oh yeah a couple more...

I remember a couple more books that I have read. They go together...

Operation Red Jericho: The Guild Specialists Book 1 and Operation Typhoon Shore: The Guild of Specialists Book 2 both by Joshua Mowll. These books were really amazing. First of all, the story was pretty good but then there are the illustrations and drawings and pictures. He makes it look and feel like a very interesting and exciting text book. It's not just a story, you get illustrations of complex machinery and pictures of characters in the book and sketches from notebooks. It all makes it seem so real. It really was a very elaborate and detailed undertaking by the author. Very impressive. Plus, the story is fun and high paced. I'll have to pick up the third one in the series. :)

And there's one more that I just finished...

Savvy by Ingrid Law: Great book! Fun to read and the characters are very endearing. Makes me wonder whether I would want to be part of the family or not. A book about growing up and moving on and playing the hand that life deals you. I really enjoyed the book. :)

next book...

Look at me all on top of things :)

I read and finished the next book in the Percy Jackson series, "The sea of Monsters." Again, fun read, but a bit predictable.

Also, I went to work out two days in a row and I feel like my arms are just dead weights. I think I'll put an extra day in between weight-lifting workouts from now on.

But on a good note, I finally got some thyroid medicine. :) Here's hoping I start feeling better soon.

The latest books...

Let's see if I can remember all the books I've read recently

The Help by Kathryn Stockett. Great book! I really liked this book about a bunch of black maids in the South about the time the civil rights movement started to gain some traction. It was well written and a very good read. Very thought-provoking.

Graceling by Kristin Cashore. Almost a great book. I don't like anti-heroes though. The heroine does well until she knowingly and consciously makes a terrible mistake. I don't like that she has no repercussions from her bad decision and it is rationalized away. (No questions as to where the author stands on that issue) Lots of good but the bad really spoiled it for me.

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan. (did I already do this one?) good book, fun read.

Ellen Foster by Kaye Gibbons. I'm a little bit tired of reading books about someone's growing up life where they were poor/beaten/disadvantaged/etc. Doesn't anyone have a normal healthy childhood? Putting that aside, it was a good book.

Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld. Don't know if it has any relation whatsoever to the Leviathan by Hobbes. Interesting read. Scott Westerfeld always has kind of some quirky ideas that are interesting to explore. (He wrote the Uglies/Pretties series)

Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen. Fluff. Definately a chick book and a bit too romantic for my taste but kind of interesting in that she kind of exploits the whole small-town legends idea.

I know I read another one...

New Direction.... and The Glass Castle

I'm admitting that I'm a rotten blogger. I don't really post very often and I awful at taking pictures in the first place not to mention actually putting them up on my blog to share. (I think it's funny that the word "blog" shows up as a spelling error) So, I have decided that instead of trying to share what the family does, I'll just use this blog to do something that I've always kind of wanted to do and that is keep a log of what books I read. For anyone who doesn't know, I really like to read. A good book is one of my greatest weaknesses and if I find one, I will oftentimes stay up late into the night reading even though I know that the next day will be especially difficult. I just can't put it down. There are worse things to be addicted to but good books are definitely my vice. So this blog will be for my to post what books I have read and what I think about them. Since I can't remember all the books I've already read this year, I'll just start with a couple that I do remember and also the one I just finished reading.

1) The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls: Probably one of the sorry-est life stories you will ever read. Here is a girl who grew up with literally nothing. Think of the worst life possible for a little kid and here it is. Having said that, there are a few things we could learn from them. Things like dirt won't kill little kids. I don't buy purell or any other of that kind of stuff. I don't wipe down the shopping carts before I stick my kids in them. (and, yes, they have on occasion decided to lick the carts--yuck!) My kids don't get baths every day--just once a week--and they wash their hands before dinner most of the time. I'm fine with dirt and germs to a certain point and although I wouldn't go as far as the family in this book, I think it says a lot about how overly protective we have become and how unnecessary that all is. Another interesting insight from the book was about why homeless people are homeless. It's probably not the way or reason all homeless people are but it certainly gave me a new perspective on why some people decide to live that way (because it is a decision.) At the end the son says "You know, it's really not that hard to put food on the table if that's what you decide to do." From a family that grew up digging for food in trash cans and going without meals on a regular basis, three out of four kids grew up to be well-adjusted working adults. So I truly believe that there are a good number of homeless people that live on the streets not because they have to but because they choose to do so. Wow. Interesting to see not only HOW the other half live but WHY they live that way. Good read. (Overall, I don't think I expressed myself very well here but oh well)

2) The Return by Victoria Hislop: I sobbed when I read this book. I served a mission for my church in southern Spain for a year and a half and I wish I would have read the book before I went. I really love the people of Spain and I can honestly say that part of my heart I left there so this book really touched me. It is about the Spanish civil war which I didn't know a lot about before I read the book. Such a moving and beautiful book. Such a sad history. I would highly recommend the book!

3) Freakonomics by Stephen Dubner and Steven Levitt: So interesting! Very fast-moving and easy to read. I really loved this book. We are reading this for a book club right now and I can't wait to discuss it. The book talks about some real-life mysteries (like why teachers cheat and why drug dealers live with their mothers.) This book gives you a different way of looking at the world and I think it helps me understand why people (including my kids) act the way they do. Good read!

4)Into the Woods by Lyn Gardner: I'm guessing this is not the same as the play but I've never seen the play so I can't be totally sure. Fun little book. I'd be okay with my kids reading this one. (I'll occasionally read a fluff book for kids just so when my kids start asking me for ideas on books to read, I'll have some titles ready) I don't know that I'd pick this one out specially for my kids but if they picked it up themselves, I would okay it, no problem.

That's all for now. If you have read any of these books, feel free to comment--I'd love to hear your opinion about any or all of them! :)

Spending Madness...

Just a quick rant...

Why is it that the US government thinks it can fix a broken system by pouring money into it? Oh yeah, that's ALWAYS the answer from our government. Like, 'hey, our school system is producing internationally below average students. What should we do? Let's make it a government entity and throw a bunch of money at it and hope it fixes itself.' or 'hey, our health care system is not working so well. What should we do? Let's make it a government entity and throw a bunch of money at it and hope it fixes itself.' Most recently, 'hey, our economy is broken. What should we do about it? Let's make it a government entity and throw a bunch of money at it and hope it fixes itself.'

That doesn't work with kids. it doesn't work with anything! If anything, more power should be given to the states--they know what their own state needs, not some big government entity in DC.

So tired of the government spending my and my children's money.

Ready, Set...

I'm not sure I'm ready for the holiday season. But as we get into it, I remember all of the fun things. Here are a few of my favorites:

1. Treats!! Gotta love making and sharing and EATING all of those holiday goodies. I never never never diet during the holiday season because that takes so much of the fun out of it! For a couple of months a year I throw caution to the wind and indulge!

2. Music! I love Christmas carols! They are fun and beautiful and sacred. What a wonderful time we have to remember the Savior and to sing of his birth. But I also love the fun songs like Jingle Bells and Santa is coming to town. It's odd but Christmas is one of the two holidays (Easter is the other) that is characterized by music. I love it!

3. Kids!! I love kids at Christmas time! Seeing the excitement and joy in their eyes is priceless! Kids are what make Christmas absolutely magic. They still believe in all the magic and they bring it with them everywhere they go! I love seeing their eyes pop out of their heads on Christmas morning when they see the cookies eaten and the stockings filled. I will never get tired of seeing that magic in my children's eyes!

4. Snow. Well, now that I live in Georgia, it's more like pictures of snow because it doesn't really snow much here. I don't miss shoveling the snow and hibernating in my house all winter because it's so cold. BUT, I miss seeing my kids play in the snow. I love how, just for a moment, the world is transformed into a quiet, still and magical place. I guess that's why I always have imagined snow at Christ's birth. If I think of the logistics, I hope, for Mary's sake, that there was no snow and chances are, there was not but still, it's there in my imagination.

5. Christmas Symbols. Each year, we do the German Advent. For four Sundays before Christmas, you light one more candle. For our family, we take the time to talk about the different symbols at Christmastime. Candles remind us that although the world gets darker at this time of year, we always have the light of Christ in our lives. Red reminds of of Christ's sacrifice for us. Green reminds us that although the world looks dead this time of year, we can have everlasting life (evergreen trees come in here too) through the atonement of Christ. There are so many more!! I love the beauty of the symbols and of all that it reminds us.

6. Service. I love that there is a time of year when we step out of our own troubles and look to others. We see it in food drives and coat collections. We are reminded each time we enter or exit a store and find the Salvation Army ringing their bells. What a wonderful holiday where the focus is not on ourselves but on others.

7. Christ!! Definitely the best part of the Christmas season is that Christ is everywhere! He is the true reason we celebrate and the only way for us to be saved. He loves us so much that he gave his life for us. He was completely perfect and allows us to become as he is. There is no greater gift! I love the Christmas season and all that it means! I love that we have a whole month to celebrate Christ and His life.

What are your favorite parts of the holiday season? I decided that there is so much stress this time of year with all of the little things that need to be done that I would take some time to look on the bright side. When I remember all of the wonderful parts of Christmas, it makes the stress more worth it and maybe just a little bit less stressful.

I hope you all have a wonderful and safe holiday season!

History...

So I just read a book about a fictional map of the world that was made by the Chinese in the early 1400's which would make it older than European maps of the world. It was an interesting read and brought up some good questions about ownership--think finders keepers? But it also made me think about the fluidity of history. I have always thought of history as being a fixed object--and in reality that is exactly what it is. However, it is interesting to realize that our perception of history is not necessarily so static. We are often taught one side of the story. One perspective. And often, I believe, when we start to see another side to the story, we can understand what has happened in a completely different manner. It's hard to tell who the "good guys" were because we don't understand everything that happened. Just another reason I am so grateful that I won't be the ultimate judge of what happens/happened. Someone told me once that through the urim and thummim you could see history. Whether or not that is true, I would love to actually see history. Watch the flood. Experience the amazing true things that happen all over the world all the time. I have always thought of history as boring and fixed and already done. I have just come to realize that there is so much to discover and understand in history. What a revelation!