The other day I asked about summer reading lists, and said I'd be back soon with mine. Here's bit of what I hope to read this summer (although when I'm writing a book, I don't always get a lot of pleasure reading done, and my actual To-Be-Read stack is ridiculously large.)
On my list:
Shirt of Flame by Heather King
Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters by Meg Meeker
Diary of a Country Priest by Georges Bernanos
Quiet, The Power of Introverts In a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain
I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
The End of the Affair by Graham Greene
The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery
Atticus plans to read*:
Watergate, by Thomas Mallon
The Fourteen Sisters of Emilio Montez O'Brien by Oscar Hijuelos
The End of the Affair by Graham Greene
The Book of J by Harold Bloom and David Rosenberg
Nothing Like the Sun (a reread by Anthony Burgess)
Henry Adams and the Making of America by Garry Wills
A Godly Hero, The Life of William Jennings Bryan, by Michael Kazin
The Memoirs of General Grant, by the guy buried in Grant's tomb
And whatever intriguing British police procedurals cross his path (along the lines of the Resnick novels by John Harvey)
This morning I'll be on Relevant Radio at 8 a.m. central time, talking books and summer reading. Some of my recommendations will come from our all-time favorite reads:
Picture Books:
Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney
Only Opal by Barbara Cooney
Jim Arnosky's books
Josephine Nobisso's The Weight of a Mass, Take It To The Queen and Francis Woke Up Early
All things Magic School Bus
Most things Tomie de Paola
All things Mr. Putter and Tabby by Cynthia Rylant
How My Parents Learned to Eat by Ina R. Friedman and Allen Say
Tea With Milk by Allen Say
How To Make an Apple Pie and See the World by Marjorie Priceman
For Ramona's age (9-12)**:
Frindle by Andrew Clements
All things Andrew Clements
All things Encyclopedia Brown by Donald Sobol
All things Little House
All things Betsy-Tacy
All things Hilda van Stockum
All things E.B. White
All things Frances Hodgson Burnett
The Borrowers by Mary Norton
The Penderwicks series by Jeanne Birdsall
Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
And, I'll be back later with favorites for teens!
*Atticus says: "Some of these contain material that some might find offensive, so beware."
** Varying levels of maturity -- be sure to check them out for yourself before handing them to your child, especially a very sensitive child.
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Why It Takes Me So Long To Write a Book
Or do anything, for that matter.
No one says this stuff better than Quinn Cummings:
Cannot wait to read her book on homeschooling.
No one says this stuff better than Quinn Cummings:
Cannot wait to read her book on homeschooling.
Monday, May 28, 2012
After Miscarriage mentions
A couple recent mentions of the book:
Leticia Velasquez wrote a lovely review of After Miscarriage -- it ran as a recent National Catholic Register Saturday Book Pick.
Q & A with Nancy Piccione at The Catholic Book Post Book Group, and a beautiful guest post at Nancy's blog.
Recent appearance on Catholic TV's This Is The Day.
Leticia Velasquez wrote a lovely review of After Miscarriage -- it ran as a recent National Catholic Register Saturday Book Pick.
Q & A with Nancy Piccione at The Catholic Book Post Book Group, and a beautiful guest post at Nancy's blog.
Recent appearance on Catholic TV's This Is The Day.
Sunday, May 27, 2012
If You're Not On Twitter or Facebook ...
Here's the kind of stuff I post over there.
I used to post the funny quotes here on the blog, but I've found that more and more they end up over there. Your world won't be shaken if you miss this stuff, but I thought I'd just share a couple of recent ones here:
I used to post the funny quotes here on the blog, but I've found that more and more they end up over there. Your world won't be shaken if you miss this stuff, but I thought I'd just share a couple of recent ones here:
Atticus to girls: "I'll teach you to cook all my best stuff this summer." Ramona: "I prefer baking." Anne: "I prefer the husband who cooks."
Ramona was waiting for me. When I was ready, she was busy. She said, "Now YOU'RE waiting for ME. This a cruel twist of fate."
Saturday, May 26, 2012
Food, Glorious Food
Lots of thoughts about food today.
Our Little Kid Book Club (this is not the official name, just the name I use in my head to distinguish between the older girls in my house/their book club, and the younger girl in my house and her book club) is getting together for pizza, a discussion of The Borrowers, and a screening of The Secret World of Arrietty.
In the past, we've done food with a theme for the Little Kid Book Club, as we did for Trumpet of the Swan, and Charlotte's Web. (Did I not blog about the Charlotte party? Darn it. We did some fun food for that one, too -- carnival food, served in little troughs ... fun stuff.)
This time, because it is the end of the school year,
because we are all tired,
because we are themed-out,
because sometimes creativity and planning and theming are overrated,
we will have Little Caesar's pizza.
Because, you know, the Borrowers are little. And there's the word little in Little Caesar's name, and, hey, that works when you are a homeschooling mom and it's the end of the school year.
And maybe we'll drink little glasses of water and have a little conversation and stay at my friend's house for a little while. And the kids are all little.
Yeah. That works for me.
Summer has arrived, and that means that Atticus is taking over the meal planning and cooking!
Do I even need to expand on that thought? There are not enough exclamation points in the universe to express my feelings at this moment. Do you know how much I love that man? And his cooking?
I'm in the midst of writing another book and I really need to finish it this summer. Atticus-In-The- Kitchen will help me do that.
Atticus, Glorious Atticus.
Our Little Kid Book Club (this is not the official name, just the name I use in my head to distinguish between the older girls in my house/their book club, and the younger girl in my house and her book club) is getting together for pizza, a discussion of The Borrowers, and a screening of The Secret World of Arrietty.
In the past, we've done food with a theme for the Little Kid Book Club, as we did for Trumpet of the Swan, and Charlotte's Web. (Did I not blog about the Charlotte party? Darn it. We did some fun food for that one, too -- carnival food, served in little troughs ... fun stuff.)
This time, because it is the end of the school year,
because we are all tired,
because we are themed-out,
because sometimes creativity and planning and theming are overrated,
we will have Little Caesar's pizza.
Because, you know, the Borrowers are little. And there's the word little in Little Caesar's name, and, hey, that works when you are a homeschooling mom and it's the end of the school year.
And maybe we'll drink little glasses of water and have a little conversation and stay at my friend's house for a little while. And the kids are all little.
Yeah. That works for me.
*****
Betsy's birthday is coming up and she has requested Winning Hearts and Mind Chocolate Cake for her celebration. It has become the go-to cake at our house.
If you make it, be warned: you will go-to that cake every chance you get.
*****
Summer has arrived, and that means that Atticus is taking over the meal planning and cooking!
Do I even need to expand on that thought? There are not enough exclamation points in the universe to express my feelings at this moment. Do you know how much I love that man? And his cooking?
I'm in the midst of writing another book and I really need to finish it this summer. Atticus-In-The- Kitchen will help me do that.
Atticus, Glorious Atticus.
*****
Friday, May 25, 2012
Poetry Friday: All That Is Glorious Around Us
I feel peaceful today, content to embrace my small life, and simple happinesses, and the imperfections of this world. And so this lovely poem by Barbara Crooker, tinged with sadness though it is, and washed in gratitude, is perfect and appropriate.
Love her.
All That Is Glorious Around Us
by Barbara Crooker
is not, for me, these grand vistas, sublime peaks, mist-filled
overlooks, towering clouds, but doing errands on a day
of driving rain, staying dry inside the silver skin of the car,
160,000 miles, still running just fine. Or later,
sitting in a café warmed by the steam
from white chicken chili, two cups of dark coffee,
watching the red and gold leaves race down the street,
confetti from autumn's bright parade. And I think
...
(Read the rest here, at The Writer's Almanac.)
*****
The round up today is at TeacherDance. Have a glorious and radiant Poetry Friday.
Thursday, May 24, 2012
What's On Your Summer Reading List?
 |
| photo from stock.xchng |
I'm compiling a list for a friend, and I'd love to hear what you and/or your kids want to read this summer.
Picture books? YA? Books for grown-ups? Spiritual reads?
Let's
(My list will follow soon ....)
Bit and Pieces of Our Days
The Post-Graduation Edition
Except that it's not exactly "post-Graduation" around here.
We have one more graduation celebration coming up. Same daughter, different town. Anne-with-an-e will join the larger, regional Catholic homeschooling group for its graduation Mass, ceremony, and reception.
We had the big local party here at our house, though, over the weekend -- family in town, ate lots of restaurant food, bid farewell to my parents on Tuesday, spent Wednesday doing laundry, and now we're looking forward to the next celebration of our grad (which, because it is out of town, will not require me to clean any toilets.)
*****
I love Instapaper. I love it almost as much as I love this pencil sharpener. And that's a lot.
*****
An impromptu tag-along to some friends' 4-H meeting last night led me to think about my love/hate relationship with 4-H, and crafts, and salt dough, and food coloring. So I was going to write about it here, but I just now realized that there's nothing to say about it other than the fact that I sometimes get crabby in the midst of it all, and then I apologize to my children, and ultimately I realize that it doesn't really matter whether or not I like arts and crafts. Ramona and Betsy do, and since I love them, I love their crafts, and I do what I have to do to help them out, inspire them, encourage them. Enough said.
*****
Blogging about 4-H made me think about tagging this post with the "4-H" tag, which made me realize that I haven't been tagging posts since Blogger morphed into the New Blogger and made me forget the tag option was there. This reminded me that I hate New Blogger with a passion that is practically an entity unto itself. Am I overreacting?
*****
Even though we dropped cable TV, we can still watch The Next Food Network Star online. It's a dorky family tradition, and the show has gotten sillier and sillier, as has the network, but we still have fun with it and it's an excuse to sit around eating ice cream with my girls and talk about Giada's scary smile.
Except that it's not exactly "post-Graduation" around here.
We have one more graduation celebration coming up. Same daughter, different town. Anne-with-an-e will join the larger, regional Catholic homeschooling group for its graduation Mass, ceremony, and reception.
We had the big local party here at our house, though, over the weekend -- family in town, ate lots of restaurant food, bid farewell to my parents on Tuesday, spent Wednesday doing laundry, and now we're looking forward to the next celebration of our grad (which, because it is out of town, will not require me to clean any toilets.)
*****
I love Instapaper. I love it almost as much as I love this pencil sharpener. And that's a lot.
*****
An impromptu tag-along to some friends' 4-H meeting last night led me to think about my love/hate relationship with 4-H, and crafts, and salt dough, and food coloring. So I was going to write about it here, but I just now realized that there's nothing to say about it other than the fact that I sometimes get crabby in the midst of it all, and then I apologize to my children, and ultimately I realize that it doesn't really matter whether or not I like arts and crafts. Ramona and Betsy do, and since I love them, I love their crafts, and I do what I have to do to help them out, inspire them, encourage them. Enough said.
*****
Blogging about 4-H made me think about tagging this post with the "4-H" tag, which made me realize that I haven't been tagging posts since Blogger morphed into the New Blogger and made me forget the tag option was there. This reminded me that I hate New Blogger with a passion that is practically an entity unto itself. Am I overreacting?
*****
Even though we dropped cable TV, we can still watch The Next Food Network Star online. It's a dorky family tradition, and the show has gotten sillier and sillier, as has the network, but we still have fun with it and it's an excuse to sit around eating ice cream with my girls and talk about Giada's scary smile.
Friday, May 18, 2012
Dear First-Year Homeschooling Mom (Yes, You -- the One Who Isn't Sure She Can Do This),
The main thing is that there will be countless times when you don't think you can do this.
You'll worry -- sometimes a little, sometimes a lot -- that you don't (and will never) have enough intelligence, versatility, knowledge, energy, humor, strength, endurance, foresight, insight, patience, time for napping, time for yourself, time to go to the bathroom, time to prepare lessons, time to think about why you started doing this in the first place.
There will be years when you wonder, "What was I thinking?!"
There will be days when you cry.
There will be moments when it occurs to you, "My parents were right -- I was crazy to take this on. Not for the reasons they thought -- which included their concern that I was becoming a certifiable fanatic -- but because I don't know what I'm doing."
There will be wakefulness at 3 a.m. You will think, "Have I ruined my children?"
Then one day, you'll realize that your oldest child is old enough to graduate. You will suddenly grasp a few truths.
You'll realize that you employed a little -- at least enough -- intelligence, versatility, knowledge, energy, humor, strength, endurance, foresight, insight, patience, time for napping, time for yourself, time to go to the bathroom, and time to prepare lessons, for her to reach this milestone.
You will have time to think about why you started doing this in the first place.
You will be grateful.
You will feel -- oh, how shall I put this? Amazed.
You'll say to yourself, "Now I know what I was thinking."
You'll cry, but they'll be tears of relief and happiness and pride in this beautiful, 18-year-old creature who stands before you. You'll think, "Yeah, Mom and Dad were on to something -- this was crazy. But it was right, it was good."
You'll wake up at 3 a.m. and wonder if you've planned enough food for the party.
And your parents will come to town to help celebrate this, the first graduation from your homeschool, and you will take them to lunch. They will tell you that they think you've done a fantastic job of raising and educating your daughters.
You'll almost cry again, but the waitress will interrupt you and ask if everything is okay.
Everything is.
Everything is okay.
Love,
Karen
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Meme Shortcuts
Lori passed on her "Versatile Blogger/Seven Things" meme, and I thought Haley tagged me for "11 Things" though I can't find my name on her list ... maybe I dreamed that part? (That's entirely possible. Probable, even.)
Anyway, I'm cheating/combining/answering Haley's questions, and throwing out seven things, too.
Haley's Questions:
1. What’s your favorite musical (I know, how to choose, right?!) If you don’t like musicals…oh, wait, that’s impossible because we couldn’t be friends.
It's a close call between Wicked and Les Miserables. I was so surprised that I liked Wicked, but I really loved it.
2. Who is your patron saint or who would you choose if you don’t have one?
Mary Magdelene. I love her so.
3. What literary character do you wish you were friends with in real life?
Anne Shirley. She would come over for currant wine and chit chat. Marilla would drop in too. And Matthew, because in the world in which I am friends with Anne, Matthew will never die.
4. Are there any movies that you like better than the book they’re based on?
I can't say that To Kill a Mockingbird is better than the book, but it's a beautiful movie adaptation, and Gregory Peck is an almost-perfect Atticus Finch.
5. What kind of monster/animal did you think lived under your bed when you were little?
A big, green hand. I have no idea what the rest of it looked like.
6. If you could live in any era, what would it be and why?
Edwardian. It's the dresses. I'm not even a dress person, really. But those dresses -- oh!
7. Dogs or cats?
I have one of each, and I tend to complain more about the dog. But I love her lots.
8. Mountains or beach?
Beach.
9. If you were trapped on a desert island with books from only one author, who would it be? (And no, you can’t just say “the Bible.”)
C.S. Lewis
10. Your favorite book when you were a child:
Nothing classic -- I didn't even read some of the most wonderful stuff until I was an adult. One of my favorites was something from the Daytona Beach public library. We lived there when I was ten while my father was stationed in Korea. I read and reread a book about a woman who had twenty or thirty cats, one of them named Felicity. I vowed I would one day name a child (or a cat) of mine Felicity. (I did not do this.)
11. Would you rather never be able to drink coffee again or never be able to eat dessert again?
Why don't you ask if I'd rather cut off my hands or my feet? But, okay, if I were forced to choose an answer to this sadistic question, I would choose to never eat dessert again. Coffee is my friend. My really, really close friend.
Seven Things for Lori:
1. Speaking of the beach, my daughters will see the ocean this summer for the first time in their lives. This makes me profoundly happy.
2. I baked today. A batch of Snickerdoodles, a batch of chocolate chip cookies, and two Winning Hearts and Minds cakes. I am awesome, or at least I get to think I am for these ten minutes during which I am basking in the glow of some pre-party prep for Anne's graduation.
3. I was born in Massachusetts.
4. I was a theater major for awhile. Atticus still says that theater majors don't know how to act when they're not acting. (But he married me anyway.)
5. Most of our furniture consists of hand-me-downs. But my sister, who handed much of it down, has excellent taste, so I really like the stuff she gave me and I don't mind a single bit. (I'm not very picky about that kind of thing anyway.)
6. Ramona, at this moment, is gluing tissue paper to a jar. This sort of thing makes her extremely happy.
7. I am not awesome about dinner and meal planning. Because I baked all day, it's no surprise that we will probably have carry-out pizza for dinner.
Anyway, I'm cheating/combining/answering Haley's questions, and throwing out seven things, too.
Haley's Questions:
1. What’s your favorite musical (I know, how to choose, right?!) If you don’t like musicals…oh, wait, that’s impossible because we couldn’t be friends.
It's a close call between Wicked and Les Miserables. I was so surprised that I liked Wicked, but I really loved it.
2. Who is your patron saint or who would you choose if you don’t have one?
Mary Magdelene. I love her so.
3. What literary character do you wish you were friends with in real life?
Anne Shirley. She would come over for currant wine and chit chat. Marilla would drop in too. And Matthew, because in the world in which I am friends with Anne, Matthew will never die.
4. Are there any movies that you like better than the book they’re based on?
I can't say that To Kill a Mockingbird is better than the book, but it's a beautiful movie adaptation, and Gregory Peck is an almost-perfect Atticus Finch.
5. What kind of monster/animal did you think lived under your bed when you were little?
A big, green hand. I have no idea what the rest of it looked like.
6. If you could live in any era, what would it be and why?
Edwardian. It's the dresses. I'm not even a dress person, really. But those dresses -- oh!
7. Dogs or cats?
I have one of each, and I tend to complain more about the dog. But I love her lots.
8. Mountains or beach?
Beach.
9. If you were trapped on a desert island with books from only one author, who would it be? (And no, you can’t just say “the Bible.”)
C.S. Lewis
10. Your favorite book when you were a child:
Nothing classic -- I didn't even read some of the most wonderful stuff until I was an adult. One of my favorites was something from the Daytona Beach public library. We lived there when I was ten while my father was stationed in Korea. I read and reread a book about a woman who had twenty or thirty cats, one of them named Felicity. I vowed I would one day name a child (or a cat) of mine Felicity. (I did not do this.)
11. Would you rather never be able to drink coffee again or never be able to eat dessert again?
Why don't you ask if I'd rather cut off my hands or my feet? But, okay, if I were forced to choose an answer to this sadistic question, I would choose to never eat dessert again. Coffee is my friend. My really, really close friend.
Seven Things for Lori:
1. Speaking of the beach, my daughters will see the ocean this summer for the first time in their lives. This makes me profoundly happy.
2. I baked today. A batch of Snickerdoodles, a batch of chocolate chip cookies, and two Winning Hearts and Minds cakes. I am awesome, or at least I get to think I am for these ten minutes during which I am basking in the glow of some pre-party prep for Anne's graduation.
3. I was born in Massachusetts.
4. I was a theater major for awhile. Atticus still says that theater majors don't know how to act when they're not acting. (But he married me anyway.)
5. Most of our furniture consists of hand-me-downs. But my sister, who handed much of it down, has excellent taste, so I really like the stuff she gave me and I don't mind a single bit. (I'm not very picky about that kind of thing anyway.)
6. Ramona, at this moment, is gluing tissue paper to a jar. This sort of thing makes her extremely happy.
7. I am not awesome about dinner and meal planning. Because I baked all day, it's no surprise that we will probably have carry-out pizza for dinner.
Monday, May 14, 2012
On the radio
Today, at about 10:10 a.m. central time, with Dina Marie Hale, at KBVM.fm.
I added a Radio/Appearances page to the blog -- I'll add direct links to mp3s of the interviews as I can.
Friday, May 11, 2012
Poetry Friday: I Many Times Thought Peace Had Come
I used this Emily Dickinson poem in After Miscarriage because it captures the ebb and flow of grief for me -- the uphill climb, the slide backward, the ongoing search for hope.
There are fictitious shores, yes -- but the Harbor is out there, waiting.
***
I many times thought Peace had come
When Peace was far away—
As Wrecked Men—deem they sight the Land—
At Centre of the Sea—
And struggle slacker—but to prove
As hopelessly as I—
How many the fictitious Shores—
Before the Harbor be—
~~ Emily Dickinson
************
The round up today is at Live Your Poem.
Wednesday, May 09, 2012
TV and Movie Talk
Last month, we got rid of cable TV in order to save a little money, so now we watch stuff past its prime via Netflix or Hulu. This is working extremely well (and thanks to my friend Beth for telling me about Roku, too) since we don't mind watching stuff a day or two later (or years later, in some cases.)
There are two situations in my life that make me want to turn to TV:
1. The end of a long day. Dare I say this is many days? Not always, and much more often on the weekends. But, at the end of a long or stressful day I like to curl up next to Atticus and watch something we both really enjoy. Add a glass of red wine. Perfect mix.
2. Working out. I have this thing called a Fitness Flyer (although I always forget its name and refer to it as the "Flexible Flyer" which leads Atticus to tease me about going sledding) which I bought from the Magical Mrs. M. for $15. It's the best $15 I ever spent, though I didn't fully appreciate that until this past Lent, when I added 45-minute workouts to my life. In the past, I couldn't get beyond the 20-30 minute mark on the Flyer without some pain in my back. This Lent, I pushed through the pain and extended the workouts to 45 minutes, many more times per week, and I got beyond the pain-in-the-back. Who knew that actually strengthening those back muscles would do the trick?
Anyway, while I'm working out/sledding, I watch something. Preferably, a show that will make me pine for the next episode, so that I'll be motivated to work out again.
Here's what I am/we are watching these days:
TV:
Awake
Atticus and I watch this one together. I'm a Jason Isaacs fan, so it had me at " ... starring Jason Isaacs" but I love the premise and so far love the execution. The last two episodes slowed down a bit for me, though, and I'm not sure they can sustain what they've started, but I'm enjoying watching it unfold.
Once Upon a Time
Anne-with-an-e, Betsy, me. Anne and I were late to this one, though. To catch up with Betsy, I watched an episode a day, during workouts. I loved what Haley said the other day about it. I agree with her, but mostly come out on the awesome side and have a lot of fun with it.
Friday Night Lights
Atticus and me. (Why, yes, we are always late to every party ... how did you know? I'm years behind on Lost, too, but more about that in a minute.) The football! (That is not a cheerleading kind of exclamation point.) The obsessions! The bad choices! More bad choices! Pathos, pathos everywhere, and not a clear head in sight!
After the first few episodes, I turned to Atticus and said, "I can't decide if I like it or if it makes me want to kill myself."
We watched the entire first season, but I may be done with it. It's just so exhausting to watch that many people wreck their lives. Still, I kinda want to find out what happens with Landry ...
Lost
Watched by me, during workouts and by Anne and Betsy whenever they can get their hands on a laptop computer. Couldn't get Atticus to watch it with me when it was on, and I still can't get him interested. I'm hooked. Anne and Betsy are almost a whole season ahead of me.
So don't tell me anything. Even though I kinda know where it's going because I read too many blogs and have too many friends who watched it for six years.
Movies:
Atticus and I have recently watched:
The Trip: Funny (especially the dueling Michael Caine voices), touching, thoughtful ... surprised me.
Midnight in Paris: Roger Ebert said, "This film is sort of a daydream for American lit majors." I couldn't have said it better. Perfect date night movie for Atticus and me. How often can you say, "Hemingway had me laughing out loud!" I loved this movie. Pass the popcorn.
Bright Star: Atticus and I watched this several months ago, and Anne and Betsy watched it very recently. John Keats, the love of his life, pining, death ... A different kind of perfect date night movie. Lovely. Jane Campion makes everything waft as in a celestial dream.
To Serve Them All My Days
This was one of the first shows Atticus and I ever watched together, back when we were dating oh-so-many years ago. A few months back, we watched it again and though it's now rather dated, it's really lovely, and funny and poignant and I loved it as much as I did the first time around.
***
Finally, I have to mention that Anne and Betsy recently watched Tootsie. Now they know why Atticus and I have said the following things for years (things which previously baffled them):
"Quick, quick, like little bunnies!"
"You were a tomato! A tomato doesn't have logic! It can't move!"
"You've got a Howard Johnson's thing going."
"It is for the money, isn't it? It's not so you can wear these little outfits?"
***
Disclaimer: Some of the above have varying levels of language and violence that might be offensive to some, so be sure to check them out for yourself before deciding what's appropriate for you, your kids, etc.
There are two situations in my life that make me want to turn to TV:
1. The end of a long day. Dare I say this is many days? Not always, and much more often on the weekends. But, at the end of a long or stressful day I like to curl up next to Atticus and watch something we both really enjoy. Add a glass of red wine. Perfect mix.
2. Working out. I have this thing called a Fitness Flyer (although I always forget its name and refer to it as the "Flexible Flyer" which leads Atticus to tease me about going sledding) which I bought from the Magical Mrs. M. for $15. It's the best $15 I ever spent, though I didn't fully appreciate that until this past Lent, when I added 45-minute workouts to my life. In the past, I couldn't get beyond the 20-30 minute mark on the Flyer without some pain in my back. This Lent, I pushed through the pain and extended the workouts to 45 minutes, many more times per week, and I got beyond the pain-in-the-back. Who knew that actually strengthening those back muscles would do the trick?
Anyway, while I'm working out/sledding, I watch something. Preferably, a show that will make me pine for the next episode, so that I'll be motivated to work out again.
Here's what I am/we are watching these days:
TV:
Awake
Atticus and I watch this one together. I'm a Jason Isaacs fan, so it had me at " ... starring Jason Isaacs" but I love the premise and so far love the execution. The last two episodes slowed down a bit for me, though, and I'm not sure they can sustain what they've started, but I'm enjoying watching it unfold.
Once Upon a Time
Anne-with-an-e, Betsy, me. Anne and I were late to this one, though. To catch up with Betsy, I watched an episode a day, during workouts. I loved what Haley said the other day about it. I agree with her, but mostly come out on the awesome side and have a lot of fun with it.
Friday Night Lights
Atticus and me. (Why, yes, we are always late to every party ... how did you know? I'm years behind on Lost, too, but more about that in a minute.) The football! (That is not a cheerleading kind of exclamation point.) The obsessions! The bad choices! More bad choices! Pathos, pathos everywhere, and not a clear head in sight!
After the first few episodes, I turned to Atticus and said, "I can't decide if I like it or if it makes me want to kill myself."
We watched the entire first season, but I may be done with it. It's just so exhausting to watch that many people wreck their lives. Still, I kinda want to find out what happens with Landry ...
Lost
Watched by me, during workouts and by Anne and Betsy whenever they can get their hands on a laptop computer. Couldn't get Atticus to watch it with me when it was on, and I still can't get him interested. I'm hooked. Anne and Betsy are almost a whole season ahead of me.
So don't tell me anything. Even though I kinda know where it's going because I read too many blogs and have too many friends who watched it for six years.
Movies:
Atticus and I have recently watched:
The Trip: Funny (especially the dueling Michael Caine voices), touching, thoughtful ... surprised me.
Midnight in Paris: Roger Ebert said, "This film is sort of a daydream for American lit majors." I couldn't have said it better. Perfect date night movie for Atticus and me. How often can you say, "Hemingway had me laughing out loud!" I loved this movie. Pass the popcorn.
Bright Star: Atticus and I watched this several months ago, and Anne and Betsy watched it very recently. John Keats, the love of his life, pining, death ... A different kind of perfect date night movie. Lovely. Jane Campion makes everything waft as in a celestial dream.
To Serve Them All My Days
This was one of the first shows Atticus and I ever watched together, back when we were dating oh-so-many years ago. A few months back, we watched it again and though it's now rather dated, it's really lovely, and funny and poignant and I loved it as much as I did the first time around.
***
Finally, I have to mention that Anne and Betsy recently watched Tootsie. Now they know why Atticus and I have said the following things for years (things which previously baffled them):
"Quick, quick, like little bunnies!"
"You were a tomato! A tomato doesn't have logic! It can't move!"
"You've got a Howard Johnson's thing going."
"It is for the money, isn't it? It's not so you can wear these little outfits?"
***
Disclaimer: Some of the above have varying levels of language and violence that might be offensive to some, so be sure to check them out for yourself before deciding what's appropriate for you, your kids, etc.
Monday, May 07, 2012
Ramona, Writer at Play
Ramona (upon coming inside after playing an imagining game in the backyard): Brrrr! I got cold out there!
Me: Why didn't you come in sooner?
Ramona: I wanted to find out what happened.
Me: Why didn't you come in sooner?
Ramona: I wanted to find out what happened.
Sunday, May 06, 2012
The Blog That Went Shockingly AWOL
That would be this blog.
The top three reasons I was absent without leave:
1. Life
2. Life
3. Life
Let's unpack that a little bit, shall we?
1. Life = research and writing recently. The project? Still under wraps and will be announced down the road, but let's just say that it's different from my other books. I hope I can do the topic justice.
2. Life = some lovely opportunities to talk with people about After Miscarriage.
And this Friday, the 11th, I'll be live (via phone) at 9:30 a.m. central time on Catholic TV's This Is the Day. See this link for the rebroadcast dates and times, too.
3. Life = wrapping up school with a senior, a sophomore and a fourth grader.
Anne is a SenioR.(Discombobulated fonts meant to convey Discombobulated Mom.) We're getting ready to celebrate, and I think the house will be clean before the party, but I'm not making any guarantees. (I believe cobwebs add a certain casual, jaunty touch to the atmosphere -- one that says, "I hate to clean and never look in my own corners.") There will be food and merriment and a conspicuous absence of math, and that's all that really counts.
Anne and Betsy are still reading Macbeth with their dad, and they plan to take a CPR class. Betsy still has some critters to dissect, too.
Ramona and I finished her anatomy project:
Except that we put her bladder on upside down. Anne-with-an-e smirkily asked if we meant to demonstrate a prolapsed bladder. Yeah, that's it, Anne. Go be smart somewhere else.
So Ramona's technically done with any schoolish stuff this year but of course she's still busy. We released the butterflies we recently raised:
And of course, she's never done with art. She's been carving soap
and doing lots of painting.
Last night, I asked if she was finished painting so that she could get ready for bed. She waved me off as she left the room, calling over her shoulder, "You can't rush art, lady!"
The top three reasons I was absent without leave:
1. Life
2. Life
3. Life
Let's unpack that a little bit, shall we?
1. Life = research and writing recently. The project? Still under wraps and will be announced down the road, but let's just say that it's different from my other books. I hope I can do the topic justice.
2. Life = some lovely opportunities to talk with people about After Miscarriage.
And this Friday, the 11th, I'll be live (via phone) at 9:30 a.m. central time on Catholic TV's This Is the Day. See this link for the rebroadcast dates and times, too.
3. Life = wrapping up school with a senior, a sophomore and a fourth grader.
Anne is a SenioR.(Discombobulated fonts meant to convey Discombobulated Mom.) We're getting ready to celebrate, and I think the house will be clean before the party, but I'm not making any guarantees. (I believe cobwebs add a certain casual, jaunty touch to the atmosphere -- one that says, "I hate to clean and never look in my own corners.") There will be food and merriment and a conspicuous absence of math, and that's all that really counts.
Anne and Betsy are still reading Macbeth with their dad, and they plan to take a CPR class. Betsy still has some critters to dissect, too.
Ramona and I finished her anatomy project:
Except that we put her bladder on upside down. Anne-with-an-e smirkily asked if we meant to demonstrate a prolapsed bladder. Yeah, that's it, Anne. Go be smart somewhere else.
So Ramona's technically done with any schoolish stuff this year but of course she's still busy. We released the butterflies we recently raised:
We've been reading Lissa's Charlotte Tucker books and Ramona was recently spied tucking in little Will and Anna:
And of course, she's never done with art. She's been carving soap
and doing lots of painting.
Last night, I asked if she was finished painting so that she could get ready for bed. She waved me off as she left the room, calling over her shoulder, "You can't rush art, lady!"
~~~~~~~~~~
I am finished being AWOL and will now return to my regularly scheduled duties.
Wednesday, May 02, 2012
Book Winners!
Tuesday, May 01, 2012
Last chance to leave a comment for the book giveaway
Don't forget to leave comments on the two posts to enter to win:
Leave a comment here for a chance to win After Miscarriage.
Leave a comment here for a chance to win The Infertility Companion for Catholics.
Names will be drawn at random on the morning of May 2nd, whenever Ramona is available. I'm guessing around 9 a.m. Comments will be open until then.
Leave a comment here for a chance to win After Miscarriage.
Leave a comment here for a chance to win The Infertility Companion for Catholics.
Names will be drawn at random on the morning of May 2nd, whenever Ramona is available. I'm guessing around 9 a.m. Comments will be open until then.
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