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#WIRW: The Boys of the Dixie Pig
No, you’re not stuck in a time warp – it’s not Wednesday. This post did not go live as it was supposed to, yay, me. So lucky you, you’ll likely see TWO posts from me today. Go, me. Happy Wednesday Thursday! This week’s pick for What I’m Reading Wednesday is The Boys of the Dixie Pig by Stacy Childs. What a fun, wild ride it was!! I’m seeing it touted as a medical thriller, but while one of the two main storylines has a medical bent not far off of what you might see with Robin Cook, I’d likely classify it as a thriller, plain and simple. Ok, so I…
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WIRW: Books to Get Lost In
Before you say anything…I know…never end a sentence with a preposition. That’s why I’m reviewing the books and not writing them – I get so excited when it’s time to review books sometimes that I just can’t come up with a title suitable to reflect how I feel. In this case, I have the added problem writing a title for two entirely different stories in two different genres. So why review them together? They both sucked me in so quickly, they BOTH proved to be a great escape. Ok, so I basically sat and did nothing until I finished these books. You caught me. I don’t care. Let’s start already,…
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Middle School is Tough. (These Books Aren’t)
This summer, my soon-to-be middle schooler lodged a complaint: “Why is it that so many books talk about how awful middle school is?” I took a look at his bookshelf and have to admit, it’s true. I didn’t want to admit that since middle school can be pretty miserable in real life, it’s a relatable topic for kids and easier to laugh at than cry with – I want him to look forward to middle school, after all! So we talked about what is happening in the books he’s read, and how the real meat of the story is in how the main character conquers his fears, or overcomes a huge challenge, or…
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#WIRW: The Late Night Edition
With memories of summer vacation fading faster than my tan and the kids back to school and so organized that I’m hardly needed in the mornings, I had great plans of conquering my to-do list in record time, all while re-establishing a semblance of routine. Ah, the best laid plans, all felled by a single sentence, an opening chapter, a stack of to-be-read thrillers and crime fiction. You got it. Little has been ticked off of my to-do list except for going to the gym, and I’ve had to add “drink coffee” and “read 6 chapters” to that list just to be able to tick something off. It hasn’t helped that these books…
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Dress Code Crazy
I appreciate the importance of school dress codes, but some of the latest rules are just crazy. Who knew that collar bones are the devil’s instruments? Apparently, bra straps are too. Leggings are distracting because they show the shape of girls’ legs – gasp – girls have legs? I’ve never heard my 11-year-old son say “Mom, I can’t understand fractions because Sarah wore leggings.” If he did, though, I’d knock him upside the head – figuratively speaking. I pity the girl who got her Wonder Woman lunchbox taken away because violent characters are banned in the dress code? Wonder Woman is a super hero, and super heroes portray violence, ergo Wonder Woman is violent. That’s like saying cake is…
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What I’m Reading Wednesday – The Murderer’s Daughter
This one has had me on the edge of my seat as I raced to the finish; I’m sure it’s still Wednesday in the Pacific Northwest so I think I can legitimately put this one under “What I’m Reading Wednesday”. This week’s book choice is the standalone novel The Murderer’s Daughter by Jonathan Kellerman. I’ve long been a fan of Jonathan Kellerman and his Alex Delaware character; while Delaware makes a cameo in this book, trust me, this isn’t an Alex Delaware novel. This is a much darker, and much more twisted psychological thriller. Five year old Grace Blades was taking care of herself, living on leftovers her slacker, shoplifting,…
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On The Go Breakfast Egg Muffins
This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #QuakerRealMedleys #CollectiveBias Do you know what my biggest struggle has been as the kids have returned to school this week? Waking up and getting EVERYONE moving extra early after a summer of sleeping in! Since birth, my two have been early risers and it took until kindergarten just to get them to sleep until 7am. Something switched in their brains this summer and they both took to sleeping in until 8 or 9 – fantastic until school starts, and with it the 6am wakeup call. I don’t know who is having a more difficult time…
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What I’m Reading Wednesday: Two Powerful Tales
Oh, you guys. Remember how I promised you that I have weeks and weeks of What I’m Reading Wednesday reviews of awesome, soon to be released books? I still do. (Along with a few just released, because it’s summer and my kids think that mom on the computer is the perfect time to pick a fight/ask her questions/spill something on the rug/<insert your favorite distraction here>.) As I mentioned previously, I read ALL the books on my summer vacation that had “hold ’til publication” requests forthe reviews (and the books I could review were unread). What can I say – sometimes, a book description hits your mood or something clicks and you just…
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Home Away from Home: Residence Inn
Recently I drove to Austin with some fellow bloggers for the Disney Social Media Moms Conference “On the Road”. Since the conference officially started at 8:30am, I knew making the four-hour drive from Dallas EARLY that morning would be a deal breaker – nope, there was no way was I going to be up at 4am to make the drive, then do it all again after lunch. This girl needs her beauty sleep! Enter the Residence Inn by Marriott – a family favorite. In addition to the things like free wireless internet, flat-screen HD TVs to veg out in after a day of driving, what I like best is that there are…
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Meet the Team Night at FC Dallas!
Moving to the UK when my kids were 3 and 5 meant that they had an entirely different exposure to team sports than their friends back here in the US; for my son, it meant choosing between soccer, rugby and cricket. Soccer it was, and has been ever since. My mud room is littered with soccer kit, my car often filled with the funk that can only be caused by sweaty goalkeeper gloves, I’ve pulled things shooting on my kid in the yard when friends weren’t available (and trust me, it’s not a pretty sight), my kid can cite player stats better than any bookmaker in Vegas and the battle for recording space on the…
