Young adult saga

I don't read "kid's" books.

OK--that is not entirely true. I've read Goodnight Moon several times, just this week! Of course, I read to my children. When it's my turn to sit down and pick up a novel however, I'm done with juvenile fiction.

Or so I thought. I didn't read what the kids were reading when I was a kid. By the time I was in middle school, I was reading the paperback versions of The Winds of War, North and South (and the sequels), Gone With the Wind, books on Hiroshima and I threw several mysteries in there, as well.

Partly due to the books that I was reading when I was twelve however, I have always said that as my kids got older, I would know what they were reading and would read those books as well. (My own mom would ask about some of the books that I picked up. She didn't have time to read them and I may have misled her a little as far as how explicit they were. Sorry, Mom!)

I let my daughter go ahead and start reading Twilight, based on another mom's assurances that the first two books would be okay. (This mom is my daughter's best friend's mom, a teacher,and a pretty good judge of age-appropriate material). So I let N start the book, and I am trying to catch up. It's not bad! Who knew? Of course, this book is more young adult--the characters are seventeen. Maybe she thinks she is reading a grown-up book and I can feel like it's not for children.

I have heard that the third and fourth book in the series are not something she should be reading yet so I'll have her wait but I may just check them all out, myself. I'm only in the middle of the first one and read a scene last night in which Bella found herself in a dangerous situation but the way it was written, I'm sure that my daughter had no real idea of the just what the imminent danger entailed.

My daughter is not a big fan of reading and we try to coax her just to read. (They have the Accelerated Reader program at school and this year, it is part of her reading grade, so she has to do a certain amount of reading at home). She was all set to read this book though--because everyone is reading it. While it annoys me that she is at that age where she wants to be just like her friends, I am happy to see her excited about reading. (I just have to get ahead--and stay ahead--of what she decides to pick up!)

Catching up

The "books on my nightstand" list down on the left side of this blog has not been updated in quite a while!  Let's see...

The Audacity of Hope did give me hope, indeed.  I am not going to spend too much time summarizing it here as you've likely heard bits and pieces in various interviews, campaign speeches, etc.  It is an inspiring read.

Wickett's Remedy  was entertaining.  I love the asides in the book--though I'll admit, it took me a chapter or two to come to love them!  Apparently the format presented some issues when it was time for the paperback to come out so it gave her a chance to make some changes.  She uploaded the changes online but I have not read them so I don't know how the paperback differs from the hardcover.  I thought it was cleverly written and her historical details were well done.  

My only criticism would be that the ending seemed hastily done.  The letters between the creator and the beneficiary of Wickett's Remedy were the essence of the book--they tied the years and events together but the ending felt more like loose ends being tied up rather than a satisfying conclusion.  Perhaps that is remedied in the paperback!

I still have not read much of The Gargoyle.

I recently finished The Faith Club.  This non-fiction book chronicles a few years in the life of the three co-authors as they educate each other and struggle with their own faiths at the same time.  It is a story of three women who came together to write a children's book that would explain what common stories the Islamic, Jewish and Christian traditions share.  As they try to put their pieces together, the women learn as much or more about their own faiths as they learn about the other two. I had to rethink a few of my own views along the way.  This is one that I'd recommend reading in small amounts--too much to take in at one time--but well worth the read!

Now I just have to go update my list! ;)

Snow Day II

There are other days when a "snow day" would be welcome! We're at 5 inches (and counting) and most schools around here are closed or on a 2-hour delay. We were scheduled to have only a half-day today, anyway. (It is Catholic Schools Week this week, so they all go to the highschool, have Mass with the bishop, do a craft and they're done. So you can guess which school was open and ready to go, on time, today!)

Memories of the arctic

It's been a few years since I've said, "Hey kids! We're getting snow tomorrow--that means it's warming up!"

(Although in Alaska, my daughter still went out to recess until it was -20 degrees. Here, school is closed because it is currently -14. (The wind chill is -30 and even things in Alaska shut down at -30, so I guess I can't put down the school. The kids, of course, are thrilled!))

Snow day

Those two words are not quite as exciting for parents!  

Pet names

I had not yet logged in this morning so when I commented on my own post below, I had to type in the security letters.  Today's letters spelled "phiedo."

The family has been talking about when to get a dog.  I think, when we do, we should name him Phiedo.

(The rest of the family wants a girl dog but that simply won't do, now!)

Your response is important to me, please be patient and I'll post again, soon

It's Monday!

I'm back up, healthy and back online.  Unfortunately, I was on the telephone line--not internet--most of the morning.

I tried to reschedule an appointment for myself (they have all been on Wednesdays--the boy's library day--and he knows I've missed more of his than his sister's); make one more for me (separate issue but at least that will be on a Thursday); find someone to fix the mailbox (a car slid into it at some point yesterday) and and an assortment of other phone calls this morning meant doing the breakfast dishes with the phone on speaker.  I put the baby down for a nap and listened to a depressing selection of hold music, interspersed with "your call is important to us..." every thirty seconds.

Now that I have spent a full hour on the phone, I need to find a way to fold laundry and type at the same time.

It's time for a headset (and voice recognition software)! ;)

I can't blog, I'm washing my hair

The New Year came in quietly but went well.  We settled back in to start our routines, got back to school and then it hit.  The baby wouldn't eat much Tuesday or Wednesday and started with the runny diapers Wednesday.  Thursday, the hubbie and I were hit hard.  Either our flu shots don't work or they shortened the flu as we were better by Friday but Thursday, we were lying on the floor or crawling up the stairs to bed.  I let J just crawl on top of me while I was on the floor, thinking I caught this from him but Friday, it hit him harder!  He and I both were wiped out again (though not to the same extremes) yesterday.

I went to bed last night at 8:30 and though I got up with J a few times, we went back to bed.  He's sleeping again now so I finally took a shower.  As I sit here typing, I was just thinking how nice another nap would be but it sounds like he's stirring.

I'll get back to the writing life--I hope.

In the meantime, Happy New Year!  I hope you have a happy, healthy and productive 2009!