Our Epic Vacation: Days 6 & 7 Look at me, knocking out two days in one post. But only because Day 6 was pretty mellow. I mean, we needed some rest after the previous five days, don’t you think? We spent a leisurely morning on Day 6 at my in-laws’ house. We worked on laundry while the…
Our Epic Vacation: Day 5 The end of Day 4 found us all a little bit (a lot) cranky, and crashing for the night in our tent at Yellowstone after going to bed without dinner. I thought I’d better take a picture of our palatial tent that was so good to us on this camping trip. It…
Almost exactly one year ago, I reviewed The Kindling, which is the first book in Braden Bell’s Middle School Magic series. I had been unsure if I would like it, since fantasy is not my favorite genre and I generally don’t read it. I was wrong—I really liked it. I have been waiting on pins and…
Hello! I’ve been a busy girl this last month, and I simply have not found the time to sit down and write. But that’s okay, because I have lots of stories to tell for later. In July, when I have almost no commitments. Just one more week—I can NOT wait to finally sit down and relax! In…
A couple of years ago I reviewed Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua (You can read my review here). There was (and still is) much controversy surrounding this book, but I found it a fascinating memoir of someone who was doing the best she knew how with her children. I did not agree with…
If you are a mom and you participate in Social Media, you have heard of Glennon Doyle Melton. Unless you were living under a rock (or unless you are one of those people who never click on the posts you see 100 times in your news feed), you most likely read her blog post “Don’t…
I’ve always wished that I could afford to just have several pair of glasses to choose from. I have to wear either contacts or glasses, and I thought it would be nice to be able to wear glasses that coordinate with what I am wearing—or even glasses to match my mood! So I was kind of…
I participate in a Facebook group where the discussion centers largely around learning differences in students, and ideas for helping those students receive an education that works for them. The group was born when a friend of mine met a lot of resistance from both her child’s teacher and the school/school district in trying to get…
When I first agreed to review The Power of Starting Something Stupid by Richie Norton, I didn’t really think it would apply to me. My limited understanding of the content was that it would be about taking risk and starting something, like a business. I, personally, do not dream of starting a business, nor do…
The Oscars were last night, and Les Miserables came to a theatre near me just in the nick of time. Living in a small town like mine can be frustrating where the Academy Awards are concerned, because when you already don’t watch R-rated films, you don’t get to see many of the nominees. And then when…
A Good American is the beautiful tale of Frederick and Jette Meisenheimer, their immigration from Germany to the small town of Beatrice, Missouri, and the lives of their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Alex George has such a wonderful ability to make music out of the English language, that it isn’t surprising at all that the…
Last week’s Newtown Tragedy has upset me more than almost anything I can think of in my life. I was happily doing some Christmas shopping on Friday when my mother texted me and asked if I had seen the news. She gave some brief statistics and I sat in my car in the parking lot, absolutely horrified. And…