WWRW: The Good, the Bad, and the May Link-Up

Did you miss me on A Seeking Heart with Allison Gingras this past Monday?

No worries. You can still listen to us discuss turkey bacon, tiaras, and technology by clicking here.

I've read lots of fiction for kids this past month, and quite honestly, not much of it is worth recommending.

This is what you do want to read:

Popular: How a Geek in Pearls Discovered the Secret to Confidence by Maya Van Wagenen.

Maya discovers a vintage book on popularity written in the 1950s and puts each chapter to the test in her 8th grade year at a public middle school in Brownsville, Texas. This book is NON-fiction. An actual 8th grader did things like wear a girdle, put vaseline on her eyelids, and sport a hat and gloves.

Maya is terrific writer, especially because at this time she is only fifteen. I hear that her book might be made into a movie. The chutzpah she had to do what she did...I have to say I really admire her.

Brownsville middle school is not a G rated place. Pregnant seventh graders, drug-sniffing dogs, in-school lock-downs are routine. This book is definitely not for the faint of heart.

Does Maya become popular? It's hard to say. The conclusions she comes to in her year-long experiment are incredibly insightful and can be applied to all ages. Maya is one "swell" kid.

It's no secret that we are bigtime John Flanagan fans over here. I recently re-read the first of the Brotherband Chronicles, The Outcasts. I remember being underwhelmed the first time around but now that I own an autographed copy of Book 5 (squee!) I began again.

Now I remember! I was frustrated that a plot twist in the last chapter or two chops off the story in media res.

This time however I was able to dive right into The Invaders: Brotherband Chronicles, Book 2. Hal and his seafaring friends are still on a long term quest, but I feel more settled now that Book 2 ended on a more positive note.I even got Book 3 from the library, because I must follow this until the end.

For all of you die-hard Ranger's Apprentice fans, Hal and Thorn are like Will and Halt. But with boats. Lots of boats and no horses.

Now for the rest or What Not to Read. I'm not going to bother making Amazon links for these, because they're just not worth my time or yours.

Masterminds by Gordon Korman. Meh. Kids in a seemingly perfect town learn that they are clones in a social experiment (The Truman Show?), and that their "parents" have lied to them their entire lives.

Very angst. Many hurts. Much unhappy with the grown-ups.

Also, the book is one big set-up for a series so the ending is really just the beginning and you know how I get irritated by that. Of all the books that I'm down on, this one is the least objectionable. I was annoyed by it, that's all.

Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson is about a girl, her quirky family, and the hotel they run in NYC. Could be fun and cute except that on page 1 we learn that it's Scarlett's fifteenth birthday. In the next few chapters, she falls in love with her college age brother's friend. Can you say statutory rape? Also her brother, the 19 or 20 something one is getting involved with one of the guests. A guest who is easily in her 50s. Hello Mrs. Robinson. Ew. I didn't finish it.

The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley is about a girl with a clubfoot in England at the start of World War II. She is abused by her single mother, escapes the apartment she has been confined to her entire life, and gets relocated with other evacuees (including her brother) in rural Kent. In Kent, she finds acceptance and love in the home of her host.

Two problems.

First of all, I have read this book before. Different title. Boy child abused by his single mother, evacuated to rural England, rehabilitated by his host. It was called Goodnight Mr. Tom by Michelle Magorian. Both books are terribly tragic. The abuse story-lines are hard to stomach.

Secondly, in The War That Saved My Life, the woman who takes in the disabled girl and her brother is quite clearly a lesbian. She has suffered depression since the death of her lover. Taking in and caring for two evacuated, underfed, and disadvantaged children pulls her out of self-absorption and despondency.

Girls Like Us by Gail Giles. I want to like this book. The story of two special-ed high school graduates getting a home together and starting their adult lives is touching.

Let me just mention a few of the troubling topics.

Gang rape.

That's probably enough but there's more.

More rape.
And violence.
And abuse.

It was very painful to read.

Yes, the two mentally disabled young women become friends and find support and get their lives in order. But in a kids' book?!

Ok. I can't end on that note so let me direct your attention to my Instagram feed.

La, la, la, la, la...happy happy joy joy! That's Jill reading Perfect Square by Michael Hall.

Looking for picture books? I read far too many to review so I take pictures of the good ones and use the hashtag #housewifespicepicturebooks.

The collection grows every day. Jill is insatiable and my library has no limit on check-outs. Take a gander at the bounty of beautiful books that are actually appropriate for children!

*deep cleansing breaths*

That's better.

Now link up your book reports! I mean book reviews. Here's hoping your reads have been more peace filled than mine. This link up will be open til around May 30th. Perfect for the procrastinating reader.

An InLinkz Link-up

WWRW: #housewifespicereads and Self-Help Books

Another possible title for this post is Lazy Blogger Links Up with Her Own Link-Up.

I'm a big Laura Vanderkam fan.  Like Malcolm Gladwell, her non-fiction prose is readable by my fiction-loving mind. Her book All the Money in the World: What the Happiest People Know About Wealth is a keeper. I bought it. I rarely buy books. 

Okay. That's not quite true. I only buy the best books.

All the Money in the World: What the Happiest People Know About Wealth explains how the happiest people are not the wealthiest. Far from it. The happiest people are the people who live within their means. Shoot. Now you don't need to read the book. But you should! I found it very inspiring!

What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast: And Two Other Short Guides to Achieving More at Work and at Home also by Laura Vanderkam has some interesting insights.

For example, did you know that willpower is a muscle in your brain?

Did you know that it's easier to exercise a muscle, any muscle, including willpower, earlier in the day?

It's more difficult to exercise willpower later in the day because we get tired. That's why people blow their diets or blow off exercising or procrastinate more later in the day.

But wait!

If something is a habit, you don't use your willpower muscle to do it.

Vanderkam uses the example of brushing one's teeth.

Hopefully, teens and adults have made a habit of brushing teeth before bed. We don't have to talk ourselves into it. It takes zero willpower.

At some point, an action repeated regularly becomes a habit.

I'm not exactly certain when that transformation occurs because my three year old still must be cajoled into brushing her teeth. And wiping for that matter. And washing her hands after wiping.

TMI? My apologies.

I'm not quite through with What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast: And Two Other Short Guides to Achieving More at Work and at Home buxt I'm insprired to make better use of my early morning hours. Perhaps even to *gasp* blog more!

#housewifespicepicturebooks

Because my blogging time is severely restricted what with running the insane asylum in tandem with running St. Jude's School for Kids Who Wanna Read Good, I've started using Instagram more.

Taking my cue from some other book-loving bloggers, I've started taking pictures of books and using the #housewifespicepicturebooks hashtag for kiddie lit and #housewifespicereads for everything else.

Don't run and search those hashtags this minute because you will find less than four posts. My hope is that my collection will grow over time. Someday you may find yourself in the library and wonder "What did Jessica recommend for toddlers?" Then you can search the #housewifespicepicturebooks hashtag and see lots of good book ideas.

I 'grammed a picture of Trim Healthy Mama by Serene Allison and Pearl Barrett.  This book is nearly 600 pages. Jam packed with nutritional information, scientific and medical studies, and recipes, the former Christian music artist sisters promote a healthy way of living that boils down to one recommendation.

Eat healthy fats (in moderation). Eat good carbs (in moderation). But don't eat them together.

They have lots of other recommendations too such as cutting out sugar and refined wheat, waiting three hours between your fatty meals and your carby meals.

I know giving up sugar aids weight loss. I joined Whole Parenting Family's Nell for a No Sugar for 30 Days Facebook group. Not only did I start waking up on my own, but I lost four pounds without even trying.

Trim Healthy Mama has a whole chapter devoted to hormones and why birth control pills are bad for you.

I've been reading and re-reading the same chapters over and over again, because I'm having difficulty remembering what all of the acronyms stand for. However, I'm test-driving their plan and trying some recipes.

Serene and Pearl have large families, are Christians, and homeschool. I appreciate getting advice from someone who understands my lifestyle as they do. Their distinct personalities come through when you read how Serene soaks all of her nuts and grains before eating, whereas Pearl advocates the use of "Franken" foods like fat free Redi-Whip.

I'm linking this post up with the April WWRW Link Up.  It's still alive, it's still open for now. Come May 6th, I'll have a brand new sparkly link-up all ready for you.  Until then check out all the wonderful reviews of what other bloggers are reading.

7QT: March Madness

1. Susan's Prom Planning Meeting

"Mom, you haven't blogged about me in a while. Are you going to blog about me soon?"

This email went out to all the seniors at Susan's school:

Hello Senior Board Members,
This Friday, February 27th, we are having a Prom planning meeting.  You hopefully saw the flier John and Emma handed out.  This is not mandatory, so if you cannot make it no worries.  If you are planning to be here, please RSVP to this email.
Its very important that you RSVP, so please reply to this if you are coming!
Thanks,
Mrs. S
Mrs. R
Mrs. C

This email from an unknown party followed soon after:

Change of plans the meeting will be changed from this Friday to this Thursday the 26th. Please try to make this change fit your schedules accordingly and sorry for the inconvenience. Thanks for all you do 

See, one of the email addresses was entered incorrectly, so Mrs. S had to clear up matters:

Ignore this last email.  It from a wrong email address for Emma.  Don't know who it went to...someone who is being obnoxious, that's for sure!!!!!!!!!!!

But she forgot to remove "Evan" from the email thread:

With the new material that was dropped on me this morning it is absolutely imperative that all of you are in attendance this Thursday. If you absolutely can not make it please email me and let me know. Again I apologize for the inconvenience... If it is any consolation Max has volunteered to bring in a lovely vegetable tray and deli platter for us to snack on as we will be in this meeting for the long haul Thursday night. Thanks again!

Personally, I think Susan should ask "Evan" to the Prom. Alas, the meeting was on Friday and he and his deli platter did not show.

2. Painting Furniture.

Is it still "in"?

Because I have a china cabinet that I loathe and rather than buy a new one, I think I could paint it to look like this one.

Or this one.

Or this.

I figure if Ethan Allen is still doing it, it's gotta be "on trend."


3. Springfield, where our governors make our license plates.

We're planning a day trip to Springfield this month.  We've done it before awhile back.

The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum is incredible. You walk through Abe's parents' log cabin, Mary Todd Lincoln's White House, and you go into the Lincoln's box at Ford's Theater.

We haven't done the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library before, but I've heard the exhibits there are terrific as well.

We also need to visit Lincoln's tomb.  The one that was nearly robbed by carpet baggers who were trying to re-start the war. And his house from when he was an attorney.

4.

As usual, we are doing some larnin' to prep for this excursion. We've been reading lots of books about Lincoln including Abraham Lincoln by the D'Aulaires, and Russell Freedman's Lincoln: A Photobiography.

We are also going to watch Daniel Day Lewis's Lincoln movie as well as The History Channel documentary: Stealing Lincoln's Body.

5. When we get to Springfield, I surely hope to eat a horseshoe. Or at least a pony shoe.

That would be a hamburger on Texas toast covered with french fries and smothered in cheese sauce.

Don't be judging.

6.  Thorntons be hitting all the capitals this year. (Capitols are the buildings, capitals are the cities.)

Peter, Susan, and Lucy

We are very fortunate to have relatives who love us enough to take All of us into their home every now and then for Easter. We love all of them and always have a crazy-wonderful time.

I spoke with Mr. McFeely about the recent passing of Fred Rogers at this time. 

We did our nation's Capitol and egg rolling at the White House last time. It's one of the few things my older kids remember from our last trip in 2004.

Mt. Vernon with Lucy, Edmund, and Peter. Maybe I should go back to my Dharma haircut? 

We are making our lists and checking them twice. Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the monuments, and the dum-dum statue are all on the itinerary.

We're reading and watching reference materials for this odyssey too. Movies like Night at the Museum and National Treasure. High brow stuff, indeed. Yes, I'm open to suggestions here. Grasping at straws.

7.  This is so bad, it's good.

Let It Go - The Sacrament of Confession version

Hanging with Kelly's Crew for 7QT. 

WWRW: Twitter Style.

The True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp by Kathi Appelt. National Book Award Finalist. Might be my favorite Appelt book. Holes meets Hoot with raccoons, sugar pies, gator wrestling, and a cryptid. Gotta love a cryptid.

Rain Reign by Ann M. Martin. Winner of the first #CharlotteHuck award. High-functioning autistic girl loves rules and homonyms. Loses dog in hurricane. Sad homelife with single dad who drinks. Happy ending makes it worthwhile.

Pi in the Sky by Wendy Mass. very sci fi. Not my fave. Hard to get into another world, species, etc. Protagonist runs around most of the book trying to find a solution to his problem, but not finding it. Enjoyed the afterword.

Separate Is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez and Her Family’s Fight for Desegregation by Duncan Tonatiuh. Pura Belpre Illustrator Honor Book and Robert F. Sibert Honor Book. Little known (to me) story of California's desegregation of Mexican American schools. Fascinating pictures with Aztec? influences? Jill thought the ears were weird.

The Dean's Watch by Elizabeth Goudge. Old favorite. Big time Goudge fan here. First few chapters are rough going. Much description. Very historical background. Stick with it because this book is a treasure. New discoveries every time I read it. Also, Jill may be Bella.

An InLinkz Link-up

7QT: Rinks Rule!

1. We have a winner!

Would Susan Kolosionek come on down! You have won the Blackberry Sage Dragon Soap from RobinsOwn (that I bought because Robin doesn't know me from Adam) and the teal soap dish (from TJ Maxx).

2. Have you seen this Reese Witherspoon movie, The Good Lie? 

So good.

Reese is not really the star of this film, but she is the headliner. The Good Lie, for those of you who live under a rock or in a cave as I do, is about three of the Lost Boys of Sudan, their journey to Kenya, and eventually to America.

There is one not great scene, the first scene with Reese. The movie is rated PG-13. I think the rating is spot on, though I did let my 12 year old watch it.

So good.

The Good Lie reminded me of the incredible children's novel I read and reviewed about the Lost Boys of Sudan by Linda Sue Park called A Long Walk to Water: Based on a True Story.

Edmund doesn't know it yet, but he's reading A Long Walk to Water: Based on a True Story in the near future.

3. Big skating party here yesterday. 

A (young, hip) seminarian-deacon came over as well as a dozen or so friends and family.

He said he couldn't skate, but he was skating backwards and whipping around the rink like nobody's business. I did hear that he can't stop though.

The little girls and I stayed in the warmth and made blueberry muffins.

It was picture perfect.

The rink definitely puts a positive spin on winter. Edmund uses the rink every chance he gets for recess and has neighbor kids or cousins over most days after school.

We've accumulated an enormous stash of skates so we can provide for just about any size, including Lucy's entire skating party of fifteen teens. We had enough hockey sticks for them all too.

I bet we have your size if you'd like to come visit!

Exercise, endorphins, and sunshine are just a few of the benefits. My kids are all good skaters now. Jill will get her first pair next year.

4. Some people have pools, some people have rinks.

Heather at Mama Knows Honeychild asked on my IG picture if it's difficult to build a rink.

Yes, Heather. It is difficult to build a rink, but if you live North of Arendelle, it's worth it.

First you need plywood and 4 by somethings to build your boards (sides). Wood is not cheap. We store our boards in our crawl space during the off season.

The boards go up Thanksgiving weekend or as close to it as we can get.

We buy a liner from Nice Rink in Wisconsin.  Patrick, or one of our rink building relatives with a large vehicle, will make the trek to the factory and pick up the liners for a few of us.

The liner alone costs about $400.  Ours is the biggest backyard rink we've seen, so it's the most expensive too.  Can't re-use the liner, because come spring, the sides are shredded and it's gross.

Then there's the water. We run a hose from our basement laundry sink to the rink for about 72 hours. It's a big rink. The deep areas fill first and the shallow areas fill last. The deepest part of our rink is 11-12 inches deep. We get billed for the water and the sewage/waste-water too, even though we put the water in the public drain. The water costs are about $200, much less for a smaller rink.

The next part is up to Mother Nature.  Zero degrees (Fahrenheit) for 24 hours makes 3 inches of ice. If the temps are above zero, but below 32, it takes longer. On average, our rink freezes in about 4 days. It won't be solid yet, but it will be skate-able.

Anytime we have a day above freezing, the rink starts to melt. It's too slushy to skate on, but a short thaw can re-surface it nicely.

Otherwise, Patrick re-surfaces the rink himself with a homemade device called a rink rake.

5. Other Important Rink Facts

Snow can ruin your rink, especially slushy, wet snow. If that slushy, wet snow freezes on your rink, the texture will be like a gravel road.

We never had a snowblower until we had to shovel our entire backyard.

Many people ask if the rink ruins the grass.

No. A thick heavy block of ice on top of the grass does nothing to it.

6. Pa! The Chinook Is Blowing!

When and if spring comes, the ice begins to thaw beyond all hope of recovery. We use an electric pump to pump the water to the curb so as not to flood our neighbors' yards.

Then we cut up the liner into manageable pieces and throw it away. This must be done as soon as possible because a heavy piece of wet plastic on a warm(ish) day will kill your grass.

Then the boards come down and go in the crawl space until next winter.

Patrick always gets sad when this happens, but SPRING!

7. Don't forget! This Wednesday is the March What We're Reading Wednesday Link-Up!

I'm late to the link-up party with Kelly and the Krew for 7QT Friday.

WWRW. 3/4/15. Must. Not. Forget.