This and That

Although many of my friends have blogs that seem to have fallen by the wayside a bit, I still have a few that regularly publish stuff. I really enjoy reading their blogs and every time I do I think "I should just write more." I shouldn't worry about waiting for a better title or a more coherent theme. I like writing about my life but I spend too much time trying to craft a fabulous post and not enough time actually practicing the craft of writing.

The kids started school last week and we all started a new routine. So far things seem to be going along all right. They have made it to school on time every day and most mornings we have even managed to have scripture study first. I have been making a greater effort to get up early enough to manage the morning routine and I have also been trying to force them to stick with it. It still requires a lot of coaxing and reminding on my part, but I think we're making progress. Right now my main frustration is that when I leave the older two eating breakfast so I can get ready, I almost always emerge from the bathroom ten minutes later to find one or both of them in tears because they were fighting. They are both kind of cranky and sensitive in the morning, Little Dude especially, so I've actually been urging them not to talk to each other in the mornings. We'll see how that goes.

The last few days everyone has been particularly grouchy and touchy, and this morning was the worst as far as fighting went. However, for the last few days everyone has also had a runny nose and I think the kids have picked up a virus from school. When I got home from work today I realized that S-Boogie looked totally miserable. I took her temperature and realized that it was 102.7. No wonder she had been so cranky this morning! I gave her some ibuprofen, we ate leftovers for dinner, and I let the kids veg out downstairs watching Scooby Doo for an hour. We had planned to go to the library but that didn't seem like a good idea. Hopefully a good night's sleep will help everyone feel better and next week will be a better one than this one.

This was the first week of school at the university and so work has been extra crazy. We have the difficult combination of massively increased demand for items coupled with a bunch of brand-new student workers that need training. Every day has been an adventure and I'm looking forward to next Monday's holiday so much.

This weekend is also going to be exciting because I'm adopting two kitties. My friend has two kitties that need a home and I have been wanting to get a cat for a while. Two cats are not that much more work than one, and they can entertain each other while we're gone during the day. I have been a bit nervous to get all the supplies I need and to make the transition to being a pet owner. At least cats are pretty low-maintenance once you get everything situated and the kids are going to be so excited. I actually haven't told them yet, and I'm going to get the cats on Saturday morning so they will be here when the kids get back that evening.

I'm trying to get back into doing more things with my life besides cleaning the house, reading books, parenting, and working. The minimum requirements are getting done but I still feel like I want more hobbies and things. On other days, though, I feel happy with what I've got and remember that I still have time in the future when things won't be so intense. Who knows what the right choice is? I do know that I feel pretty sane most of the time so I guess that means that what I'm doing is all right. Maybe writing more on my blog will help my sanity too. We'll see.

The End is Near

The end of summer is almost here. The kids start school next week; today the school posted the lists so that they can see what class they are in. S-Boogie has a teacher that I have heard good things about, but none of the friends she has spent the last three grades with are in her class. She has taken that bit of news well, thankfully, and at least they get lunch and recess time to hang out. Little Dude has a teacher that I'm not familiar with, but his friend is in his class so I think he'll be all right.

I think we mostly had a good summer. It went by fast and I feel like I didn't do as much as I would have liked to. Next summer I should feel more settled in to my job and I'll have some time off, so that will help me be able to get a little more time for fun things. The kids did spend almost a week with my parents at their house, and then took another trip to California with my sister to go camping with my family.

I am, as always, anxious for a new season to start. Fall is my favorite season because of the cooler temperatures, the pretty fall colors, and the tasty food options. I'm also sick of my summer wardrobe and ready for a change, and I'm excited for the kids to be back in school again.

Fall always makes me want to set new goals and resolutions. I want to create a new schedule for the kids and get them back on track with doing more chores and spending less time on 'screen time'. (Today I had a brilliant idea that I'm going to try this fall: they can earn screen time by spending time outside or by reading. I think it might work). Lately I've been also wanting to do a better job of eating a more healthy diet. I've been trying to eat more fruits and veggies at snacks, since that is a particular weakness of mine. I've also been buying fewer snacks like granola bars for the kids, hoping we can get them to eat things like fruit, homemade muffins, or cheese. It's cheaper and more nourishing. I'm also trying to come up with better lunch options for them since neither of them likes sandwiches very much. Last year I let S-Boogie have school lunch twice a week, but this year they've raised the lunch price and Little Dude is going to school too so I don't know if I can still do that. I need to see how my budget looks without so much money coming out for childcare each month.

The thing I'm not looking forward to next week is getting everyone up and ready for the day each morning. I started my job towards the end of the school year last year, and Little Dude was in afternoon kindergarten, so I haven't had to be so strict about our schedule. This summer I've gotten a bit lax about my sleeping habits and I need to get back into going to bed early so my mornings go well. Hopefully I can find my self-discipline some time soon.

Reading Roundup: July 2012

Next to Love by Ellen Feldman

I love historical fiction about World War 2 and its aftermath so this book was a perfect fit for me. I liked that it stretched from the war years into the next decade, because this a period in American history that is not often written about. My only complaint with the book was the fact that it jumps forward quite a bit in time and covers many of the same events from multiple perspectives; this made me feel like there was so much more to the story that I could have read about and I had a hard time just settling and really enjoying the book as much as I would have liked to.

The Submission by Amy Waldman

It's been a while since I read a book that pulled me in emotionally in the way that this one did. It is not a mystery in any way, but the twists and turns in the plot kept surprising me clear up until the end. I was also unhappy with the ending; that doesn't mean this isn't a great book. It made me angry, and sad, and frustrated, and that to me is the mark of an excellent book. 

The Lady of Bolton Hill by Elizabeth Camden 

Although I've read a fair amount of LDS fiction, I have not read much Christian fiction. I decided to start with this one because the plot sounded interesting to me (it was vaguely similar to North and South but much less meaty). I thought the editing was well-done and the book was mostly well-written, but towards the end it veered off into weird complications and heavy-handed moralizing that just didn't work for me.

I'll Be There by Holly Goldberg Sloan

Based on the plot description I thought this book was going to be much more serious than it turned out to be. The plot itself was rather heavy, but the writing still was somewhat quirky and lighthearted and that took a bit of getting used to. If you liked Holes and you're looking for something a bit more grown-up, this would be a good book for you. 

Charles and Emma: The Darwin's Leap of Faith by Deborah Heiligman

This was my book club pick for the month and I wish I could have had a chance to be there for the discussion of it. I really loved reading it and I feel like I learned so much more about Charles Darwin and his life than I thought I would. I think more people should read this book if nothing more than for learning what a fabulous human being Darwin was, and what a good marriage looks like. 

Never Tell by Alafair Burke

When I read the description of this book I didn't realize that it was part of a series. It worked out all right as a stand-alone, but I didn't like the lead character very much and I wonder if I would have liked her more after reading other novels about her. Mostly the book ended up feeling like a long episode of Law and Order.

Lying Awake by Mark Salzman 

We read this for our book discussion at the Segullah retreat, but unfortunately I ended up missing the discussion. It was a deceptively simple book that reads easily but actually has a lot of important points to think about. I like books like this that do such a good job presenting a world that most of us are never going to experience for ourselves. 

Movies

War Horse

I wanted to like this movie so much; I love Spielberg and I love big sweeping historical movies. But, this movie was like watching a series of beautiful paintings. It was lovely to look at, but emotionally empty because the plot was disjointed. Although the horse was the common thread between all the events of the plot, we cannot get inside his head and so the movie ended up feeling like it lacked a center. 

Downton Abbey, Season One

I'm a bit late the party on this (and yes, I know it's not a movie, but humor me a little) and I wish I had watched it much earlier. I love a good period drama, but I can also see why this appeals to so many different people. Unlike other multi-character dramas that I've watched (ahem, Mad Men), the characters were actually sympathetic and very human. I really enjoyed watching this a lot and I'm having a hard time waiting until Season Two comes in to the library for me.