Mommy Brain

- The good news? It’s not 10 degrees outside anymore. On the other hand, it’s snowing, and has been all morning. The forecast reads like this: Monday – snow; Tuesday – snow; Wednesday – cloudy; Thursday – snow; Friday – snow; Saturday – snow – well, you get the idea. I know I’ve only lived here 11 years, but this has got to be some sort of snowfall record. It has to be – because I’d hate to think this is just a normal winter, and the last few have been abnormal. When is spring, again?

- Remember how I said we had discovered a great Sci-Fi channel series through Netflix called The Dresden Files? Well, it turns out it only ran one season. Phooey. On the plus side, we’re really enjoying the Tom Hanks / HBO-produced miniseries From the Earth to the Moon.

- National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets is great – we went Thursday night. It’s fun and action-packed and has some history thrown in. Yes, you have to suspend your disbelief. No, it’s not deep or profound – but sometimes you want to go to the movies just to be entertained. And I appreciate having a PG rated movie that the kids and Kevin and I all enjoyed together.

- I added a “Josiah’s Reading” page to the blog. How cool is that? My six-year-old is making his way through Frog and Toad All Year. I couldn’t find the next 1st grade reader, so I pulled this out, and he is reading it – and laughing at Toad’s sledding adventure.

- The kids took part in a Pinewood Derby for Awana yesterday at church. Jonathan and Noah both brought home 3rd-place trophies in the speed category. Josiah was disappointed, and said to Jonathan, “Can we share your trophy?” Jonathan replied, “Sure!” I loved watching them cheer each other and their friends on.

- Missoula Children’s Theater is coming in two weeks, and Natalie is going to audition for their production of a musical adaptation of The Little Mermaid. (Not the Disney story, but the Hans Christian Anderson fairy tale.) They bring the entire production except the cast, and hold auditions to cast 60 local K-12 students. Then the kids rehearse every afternoon and evening that week, and on Saturday they do two performances. I’m nervous for her. She has a good attitude, though, and said, “Even if I don’t get a part, it will be fun just to audition and see how it works.”

- We’re almost caught up on our school schedule. We will be where we should be by the end of this week. Then my sister and her two boys are coming up from Post Falls to spend the weekend, so we will be spending Saturday at Mom and Dad’s. Josiah will sleep over that night with his best friend, cousin Peter, and then the rest of us will go back Sunday afternoon to watch the Super Bowl. Go Giants!

- We skipped church today, since it would have required massive shoveling at an early hour to get us out of the driveway. Kevin shoveled earlier, and now the kids are out to shovel again – and play, of course.

I thought I had answered every book meme out there, until I saw this one at The Sleepy Reader.

Which book do you irrationally cringe away from reading, despite seeing only positive reviews?

The Iliad and The Odyssey. I know they’re supposed to be the foundations of Western literature, but I just have no interest. I’m sure we will be studying them when the kids get older, though.

If you could bring three characters to life for a social event (afternoon tea, a night of clubbing, perhaps a world cruise), who would they be and what would the event be?

Can I just sit and look at Mr. Darcy, Connor Larkin from Trinity, and Kerbouchard from Louis L’Amour’s The Walking Drum? No? Okay, then I guess I would choose to have tea with Elizabeth Bennett, Anne Elliot, and Elinor Dashwood – so I could find out how things went after their respective weddings.

(Borrowing shamelessly from the Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde): you are told you can’t die until you read the most boring novel on the planet. While this immortality is great for awhile, eventually you realise it’s past time to die. Which book would you expect to get you a nice grave?

I have to agree with Amy – Moby Dick.

Come on, we’ve all been there. Which book have you pretended, or at least hinted, that you’ve read, when in fact you’ve been nowhere near it?

I don’t think I’ve ever done that.

As an addition to the last question, has there been a book that you really thought you had read, only to realise when you read a review about it/go to ‘reread’ it that you haven’t? Which book?

I can’t think of any. I have, however, went to read a book for the “first” time and found out I’d already read it.

You’re interviewing for the post of Official Book Advisor to some VIP (who’s not a big reader). What’s the first book you’d recommend and why? (if you feel like you’d have to know the person, go ahead of personalise the VIP).

Is the idea to just recommend a good read or recommend books that will help make the person a better leader? I guess I’d pick Education of a Wandering Man by Louis L’Amour and That Distant Land: Collected Stories by Wendell Berry, because I think those would fulfill both goals.

A good fairy comes and grants you one wish: you will have perfect reading comprehension in the foreign language of your choice. Which language do you go with?

Italian. I’d love to be able to read anything written in Italian – out loud.

A mischievious fairy comes and says that you must choose one book that you will reread once a year for the rest of your life (you can read other books as well). Which book would you pick?

Anne of Green Gables. I’ve read it probably ten times, and I have loved it every time. I’m reading it aloud to Nan right now, and I am remembering how much I adore it.

I know that the book blogging community, and its various challenges, have pushed my reading borders. What’s one bookish thing you ‘discovered’ from book blogging (maybe a new genre, or author, or new appreciation for cover art-anything)?

Probably the biggest thing is that classics are called classics for a reason. Until a couple of years ago, I resisted reading anything I was told I “should” read. A little bit of book rebellion, I guess. Now I know that if a book is considered a classic, I’ll almost always like, if not love, it.

That good fairy is back for one final visit. Now, she’s granting you your dream library! Describe it. Is everything leatherbound? Is it full of first edition hardcovers? Pristine trade paperbacks? Perhaps a few favourite authors have inscribed their works? Go ahead-let your imagination run free.

Lots and lots of bookshelves, plenty of cushy reading chairs, a well-stocked wine cabinet, and all the books on my Master To-Read List. Oh, yeah – and time would stand still when I was in there. That way, I could sneak in and read for as long as I wanted, and when I left, no time would have passed.

Anyone else want to play along?

Since I can use books from my A to Z Challenge, I decided to join the Chunkster Challenge 2008, being hosted by Dana at So Many Books, So Little Time. The idea is to read four books between January 7th and December 20th of this year. But not just any four books – each book has to be over 450 pages long. The cool thing is that this challenge offers prizes – one per quarter – if you post your reviews and link them at the Chunkster Challenge blog. So, here is my list:

Anna Karenina – Leo Tolstoy
Vanity Fair – William Makepeace Thackeray
Tess of the D’Urbervilles – Thomas Hardy
Women in Love – D. H. Lawrence

I love to eat: Nutty Chicken Alfredo from Stefani’s Oak Street Grill, a local restaurant.
I hate to eat: Peas.
I love to go: To the movies.
I hate to go: Grocery shopping. (I agree with Crissy on this one.)
I love it when: One of my kids is lost in a good book.
I hate it when: I don’t have time to read.
I love to see: A clean house.
I hate to see: Snow after January 1st.
I love to hear: Josh Groban sing in Italian.
I hate to hear: Whining.

Hat tip: Crissy at Soliloquy

There is not one person in our house right now with a fever. It’s been ten days. I know that doesn’t seem very long, but remember, we had a different strain of the flu over Christmas, too. I’m telling you this: next year we will be first in line for our flu shots.

We have some fun things planned for the rest of our week, which I’m looking forward to after being stuck at home this long. Thursday night I’m going to take the kids to see National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets. Friday afternoon we’re going to Michelle’s for our play date that we missed last week. And then Saturday the kids are competing in a Pinewood Derby for Awana. In between all that, we’ll try to get caught up on school.

The kids are looking forward to going out to play in the mountains of snow in our front yard, but it’s very cold and they are all still coughing. Poor Noah started crying this morning when I told him he couldn’t go out cause he hadn’t been fever-free for 24 hours yet. He proclaimed this the “suckiest winter ever” – and he’s not even allowed to say that word. The poor guy. I felt so bad for him, I didn’t even get him in trouble.

If people only made prudent marriages, what a stop to population there would be!

~ William Makepeace Thackeray

(The Game Plan was provided to me by Click Communications for the purpose of review.)

The kids and I watched The Game Plan last night, and we liked it very much. I wasn’t expecting to like it as much as I did.

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson stars as Joe Kingman, quarterback of the fictional NFL team, the Boston Rebels. It’s almost play-off season, and Kingman is focused on his two favorite things: football and himself. He thinks very highly of himself, as evidenced by his apartment full of pictures of himself and every sports trophy he’s ever won on grand display.

Kingman’s life is turned upside down when 8-year-old Peyton shows up at his door and announces that she is his daughter from a previous marriage – a daughter he didn’t know existed. Madison Pettis from the Disney Channel series Cory in the House stars as Peyton, and she is a natural in front of the camera. Dwayne Johnson shows himself to be a very apt comedic actor, and the banter between the two is very funny. The only thing I found a little distracting was Johnson’s acting during the more serious, emotional moments. He can play funny, but he has a harder time playing sad and emotional – it’s just not quite believable. This doesn’t distract too much, though, and the movie is still very much worth seeing – perfect for family movie night.

The Game Plan is rated PG for some mild thematic elements. The DVD special features include some funny bloopers and deleted scenes, as well as a couple of “making of” featurettes.

A meme is the closest I could come to writing a coherent post right now. Here’s one I saw at Musings of a Bookish Kitty.

What kind of soap is in your shower right now?
Ivory bar soap and Suave Shower Gel in some coconutty scent.

Do you have any watermelon in your refrigerator?
No.

What would you change about your living room?
Double it’s size; new carpet; floor to ceiling bookshelves on one wall.

Are the dishes in your dishwasher clean or dirty?
Don’t have one. There are dirty dishes in the sink, however.

What is in your fridge?
Milk, Gatorade, leftover pizza, eggs, cheese, apples, water, condiments, Gogurt, applesauce, sausage, etc.

White or wheat bread?
I know I’m supposed to eat wheat, but I like white better.

What is on top of your refrigerator?
AppleJacks, Lucky Charms, Cheerios, Wheat Chex, Ritz Bits, Granola bars, Sunflower seeds

What color or design is on your shower curtain?
It’s white.

How many plants are in your home?
Zero. I kill them.

Is your bed made right now?
Nope.

Comet or Soft Scrub?
Tilex and Lime Away and Lysol. Plus Clorox Wipes – those things are terrific!

Is your closet organized?
Not hardly. That’s where I throw everything I don’t have time to deal with.

Can you describe your flashlight?
Black and yellow plastic, but we can’t find it at the moment. No one can remember where it got put when we unpacked from the last camping trip.

Do you drink out of glass or plastic most of the time at home?
Plastic. We haven’t had glass glasses since we had kids.

Do you have iced tea made in a pitcher right now?
No – not big iced tea drinkers.

If you have a garage, is it cluttered?
If we had one, I’m sure it would be cluttered, but we don’t.

Curtains or blinds?
We have both on some windows.

How many pillows do you sleep with?
One.

Do you sleep with any lights on at night?
Only when I’m alone in the house when Kevin’s camping with the kids.

How often do you vacuum?
I don’t anymore – Noah does, usually twice a week.

Standard toothbrush or electric?
Standard.

What color is your toothbrush?
Purple and white.

Do you have a welcome mat on your front porch?
No.

What is in your oven right now?
Nothing.

Is there anything under your bed?
Kevin’s rifle. (Don’t worry, we don’t keep any ammo in the house.)

Chore you hate doing the most?
Cleaning out the fridge.

What retro items are in your home?
I don’t think we have any.

Do you have a separate room that you use as an office?
Nope. I do most of my writing on my laptop, sitting on the couch.

How many mirrors are in your home?
Hmm…one on the medicine cabinet in the bathroom. Various hand mirrors.

What color are your walls?
White.

What does your home smell like right now?
The toasted vanilla candles that are burning.

Favorite candle scent?
Pumpkin pie.

What kind of pickles (if any) are in your refrigerator right now?
Dill stackers.

What color is your favorite Bible?
My new ESV Journaling Bible it terra cotta and sage, I love it.

Ever been on your roof?
No, but Kevin has.

Do you own a stereo?
Yes.

How many TVs do you have?
One.

How many house phones?
Three, but only one works very well.

Do you have a housekeeper?
I wish.

What style do you decorate in?
The “put out whatever you have and leave it until it’s time to change for Christmas, then put it back exactly the same way when Christmas is over” style. Home decorating is not a gift of mine, and it’s not something I give much thought.

Do you like solid colors or prints in furniture?
Solids, mostly.

Is there a smoke detector in your home?
Several.

In case of fire, what are the items in your house which you’d grab if you only could make one quick trip?
I suppose my computer, if I knew the kids and Kevin were all safely away. I would want to grab my books, but there are too many.

Let me know if you play along!

I am beginning to think this winter is one for the books, in two ways – the amount of snow we’ve gotten (more is supposed to be on the way) and the amount of sickness we’ve had. I know it’s only January 18th, but I am ready for Spring.

With our sick week, we have done a lot of movie watching. If you haven’t yet seen Akeelah and the Bee, you must go Netflix or rent it right now. It is a truly wonderful movie. Kevin and I watched 3:10 to Yuma. Brilliant acting, gorgeous men, and a plot and characters that keep you thinking for a long time. What more could you want from a movie? We have also discovered a new series through Netflix – The Dresden Files. Dad had watched it on the Sci-Fi channel and recommended it, so we’re watching Season One. Think Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Harry Potter meets CSI. Very entertaining.

I am praying and hoping that everyone is over the worst of it by Sunday afternoon so that we can go see National Treasure 2 at the theater. It is finally playing at our little theater in our little town. I plan on thoroughly enjoying our weekend, since we will be having some extra school time during the next couple of weeks to get caught up, and our February is shaping up to be a busy month – but busy with mostly fun stuff, thank goodness.

Before I give you my links, I have a favor to ask. One of my article assignments this week is to write about the 10 most popular chocolate bars. For research purposes, I’m going to take an informal poll: please leave a comment listing your top three candy bars. (I know, it sounds like a fun topic, but just so you don’t think it’s all candy, last month I had to write about composting toilets. Ugh.)

Now, on to this week’s links:

~ Don’t forget to leave a comment on this post to win a copy of Ayo’s Joyful CD. Come on, people, I have two free copies to give away and no takers so far.

~ The Library of Congress is uploading their photo archives to Flickr. Thousands and thousands of historical photos for perusing. Check it out, but be prepared to spend lots and lots of time. Hat tip: Meg.

~ Hollywood Jesus has a fantastic article – the best one I’ve read about the whole “Dumbledore is gay” issue.

~ 5 Minutes for Mom is having another great giveaway – they’re giving away an Insignia Bluetooth MP3 player from Best Buy! Head on over to find out how to enter.

~ This video on the Amazon blog is amazing – a protest artist released 500,000 colored plastic balls down the Spanish Steps in Rome.

Noah and I have been enjoying this today. Who wouldn’t enjoy a book with pictures like this…

and this?