i love this book: Remember Me?

Enough about children's books - let's talk about chick lit!

I've been reading a lot of books about parenting and healthy eating and other topics that are interesting and important, but not exactly what I would call "fun" reading. I picked up Remember Me? (Sophie Kinsella) as an audiobook at the library a couple weeks ago. Now this is a fun book.

Here's the premise: Lexi Smart falls down and hits her head while out clubbing with her friends. When she wakes up, it's three years later. She finds that she now has a high-powered job. The perfect husband. A beautiful, expensive loft apartment.  And no memory of any of it. We tag along with Lexi as she tries to integrate into her new life while uncovering secrets about the last three years.

This isn't intellectual literary fiction; it's make-you-laugh-out-loud fun. And even though I could guess what was going to happen, this book had me hooked until the end. (Picture me setting up the cd player next to my sewing machine so I could listen to it during my naptime chores.)

If you do read this book as an audiobook, just note that it's not suitable for young listeners. So you may find yourself being thankful for red lights and taking the long way to pick up the kids from school.

solitude

I just finished reading Gift from the Sea, by Anne Morrow Lindbergh. It's a small and unassuming book, blue with a picture of a shell on the front. It was written in 1955, and in the author's world, men go to work and women are homemakers. Sound outdated? For me, right now, it is so very timely.

I recently read a chapter about how our roles affect how and where we spend our energy. For example, men use their energy in creative ways at work, while women's days are consumed with the often-tedious tasks of maintaining a household and raising children.

I thought at first that I couldn't relate to the woman the author described, since I work outside the home. But then I realized - I work all day, and then when I get home, I do all the things she describes as a woman's role. This absolutely applies to me.

Both men and women can be drained by their day-to-day responsibilities, but the effect tends to be stronger for women. Why? The author says that "all her instinct as a woman - the eternal nourisher of children, of men, of society - demands that she give. Her time, her energy, her creativeness drain out into these channels if there is any chance, any leak." Through all her giving, woman finds her resources depleted.

How do we nourish ourselves and ensure that we have the energy and spirit to perform our daily tasks? By spending time alone. And by directing our energy during our time alone toward activities that inspire, fulfill, and energize us.

By spending time alone "sometime during the year, some part of each week, and each day."

For me, this is huge. Ms. Lindbergh is giving us permission to take time to ourselves. Every day. Every week. And every year. It's not only allowed, it's essential to our health, happiness, and well-being.

This time alone isn't for doing something like taking a shower or washing the dishes. It's for doing something relaxing, inspiring, or energizing. Something enjoyable. Something that is just for you.

Since my son was born, almost three years ago, I've had a hard time allowing myself to take time for myself. But I'm starting to change that. Last weekend, I went to the library and Whole Foods by myself. Yes, it was still a chore as opposed to something purely relaxing, but it's a step in the right direction. And it was pretty exhilarating to linger in the aisles of Whole Foods for as long as I wanted to. I'm also carving out time for writing blog posts, which I find incredibly rewarding and energizing.

Your turn: how do you make time for yourself?

a happy easter

Happy Easter! I hope you had a beautiful holiday. Here are a few photos from our morning.

a boy and his toolbox

Our neighborhood had a yard sale last weekend, and we wandered over to the house across the street to see what was going on. I spotted this sewing box, full of stuff, for $3. Our neighbor insisted we take it for free, and on the way home, we told our son it could be his new toolbox. Needless to say, he's in love.

 

 

As for what's inside, the "toolbox" is full of pretty awesome vintage sewing stuff, like this:

I say "vintage" because the colors make me think of the 70's. I've no idea how old this stuff is. But check out those metal bobbins and the worn Sucrets box! I love it. Here's what's inside when you remove the tray:



Lots of stuff. I've been planning to make some activity book pages for him, with zippers and buttons and things to keep him busy. Score! There are tons of buttons and a few zippers in here. That's one less trip I have to make to Jo-Ann's.

There's even this cool label maker. I think this is his favorite item in the "toolbox".

We were outside because my husband was installing a sunshade on our porch. Our son jumped right in, helping Daddy by moving "tools", such as buttons and a long piece of elastic, onto the ladder.

And, of course, the label maker, which is essential for most outdoor home improvement projects.

(And this is when I stopped taking photos and became my son's spotter on the ladder.)

daddy's biggest fan

I took my son to watch Daddy play soccer last weekend. He had a blast. He was, by far, hands down, the loudest and most enthusiastic fan at the field. He cheered, he danced, he jumped up and down. He echoed what the other players were yelling (all clean language, thankfully). He yelled "Da-deeeeeee!" at the top of his lungs throughout the game. He gave Daddy a pep talk on the sideline while he was waiting for his turn to go in.

He even shared his Cheez-Its with Daddy during halftime. I'm not sure what Mr. W's teammates thought about him doing this during the break...

...or this during the game...

...but seeing the mutual adoration between son and father, I couldn't have been happier.

i love this book: Pigs Love Potatoes

I'm going to be honest... when I pick out books for my son at the library, I try to pick books that he and I will both like. Because if I'm going to read a book 30 times, it had better have nice pictures, or be well written, or have something that makes it enjoyable for me.

Pigs Love Potatoes (Anika Denise and Christopher Denise) has all that. This is a sweet story about a family of pigs who are getting ready to have potatoes for supper. The pictures are beautiful and allow us to jump into the world of this pig family. The story is perfectly written. But nothing makes me happier than a sassy mama, and this book has a great one. She scolds two of her little pigs for yelping that they want potatoes. She scolds Papa for inviting the neighbor over without asking her first. And she insists on a kiss from everyone as they clear their plates after dinner. Hot diggity! I love it. I really admire this Mama Pig.

The other thing I really love about this book is that this family of pigs is full of joy and love. It's just so fun to see how happy they are.

Suggested age range: 4-8 years per Amazon (although it worked for my 2-1/2-year-old)

Author's Note: The opinions in this book review are solely my own. I received no incentive or compensation for writing this review.

my kind of gardening

In case you are gearing up for warmer weather, here is a step-by-step guide on how I garden:

1. Plant seeds according to package instructions. Set up planter in a brightly lit indoor room.
2. Water thoroughly and diligently.
3. Check frequently for sprouts.
4. Keep checking for sprouts.
5. After a few weeks, when nothing has grown in planter except some mold and a few scrawny seedlings that soon collapse under their own weight, abandon planter.
6. During gardening extravaganza, bring planter outside on a whim and allow toddler to water it, drop it, partially spill it, and fill it with rocks. 

7.  Abandon planter for a few more days. Or weeks.

8.  Notice a robust-looking sprout in planter. What???

Why do my plants only grow when I ignore them? 

Well, maybe it's a fluke. It's the only one in the tray that has sprouted.

I wonder if it's even something I planted. Maybe it's a weed? Or some seed a bird planted? It's a mystery!

gardening

After the paper white debacle, it’s probably clear that I don’t exactly have a green thumb. Nevertheless, the beautiful weather and a trip to our favorite local gardening store got us excited to plant some stuff. We left the store with no less than 8 plants, a bush, and a tree. Yeah, we might have gone a little overboard.

When we got home, my son and I planted zucchini, bell pepper, and strawberry plants in our garden. One of each. Because, as Mr. Wonderful said in the car on the way home, there is a 15 percent chance these plants are going to survive. We have great intentions, but there’s just so much going against us: the lack of rain, voracious ground squirrels, intense sun, loss of interest in daily watering… but we have kept plants alive before, so I’m optimistic that we’ll be eating fresh veggies from the garden in a few months.

Our son is the Head Waterer around here, so he made sure all the new plants were thoroughly soaked before planting. He also watered while I was planting the veggies.



He “borrowed” my sun hat.



He took it off a few minutes later.



Next, I helped Mr. Wonderful, who was digging a hole for the new tree and was extraordinarily cheerful about it.



Stuck on the other side of the fence, Mr. Wonderful, Jr. was somewhat less cheerful.



The tree went in. Best of luck, plants. I hope you have what it takes to survive in our yard.

i love this book: Tap the Magic Tree

I recently borrowed Tap the Magic Tree (Christie Matheson) from the library. I always agonize over which books to pick. As a working mom, getting books from the library for my son is one thing that makes me feel like a good mom, and I get a lot of joy out of it. He usually spots them in the car when I pick him up from school and wants to read them right now. When we get home, we pull out the books and read them on the floor, just inside the door. I love that time spent with him.

The day I picked up Tap the Magic Tree, I had already been agonizing over my book selection for too long, and it was time to get back to the office. The book looked simple, and although I wasn't sure it would hold my 2-1/2-year-old's attention, I grabbed it and left.

We had a blast reading Tap the Magic Tree!  The story follows the tree through the course of a year. The pictures are lovely in their simplicity. However, what makes this book special is that each page requires you to perform an action related to the story, with the action resulting in a change on the next page. We laughed together as we blew kisses to the tree, shook the book, and rubbed the tree to keep it warm.

This book gave us an opportunity to practice counting and discuss topics such as the weather, colors, and how baby birds need their mamas (he is very in tune with how babies need their parents right now).

Suggested age range: 4-8 per Amazon (although my 2-1/2-year-old totally got into it)

Author's Note: The opinions in this book review are solely my own. I received no incentive or compensation for writing this review.