Where has the week gone? I have a distant memory of thinking that I was going to get to enjoy some lazy summer days. That hasn't happened much, which I think is kind of a bummer! Now I am thinking - when is school going to start again so I can relax a little? I have been trying to post something on my blog all week, and here I am - Friday night, 11:45 pm. What have I been doing this week . . .
- supervising 2 more days of Madi's "creativity camp" - which entailed little girls in my house, painting, playing, cooking, eating, & having lots of fun (a blog post yet to come)
- giving Katie Motrin a couple of times a day for the ear pain she is experiencing since puncturing her eardrum on Monday evening during our trip home from visiting grandma & granddad in Woodland (hint - never give your child a q-tip while traveling in the car!)
- doing a boat load of laundry, going grocery shopping, wiping my kitchen counters more times than I can remember, picking up my house more times than I can remember, feeding my kids, refereeing their fights, trying to get them to be nice to each other
- holding Ben, playing with Ben, looking at Ben & his head of curls, following Ben around, giving him Motrin to relieve fever & pain (that I think is associated with cutting his eye teeth) - I think I'm about out of Motrin!
- getting my hair highlighted & cut (I can't seem to keep one style for more than a few months these days!) I loved that Lacey looked at me when I came home & said "mom, your hair is NOT a different color". I think that she was hoping for pink, purple, or some other exciting color of hair.
- supervising all-day playdates with cousins & friends
- going to book club to discuss Snowflower & the Secret Fan. By the way, I loved this book. If you are looking for a good book - look no further! Lisa See's writing is inspiring! She takes you into the world of Chinese women in the 1800's & you feel like you are there. In this world, you experience foot binding, arranged marriages, political unrest, women's relationships, Chinese superstitions, and sights & smells you have probably never dreamed of. I was transported into a world that I knew very little about. This book made me so thankful to live in America in the 21st century. We have so much! I read this book over the weekend, knowing that bookclub was Tuesday night & I had yet to open it. It was nice to have a weekend away (in Woodland), where I didn't feel guilty about reading all day & night. I finished it on Monday evening on the way home. Judy had read the book as well, so I enjoyed discussing it with her as I would get to different parts of the book. (I have to apologize to my fellow bookclub members, because I know I end up talking way too much. I just can't help it - I always have too many comments to make in general - especially when I am talking about a topic that is interesting or exciting to me - One of the reasons why blogging is good for me.)
- looking up Chinese foot-binding on the internet after finishing Snowflower & the Secret Fan. This is something I truly cannot imagine! I always thought foot-binding was just binding girls' feet very tightly to stunt their growth. I was so wrong. Take a look here - if you want a little education!
- reading stories to Lacey
- taking Madi & Katie out last night for a girl's night of dinner & shopping
- coaching Madi & Katie as they organized the closet in our playroom, so they could earn a little money for their girl's night out
- watching my girls perform dances they choreograph (inspired by their watching of "So You Think You Can Dance" on TV - this can be good & it can be bad)
- exercising in the mornings - as much as possible - still love my Brian Kest yoga DVDs - which I've had for years! - also love the Windsor Pilates DVDs because they only take 20 minutes!
- hoping for more time to spend with Brad
- staying up too late - such a bad habit of mine!
I guess it's been a fun-filled week & I hope my kids have lots of memories of lazy summer days that aren't so lazy for their mom! Good night . . .
Everett Andrew Duncan, Jr. 9/26/1958-01/02/2015
9 years ago
11 comments:
Yeah a bad habit that many of us have....(staying up late) I was up til two the other night reading the 7th Harry Potter. The week has gone by too too fast. I thought that yesterday was Thurs. Ready for Cousin Camp?????
I will say thanks seeing my kids were many of the all day play dates:) the girls sure had fun though so we do appreciate your letting them over so much! I hear ya on the lazy days of summer...I think me being at moms are the laziest I will get. And...yes, same bad habit!
It sounds like your life is great right now - really busy with your kids. That was an excellent link on foot binding. Last year I taught the novel The Good Earth for Academic Decathlon and showed xrays of bound feet. Did you know that these feet also smell really bad because of the decaying tissue? I liked your description of Sunflower & the Secret Fan. I think I'm going to read it after Harry Potter.
Your hair looks really cute, by the way!
I had been wondering if you had gone away on vacation or had been consumed by the activities of summer...guess a bit of both.
I am so jealous of the book group to which you and Lesli belong. I would LOVE that type of conversation and intellectual discussion not related to Grad. School. I tried to start one in my ward for "enrichment group," but was told that a book group is just too controversial and often they turn in to gripe sessions. Not sure if it was the group or the person suggesting it (ME) was the cause for potential controversy. It makes me sad....I read A LOT - I am on page 407 of Harry Potter and am counting down the time until I can pick it up again and read. It is so good!
What a great idea to have a creativity camp! Very fun...
My girls and I read Snowflower this summer, too. I was so glad you added the link of the bound foot. We had talked quite a bit about that, wondering what they really looked like. It was very interesting to see.
Before I read Snowflower, I read "Sweetness in the Belly". This is about a girl who is orphaned when her hippie parents die, then decides to live by the laws of Islam. This is one I couldn't put down, maybe you will enjoy it, too.
Janet - I think it is a bummer that you can't get a book group organized. I can tell you that I don't think our group has ever once turned into a "gripe session". I thoroughly enjoy our group & it is about the only way that I can seem to get a book read. We have a great time discussing the books we read & always interject something about our current lives & how it applies to something we read - it always seems to. Our group is not an "official" enrichment group - but all the members belong to 3 or 4 wards in our stake.
Judy - I read the Good Earth last year for the first time. I learned a lot from the book & enjoyed the reading. For some reason, I didn't focus on the foot binding at all when I read that book, but I was fascinated with all the different characters & the way their lives unfolded. I did not konw that these feet also smelled bad, but it's not surprising! What amazes me is that I have small feet (for US standards) - at a size 5 1/2. A bound foot is half the size of mine! I cannot imagine! Have you finised Harry Potter? I have only read the first 2 books, so it will be years before I get to the 7th.
LaRae, I finished Harry Potter at midnight last night. (An ominous time for this book). It was really good, probably one of the best ones. I was reading the book while waiting for a movie to start yesterday afternoon and I was trying not to cry in public. That was one of the several times in the book that I hated JK Rowlings.
Judy and LaRae -
I just finished Harry Potter 10 minutes ago - I cried too...there were times over the past week when I would get so mad and yell while reading at someone in the book...Wayne thinks I have lost my mind, but he keeps asking what was happening...so he is just as crazy as I am. LaRae - this is the first Potter book I have read with my eyeballs - I have listened to the rest on CD in the car on trips with the family - we have loved them and have found ourselves driving around in circles wanting to finish a part.
As far as the book group goes, I have my own book group as I read so much and discuss with myself. Maybe someday, I can visit yours and enjoy the company of brilliant women!
Janet - congrats on the completion of your book! I like the idea of listening to it - I'll have to give it a try. Come on out to our book club anytime. We usually meet the 4th Tuesday of each month & would love for you to pay us a visit!
are you serious about the book club invite? I will come if you think it is OK with your group? What are you reading next?
I am doing Judy's happy dance in my head right now!
Janet - we are reading Jane Austin's Persuasion. I have always steered clear of Jane Austin, so this will be a new experience for me! So - get reading & come join us!
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