May Books

Wench - Dolen Perkins-Valdez ** If I had never read The Help I would have liked this so much more. As it was, it was excellent (although depressing). Not the humor of The Help but an intriguing look at the life of slaves who were kept as mistresses.

The Extra-Naturals - Kay Chronister (draft) Interesting storyline, needs some work fleshing out. Great start.

Pillow Talk - Freya North Delightful. Reminded me of Jill Mansell and Marion Keyes.

Shatter (Children of Man #1) - Elizabeth C Mock Loved it. Roughly edited being self-published but good enough that I recommended it to everyone that I know enjoys the genre.

 One Deadly Sister - Rod Hoisington Terrible. Really, truly ... bad.

 Render (Children of Man #2) - Elizabeth C Mock Just as good as the first. Well, almost as good as the first. Kinda upset that the third isn't out yet, to tell you the truth.

Graceling - Kristin Cashore (reread) LOVE THIS BOOK. I actually read some of the reviews online this time I read, and I'm not sure what some of those people are smoking because I loved it and everyone I know (and I forced it on everyone I knew who even slightly enjoyed YA supernatural) loved it as well.

Fire - Kristin Cashore (reread) See above. Love.

 Hollywood Scandals - Gemma Halliday I got this and the other two for 99 cents (boxed) on my Nook. Predictable but worth the buck for six hours and 2000 pages. Enjoyable fluff.

Hollywood Secrets - Gemma Halliday See above.

Hollywood Confessions - Gemma Halliday See above.

Awakening - Karice Bolton Just started ... it's full of cliches but it shows promise. I'll let you know next month what I think.

Better when we're together

A few things happen when my children spend a lot of time with my in-laws. One is that Spencer becomes unable to mention my FIL without discussing the new toy he will be getting the NEXT time he sees them. The second thing, apparently, is that Henry becomes unable to nap without someone sleeping next to him. Since he's still sleeping in a crib, you can see why this is an issue. I have taken to laying down with him in Spencer's bed until he's asleep, but he doesn't get a long enough nap that way because he wakes up a lot usually, and when he's not where he normally is he just gets up. But otherwise he won't nap on the weekends at all, unless we decide to go somewhere. Then approximately 90 seconds into the 5 minute drive, he's asleep.

This is not to sound ungrateful; I really am happy they are so willing to take care of the kids for us when we need them. But regular people understand that routines are there for a reason? I should be glad something works for them so they are getting sleep. Right? Right? Bueller?

Anyhow, don't mind me. I'm up past my bedtime and I'm not feeling sleepy. Maybe a little irritable. Worn, but a bit of insomnia is taking over and it's either this or starting a new book (which likely would mean I'd be up for two hours until I finished it. I didn't promise it would be a *good* book). I got a few things done I had been meaning to - I picked up canning supplies from Walmart to try this recipe, and new rechargeable batteries for the Wii since Spencer started playing at a friend's house and now wants to play at home, and a new boombox (ha!) for the kids' room because the CD player in there only plays two songs before messing up. The only way to keep any music on is to put a single song on repeat, so they usually sleep all night to the first track of Jack Johnson. I love Jack Johnson, but even I have had enough. Due to random gift cards, I managed to spend under $10 for the lot of it!

Laundry still not done. Work I brought home, still in the car. Made breakfast for dinner - eggs scrambled with spinach and mushrooms and cheese, fried potatoes, bacon, toast. Henry yelled for MORE of my toast (mooor! mooor!) so he got three pieces (mine, his and part of Daddy's) but he at least ate a mouthful of eggs/spinach before rejecting the rest of it. One day I will be able to stop putting handfuls of spinach in everything. Good thing I love spinach.

Tonight I made a list of all of Henry's words. 21. I keep saying that I don't worry about his lack of words because he's adding new ones, and I keep making excuses for his lack of speech because his brother  talks so godforsaken much. It's a lie. I'm concerned. He's so alert, and understands 99% of anything we say to him, directions we give him, questions we ask him. But words ... he babbles a little, but mostly he's content to stare out the window or hum along with music in the car, and watch people and other kids at the mall. He said "baby" today while pointing at a picture of a friend's kid and I didn't know he knew how to say it. Yesterday he pointed at the moon and said "moon". I know I shouldn't be concerned, that all children go at their own pace. Spencer was so far ahead of the curve that I'm not use to worrying about these things. He had full sentences at 18 months and I'm still pleading with Henry to say Daddy.

Okay, I'm going to pretend to sleep until hopefully I get there. Toodles!

**update: I went in to check if No 1 was still sleeping in the top bunk and ended up waking up No 2. He refused to go back to sleep and I ended up sleeping with him on the bottom bunk where he stayed up much of the night, tried to kick me off the bed when he did sleep, cried if I put him back in his bed and overall didn't let me sleep at all. It was marvelous.

Nextborn

I was so tired last week that I was convinced I was pregnant. Honestly, I had named this next child (and I'm still with the "I'm done with children" mantra). So if I have a girl, you should know that her name is likely Vivian Ruby. Still up in the air about any future boys names. And no, I'm still not planning any more. Still done, thanks for asking.

I am *not* pregnant, the gods have spoken.

I got through May without a hitch except that I'm tired. The only thing I skipped on my calendar was book club, and though I missed it (the book was excellent), I don't think it would have been possible to make it. I took my mom to Moffitt for her appointments that same day, and what was supposed to be 1 1/2 hour appointment was 4 1/2 hours (with thankfully a clean bill of health from the oncologist).

And I was rewarded with a very lovely three day holiday with my wonderful husband sans kids where we shopped till we dropped, ate fabulous dinners at 10:30 and midnight and slept past 7am. There were antipasta platters, gnocchi, eggs benedict, wine, lo mein, wine, smoky grilled artichokes, ahi, more wine, and a very disappointing Triple D breakfast (although to be fair I think he mostly went there for the lunch, and we were a few hours too early for that). There were tops and shorts and a fabulous new Skagan bracelet and a Cole Haan purse. And then we came back missing the kiddos more than ever and thankfully still had a day and a half left to spend with them (I got them shirts and books when we were shopping ... ha!).

I hope your holiday weekend is delightful, and thank you to the men and women who risk their lives so that I might have a long weekend. And freedom. That too. :)

I finally know what SMH means.

I know that every word-driven post these days is about how busy I am, but you’ll never guess what I got roped into this time: A reunion. Not only a reunion, but an ELEMENTARY SCHOOL REUNION, which is on the same night as a couple other things I had planned, so apparently Friday I’m going from work to take my mom to her blood work and oncology appointments to a friend’s house, to book club, to a bar to meet up with people that I vaguely interact with on facebook but would walk straight by in person. Well, what really happened is that I talk to this one girl that I grew up with. She was talking to this guy who we’ve known since PRESCHOOL and he’ll be in town next week so she started rounding up mutual friends. Except that she didn’t really know what to do, so she started asking me for ideas on where to meet up etc, and next thing I know I’m attending a semi-reunion with people I haven’t seen since I was 10.

My husband just shakes his head.

We also finally have our September trip to upstate NY planned out with regards to flights and hotels. Now for me to figure out what we’ll DO while we’re up there (Stacie, I’m still looking at you on this). Except for Saturday. I’m pretty sure we have a wedding to go to on Saturday.

I’m also looking at what to do on our mini-vacation at the end of the month. I have talked my husband into his and hers pedicures. I think the world may stop spinning. What I really want to do is look at what we CAN do there, but not actually plan anything so we can sit by the pool drinking alcohol if we so choose. If I so choose. But if we don’t feel like that we aren’t bumbling around for things to do. So … know of any good restaurants in the Ft Lauderdale area?

April books

Is it really already halfway through May and I'm only now posting my April books?

Broken - Marshall Buckley I think I really liked this. I don't know if I remember anymore. Yes, yes, I liked it.

Cereal Killer - GA McKevett nothing about this had literary merit, but it was fun.

Shoulder Bags and Shootings - Dorothy Howell same here. This is what happens when I wander about the library after picking up the books I put on hold.

The Glamorous (Double) Life of Isabel Bookbinder horrible, abandoned

The Sly Company of People Who Care -Rahul Bhattacharya ** this was our bookclub book, and it was horrendous. I had such high hopes, too.

Dare to Die - Carolyn G Hart I got this free from Nook, and I rather enjoyed it. It's #19 in a series and I kind of want to go back and read the other 18, but I never understand how an author can put a series on a small town-island area and then come up with 30+ murders for the area. Isn't that a little high for the national average?

The Devil's Cradle - Sylvia Nobel I read the first last year and enjoyed it. This was also a good book. I think I got both of them free for Nook.

Leaving Before It's Over - Jean Reynolds Page very very good.

The Third Floor - Judi Loren Grace Wretched.

Wordless wednesday: salmon avocado salad

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Fridays

I'm sitting at the tire place waiting for new tires and I don't want to get too into my book, so you are the one that benefits. Is that exciting?

I'm also drinking a cherry dr. pepper from one of those Freestyle coke machines, and I have to admit, I'm kind of excited. It's pretty tasty.

Have I mentioned that my May is crazy? Well, I took today off from work to drive my mom to see my grandma because she hadn't been able to get down there since I took her when she was in the hospital around Christmas. In the meantime, I needed new tires if I was going to make the trip, and then the lady doing our re-fi called yesterday to say that I had to come in today to sign paperwork, and hubby wanted to go see the Avengers movie for date night tonight ... Arg! And we have a pool party to go to 2 1/2 hours away on Saturday, and a birthday party on Sunday ...

But it's still good. I don't know that I'd be so positive about everything without my happy pills. Hubby talked about me weaning off of them *eventually* and I started getting that anxiety in my stomach. Maybe, but right now I'm enjoying being able to breathe so i'm not going to think about that.

Has anyone read 50 shades of gray? A friends texted me yesterday to say I simply must read it. I'm currently reading Wench by Dolen Perkins-Valdez, and I'm also getting ready to edit a new YA novel that I'm super excited to read. Should I put the 50 Shades books in line? I do love some easy, fun reads.

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Wordless Wednesday

Baseball!

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Honestly

These moms who have three or four children and have time to blog amaze me. How do they do it? I really can’t see that they are generally SAHMs making much of a difference, because I know I’d be even busier if I were. It’s already May. This month I’m driving my mom to my grandmother’s house, attending three child birthday parties, a pool party 2 ½ hours away (for an out-of-town friend who will be home), one five-mile run, book club, a Dolphin Exploration boat ride for Mother’s Day and the hubs and I are getting away for a weekend to Ft. Lauderdale.

 

This doesn’t include work day trips, doctor’s appointments for me, my kids AND my mother, making guacamole for a work function, getting new tires on my car … where exactly does one find time for anything unscheduled these days?

 

We are having fun at home lately. I blew up the little kiddie pool and stuck it under the slide and the kids had two hours of entertainment. Two hours! And I didn’t put a ton of water in the pool, so when it got grassy and nasty I just dumped it and refilled. The neighbors came over on Saturday and neighbor-wife and I went through 1 ½ bottles of wine making strawberry and white wine spritzers (and I sent the rest of the wine home with her).

 

We’re fighting a lot over food these days though. I have had it with children refusing to eat anything I make, so I have stopped catering. I never really was much of a caterer, but when I made salad I would make something different, etc. No more. I’m making salad twice a week now, and I load it with enough “stuff” that they can pick through and eat what they want if that’s what they want to do (blueberries, craisins, veggie pasta, etc) but I am not making chicken nuggets on salad days. I’m not making corn when momma and daddy have asparagus. Eat it or not, but I’m not making any separate food, and if you want something different you need to eat what we eat first.

 

Is that too harsh? They eat tons of food all day. If they only eat a bite of dinner, it’s not going to kill them. Yesterday I made chicken with broccoli pesto pasta. The boys both had yogurt and a handful of cereal as a snack when we first got home before going on a bike ride. Henry ate his pasta with no argument (pasta is pasta to him. Will refuse green beans lettuce and spinach, but pasta with green stuff – no problem) but Spencer refused until he decided he was hungry at bedtime and then took half an hour to eat his (very small) bowl of food. I’ve previously subscribed to the “dinner time is when we eat” doctrine, but lately we’ve been giving his food back to him if he’s hungry. I don’t know. I know that most parents struggle with this but I feel like I have no idea what I’m doing. Add to that when I get second-guessed by the hubby (“we can’t force a 20-month to eat his vegetables. What if he’s hungry when he goes to bed?”) and then I truly feel like I don’t know what I’m doing. Thoughts?

 

My other general problem these days is Spencer’s attitude. When did my four-year old become a teenager? “I KNOW, MOM” and frustrated grunting at me … man, I want to ground him for all eternity. Time outs only do so much. He’s also developing a stutter. I’m trying to get him to stop and think about what he wants to say rather than wait 5 minutes for it to come out of his mouth, but MAN!

 

BUT OTHERWISE we are doing good. The kids are doing good. Henry says “Shoes” and “Uh Oh”, “Look” (Ook) and “Woah”. He still doesn’t say a lot of things his age group says (dada, any reference to his brother, milk, or anything like that) but car, truck, choo-choo, and various excited expression work for him. As long as he’s slowly adding to his speech I don’t think I mind what he decides to say. He’s also fascinated with a fork and that gets him to eat some things that he wouldn’t normally eat. Spencer’s back to being obsessed with baseball, Hubby is back to being obsessed with baseball, and I’m back to being torn between being obsessed with baseball and annoyed that I’m not getting to watch any of my DVR because of baseball.

 

Hope all is well with the rest of the blogging community! I planned on posting a cute video, but instead I need to start dinner, watch Bones on my DVR and get dressed to go for a run.