Sunday Book Review--7

Doggone Dogs by Karen Beaumont


My rating: 5 of 5 stars
If you've read my other children's book reviews, you know I am a sucker for a) dogs b) repetition, rhyme, and c) any book the talks about "poop". This book has all three, plus wonderful illustrations. The dogs in this book are so ugly they are cute. My kids love this book and I actually don't cringe when I see them coming with this particular choice. It is a wild adventure from page one all the way to the end while the owner of ten dogs chase them through the park and back home again.

If you are looking for a book for ages 2-early elementary, this would be an excellent addition to any library. Wonderful for read-aloud.

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Monday Update

I just realized I am averaging about one post per week at this point. I really wanted to be the kind of person who was consistent on blogging, but alas, that was before I was pregnant. I just laid down with Tucker to take a midafternoon nap, and I'm not sure who fell asleep first, but I know I was in there over an hour and the pillow was wet from me drooling. I feel like a big pile of mush lately, so tired, I just want to sleep and sleep and sleep. And of course, with Cameron and Tucker up at 7:00 every morning, this just doesn't happen. Not trying to gain sympathy, just trying to explain why my blogging posts have been dwindling. Sleeping through my most productive times of the day, which used to be from 10 pm until midnight and then while Tucker slept from 1:30 until 3:30 or 4:00 is killing my goals for all scrapbooking, computer blogging, oh, and housework. Yeah, I just suck right now.

On a lighter note, we converted Tucker into a big boy bed this weekend. He looks so cute and tiny sleeping in a full sized bed complete with Disney Car sheets. The first night he tried to get me to lay with him because he was "Scared", I told him no, that he was a big boy and after I put the laundry away, I'd come check on him. Not even five minutes later, he was snuggled down and out cold. Last night was his second night. Went to sleep without a hitch. But this morning around six I heard a big crash and he fell out of the bed and onto a pile of wooden puzzles. Poor kid.

This week is officially "Spring Break" and it's raining and cold and windy. No school, no ballet, no nothing all week long. Cameron doesn't do well with "No nothing all week long" so I am trying to google some easy easy Easter crafts to keep her busy and possibly a trip to Rafiki later on the week. Gotta keep her busy or we tend to butt heads. She's playing across the street right now, and thank goodness for that!

I'm reading the April edition of Creating Keepsakes and feeling inspired to do some spring pages. I have left off from scrapbooking (because I work in Chronological order) at Easter of LAST year, so this would be a perfect inspiration to finish some pages.....but the couch sounds pretty tempting too....I'll keep you posted.

Scrapbook Room--Work in Progress

Just a quick update on the scrapbook room. I am slowly moving my things in, as the counters are finished, and the drawers are in place. It is absolutely gorgeous! Matt still needs to add some shelves and frame in the window to tie it all together, but it is useable space and I LOVE LOVE LOVE it! Since these photos were taken, I have gotten my things put away and have actually considered starting a project or two. I haven't scrapbooked since Christmas, so I'm having some withdrawls, but soon I will be ready to go. Thanks for looking! Can't wait to be back in the swing of things here in the next couple of weeks and posting more projects and cards.

Pedicures and Robot Babies

My baby sister (the baby baby), Marianne turned 15 yesterday. I was fourteen when she was born, so there is quite an age gap between us. She has always been a little kid to me. I don't even have a lot of memories of living at home when she was around because I left for college when she was three. And as far as I'm concerned, she should still be three. But, now she is 15, all of a sudden. And a beautiful, sweet, and talented young lady.

Last weekend I ended up in a car with six 15-year-olds on our way to a pedicure party. My Mom had called me a few days before and asked me if I would be interested in trading kids. This meaning that she doesn't do well with a car load of teenage girls and would prefer my two babies at home to that any day. Of course, I am always one for a break from the little kids so I said I would take them to Eagle to the closest Nail Salon for pedicures. My mom even offered to pay for my own pedicure if I would drive them.

On Saturday the girls arrived and one of them had a robot baby with them. Yes, a robot baby. She was taking a teen living class for high school and she was assigned a crying, fussy, pooping robot baby for the entire weekend. Unfortunately, she had to bring it a long for the trip because, like all good mothers, that's what you do, and unfortunately, she was also a "single mom" so no help from a partner. So, along with six girls, my backseat still contained a carseat, except this time, it was a robot baby. So much for my break from crying and poopy pants.

This baby was an amazing piece of technology. It recorded all data from the day--everything from if you forget to support is neck to how long it cries each time before you tend to it's needs. And like all real babies, it's pretty realistic in the amount of time it eats, sleeps, and cries to be burped or changed. It was a very anatomically correct boy baby, which shocked me because I have only ever played with your basic baby dolls. It was as close to the real deal as you could imagine one to be. It cried the entire time we were having our pedicures (not unlike my own child would have been doing had I brought it along), and it cried while we ate Cold Stone's ice cream. (Also not unlike both of mine, who somehow could always sense when I was about to sit down and eat and they needed to eat as well). And you can imagine the looks we were getting from people at the sight of six 15-year-old girls playing mother hen to this doll in public.

I couldn't help but think how things have changed just since I was in school! (You know, back in the 90's?) We carried around an egg for about three days. There was no way of knowing how neglectful you were of you egg. There was simply a pass if the egg was intact and fail if the egg broke. I actually think I got bored with this project and left the egg in my locker except for the actual class of teen living. Luckily for Cameron and Tucker, I treat them a little better than the egg.

I had to laugh when all of the girls were trying to decide if they were going to go to a movie after pedicures and the girl who had the baby spoke up and said (overdramatically, of course), "I don't know if I can go, I do have this baby after all...."(snotty sighs from all the other non-mother girls)....(Said in an overdramatic teenaged girl voice)"Just go without me. I was up TWICE last night and all I want to do is go home and take a nap!"
Oh honey, if she only knew that TWICE in one night is actually a good night.........

So anyways, a new experience for me being around a robot baby. I'm still for giving each girl a shot that makes them feel labor and another shot that makes them feel morning sickness instead of the plastic baby. That would have stopped me from EVER having a baby. Actually, seeing as how I am on baby #3, I guess I am a slow learner after all.

Another thing about teenaged girls who get together in groups....they talk all the time and not necessarily to one another or even on one specific topic at a time. And usually they have a lot of inside jokes and nicknames for boys that they like, so it's really a challege to keep up with conversations. The other thing about teenagers these days compared to our days? Not only are they talking incessantly about boys and whatnots, they are also having full blown multiple conversations via texting while they are talking to each other in person! Amazing multitasking skills...until you start to listen to the conversations....and you get so confused you don't know what to think. I heard every conversation from asking someone to please stop biting their foot to the pros and cons of abortion in every situation, to the definition of "poaching". At that point, I had to butt in because I couldn't believe how misinformed these girls are. But the rest of the time, I realized that I am the lame ass OLD sister who is basically in the same category as Mom.

It's amazing how ditzy and deep they can be at the same time. It makes me miss my friends that were so important in my life at fifteen. The amount of time and energy we put into writing notes to one another (because duh, we didn't have cell phones back then) filling the margins with doodles and inside jokes, folded up into that funky looking triagle shaped notebook paper package that had the tuck in flaps? Lots of time and energy on these! The conversations that must have went on that we regarded as deep but people listening must have thought good lord! I miss those times. We would talk for hours on the phone about nothing and when we spent the night, we'd talk again for hours about nothing. We had nick names for every hot guy in school and nicknames for the ones that were the opposite, just to be mean. Teenage girls are so lucky. And at the same time......would you ever go back? It kind of makes me sad because I know my sister thinks she is the center of the universe right now. And she should. That's the great thing about being a teenager. Your world is the only one that matters. And it matters a lot. And in about 5-8 years, she'll be looking back and laughing. Wondering how it all went so fast. And now I'm sitting here looking at Cameron who is five, but thinks she's 15 and hoping it all doesn't go so fast. Life is funny how it just goes by and then you turn around and realize some major part is over and you didn't even realize you were in it. Too deep for a Friday afternoon? I agree.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend. I am emotional as hell right now and I love that about pregnancy because most of the time I'm a total hard ass about movies so I rented My Sister's Keeper for tonight with the full intent of having a good cry. Makes me feel good to feel that way sometimes. And Pizza for dinner. No cooking and an entire evening on the couch with a blanket. Can't wait.

Sweet Easter Thoughts

What can I say? I've got more redneck in me than I like to admit to. But when I saw this, I couldn't help but laugh. Seriously! Who takes these photos? And where is the rest of the rabbit? Happy Easter everyone? I'm getting ready to do some spring decorating, thanks to our new Hobby Lobby that just opened in Boise, and can I just say that I am in love with that store???????

I am having a little better luck with my pregnancy nasties and feeling almost human so I'm taking advantage of it today. Balanced the checkbook. Actually have money since I never leave the couch and go do anything. Funny how that works. But, on the other note, spent a TON over budget on eating out this pay period. I will avoid cooking like the plague, so $50 on pizza over the course of one weekend is a small price to pay.

My scrapbook room is beautiful and I'm moving my paper into my 16 paper slots. I should be back in the groove by the end of the month and working on layouts again. With a new baby coming, my goals are upped to get caught up and ready to go on a new baby scrapbook. My favorite kind.

I broke down and bought some "big mama" clothes yesterday at Fred Meyers. Why Fred Meyers? Because they have CHILD CARE. I have been a total anti-"daycare" freak for two and a half years. Every time we go there, the kids beg to go in and play and every time I say no, and then torture myself by trying to shop with two toddlers. Last month, I finally gave in and let them go. They loved it. I shopped. I didn't get coerced into buying extra things, I didn't swear once, the kids weren't crying. They played happily with toys while I shopped and didn't miss one thing on my list. So now I love Fred Meyers and go there as often as possible just so they can go to "day care". Yesterday I was shopping ON MY OWN, and there was another Mom who was still trying to control life and had THREE little ones with her. Her littlest one started to vomit. Everywhere. Like, bleh....stop....blehhhhhhh...again. I felt so bad for her. I wanted to help. I felt compelled to go over and handle the mess. But, I simply kept walking. Still feeling bad for the gal, but if there's a child care option, and it's secure and clean, take my advice and USE IT.

I know that the key to a successful blog is pictures, but I am being lazy and don't want to walk back downstairs to find my camera and upload, so today you will have to bear with simply my thoughts on life, without pictures to prove anything.

I just took Cameron to preschool wearing dirty too big jeans, a stained Adidas sweatshirt, and a ballcap. No makeup. Bad hair. Trying not to throw up while I drove. This morning sickness thing is kicking my ass. I swore I would never be "that mom". You know, the one who takes the kids to school in pajama pants and then proceeds to the grocery store in the same condition. But these days, I am finding it harder and harder to get myself together before say, noon? I can't believe how sick I am! I can't believe I didn't realize how sick I was going to be. Oh well, it's a little late now.

I went to the doctor yesterday for my first appointment. Everything looks good. Baby is 9 weeks and ultrasound shows everything to be right on track. He/she's cute already, but I may be predjudice. Matt said I was full of it, that he/she looks just like an alien. A mother's love....nothing like it.

I can thank the sunshine that it is now 3:00 pm and I finally got a burst of energy. Decided to scour the tubs and clean toilets. If I'm going to be a-pukin' might as well not be staring at mystery items while doing it. I've got a roast in the crock pot so hopefully dinner will be a breeze tonight. I'm having some major aversions to ground beef or anything raw and red for that matter. I just gag and gag while I try to cook it. Once again, happened the last two times, but I for some reason thought this time would be different.

Cameron knows we are having a baby. She put her hand on my stomach and asked how big it was. I told her about the size of a bug. She wanted to know how it comes out of there. Of course she does. I told her it comes out at the hospital. She wanted to know, "not where, mommy....HOW?????". I told her I thought I heard Tucker calling me, and I'd tell her later. So far, she hasn't remembered. But she will. yes, she will. And "it just comes out of mommy's tummy" isn't going to work for this kid. She'll probably have me blushing.

I'm going to work on my scraproom now. Still cleaning up dust and shavings, but slowly moving things into place. It's looking wonderful! Will post pics soon!

Sunday Book Review--6

Another Sunday Book Review, on a Monday! Seriously, one of these days I'll get my stuff together. In the meantime, you probably know I was out of town last week at the Logger's Conference. I decided to read a book out loud while we drove. For those of you who know Matt and I personally, you know that I am an absolute AVID and self-proclaimed BOOK NERD. And Matt takes pride in the fact that BassMaster's Magazine is the only thing he has read in the past ten years. He did a critical analysis in high school on a third grade level book titled, "Touchdown for Tommy". And he passed. I"m not sure what that says about our local school system...but that's a whole other post. Anyways, I suggested that I read out loud to him while we drove and he didn't get excited, but he didn't refuse it, so I dug in and went with it. We read the entire book of "The Shack". I'm not sure this was the best choice for someone who doesn't read a lot of different kinds of books, but we stuck with it, and Matt even prompted me to keep reading in between pit stops with the kids (another blog on taking a potty training two year old on a trip to come).

So here is Matt's review--(Shoulder shrug) "Ehhhh".

And here is my review--

The Shack by William P. Young


My rating: 2 of 5 stars
Not sure about this book. I figured if I waited a few days to make my decision, it might become clearer to me, but alas, it hasn't. I don't consider myself to be highly religious. I don't consider myself to "know" the bible. But I know enough to know this was a far stretch from biblical truth. Of course, it is fiction. I respect that. But when God came into the picture as a black woman making pancakes while using poor grammar, I was a bit taken aback. My main issue with this book is the fact that every time Mackenzie delved into a conversation with "Papa", I was left feeling guilty because I felt like I should be getting something profound out of the conversation, but I simply couldn't focus on the circles of words. As I was reading this outloud to my husband, it finally got to the point where I was reading ahead with my eyes and then skipping paragraphs with no meaning simply to spare him the boredome that I myself was having to experience.

I guess I felt like I would probably have gotten more out of the book if I were more religious. Or trying to find more religion. But the more I think about it, I just think it was a cheesy book.

One part that I did enjoy is the way that "God" relates his love and experiences with us much like we relate to our own small children. And I can accept this because the bible tells us the importance of "Childlike faith". So I was left feeling a little warm and fuzzy inside thinking that God probably does love us a lot like we love our small kids. Even when they are total stinkers and we're at wits end with them, we can always love and hug and kiss them and know that no matter what, they are our kids and that in itself is enough of a reason to continue to give them chance after chance after chance.

What was strange, too about this book was while we were driving to Eugene, we were passing some of the setting points from the book. The book focuses on the legend of Multnomah Falls, and sure enough, on our way home from Portland, we drove right past this place. This added to the story for sure, but not enough for me to recommend reading this book to anyone that I can think of. Sorry. I'm just as dissappointed as you are. I really wanted to love this book.

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