More mispronunciations

Cavan uses our tea tettle to make pretend tea in her kitchen.

Daddy plays the tigaur...very similar in look and sound to a guitar.

Cavan loves when I tell her stories about "mis-serious" animals getting in trouble. Translation: mischievous.

More quirky Cavan comments...

**Cavan was carrying her baby doll up the stairs and halfway she turns and says,"Mommy, can you hold Betty? My arm is about to fall off."

**New phrase: Holy crap-a-mole. I guess that's a combination of holy guacamole and holy crap. Not that we ever say holy crap in our house.

**During show-and-tell, a little boy at Cavan's preschool was showing a piece of art he made out of wood. The teacher asks, "Does anyone know where wood comes from?" Cavan responds, "Home Depot."

I will teach her...

Cavan and I are sitting at the dining table this morning eating scrambled eggs and I ask Cavan if she is going to teach Emma everything she knows. Cavan says "Yes!" and proceeds to tell me everything that she will teach her little sister.

I will teach her how to walk outside.

I will teach her how to drink a sippy.

I will teach her how to climb the rock wall on my swing set.

I will teach her how to eat with a fork.

I will teach her how to draw my name and her name with pencils.

I will teach her how to learn her letters.

I will teach her how to put diapers on Betty [her doll].

I will teach her how to lock Spoonsy [the dog] in his crate.

I will teach her how to turn on the big music and the little music [the stereo system and the ipod dock].

I will teach her how to put the [re]cycle in the bag.

I will teach her how to put one leg and two legs like this and flip right off [in reference to climbing of the bench].

I will teach her how to cook in my kitchen.

I will teach her how to rock on my rocking horse.

I will teach her how to climb the stool.

I will teach her how to pet The Boodgies [the cat] so nice.

I will teach her how to vacuum with my vacuum.

I will teach her how to eat eggs.

Those are all the things I will teach her.

Diet (not-quite-derailed) update: Day 4

Quick update on the diet. Yesterday I finished off a bag of Kit-Kats for lunch. I have decided it is much easier not to eat the chocolate if I simply don't buy it at the store. So until all the candy and ice cream has been eradicated from my freezer, I am not responsible for my irresponsible consumption of sweets. Which will be soon because I also finished the container of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream after dinner last night. (Yes, AFTER dinner, not AS dinner!) Now I just have to polish off the bag of mini Reese's peanut butter cups—this should only take a couple of days—and my daily diet will be the poster child of health and wellness.

But despite the aforementioned caloric setbacks, I have been keeping up with my green smoothies. Today is spinach-apple-banana-lime. I actually like this one better than the romaine-strawberry-banana. The lime gives it a nice kick—a kick in the fat pants!

Personal Ad

I will ask you if this outfit makes me look fat, and you will be honest. Even if I get pissed at the time.

I will tell you not to buy me a birthday present, and when you do, my eyes will light up. And when you don’t, I will love you even more for being true to my request.

I will watch the Yankees with you, and you will flip to American Idol during the commericials—and wait for the next commercial to click back to baseball.

I will make you Kraft mac and cheese, and you will make me potato-scallion crusted halibut with asparagus drizzled in hollandaise.

I will feed, change, tickle, bathe, teach, referee and spoil the kids all day, and you will put them to bed while I sit on the couch and veg out with a bowl of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream.

I will love you because you will do what you love, even if we'll never be rich.

I will love you despite worrying about money every time the 1^st rolls around, and you will work even harder every time I write a check.

I will love you because you will put our children first.

I will love you because you will make our kids scream with hysteria every time you make a fake fart noise.

I will love you because we will be a team.

And you will love me when I am a pain in the ass.

The Green Smoothie Diet

I'm starting the first diet I've ever been on in my life. Yes, I gave birth only two months ago, but I am beyond ready to get my pre-baby body back.

Step One—old habits: I will have to abstain from eating a whole bag of mini Kit-Kats while watching Bravo's The Millionaire Matchmaker as baby sleeps on my lap. And I'll probably have to avoid eating chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream and a bologna sandwiches for lunch. Or Lay's sour cream and onion chips paired with half a cantaloupe. Noticing a trend. Apparently my pregnancy cravings did not disappear with my baby tummy. Therefore, I still look like I have a baby tummy.

Step Two—new diet: Integrate one quart of green smoothies into my day. Green smoothie, you say? Basically it is drinking a fruit and lettuce salad. The premise is that most people are seriously delinquent in eating green vegetables, particularly leafy vegetables, which boast super vitamins and minerals and low calories. I know I fall into that category. So instead of eating 800 calories of Kit-Kats (as satisfying as that is), I will drink my greens.

This week's concoction: 1/2 head of romaine, one cup of strawberries, two bananas and two cups of water. This makes one quart, which you should drink in one day, every day. The fibrous texture was a little odd to start with, but since I like salad, the smoothie itself is pretty tasty.

Next week (since you are supposed to vary the type of greens on a weekly basis): 1/2 bunch spinach, four apples, 1/2 lime with peel, one banana, and two cups water. Yields one quart. Drink every day.

Another twist to the diet—it was Hubby's idea. Not for me to lose weight, but he was the one that wanted to start the diet himself. So we're going to do it together.

Eventually I'll have to start exercising, but that is a blog for another day.

Quirky Cavan

Since I am no longer able to update the blog on a consistent basis, I will just have to give you the highlights.

**Cavan is now able to dress herself. When I take a shower she gets dressed in her room. This allows her enough time to practice getting her clothes on without relying on me to help. In addition, it gives me a respite from my own frustration in watching her struggle with finding the arm holes and I get to shower alone. What a treat. But, if I don't lay out her clothes for her, we get some interesting concoctions. Here is an especially fashionable choice: blue shirt, pink tie-dyed skirt, Dora knee pads, green Mardi Gras beads, gray socks with pink puppy dogs, and pink shoes. Funny, the knee pads really connect the blue in the shirt to the pink in the skirt and shoes. She must have an eye for couture.

**Cavan came up to me last week and said, "Mommy, when I get bigger I want to be a mommy just like you." Can you visualize my heart melting?

**When Cavan wakes up in the morning, she comes into my room to wake me up. For the previous four mornings, she has brought in two of her stuffed animals and she says, "Mommy, I brought presents. Here's one for you and here's one for Emma." She is so delicious in the morning—it is my favorite time to spend with her. (Skip to an hour and a half later when the not listening starts). In addition, this morning she climbed in my bed so stealthily, I didn't here her. I was awoken to a little whisper in my ear, "Sweetheart...sweetheart. Open your eyes. Open your eyes honey." Sweetheart is right. A perfect way to wake up.

**We have a sliding glass door and for security there is a bar that slides down into the track to reinforce the lock. I asked Cavan to pick up the bar the other day and she kept dropping it. On about the third try and subsequent fumble she exclaims, "Damn stick!" I said, "Cavan, say SILLY stick instead." She does and I think that's the end of it. Then last night, she was playing Go-FISH with her cousins and her cards kept falling off the table. She exclaims again, "Damn cards!" Her cousins looked shocked, started giggling and told me "Cavan said a bad word." Obviously someone in our house gets frustrated often, and I don't think its me (though I will be paying closer attention to what I am saying.) But the English teacher in me is proud that she is cursing in the correct context! Way to use your adjectives!

Melancholy mom

This was the first week of school. Not for my kiddos, obviously, but for my husband, a teacher. It would have been the first week of school for me too, if I was going back to work. The week to meet my students, to reconnect with my colleagues after our summer vacations. The week to feel productive and intelligent again.

But instead, the scope of my productivity now lies somewhere between doing the dishes and laundry, vacuuming and washing the floor, walking the dog, and constantly picking up toys. Oh and attending to the every need of the kiddos.

My new daily routine: Wake up around 8:30 with the kids. Go upstairs for Cavan's one cartoon and a sippy while I make myself coffee. (Note: I do not like coffee, but unfortunately it is necessary for survival after waking up five times through the wee hours.) Then breakfast. Eggs or oatmeal. Cavan's choice. Then shower time. Emma chills in the swing we have in the bathroom. Then back upstairs to read books and practice our letters. (Cavan is learning how to write and draw). Unfortunately, I have to bribe Cavan with another cartoon to practice her letters, so then comes the second cartoon of the day, during which I make some lunch. After lunch, we go for our daily walk, assuming the weather is cooperating. Upon return, we might play on the swing set, or just go inside for another sippy and a nap. It is now between 2-3:30. Cavan usually sleeps for two or three hours—yes, I know I am blessed with a child that both sleeps till 8:30 AND naps in the afternoon—during which I try to get some cleaning done. That is, if I don't take a nap myself, which all depends on Emma. Six or 6:30—Cavan wakes up. Sippy + supper. Hopefully Daddy gets home by 7:00, though lately he has been delayed. Since Cavan naps, she also doesn't go to bed until about 9:30, so Daddy and I get an hour of couch time before we head down to bed. Of course, don't forget about the six-week-old hanging off my boob all day or riding in my Baby Bjorn or Moby wrap. Sometimes she will sleep in the swing, but on a whole, she likes to be held.

Don't get me wrong, I would not have it any other way. I do want to be home to raise my kids. There is nothing better than seeing the excitement in Cavan's face when she writes the letter A for the first time. And sitting on the couch during Cavan's nap with Emma snuggling into my chest is pure peace. But my brain is feeling left out. I feel like I'm not contributing, though I know I'm doing the most important job in the family. I loved my career and my colleagues. I have worked since I was 15. I feel like I have just given up a piece of me, but at the same time, there is nothing I love more than being a mom. This stay-at-homing is a melancholy transition.

Cavan's Critters: Fred, Charlie, and friends

Cavan has made some interesting friends as of late—critters from the animal kingdom. She has always liked creatures—last year she carried around a dead cicada for a month, as a pet. I finally had to throw it away after its wings and legs all fell off. About a month ago after a rain, she found a giant slug outside on our deck. The slug was about four inches long—brown with black spots. My sister was in town visiting, and she encouraged Cavan to name the slug, which earned the moniker Charlie. They started a silly conversation discussing why slugs don't need to sleep with blankets. The answer: because they are slimy and because they have spots. Duh! Doesn't everyone know that?

Then a week or so ago, I went into Cavan's bedroom to wake her up from her nap. As I was sitting on her bed, I saw a piece of black yarn curled on the floor. When I approached the yarn, it started to slither away! It was a baby snake—black with a white ring around its neck. I had no idea what kind it was, but it was only about four inches long and the diameter of, yes, a piece of yarn, so there was no need to panic. I called Hubby and he came down with a cup and scooped it up. Cavan was so excited. Upon research, we found out it was a Northern Ringneck, a completely harmless and beneficial snake to have around, so Cavan carried the cup out to the garden so Fred, as she named him, could "find his family" amongst the marigolds.

Some people, I'm sure, would have flipped out finding a snake in their bedroom, but a) I am not scared of snakes, especially ones smaller than the earthworms in my garden, and b) Cavan will react as I react, so I didn't want to instill fear in her. She is so curious about everything—I want to encourage that, not squash it, as some people would have done to the snake.

Finally, Cavan now has three butterflies as pets. She got a butterfly garden from a friend—a kit that includes baby caterpillars, caterpillar food, and a butterfly habitat. You watch the caterpillars grow, build their chrysalis, and then hatch as butterflies. Then you feed them for however long you want to keep them and then release them outside. The whole process takes about three weeks, and Cavan's caterpillars hatched a few days ago. We have been feeding them watermelon. The only problem with keeping butterflies is that our cat occasionally swats at them, causing the habitat to take a tumble. I have a feeling that the butterflies will earn their freedom very soon.

Funny mispronunciations

Cavan has a few funny mispronunciations.

Sculpture = sculp-scur
Weasel (as in Pop Goes the Weasel) = Pop Goes the Weeze-gulls
Knife = Ife
Easter (as in Easter bunny) = Beaster bunny
Acorn = Air-corn

Half the time I don't want to correct her because it is too cute.

Emma—One month update + pictures

Well, without our power being out for four days, I was unable to post in a timely manner. So without further delay, here is Emma's one-month update.

How did my baby get to be one month old so quickly? When Cavan was a newborn, the first several weeks crept by. I just prayed I’d get through the day, to the next day, in my majorly sleep-deprived state. Hubby was spending 15 hours a day trying to finish the construction on our new house and I was stuck in a 200-square-foot temporary apartment by myself. I was going batty.

But the craziness eventually ended and my newborn started sleeping, and after about a six weeks, I finally started to enjoy life again.

This first month with Emma, however, has been lovely. I dare say easy. Hubby has been on summer vacation, so he has gotten up every morning with Cavan so that I can get a few more minutes (or hours) of sleep, depending on Emma’s schedule. This month, Cavan has turned into a Daddy’s girl, but because Daddy has given her a ton of attention, she hasn’t felt left out in Emma’s presence. And she is the best helper and big sister I could have asked for. She loves being involved in Emma's care.

So here is an update on my growing girl.

**At her two-week checkup, she weighed eight pounds, gaining one full pound since leaving the hospital.  Her next appointment is next week.

**She sleeps two to three hours consecutively at night, but after getting her diaper changed and having a snack, she goes right back to sleep (and so do I!)

**When she pees, she cries out a single, “Waaaa!” Other than that—please don’t hate me—she rarely (and briefly) cries.

**Her newest monikers are: Froggy (or Froglet)—because her favorite position is sleeping like a tree frog on my chest; Little One—Cavan called her this one day and it stuck; and Glow Worm—because that’s what she looks like when she is all swaddled up, especially in her green swaddler.

**Emma was born with an “elf ear.” Her left ear came to a point when she was born, but now it has almost rounded out completely. I miss her little elf ear—it was so cute.

**She has so much hair. Cavan was born with a little strawberry blonde hair, but it mostly fell out and grew back in white-blonde. Emma has a whole mop of light brown hair—we can even style it into a baby-hawk! I think it will be curly as well—when I was her hair it waves and fluffs.

**Her umbilical stump fell off in only four days and her new belly button looks like a smiley face.

**She will sleep all day as long as she is held. And yes, I am spoiling this baby by carrying her around nearly every minute. I’m getting a lot of use out of the Baby Bjorn already.

All and all, she is the easiest baby I know. I thought Cavan was easy, but it looks like Emma is even more laid back. We are so blessed. I am in love. I would never go back to life without children.

Cavan: Random Stuff

**To follow up my post about Cavan-frowning-botox, Cavan was sitting on the couch the other day while I was feeding Emma. Emma was trying to rid herself of gas, and her face scrunched up in deep concentration. Cavan leans over and whispers to Emma, "Don't frown little one." Too cute.

**When "So you think you can dance" was on, Cavan started doing cooky dances in our living room. These have now graduated to daily occurrences, which include a variety of fast and slow moves, jumping moves, floor moves, yoga moves, and modern, interpretive arm motions. The videos we've taken are hilarious. She is so creative and uninhibited. Words cannot truly describe it (especially when she throws in a few hip thrusts!)

**About a year ago, my mom bought Hubby a classic John Deere shirt—bright yellow with the green deer logo. It quickly became Cavan's favorite shirt for Daddy. She asked him to wear it all the time. So, this summer, Grandpa came to visit and gave Cavan her very own deer shirt, which she wears whenever Daddy wears his. (She actually wore the shirt for three days in a row when she first got it.) After Emma was born, Grandma came to visit with two more deer shirts—one for Mommy and one for Emma, though Emma's is pink with the green deer.) Now, whenever I am putting away laundry, Cavan finds all the deer shirts so we can keep them together. Even though we live in New York, I guess we're just country folks at heart.

Punishment for frowning

After Emma was born, Cavan started throwing tantrums. She would get upset at the drop of a hat and then scowl at us. I told her not to frown, but that just caused her to wrinkle her forehead even more. And that's when I told her about botox.

"Cavan, if you keep frowning, you are going to need botox."
Continued scowl.
"Do you know what botox is?"
More frowning.
"Botox is when the doctor takes a big needle and gives you shots in your forehead. Do you want shots in your forehead."
She's thinking about it.

Then, Cavan stops frowning and remembers the baby that was crying in the doctor's office just days before.
"The baby at the doctor's office was getting botox?"
"Maybe. I don't think you want botox, so you better stop frowning."
"Okay."

She hasn't given us that pissed off scowl since then!

Cavan's new favorite toy

Cavan loves to turn "real" tools into toys. She would much rather talk on the real phone rather than her pretend phone. And she would rather wash real dishes in the sink with the real dish brush rather than pretend to wash her play dishes in her play kitchen (though that play kitchen has probably been the best investment as far as Cavan's continued interest, imagination, and time spent playing on a daily basis!)

So when Daddy was building shelves for the new baby's nursery and the stud finder came out, well, we might as well buy Daddy a new one, because he is never getting his back!

Cavan calls it the "checker" because it is a tool to check things. And when she checks things, she pushes the button and it beeps with a little red light. Anything can be checked. Pillows. Food. The cat. Pieces of paper. And if the stud finder beeps, the item in question is "okay." If it doesn't beep, then it is "bad" and needs to be thrown away or hidden. This has kept her occupied for long stretches of time.

But since the baby has been born, the checker has also doubled as a thermometer. I wouldn't let Cavan use the real thermometer with her baby dolls, so the next best subsitute—the stud finder. It is hysterical watching her flip over her baby dolls and put the stud finder on their butts to take their temperature.

Another job of the checker? To be the grocery store scanner. Cavan loads up her grocery cart with food from the fridge and brings it to me. I proceed to scan each item with the stud finder and then Cavan delivers the ingredients to Daddy to make dinner.

Babies-R-Us take note: start carrying a line of stud finders. Way more useful than those toddler-safe toys you sell!

Behind the name—Emma Bernadette

Throughout my pregnancy, people would constantly ask, "What names are you thinking about?" And even just weeks before baby was born, we had no idea. Hubby and I wanted a name that had meaning and one that didn't already belong to someone we know.

Finally, for a girl, I had picked out Caitlyn. Hubby wasn't sold, but we didn't have any other ideas. But as it turned out, we didn't pick our baby's name at all. Cavan did.

We constantly asked Cavan whether she thought the baby was a little boy or a little girl. She almost always answered little boy. So then we started asking her what she wanted to name him. And one day she said Emma.

We had no intention of naming a little boy Emma, but from the moment Cavan suggested it, we knew that if we had a girl, Emma she would be. Such a sweet, simple name, and special because it came from the heart of her big sister.

First name Emma, middle name Bernadette.

Bernadette is my mom's name. Bernadette is my middle name. And also my sister's middle name. I knew I wanted to use it as the middle name for a little girl, but it is a hard name to "sound right" following most first names. But with Emma, wow, it fit! So now the name travels to the third generation.

Book review: HOTEL ON THE CORNER OF BITTER AND SWEET by Jamie Ford

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet

By Jamie Ford

Ballantine Books

301 pp

Predictable but sweet

What this book accomplishes is painting a vivid picture of the post-Pearl Harbor dynamic on the West coast, particularly within the international district in Seattle. But if you’re looking for a unique plotline, you may be disappointed.

But despite the predictable nature of the Japanese-Chinese Romeo-and-Juliet-type story, this novel is a quick and worthwhile read if you like sweetheart stories and happy endings. Definitely no star-crossed suicides here.

Henry, a Chinese boy, and Keiko, a Japanese girl, both earn scholarships to an all-white middle school, an honor for their respective parents hoping to raise American children. Though Henry’s family vehemently hates the Japanese for their nation’s war against the Chinese homeland and forces Henry to wear a button declaring “I am Chinese,” Henry is captivated by his new friend, whom he bonds during their daily work-study—serving cafeteria slop to the white kids in the school.

Their budding friendship and innocent romance is pre-maturely ripped apart by the US directive to round up all Japanese for internment camps, American citizens or not. But in the most unlikely ways, Henry is able to seek her out when Keiko’s family is first shipped to Camp Hope, the interim facility at the state fairgrounds where whole families live in individual livestock stalls, and then later finds her in the 10,000-person plus containment city in middle-of-nowhere Idaho.

So Henry successfully professes his love and vows to wait for her release, but what would cross-culture, long-distance love be without the ignorant meddling by a disapproving parent, one of the books many clichés.  

But despite Henry and Keiko’s formulaic relationship, one character does intrigue—Sheldon, the street-performing sax player who takes Henry under his wing. Sheldon gives dimension to the story, not only through the metaphorical broken record-recording of his performance at the Black Elks Club, but by giving the reader a vision of little known jazz history. By the end of the novel, readers should be able to hear the music that brings all three characters together in their own melting-pot friendships.

Book review: THE HELP, by Katheryn Sockett

The Help

By Katheryn Sockett

Amy Einhorn Books/Putnam

464 pp

Genuine Characters

The sure sign of a well-written character is the incorporation of both flaws and favors within her personality. Each voice portrays balance, but it is Miss Hilly, the hateful and prejudiced socialite in ­The Help, that proves Sockett’s ability to truly write beyond stereotypes.

The novel tells the story of the relationship between the black help and white debutantes of Jackson, Mississippi, in the years leading up to the Civil Rights Act of 1964. It portrays both the cruelty of Southern mentality and the love that overcomes the engrained mindset of racist society.

This is an easy-to-read, can’t-put-it-down novel with memorable, lovable, and despicable characters. Told through the voices of three narrators, the personalities, and clash thereof, read are akin to the addictive dynamics of a soap opera, but without the clichés. Aibileen and Minny are two of the black housekeepers share their perspective, along with Skeeter, the awkward, career-driven white lady who befriends “the help” in hopes of publishing her first book—an expose of Southern relationships between maids and mistresses.

And then there’s the antagonist, Miss Hilly—the Junior League president and the representative of racist Southern attitude. She spearheads a campaign called the Home Help Sanitation Initiative, which actively encourages white families to provide a separate bathroom for the help in order to protect white citizens from the diseases of Nigras. But beyond her bigoted beliefs, she is a vindictive character in general, vowing revenge to whoever wrongs her, regardless of her color or position in society. Imagine the high school mean girl all grown up but without the wisdom of age.

But despite how easy it is to hate Miss Hilly, especially as the story is largely told through two African American voices, one scene toward the middle of the book, describes Hilly’s relationship with her children.

“One thing I got to say about Miss Hilly, she love her children. About every five minutes, she kiss Will on the head. Or she ask Heather, is she having fun? Or come here and give Mama a hug. Always telling her she the most beautiful girl in the world. And Heather love her momma too. She look at Miss Hilly like she looking up at the Statue a Liberty. That kind a love always make me want a cry. Even when it going to Miss Hilly. Cause it make me think about Treelore, how much he love me. I appreciate a child adoring they mama.”(184).

The value of this scene is two-fold. First it establishes Aibileen’s gentle nature and Christian heart. Despite being a victim of Miss Hilly’s and her own boss, Miss Elizabeth Leefolt’s, cruel demeanors, she is able to acknowledge small glimmers of balance in their characters. And secondly and most importantly, because Aibileen doesn’t hate Miss Hilly, we can’t hate Miss Hilly, even though both she and readers despise her.

This is not just a book about injustice. It’s a book about hope, about perseverance. It’s a story about the strength of human spirit. It’s about the bonds of love that develop in even the most unlikely scenarios. And most importantly, it is a book about reality, bringing us back to a time and place we may never have experienced or may want to forget. But we should not forget.

Playland!

Cavan on the Kiddie Boats.

Today we took Cavan to the annual family outing at Playland, a local amusement park. When we went last year, but at one and a half years old, she was too small to ride any of the rides, even in Kiddie Land. But this year, at 37 inches tall, one inch taller than the minimum, Cavan was eligible for nearly every ride. And boy did she love it.

For Cavan's first ride, we opted for the Kiddie Boats. The kids sit in a floating boat and can turn a steering wheel and ring a bell as it slowly floats around in a circle. Since adults can't ride with the kids, we wanted to start her off with the gentlest ride in the park. Well, immediately after, she ran to each ride, pointing and yelling, "I want to ride the motorcycles! I want to ride the horseys! I want to ride the trucks!"

Everyone loves the merry-go-round.

All of those rides were some version of sit on the "car" and ride around in a circle. After four successful and wide-smile rides, Cavan pointed to the Kiddie Coaster. She not only exhibited no fear or anxiety with any of the previous rides, but was daring enough to ride by herself without any coaxing. I anticipated that the Kiddie Coaster would be too fast, but Hubby said, "Nah." And as Cavan sat next to another little girl about her size, she put thumbs up before the ride started and then she was off, smile and all.

The coaster only went around the track once, and when it pulled into the station, Cavan had a distressed look on her face. She wasn't crying, but she ran toward the exit and jumped into Daddy's arms. Then she said, "It was too fast! I don't like that one!"

But that didn't stop my brave little girl from riding more rides. She just double checked that each new ride "wasn't too fast" before she got on. 

Getting measured. 37 inches tall.

Mommy, 9-months pregnant. Walking around in
90-degreeweather was a bit of a chore.

Books read 2010-2011

After a week or so hiatus, I'm finally back at the computer. Perhaps it's the 94 degree weather. Perhaps its Cavan's two-hour-and-counting nap. Perhaps its the fact that I can no longer bend over or walk comfortably, therefore sedentary activities are much more appealing. But regardless, I'm back, and it feels good to write.

Many timely topics have come and gone over my brief break from blogging. I could revisit my two weeks living as an extreme hoarder. (Actually, we just cleaned the carpets and painted the bedrooms, so everything, I mean every piece of crap we had stored in our rooms and closets, was living in the hallway, the bathroom, the living room and even our cars. Yes, we turned our cars into storage units. That is a sure sign of hoarding, right!?)

I could go into detail (complain) about the uncomfortable reality of month nine of pregnancy. (Yesterday, I could not even fit into my maternity swimsuit from Cavan's pregnancy and had to resort to wearing Hubby's swim trunks and a T-shirt. Apparently my ass is now as bigger than my husband's considering I didn't even need to tie the drawstring.)

But, since it is the summer, how about discussing my summer reading list.

Last year, I read 29 new books (not counting books that I re-read for teaching purposes like Catcher in the Rye, Lord of the Flies, etc.) Here is the list. One day I intend to write a little blurb about each with recommendations and/or critiques, but for now, a starring system is all I can muster.

* I wish I hadn't wasted my time (no entertainment or literary merit)

** Not great, wouldn't recommend, but I'm not wishing for those hours back

*** Good and/or beach-read. Not exactly a literary masterpiece, but entertaining and/or interesting for the time it took to read.

**** Highly recommend! Please read so we can talk about it.

***** One of the best I have read in a long time.

Adult Contemporary

• City of Thieves by David Benioff ****
• Black Swan Green by David Mitchell *
• Bad Monkeys by Matt Ruff **
• Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight: An African Childhood by Alexandra Fuller ****
• Sarah’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay ***
• Little Bee by Chris Cleave ****
• The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larson ****
• Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn ****
• Bel Canto by Anne Pachett *****
• A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseni ****
• Mudbound by Hillary Jordan ****
• Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen ****
• The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls*****
• Lucky by Alice Sebold ****
• The Good Thief by Hannah Tinti ***
• The Life of Pi by Yann Martel **** 
• Chelsea Chelsea, Bang Bang by Chelsea Handler****
• The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison*** (very literary, but a chore to read)
• The Crucible by Arthur Miller****

Young Adult (most of these I read for high school student recommendations. BUT, I absolutely recommend the 4-stars to adult readers).

• Paper Towns by John Green***
• The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman***
• How to Build a House by Dana Reinhardt***
• Split by Swati Avasthi*** (good for boys)
• Rules by Cynthia Lord***
• The London Eye Mystery by Siobhan Dowd ***
• The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie***
• Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins****
• Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins****
• Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins****

Read so far in 2011. 

• The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein****
• The Magicians by Lev Grossman***
• Room by Emma Donahue****
• The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom****
• The Road by Cormac McCarthy****
• Funny in Farsi by Faroozeh Dumas***
• Autobiography of a Face by Lucy Grealy***

As you can see, I am a bit behind on my reading quota this year. Here's what I have lined up for the summer. We'll see if I can get through the list, considering we are already a week into July.

• Truth and Beauty by Ann Pachett
• Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri
• The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck (yes, I'm an English teacher, and no I have not yet read this book. It's about time!)
• Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann
• The Help by Katherine Sockett 

I'll try to post mini-reviews as I go through the list. That's a lofty aspiration considering I'll have a newborn in a few weeks, but it's good to have a goal, right?!