Ship of Theseus

For Christmas, my Jeannine-sister gave me a really cool book, called S. by J.J. Abrams. It kinda blew my mind when I first opened it up.

Here's a summary:

"There's a whole lot going on within the formidable book package known as S. After removing the shrink-wrap, you find a book holster, inside of which is the novel, Ship of Theseus, attributed to one V.M. Straka. Flipping through the pages, you notice that they all feature seemingly handwritten notes in the margins, amounting to a dialogue between two students passing the book back and forth. Like a hastily assembled briefcase, there are clippings, postcards and other assorted ephemera scattered about, physically wedged in between pages. Finally, while reading the introduction to Ship of Theseus, it becomes clear that these students are enmeshed in the mystery of the book’s authorship, one that has supposedly daunted scholars for decades."

http://www.fastcocreate.com/3021011/inside-jj-abrams-brain-bending-book-within-a-book

Basically, it's a book within a book, surrounded in several different mysteries.

There's the novel itself, and the strange circumstances surrounding its main character, a man only known as "S."

Then there's the mystery of the identity, life, and alleged crimes of the author, V. M. Straka. 

Then there's the story of the two students written in the margins.

Guys, this book is intense!

I honestly haven't been this excited reading a new book since Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. And that's saying something. 

If you have the chance, I highly recommend this book!

These are my Confessions

Why yes, I did listen to Usher while writing this!

~In the seventh grade, I owned a pair of those huge, wide-legged jeans. Remember? Jnco jeans? Like these:

Except I didn't look nearly as cool as this girl does. 

I also may have walked a certain way when wearing them to make the legs flap. Like a giant, dorky flag.

(PS I found this picture on a vintage clothing website. Since when were awful 90s jeans vintage?)

~Ok. So whenever I'm in the car, listening the radio, the volume has to be a certain way. It has to be either on an even number, or a multiple of 5. 

Here's an example: If I'm listening to my fave Beyonce song, and I want to turn it up to rock out, I have to turn it up to 20. If 20 is too loud, I can turn it down to 18, but 19 is off limits. 

I'm not even going to talk about if the volume goes by something other than numbers. There are rules there too.

~For about 2 years, I forgot how old I was. I actually had to add up the years in my head. And those of you who understand my math skills know that that took a long time, and I was still wrong half the time.

~I had Dr. Pepper for breakfast today. And I have no regrets.

~I've never really been a catty girl. 

But there was a group of girls who were really mean to me in high school. Really mean. And the Regina George of their little posse happened to have a big crush on Brandon back then. 

I married him, and have 2 beautiful babies, and look super hot these days. She has a beer gut and is still living in high school. 

I would never say these things to her face, but I am real snotty to her in my head.

~I still read primarily young adult fiction. Yes, teenager books. I've found that fiction directed towards adults is either boring or inappropriate.

I just finished this last night: 

"Daughters of the Sea tells the story of 3 mermaid sisters who are separated at birth by a storm and go on to lead three very different lives. Book 1 is about Hannah, who spent her early days in an orphanage and is now a scullery maid in the house of a rich, powerful family. She is irresistibly drawn to the sea and through a series of accidents and encounters, discovers her true identity. Hannah realizes that she must keep the truth a secret but she also knows that soon she will have to make the choice - to be a creature of the land or the sea."

And I liked it! It was an easy read, and fun to imagine becoming a mermaid. 

~There. I said it. I still like the thought of being a mermaid.

Bookworm

I love to read, I'm a huge bookworm.

When I was young, my mom used to take my sister and I to the library in the summer, and let us get as many books as we wanted. We'd then take them home and have a "late-night-read," where we got to stay up as late as we wanted and read. We loved it!
My mom actually used to have to hide our books as punishment.

Huge bookworm.

Here's my top 5 favorite books, in no particular order.

1. The Harry Potter books - J.K. Rowling

Duh, like you thought Harry wouldn't make the list. You know how much I love Harry Potter. I read the first book when it came out, and have been a fan ever since. I stood in line at midnight when each book came out, and yes I dressed up. I've read each book upwards of 7 times. I'm obsessed. 

2. On Fortune's Wheel - Cynthia Voigt

My Jeannine-sister first read this book to Carrie and I as kids, and we loved it! Here's the summary:

"Birle has agreed to be wed to the huntsman Muir as an escape from the drudgery of life at her father's inn -- but the moment she looks into the bellflower blue eyes of the man she comes upon stealing one of her father's boats, Birle knows she cannot marry Muir. Even after she discovers the mysterious stranger is Orien, a Lord and as unreachable to an innkeeper's daughter as a star, Birle is determined to travel with him as far as he will allow.

Their travels take Birle to a world far from home, a world where Lords may become slaves, where Princes rule by fear, and where Fortune's Wheel turns more swiftly and dangerously than Birle could have imagined."

It's fabulous! You know I love a book when my copy is falling apart.

3. The Abhorsen Trilogy - Garth Nix

If you like fantasy, sci-fi, LOTRish books, you would love this trilogy. The first book, Sabriel, is my favorite. Here's the summary:

"Since childhood, Sabriel has lived outside the walls of the Old Kingdom, away from the power of Free Magic, and away from the Dead who refuse to stay dead. But now her father, the Mage Abhorson, is missing, and Sabriel must cross into that world to find him. "

The first time I read this book, I think I stayed up until 4 am to finish it.

4. A Midsummer Night's Dream - Shakespeare

This is by far my favorite Shakespeare play. It's short and sweet, and hilarious! Laughter, fairies, magic and love! It doesn't get much better!

5. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee

I first read this book because it was required for my english class in the 8th grade. It's one of those stories that you never forget. It's about courage, acceptance, and doing the right thing. It won a Pulitzer Prize, folks!

Here's what amazon says:

"Compassionate, dramatic, and deeply moving, To Kill A Mockingbird takes readers to the roots of human behavior - to innocence and experience, kindness and cruelty, love and hatred, humor and pathos. " 

I couldn't have said it better myself!

What are your favorites?

Staying Positive as a Mom

One of my favorite books for kids is Love You Forever by Robert Munsch. It's wonderful.

If you've never read it, here's a video of someone reading it aloud with the illustrations.


The thing I love most about this book is that even when the mother is exhausted, and "living in a zoo," she still takes the time to love her child.
I think this is hard to do sometimes. As a mom of two young children, there are days where I am stretched thin. My girls are very energetic and independent, and sometimes this makes me very tired. There are days where I can relate to the mother in the story, living in a zoo!
But I think it's very important to not let myself get frustrated and angry when my kids are just being kids.


There are several things I do to stay positive:

1. Never berate my kids, in public or to their face- I try really hard to never tell my kids that they're making me crazy. I want them to know that I love them, and I think they're good and smart and wonderful. The last thing I want is to say something in anger that will stay with them. Along with that, I try to never say anything bad about my kids in public, which includes social media. If I go onto Facebook, and post about how my kids are nuts, it makes it true. When in reality, my kids are normal, and I am tired and have a bad attitude.

2. Reset Button- When we are having a hard day, I like to do a reset. I ran across something a while ago with ideas. Usually, I stop what we're doing, and we go play outside for 10 minutes, or color a picture together, something like that. It really helps!

3. Put my phone away- A lot of the time, when my kids are being really rambunctious, it's because they are trying to get my attention. If I turn off the TV, put my phone away, and actually engage with them, we have fun!

4. Think of my blessings- I have a really great life! Sometimes, when I am tired and frazzled, it helps to stop and think of the things that are going right! Everything from the blessings of my family and home, to the fact that my lunch was really tasty. Actually, a lot of times, I post these lists on this blog, called Things I'm Lovin Today.

5. Find the good in the activity- One of my kids favorite games is something that seems destructive. They like taking all the cans of food out of the pantry and stacking them throughout the house. It's easy to look at the situation from my perspective: This is such a mess! What I try to do is look at it from theirs. They are learning spacial skills, playing together happily, having fun, and they are "building a Temple," they tell me. What sweet good girls! When I look for the good in what they're doing, it's no longer a mess.


At the end of the day, when I have taken the time to really love my children, it is really easy to forget all about the sticky walls, piled up laundry, and the fact that I haven't gotten out of my PJs all day. In taking the time, I have allowed myself to look at them with heavenly eyes. They are beautiful gifts from my Father in Heaven and I am so blessed to be their mother.

we love to read!

I took the girls to the Norman Library's book sale this afternoon! There were probably a million people there, it was nuts! I had to park way down the street because the library parking lot was full, along with the park accross the street.
The sale is a brown bag sale. Basically, you are given a brown paper bag, and everything that fits in it is $5.
We got about 30 books for $5. I got mostly children's books, but a few for me too. It was awesome!!

Sept. 27th can't come fast enough!

The Casual Vacancy is the name of J. K. Rowling's new book, set to be released Sept. 27th.
http://www.usatoday.com/life/books/news/story/2012-04-12/harry-potter-jk-rowling-new-book/54200224/1

Here's what the publisher posted:

 "When Barry Fairweather dies unexpectedly in his early forties, the little town of Pagford is left in shock. Pagford is, seemingly, an English idyll, with a cobbled market square and an ancient abbey, but what lies behind the pretty fa?ade is a town at war. Rich at war with poor, teenagers at war with their parents, wives at war with their husbands, teachers at war with their pupils…Pagford is not what it first seems. And the empty seat left by Barry on the parish council soon becomes the catalyst for the biggest war the town has yet seen. Who will triumph in an election fraught with passion, duplicity and unexpected revelations?"

It's supposed to be darkly humorous. I'm really excited!

things I'm lovin today

1. The pajamas my mommy got me for Christmas. They are the comfy and warm and cute, and long enough!!

2. These babies reading books together.

3. Smoked Gouda cheese. Enough said.

4. The awesome nap these babies let me take. I needed it!

milestones

Margot hit a few milestones this week. She rolled over for the first time tonight, and she ate her first bottle of baby food: carrots! She thought it was pretty yummy!

She has also started to read:

It's just "My Little Animal Book" for now, but next on her reading list are Hemingway, Steinbeck, Tolkien, and Shakespeare.

She's a fast learner.

book review

Have you been dying to know what the best pregnancy book ever is ? I thought so. I have lots of knowledge on this, so I'll help you.

It's called Bump it Up, by Amy Tara Koch. "How to transform your pregnancy into the ultimate style statement."

Let's be real here. Pregnancy is not really a pretty thing. You gain 40 lbs, your face breaks out, your leg hair grows twice as fast, your ankles swell to the size of softballs, and you throw up every day. Not as glamorous as it could be.

In this book, Amy Tara Koch tells you how to take whats already in your closet, add a few essential pieces, and use it all to dress your ever-growing bod to look awesome. She goes through by trimesters, telling you how to mask the extra bulge, but not quite bump in the first few months; and how to accentuate your voluptuous figure in the last few. She also gives skin and makeup tips to help mother nature along with that whole "pregnancy glow" thing.

Here is an exert:

"Dos & Don'ts: Finessing the Incredible Bulk

Do:

• Invest in a multitasking V-neck black dress.
• Wear big accessories (especially a huge tote bag) to match the bravado of your bump.
• Showcase your cleavage at every opportunity.
• Look to accessories to pull a look together.
• Invest in shimmer and bronzer.

Don'ts:

• Wear frumpifying calf-length dresses.
• Trade your chic bag for a scuzzy Cheetos-filled sack.
• Wear sensible shoes- frumpola!
• Think your inner radiance negates the need for makeup.
• Say goodbye to your hair colorist. Most hair dyes are completely safe during pregnancy. "

I love it.

any good reads?

I am in a curl-up-with-a-good-book kind of mood lately.

The only problem is that I don't know what to read.

Any suggestions?