What I read: January 2016

I meant to get this up on the first, as I'd like to get these up on every first, but man, life happens. Today was my due date, eight years ago. We went to a Superbowl party. Spencer stayed put.

Here's what I read in January:

 reread:
1. The Raven Boys - Maggie Stiefvater (audio)
2. The Dream Thieves - Maggie Stiefvater (audio)
3. Blue Lily, Lily Blue - Maggie Stiefvater (audio)

new:
1. Soulblade - Lindsay Buroker 
2. Fates and Furies - Lauren Groff (audio)
3. Kitchens of the Great Midwest - J. Ryan Stradal 
4. Bridge to Terabithia - Katherine Patterson 
5. Big Little Lies - Liane Moriarty 
6. Six of Crows - Leigh Barduga
7. Simon and the Homo Sapien Agenda - Becky Albertalli
8. Case Histories - Kate Atkinson (expired before I got too interested, but I was a good 80 pages in. I'll try again)
9. The Goldfinch - Donna Tartt (audio) (still listening to in February, 32 hours is a lot of hours)

It was a good month for audiobooks, apparently. Good month. Good books.

Currently...

This week I’m going to do this currently thing from Katy ON the currently day! How about that? It also just so happens that I have half a Friday Five from last week that I never finished and I thought I’d get on this before I let any more time slip through my fingertips. You know how that goes.

Loving

My favorite work lunch currently.

Reading

I’m listening to The Goldfinch by audiobook. I kept putting off reading because everyone told me what a tome it is (it sat from the library on my nightstand for a while last year) and yes, it is 32 hours long, it’s good so far! (I’d tell you how far along I am, but Overdrive just updated and looks completely different. I shall investigate.)

 

I never got through Case Histories before it expired. I finally got more into the story but it never really grabbed me. I have the next Finishing School book awaiting me on the library queue and I downloaded Lindsay Buroker’s newest book so I’ve got plenty of fun books to keep me company. I also downloaded a couple 1.99 books that looked promising last night in a fog of exhaustion when I couldn’t sleep.

Watching

Did I tell you we got rid of cable? We so rarely watch television, we pared down to the basics until baseball starts again. So. I’m not watching anything? I started Making a Murderer last week but I haven’t picked it back up after turning off the tv to do something. My coworker handed over the Bluray of the sixth season of Downton Abbey, so maybe I’ll start that tonight.

Listening to

Besides The Goldfinch, we’ve been listening to a lot of Hamilton. There’s one specific song that I skip for the kids all together, but mostly I hope that they don’t pick up the sex parts and enjoy the rest of it. Spencer likes to read the liner notes though, so I’m sure he knows all the words, including “it’s hard to have intercourse over four sets of corsets”.

Thinking about

Pony baseball started! I am again, team mom, and so I’m currently thinking about how to get new dirt on our field, getting the ants taken care of, ordering pants, what kids weren’t at first practice. I need to write out one of my notoriously long emails to the parents spelling out times and dates and points of note.

Anticipating

I have to be out of town a couple days this week for work, and I’m anticipating that trip. I need to pare down my packing to basically a change of clothes, a toothbrush since it’s one of those small planes. Side eye, right here. I don’t want to go.

Wishing

There were more hours in the day. I’d devote some of the extra to work and some of it to sleep so I could enjoy the current time with my family without something in the back of my mind.

Making Me Happy

I’ve made some late night impulse purchases of Lularoe and Stella and Dot, so those impending packages make me happy.

Francine and that scary boy child

We got a cat because of Henry. Not exactly, I mean we got a cat because we went to the pet store to replace the deceased gerbils and got sucked in by the charity cats, but Henry has a huge tactile response to soft creatures. He adores stuffed animals, the softer the better, and the thought of a kitty cat was just overwhelmingly wonderful to him. My MIL has a cat and he spends the better part of every Monday playing and touching and running after poor Cami.

So now that we’ve had Francine for nearly six months, I would have thought she would have warmed up to him but she hasn’t. It frankly hurts his feelings, and I don’t know how to explain to a five year old that she doesn’t mean to.  Last night we were reading and she came up to the bed (she likes to come visit during reading time) but when he went (slowly, calmly) to pet her, she ran. Again. His eyes welled up, his voice cracked, he was just so SAD.

So besides getting a new kitten for him to snuggle and name George, is there anything I can do to help their relationship? She’s not fond of catnip.

Celebration Part Eins - Disney!

For Spencer's eighth birthday we have a number of celebrations planned and not yet planned (mostly not yet planned, due to baseball uncertainties) but what I really wanted to do was spend one last weekend at Disney celebrating before our passes went kaput. So honestly, this one was for me.

I picked the kids up at noon (this was fraught not only for my own school-guilt, but because the kids were weird about it. Henry was upset that it meant that he wouldn't get an award for no early pickups and Spencer was upset to miss math. They both got over it quickly though.) and we headed straight out of town. S's teacher sent his math work with him so he worked on that in the car and played with his Pokemon cards since he got them back after being grounded from them for a week.

 

We got to Port Orleans- French Quarter around 1:45p and after we checked in, the kids immediately donned their bathing suits and hit the pool. It was rainy and cloudy and was going to get COLD so I knew it was then or never. I got in the pool too for a bit but it wasn't my bag. The kids really enjoyed it and I was glad I got them out of school early to do so. We were out by 4:30 because of the rain so they would have completely missed out otherwise.

Unfortunately I have very little photos after this because my phone slipped out of my hand and shattered. The regular camera side was okay but the shattering covered the selfie side of the camera so there were no more fun shots of me and the kids unless I specifically asked my husband to take a photo (I told him he needed to take photos but he did not).

 

After cleaning up and sharing a pizza (the kids did, anyhow), we headed over to Magic Kingdom. This was probably my favorite part of the whole weekend. C met us there and we had fast passes but it was also not particularly busy so we got to ride A LOT. The train, Barnstormer, Dumbo, Thunder Mountain, Space Mountain, Winnie the Pooh (and while in line someone gave us FP they had for being on Haunted Mansion when it broke down so we also did HM by passes), Peter Pan, Small World ...

(source)

We also ate at Tony's Town Square Restaurant, and I have to say I was underwhelmed. I was actually underwhelmed at most of the food this trip which is very odd for me - I love Disney food usually. I got the Pasta Primavera and it was quite salty. The veggies in it were good though. The kids' bodies completely shut down before 9 usually, but we got them on Space Mountain at that time and it revitalized them enough to get out of the park and to the car (and for S, even back to the hotel!) before falling asleep. I made sure to procure my Starbucks MK mug so that I wouldn't forget.

Saturday was COLD. We had breakfast at the hotel because BEIGNETS (they were okay) and headed to Epcot for the day, all parka'd up.

  

It was a good day; we didn't expect to stay all day but we did. We had lunch at Coral Reef (it was gorgeous and I had my best meal of the weekend, trout with canneloni beans and greens) and we rode every ride available, let the kids decorate Duffys and go around to every country and get stamps, and ate dinner in Morocco (Restaurant Marrakesh) which we wouldn't have normally thought to do but it was pretty tasty. I wasn't super hungry so I had a goat cheese appetizer and a bowl of lentil soup. Spencer was struck dumb by the belly dancer and the drummer came over to play his drum for S for his birthday and they sang and gave him some sort of pistachio baclava pastry thing.

Sunday was even colder. COLD. (FYI: I do not want to hear "at least it didn't snow". I know it didn't snow. It was misty and cold and uncomfortable except during nice stretches of sunlight) So we went to Hollywood Studios by way of Cracker Barrel. It was a nice end to the long weekend, we rode all the rides (Spencer and I spent an hour an HOUR an hour in the single rider line of Rockin' Roller Coaster and that was a little less than ideal) but missed all the shows. We let the kids design light sabers that we then didn't let them buy (Henry made a Kylo Ren one, I really wanted to get it for him) and ate at the 50s Prime Time Cafe which was adorable and kitchy but the food was kind of sub-par and premade. We saw the Star Wars Launch Bay which had all kinds of neat things in it but didn't stand in line to meet Chewie or Darth Vader (the kids aren't really into meet and greets).

 

 

We left at a reasonable time and then got stuck in horrendous traffic and ended up still eating dinner out, but near home at one of our regular haunts. And then we were back home in time for our regularly scheduled programming, and by that I mean sleep. In our own wonderful beds.

Currently…

I got this from Erin who got it from Jennie (who I’ve never read before but will be now) who got it from Katy (again, didn’t read before but now is in my Feedly) and I think Stephany does them too sometimes … but I thought it would be a fun change from my norm of having no idea what to blog about. Although it’s apparently a Tuesday thing and I’m posting on Thursday but whatev. I’m here.

Loving

My coffee. I didn't get a lot of sleep last nightand coffee is neccessary and wonderful.

Reading

I have two books going right now. I started Six of Crows when I wasn’t feeling well and couldn’t get into it, so I then started Kate Atkinson’s Case Histories. Then I went BACK to Six of Crows and I’m enthralled in that story so when I finish I’ll go back to Case Histories. I’m not good at reading simultaneously – it’s only recently I could keep regular books and audiobooks separate, so this is the closest to simultaneous reading as I get.

Watching

I’m no good at watching new things, but I finally caught up to Downton Abbey (except this season; I’m waiting for it to come out on DVD or Amazon Prime) and now I’m rewatching Criminal Minds. I want to watch all the good things everyone else is watching but someday, maybe.

Listening to

I’m rereading via audiobook the Raven Boys books in anticipation for The Raven King (takes a moment to see if it’s available for library preorder yet … sigh, not yet) and it’s a completely different experience. I’ve noticed things I didn’t previously. I’m still not sold on the narrator (his voice takes me out of the story, somehow) but I’m enjoying the process. I'm on Dream Thives right now, which is my least favorite of the books.

Thinking about

Having to be out of town next month, possibly for S’s eighth birthday, is making me sad and anxious even though we’re having several birthday celebrations for him not specifically on his birthday. I find out Friday if it will be that week or a different week. All appendages crossed for a different day!

Anticipating

This weekend is going to be a COLD one but we are spending it at Disney and I’m so excited. I wish it were warmer so we could enjoy the pools but we all have warm jackets and umbrellas (Friday is expected to be rainy) and I’m hoping we can all keep happy faces on. Saturday the high is 54. FIFTY FOUR. It’s Florida, weather. Get a grip. I don’t care if it IS winter, that’s just unacceptable.

Wishing

I had the drive to do more running. I did a solid week and now ... well, I'm going today. I'm unsure otherwise.

Making me happy

Chewelry

Several weeks ago I was at my wits' end about Henry because he all of a sudden couldn't stop chewing on everything. His shirt, his hands, the Disney infinity players and Wii controllers. He wasn't a chewer growing up but all of a sudden, age 5, he was a CHEWER. It was like having puppy in the house - nothing was safe. It didn't seem to be anxiety based but more of a habit that had developed and now could not be broken.

I took my gripes to the twitters and one of my sweet people recommended chewelry. This would not have occurred to me to be for anything other than teething babies, but I went ahead and ordered a piece and lo, it's amazing. He loves it, and he loves that it just looks like a Lego so it's not particularly noticeable that it is what it is. He still chews on things but if I notice, I remind him about his necklace and off he goes to retrieve it from his door knob, where he keeps it most of the time, or his bed cubbie where it sometimes hides when he's sleeping.

Two unchewed thumbs up.

And man, I hope he grows out of this soon.

Meal Plan 1/18-1/21

I only cooked for four days this week, but I did almost all the cooking Monday night. It was an exhausting night but it's nice that I don't have to worry too much for the rest of the week.

Monday: meat and veggie chili this is the second time in two weeks I've made this. It's delicious.

Tuesday: Italian marinated grilled chicken and roasted brussel sprouts (not made yet, but already marinated)

Wednesday: tom kha gai Thai coconut chicken soup I wasn't good at all at following this recipe and put in too much mushrooms. Good thing I love mushrooms - it's delicious. I also brought this for lunch today, since it's already made.

Thursday: Asian meatballs with carrot and zucchini noodles. The meatballs are fantastic. I'm looking forward to the noodles too.

These meals will also be my lunches, and I scrambled some eggs into the leftover shallot, sweet potato and mushrooms from the leftover veggies for two breakfasts. As I already had my breakfast today, I can tell you it was delicious even though it was cheeseless. Cheese still would have been better.

In 18 days I have only been 100% at no alcohol and no cheese. How's that, the only two I really felt like I really want have been the two things it's been easiest to stay completely away from.