Mommy Brain

How did it get to be Friday again already? This week just whizzed by!

We had a great Independence Day: mid-day at the lake, home to watch – what else? – Independence Day – then fireworks when it got dark. Stayed up way too late.

Stayed up way too late Sunday night, too, since I took the kids to the drive-in to see Up and The Hannah Montana Movie. Loved Up (I don’t think there is a single Pixar movie I haven’t loved) and was surprised that the second feature was actually pretty good – and had some catchy music that I can’t get out of my head, because my daughter has been singing it ever since.

Went to the gym three times this week and walked on the treadmill. Increased my speed and duration each time. My butt and thighs hurt.

Got a haircut today for the first time in ages – my hair had grown out fairly long, now it’s a little longer than chin-length and layered again. Much cooler for summer.

Tonight, Natalie and I are going to a mother-daughter campout. I will stay for hot dogs and campfire songs and the scavenger hunt, but come home to sleep in my bed so a dozen tween-aged girls don’t keep me awake until o-dark-thirty.

Five days until my sister Debra gets here for a quick two-day visit. Haven’t been able to hug her in real life since her divorce. Can’t wait to get all caught up.

We have two members of our extended family undergoing treatment for cancer. My aunt is having radiation treatments to follow up on a lumpectomy for breast cancer. Kevin’s sister will undergo surgery and then chemotherapy for liver cancer. Prayers would be greatly appreciated.

Well, I’m off to run errands in 20 minutes, so I better get on with the links:

~ This comic is funny, and sadly, true. We love our public library!

~ The Best Books of the Year So Far.

~ ABC is holding a contest for budding song-writers: write a mock theme song for LOST.

~ This video is amazing: A choir uses their hands to simulate a rainstorm – and then they sing Africa.

At Books and Movies recently:

~ My favorite YA fiction, part one
~ Book review: Songs of the Humpback Whale by Jodi Picoult
~ Book review: The Book of Unholy Mischief by Elle Newmark

Have a great weekend!

It’s late, but it’s still Friday in our time zone. Here’s what’s been going on in our house:

~ Natalie sang at the Relay for Life last Saturday. The organizers set up live acts to entertain the people walking for cancer research. It was her first public performance on her own, and she did beautifully.

~ We met friends at the park Monday afternoon, friends that we don’t see very often during the school year, as her children attend a very structured classical education Christian school with tons of homework. It’s been nice catching up during the summer – and I get my baby fix by interacting with her adorable 1-year-old daughter.

~ Tuesday, we met my mom at the park in her town, where there is a creek – the kids had a blast playing on the equipment and in the water while Mom and I visited.

~ Wednesday morning, Noah and Jonathan each had a tooth pulled at the dentist. Jonathan was extremely nervous, and so the dentist had prescribed Valium for him to take an hour before his appointment. Let me just say that Jonathan on Valium is about the funniest thing I’ve seen in ages.

~ Thursday afternoon was spent at the pool. I got some lesson planning done while the kids played. It’s been very, very hot here this week – in the high 90s – so the pool was a good place to be.

~ Today, we had Michelle and her boys over for a play date this afternoon. I really need to invent some boy-addicting Pokemon/Yugioh/Bakugan-style game that involves collecting cards so I can make a bundle! It’s funny to watch how intense they can get over these battles.

~ Tonight, I had an appointment with a trainer at the local fitness center to learn how to use some of the machines. I am determined to get there every weekday morning to use the treadmill and work on strength training.

We will be celebrating Independence Day tomorrow by heading to the lake during the hottest part of the day, and then shooting off some fireworks tomorrow night. How will you be celebrating the 4th?

Here are the links I saved to share with you all:

~ Harry Potter, the Musical – This musical was written and produced by college students. Only one video is up so far, but more are to come – and it’s a lot of fun.

~ Renae has a great post at Heart of the Matter Online: Raising Children to Live a Normal Life.

At Books and Movies this week:

~ Favorite children’s novels, part two
~ Book Review: The Actor and the Housewife by Shannon Hale
~ June Reading Wrap-Up
~ DVD Giveaway: Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience
~ Book Review: Life of Pi by Yann Martel

First off, anyone know why they call it that? The whole sex thing, I mean – who decided to use that nickname? It’s just a bit weird.

Last summer, Kevin had the talk with Noah. He had just turned 10 and was starting to ask questions; it was time. Kevin took him camping, just the two of them, and read this book aloud to him. When they returned from their camping trip, Noah informed me that he had made an important decision: he was never getting married.

A while ago, Noah told my dad about his decision. Dad said, “That’s what I said when I was your age.” Noah asked him what happened, since obviously Papa is married. Dad said, “Well, I saw your Grandma, and I just couldn’t take my eyes off of her.”

Fast-forward to this week. The three boys are going to Vacation Bible School at a church that we don’t attend, but that puts on a wonderful VBS and invites all the children in town. Each year, the kids go and have a great time. Noah has always had a bit of a crush on a certain girl that he only sees during VBS week.

Today, on the way home from VBS, Noah said, “Mom, I’m trying really hard not to look at (insert girl’s name) anymore.” When I asked why, he said, “Because I don’t want to make the same mistake Papa did!”

Wow – it’s been a while since I’ve done a links post! We have finished up our school year, but nothing seems to be slowing down. This happens every June – I forget that June includes friends’ birthdays, Noah’s birthday, Father’s Day, and Vacation Bible School! It should slow down in July, right? Except of course, there’s Independence Day, and my sister’s visit from the coast, and Dad’s birthday, and Natalie singing at Rendezvous, and….. Can anyone relate?

Last weekend I headed to Michelle’s Friday night for Mom’s movie night – we watched Last Chance Harvey, which was very good. Saturday I did some chores around the house, and then Sunday Michelle and I visited the local Episocopal church. It was a wonderfully reverent service, but not a church for a family with children. There were only sixteen people in the service – including Michelle and I and the priest and the organist! Not sure if I’ll be able to try a new church this Sunday or not, since Kevin is thinking of taking Noah on an overnight fishing trip Saturday night, and I usually don’t take the kids with me on the first visit to a new church.

We spent this week at the park, mostly. I’ve been working on getting as much lesson-planning done as I possibly can, since I won’t have my curriculum until the beginning of August. I also wrote up the kids’ end-of-year reviews and packed away the years’ work and records and assessment results away into storage, making room on the shelves for the new stuff.

Last night, all four kids were at various sleepovers. It’s amazing how quiet this house is with no kids in it! The two oldest boys came home while I was at Michelle’s picking Josiah up this afternoon, and I come home to two boys completely conked out on the couch. They slept until 6 pm! Turns out they stayed up until 4 am and then woke up at 8. They played on a zipline, jumped on a trampoline, caught snakes and tadpoles in the pond, and played X-Box. A thoroughly boy-style slumber party.

Tomorrow morning, Josiah has a Tae Kwon Do promotion, trying for his yellow belt. My only other plans for the weekend are to get caught up on laundry before we run out of things to wear.

Here’s what’s been going on at Books and Movies lately:

~ My favorite memoirs, part two
~ Book Review: Everyone is Beautiful by Katherine Center
~ Book Review: The Sense of Paper by Taylor Holden
~ Book Review: Crossed Wires by Rosy Thornton
~ Book Review: Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson
~ Book Review: If I Stay by Gayle Forman
~ My favorite contemporary fiction, part one
~ My favorite contemporary fiction, part two

Other links:

~ Short film: Validation, starring TJ Thyne from Bones.

~ Barnes & Noble Summer Reading Program – if your kids read eight books this summer, they get a coupon for a free paperback.

~ 100 Best Movie Lines in 200 Seconds.

~ My Friend Amy is giving away a copy of Sisterchicks in Wooden Shoes by Robin Jones Gunn.

~ If you ever watched Saved By the Bell, you must watch this. (Go ahead, I won’t tell anyone.)

~ The theater major (read: geek) in me will be watching Chess in Concert on PBS this Wednesday. Starring Josh Groban and Idina Menzel!

~ The theater major in me is very sad to read that WSU is cutting their Department of Theater and Music. (This is where I attended, but didn’t quite graduate.)

~ NY Times: The Case for Working With Your Hands.

~ Is Anyone Minding the Store at the Federal Reserve?

~ Will Higher Education Be the Next Bubble to Burst?

Have a great weekend, everyone!

This morning I was reading the story of Jesus’s baptism by John the Baptist aloud to the kids for our Bible time. When I finished, I asked them some questions to make sure they understood. I asked, “What did God send down from heaven after Jesus was baptized?”

Jonathan’s answer:

“A towel?”

This guest post comes to you courtesy of Suzanne, an expert from All Children’s Furniture. Thanks, Suzanne!

When it comes to designing your children’s bedroom, there are many different aspects to consider. You want to create a room that helps stimulate your child’s imagination with bright colors and fun decorations, but it is important to keep their health in mind as well. Simple things like the type of paint used to color the room, your child’s bedding, and even your kids beds themselves should all be chosen with eco concerns in mind.

Paint the Walls “Green”

When it comes to decorating your child’s room, choosing a color to paint the walls is usually the first major decision. But before you decide on a color, you should make sure that the brand of paint you are considering doesn’t contain any Volatile Organic Compounds or VOC’s. These chemicals can release harmful toxins in your child’s room, which isn’t healthy for them or the environment. VOC free paints come in a wide variety of colors and can be found at almost any home goods store.

Opt for Organic Bedding

When you buy bedding for your child’s room, organic cotton and wool is the way to go. Just like organic paints, when you use organic bedding you avoid unneeded exposure to synthetic chemicals that can be harmful for your child. These early years are a crucial time for your child’s development and keeping their bedroom free from dangerous toxins while they sleep is an excellent way to help them grow up healthy. Organic sheets, pillows, and comforters can also cut down on the number of allergens present in their room and can be found in most retail stores or online.

Invest in Eco Friendly Furniture

Eco friendly beds and bedroom furniture can help put the finishing touches on your children’s room. Today, eco friendly furniture is common place and can be found in almost any furniture store. There are many different types of eco friendly furniture available and they can be defined by either being made from organic materials, using sustainable wood, or employing policies that replace any trees used during the manufacturing process. The bottom line is that many furniture brands have decided to do their part to reduce their carbon footprint and they should be supported for their efforts. Not only will eco friendly bedroom furniture be healthy for your children, but it will also help the environment. By teaching the importance of nature to your children at a young age you can help insure a new generation of environmentally aware adults.

~ Five weeks left in our homeschooling year. Not that I’m counting or anything. Looking forward to summer afternoons at the park or pool, reading lots and lots of books.

~ Natalie and I are singing together on Saturday at a Mother’s Day luncheon at my parents’ church. I know I’m not objective, since I’m her mom, but she has a beautiful voice. If I can get someone to film it, I’ll post a video.

~ Natalie will be auditioning for a Teen Idol concert next week – ages 12 to 18 audition to perform at a concert the following week. Her voice teacher is encouraging her to audition – seems Mom’s word wasn’t quite enough.

~ Kevin and I just re-watched Fun With Dick and Jane, starring Tea Leoni and Jim Carrey. It was inspired by the Enron scandal, but boy, it’s just as timely now.

~ Noah and Jonathan have come down with a cold.

~ We’re trying to figure out if we can refinance our house and take advantage of the low interest rates, since the market stinks, and we can’t sell our house.

~ I’m heading to Michelle’s Thursday evening for a Mom’s Movie Night -we’ll be watching Enchanted April.

~ My sister Deb and her kids will be coming to visit in July this summer – we haven’t seen each other in person in over a year, even though we chat online just about every day. I only wish Andrea and Marni and their kids could all come, too. Josiah and Peter (Marni’s oldest) talked on the phone for over an hour on Sunday – Josiah misses his best friend. A lot.

~ Speaking of Josiah, he has finished his 1st grade grammar and spelling books and has started on his 2nd grade books. Kevin was trying to remember the kids’ grade levels the other night, and asked Josiah what grade he was in. He answered, “1st,” but was quick to add, “but I’m doing 2nd grade math, 2nd grade grammar, and 2nd grade spelling.”

~ Kevin is very excited about the opening of fishing season – now if the lakes would just hurry up and thaw! His favorite lake still has ice on it as of Monday.

That’s all I can come up with for now – it’s late, and I’m sleepy. ‘Night!

It’s been one of those weeks. Rather than tell you about the flu that’s running rampant through the family (do you know how long it takes a flu to go through a family of six?), or talk about the things that are making me sad (my sister Debra and her husband are divorcing), or tell you about the things that are stressing me out (finances, what else?), I’m going to find some good things to tell you about.

~ Natalie completed her Red Cross Babysitting Course last Saturday – CPR certification coming in the mail. I’m still shaking my head over the fact that I have a twelve-year-old.

~ Noah and Natalie both won prizes at the end of their photography class – Natalie won a 1st place, Noah a 3rd. Noah also completed his Fundamentals of Drawing and Illustration Class. He will continue on to the intermediate class. Natalie is going to take a photo editing course.

~ Spring break is coming up soon. I’m really hoping that the snow at the park will be completely melted by then. Our favorite thing to do when we’re on homeschooling breaks is spend the afternoon at the park or (indoor) pool. The kids play or swim – I read – or write, if I have a deadline.

~ I really like the new series Castle – and yes, a big reason is Nathan Fillion. If I can’t watch him as Malcolm Reynolds, I’ll have to take what I can get – and a dashing mystery-writer will do, thanks. (And yes, Kevin is completely aware of my crush on Captiain Reynolds – and puts up with it. And I reciprocate – if there was a new series starring Jewel Staite (Kaylee), we’d be watching that, too.)

~ There’s nothing planned for this weekend, other than getting well and doing some reading and writing some reviews that are due. Oh, and I got an ARC for Sea Changes by Gail Graham – it looks really good.

And now for some links to keep you surfing this weekend:

~ I posted about my top twelve must-listen audiobooks at Books and Movies.

~ My review of Edgar-award winning In the Woods by Tana French.

~ Neil Gaiman was on The Colbert Report talking about The Graveyard Book.

~ The most interesting bookstores in the world – Hat Tip: Bookish Gal.

~ The French protest against Sarkozy – by reading.

Have a great weekend!

So, I got to the pharmacy to pick up my prescription. Co-pay – after insurance – is 100 bucks. Ka-ching! I told the pharmacist to hold on to it and called my doctor. There’s no way I want to pay $100 a month for a medication I may need for several months – or even worse, that may not work – even if we had the money, which we don’t. Apparently, there are much cheaper alternatives, but apparently financial considerations are not something a neurologist has to worry about. Anyway, he called in a different script – this one for a bloood pressure med that also happens to work on rebound headaches and migraines – and the co-pay was $10. I can handle that. I took it last night for the first time and still woke up with a headache, but it will take a few days to work, I guess. (fingers crossed)

In other health-related news, round two of the plague has hit our house. We had a couple of almost-cough-free days, when Noah started coughing again, his eyes started watering, and he couldn’t breathe through his nose. Two days later, the other three have it, too. Which totally stinks, because we were supposed to have our annual St. Paddy’s Day Feast at Don and Michelle’s Saturday, but we’ll be staying home so as not to expose them to the plague right before they leave for Portland next weekend.

My weekend, therefore, will consist of loads of laundry, practicing Easter music, and hopefully, reading. What will you be doing this weekend? Will you celebrate St. Paddy’s Day on Tuesday?

~ Do you Twitter? I do. (You can follow me at twitter.com/booksandmovies.) If you’d like to find out if your favorite author is tweeting, check out this list.

~ Ever wanted to know how many were coming from St. Ives? Girl Detective‘s son did – and she’s found the answer so the rest of us don’t have to. It’s a cute post; don’t miss it.

~ I finished listening to Diana Gabaldon’s Dragonfly in Amber on audiobook – all 33 discs of it! Here’s my review.

~ The Outlander series also came up in this post about the books I’d like to see on film.

~ Dad and I went to see Push at the local theater Monday night. It was good.

~ I read, enjoyed, and reviewed Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict by Laurie Viera Rigler.

This week has been better than last week. I’m feeling better from my cold, although my voice has not come back all the way. I’m still pretty squeaky, which is unfortunate, since I was supposed to sing a solo at church on Sunday. But at least the killer headache is mostly gone.

This week has been busy with the usual stuff – homeschooling and chauffeuring the kids to various activities: Tae Kwon Do, Awana, photography and art classes, etc. My freelance work hasn’t picked up, but I’ve found some other ways to make money with my blog here (thanks, Andrea! I owe you a huge hug. ) and my other blog, Books and Movies, has started to take off in the book blog community, so it’s bringing in a little bit, too. If you’ve wondered why I don’t blog about books much here anymore, that’s why. If you miss those kinds of posts, click on over!

Did you watch the Oscars? I loved Hugh Jackman’s opening number – and thought he did a great job of hosting.

Natalie has had two babysitting jobs, will be taking the Red Cross Babysitting Course (with CPR) in a couple weeks, and has the possibility of a two-hours-a-week job starting in the fall. I, on the other hand, am having a hard time believing that she’s old enough to be doing any of this. Of course, being big sister to three brothers has been good training.

Noah is loving his art class and I can’t wait to see all the drawings and watercolors he’s done. Jonathan is hankering for summmer – he’s tired of snow, and ready for camping and fishing, his two favorite things.

Josiah has discovered the wonder of longer books, and is making his way through John Peterson’s series of Littles chapter books. The other morning, he was reading from The Littles’ New Friend and asked if he could stop, even though silent reading time wasn’t over yet. I asked, “Why?” because he never wants to stop reading early. He said, “Something sad happened in my book,” and promptly burst into tears! He crawled into my lap and told me about how Tom Little had met a new friend named Glory, and now they had to say goodbye, and they didn’t know when they’d see each other again. Isn’t that a reader’s rite of passage – the first book that moves you to tears?

Speaking of reading, Kevin, who used to read maybe one book a year, has suddenly become a reader. He is on book four of the Sackett series by Louis L’Amour – and he’s reading them all on his Palm. I, who protest vehemently whenever my husband threatens to buy me a Kindle, am married to an e-book reader.

Kevin and I have been thoroughly enjoying our Netflix membership, catching up on NCIS and Numb3rs – both available on Watch Instantly (I love having a techie husband who knows how to make his laptop play through the TV) – and finding two new series that we love: Chuck and The New Adventures of Old Christine. Tried a couple movies that turned out to be duds. Waiting for some of the Oscar nominees to be released on DVD so we can see what all the fuss was about.

Enough about me; on to the links:

~ 26 Neologisms for Book Lovers: An awesome list by Coversgirl to which any true bibliophile will completely relate.

~ Book Giveaway Carnival: Bookroom Reviews is hosting a giveaway carnival for book lovers – be sure to click over on Monday for the list of bloggers participating so you can sign up to win some books!

~ Deborah Dewit-Marchant: Art for lovers of reading and writing. Hat tip: Carol.

~ The “I Can Read Movies” Series: A collection of faux book covers based on famous movies.

~ Where Fiction Isn’t Allowed to Be Fiction: A post by Literate Housewife about historical fiction – that is, fiction based on actual historical figures. When is it okay to embellish? How much is it okay to embellish? Any opinions?

~ David after the dentist: Hilarious video of a kid who was under anesthesia for a dental procedure and is still feeling a bit loopy. Natalie e-mailed this one to me.

~ Help NASA Name Node 3: NASA is naming a new module for the space station, and so far, the name Serenity is in first place. Any Browncoats fans out there? Click over and vote. Hat tip: Meg.

That’s all for this week – have a wonderful weekend!