Books and Stuff — Page 5 — This Mom's Wired

Thursday Ten: Is It Too Late To Talk About SuperBowl? edition

February 9, 2012 by sarah 1 Comment

1. The SuperBowl was on Sunday and because I didn’t really care who won (and I barely knew who was playing), I was able to only pay a tiny bit of attention to the game while waiting impatiently for the commercials. No real favorites, but I did snort during the Greek yogurt commercial when that woman head-butted John Stamos. She must really love her Greek yogurt. Hey, I like it too, but… not enough for a head injury. [Also, I thought the Madonna halftime show was better than I had anticipated. She covered her arms – YAY, and frankly, she’s an icon. I was a huge Madonna fan when I was younger, and she’s really just classic. Weird sometimes…but classic.]

2. THEN, I waited impatiently for all the post-game-blah blah blah to end so I could catch the premiere of Season 2 of The Voice to see Chris Mann do his thing. He was absolutely amazing and I was not surprised to see the judges hit their buttons. He’ll be on Team Christina this season and if you missed it, make sure you tune in to catch him and support him. Not only is he phenomenally talented, but he’s also a nice guy. I really hope to see him succeed on the show and I’ll be tuning in to cheer him on this season.

3. As I do every winter, I just got bored with my hair, so I decided to get it colored. I saw someone other than my regular stylist, so I was nervous. The color? I think is okay. The cut? WAS SOOOOO NOT OK. Saw my regular stylist on Monday and in a matter of snip-snip-snip, my cut was one I was happy with again.

4. Gearing up for a huge bake sale on Monday to raise funds for the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. I’ll spend all day Sunday baking – and hope to raise a few hundred dollars on Monday to support my team in the walk. What should I bake?

5. I went to The Princess’s school yesterday to surprise her because her teacher had let me know she was getting an award (it was a secret to my kiddo). I sat through 20 minutes of some useless presentation by the school guidance counselor before watching the five minutes of the children getting their awards. It was a bizarro rendition of “Deal Or No Deal” and I’m not entirely sure what it had to do with the presentation of awards. Hmmph.

6. We met at a sports bar for book club last night. I felt a bit like playing “Name that Tune” with the restaurant music. Immediately recognized a song by the Eagles by the opening bars and then it took me far too long to realize it was “Victim of Love” (I love the Eagles, by the way. Don’t hate). Speaking of book club, we decided to take it easy from hard core serious books and are reading Mindy Kaling’s book this month. Whew.

7. Two weeks until Nashville – are you going to Blissdom?

8. I really need to find a tailor – because wearing taller shoes as an alternative to getting my pants hemmed is starting to hurt my feet.

9. Pumpkin ended up with some cootie/cough yuck that kept her home last Friday. She fought against the antibiotics because she insisted they “clogged her cough”. Seems like at six years old, giving medicine would be easier. Not so much.

10. I actually had a really interesting dialogue on Facebook (I KNOW!) yesterday about education and how teaching children by rote can sometimes inhibit creativity – and it evolved into “teaching for tests” and so forth. First of all, was pleased to not have that blow out of the water – as I’m friends with several teachers on Facebook. But it’s also pretty awesome sometimes to realize that I am friends with a group of really smart people – and not just generically smart – their areas of knowledge are so varied and it’s pretty amazing sometimes to when you hit a topic that is someone’s area of expertise and you get to see them in a different light as they are sharing what they truly know and are passionate about. It was pretty cool. And it was on Facebook! Blows my mind.

Filed Under: Books and Stuff, Mom Shtuff, Thursday Ten

2011 in Review

December 31, 2011 by sarah 3 Comments

Places I Went:
Nashville
Dallas
Chicago
Milwaukee
Chicago again
San Francisco
New York City
Indianapolis
Dallas again

Favorite Books I Read:
Unsaid – Neil Abramson
The Kitchen Daughter – Jael McHenry
We Need to Talk About Kevin – Lionel Shriver
High Fidelity – Nick Hornby
The Lover’s Dictionary – David Levithan
This Is Where I Leave You – Jonathan Tropper

Major Accomplishments:
New job
Walked 39.3 miles to kick breast cancer in the bootay
Several airplane trips without actually hyperventilating

Favorite Photograph of the Year:
Is actually a series of photographs and not THE favorite, but A favorite.

Favorite Thing that Became an Unfavorite Thing:
Adele, there is not a single doubt in my mind of how talented you are – because dang, girl you can sing. But the radio killed a very good thing. There is only so many times you can hear “Rolling in the Deep” before you start cringing at the opening notes of the song and flipping the volume off or changing the station altogether when the song comes on. It’s not just you, sweetpea, radio has a tendency to destroy my love for most music that happens to get radio airtime. It ain’t good.

And just in general…
With every moment of difficulty, every second I spent in 2011 trying to just catch my breath, so much good was in this year, that I have to remind myself, lest I focus only on the negative and lose all of what brought me joy. This is the year that my sister’s struggle with infertility came to an end – she and my brother in law conceived my niece through IVF – cannot wait to meet her in the new year. This is the year I traveled more than I had in a long time. I love travel. I love to be with friends. I love exploring new places. This was good. This was the year that my travel brought me together with far flung friends. One of the greatest things about blogging is the network of friends I have made – but the downside is that so many of them are not in my neck of the woods — and in 2011, I enjoyed getting to connect with them – in Nashville, Dallas, Chicago, wherever. It was nice. (Gah. “Nice”. What a lame word.)

I’m not good at recaps
But that’s okay.

If I never hear Katy Perry’s “Firework” again, it will be too soon. 2011 was the year that brought on that ridiculousness.

I am the queen of cheesecake.

I don’t seem to be getting tired of Ryan Gosling memes yet.

I still haven’t taken the Christmas tree down.

I don’t know what 2012 has in store for me but I have to believe it’s good
And if it’s not, I’ll get through the year like I did this year – finding enough joy in the little moments to sustain me through the tough times.

Life goes on. You know?

Filed Under: Books and Stuff, Mom Shtuff

Like Hoarders – only instead of 40 ten-gallon buckets of Elmers paste, I have books.

November 8, 2011 by sarah 4 Comments

I am a voracious reader. I should start by stating that – because it makes a difference – because unlike the lady with a basement full of packages of diapers (and no baby), my fascination with acquiring books has to do with actually really loving books and fully intending to read them all. Someday.

A few years ago, I challenged myself to read 250 books in 1,001 days. And if you’re even mediocre at math, you’ll know it averages out to about four days per book. Well, I accomplished the challenge with over a month to spare.

In the past, I would go through spells of reading and then hit a wall – I’d have read every book in the house, I had two weeks until all the magazines came (yeah, I’m hooked on magazines too), and the library wouldn’t have anything I felt like reading.

My gosh, those days I felt like I would climb the walls.

Somehow, I started to catch up with myself. I have a bookshelf full of books I have yet to read. I go to the library at least once per week these days – whether I’m out of reading material or not. I am always picking up books and stockpiling and I feel like one of those freaky couponers, except I’m not really saving any money and I’ll actually use these books.

Reading is solace to me – I can’t fall asleep at night without reading to tire my eyes and slow my brain. I love picking up a new book. I love even more to pick up a new book and find myself engrossed within the first chapter and just wanting more. The weeks when I zip through two or more books make me unbelievably giddy.

Even though I have a Kindle, I still rely mostly on “book-books” – for the smell, the feel, the heft of holding a book in my hands… doesn’t mean I don’t have three unread e-books waiting for my eyes on Kindle.

I find it reassuring to know there are so many books waiting for me, that I won’t run out, that there are pages of new characters to meet and their adventures to discover and hours of comfort and drifting off to sleep, and sigh…

I love books.

Like a big, silly book nerd.

***

Currently reading: Unsaid: A Novel by Neil Abramson

On deck:

Filed Under: Books and Stuff

Thursday Ten: Jet Lag Is A Big Stupid Jerkface Edition

July 14, 2011 by sarah 1 Comment

1. Given the Avon Walk activities towards the end of my trip to California, I was already somewhat adjusted back to Michigan time by the time we returned. The girls, however, were not. The response I get at bedtime is, “But it’s only (whatever o’clock) in California!” Yeah, well, kiddos: WE’RE NOT IN CALIFORNIA ANYMORE. It’s taking them a long time to fall asleep at night, yet we’re still having to wake up for activities and errands – so… they’re kind of overtired. Hoping we get back to our groove soon.

2. I am typing on a netbook right now, and this little keyboard makes me feel like I AM A GIANT.

3. Google+… are you on it? What do you think? Admittedly, I avoided it at first, but I do like it. I also find it amusing how there are several people out there, non-tech people at that, racing to proclaim themselves experts at Google+. Which is fine, whatever floats your boat… but… why?

4. I don’t drink enough water.

5. This morning in the car, Pumpkin and The Princess were playing the alphabet game. We do this a lot – pick a theme and for each letter of the alphabet, come up with an appropriate choice for that letter. Today was “dog breeds”. Pumpkin is such a dog fanatic that she basically wiped the floor with everyone else. Especially when she spouted off “Japanese Chin” for J. And yes, that’s a real dog.

6. One of the souvenirs I bought for myself in California was a Cal ball cap. I love hats and have decided that on the rare occasion when I’m traveling, I’d like to get a new hat. I had a massive fail in Texas, because I wanted a UT hat and couldn’t find one anywhere (I ordered it when I got home which is distinctly not the same), so in CA, I found my hat on the Berkeley campus (where I was no doubt, overcharged, because hey, new students often pay too much to buy gear with their college’s name on it. I did back in 1994). When I was in high school, I really thought I’d end up going to school at Berkeley – but didn’t – so, I wanted a hat. Got it. It’s cute and I look adorable in it (says me).

7. Yesterday’s weather in Michigan was PERFECT. Of course, it won’t stay that way. Temps in the 80s and 90s in the forecast. YUCK.

8. I have decided I need to start wearing a watch again. I stopped wearing one when Pumpkin was a baby – I didn’t want my watch to scratch her head and neck when I was holding her, but now? I think I need one again. The silly thing is that I use my phone to check the time — I wonder if I’ll ever even LOOK at my watch.

9. I have FREAKISHLY LARGE HANDS. And not just when I’m using my netbook, but whoa – they’re really huge. I bet I can palm a basketball.

10. Our book club was unable to make a decision for this month’s book and we are doing the slow democratic voting process to choose one. The problem is that I read so much that I have read most of the choices people have given this month (“One Day” by David Nicholls, “Glass Castle” by Jeanette Walls) – and being the nice ladies they are, they want me to be able to read something new for a change. But currently, I’m reading Francisco Goldman’s Say Her Name: A Novel, and it’s beautifully written…so far. Just 10% of the way into the book which I’m reading on my Kindle (the kindle is great for travel, but I just prefer good old fashioned books).

Filed Under: Books and Stuff, Mom Shtuff, Thursday Ten

Thursday Ten: Getting all homemade up in this kitchen edition

June 23, 2011 by sarah 1 Comment

1. So, as some of you already know, my current favorite thing on the internet these days (Besides you, of course. Whoever you may be) is My Drunk Kitchen. And in the latest episode, she set out to make…ice cream. Well, I can do that. I think. So, the girls and I were on a mission today – and we made some. Here’s how. Our recipe didn’t involve actually steeping a vanilla bean. Anyway, you can watch how she made it…not happen… below. Please note, if you don’t like “language”, you perhaps probably won’t like it quite as much as I do. Anyway, it was delicious and my kids are happy and my hands are numb from holding a bag of ice.

2. I am entering the home stretch on my mission to read 250 books over 1,001 days (With a few months to spare even!). Keep an eye out, in the next few weeks for the list of 250 books read, as well as my opinions (you love my opinions, don’t you?) of which ones were the best of the bunch. Some of them were pretty awful. And no, I didn’t count the books that were so awful that I couldn’t get past the first chapter.

3. Summer is making me craaaaazy. Even with fun activities like…MAKING ICE CREAM IN A PLASTIC BAG… nothing quite eases the pain of listening to two bickering siblings who are sick of being around each other. Whee!

4. On the bright side, however, it’s not 90 degrees. Win.

5. I needed some new music to listen to – ended up picking up some stuff from Grace Potter & The Nocturnals and a new Matt Nathanson song that I haven’t posted a video to because when I tried to find one on YouTube, all I could find was a YouTube concert clip where whoever was filming was basically filming his…lap region.

6. Back to books. If you decide the next book you want to read is Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers, you maybe don’t want to open up the book and start reading it for the first time over lunch. Just…uh… FYI. I’m not easily grossed out, but I got a few pages in and a few bites in and started thinking, “You know, I’ll just finish this veggie burger thingy later.”

7. I have a second interview coming up! The interview process is pretty much as I remember it (terrifying slash kind of a rush). See, the thing is, ten years ago when I last interviewed – I was still pretty fresh in the whole professional world. I had some experience, but not a whole lot to back up my resume. Now? I think I’ve done a good job of honing my skills, getting a varied amount of experience and being able to support that and back it up. If I could get over my resistance to toot my own horn. It’s a difficult thing if you’re not a braggy sort, to interview.

8. I miss guitar lessons. A lot. I haven’t picked up my guitar in a month. Sad face.

9. I somehow managed to mangle my ankle and without a clear cut reason for how come it hurts so horribly, all I can think of is this: You know, Sarah, you’re just not as young as you used to be. You’re old and your joints are rebelling from all this cardio and stuff you’re doing to them. Maybe you should just tape your ankles (knees, elbows, whole self) up with some duct tape before putting on your sneakers for a workout.

10. The movie “Hangover 2”? Just…awful. Really, really awful. (File under: The more you know)

Filed Under: Books and Stuff, Eats, Mom Shtuff, music, Thursday Ten

Thursday Ten: Summer’s Nearly Here Edition

June 9, 2011 by sarah Leave a Comment

1. Okay, weather aside, you know it’s almost summer when you send your kindergartner off for her LAST DAY OF SCHOOL and your third grader is off for her last two half days. Yep, as of tomorrow at noon – SCHOOL’S OUT. Until sometime in September (stupid Michigan tourism law) – we’ll have to find ways to fill our days and get things done and not go crazy. I’m not good with coming up with activities – there’s only so many watercolors you can do or trips to the park you can take (to me, there’s a limit on park trips – especially when it’s hot outside) – so, here we go.

2. Sometimes I cannot even explain my ear worms. Today? For some strange reason, I’ve had the Gin Blossoms “The Cajun Song” stuck in my head. Nothing says 1993 to me like the Gin Blossoms.

3. I am trying a new to-do list app on my phone – Teux Deux (I hate cutesy spellings). I am a pen and paper to-do list kind of girl, so this is a big step for me. I love the UI though, and I’m hoping that having my to-do list with me all the time (because face it, I go nowhere without my phone) will help me ensure I don’t forget things as often (LIKE I DID YESTERDAY WHEN I WAS SUPPOSED TO PICK UP MY MOM’S BIRTHDAY GIFT).

4. Speaking of my mom’s birthday (like that segue there?), I got an idea in my head that I was going to make cheesecake on a stick for her birthday party and after a trial run the other day, I have to say… dang, I’m good. It was good. It’s going to be AHHHHHHHHH-MAZE-ING. Yeah. I’ll post pictures of my “Sarah is such a rockstar she put cheesecake on a stick and made it better than it already was” cheesecake on a stick.

5. If you haven’t been following, this month Love Drop is helping a metro-Detroit area family who is grieving the loss of their husband/father. The goal is to pay the family’s rent for the next three months – to ease their worry of losing their home and giving them the time to just focus on healing. You can join Love Drop for as little as a buck a month and make a huge difference – or you can click the red button on the Love Drop home page to make a one time donation to the family. Have I mentioned I love the idea of micro-giving – love that if a bunch of people give just a dollar, it adds up to really help people out in a big way.

6. On Sunday, I ventured to Chicago to see my Avon Walk team cross the finish for their two day walk. I opted out of Chicago’s event this year because I’ll be walking with them in San Francisco. I was glad to be there with them as they finished two days of intense walking… and now? I’m REALLY looking forward to the SF walk. Can’t wait!

7. I have a lot of bruschetta to make for my mom’s birthday celebration. A LOT. It’s the only thing I can really “cook” – and it doesn’t really involve much cooking. I’m kind of known for it in my family – which is funny because I got the recipe from someone on Twitter, and I just managed to not mangle it too horribly.

8. What is the one household chore you most procrastinate? Me? FOLDING LAUNDRY. I hate it. Hate it. Hate it.

9. I was already given the school supply list for The Princess for fourth grade in the fall. I appreciate that there really is no way teachers can buy all of this stuff for the classrooms and school budgets are looking pretty sad, but this is a pretty hefty list. And I will probably ignore it until the end of August. Hell, I’ll probably have lost it by then.

10. I have a huge stack of books from the library – it’s rare that they have so many of the new books I want to read on the shelves. I just cracked open Cinderella Ate My Daughter: Dispatches from the Front Lines of the New Girlie-Girl Culture – and I’ll probably pick up something else to read at the same time. According to Good Reads, I’ve already got 3 books going right now – including one that I have had stuffed under my nightstand for over a month (Thousand Splendid Suns, I’m talkin’ to you). This isn’t uncommon. I usually read more than one book at once. Are you reading anything good?

Filed Under: Books and Stuff, Mom Shtuff, music, Thursday Ten

Thursday Ten: Are You Ready for Some DONUTS? edition

June 2, 2011 by sarah 1 Comment

1. Every Friday, I take my girls out for donuts on the way to school. It is a tradition we started over a year ago – it’s not our healthiest tradition, but, I find that I don’t even mind fueling their day with sugar one day a week. Sometimes in life we need those certainties, and once a week it’s FINE. BUT, tomorrow, Donut Day is even MORE official – tomorrow, June 3 is National Donut Day. Yes. So, you should virtually join us in celebrating by kick-starting your day tomorrow with a donut (The ONLY kind of donut I like is a glazed sour cream donut – in general, I find donuts to be kind of icky).

2. I’mma talk about the weather again. WHOOHOO for some spring weather today. It’s breezy – I’m wearing jeans and a long sleeve t and it is absolutely perfect. Y’all know, I’m not one for weather extremes. I give a big two thumbs DOWN to snow and to sweltering 90+ degree temps. When I can turn off the heat, the air conditioning and just open up a window and breathe in fresh air? Yeah, baby, that’s what I’m talkin’ about. Perfect. (Also, much much cheaper for the utility bill.)

3. Yesterday, I went to my neighbor’s house to chat – Pumpkin wanted to go say hi and frankly we needed to get out of the house. We stood in her driveway chatting for awhile before going into her garage. Her garage is amazing – filled with doodads, knicknacks and whoosywhatsits — she saves everything. I’m particularly in love with these jars.

4. Last night’s book club meeting resulted in me not really able to explain why I hadn’t enjoyed last month’t book (“The Postmistress” by Sarah Blake). I described it as tedious, but I think the story is one that could have been interesting… had it been told by a better writer. This month we’ll be reading Kathryn Stockett’s The Help, er, or…the other ladies will be. I read it not too long ago, and while I really enjoyed the book, it’s just too soon to re-read.

5. A week from today, Pumpkin will be done with school. A week from tomorrow, The Princess will be. The summer looms large and empty in front of us. What will we do? Admittedly, this is the first summer I haven’t had been totally tied to my computer (seeing as how I’m still unemployed and all), but, also, I am without that paycheck (minor details). I think of the adventures we could go on, and then remember, huh, yeah. Um. Maybe we should try to do things a little bit more frugal-like (there go my dreams of water parks everyday).

6. Speaking of summer – do you travel? Do you actually take a summer vacation? This is the first year in a long time that we’ll actually venture outward – going to California for the first time in FAR TOO LONG. I don’t really know how to vacation. I hate that about myself.

7. I am about to venture into the world of diabetic baking – my mom, a recently diagnosed diabetic, needs a birthday cake. I found a recipe for an angel food cake that subs Splenda for regular ol’ granulated sugar. Now, I don’t have a problem with food with Splenda in it – though I know some people do, but I’m a little iffy on baking with it. Have you tried it? What do I need to know? Is this cake going to be gross?

8. My favorite app these days is the free Nike Training Club app – I know I’ve mentioned it before. When you don’t have a gym membership and you’ve got kids in the house, it’s nice to be able to do a full body workout with just a few pieces of equipment. Yesterday, I did a strength workout that had me doing squats and dead lifts. Today? I am FEELING IT. Muscle fatigue is the best. Really. Yes, I mean it.

9. I hate lunch. I have long ago decided that lunch is stupid because the last thing I feel like doing in the middle of the day (or, okay…pretty much EVER) is cook yet ANOTHER meal. While I’m a fan of REAL FOOD and not eating overly processed stuff, I picked up some vegetarian black bean burger things the other day. I’m not sure why – I’m not a vegetarian, I don’t even really eat burgers, and frankly? When I have made black bean burgers, they are WAY better than this. But…these are okay. I haven’t looked at the ingredient list (because surely I can’t pronounce half of the things on the list), but… I don’t care. A girl needs lunch, apparently. And a girl who doesn’t like to cook sometimes has fake lunch.

10. Another week of not buying much new music. I did pick up a few songs from the soundtrack to the musical Wicked. Not sure why, and I haven’t listened to them yet.

Filed Under: Books and Stuff, Eats, Mom Shtuff, music, Photography, Thursday Ten

Thursday Ten: The Pink Elephant Edition*

May 19, 2011 by sarah 2 Comments

1. The Nutella cake I referenced in last night’s post? Here’s the recipe. I think it should be served with vanilla ice cream. Trust me, I know these things.

2. I have not bought any new music this week – which is just not quite right and I need to remedy that promptly. What’s your favorite song these days?

3. I turned on American Idol for a few minutes last night. And then muted it. And then stopped paying attention. I think I am over it.

4. I spent the earlier part of the week reading a book so tense and awful that when it was done, I put it down and promptly picked up the biggest fluffiest book in my to-read pile to give my brain a break from people doing meth and killing people. What an awful book that last one was. I’m not sure why I finished reading it – you hit a point in a book sometimes where you’ve invested so much time, that to give up seems like a waste. I have GOT to learn to be able to just GIVE UP on bad books.

5. “What do you want to learn today?” my guitar teacher asked me. I shrugged. We just wrapped up Ryan Adam’s Desire (Oh how I love that song), and I hadn’t really thought ahead for anything else that I might want to learn. “Surprise me,” I replied.

6. As we wrap up our first year of competitive gymnastics, The Princess was very bummed that she is not yet being promoted to the next level. Skillwise she is just SO CLOSE that I hope that maybe if she can completely master her handspring, they’ll move her up. If not, they don’t. Sometimes it’s nice to be the big fish in the small pond.

7. I stopped by my favorite flower place today and almost bought myself a pot of gerbera daisies and then realized that attempting to grow something would be futile because the soil here is full of clay and because the puppy would dig anything pretty out of the ground within days. So I bought a bouquet of tulips. They’re gorgeous and it’s okay that in a few days they’ll wilt and die. I’ll buy new ones after that.

8. Went to see Bridesmaids on Sunday (along with everyone else in the universe, I think). And yeah, I thought it was funny. It also reminded me why weddings are such an unbelievable pain in the hind end. ALL THOSE WEDDING SHOWERS. And PEOPLE. Then again, my last wedding experience was my sister’s, and the massive amounts of dealing with her in-laws-to-be made for some…interesting times.

9. I have a new shampoo and it is eucalyptus-y. It smells good and makes my head feel happy. Speaking of – the other day, I mentioned on Twitter how one of my favorite parts about getting a hair cut is having my hair washed at the salon before hand. I guess I’m not the only one! A lot of agreement there… it’s the best, right?

10. One of the best parts about summer approaching is that it’s nearly county fair season. I actually don’t love county fairs – but do you know what I DO love? Elephant ears! Can’t wait.

*Nope, not talking about it. Again.

Filed Under: Books and Stuff, Eats, Mom Shtuff, music, Thursday Ten

Thursday Ten: Game SEVEN Edition

May 12, 2011 by sarah 1 Comment

1. Oh yes, I’d be remiss if I didn’t start out with the ohmygoshtheRedWingsandSharksplayGAMESEVENtonight! It’s been an intense series – I’m hoping Detroit emerges victorious. If they lose, that will suck. (I’m so eloquent about hockey.)

2. Wherefore art thou, spring? Currently, it’s 80 degrees. Humidity is 64% which is code for “Sarah is wearing a ponytail”. The middle of the road seasons are my favorite – and I hope that things cool down and we get more of a taste of spring again before getting bombarded with all this stupid HEAT.

3. “This is the week you turn to your guitar to cheer you up when you feel like things aren’t going your way.” Or so says my guitar teacher, in a combination of trying to uplift me and probably wishful thinking because I didn’t even open my guitar case with the chaos of last week. Today, she threw Jack Johnson’s “Holes to Heaven” at me because she liked the riff.

4. Despite the ugly heat, I went for a run this afternoon and actually made decent time and didn’t feel like curling up in a ball in the gutter from exhaustion. TWO BIG THUMBS UP.

5. When I said the folks at LoveDrop had a fan for life – I really meant it. Even though the Love Drop for my lovely friend Katie is complete, I have stuck around because I really like what this group is doing. This month, the goal is to help a family in Louisiana. The goal? To get them a car. If you have connections in the automotive industry and can help them reach this goal, or even if you don’t and just want to see how you can help otherwise, please be sure to visit Love Drop and let ’em know.

6. I am sure that I have talked about them before – but my love for barbecue PopChips has been renewed. I ate an insane amount of them yesterday (NO, I’m not telling y’all how much chips I ate – but it was both a lot and too much all at once). I tweeted about them – that PopChips are like meth, but legal and cheaper. I thought for sure I’d get a tweet back from the lovely PopChips folks telling me to stop comparing their product to illegal controlled substances. Instead, they tweeted me back with the hashtag: #snackcrack. They know what they’re talking about.*

7. A while back, I wrote here about the book We Need to Talk About Kevin: A Novel. Today, I see that they have made a movie from this book – starring Tilda Swinton and it debuted at Cannes to good reviews. While I don’t often care for movie adaptations of books, I’d be curious to see this one. The book was horrifying and gripping and just… I just got goosebumps recalling it. I had to read this book in small doses – but it was tremendous. I hope the movie measures up.

8. As the school year comes closer to its end, the number of activities increases ten-fold: field days, field trips, and performances (Oh my!). Both girls have numerous events in the next several weeks – I’m gonna be one busy mom. Guess it’s a good thing I have a lil more free time right now, huh?

9. Speaking of school, earlier in the school year, I did a rude thing and I set up a filter in my email so that all emails from the PTA would skip my inbox altogether and go directly to a folder that I could review at my leisure. The reason being was that those PTA parents are email-happy – I was getting NUMEROUS emails daily (I’m not even ON THE PTA), and then all the replies to the emails. It was working quite well, until today. Today, my email is getting bombarded with “reply all” messages to the request for food for the staff appreciation luncheon (I’ll offer to bring cookies – y’all know I can’t cook).

10. The warm weather brings me the reminder that I probably do not drink enough water. I get on these hydration sprees regularly – and will consume massive amounts of water…for a few days before giving up. Today is a “guzzle lots of water” day. It’s also a “spend a lot of time thinking about how much you have to pee” day.

*No, I am not being paid or sponsored to talk about PopChips, though, hey, PopChip people… call me. You can pay me in PopChips. Really. I don’t need money, just chips. Lovely, savory, crunchy, salty, yummy barbecue chips. FOR LIFE. Nom nom nom.

Filed Under: Books and Stuff, Do Good Feel Good, Mom Shtuff, music, Thursday Ten

Thursday Ten – Cinco de Taco Edition

May 5, 2011 by sarah 3 Comments

1. Some of you may know that I kinda sorta love tacos a little bit – not just any tacos. I make horrible tacos. It goes along with that not being able to cook thing. So, it’s Cinco de Mayo and I have absolutely zero taco plans. I’m kind of bummed. Also – I think I need chips and salsa. Also, I know there’s a real purpose to Cinco de Mayo but for me, it’s pretty much all about the tacos. I’m sorry.

2. The weather is GORGEOUS today (Yes. I’m talking about the weather again. Shush. You know you like it). It’s in the low 60s, the sun is shining.

3. The downside to this gorgeous weather? Everyone is mowing their lawns. Ugh. And achoo.

4. You know how when you have a great hair stylist and she quits your salon and goes somewhere else and you want to follow that stylist to her new salon and she can’t really give that info out because they’re not technically supposed to poach clients from the old salon and drag them to the new one? (Some of you are shaking your heads at me like, What are you talking about, Sarah? But really. It’s true. That happens.) Well, that same thing applies to guitar teachers I guess – and my awesome teacher is leaving. Boo. And… she’s open to doing private lessons – but… I have to do a few months with a new teacher who is not her so it doesn’t look like, “Hey, she’s stealing clients.” Which sucks. I’m really kind of worried that whoever I end up seeing for lessons for the next few months will not be as much fun. Ugh. Also, whine.

5. Houston, we may have a problem. Check this page from a mother’s day card from Pumpkin. She has since assured me that I do have other redeeming qualities – but I’m sure the teacher got a laugh out of this one.

6. I’m trying to find a new mother’s helper for the summer. It’s not easy – I don’t even know how to FIND a babysitter. And are you allowed to ask them if they have a problem with prescription drug abuse or if they sniff glue? Because I don’t one of those kids watching MY kids.

7. I finally bought a new pair of running shoes the other day. I put them on and my feet felt so happy. I then went through the motions of trying on several other pair, but went back to the first (Adidas, by the way). They are the Adidas Liquid RS – and mine are white with some cute periwinkle/purple laces. They are the most COMFORTABLE shoes. I try not to worry about spending money (to a degree) when it comes to my running/workout shoes because I know that I’ll be sorry if I don’t have happy feet.

8. Speaking of shoes, The Princess wants a pair of Chucks. Far be it from me to have issues with that (since y’all know I love mine) – but the problem is that she’s on this weird cusp of shoe size mess. You see, she’s needing a size 4. That’s at the top of the youth shoe size range and the bottom of the women shoe size range and I’m having a difficult time finding the shoes. Sigh. Guess I’ll order direct from Converse.

9. I have long been a fan of the yellow rose – they’re my favorite – but I bought myself some gerbera daisies the other day that make me want to rethink my flower philosophy. I just rinsed out a frappuccino bottle for a vase and popped it on my windowsill (next to a rosemary plant and a basil plant). The bit of brightness makes me smile.

10. Some month’s book club choices are just… not good. This month’s selection, The Postmistress, has NOT been an enjoyable read for me so far – and it’s taking me a long time to slog through it. I can’t WAIT to finish it and move on to something else. Anyone reading anything good right now?

Filed Under: Books and Stuff, Eats, Mom Shtuff, Thursday Ten