month.

Do you have any suggestions for great read-alouds for me and a 10 year old boy? We tend to like funny books, and if they have a big dose of heart on top of that, it's even better.

Parenting: The Teen Years

2014-04-20T22:04:00.002-04:00

When Kyle started Kindergarten, most of the kids in his class happened to the be the first-born in their families. Because Kyle is over 5 years younger than his sister, by the time he started school, Amanda was in the 6th grade. My friends often asked me questions and were especially concerned with later years saying, "When our daughters are teenagers, we're really going to have questions for you."

I have leaned on my friends who have been a step ahead of me in parenting as a resource. Those who are in the trenches with me are a great support as well.

I've been musing and writing about a couple of specifics regarding parenting teenagers.

The Joy of Letting Go

The second one is about kids and money, not just teens, though the teen aspect is strong. I wrote about 3 life lessons for kids about money.

I wrote that post in conjunction with Dave Ramsey's new book Smart Money, Smart Kids (where there is LOTS of info about teens). Please check out my book review and giveaway at 5 Minutes for Mom as well.

What I'm Reading Now

2014-03-25T10:53:00.004-04:00

I had sort of given up on writing up my own post for What's on Your Nightstand at 5 Minutes for Books for a few reasons.

I haven't really been blogging much here, since I've been writing more at 5 Minutes for Mom and of course reviewing at 5 Minutes for Books, but with a brand new post yesterday, I thought, "Why not keep up the trend?" (you can read my post about how a sweet video memory of my daughter has encouraged me to Remember What is Important).
I am often bogged down by books to be read and don't want to take the time to figure out which books I am going to read this month. I've remedied that by changing the way I do it. I'm not going to stress out about it by focusing on books that I am reading right now, which will simplify it somewhat.
I'm lazy?!? That one applies to so many things that I would like to do but do not. I'm trying to simplify (thus, no lovely pictures) and yet still share what I want.

Currently Reading:

God is Just Not Fair -- a friend forwarded me a devotional this morning written by Jennifer Rothschild, and it mentioned that her book published today, so I clicked over to amazon and immediately ordered it for both of us! They didn't have any print copies for some reason, but the Kindle is a great price, so I have it right now, and am going to dig in today.
Nerd Camp 2.0 -- Elissa Brent Weissman's book Nerd Camp is one that Amanda and I loved so very much that I nominated it for the Cybils award that year, and I was delighted that it won! Kyle and I are reading this one aloud and enjoying it.
Mouseheart -- This is one I requested for review from Amazon Vine because it was described as a mix of Redwall and the Warriors (which is one of the series that Kyle absolutely loves). He's acting disinterested, but I'm reading it anyway. It's good so far.
Smart Money, Smart Kids by Dave Ramsey and his daughter Rachel Cruze -- I'll be featuring this over at 5 Minutes for Mom, but it's a topic that I am pretty passionate about and yet know I haven't done my best at training up my 15 year old and 10 year old kids in the way they should go in regards to money.
Strong Motion by Johnathan Franzen -- This is typical Franzen, long and full of biting social commentary. It's on my ipod, so I listen when I can.

Up Next:

Always Emily -- When I lived in Connecticut, I attended a book launch party at Michaela MacColl's house for her first book Prisoners in the Palace. I loved it (and still highly recommend it -- a great book with an upstairs/downstairs Downton-esque theme). I also enjoyed her novel, Promise the Night about aviator Beryl Markham so when I saw that she was publishing a new one about the Bronte sisters, I knew I'd want to read it.
Until You're Mine -- This is described as psychological suspense, which I really enjoy when it's done right, so I think when I do pick it up, it will be a quick read, even though it's rather long. I hope so.

Remembering What's Important

2014-03-24T17:46:00.003-04:00

A while ago, Susan asked if I had some VHS home videos or 8mm videos I'd want to send to YesVideo to be converted to digital files.

Look at two of my favorite snippets in my post at 5 Minutes for Mom, and learn about the herculean effort I had to make to get that tape out of my dead video camera, and my sadness over all the memories I've already lost.

I've loved sharing those videos with my family and being able to relive the memories myself. Here's another snippet of a memory that was totally lost to me, but now is reclaimed through the beauty of video:
I think it means even more, because I help teach preschoolers at the Bible study I attend. I know that Amanda learned this simple song that teaches her about Jesus at church, and I know that she learned even more about Him when she attended the same Bible study with me years ago.

I couldn't have seen this concrete reminder at a better time. Spring is so busy and important things often go by the wayside or get lost in the busyness of the urgent. I love teaching these little ones about Jesus each Wednesday morning, but by the end of March, I -- along with my other leaders -- are tired.

Instead of counting down the weeks, I can let the Amanda of of the past inspire me. Maybe 12 years from now, one of the parents of a child I've given my time to teach will look back on where their journey of faith started, perhaps with a snippet of him reciting a verse I helped him memorize.

*****

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Disclosure: This is a sponsored post.

Recently Reviewed

2013-09-28T11:52:00.001-04:00

I didn't get up an official post for What's on My Nightstand last week, which is just as well. I have a few books that I know I need to get to this month, but my main focus for the next 2 1/2 months is going to be reading middle grade fiction, kids' novels, because I am serving on the Round I panel for the Cybils in that category, which means as soon as nominations start rolling in on October 1, I'm going to be scouring the library to get my hands on as many as I can.

In the meantime, check out my reviews that have posted at 5 Minutes for Books recently:

Kids' and YA Fiction:

Charlie Joe Jackson's Guide to Summer Vacation
Flora & Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo, a 5-Star Read (with Giveaway!)
Jessica Darling's It List by Megan McCafferty (with Giveaway)
Moxie and the Art of Rule Breaking
Confessions of a So-Called Middle Child
The Shade of the Moon (Life as We Knew It)

Fiction:

Christian Nonfiction

Ragged Hope

I'm not sure she believes it

2013-09-14T18:20:00.001-04:00

I was at the mall today. I don't start a lot of stories like that, thankfully. Well, I'm thankful. You might think it's sad. Regardless, I was standing in a line (just one of the things that I don't like about the mall), and I saw a young girl, maybe 11 or 12 years old, wearing a shirt with bright green lettering proclaiming

"Happy to be me."

She didn't look like she believed it. She was walking around in that sort of slumpy way that many adolescent girls adopt. Her face wore more of a scowl than a smile. But the shirt made me smile. I inwardly cheered her on:

I hope so, honey. I hope that you walk proudly even if you are taller or fatter than you want to be. I hope that you have friends and family who are also happy that you are you. I hope that you know God and believe that what He has made is good. It's not easy to be your age, but life is what you make of it. Your attitude is almost the only thing that you can control, so keep being happy, honey. Keep being happy.

Newsies, Blue Man Group, and Peter and the Starcatcher

2013-09-12T12:44:00.000-04:00


Mine, Amanda's Kyle's -- we each got shirts at our fave shows

On our wonderful trip to NYC, we squeezed 3 shows into 3 1/2 days in the city. It was amazing!

We saw Newsies at the Nederlander Theater. It was what Amanda was most looking forward to seeing, and she wasn't disappointed. It was Kyle's first show, and he was thrilled (even though he was skeptical going into it). We saw an 8pm show, and I was worried that he'd fall asleep, but the show held his interest. The excitement of a live show kept his adrenaline pumping, I think.

I wouldn't say that it's one of my favorite shows ever (but I've seen a lot of shows), but I did like it. The story was pretty good, and the dancing was amazing. It was a good first experience for Kyle, with the action of the dancing and the cast made of up young guys (I don't think Amanda minded that either). We even waited at the stage door so she could see her favorite, Crutchie. We weren't close enough for her to get a picture with him, but she did get his autograph.

My favorite of the three was Peter and the Starcatcher. Please read my full review over at 5 Minutes for Books (as a part of our books on ~~screen~~ stage feature). I think it was the 2nd favorite of each of the kids, enjoyed by all of us.

I would have probably opted for another musical as a 3rd pick, but I was pretty sure that the kids, and Kyle in particular, would like the Blue Man Group, and they did. It was fun, and it was definitely an experience. It's crazy, funny, performance art. The Vegas, New York, and Orlando shows are all different. This small venue made it an even cooler experience, and the 3 blue men were waiting to take pictures with anyone who wanted them right after the show.

Getting Older, Some Hackneyed Observations

2013-09-03T08:13:00.000-04:00

I should say that I'm not just getting older, I'm getting better. It's trite but true. Things are trite for a reason; maybe it is actually "trite and true"? (that's a groaner that my pun-loving son who makes plays on words would love -- get it? tried and true??).

When I first started getting babysitters for my children, I felt old. Even though I was in my late late 20's, when that 12 year old came over to babysit for Amanda, I felt like I could identify more with being the awkward babysitter than an actual mom who was responsible for a child all the time. I figured out pretty quickly, though, that I'm Not Cool enough to really relate with them.

Now that I have a teenager, I'm a little cooler. Well, not really, but I do know more about what is cool or funny (like the Jared Padalecki song, but then again that could just be my daughter and her ~~weird~~ friends).

But now -- not only am I hiring babysitters instead of being a babysitter -- I have a daughter who is the babysitter. Up to this point, most of the people for whom she babysat were about my age, give or take a few years, but this weekend she got a new gig for a couple who had never hired a babysitter. When I dropped Amanda off, I met the mom of the one-year-old baby Amanda was going to be watching.

Seeing the fresh-faced young mom, I felt my wrinkles deepen and my experience rise to the top.

Yep, I'm old and getting older. But I don't just feel older, I do feel wiser. I have earned every wrinkle, and that which has not killed me (yet!) has made me stronger.

Four Perfectly Packed Days in NYC

2013-09-01T17:25:00.000-04:00

I was missing New York City so much. I had hoped to be able to make a trip back to Connecticut and New York, but it didn't seem like it was going to happen. But then the kids and I had a free week, airline tickets were available at an unbelievably low price, and my friend who always has an open door and an available bed urged me to come.

Our trip to Connecticut mostly involved hanging out and depriving our bodies of sleep. Amanda was thrilled to have what basically amounted to a 3-night sleepover with two of her best friends (joined by a 3rd one night), the young boys stayed up talking as well (and woke up extra-early to boot), and the old moms did our share of catching up as well.

Oh yeah, and ice cream. We ate lots of our favorite ice cream. My friend had purchased a take-home quart for us to enjoy, the kids and I went the first day while we were out driving around, and we all went the second day. Yes, indeed!

Then we headed to NYC for the second half of the week. We packed it in! When we travel, we squeeze every last bit out. We did sleep in most days and gave ourselves a slow start to the morning, but by 10 or 11 a.m. we hit the road and were out until after dinner (I know that's not a slow start for most of you, but you should see some of our other vacation itineraries).

I knew what I wanted to do and had input from the kids on what they wanted to do, so I made a cool custom Google map with all the sites on it, and then pieced the puzzle together about when to do what. We had some firsts (like Chinatown) and some old favorites (like the Staten Island Ferry).

Saturday, arrived in NYC 3 p.m., rested a bit, then hit the streets 4 p.m. - midnight:

The ABCs of It: Why Children's Books Matter exhibit at the NYPL (linked to my related post over at 5 Minutes for Books).
The Shake Shack in Times Square for an early dinner -- oh my, my, my

Saw the sights of Times Square
Bought some cookies for later at Schmackery's (after the burgers, fries and shakes, when I walked in, Amanda said, "Really?"
Newsies on Broadway at Nederlander Theater
Home for some midnight cookies and milk (surprised we all made it, especially Kyle)

Sunday - 10:20 a.m. to an "early" return 8 p.m.

Cookies and milk for breakfast (yes, really)
Took the Subway uptown and had an early lunch at the original Shake Shack in Madison Square Park (yes, really -- they were that good).

Books of Wonder children's bookstore (NY/NJ/CT have so many authors that there were signed copies of so many books), and the Strand bookstore in the Union Square area
Starbucks break (for our tummies and our feet)
Matinee of Peter and the Starcatcher at New World Theater
Dinner at Tony's DiNapoli family style Italian restaurant

Monday - 10:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Took subway downtown to Chinatown, shopped a bit and ate dim sum at Jing Fong
Wandered some more and tried our first (and maybe last!) Bubble Tea

Took subway all the way downtown to Staten Island Ferry. This is a free way to see the Statue of Liberty (you go right by it), and the half-hour ride gives our feet a welcome rest
Took subway uptown to Greenwich Village, surprised Amanda with a couple of thrift stores, had the best cupcakes at Molly's cupcakes
Blue Man Group at Astor Place theater (was thankful for a 5 p.m. show that they added when the 8 p.m. sold out
Some great Thai food at a hole in the wall that my husband found on Yelp
Back home on the subway, with a quick stop in Grand Central station basement/food court for some dessert to take home

Tuesday 9 a.m - 1:30 p.m.

Dunkin Donuts for breakfast (They are everywhere in New England and NY. The kids miss it).
Museum of Modern Art
Lunch (and more rest for our very-weary feet after a fourth day of action) at a NYC luncheonette type place. It had chairs and a/c, so it met all our needs.
The comic book shop that we passed every day on our way to our hotel that Amanda was dying to visit
Taxi to the airport

What's on my Nightstand, August (The list and the Revelation!)

2013-08-27T10:02:00.002-04:00

In my "What I did on my summer vacation" post yesterday, I forgot to include reader and reviewer on my list! I'm not sure if I read more or less than in summer's past (I would guess that I read quite a few books less than last summer), but I did definitely read. And I will keep reading.

I'm about to finish a couple of books, but I'm not even going to write them down here. These are the books on deck that I hope to get to in the next month. Typing them out should make me feel happy and organized, but it honestly makes me want to stop accepting books, because there are MORE. Maybe I'll sneak in one or two extra, and there are some that I know I need to get to, but this feels like a realistic goal to me.

The List

Middle Grade Fiction:
I've really enjoyed this genre this summer. I've read quite a few, and I have a lot more sitting on my shelf. Fortunately, they are usually pretty quick reads, which is one thing I love about reading those books, that and there's a wonderful magical quality about even realistic fiction.

Flora and Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures is Kate DiCamillo's newest. My 9-year-old son just finished and gave it a thumbs up, so I'm next.
The Contagious Colors of Mumpley Middle School
Hunter Moran Saves the Universe by Patricia Reilly Giff -- this will be a short read, like probably an hour. Kyle just saw it as I was grabbing the link, and said "I want to read that book that's on the screen right now." Well, great!
Counting by 7s
I Survived #8: I Survived the Japanese Tsunami, 2011 -- I just saw this one in my son's bin. He read it a while ago, and I need to get to it, pronto. It too will be a short read, one or two easy sittings.

Now that I keep adding books above, I probably will not get to this one, which I just received last week, but I know more are coming, so I'll leave it here with high hopes: Confessions of a So-called Middle Child

Adult Fiction:

Little Island
The Lowland byJhumpa Lahiri

Non-fiction:

Grace in the Maybe: Instructions on Not Knowing Everything About God -- I'm really looking forward to this one and keep getting it out and putting it right on my Nightsand, but I'm being disciplined and finishing my other Christian Living title, but wanting to get to this one is motivating me to finish that one quickly.

Maybe but probably not: All Good Things: From Paris to Tahiti: Life and Longing - I read Sarah Turnbull's first memoir, Almost French a while back and remembered really enjoying it, so I'm sure I'll enjoy this one too. Tahiti

Maybe not, but I'm not weeding them out yet (see my Revelation below):

The Two-Minute Drill to Manhood: A Proven Game Plan for Raising Sons -- I saw John Croyle briefly when I attended DotMom and LOVED him. But this is the kind of book that is always hard for me to pick up, even though I theoretically like to read them.
A Chance to Win: Boyhood, Baseball, and the Struggle for Redemption in the Inner City -- Again, I love this type of memoir, and it's not even that I don't want to pick up books like these, but just that others have crowded it out.

Audiobooks:

I will probably get to 3 out of these 4, depending on my mood, but I just received (or am waiting on) most of these, so I'm not backlogged with some of the books that I had to leave off my lists above that I wonder if I'll ever get to.

The Wicked Girls -- after hearing about this over and over again, I decided to take a look at the audiobook version
The Note
If You Could See What I See
Moxie and the Art of Rule Breaking: A 14-Day Mystery (another children's novel that looks to be a lot of fun)

The Revelation

As I was looking at my to-be-read shelf (shelves!), and thinking about what I wrote on the What's on Your Nightstand linkup post at 5 Minutes for Books, about a new school year being a fresh start, I decided to give myself one!

There are books on those shelves that I want to read/review, but it's just not going to happen. For the most part, books on the top shelf are books I requested or bought for myself to read. Books are the second shelf are books that just showed up at my house, but that I want to or hope to read. Some of the books up on the top shelf don't publish for another month or two, so of course I'll keep them, but I'm wiping the slate clean.

No regrets.

What I did on my summer vacation

2013-08-25T19:56:00.001-04:00

It's over. Summer's over. I'm not sure I can fully come to grips with that truth, because it seems as if it's just begun.

Here are a sampling of the roles I played over this summer of 2013:

Driver

I always groaned at those "Mom's Taxi" stickers and signs that were so common 10 or 15 years ago. Oh but that was before I knew that the sign was a statement of absolute truth, not an ironic play on words.... I don't have a bumper sticker, but I wish I had a fare meter.

I drove to playdates, to dentist appointments, to the grocery store, to my grandmother's house. I picked up, I dropped off, I waited.

Amanda got her first job this summer. For 6 weeks, she babysat full-time, 7:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. That means that my role as "make sure you're up and get you where you need to go" responsible adult did not get much of a summer break. I dropped her off at their home in the morning, and they brought her home. It might sound like I'm complaining (okay, I might be complaining a little bit), but I am so proud of her. She took care of two little people all summer long. She made breakfasts and lunches and arbitrated disagreements and rode bikes and swam and watched the Disney channel (so yeah, in some cases she got paid for doing what she wanted to do anyway). It was a big step for her, and she gave up a lot too, but it was an amazing experience.

Tour Guide

We ended our summer with an amazing trip to New York City, preceded by a much-needed visit with our dear friends in Connecticut. I could say that I intend to write up the specifics of our trip, because as much as I wrote about New York City in the past when we lived near there, I truly felt as if we squeezed every drop out of the four days we were there, and I'd love to share the highlights.

So, I'll say it: "I'll write more about our trip," and I hope that saying it puts me one step closer to actually doing it. Stay tuned.

Hostess

Just as we enjoyed visiting, we equally enjoyed being visited. My sister and her family visited a couple of times, for fun and work (see below). My sister-in-law made the long haul drive with her 3 children. It made the house a little louder than usual, but a lot more fun!

Powerful One

Who says power is a good thing? As the one holding the "durable power of attorney" for my grandmother, I paid bills, met her needs, and most notably cleaned out her house. She's been out of it for over a year, and it's finally time to sell it. Hopefully within the next month or so, it will be out of my hands.

But that meant lots of work. Sorting through everything that a person collects after 90+ years on earth. My sister and a couple of friends helped me get through this process.

Pray-er

I might have had some sort of designated legal powers, but this summer in particular, I remembered who the truly Powerful One is, and I spent many hours praying to the God who saves, and the God who sees, and the One who is Sovereign. I prayed for myself, and I prayed for others.

I also can say that -- perhaps by no coincidence at all -- it was one of my most consistent summers as far as staying rooted in the Bible. By this time of year, right before my organized Bible study starts up again, I am often parched and dry, getting by on my past relationship, instead of living afresh in what God has for me now, but I'm happy to look back at this summer as a fruitful one, even as it was one filled with struggles.

Friend

When I think of what kept me busy this summer and what stood out as hallmarks of this summer, how delighted I was to see that friendship flourished! I spent a lot of time hanging out -- swimming, talking, laughing, eating. Having kids who are older and less needy of me contributed to this theme, as well as the fact that I deepened two casual friendships to the real-deal level, and those two in particular had time to hang out as well.

I'm sure that I haven't spent as much time "hanging out" since high school or college.

Speaking of high school, another highlight was attending my 25th high school reunion.

So that's it. Those are the hats I wore over the summer. It was different from years' past, but I'm not complaining. There were highs and lows, but as we head back into the routine of school schedules, if someone asks if we had a good summer, I can think about these things, and give a resounding "yes!"

Happy July 4th

2013-07-04T22:47:00.001-04:00

As the fireworks lit up the lake, I could see the profiles of my kids perfectly outlined. As we watched fireworks from my dad's back porch, I wished for a great camera to capture it. Lo and behold -- my camera phone did not let me down!

Linked to 5 Minutes for Mom July 4th linky.

What's on My Nightstand -- June

2013-06-26T19:02:00.001-04:00

This snuck up on me this week, and since I've been doing a lot of writing at 5 Minutes for Mom and have many many reviews I should be writing up for books I've already read for 5 Minutes for Books, I didn't beat myself up over it. But then I glanced over at my coffee table, where I had just stacked up the books that I was either in progress of reading or hoping to start, so I snapped a picture so I could join in late to What's on Your Nightstand.

I'm reading the book on top with my 14-year-old daughter Amanda. The others are review copies, and my Kindle, smashed there in the middle, contains a couple of novellas that I got from NetGalley.

Perspective

2013-06-05T19:18:00.001-04:00

We visited Hershey Park several years ago, and Terry decided that he wanted to ride Storm Runner. The rocket propulsion start and the twists and turns had my heart racing just watching it, but I dutifully lined up with Terry while his parents took the children to a saner area of the park.

Fortunately the lines weren't too long, so I didn't have too much time to back out. I heard other women worrying to their male companions who were dragging them to the "fun" ride as we waited. I knew I wasn't alone. But then I noticed the sign that said the ride was only 34 seconds long, which gave me a slight change in perspective. I went from worried to determined.

I can do anything for 34 seconds. I've had two children -- one without any drugs and the other via painful surgery. A coaster isn't going to best me.

I rode it. I didn't die, although I think it tested my heart's maximum beats per minute. I kept my eyes squeezed shut, and I think I screamed the whole ride, out of some combination of fear and exhilaration. It was scary. The scariest thing I've done, probably, but when it was over, I guess I was glad I had done it.

Perspective.

I'm a contented person. I love Jesus. But do I love this world more? I think I definitely hold tightly, but as I'm riding the roller coaster of life -- especially fast and scary of late -- my grip has loosened. I'm ready to get rid of this earthly perspective and to fall fully into the arms of Jesus.

If you struggle, if you worry, if you honestly don't think that you can take it one minute more, I know you can. It might require a change in perspective. I was looking for a version of one of my favorite hymns that expresses this thought "Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus" and came upon this CD, which I promptly downloaded: Jesus Firm Foundation: Hymns of Worship.

Tenth Avenue North is one of my all-time favorite groups. This song, "Strangers Here," off of The Struggle speaks to a heavenly perspective. The entire CD speaks to the struggle -- the struggle of sin, of helplessness, of pain and heartache.

"Your pain is temporary." If we knew that, and remembered that "someday we'll touch the face of our God and our sorrow will disappear," couldn't we bear it? Could we hold on for the duration of the ride even if we squeeze our eyes shut and scream the whole way?

He's making us a city where there are no fears, and it's drawing near. Until then, we're strangers here.

What's on My Nightstand, April

2013-04-22T22:27:00.001-04:00

I may have become the worst blogger ever. I'm still reviewing regularly over at 5 Minutes for Books, but I guess that's all I have in me right now. Looking back at last month's Nightstand post, I read every single book except one on the list (A Teaspoon of Earth and Sea by Dina Nayeri, which I might get to this month, but might not). But in addition to what's listed, I finished two other books:

Someday, Someday, Maybe by Lauren Graham -- I loved it and my full review will post next week when it is published
Honey, Do You Need a Ride? Confessions of a Fat Runner by Jennifer Graham (no relation, but interesting coincidence), which I will also review next week in conjunction with a blog tour. I also enjoyed this one.

Three of my reviews from last month's post have already published on 5 Minutes for Books (As Sweet as Honey, Nowhere But Home (giveaway still open through today!), and This Journal Belongs to Ratchet). but three others are still to come. I also have a handful of children's books to write reviews for, and hopefully I'll make some time to wipe my slate clean and get all caught up. I was glad to truly think about what I needed/wanted to read last month and sort of stick to it. So what's in store for the next month?

I'm so happy to have received a copy of this! I've read about 1/3 and it's lovely!

This is for a blog tour, so I'll get to it for sure. Deadlines are working for me these days.

I took this book when a publisher pitched it to me as a YA/adult crossover. We had a nice little email back and forth about some of our recent faves, so I'm hoping I like this one. I have it scheduled for a giveaway in May.

Kyle (9) has already read the 1st one and is partway through this one. He's shared parts aloud with me. It sounds fun, and I look forward to reading it.

This is my 1st book by this author, and the intrigue has me intrigued.

I might get to The Last Camellia, which I'm looking forward to after enjoying a novel by Sarah Jio last year.

And I have to add in one last title, that I had been waiting on, but forgot about until it arrived today:

I've been waiting for this book, being a big fan of the author, Elissa Brent Weissman

Do you like this new format? Click on the pictures for more info. And be sure to click through to the What's on Your Nightstand meme at 5 Minutes for Books to see what others are reading.

What I'm Reading This Month

2013-03-26T00:00:00.000-04:00

My poor blog hasn't seen any action since last month's "What's on Your Nightstand" carnival. There are a lot of things I mean to write, most notably my fun mother-daughter trip to Los Angeles that Amanda and I took in February. I still want to document that, so hopefully soon.

But now on to books. . . . I'm reading a lot of middle grade fiction this year. It's always satisfying for me, so I'm making an intentional effort to accept those titles for review. Here are some:

This Journal Belongs to Ratchet looks like sweet heartwarming story. It's next up on my list, because I have a review and giveaway scheduled for this weekend.
Before I read that one, I'd like to finish The Center of Everything by Linda Urban. I'm about 1/3 of the way through it, and it's okay, but I think I've decided that Linda Urban isn't really for me.

In addition to those two, I hope to get to at least one of these:
Paperboy is a story about a young boy who stutters, sure to be heartwarming and inspiring.
The Sasquatch Escape (The Imaginary Veterinary) by Suzanne Selfors seems fun and interesting.

As for other books, I have a whole big stack. These are two I know I'll get to, because I have blog tour deadlines:

Nowhere but Home is a "touching and funny novel" by Liza Palmer, which are two things I love, especially when added to a small-town Texas setting.
Maya's Notebook is an entirely different sort of read, a coming-of-age story about family secrets. It's by Isabel Allende, who is an author I've wanted to read.

I was excited about these books when I selected them, because they are both by "foreign" authors with "foreign" settings (India and Iron respectively), but I've passed them over a bit. We'll see if I get to them:

As Sweet as Honey by Indira Ganesan
A Teaspoon of Earth and Sea by Dina Nayeri

What I'm Reading -- February

2013-02-26T17:21:00.000-05:00

I've been in an interesting reading pattern. In January and the first part of February I was focused on finishing the Cybils Middle Grade Finalists (I've just published some of my reviews). Then I had to read Michael Connelly's The Black Box for my Sony Reader VIP bookclub meet-up in LA, and I've felt a little aimless since then. In fat, I still feel a little aimless, reading-wise, but here are some books that are coming up soon on the pile:

A Nearly Perfect Copy is a story about a family of art dealers, promising family drama, "reckless behavior" and "disastrous consequences."
As Sweet as Honey -- "an enchanting story of family life that is a dance of love and grief and rebirth set on a gorgeous island in the Indian Ocean."
The Myth of the Perfect Girl: Helping Our Daughters Find Authentic Success and Happiness in School and Life -- a book that sounds interesting, but has been on my pile for a while, since it lacks the lure of fiction for me right now.
When It Happens to You: A Novel in Stories by Molly Ringwald that is the Sony online bookclub pick for March. I'm actually almost finished with it and have enjoyed it so far.

And as always -- after looking at my calendar and books that I have coming up, these are some that I'll be sure to get to:

Slow Family Living: 75 Simple Ways to Slow Down, Connect, and Create More Joy for an upcoming 5 Minutes for Mom review/giveaway.
I Still Believe by Jeremy Camp -- which is also for a review and giveaway of the book and CD, but I will have to get to it soon -- as soon as I actually receive it, since it was delayed.

What's on My Nightstand this month

2013-01-21T22:13:00.001-05:00

I enjoy this monthly opportunity to make some reading goals for myself. I've been feeling

I am a round 2 judge for the Cybils, so I have a few books that I'll definitely be reading this month:

Chomp - This is my first novel by Carl Hiaasen. I'm almost finished with this one.
Liar & Spy - I loved Rebecca Stead's When You Reach Me (linked to my review), so I'm pretty sure this one won't disappoint.
Wonder has received a bunch of buzz, and even before it was selected as a finalists, I had downloaded it to my Kindle hoping I'd get a chance to read it soon.

The thing I love about reading Middle Grade novels (well, ONE thing) is that I can generally get through one within a couple of reading sessions. It's so satisfying! So getting through the 7 finalists in about 6 weeks is no problem at all. Here are some other books I'm hoping to get to for upcoming review:

I'm about halfway through The Tragedy Paper, a YA book that I'm thoroughly enjoying.
I've loved everything I've read from Jennifer Haigh, so I definitely wanted to read her new book of interconnected short stories, News from Heaven: The Bakerton Stories.
I'm so happy to be a part of the Sony VIP Reader program, and in February, I'll be able to be a part of a live bookclub chat in LA with author Michael Connelly on The Black Box (A Harry Bosch Novel).
Fuse is the sequel to Pure (linked to my review). It comes out about this time next month, so I may or may not get to it before next month's Nightstand.
I've also received some unsolicited review copies that look great, so I'm hoping to get to at least one of them: The Typewriter Girl and Crossing on the Paris.

I've had The Fruitful Wife: Cultivating a Love Only God Can Produce sitting on my shelf for a month or two, and Carrie's enthusiastic endorsement has made me look forward to it even more. I'm reading through this with a good friend, which I know will help me get even more out of it. Find out what other people are reading the 4th Tuesday of each month at 5 Minutes for Books' What's on Your Nightstand.

Reading Goals Revisited and Refined

2013-01-02T09:31:00.000-05:00

Last year I set some reading goals, specifically I wanted to make sure I was taking some personal non-review reading time, by reading at least 12 books that I didn't specifically request for review.

I also wanted to keep an accurate record of what I read, which I did, so thanks to that I can share my results.

I did in fact read 15, and here's the breakdown. It affirms my desire to read with intention as well, focusing on more Christian nonfiction and putting effort into reading with my kids.

Christian Nonfiction 4
Nonfiction 1
Fiction 4
Middle Grade/Young Adult Fiction5
Memoir 1

Here are my totals, mostly review copies, with some surprising results:

Biography/Memoir 12
Christian Nonfiction 6
Nonfiction 10
Fiction 41
Middle Grade Fiction 16
Young Adult Fiction 15

That's 100 books, on the nose (there are probably another 10 or more that I didn't finish so aren't included in this number). A pretty large number, 23 of them, were audiobooks, which speaks to the power of using time doing other things (driving and cleaning mostly) to read.

This year, I'd like to do more of the same. I want to continue to make sure I'm feeding my mind and soul with Christian nonfiction, being more particular about what I accept for review. which I have been doing for the past 6 months or so and makes that gap between "personal reading" and "review reading" shrink. However, I'd still like to be sure I take time to read "just for me" if there are backlist titles that interest me.

Home is where the heart is

2012-12-18T16:42:00.001-05:00

Home is where the heart is, and right now my heart is in Newtown, Connecticut.

I don't feel quite at home here in Houston right now. I'm headed to Connecticut tomorrow. It will be hard. It's the worst reason ever to visit a place, but I will still be able to see friends and loved ones. I'll be able to hug necks. I'll be able to see that in the midst of the unbelievable tragedy that has hit my town, there is some sort of normalcy (is there?) or at the very least that it's still the same town that we love.

2004: Amanda and Kyle 3 months before we moved to Newtown

I lived there for over 6 years and have been away just under 2. I suppose that six years is long enough to claim a place as home. I'm not sure, but what I do know is that certain times of your life hold more of your heart: college, the first place you lived on your own, the places your babies were born, and the places they grew up.

2006?: Amanda and Kyle in Newtown

The years my kids spent in Connecticut were formative ones. It's Amanda's childhood home. She started school there. She was baptized there. She started Middle School. She was a child when we arrived and was on the cusp of adolescence when we left. She left behind friends who she had known what seemed to her to be her entire life.

Kyle was just a newborn baby when we left Texas for Connecticut. By the time we left he was a confident 6 1/2 year old boy. His world expanded as he left my home and went to preschool. I relinquished even more control as I put him on the bus each day for Kindergarten, and even more when he started school full time in first grade. He made friends -- good friends. He left behind people he had literally known his entire life.

2010: Amanda and Kyle in Newtown, about 6 months before we left

Whether it's because I "got" Connecticut and it got me, or because of the time in our lives that we lived there, Connecticut will forever be home. I claim my dual status as a Connecticut Yankee and a Texan. It doesn't matter why, but it is home.

*******

This video has made me a bit of a blubbering mess. The song "This is Home" speaks to my heart. Seeing the sights that were so dear to us makes my heart ache for home: the library, the beautiful view from the flagpole down the hill, the exit I took off the highway several times each week, the flag that someone painted on a tree that we saw on the side of the highway just as we entered Newtown, the Labor Day parade, ice cream at Ferris Acres dairy farm, snow in Sandy Hook Village, Edmond Town Hall.

What I WILL read this month

2012-11-26T21:10:00.002-05:00

When I was trying to figure out my reading goals for the month, to write up for the monthly What's on Your Nightstand carnival, I decided to look back at my post for the Fall into Reading challenge since it will be over just before Christmas.

I've done well of keeping my goal of doing some personal non-review reading, and specifically reading more Christian nonfiction.

However, due to the fact that the group that I was reading it with stopped reading/discussing it, I haven't yet finished Soul Detox. I was liking it a lot -- I just happened to get derailed. So, I'll finish that, and get it moved out of my Bible study box and replace it with one of the other books that is awaiting my attention. There are many more I am looking forward to.

Another book that is on my list that I haven't gotten to is Embracing Obscurity. I'll give it a go, but due to some less-than-stellar reviews (like Carrie's), I'm not as interested as I once was. And my reading time is too valuable to finish a book just because it's on my list, so I'm not going to promise anything except that I will start it and give it a fair shake.

But looking back at my list, a certain book glared at me. A book that I still haven't read. A book that I even stopped putting on my Callapidder Days' challenges because I was so incredibly lame about it.

I WILL read it. In fact, I may start it now. And I won't say anything else about it until the deed is done.

What about you? Is there something that you really really want to or need to read this month? Let us know over at 5 Minutes for Books.

Black Friday Bust

2012-11-23T12:30:00.002-05:00

We don't do Black Friday.

Last year Amanda really wanted to go. I figured things would be quiet mid-day, so we did go out after lunch. We couldn't even get into the outlet mall parking lot, but did go to a freestanding JC Penney and got a few deals -- clothing "needs," not gifts. She was happy, and I didn't die, so I guess it was worth taking one for the team.

This year, a store offered something that enticed me:

I managed to convince Amanda, and we dragged Kyle along reluctantly. We decided to try to leave a little before 7:00. We were running a little late, but we thought, "Certainly there will not be 100 people lined up before 7:00 a.m. waiting to get into a used bookstore. Surely if we are there by 7:30, we'll still be one of the first 100."

As you may have guessed from the title of this post and my tone, we were wrong. We got there before 7:20, and saw the people in the store with their bags and gift cards, but there was no smiling store employee standing at the door with one for us.

I had two bags of books to sell back and had wondered if the other 100 people might have had the same idea, but they didn't, so I got my credit, and then went on to spend as much or more as I've ever spent in one shot at that store. I did get $15 off with my Black Friday coupon, so I guess that's not bad. But Kyle talked me into a game that I probably only agreed to because of the special oxygen that reacts with tryptophan to cause unprecedented buying urges.

Half-Price Books - 1, Jennifer - 0

A new Waffle House opened this year near the bookstore. Amanda has been wanting to go, and there wasn't a crowd, so we capped off our shopping with some waffles and hash browns.

Shop-owners - 0, Jennifer - 1

Kyle needs a bath mat for his cold floor, so I thought we'd go to Kohl's, since it was just across the street. We got a bath mat -- two, actually -- one for him and one for Amanda. Amanda got some clothes she needed for her Christmas church performances, I bought Kyle some jeans and pants that he "needed," picked up some wrapping paper at the "don't forget me" station near the cash register, and left almost $100 poorer. But now I have Kohl's cash, I have $30 that I can spend next week. That's where they get you: Come back, soon. Save even more money!!

Kohl's - ?, Jennifer - ?

We'll wait to score this one until next week. If I actually remember to go, and if I only spend $30 or $40, then I might win. Otherwise Kohl's got me.

Did you shop last night or this morning? Will you shop today? Are you shopping online right now?