I just finished reading my third Blog Her Book Club selection Faithful Place by Tana French. It was a great mystery/crime novel that I had a tough time putting down! My review is up over at http://www.blogher.com/bookclub/living-faithful-place-can-be-murder
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Monday, August 22, 2011
This has been bothering me for a long long time
...and I finally remembered to write about it.
I'm not sure how it became okay, or rather good, for every restaurant to have televisions. I understand the sports bar, duh, or even in the bar, but why is it that nearly every restaurant has a television in the dining area.
I am an admitted television junkie. I mainline primetime. I understand how hypocritical it is of me that I have had my children be virtually television free ( with the exception of a few sports, because we love sports, and Dino Train while I cut their hair) for the first five and a half years of their lives, while as soon as they are tucked in to bed Scott and I zone out and watch the loads of shows waiting for us on our multiple TiVo's.
While I make no judgements, I am personally happy that my kids don't watch television and they don't even really know to ask for it aside from asking when we can watch hockey again. I love that most of their pop culture references come from books and what Scott and I have told them, not from television programmers and ad executives.
However I find it more than disturbing that we cannot seem to go out to eat *anywhere* without television monitors in every corner.
What happened to dinner conversation? What happened to looking at your companions and enjoying being with them?
Look around you it seems to be everywhere, from so called family restaurants to major chains, to the mom and pop corner eatery. It makes me sad that it has been decided that we as a culture would rather stare in to a monitor rather than those precious faces sitting across from us.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
I'm not sure how it became okay, or rather good, for every restaurant to have televisions. I understand the sports bar, duh, or even in the bar, but why is it that nearly every restaurant has a television in the dining area.
I am an admitted television junkie. I mainline primetime. I understand how hypocritical it is of me that I have had my children be virtually television free ( with the exception of a few sports, because we love sports, and Dino Train while I cut their hair) for the first five and a half years of their lives, while as soon as they are tucked in to bed Scott and I zone out and watch the loads of shows waiting for us on our multiple TiVo's.
While I make no judgements, I am personally happy that my kids don't watch television and they don't even really know to ask for it aside from asking when we can watch hockey again. I love that most of their pop culture references come from books and what Scott and I have told them, not from television programmers and ad executives.
However I find it more than disturbing that we cannot seem to go out to eat *anywhere* without television monitors in every corner.
What happened to dinner conversation? What happened to looking at your companions and enjoying being with them?
Look around you it seems to be everywhere, from so called family restaurants to major chains, to the mom and pop corner eatery. It makes me sad that it has been decided that we as a culture would rather stare in to a monitor rather than those precious faces sitting across from us.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Friday, August 12, 2011
Holding Pattern
We are just a few weeks away from the start of school, and my life is so up in the air! I wish I knew where we were going to go to school in the fall (three weeks).
My first choice is looking like we are going to be in a fantastic location, 45 minutes from the house. That is at least three hours a day on the road. That is less than ideal.
My second choice, is just that, a second choice.
My first choice looks like it will have great hours 8:30 to 1:45! Just over five hours. The location sounds fantastic. Big open spaces, room for a huge garden. The philosophy of the school is still fantastic, even more so, with talks of full sustainability, solar panels, gray water capture, trashless environment.
My second choice, has okay hours 9-3. The location is nice. The philosophy is similar, but different.
I just wish, wish I knew something for sure.
My first choice is looking like we are going to be in a fantastic location, 45 minutes from the house. That is at least three hours a day on the road. That is less than ideal.
My second choice, is just that, a second choice.
My first choice looks like it will have great hours 8:30 to 1:45! Just over five hours. The location sounds fantastic. Big open spaces, room for a huge garden. The philosophy of the school is still fantastic, even more so, with talks of full sustainability, solar panels, gray water capture, trashless environment.
My second choice, has okay hours 9-3. The location is nice. The philosophy is similar, but different.
I just wish, wish I knew something for sure.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Not my stories to tell
Many things are happening around me that have me in a state. They are not my stories to tell, so I cannot write about them here.
I just know my emotions are raw. My heart is aching.
I am worried about my friends.
I am worried about their families.
I feel their pain.
I don't know their pain, but I can imagine it.
Hug your children.
Get your Mammograms.
Be thankful for your healthy babies.
I just know my emotions are raw. My heart is aching.
I am worried about my friends.
I am worried about their families.
I feel their pain.
I don't know their pain, but I can imagine it.
Hug your children.
Get your Mammograms.
Be thankful for your healthy babies.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Memories...Misty water colored
I've been meaning to blog, but I don't know, life keeps getting in the way.
We have been keeping busy since the last day of school.
Family vacations, Dinosaur camp, Fourth of July, it's been quite hectic. I have still not completely unpacked from vacation, there are things everywhere, and I just feel unsettled.
One of the things I've been doing is I've been burning some cd's on my old computer, where all of my old pictures are stored. They have been cycling through as screen savers and bringing up old memories.
I cannot believe the boys are five! I cannot believe how big they are. They are so grown up.
As I look at the pictures pop up from the NICU, as Evan is being wheeled off into surgery by Peggy, the first time I held either of my babies (Ryan), the first time I held both of them, the machines, the wires, I wonder how we made it through that time, virtually unscathed.
Then I see them as babies, oh, those cheeks!
Then as toddlers, with no hair, but still with the cheeks!
They were such cute little babies, toddlers, oh, my heart aches looking at their adorableness.
Sometimes I feel like I missed out on so much of that time. It's a fog. Such a distant memory, yet so much of that time is crystal clear. The fear of "THE" phone call. The sights, sounds and smells of the NICU. The quiet of 3AM disturbed by the sound of a breast pump instead of a baby. The color of blue, black blue, it still makes me feel ill. The monitors going off in the middle of the night. None of that normal, none of those memories should STILL be so vivid, while the memories of first steps, first teeth, and first words, are so foggy.
It isn't right, but it is what it is. Thankfully, I have the pictures to jog my memory, and that I have the boys here making new ones daily.
We have been keeping busy since the last day of school.
Family vacations, Dinosaur camp, Fourth of July, it's been quite hectic. I have still not completely unpacked from vacation, there are things everywhere, and I just feel unsettled.
One of the things I've been doing is I've been burning some cd's on my old computer, where all of my old pictures are stored. They have been cycling through as screen savers and bringing up old memories.
I cannot believe the boys are five! I cannot believe how big they are. They are so grown up.
As I look at the pictures pop up from the NICU, as Evan is being wheeled off into surgery by Peggy, the first time I held either of my babies (Ryan), the first time I held both of them, the machines, the wires, I wonder how we made it through that time, virtually unscathed.
Then I see them as babies, oh, those cheeks!
Then as toddlers, with no hair, but still with the cheeks!
They were such cute little babies, toddlers, oh, my heart aches looking at their adorableness.
Sometimes I feel like I missed out on so much of that time. It's a fog. Such a distant memory, yet so much of that time is crystal clear. The fear of "THE" phone call. The sights, sounds and smells of the NICU. The quiet of 3AM disturbed by the sound of a breast pump instead of a baby. The color of blue, black blue, it still makes me feel ill. The monitors going off in the middle of the night. None of that normal, none of those memories should STILL be so vivid, while the memories of first steps, first teeth, and first words, are so foggy.
It isn't right, but it is what it is. Thankfully, I have the pictures to jog my memory, and that I have the boys here making new ones daily.
Monday, June 13, 2011
Preschool: It's all over now baby blue
Last Friday was the boys last day of preschool. It is so hard to believe that the year has already come and gone and that this is the last time my boys will be arriving for their first day of school here and walking through those gates as a preschooler. Sigh.
It seems like just yesterday but it was more that two years ago that I first dropped them off, for the first time ever I had left my babies in the hands of others. Those others nurtured and cared for my boys and I couldn't have asked for a better first school experience.
This year was not any different. We had such wonderful teachers that fostered that love of learning, and sense of exploration. They encouraged, supported and loved my boys and I will never forget the amazing experience we had, how safe they made me feel leaving them in their hands, how special they made my children feel, how much they learned.
Thank you to the amazing teachers and staff, we will always remember our first foray into education.
Almost every day we had to stop in the office to say Hello to our teacher from last year, it is clear that the boys were very bonded to her, and to all of the teachers at our school. I cannot say enough good things about our school. I am so sad to be saying goodbye.
A good friend of mine made these monograms for their teachers and I thought they were such a cute idea, I stole them for our end of the year gifts. I love how they turned out. The boys added a picture and note for the backs, they were a hit with our teachers too. This is where my friend found the idea.
Off to Kindergarten in the fall...I am so not ready for that!
It seems like just yesterday but it was more that two years ago that I first dropped them off, for the first time ever I had left my babies in the hands of others. Those others nurtured and cared for my boys and I couldn't have asked for a better first school experience.This year was not any different. We had such wonderful teachers that fostered that love of learning, and sense of exploration. They encouraged, supported and loved my boys and I will never forget the amazing experience we had, how safe they made me feel leaving them in their hands, how special they made my children feel, how much they learned.
Thank you to the amazing teachers and staff, we will always remember our first foray into education.
Almost every day we had to stop in the office to say Hello to our teacher from last year, it is clear that the boys were very bonded to her, and to all of the teachers at our school. I cannot say enough good things about our school. I am so sad to be saying goodbye.
A good friend of mine made these monograms for their teachers and I thought they were such a cute idea, I stole them for our end of the year gifts. I love how they turned out. The boys added a picture and note for the backs, they were a hit with our teachers too. This is where my friend found the idea.
Off to Kindergarten in the fall...I am so not ready for that!
Friday, June 10, 2011
Book Club: Getting to Happy
My second review for the Blog Her Book Club is up. This sequel to Waiting to Exhale is a reminder to us all that a good girlfriend is a valuable thing.
http://www.blogher.com/getting-happy-already
http://www.blogher.com/getting-happy-already
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