Some Books I've Read Lately...

"Regeneration" by Pat Barker was kind of a slow read but was a great historical fiction about the impact of trench war in Europe and the psychological impact of PTSD that wasn't really recognized then like it is now. I have put the other two books in this trilogy in my wish list on www.paperbackswap.com.

"A Reliable Wife" by Robert Goolrick. I read this book in one night. Also a historical fiction, a woman with a past answers an advertisement looking for a wife placed by a man with a past. How their lives intertwine is a definite page-turner, and it was a great love story with a powerful theme of ultimate forgiveness.

"Witch & Wizard" by James Patterson (umm wow the picture is big but I can't figure out how the heck to resize it, sorry) This is the first installment in a new young adult series by James Patterson. A brother and sister who find out they are a witch and a wizard are imprisoned by a "new order" government. I think this series is going to be worth keeping up with.

Last night I started "A Lesson Before Dying" by Ernest Gaines and got about a quarter of the way through it. So far I've added a couple books to my original reading list but I think I'm keeping up pretty well...

Thursday ramblings...

I realized after Brittany over at The Greer Five http://thegreerfive.com/ featured me on her blog (Thanks Brittany), I hadn't gotten a chance to blog in a while so I'm going to ramble for a few minutes and then try to get myself back in a routine again.

Things are crazy busy around here. I'm in the process of spring cleaning (wishful thinking with snow on the ground but I'm ever hopeful) but it's makng my house more of a mess than it was to begin with. :) I'm trying to go room by room and get rid of things and rearrange and reorganize so making a mess to get everything in order is well worth it to me.

Court proceedings are...well they are proceeding...it's a long process but I'm confident of the end result and I'm trying to have faith in the system to do the right thing, and although they have yet to prove it to me, I'm holding strong.

The two and the three-year old are going through a "terribles" phase and good grief, it wears me out! The seven and eight-year old are doing great although a little rambunctious (as boys generally are) with not being able to get outside and play in this freezing weather. The thirteen-year-old still isn't speaking to me but I still love him and have faith we will work it all out.

I've read a few books lately that I enjoyed, but I didn't love them enough to do individual reviews on them, so I'll do a short synopsis of all of them in the next blog. I do, however, totally recommend the new YA series that James Patterson is doing and read the first installment "Witch and Wizard" and now I'm kicking myself. I hate, hate, hate waiting on the next book in the series to come out. I would rather wait on the whole series to be written and then read it straight through. I didn't touch a Harry Potter book until this past year for that very reason.

OK I'm off to work on the cleaning some more and see if the "wonder spray" that the hubby got me will actually take Sharpie off the walls like it claims (thanks to the little guy for the extra work, ughhh).

Anyway, to wrap it up, there's a ton going on around here but I'm hanging in there like a champ and ready for the next challenge to make good things happen. Have a great day!!

Meet Mr. Romance

Yep here he is girls...it's ok to be jealous...he's all mine! :)

He would kill me if he knew I put this picture on here - this is him at a party after he had a few brewskies attempting a dance of some sort. LOL

My husband is an amazing guy - and much more handsome than in this picture. He's a great guy, my best friend, an amazing dad...he has it all...except that he does not have a single romantic bone in his body. He hates chick flicks and will only watch them if I have whined sufficiently for a period of days until he gives in. He doesn't do PDA at all - not even a peck in public. When we discussed our "wedding kiss", he said he had a plan and the words "One, two, three, BREAK!" were actually spoken out loud. His idea of romance is picking up a Diet Coke for me on his way home from work at the gas station. It IS sweet that he does things like that; however, not what I would consider "romantic".

I've been talking about my reading list for 2010 and I got "Leaves of Grass" by Walt Whitman in the mail today. I show my dear husband and say "Honey, we could go have a picnic in the park this summer and you could read this to me. It would be romantic"

Mr. Romance's response? "I'm not doing that. That's the gayest thing I've ever heard." (**Disclaimer: My husband is not a homophobe - felt that needed to be clarified at this point.)

At the moment before he said this, I had taken a slurp of my scalding hot coffee. The moment he said it, I couldn't help but snort and hot coffee shot out my nose. I burned my nose on the inside and now I can't stop sneezing today.

Yep, I think we're in the running for romantic couple of the year around here.

2010 Reading List

I'm working on my reading list for the upcoming year. I made a goal to read 26 books this year, but I've only managed to come up with 23 for the list so far. Please feel free to leave me comments with more suggestions. Realistically I love to read so I will probably end up reading more than 26 books but I'm starting with 26 on the list to follow rather than wandering willy nilly through the bookstore trying to curb my desire to grab every book in sight.

Without further ado, here is the list so far in no particular order:

1. "The Bolter" by Frances Osborne
2. "Say You’re One of Them" by Uwem Akpan
3. "The Looming Tower" by Frances Wright
4. "Prisoner of the State" by Zhao Ziyang
5. "The Bear" by William Faulkner
6. "God: A Biography" by Jack Miles
7. "The Unsettling of America" by Wendell Berry
8. "Underground" by Haruki Murakami
9. "Leaves of Grass" by Walt Whitman
10. "Gilead" by Marilynne Robinson
11. "The Regeneration Trilogy" by Pat Barker
12. "The Handmaid’s Tale" by Margaret Atwood
13. "A Lesson Before Dying" by Ernest Gaines
14. "No Excuses" by Kyle Maynard
15. "Echo in the Bone" by Diane Gabaldon
16. "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society" by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
17. "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" by Seth Grahme-Smith and Jane Austen
18. "Have a Little Faith" by Mitch Albom
19. "Her Fearful Symmetry" by Audrey Niffenegger
20. "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy
21. "Julie & Julia" by Julie Powell
22. "The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane" by Katherine Howe
23. "The Magicians" by Lev Grossman
24. "The Lace Reader" by Brunonia Barry
25. "Sharp Objects" by Gillian Flynn
26. "Making a Family Home" by Shannon Honeybloom

Any other suggestions? As you can see by this list, I don't discriminate when it comes to books, I read all genres. I'm revisiting a couple from school days but let's face it, as an adult sometimes it's nice to refresh the memory now and then.

I signed up for paperbackswap.com this past year because I kept hearing great raves about it, and if you have patience and don't want particularly "new" books, it's a great site. But if you want anything that is new or rare, might as well get on a waiting list...I think the waiting list for "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" is like 45 weeks or something, gah. The price is right though and my hubby has been happy that I've cleared out some of my paperbook stash I could stand to part with also (which isn't many, I hate getting rid of books, I'm a book packrat).

I'm starting off with "Gilead" by Marilynne Robinson because I received it in the mail the other day. I'll let you know how it was when I get done with it.

Leave me some suggestions if you've read anything great lately!! Happy reading!

Is there a difference between a resolution and a goal?

Resolution: 1) Resolve or determination; to make a firm resolution to do something. 2) The act of resolving or determining upon an action or course of action, method, procedure, etc. 3) The mental state or quality of being resolved or resolute; firmness of purpose.

Goal: 1) The result or achievement towards which effort is directed; aim; end. 2) The terminal point in a race.

I guess in this case one word really leads to the other; you make the resolution to get to the goal. Unfortunately I really suck at resolutions and rarely make them. Just using the word "resolution" itself makes me feel like I'm setting myself up for a big failure.

This year instead I'm setting myself a list of goals, some of which I am keeping to myself and some of which I will share with you.

• I still have 20-25 pounds to lose from the last pregnancy. The littlest is 2 years old now, the post pregnancy excuses are gone. I've got to get up off my butt and do it.
• I am going to take a knitting class and maybe a sewing class also this year. I started knitting scarves on this little loom thing but I would love to be able to really knit, and knit something besides scarves. I'm just hoping to find a class out there that can cater to the left hander that learns everything backwards when it comes to crafts and such.
• I am going to read at least 26 books this year. I started with a grand plan of 50 but with five kids and craft projects, oh and that house cleaning and laundry stuff, I decided I had to pare it down some. I am currently working on this book list, which I will share in an upcoming blog, and I also need to find my booklight, which is in the abyss of my bedroom somewhere and put new batteries in it, since I do my best reading at night before bed.
• I am going to get through all of the impending court dates we have this year without having a nervous breakdown (I hope).
• I want to have potty training complete in our house this year and never buy another diaper again - EVER!!
• I am going to try to make a menu and corresponding grocery list every week and stick to it so that we are eating better around here, which should also assist with the first goal.
• I want one monthly date night with my husband - any babysitting volunteers out there?
• I am also going to really try to keep up on the blogging regardless of what else is going on with my life this year.

These are just a few of a list of GOALS (not resolutions) I have set for myself this upcoming year. Do you call them resolutions or goals? What goals have you set for yourself for 2010?

The cold weather is approaching - it's reading season!!

The time of year has arrived when I start making a reading list for myself and the kids. I love to read and enjoy sharing my love of reading with the children also. I believe the benefits of enjoying a good book are life-long.

I started my list with the new Dan Brown book, "The Lost Symbol". Here is the description from the publisher:

"In this stunning follow-up to the global phenomenon The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown demonstrates once again why he is the world's most popular thriller writer. The Lost Symbol is a masterstroke of storytelling-a deadly race through a real-world labyrinth of codes, secrets, and unseen truths . . . all under the watchful eye of Brown's most terrifying villain to date. Set within the hidden chambers, tunnels, and temples of Washington, D.C.,The Lost Symbol accelerates through a startling landscape toward an unthinkable finale. As the story opens, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is summoned unexpectedly to deliver an evening lecture in the U.S. Capitol Building. Within minutes of his arrival, however, the night takes a bizarre turn. A disturbing object -artfully encoded with five symbols-is discovered in the Capitol Building. Langdon recognizes the object as an ancient invitation . . . one meant to usher its recipient into a long-lost world of esoteric wisdom. When Langdon's beloved mentor, Peter Solomon-a prominent Mason and philanthropist -is brutally kidnapped, Langdon realizes his only hope of saving Peter is to accept this mystical invitation and follow wherever it leads him. Langdon is instantly plunged into a clandestine world of Masonic secrets, hidden history, and never-before-seen locations-all of which seem to be dragging him toward a single, inconceivable truth. As the world discovered in The Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons, Dan Brown's novels are brilliant tapestries of veiled histories, arcane symbols, and enigmatic codes. In this new novel, he again challenges readers with an intelligent, lightning-paced story that offers surprises at every turn. The Lost Symbol is exactly what Brown's fans have been waiting for . . . his most thrilling novel yet. From the Hardcover edition."

This book kept me engaged from start to finish. I liked it even better than "The Davinci Code". I tend to be a fast reader, especially when it is a good book, and I had this one done in 2 days. I loved that the entire story took place in Washington, D.C. I also enjoyed the fact that you knew exactly who the villian was from start to finish and had realistic and descriptive visuals throughout the book.

I have read all of Dan Brown's books thus far and he will continue to be an author that I seek out for future reading enjoyment.

Mom Time...

Mom time comes in small spurts...naptime if I can get them to nap at the same time...after bedtime...very occasionally I wake up early in the morning before they get up and enjoy a hot cup of coffee on the screened in front porch. The early morning one doesn't happen very often because I am NOT a morning person in the least.

Top 5 things I like to do during Mom time:

1. Read. Right now I'm between books but I just finished Alice Sebold's "The Almost Moon". It was a good book but a little bizarre for me to read because of a history of an awkward relationship with my own mother. I'm a sucker for books. I love them. My bedroom is stacked with them. Recently I've attempted to part with a few by signing up for www.paperbackswap.com. I LOVE this website and it is a great money-saver, which is great for our family of seven.

2. Scrapbooking. I love to do this but I generally don't do it much during "mom time" because it involves a process of dragging out all of the supplies, actually accomplishing something and then putting all the supplies away again before little people come and start rifling through it all. For scrapbooking time I try to set aside a time when Daddy is home, invite my good friend Diane over and we set the baby gate up and block off the dining room so we have the whole table to ourselves without little hands "helping".

3. Sewing. This also has the dragging out of supplies issue. Although this one isn't as bad because my daughter knows when I drag out the sewing machine I am generally making something for her so she wants to help and watch. She is also very good at saying "No no, brothers! This is for GIRLS!"

4. Glass of wine and mindless TV. I like white the best but will go for an occasional red. My mindless TV choices lately are my old standby's "Grey's Anatomy" and "Private Practice" (which I am watching as I type this). I've also been watching "Modern Family" and "Cougar Town". I am also into the HGTV channel, "Ace of Cakes" and the Food Network. If there is nothing interesting on, I am a CNN junkie. My afternoon guilty pleasure is "One Life to Live". And no you don't have to tell me how lame that is...I already know.

5. A long hot shower. This has to be done while children are sleeping. I never shower in the morning and here is why. Small children banging on the door, small children stripping off their clothes and hopping in the shower with me, the older boys turning the water off and on in an attempt to scald me, or the husband hollering through the door for me to hurry up because the children are going crazy. (I often ask him what would happen if I died - he assures me he and the children will all move in with his mother. I wonder if she knows this? She would go to any lengths to keep me alive at all costs, that's for sure. lol)

What are your favorite things to do during "mom time" (or dad time, such as the case may be)??