Mommy Brain

I finished listening to Home to Holly Springs on audiobook yesterday, and it was the perfect book to listen to during Lent, and especially to complete on Easter.

Jan Karon revisits the character of Father Tim, but this time the story is set outside of Mitford. Father Tim receives a two-word note in the mail, post-marked from his hometown of Holly Springs, Mississippi. The note reads, “Come home.” He travels to Holly Springs, and comes home in so many different ways. As he travels the places of his childhood, we travel the memories of his childhood, and come to a greater understanding of who he is and the people who have helped shape his life.

I thought I would miss the quirky characters of Mitford, but it turns out Holly Springs has a few oddballs of its own. I have always enjoyed – and envied – the way Father Tim makes friends with people, bypassing the small talk and getting to the depth of relationship. During his time in his hometown, Timothy sees resolution and reconciliation in so many areas of his past.

One of the things I enjoyed most about the Mitford series is watching how God answers prayers in Father Tim and Cynthia’s lives. It often takes time, and doesn’t happen in an expected way. Sometimes the answer never comes. I agree with Carol, who said when she blogged about Home to Holly Springs, “Life is complex; things don’t always happen in the clean and tidy way of our dreams. Which leads me to my last critique. Karon cleaned up all of Father Tim’s loose ends in a way I found facile and unbelievable. I wish she had left some dangling threads. It’s too neat ending felt formulaic.” It was wonderful to see all of Tim’s prayers and hopes answered when he traveled home, but it did seem to be too good to be true – especially considering the way I experience God’s answers in my own life.

That said, though, I am very glad that the Father Tim story didn’t end with the Mitford series, and I still highly recommend this book. (4 out of 5 stars)

A note on the audio: I have read all of the Mitford books at least twice, and I have listened to all of them on audiobook. The reader of the Mitford series was John McDonough, and he became the voice of Father Tim in my mind. When I started the audio of Home to Holly Springs I was very surprised and disappointed to hear a different narrator. I almost gave up, because it was so different. I am so glad I didn’t. Scott Sowers is one of the best audiobook narrators in my experience – and I’ve listened to a lot of audiobooks. He gave each character their own voice, and helped me to “hear” Mississippi. I was sad when the book ended, both because it was a good book, and because I wouldn’t be listening to Mr. Sowers read any more.

For my next audiobook, I have chosen Blasphemy by Douglas Preston. My dad is a huge Preston fan; his books could be considered supernatural thrillers, I believe. Dad’s raved enough about Preston that I decided to give him a try, and when the “new purchases” list on the library web site included Blasphemy, I snatched it up. I was pleasantly surprised when I started disc one and heard, “Blasphemy by Douglas Preston, narrated by Scott Sowers.” Yep, same guy.

(Johnny and the Sprites: Meet the Sprites was provided to me by Click Communications for the purpose of review and giveaway.)

The winner of the Johnny and the Sprites: Meet the Sprites DVD is…

… Jennifer!

Congratulations, Jennifer! Watch your e-mail box; I’ll be contacting you for your mailing address.

(Unstable Fables: 3 Pigs and a Baby was provided to me by Special Ops Media for the purpose of review.)

My kids have enjoyed all of the movies that give the viewer a new twist on an old fairy tale, like Hoodwinked and Happily Never After. We can now add 3 Pigs and a Baby to that list, because the kids absolutely loved it and have watched it three times since it arrived. (They were sick over Easter weekend, so a lot of movies were watched while everyone took it easy.)

In 3 Pigs and a Baby, the Big Bad Wolf is foiled in the way we all remember from “The Three Little Pigs.” After he meets his demise in the fireplace of the brick house, the wolf pack is determined to think of another way to get into the pigs’ house and have a nice big pork dinner. Their plan? To leave a baby wolf on the three pigs’ doorstep. After they raise the wolf to adolescence, they will then approach the wolf, reveal his true nature, and have him leave the key to the pigs’ house under the welcome mat.

There is some great humor in this film, including all the usual “three guys raising a baby” gags. The pigs are voiced by Brad Garrett, Jon Cryer, and Steve Zahn. The teen wolf is voiced by Jesse McCartney, who will be very familiar to any Hannah Montana fans out there.

The DVD special features include three featurettes: “The Voices of 3 Pigs and a Baby,” “Re-Imagining a Classic,” and “Animation Education.”

Natalie liked it so much, she wrote her own review on her blog.

Noah’s review: It was really, really funny, and it teaches you an important lesson: not to betray your family. 4 1/2 stars out of five.

The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio

Everything Is Illuminated

Have a blessed Easter.

Low-rated Jericho axed by CBS.

Sob.

When Katy at Fallible announced that she now had an agent to help guide her literary career, I was so very happy for her. I also started reading her agent’s blog. She gives great writing advice (like this), and she’s also hosting The Yo-Dawg-Show-Me-What-You-Got Double Decker CHALLENGE. There are two parts to the competition: submit the first line of a novel – a first line that will make her want to keep reading; second, after she chooses the winning first line, submit the first 300 words to go with the winning first line. If you’re a writer, the prize is something all unpublished writers pine after, so please click over and check out all the details. The deadline for the first phase is Saturday at midnight her time, so don’t wait.

Now, onto a totally different and completely unrelated topic: colonoscopies. Yes, I know, not what you expect from my blog. However, I read this funny and important column by Dave Barry about hist first colonoscopy – and why, after avoiding it for 10 years, he finally had it done.

OK. You turned 50. You know you’re supposed to get a colonoscopy. But you haven’t. Here are your reasons:

1. You’ve been busy.

2. You don’t have a history of cancer in your family.

3. You haven’t noticed any problems.

4. You don’t want a doctor to stick a tube 17,000 feet up your butt.

Let’s examine these reasons one at a time. No, wait, let’s not. Because you and I both know that the only real reason is No. 4. This is natural. The idea of having another human, even a medical human, becoming deeply involved in what is technically known as your ”behindular zone” gives you the creeping willies.

Now that I’ve shown you how humorous even this topic can be, click over and read the column. And, if you’re over fifty and have yet to be screened (yes, Dad, I mean you), make an appointment.

And, since it’s Good Friday, I leave you with this:

I read of Christ crucified,
the only begotten Son
sacrificed to flesh and time
and all our woe. He died
and rose, but who does not tremble
for His pain, His loneliness,
and the darkness of the sixth hour?
Unless we grieve like Mary
at His grave, giving Him up
as lost, no Easter morning comes.

~from The Way of Pain, by Wendell Berry

I saw this at Can I Borrow Your Book, and decided to play along since I have nothing else to post at the moment.

Here are the directions:

Another (5) Book Meme

1. Take five books off your bookshelf.
2. For Book #1, quote the first sentence.
3. For Book #2, quote the last sentence on page fifty.
4. For Book #3, quote the second sentence on page one hundred.
5. For Book #4, quote the next to the last sentence on page one hundred fifty.
6. For Book #5, quote the final sentence of the book.
7. Make the five sentences into a paragraph.

Book # 1 – Discovering the Writer Within: 40 Days to More Imaginative Writing by Bruce Ballenger and Barry Lane.

You have always thought you could be a writer.

Book # 2 – The Best American Short Stories 2007 edited by Stephen King.

As if summoned by the noise, the birds appear and land on the pins, sucked into them in some way I cannot imagine.

Book # 3 – Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy.

“I hope I may have the honor of calling on you,” he said.

Book # 4 – The Softwire: Betrayal on Orbis 2 by PJ Haarsma.

“You are to confirm the rumors that the female is with child,” he said.

Book # 5 – Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War by Nathaniel Philbrick.

It was a small victory to be sure, but in the winter of 1677 it was the best that Benjamin Church could do.

And the resulting paragraph:

You have always thought you could be a writer. As if summoned by the noise, the birds appear and land on the pins, sucked into them in some way I cannot imagine. “I hope I may have the honor of calling on you,” he said. “You are to confirm the rumors that the female is with child,” he said. It was a small victory to be sure, but in the winter of 1677 it was the best that Benjamin Church could do.

Let me know if you decide to play along!

I picked up Avi’s A Beginning, A Muddle, and an End: The Right Way to Write Writing on my trip to Barnes and Noble, and I started reading it aloud to the kids this morning. This book is funny and brilliant and had the kids and I in stitches. Here are a few of our favorite parts so far:

“A writer is someone who tries to get the words right. That’s why they are called writers. But an author is someone who has written the words wrong. Any critic will tell you that.” p. 32

“You should know that the number one rule about writing is: Write about what you know. So if you know what you haven’t done, write about that.”

“What if you don’t know what you’ve not done?”

“Then you go on to rule number two.”

“Which is?”

“Write about what you don’t know.”

“Is there a third rule?”

“Yes, stories do usually have three rules. Rule number three is: Write about what you don’t know as if you did know about it.”

“Any fourth rule?”

“Absolutely: Make sure that when you’re writing about what you don’t know as if you did know, conceal the fact that you don’t know what you’re doing.”

“Is there a fifth rule?”

“A crucial one. It’s: Always leave your readers guessing.”

“Guessing what?”

“Let them guess about which parts you know, which parts you don’t know, and which parts you don’t know but are writing as if you did know.”

“What if they guess right?”

“I told you, the one who is righter becomes a writer.”

“What if they’re wrong?”

“That’s the moment you become an author.” p. 34-35

“Actually,” explained Edward, “it depends on what kind of writer you are. What kind were you intending to be?”

“A writer who attracts readers.”

“Then for heaven’s sake, don’t write writing. Write reading.” p. 37

Isn’t that delicious?

(Johnny and the Sprites: Meet the Sprites was provided to me by Click Communications for the purpose of review.)

When our copy of Johnny and the Sprites: Meet the Sprites came in the mail and I saw the cover, I thought maybe it would be too young for my kids. I was wrong – all three of the boys (ages 9, 8, and 6) enjoyed the DVD. (Natalie, 11, was the only one who thought it was too “babyish.”)

The best thing about this program is the music. It is good quality, unlike so much of the music written for children’s television. The Sprites are adorable, and Johnny is just the right combination of enthusiastic and likable. Here’s the press release, with more information:

BURBANK, Calif., December 14, 2007 – What critic’s are calling “Everything a show for kids should be” – Barry Gordon, HollywoodReporter.com is Disney’s hit series which debuts on DVD with Johnny and the Sprites: Meet the Sprites March 18, 2008. Meet Johnny and the magical and friendly sprites – Ginger, Lily, Root, Basil and all of their friends – in the enchanted woods of Grotto’s Grove. With music, laughter and a sprinkle of magic, Johnny and his new-found friends experience the fun of friendship and learn to be accepting of others.

Episodes “Ginger’s Antenna Dilemma”, “Root’s Dadoots”, “Where the water, Lily?”, “Basil’s Band” and “The Sprites and the What?!” take viewers on a magical journey through Grotto’s Grove. Each episode is filled with music and spritely mischief! Along the way, Ginger learns it’s ok to be different, little Root gets the hiccups and Basil discovers the importance of keeping promises when he joins a band and forgets about his friends.

Johnny and the Sprites stars Tony Award Nominated John Tartaglia and features musical numbers written by various notable Broadway composers such as Gary Adler, Bobby Lopez, Laurence O’Keefe and Michael Patrick Walker. This series aims to expose preschoolers to the beauty of music from a young age, as well as teach lifelong lessons about friendship and tolerance.

Since premiering as a full series in January 2007, Johnny and the Sprites has become one of Playhouse Disney’s top rated preschool series with over 17.6 million unique vewiers. Additionally, it ranks in the top 10 among basic cable morning programs with kids 2-5 – proving that anyone can be a Sprite!

The cool thing is that Click Communications sent me two copies, so I have one for giveaway! If you would like a copy for your little one(s), please leave a comment on this post by Monday, March 24th, 12:00 am PST. Sometime Monday morning, I will choose a winner using a random number generator. Be sure and pass the word to other Mommy bloggers!