While I'm Downright Embarrassed That I've Read Every Word of Her Testimony

Can we all agree that Elizabeth Smart is the most beautifully dressed 23-year-old around?

Soccer 2010

Men Are From Mars . . .

I made spaghetti squash with marinara sauce for dinner tonight. I thought it was delicious. My family disagreed. Asher spent most of the meal scooping the squash out of the bowl and placing it in what seemed strategic places around his high chair. Talmage took one bite and then devoted his energy to convincing Daddy to try it. "You'll like it, Daddy. It's actually really good! It's crunchy!" After the second bite he decided that he changed his mind, and could he have some Halloween candy instead? Tyler muscled his way through the main dish, and then ate six pieces of buttered toast.

"Is it okay?" I asked.

"It's okay" he responded.

"Should I make it again?"

"No."

I mentioned the meal and it's dismal failure to sister Marissa. "See?" she pointed out. "That's the difference between men and women. A woman will think, 'I wonder how I can cut 400 calories out of this meal?' and then spaghetti squash seems a surprisingly delicious option. Men just aren't used to sacrificing taste for the greater good of health and nutrition." This line of thinking brought many things into sharp reality. For example, Tyler looks adorable in a baseball cap, but never wears them because they feel a little bit "itchy."

To which I respond, try heels. Or even if you're not a person who wears heels, try women's pants, and then attempt to ask me condescendingly, "Why don't you just carry your wallet in your pocket?" Those pockets are for show, man! A grocery store receipt wouldn't fit in there. Or while we're on the subject, how about bras? There's no comfort in an underwire, especially after you add a layer of Gs under there.

And I can already hear Tyler's response: "You know what we don't eat enough of? Pizza. Pizza is delicious. Oooh! What about potato chips? Potato. Corn oil. What's not to like? Or maybe just a star value meal from Carl's Jr? Yes, I'll take two, please."

If you need me, I'll be over here in my stilettos eating my squash.

Halloween 2010

He's a Pirate

The Real World from Talmage's Perspective

Wishing You a Spooky Halloween

Do you ever wonder if sexy Halloween costume advertising is where the women end up who didn't ace their modeling classes?



There, there, French maid. You'll get there someday.

Books. A Whole Lot of Them.

I'll be the first to admit this collection of thoughts on books I've read isn't nearly as good as previous reviews.



So very many conflicting thoughts on this book. First of all, it was amazing. Hands down incredible. I wish I were closer to the novel (that I hadn't read it 4 months ago) so I could comment more intelligently on its super incredibleness. I remember my thoughts at the time were of women and men as they control society. I loved the scenes where the women looked to the men to see whether things were okay. Not to the circumstances, but to how the men were handling the circumstances. This acknowledgement didn't seem a position of weakness, but rather recognizing that when the men stopped handling life, it would be the woman's role to then handle life for them. I thought about how I react to life, and realized that I, too, often react more to how Tyler reacts to life rather than life itself.

I loved the description of Ma Joad and her role as a mother:

She seemed to know, to accept, to welcome her position, the citadel of the family, the strong place that could not be taken. And since Tom and the children could not know hurt or fear unless she acknowledged hurt and fear, she has practiced denying them in herself. And since, when a joyful thing happened, they looked to see whether joy was on her, it was her habit to build up laughter out of inadequate materials […] from position as healer, her hands had grown sure and cool and quiet; from her position as arbiter she had become as remote and faultless in judgment as a goddess. She seemed to know that if she swayed the family shook, and if she ever really deeply wavered or despaired the family would fall, the family will to function would be gone.

These two thoughts served as the thesis for me (and I'm sure this is the meaning I drew out of the book because I am both a woman and a mother); that the terror of the government, the terror of the depression served to break society, to break the men involved in the story. I didn't have much confidence in the success of Tom's mission by the end of the novel, and even the sacrifice of Jim Casey (the Jesus Christ figure) didn't accomplish much in the immediate narrative (although, you could argue, it had a huge effect on the great big giant audience who rallied around the novel) but the women held the "fambly" together. The final scene seemed to indicate two things for me: one, when a young woman nurses an old man, conventions of society have been completely destroyed, but two, in that situation of utter moral and economic devastation, it is the women who are able to sustain, to succor, to make endure.

My other thoughts were that I need to read more happy books. I just kept thinking, "Can't they just get to California and be depressed already? I know this is not going to end well, and I've got 400 more pages of it not ending well."

That said, by the end I was satisfied in my disappointment.



I can't remember any specific thoughts I had, but I did hear that the movie of this ends before the children grow up, and I thought that would make the story far more tragic than the book. I thought the story was resolved through the daughter, whose name I can't remember at the moment.

Also, that Meggie's first husband is a jerk. I'd even go so far as to say jerkface.



This book changed my life. At least the way I eat.

For such a big statement, you'd think I'd have more to say, right? Not tonight. But I am giving an enrichment lesson on nutrition next Thursday, so maybe I'll digest my thoughts and post after that.

But everyone should definitely read this book.



This book was cute and was fun to read since I've always looked at quilting as a hobby I admire other people doing, but have never really felt pushed to pick up myself. I haven't really felt pushed to pick up the rest of the series.



Continued changing my life. Read the book. It will liberate you. And stay away from gogurts.



This book is one reason I have serious regrets about not staying up-to-date on my blog. This book needed some breakdown, some digestion, and this blog would have been the perfect place to do it. So if you've read the book, call me. Let's figure some things out. Except I might have to reread the book first to remember.



I've already proclaimed my love for Richard Russo on this blog, and he didn't disappoint me with this latest novel, but it wasn't quite as earth shaking as my favorite books by him, namely Bridge of Sighs and Straight Man. He did get me thinking about perspectives, and the fact that how we view a situation like a marriage or a family member might be completely different from how someone else might view that same situation. Ah, those sticky paradigms.

I do love a good unreliable narrator.



What is it about teen lit that would make someone leave the Grand America at 7:30 in the morning before their husband wakes up on her 8th anniversary to drive around the city looking for an open bookstore to buy the final book in a series because they just need to know how it ends?

Purely hypothetical, of course.

Target. Target was open. On 7200 S. A whole long ways away from the Grand America.



I reread parts of this book 4 or 5 times. It was like I was reading Twilight. Take that teen lit.



You know how I love me some Gregory Maguire.

This is the first book by him, however, that I liked as much as Wicked. I liked the thought that we view ourselves through the perspectives of others until we get enough independence and identity to view ourselves though our own perspective. I also loved the historical context of the 1400s. There was some great intrigue at the time, enough to produce a thoroughly despicable wicked Queen.

For the record, I'd feel much more comfortable recommending this book than I would Wicked.

I Expected Him to Notice, Just Not Until He Was a Teenager

"Mom, did you take forgetting lessons? Cause you're really good at it."

Cornbelly's Part 2

Giving the People What They Want. At Least the Sally and Laura People.

The following is a list of items I served Asher for breakfast this morning.

1. Bowl of syrup
2. Eggy bread made to dip in that syrup
3. Cheerios, milk, spoon (these each get mentioned individually because he asked for them individually)
4. Handful of Rice Chex
5. Graham crackers
6. Bowl of frozen fruit
7. Smoothie
8. Cup of milk
9. Bowl of marinara sauce
10. Bread for dipping in that marinara sauce

The following is a list of items that Asher actually ate for breakfast this morning.
1. Bowl of syrup

Not only did he eat the syrup, he completely ignored the eggy bread I made to dip in it, so he dug his pudgy fingers into the syrup and smeared the mess in his mouth, on his cheeks, and in his hair. In fact, when I lifted him out of his chair, he stuck to the tray in front of him and I had to pull with a good amount of force. The sticky sound he made as he separated from the seat was impressive.

Now, I'll admit I'm kind of judging myself for indulging him. I mean, what kind of mother makes four different meals for one child, including tomato sauce for breakfast? A poor one, one whose child is going to walk all over her and who will facilitate his drug habit when he's a teenager. She should read some books. Or at least listen to Dr. Phil more.

Then the indignant mother in me gets mad at the judging mother in me and says, "Nu, uh!" You give me a screaming child and I'll patiently ignore that child for YEARS. I've got nerves of STEEL. I can so no with the BEST of them. I pride myself on my tantrum ignoring abilities. I laugh in the face of child anger. But here's the thing. I taught Asher to say please. And it's pretty much the cutest thing ever. Truck full of puppies? Not even close. Baby in a chicken costume with chunky thighs sticking out? We're getting there, but not quite. And I defy any mother to look at Asher with his superfluous band-aids on his face because he wanted them and cottage cheese matted all through his very fine baby hair and hear "More. Cheese. Please?" and say no.

It can't be done. Fatty babies gotta eat, am I right?

And now it just clicked. This is why Scott is Deirdre's favorite. He was just that cute.

I'm raising Scott Paulsen.

Eight Years and Counting

"Tyler, do you love me as much as Jim loves Pam?"

"I don't know. Jim sure loves Pam a lot."

While Pondering the Sacrament . . .

"Dad, when Heavenly Father was a little boy, do you think people just called him Heaven?"

Fireman Five

A Big House

Everybody Cries

Just Finished Mockingjay . . .

All I can think is how truly unfortunate the name Peeta is. Particularly for the son of a baker. It's almost as bad as if she'd named him Bun.

Fat Cats

LPP Evolution

This is my lengthiest project to date. This video is a composite of nearly every time I sat down to study during my 15-month LPP Program. If you watch closely, I think you can actually see me getting smarter.

Apparently the Word "Private" Only Has One Meaning to the Four Year Old

Talmage: "Can we ever go to a naked pool?"
Mom: " . . . a what kind of pool?"
Talmage: "A naked pool. I wanted to go there but Daddy said I needed to be invited."
Mom: "Daddy wanted to take you to a naked pool?"
Talmage: "Yes, but he said we needed to be invited."
Mom: "Do you mean a private pool?"
Talmage: "Oh yeah! That's it! Can we ever go to a private pool?"