Good Reads

When I have free time I will usually choose to read. I get all of my books from the library which saves me a ton of money. I find my books by searching the popular books on ibooks, download the sample, then see if I would like to read the whole thing. I also go to Joseph Beth to browse for good reads.
I've read a lot of books this summer. Some were wonderful, others just OK, and one truly horrible book that I couldn't even finish.

The Very Best Books of the Summer:
1. The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein - this is one of my all time favorites now along with To Kill a Mocking Bird and Gone With the Wind. The messages are very powerful.

2. Fly Away Home by Jennifer Weiner - like many of her books, this one is about family members growing and changing so they can find happiness in their lives.

3. A Vintage Affair by Isabel Wolff - a lesson in vintage clothing and learning to be OK with your choices in life

4. Stories I Only Tell My Friends by Rob Lowe - a well written and interesting autobiography

5. Romance Novels - I know what you're thinking, "REALLY???" They are so good though. Some are a little racier than others, but I really enjoy them; they are simple and happy, and who doesn't enjoy a good love story? I like Nora Roberts, Lori Foster, Bella Andre, and Victoria Dahl best. Most of their stories have a plot (usually a simple mystery) along with the romance, so it's not all trash!

6. The Last Talk with Lola Faye by Thomas H. Cook - a mystery type book. It kept me thinking and guessing until the end.

7. The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton - a story of a granddaughter unraveling the mystery of her grandmother's life.

8. The Distant Hours by Kate Morton - a daughter learning of her mother's life during WWII when she lived with 3 eccentric sisters who have many of their own secrets and live in a castle.

I'd love to hear if you read any of these and also enjoy them. I hope I'm not forgetting any.
The book that I hated: Save Me by Lisa Scottoline. It made me so mad I could only read the first few chapters. I looked at the spoiler alerts online to find out what happened; I'm glad I didn't keep reading.

A few books that I've read in the past that you might enjoy:
1. Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld
2. Anything by Jodi Picoult
3. Fortune's Rocks by Anita Shreve
4. The Red Tent by Anita Diamant
5. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
6. Anything by David Sedaris (he writes hysterical stories of his life)
7. Love Walked In by Marisa De los Santos

Happy Reading!

Today I'm thankful for:

1. meeting a nice group of students at our back to school bash last night


2. walking around McConnell Springs this morning - so cool there


3. a good cookie recipe from Annie's Eats

Real Food

I was browsing a parent magazine when I saw a feature on a mom that started a blog, 100 Days of Real Food, about her family's journey switching to all real food after reading one of Michael Pollan's books. I can relate to her thoughts on food because she felt like she was doing the right things, but realized that maybe she wasn't doing all she could for the health of her family. After reading through her posts I feel like I can do a few things to improve our food choices, but I'm not going all in on the challenge. I don't have the time or the desire to spend the extra money on the organic and locally raised food right now; I might this summer, but not now.

Some changes I can make:

• Triscuits (low salt) instead of crackers with lots of questionable ingredients


• Using 100% whole-wheat flour in my breads, biscuits, and pizza dough


• Trying Lara Bars for a healthy lunch or snack


• Trying some of the recipes


• Not buying anymore granola bars that Anna fills up on but don't have much nutritional value


• No artificial sweeteners


• I bought this book of healthy lunches and meals at Kohl's yesterday. I'm going to have to make Anna's lunches when she's at LHSC. She likes variety, so hopefully I'll find some things she likes.

My kind-of-real-food today (I didn't use organic produce or locally raised beef): Beef Fajita Nachos from PW. I don't know if we are going to do the nachos or just serve with brown rice and grilled peppers and onions. I'm hoping it's delicious.

Today I am thankful for:

• smoothies (I just use vanilla yogurt, frozen strawberries, and frozen peaches...yum)


• a 3-day weekend


• time in the sun


• 2 good movies this weekend: No Strings Attached and I Am Number 4


• A week's weather forecast with NO RAIN!!!

Meatless Mondays?

I watched one of my taped Oprah shows about her staff taking the Vegan Challenge for a week. I've seen the Veganist author, Kathy Freston, on her show before. She is a little too extreme for me. I'm OK eating animals. Tofurky doesn't call my name, however a nice juicy cheeseburger does. I was seriously getting more grossed out by the "meat and dairy substitute" products than by the slaughter house scenes. Tapioca cheese - can you think of anything more disgusting? Plus her tiny 2-4 portion bag of "chicken substitute" probably costs more than my Sam's Club bag of Tyson frozen chicken that feeds us for a month.

I can get on board with another guest's ideas, Michael Pollen, author of Food Rules (which I think I mentioned in another post). He argues that we should be more mindful of the foods we put in our bodies. He has many ideas about growing and processing food, but I like the "eat more natural foods", so that's what I'm going with here. I'm guessing that free range meat is a better choice (health, taste, and environmentally), but I haven't been able to stop buying the economical meat choices (see Sam's Club reference above). I do get on board with his eat more natural grown foods rather than over processed foods. Sometimes it's hard though. It's hard meeting everyone's (yes, it's only the 3 of us) taste preferences in new recipes. It's hard finding time to make new foods. It's hard getting everyone excited about a new and maybe weird recipe. BUT, that's what I've been wanting lately - new HEALTHY recipes. Eating healthy meals is important to me, and I've felt in a cooking rut recently.

To get out of my rut, I think I might try Meatless Mondays, which will not include Tofurky or any other "meat substitute". Meatless Mondays can include dairy and cheese products because it's only natural that cows be milked and chickens lay eggs (even if they are being inhumanly housed - but why sweat the details?). They will be meals that are heavy on vegetables, beans, and whole grains, or maybe just pancakes when I can't find anything that sounds appetizing.

A few blogs/websites with Meatless Mondays recipes:

• Ezra Pound Cake
• Meatless Monday

This is all I've had time to search for tonight - bedtime is calling me (you know, kind of like a juicy cheeseburger).

This will take some time for me to be a good commitment so maybe if we are getting some more crappy snow this weekend, I will research recipes, then share what I/my family likes.

Today I am thankful for:

• snicker doodles
• another calm ride home with Anna
• cereal for dinner - that's meatless too!

The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games has been all the rage at work lately, so I started last weekend, and finished this weekend. I was not disappointed by the hype. These books were so good I couldn't stop reading. I even did the unusual - bought the 2nd and 3rd in hardback because I couldn't stand to wait to borrow them. Bryan was annoyed with me for not interacting with him and Anna very much, but I had to find out what happened to Katniss and her friends and family. I couldn't decide if I wanted her to end up with Gale or Peeta, but I'm happy with the ending. No, I'm VERY happy with the ending.

I know there are all sorts of political issues that go with this book, but I'm not going there. It's not something I know enough about to delve into on this blog. I'll just keep it simple...

I really loved Katniss. She reminds me of Anna - doing things her way regardless of what authority wants or expects. Even though the story is fiction, it reminds me that there is plenty of need in this world for rule breakers! I loved Peeta - his goodness, and his complete love for Katniss despite her flaws. I loved Haymitch - issues, sure, but so much heart and so much to give.

I will miss all the characters; I get so attached to characters in series books, but I will not miss dreaming about what was going to happen to my "friends". I was only dreaming about the story and having restless nights, so I could only imagine what their nightmares were like. I think I will read all 3 again so I can take my time and soak in all the details - I found myself just trying to read more and faster so I could find out what was going to happen that I'm sure I missed some of the details.

I just love a good book - or 3!

Today I am thankful for:

• great books
• "warm" weather
• snow melting
• my mom visiting today

Top 10 Books of 2010

My favorite books that I read in 2010:

10. 20s Girl - Sophie Kinsella
9. South of Broad - Pat Conroy
8. Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter - Tom Franklin
7. Girls' Poker Night - Jill A. Davis
6. Plain Truth - Jodi Picoult
5. Salem Falls - Jodi Picoult
4. The Bride Quartet (Vision in White, Bed of Roses, Savor the Moment, and Happy Ever After) - Nora Roberts
3. Room - Emma Donoghue
2. Fortune's Rocks - Anita Shreve
1. The Help - Kathryn Stockett

I am thankful for:

• a trip to the library
• a clean house
• sleeping in

iBooks

After Bryan won money gambling with my dad and brother on vacation, he came home and bought an iPad. It's a fun little gadget to have. One of my favorite apps: iBooks. It's a place to search and buy books - books I might have found anyway and books that might have never made it my way. Every so often I go looking for something new to read, and the thing I love about iBooks is that it gives me a sample of any book I might be interested in. Well I know the apple people give me these nasty little samples that end right at the moment I'm hooked so I will push my willpower aside and click BUY, but they won't get me (at least they haven't yet). I like to spend money, but I like to save money too, so after finding some books I like I head to the Lexington Public Library site and put the books on hold. So, there we wait, my willpower and me, on that happy email that says I have books on hold! The last book in Nora Roberts' Bride Quartet comes out in November - oh willpower, will you stay strong???

Well, on to tonight's book: The Food Matters Cook Book (by Mark Bittman). If you've seen Food Inc (very interesting documentary about the food business in the US) you've seen Mark Bittman. His deal: eat more fruits, veggies, whole grains, and beans while cutting back on the meat, seafood, chicken, sugar, white flour, and junk food. I can subscribe to his thinking and already am on my way there, but can do much better. Anyway, this book has a few recipes (but of course, I would actually have to PAY to see them all) that I'm willing to try to put more veggies and natural foods into my diet - not just for weight loss, but for overall body health. Maybe I'll ask for it for Christmas? No, that's a lame gift to buy someone. I guess I'm going to use one of my Joseph-Beth gift cards that I've been hording away for a special occasion. I'll be sure to post the good recipes.

Other Books I'm interested in that you might like too:

• Room (Emma Conoghue)
• Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter (Tom Franklin)
• A Reliable Wife (Robert Goolrick)
• Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk (David Sedaris) - have you read any David Sedaris? It's laugh-out-loud funny stuff. He's a must read author.
• Talking to Girls About Duran Duran (Rob Sheffield) - it's about the 80s, need I say more?
• The Man Who Lied to His Laptop (Clifford Nass)

I hope to read all of these books eventually, we'll see.

Today I am thankful for:

• not having a tornado come through town while at work, or anytime really
• not having meetings after work today
• talking to my mom and dad today

Girl Bed

So last Friday Anna didn't want to take a nap. I went in to check on her after she had been screaming for me for a while. She then proceeded to climb on the top rail and flip completely over and onto the floor - landing on her back. It looked like it hurt. She cried for a few minutes, we cuddled, called daddy, and then she finally took a nap. I called my mom (nurse), and she told me to watch if she was walking funny or complaining of hurting. She did neither, so I assumed she was fine. But we decided to change her bed to a "big girl bed" aka "my girl bed."

Bryan took the front rail off and figured a way to attach the small rail to her crib. Gosh he's smart. I wasn't sure how this would go, but it's been a major success. The first couple times she did get out and open the door, but with the promise of a treat when she woke up, she finally stayed in bed. She's been doing great in her bed - I'm so proud of her.

I've also been working on my parenting. I needed a refresher. I wasn't happy with myself, so I got a bunch of books from the library and started reading The Kazdin Method for Parenting the Defiant Child: With No Pills, No Therapy, No Contest of Wills. That last part, No Contest of Wills, is what drew me to the book. It isn't anything new - hype up the positives and leave the screaming and spanking behind because they don't work. Bryan and I are making sure to jump up and down, clap, and sing Anna's praises every time she does something the first time we ask her to and when she gets her diaper and clothes changed without messing around and fighting us. I got a chart at the Dollar Store with the days of the week, and we give her a happy face when she makes us so proud. She beams. She glows. She is proud of herself and is repeating the good behavior over and over again. I'm feeling good about my parenting skills again. I feel much better about the way we are helping Anna make good choices.

Today I am thankful for:

• getting into a routine
• Anna staying in her girl bed
• a dinner from my childhood: bbq chicken and corn on the cob

I'm in an eating club

I was in a book club with random people - I think I wrote about this in another post - we are now an eating club. We are too busy with work and babies to actually read books (except I do have somewhat of an addiction to Nora Roberts' romance novels as of late). Several members of the book club had to drop out because work and family commitments...and then there were 6.

With only 6 people, it's easy to have only 1 or 2 people read, which means that having a book club is dumb. But we like to get together with someone other than our husbands or families (no matter how great they are), so we did the only logical thing...changed it to an eating club.

We try to go out once a month to a restaurant that one member chooses. Tracy chose A.P. Roots which is next to A.P. Suggins on Romany Rd. It was so fun. It was so yummy. I'd never been there before, so it's always fun to try something new. I had the mini cheeseburgers and a side of fries - both delicious. We also shared the hummus appetizer, which I loved. It was very garlicy, so I was super surprised when Bryan didn't crab at me bc I had garlic coming out of my pores (he has a very sensitive nose). Conversation was great. It was just a fun night.

I'm choosing next time -maybe Saul Good or Butt Rub. Mmmm.

Good Reads

When I first moved to KY I had some random jobs while I was substitute teaching and going to grad school. One of those jobs was at the YMCA daycare which was babysitting while parents exercised. I met a few moms that were also new to KY as well as a girl I had talked to on the phone in Columbus. (Side note: I worked for MI Homes. She lived in one of the homes in the neighborhood where I worked. Her home needed repairs. I scheduled our construction supervisors to go to her house and fix things.) Anyway, we formed a book club with some of the moms' other friends.

This is where I was introduced to Jodi Picoult. We read My Sister's Keeper, and I sobbed. It remains one of my favorite books because of the way she wrote the story from different points of view with different fonts, but it all goes together seamlessly. I got on a Jodi Picoult kick - I would read anything she wrote that the library had available. The Pact was equally as good. Then like most things, I needed a little variety. I found other authors.

I go back to her now and again. We read 19 Minutes in book club; it was good, but not as good as the others. I've been reading a lot lately; easy and fun stuff. I read Nora Roberts' True Betrayals (good read), some Jane Green stuff (always good), and Jodi Picoult's Songs of the Humpback Whale. OMG it was so good. I hated that I had to go to bed so early every night (you know, so I could wake up at 5:30) because I wanted to keep reading. The characters are so real and the story-telling is UNBELIEVABLE. She writes it in a similar way to My Sister's Keeper from different points of view using different fonts. It has this whole mother-daughter thing going on, which I now see from both sides. Plus there's romance, mystery, heartbreak - I might read it again. IDK, I have to let the characters settle a little. I'll be checking out some more of her books in the coming weeks; who needs variety?

Can I call myself a reader?

I like to read, and I finally had a few moments to catch up on some reading over the summer. I sometimes feel like I'm cheating on Twilight when I read other books, but I think Bella and Edward understand I need a little variety in my life. So I sewed my wild reading oats this summer.

I read a few good ones; I am Charlotte Simmons by Tom Wolfe was my favorite. The main character, Charlotte, stayed with me for weeks after; she comes back to me now and again (when Bella and Edward let her).

I mostly read things that are mindless. I don't enjoy reading if I have to think about what the words mean. I haven't read the classics unless it was in high school, and I don't really remember those. 2 exceptions: Gone With the Wind and To Kill a Mockingbird, and they happen to be my two favorite books. I wonder if I would enjoy Jane Austen, that is, I wonder if I would enjoy Jane Austen if I could stay awake past page 1? All that thinking makes me sleepy.
Well, off to read a few chapters of my latest Stephanie Plum adventure.