The Bad Girl by L. Donsky-Levine

This was hard to read.

I wanted more.

It was a conundrum.

You see, as hard as it was to read about a girl attempting to pull herself out of some of life’s most horrible situations, I still wanted to know more about her. This book, a novella really, is complete and full, it doesn’t technically need more. But that’s not stopping me from wanting it to have more.

The jumps in time throughout the story left me, not disoriented, but sad. I wanted to know how she’d been getting along when we weren’t a party to it. I wanted more chapters by the cat, (One of the best cat point of views ever!).  I just wanted… more.

Would I recommend it? Ehh… Umm… Er… It was good, in a dark, gritty, shocking sort of way. But along with the grit is a measure of hope, love, a portrait of New York City in the 70’s and an awful lot things to mull over when you’ve put the book down.  I’m glad I read it but I wouldn’t hand it to you until after we had chatted about it for a bit.Rosie's Book Review team 1

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I discovered this book because I’m a proud member of Rosie’s Book Review Team!

First Born

Ivy, our first child, had a brief moment in the spotlight of only child-hood before Clara came along.  Ivy

Clara arrived happily and then spent the first year and a half of her life projectile vomiting and screaming. It was a rough transition for everyone.Clara crying

Then, just when Clara stopped covering us all in vomit and our ears stopped ringing, Jane was born.Jane peering

Suddenly Ivy, the one who had known the status of only child (if only for a moment), was part of a commotion of children.

The girls, no park involved.

Ivy asks us questions and no one hears her. She complains that we interrupt her but she talks so quietly no one knew she was talking first. Ivy is begging to be heard. Clara and Ivy

And we try. We really do. But it’s, well, a commotion around here.

And, judging from her project she brought home from school, Ivy obviously thinks so too.If the whole world was listening what would you say?

Poor girl.

They’re Coming

Me: “Hey! How did you know that!?!”

Jane:” Because I’m going to know everything.”

Me: “How old do you think you’ll be when you know everything.”

Jane: “Probably… 14.”Jane

The teenage years are coming and I guess I can’t say she didn’t warn us.

Do Not Wash Hands In Plates by Barb Taub

If Barb Taub and I lived somewhat close to each other (say if, for instance, there was something less than an ocean between us), I like to imagine that when Barb returned from her trip to India I would have lured her to my house with promises of cake and whiskey. We’d sit down someplace comfy, whiskey in hand and she would regale us with her travels through India.

In real life I’d likely spend the night in tears.

Tears of laughter.

The kind of laughter that lasts for so long that it gets hard to breathe and is possibly a bit painful.  Of course, that’d be in real life.

Please, read Do Not Wash Hands In Plates, but remember, you are not talking with Barb in real life. It may feel as if you are but when you “share” that whiskey, don’t forget that you are reading from a sensitive electronic device that will not like it if your laughter causes you to choke on your drink and spew it across the “page.” (Oh the things I do in the name of book reviewing… And yes, the Kindle survived!)

 

Would I recommend it?  It’s a hilariously well written quick read of a travel memoir. It’s not quite like sharing a bit of cake with Barb but it’s as close as most of us are going to get!

I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review

Mundane Monday – Super Socks

These socks have super powers.socks

I know, they look like your run of the mill, slightly dirty SmartWool socks.

They are.

The little hearts have nothing to do with their super powers, either. Though, they have kept them in my possession and off someone else’s stinky feet more than once. Which is pretty great but hardly worthy of super power status.

No, you can’t tell it by looking at them, but these socks exacerbate the effects of gravity on the wearer.

Super socks.

I have a fading bruise to prove that they should not be worn while attempting to move quickly.

I have lingering toe pain from proving that they are unsafe to wear while standing still.

And I have a suggestion from my husband that I no longer wear socks unless I’m sitting down and putting my boots on.

He thinks it’s because I don’t have the coordination to be a sock wearing, functioning human being, but I’m telling you.

It’s the super socks.

Linking up with PhoTrablogger’s Mundane Monday challenge again. Because if dirty socks (even ones with super powers) aren’t mundane I don’t know what is! 

 

This Moment – Lookin’ Around

A Friday ritual.

A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week.

A simple, special, extraordinary moment.

A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

John and Jane

In interest of full disclosure I feel compelled to share with you that this picture was not taken this week. It was taken last week. I’m sure there is no one other than me that finds that important. But now, when I look back on this in years to come, I’ll know that this was taken the first week of January and not the second and, clearly, that will make all the difference.

Staying Safe

 

Our school sends home worksheets for parents to do with their children to help teach social skills. The exercises cover things like respectfulness, bullying, how to deal with high emotions as well a variety of safety concerns.Clara ice skating

Clara, my tree climbing, bruise sporting, “Watch this mom!” yelling, master of exciting games like slingshot-ing yourself down a staircase with an old therapy band, brought me her homework.Clara ice skating

I read aloud the first question.

“What do you need to do to stay safe?”Clara ice skating

And Clara, in a voice that heard far too many rules at school in the first day alone, answered,

“Be boring.”

Clara ice skating

I’m not worried.

School rules or not, this girl doesn’t do boring!

 

Two for the Holidays by Ekta R. Garg

This is not the first book of Stories in Pairs that I’ve read but it’s the best. If you’ve been thinking about giving this author and idea a try, start here!

The first story is powerful.

The second left me in tears.

The connection between the two is perfect.

Would I recommend it? Yes. Don’t be put off by the “holiday” in the title just because we have passed the New Year. The first story centers on Halloween, the second Christmas but they are readable anytime!

Starting The Day Off Right

I remembered the incredulity as I dropped the kids off at school this morning. The sad scorn I felt for those parents that would send their poor children off to a long day of school without a proper breakfast. They were heavy on my mind, those poor nutrition-less children and the worries that surround them. How could they make it through a day of learning and activity without a good healthy start to the day?

I was thinking about those deprived children because I had just watched in the review mirror as my own kids ate old stale Cheetos from a bag Clara found in the back. I had just thought how odd it was that they’d even want to eat something like that much less in the morning right after – Oh shit!

I forgot to feed my kids breakfast.

I dropped them off, wished them well, figured it was a good thing we never clean the truck and that Clara gets a snack within an hour of getting to school. Made a mental note to be nicer in my head to people because you never know what the circumstances might be and headed to the gas station.

I got out to pump gas and looked down at my slippers.

Moral of the story: Don’t judge, you never know what motherhood may do to you.

Other moral of the story: Some people just don’t do mornings.

A Knock at the Door by Helen Yeomans

When I stop to think about it, the sheer volume of children’s books that move through our house is fairly impressive. The bookshelves are already overflowing with books we own, but that’s hardly enough variety. For that we take, at least, weekly trips to the library, where we always seem to have in excess of thirty books checked out at a time. And, because more books is never a bad thing, I’m happy to report that the two older girls now get to bring home a few books from the school library as well.

It’s a lot of books.

Some of them are bad, most of them are good and a few stand apart from the rest. Those special few that all the kids love and that we, the parents, don’t mind reading repeatedly.  Those books that seem to be written by the authors who really know the mind of a child.

They are the books that have a little something extra in them. That slightly intangible bend to the writing that kids adore. An aside that’s un-necessary. Little bits of information you don’t need. Silly words thrown in to make them giggle. A Knock At The Door has it all.

(It also has, if you want to be all adult-like about things, quite a lot of learning opportunities. After reading this book a few times I doubt my kids will ever misspell “half.” But, to be honest, I loved it for the same silliness that my kids did).

A week or so after we finished reading the book out loud together, I asked my daughters what they thought of it.

“I loved  it!” Ivy gushed.

I wish I could have written down what Ivy (8) and Clara (6) said next, but it came out in such a babbling enthusiastic mess of “Because letters are silly and don’t really talk!” and “I love the G wizard” and “Remember when…” and “Wasn’t that letter funny…” that I missed most of it.

But no matter what they said, I think their vote was definitively cast when Ivy went and got the book and we sat down to re-read two stories out of it before bed.

Would we recommend it? Yes! A most enthusiastic yes! Even Jane (4) giggled at things like L’s being stinkers, but then again, so did I!

Rosie's Book Review team 1

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I discovered this book because I’m a proud member of Rosie’s Book Review Team!