Corblue's Closet

Child Depression

2010-11-22T18:57:00.000-08:00

We have moved quite a bit since we got married. In 8 years we have had three kids and moved 9 times. The last three moves seem to be the most telling. On Friday we had parent teacher conferences. Aidan's teacher mentioned that he was stressed, moping around, and should see the school counselor. We agreed that would be a good thing. Obviously the move across the country to Pittsburgh was affecting our little man.

We also decided that we would talk to his pediatrician as well. Today I took Aidan to the doctor. He said that he felt Aidan could have child depression and recommended a couple of therapists. I talked to the office nurse who worked for their therapist. She suggested we call a specific office and find the right fit for Aidan. She spoke to the office therapist who said that we should take care of Aidan's anxiety issues right away.

Everyone agrees that this is a time sensitive issue.

I can't help but wonder how much of my own depression is affecting my kids.

I know that I need to give Aidan more of my time. The baby gets the majority of my time. Audrey has been demanding more of it. Aidan just goes along playing with his toys or reading.

It's not like I'm playing with the baby in a corner and ignoring my big kids. I'm doing dishes, laundry, grocery shopping, cleaning, running errands... I'm busy all day long. I don't have a single moment that I'm not doing something for the kids, the house, my husband. I'm exhausted.

Hopefully the pediatric therapist is able to give Aidan tools for coping with anxiety. Maybe I can try them out myself.

In th eend I think this is a good thing. We're all learning how to cope.

Making Friends. Hard at any age.

2010-11-22T07:44:00.000-08:00

Recently my daughter told me that she is weird. I asked her why she thought that. She said, "because I am. I'm the weird girl in the class." I said, "is Grandma Sharon weird?"
Audrey, "Yes."
Me, "Would you rather Grandma wasn't weird?"
Audrey, "NO! I like Grandma Sharon weird. She's fun!"
Me, "Ok, then. See. I bet your friends at school think you're really fun and like that you're weird."

That same day my son said that he didn't have any friends at school. I told him that he was a smart, interesting, fun, handsome boy that would find the right friend very soon.

You see, my kids have started their third school in three years. It was easier three years ago when they were younger. They were at a French immersion school. The following year they were at an American public school with mostly Chinese children. Audrey was able to make plenty of friends but Aidan found it hard. He still hung out with his friend sfrom the French school so I don't think he noticed that he didn't have friends at school. Now we're on the other side of the country. School is totally different at their new school. Where they were memorizing now they're working more on concepts. We're also in a community where kids walk to school together. Very different from their last two schools where the children were from all over.

I find myself telling my husband that it's hard to make friends at my age. I moped around one day depressed and homesick. At the same time I was telling my kids to not worry they'll be ok I was bummed that I didn't have a friend or a place where I felt I fit. Back home I had my running partner, my mom friends, my work friends, my running friends. We all had our place. We all fit. Life seemed so easy! now here I am far away from family, friends, everything that I know and love. The kids and I love our house, our yard, our neighbors... we're figuring things out and it feels good to start over. I think it's when the loneliness sets in that it hits us (the kids and I). We realize how much we miss our friends and family.

I had been telling my kids that they'd make friends soon and everything would be ok. I realized that I needed to take my own advice. So, I sent out a few emails and text messages asking for playdates, coffee dates, and luncheons. Most people are quite busy right now due to the holidays. I was able to set up a few events for the following week.

It's funny how life is. How a six year old and a 34 year old can have the same problems. It's hard making friends no matter how old you are. But, in the end we're all people and we all want to belong. I keep telling myself to smile and be friendly. I'll find someone. It just takes time. I tell myself what I tell my children. I believe that it'll all workout for them. So it must be true for me too.

Flipping A Bitch

2010-11-21T05:54:00.000-08:00

Recently my husband and I went away for a weekend. We were driving in the wrong direction and I was about to say, "just flip a bitch" when I stopped myself. I thought, what a stupid expression. Then I thought, "where on earth did that expression come from?"

So, I'm googling "flip a bitch." It means to make a u-turn but apparently due to modern rap songs it is taking on new meanings. One I found is to turn a woman upside down when she is freaking out. Not sure how that will help. I'm pretty sure if I was freaking out and my husband turned me upside down I would bite his leg.

The first time that I heard the expression I was in college. I was late to my art class, stuck in traffic so I drove my Wrangler over the median for an illegal u-turn. I was able to take another route to school. As I sat down in my art class a guy beside me said, "I saw you flip-a-bitch today in your Jeep." I coudln't figure out what he was talking about until he said, "your car goes over medians pretty well. Do you have a lift kit on it?" Oooohhh... hmmm... ok... "yes, a 4 inch lift kit and the tires are bigger than stock as well" was my reply.

After figuring out what "flip-a-bitch" meant I started to use it. Not until I was married with kids did I think, this is kind of an annoying saying. Where did it come from. Well, apparently a lot of people are confused as well. Here is what I found at Urban Dictionary. There are a few other definitions that are not to make an illegal u-turn. It's fairly graphic. Just a warning if you decide to read all of the posts.

I also went to Slang Dictionary. The U-turn explanation was the most common answer.

I still don't know where the term came from. Oh well. Maybe some day I'll figure it out. In the meantime, I am going to stop using it. As a mother I don't like it. Of course, if you use it that's fine. I'm not going to tell anyone what they can or cannot say. I'm a regular abuser of several four letter words. I'm a huge fan of free speech.

Give Away at Another Blog!

2010-11-21T05:12:00.000-08:00

Want an iTunes gift card?

Go to Taking It On

Stand By Me

2010-11-21T05:10:00.001-08:00

2010-11-21T05:02:00.000-08:00

What's in your trunk?

2010-11-20T16:53:00.000-08:00

Before I had kids I had a very tidy car. It was clean and shiny. I was proud of how clean and organized my car was. Everything had it's place. I wanted it to always look and smell new.

When I was a nanny I was amazed how gross the parents cars were. When I took the car I made sure to clean it before returning it. I remember borrowing the Jeep for a weekend and using a toothbrush to scrub the stains out of the backseat. The mom was happy but said it was a huge waste of my time because the seat would be stained again within an hour. I thought, how can you do that to your car? Aren't you embarrassed.

Well, 15 years later, three kids, 8 years of marriage... a small African nation could survive off of the crumbs and old Cheerios that litter the floor of my mini van. My trunk has various strollers depending on the event. The cup holders are sticky from drinks. There are rocks, shells, Capri Sun straws, candy wrappers, etc... The side doors have various items such as a First Aid kit, flash light, bags of fruit snacks, bottled waters, glow sticks, baby wipes, hand wipes, paper towels, toy cars, toy keys, old homework, ... if a kid between the ages of 6 months and 6 years needs, wants, or has/had/have it... well, it's in my car!

When it was just the two kids and two adults we survived with a Jeep Wrangler and Toyota Prius. We lived in Oakland and I made sure there was a kite, beach towels, and sand toys in the trunk. You never knew when a random trip to the beach was needed. I would pick the kids up from preschool in Richmond and drive straight to the Berkeley Marina where we would play at the playground then head to the water to look for crabs. Sometimes we went to Alameda hoping that the tide was out so we could walk out among the little pools of water.

Now that we're on the east coast I have had to remove my beach bag from our car. Now I have a bag with gloves, hats, and scarves... just in case! None of us know how to dress for this weather. Our blood is still too thin to go without layers. Now along with my first aid kit there's an umbrella. The rain really comes down here!

I can think of a few items to add to my trunk: a windshield scraper and a snow shovel. Yup, I need to go get those two things and I'll be all set!

Ups and Downs

2010-11-20T13:00:00.000-08:00

Last week I flew home to San Francisco for my cousin's wedding. I coudln't wait to get back to the west coast. I was so homesick. I wanted to see mountains, the Golden Gate Bridge, and my family. I flew what seemed like all day on Wednesday. When I arrived my sister's girlfriend picked me up at the airport. We went to my old, green house to pick up my red curtains. The house now has a sale pending sign on it. I stroked the wall, thanking the house for taking care of my family, and said my final goodbye. We then walked to Los Cantaros for dinner. I had a chicken fajita salad that was sooo amazingly yummy! I even spoke to the giant, green avacado on the top of my salad. I thanked it for being there and for being so beautiful. I missed you California avacado, I told it. I was deeply in love with that avacado for just that moment. Truly in love with it.

As we walked back to my green house to get Mango's car I noticed a homeless man sleeping on the park bench, that shady guy with the curly hair was selling a car in front of my old house, it was very loud and very dirty. I hadn't noticed before.

Thursday morning I went for an early morning run with my old running partner. There had been days when we would pass half naked homeless men passed out on the sidewalk. Sometimes there were used condoms in the water and a lot of other shocking trash. There were also beautiful white pelicans and egrets. Funny how you notice the pelican and egret because the condom and douche bottle is always there. You just start to ignore the yucky parts. Well, after being in my Mt. Lebanon bubble for six months I started to notice the yucky parts and it made me sad.

I love Oakland. I love the Bay Area. Never before had I felt so at home than in Oakland. I love that the sun shines there most days of the year. I love that Rand McNally named it the best weather in the US. I love that it's the most diverse city in the United States. Long Beach is actually tied with Oakland. I lived in Long Beach oto and I really like that city as well. In fact, the new chief of police for Oakland is from Long Beach.

It was so nice to see my old running partner. I just adore her. She's actually from Erie, PA so we had a lot more to talk about this time. People talk about their soul mates in terms of their husband/wife/lover. Janelle is my friend soul mate. I would do anything for her. She's just the most amazing person. I'm so thankful to have her in my life. We clicked the second that we met and it was a running affair that lasted a long time. I miss her very much.

When I say that I love Oakland and I "fit" there so well it's not just the weather and the diversity. It was the people as well. Like my hair dresser Becca. I was in California for one day. I knew exactly who I needed to see. I needed to see Janelle, Becca, and Jack. I wish I could have seen a lot more people. I wanted to see Janeen, Len, Maggie, Stephen, Kathy, Dao... I had so many people I wanted to see but I couldn't fit it all in. I also needed to spend time with my twin.

After my walk (we needed our visit to last longer than a run would allow) around Lake Merritt with Janelle I took BART to San Francisco. Becca, the hair goddess, gave me purple highlights and a cute haircut. I watched all of the interesting people walking by. Business men and women, skaters, musicians, messengers on bicycles, ... the diversity is mind boggling. The barber next to Becca showed the guy he was working on his tattoos. He had Abraham Lincoln on his stomach. There were a lot of other tattoos but I can't remember any of them. I do remember Lincoln though. I loved that he had old Abe on his stomach. The guy in his barber chair was in a James Dean like outfit and wanted a Johnny Cash haircut. The middle chair contained a grad student from Stanford. His name was Tom. His barber was Tim. I know this because they kept saying each other's names which sounded odd. Tom was telling Tim, who looked a lot like Eric Bibb to me, all about his dissertation. It sounded awfully boring but Tim made it sound like he was very interested. I liked Tim's smile. He wore a Tommy Bahama shirt. He liked to golf. I liked his voice too.

As I walked out of Bay City Barber I thought about that song, "What a Wonderful World." Here I was in San Francisco surrounded by so many interesting people. Everyone was an individual and they weren't worried about what other people thought. It's a cool casual life. Just be yourself.

When I first got back to California I missed my family in Pittsburgh. I thoguht, why did I come. I want to be with my husband and kids. I miss my brick house near the park. I saw the bums asleep on the couch in Starbucks on Lakeshore and thought, "I'm so glad I don't live here anymore." Then I had the opposite feeling... it was an emtional rollercoaster to say the least!

My cousin's wedding was amazing! It was at the Grand Island Mansion in Walnut Grove, CA. My twin sister and her partner drove. Candice told funny stories from her days as an Oakland Fire Fighter. We had so much fun. We met cousins we hadn't met in person. We saw family we hadn't seen in a year. It was such a fun evening. We laughed so hard that we wet our pants. Our faces hurt from smiling. It was an amazing evening. It was full of moments where I felt like I truly belonged. I was the odd shaped puzzle piece and I had found my place in the picture.

I flew out of SFO the next morning. My layover in Dallas was delayed. I made it back to Pittsburgh at 1 a.m. Saturday. It felt so good to be back. It felt so good to be with my family, in my brick home near the park, in my little safe bubble with no bums. I felt like I had been really homesick, went home, realized that everything was ok and I wanted to go back to PA. Home to me is where my husband and children are. That's home.

Then I hung out with some natives. And once again I don't feel like I belong. Once again I long for the feeling that this is my spot. Life is very different here. The politics are totally different. People are serious about their religion. They talk about their bible studies. No one talks about gay marriage or the environment. I don't know what to say when I'm around other adults. ... I'm stuck in a rut right now and I don't know how to get out.

Pier 1 Giveaway

2010-11-08T13:03:00.000-08:00

My fellow blogging friend/mommy is giving away a Pier 1 gift card... you have to enter before tomorrow night (November 9th) so hurry!

http://didyougetanyofthat.blogspot.com/2010/11/giving-it-go-with-giveaway.html

Guitar Lessons. Everyone should do it!

2010-11-08T11:48:00.000-08:00

I love learning how to play the guitar! LOVE IT! I feel immediate calm when I pick up my guitar and start strumming. I don't know much but I'm learning.

I learned how to play Ode to Joy which I was very proud of! Now I'm learning chords and soon I will be playing a Jack Johnson song.

So, another step closer to one of my goals.

BTW, I started running again after a month off due to an ankle sprain.

I'm eating mostly whole foods, regular pushups, sit ups, etc every day, and a new goal to work on being a fun, patient mommy. This one is probably going to be the hardest. Dishes, laundry, and vacuuming tend to really piss me off. I'm going to try to go a week where I don't spend most of my day doing those things that really piss me off. I'm going to try to do more things that make me happy and make me feel good. A long walk or run and playing my guitar. This should help me to be a more fun and patient mom. ;)

I just coudln't lose the nanny

2010-10-29T10:55:00.000-07:00

I recently watched "Sex in the City 2" I love the part where the two mommy ladies talk about how hard it is to be moms. Especially when Charlotte says that she couldn't lose the nanny.

How many of us have had those moments where we hide in the closet and cry because we've hit our wall. We're at our limit. Our patience buckets are empty and we just can't take it any longer.

I had a great job at UC Berkeley, two kids in elementary school, a new baby, a nanny, and my husband had just received a major promotion that kept him away for half of the month. Life was moving fast. We had it all. But, here's the thing, I missed my kids. I was basically mothering/babysitting adults while I was paying someone else to "parent" my children. I was missing out on all of the special moments.

When the opportunity to move to a family friendly, less expensive, top public schools, neighborhood where I could be with the kids and my husband would be home more... well, it was a no brainer. We went for it. We moved across the country away from family to work on our immediate family.

I thought that being home with the kids would be so easy. I left a demanding job to be a full-time mom. I thought it would be cake. Well, it's not. It's hard to be with kids all of the time. Especially in a new town. Everything is different here. Making new friends is hard at this age.

The one good thing is that the kids are really happy. The baby won't know the difference of east coast vs west coast living. She'll think that seasons are the norm. In fact, I imagine that she'll one day to the west coast and find the constant sunshine, the cold ocean, and tall mountains to be different. She won't think of those things as home like I do.

It's interesting how life changes. Where it takes you. How you deal with it and what that leads to. Never in a million years would I have ever thought I would be living in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. If a fortune teller told me ten years ago, even five years ago, that they saw me living here I would have thought they were crazy and asked for my money back.

I'm still on the fence about living here. If I were to go back to Northern California tomorrow I would miss Pennsylvania. While I'm here I miss California. I want to drive to the ocean and look at the snowcapped mountains. But, I love looking out the window and the red, green, yellow, and orange trees here. It's cold enough today to wear my vintage, Pendleton wool coat. If I wore it at home I would sweat until it ended up folded on my arm. It spent so much time in the closet. So, for now, I think I'll set my coats and scarves free, pile up the leaves, and think about those snowcapped mountains on the west coast. I'll do my best to be a good mom to my children and remember that I'm here for them instead of catering to a group of professors and graduate students. It is nicer to clean up after my children in my own kitchen rather than cleaning up after adults at the university.

Need to run. How to run on the east coast?

2010-10-29T10:29:00.000-07:00

I really need to run. My sprained ankle is feeling so much better now. There's still a little bruising but it doesn't hurt to touch anymore. I can sort of bend it. I think that the bigger problem is that I'm scared to slip on an acorn, a stick, a tree root, a pile of leaves...I am scared to slip, trip, or bend my ankle in some way. The sidewalks aren't exactly safe. Plus, when the acorns are shaken from the tree tops they hit the top of the car with quite a bang. It scares all of us. We're experiencing a whole new world here.

Running in Oakland meant the possible bum, naked and drunk in the way; stinky Lake Merritt before the tide cleans up the trash people throw in it; a lot of other runners, walkers, exercise groups/boot campers... Here it's nature. Nature seems much harder to figure out. Much harder to anticipate

Leaves, leaves everywhere!

2010-10-29T10:16:00.000-07:00

Four months on the east coast. I knew this day would come. I didn't realize how beautiful and how annoying it would be. There are leaves all over. Literally. Our front drive looks like someone papered the ground with leaf wallpaper.

Our neighbors backyard is covered in yellow leaves. They're gorgeous! At first glance it takes your breath away. Then the thought of raking and bagging all of those leaves comes to mind. Sweat, blisters on your hands, dirt, grass, bugs, tracking it all into the clean house... now I'm annoyed.

Our backyard has evergreen trees so we only get what the wind blows in. The front yard however is covered in leaves and those little buttlerfly thingies that I use to throw in the air one by one as a child to watch them helicopter down to the ground. There are tons of those!

A few days ago we had one of those rare sunny days that everyone here drops everything for. Sunshine! I recently mentioned to my neighbor that the news said there was a chance that we might get a little sunshine. She said that's typical. When the sun is allowed to shine in Pittsburgh everyone drops what they're doing in their houses to go outside and soak up the rays. Soak up some Vitamin D. I take vitamin D supplements on the gray days but not on those rare, sunny days. On those days I do whatever I can to expose my skin.

Anyway, on one of those rare sunny days the baby and I went outside to rake leaves. We had gone for an hour walk around town (I was hoping the baby would take a nap). When we got home from our beautiful, sunny walk we pulled out the rake and started to make piles of leaves. I filled three yard bags full of leaves. Analie and I were both covered in yard stuff. She had leaves stuck in her hair, pants, fingers... little bits of grass from the last time we mowed, bits of dirt ... some of it ended up in Analie's mouth and somehow some of it ended up in her diaper.

The raking worked on my cranky, tired little one. She took a nice, long nap. While she slept I was able to do some laundry and practice "Ode to Joy" on my guitar. The wind was really blowing. No more sun. The wind brought the clouds again. Well, at least I was able to soak it up while it was here. Unfortunately along with the clouds the wind released more leaves from the trees. My piles from earlier were still where I left them but the bright green grass that I exposed earlier in the day was now, once again, covered in multi colored leaves. Yeah! (read that as a sarcastic yeah).

Feeling bipolar about coastlines

2010-08-24T07:19:00.000-07:00

Today i am in love with my new home. I am in love with the green, the trees, the humidity (it's very low today), being a stay at home mom, the feel of east coast living. I am in love with it all. Then I check in with my friends on facebook. I check in on west coast life and I'm in love with that feeling. I'm in love with the cold, blue Pacific Ocean, the orange-red Golden Gate Bridge, the fog, the seals, the diversity.

And I think, how can I love both so much. I miss my busy life on the west coast but I'm really enjoying my easy going home life here on the east. I woke at 6 a.m. to zoom to the store for donuts and a birthday card for Andrew's assistant. I came home, took donuts to the kids and husband, brought him hot coffee, and gave him a big kiss then sent him off to work.

The baby is taking her morning nap, the kids are playing in the yard, the windows are up, a breeze is flowing through the house....today I am in love with my life. Everything is wonderful. I wish I felt this way every day.

A sentence in a book says it all...

2010-08-23T14:17:00.000-07:00

Every once in a while I think that I am not me anymore. I am someone else. I'm no longer Corey and I am a title. I am Aidan's mom. Audrey's mom. Andrew's wife... etc. For some women that is everything. They don't mind. And most of the time I do not mind. In fact, as I write this memories flood into my brain of how much I adore my family.

I don't know how to explain it really. I read a book where a mom leaves her family for the life she didn't have because of her family. One daughter understood why the mother left because of two things: a look she saw on her mother's face one morning and a picture of her mother before she was a mother. That passage in that book hits me sometimes. It hits me when the sky is grey and the laundry is as high as a mountain; when the dishes seem too much, the kids too loud, ... when everything seems too hard and I wonder about that life I wanted before children.

In the book the mother decides to come back. She realizes that she missed a lot being away from her husband and kids and it wasn't worth it.

I will never leave my family. I love htem so much but I recognize that there are days when I need a break. And I still have dreams. I am who I am.

What did I do today to work closer to my goals....

2010-08-19T11:37:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure I did a whole lot to get me any closer to my goals. Maybe an inch closer...

I had cantaloupe and a yogurt drink w/ my coffee.

I started to read an old creative writing book that I purchased four years ago from Laney College (Oakland, CA). I started reading chapter one.

I finally found Essie's "Ballet Slippers" nail polish, scrubbed the heck out of my toe nails and painted them = saved money on a pedicure to purchase my guitar.

While trying to get my baby to sleep I did 50 sit ups which she thought was funny.

Doing laundry which means going up and down three flights of stairs. I'm taking two at a time to help my butt.

For lunch I had a chicken sandwich. For dessert Greek yogurt w/ caramel (0g of fat!).

I'll continue to meet my goals. Thinking about them constantly. Hopefully I'll stay on track.

Try New Things...

2010-08-18T10:55:00.001-07:00

A lot has happened in the Oakland Flynn home. For example, we are no longer the Oakland Flynns. We are now the Pittsburgh Flynns. A month ago we relocated to Pittsburgh, PA. To a little suburb called Mt. Lebanon. I came here in March for three days to get a feel for the area. If you had asked me ten years ago, even five years ago, if I would live in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania I would have thought you were crazy. Never in a million years did I think it was possible for me to move my family here.

Our house on Lee Street, our first house, is on the market. Recently the electric meter was stolen. PGE quickly replaced it. How do you sell a house w/o electricity?

The weather here is strange. It's grey a lot. It's humid. It's hot. The bugs are really loud. Other than that it's a very quiet area. We live on a little street above the main park. We're walking distance to the community pool, playground, elementary school.

I feel like we're in Pleasantville.

As a stay-at-home mom I have decided not to be a martyr. I'm not going to spend my time complaining, cleaning, folding laundry, mopping... I'm going to use this time to actually do something. Something that I have always wanted to do. Here is my list:

1. Write. I have always wanted to write a novel. The first time I had the thought was when my 8th grade English teacher, Mr. Cranford, suggested it. He said there is a novel in everyone.

2. Learn to play the guitar. I want to play with Eric Bibb. I am obsessed with him.

3. Train for the Pittsburgh Marathon. What better way to get to know my new town then to run 26.2 miles?!

4. A part of #3 - I want a flat tummy. I haven't had one since the Jurassic age. I think that was in the 90s. I'd really like to wear a bikini again... proudly wear one.

5. Learn to cook. I can make simple things. If I have a cookbook and work really hard at it I can follow a recipe. I really want to know what I am doing in the kitchen.

So, this is the start of trying new things. I am in a new state, new city, new house. I'm going to use this time at home, while Andrew climbs the corporate ladder, to do a few things I've been wanting to do. Maybe I'll document it here in my blog. Maybe I'll write it all into a character in my novel. I don't know. I don't exactly have a strict plan. I'm just going to dive in and see what happens.

Nevermind! We're flying!

2010-06-03T06:58:00.000-07:00

Andrew made one his nifty spreadsheets to calculate how much we'll need to drive across the US. We picked our cities, motels, added gas, etc and it came out to quite a bit. Three adults and three kids in a mini van for two weeks is equivalent to a nice, long cruise to the Bahamas so we decided it would be best for us to fly to Pittsburgh. So, that's the new plan!

Sorry everyone! You missed out on a mom slowly going crazy in the car with her kids :P

The Across Country Plan

2010-06-02T20:16:00.000-07:00

Well, tonight we sat down with a calendar and an atlas. We have a plan!!

June 17: Last day of school. Movers arrive.
June 18: Finish up at the house
June 19-21: Tahoe
June 22: Wells, NV
June 23: Jackson, WY
June 24: Yellowstone - Cody, WY
June 25: Powell
June 26-27: Newcastle to see cousin Claudia Gottsch
June 28: Sioux Falls, SD to sleep
June 29: Davenport to sleep
June 30: Day in Chicago. Andrew will go into a BNYM Office. The kids and I will explore. :)
July 1: Kent, OH
July 2: Pittsburgh, PA
July 4: Pirates game!! :D

Audrey's 6th Birthday. Yoga with Morgan. Oakland, CA

2010-05-26T17:59:00.000-07:00

Aidan's 7th Birthday at Pt Reyes Station

2010-05-26T17:58:00.000-07:00

My 3 Kids

2010-05-26T17:04:00.000-07:00

Analie, Aunt Shelley & Grandma Flynn

2010-05-26T17:01:00.000-07:00

Audrey caught a crayfish on the Girl Scout field trip

2010-05-26T16:53:00.000-07:00

Analie

2010-05-26T16:52:00.001-07:00

Analie & Aidan in Mommy & Daddy's Bed

2010-05-26T16:52:00.000-07:00

Fishing with Dad at the Boy Scout Camp

2010-05-26T16:46:00.000-07:00

Christmas 2009

2009-12-25T15:34:00.000-08:00

Well, I have a new laptop for Christmas so I promise to start posting more regularly!!

Another wonderful present that I received this year was a baby girl. Analie Claire Flynn was born on October 3rd. She was 8.5 lbs and 21 inches long. She is absolutely amazing!!

My other favorite Christmas present was a cookbook from Judy, Ree Drummond's "The Pioneer Woman Cooks. I love Drummond's photography.

Audrey got a purple bike from Santa. Aidan got a skateboard. We went to the playground to try it all out. Andrew ended up on Audrey's bike doing tricks while the kids complained.

Sunday I'm going to run with LMJS for the last run of the year. I'm hoping to place for the Total Time Competition. After the run we're going to drive up to Lake Tahoe to spend a few days with mom. The kids need time in the snow. It should be a fun week.

New Year's Day will be spent at Bolinas Beach. It'll be the second year that we ring in the New Year at one of our favorite places.

Madagascar 2 The Game for Wii

2008-12-06T14:10:00.000-08:00

My children LOVE the Madagascar 2 game for their Wii.

My family is addicted to the wii. Which at first I was not happy about but it's become a family event. My husband and children love playing games together. Unfortnately many of the games that we have are not easy for the kids to play. often times they are frustrated. I don't like playing games but find myself helping them with the controls.

When I found out that Mom Central wanted reviews on the new Madagascar 2 game I thought, hmm... maybe we could try it and see if this is age appropriate for Aidan and Audrey. I had my doubts but figured that since the kids love the movie that they would love the game.

Thankfully this game is easy yet also challenging for my kids. I like the music and the colors. Aidan and Audrey's favorite part of the game is the "Dance Like an African." I like that it doesn't require me to come help them figure out where they ended up in the program. Also, there are a lot of games to choose from. Each game has an easy setting and a multiple player setting.

The game web site is a lot of fun too. Aidan and Audrey enjoy the pictures and videos. There are also mini games that you can play on the web.

Here's a video of the game:

Seat Belt Safety

2008-11-14T18:15:00.000-08:00

Changing from the big car seats to the little boosters was good and bad. What was good was we didn't have these big seats anymore. Those suckers are heavy! They take a long time to clean melted food and puke. Most people who don't have children don't want you to put your smelly big car seat in their car.

I was concerned when my mother bought me the pretty, light, cute booster seats. I wasn't ready for the transition. My kids were the right size and my husband was ready to get rid of those big, smelly things we had been using for what seemed like forever.

So, we transitioned to the the booster seats but I still had my concerns. My kids were able to un-do their seat belts. My son liked to put the long part of the seat belt behind him so that just the lap belt was securing him.

When www.momcentral.com asked for people to try out the Seat Snug I jumped at the chance! This could be just what I'm looking for!

I was a little confused when I was putting the Seat Snug on the seat belt but I get confused easily with... well, pretty much antyhing that requires assembly. My husband quickly put the Seat Snug on my son's side of the car. He made it look so easy.

When Aidan saw the new "buckle" he wasn't sure what to think. He thought it was a transformer buckle... cool so far. Audrey was jealous that she didn't have one (we may have to buy her one). I was worried that Aidan wouldn't be able to buckle himself. It's an amazing time saver when the kids can buckle themselves into their seats.

We have had the Seat Snug on Aidan's seat belt for a week now. So far so good!

Aidan hasn't slipped out of his seat belt! Yeah! He can still buckle himself. Thank goodness because I really hate having to go into the backseat of the car under any circumstances. It's soo gross! That's the kids spot. If I can just open the back door and say, "Load up! Buckle up!" Then I'm a happy mommy!

Child Safety

www.momcentral.com

Smart Solutions for Everyday Moms

Brisingr by Christopher Paolini

2008-10-01T11:10:00.000-07:00

Brisingr by Christopher Paolini

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
I absolutely love the Inheritance Cycle and I'm very excited for book 4!! Although, I don't want Eragon and Saphira's journey to end.

When Brisingr finally made it to store shelves I rushed out to purchase it and then did not put it down until I had turned the last page! Like the power that the dragons cast upon their riders this story cast a spell on me.

Christopher Paolini did a fantastic job of further weaving Eragon's amazing journey to end Galbatorix's rule.

I felt that this book was a sort of bridge, introduction, to the end. It was neither a beginning nor an end and it certainly left me wanting more!

Once I finished the book I spent two days replaying the

View all my reviews.

The Responsibility Project

2008-09-07T19:29:00.000-07:00

I became aware of the responsibility project through one of my favorite web sites, momcentral.com. Basically, The Responsibility Project site is where people blog about what they think responsibility is.

As a mother I feel that my degree of responsibility to not just my children but also my community, my extended family, and the world is greater than it has ever been. I must show my children how to be responsible, to be honest, to work hard, and to be patient. I do this through work in my community, their school, helping family, and working to clean up the earth for their future. Sharing ideas and gaining inspiration is what The Responsibility Project web site is about.

How it got started...

Liberty Mutual didn't know what a good idea they had when they first showed a commercial where people helped others. It was a sensation! So, in reply to the positive feedback they received they started The Responsibility Project.

Just like that commercial, The Responsibilty Project, is about helping people. It's a place to share what you believe a responsibility is for you, for a parent, for a wife, for an employee, for a politician, for a chef....

In the "What's Your Policy?" section of the blog/site I chose parent. Here's a quote that I especially liked, “loving them unconditionally, and also letting them see you love yourself”

I found a lot of inspirational quotes but my favorite part of this site was the short film section.

Films

This is an interactive feel good site. My children enjoyed watching the films just as much as I did.

Liberty Mutual believes that the more people think and talk about responsibility, the more the world becomes a better place. Watch. Read. Share.

Take part. Get involved. Discuss. Debate.

2008-09-07T18:28:00.001-07:00

Stolen Lives: Twenty Years in a Desert Jail by Malika Oufkir

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
Malika Oufkir's father was an important general in Morrocco. She was adopted by the king and when the king died she was adopted by his son, King Hussan II.

She tells the compelling story of how her father tried to kill her adopted father, how her father was murdered, and how she was imprisoned along with her mother and siblings for 20 years.

This book is hard to put down and once you do it is hard to stop thinking about what the Oufkir family went through.

View all my reviews.

Summer Hair Tips!

2008-08-07T16:10:00.000-07:00

I love beauty tips. Especially if they work, if they're easy for my busy schedule, and they're not too expensive!!

My grandmother has used Suave products for as long as I can remember. I always enjoyed the smell of her hair. Recently Suave came out with a professional line of products at the same reasonable price!

We use kids Suave 2-in-1 shampoos for the kids. They like the bright bottles and yummy scents. Plus, they aren't expensive. My kids do not like washing their hair as it is. Making it fun really makes a difference.

I run every single morning with long runs on Saturdays. I'm hoping to start training for a triathalon soon. My hair is taking a beating!! Some days I rush home from my run, wash my hair, get dressed for work, get the kids ready for school, and get to work with dry, funky hair that either dries in the car or goes into a bun. I've tried a variety of shampoo/conditioner combinations. I've even gone with the more expensive brands and professional products. It's hard to find the right one for me.

Recently I tried Suave's Professionals Sleek Shampoo and Conditioner. I noticed a difference. My hair had less of that weird flyaway look it usually has.

Make sure to check out Suave's web site. There is a really cool beauty profiler just for busy women. My profile suggested a clarifying shampoo and the Sleek Shampoo/Conditioner combination which I'm currently using. I really like it a lot!!

Summer Hair Tips from suave:

Help Your Hair Survive the Summer in Style with Tips & Tricks from Suave® Celebrity Hairstylist Luke O'Connor

Shine Through Summer

Chlorine from the pool can quickly turn hair dry and dull. Look for hair products specially-designed to infuse shine. Also, blow dry hair from roots to ends, making sure you do not ruffle your hair. By doing this, you’ll keep the cuticle of your hair lying flat, thus reflect more light, and producing more shine.

How to get the Shine: Suave Vibrant Shine Shampoo and Conditioner is formulated with silk amino acids to restore shine and luster to dull hair for bright, shimmering strands.
Price/Availability: $1.92 – 2.49 at drugstores, mass merchandisers, and supermarkets nationwide

Don’t Let Your Hair Fall when Temps Rise!

Hot summer weather and humidity can cause your hair to lose its shape. Apply a little mousse to damp hair to add body and help control your style. For added fullness, flip your head over and blow dry the roots. When you flip your head upright, your hair will be at maximum volume.

How to get the Shape: Suave Professionals Extra Hold Mousse helps to lock in style for all-day hold and is great for hair that needs body and control.
Price/Availability: $1.92 – 2.49 at drugstores, mass merchandisers, and supermarkets nationwide

Hold That Look

Heat and humidity can be tough to battle, and here’s where the right hairspray comes to the rescue. To keep a soft, full, long lasting look, use an extra hold hairspray and keep the can 8-10 inches away from your head while spraying all over. This allows the fine mist of spray to penetrate the roots and hold the hair in place.

How to get the Hold: Suave Professionals Extra Hold Hairspray helps to lock in style for all-day hold and helps to control fly-aways.
Price/Availability: $1.92 – 2.49 at drugstores, mass merchandisers, and supermarkets nationwide

Make Summer Styling Smooth Sailing

Frizzies and fly-aways suddenly appear during the summer months with humidity at an all-time high. Achieving frizz-free hair starts in the shower with a shampoo and conditioner specially formulated to fight frizz. When blow drying hair, again be sure to blow dry from roots to ends to smooth the cuticle.

How to get rid of Frizz: Suave Professionals Sleek Shampoo and Conditioner moisturizes and smoothes curly, frizzy or dry hair leaving it looking salon-smooth and healthy.
Price/Availability: $1.92 – 2.49 at drugstores, mass merchandisers, and supermarkets nationwide

Fight the Fade

Have color-treated hair? Lock in your color and keep hair healthy during the summer by protecting your hair with products designed to fight the elements, such as color-protecting shampoos, waterproof gels, and UV protectors.

How to fight the Fade: Suave Professionals Color Care Shampoo and Conditioner has a gentle formula that nourishes and defends hair against harsh environmental elements and helps protect color from fading.
Price/Availability: $1.92 – 2.49 at drugstores, mass merchandisers, and supermarkets nationwide

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

2008-08-07T15:55:00.000-07:00

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
Wow! What an amazing book!! One of my favorite books is Hosseini's first novel,The Kite Runner.

This time Hosseini takes us into the lives of two Afghan women. Three decades of life inside a burqa. The story starts with Mariam who at 15 is married off to Rasheed, 40, after her mother dies. Her father's wives don't want her in their house.

The Soviets have control over Afghanistan. During the war between the Taliban, other tribes, and the Soviet Union reduce Kabul to piles of rubble. Rasheed takes a second wife, Laila, 14.

The women suffer beatings and other horrible events in life. Sometimes death seems like the only escape. Although the women are not allowed to have an education they are intelligent, brave, and strong.

After reading this book I knew that nothing I would experience in my life would be nearly as hard as what the women of Afghanistan experience.

View all my reviews.

Letters From Yellowstone

2008-08-07T15:25:00.000-07:00

Letters from Yellowstone by Diane Smith

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
Last year we took our two small children to Powell, Wyoming where my husband and I once went to college. They had never been and we were excited to show them how beautiful the state is. On our way home to California we stopped at a little shop in Yellowstone near Old Faithful. This is where I saw this book. I HAD to have it and I'm so happy that I bought it. The moment that I opened the cover I could not put it down!!

This is the story of a young botanist who joins a research team in Yellowstone at the early days of it's status as a national park. It's told completely through letters by the botanist, her "co-workers", family, and friends.

This book is a treat to read. I passed my copy on to my manager who spends her summers at her cabin. When she was done I asked her to send it to her lovely daughter on Vashion Island who loves nature. I hope that she enjoys it as much as I did.

View all my reviews.

Finding Nouf by Zoe Ferraris

2008-08-07T15:16:00.000-07:00

Finding Nouf by Zoë Ferraris

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars
I just finished this story. I had read about the author in the San Francisco Chronicle. I love books set in other countries. I was very curious as to how the author was going to write about Saudi Arabia. She lived there for a time with her husband. She now lives in the Presidio.

Anyway, this book was a page turner and a fast read. I felt like the main female characer in this, Katya, who had a PhD and worked in a crime lab, was almost American. The Palestinian tracker, Nayir, who many felt was more Bedoiun was a very interesting character. He was very conservative and religious yet he was able to cross certain boundaries to work with Katya in solving Nouf's murder.

Nouf, a rich, teenage girl drowned in the dessert and her family called an accident but looks more like a murder.

I don't know if I like the ending. It just sort of, well, ends.

View all my reviews.

The Dangerous Days of Daniel X by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge

2008-07-26T20:06:00.000-07:00

A cross between Men in Black and Harry Potter. I read this book in two days. I was thoroughly and completely entertained. My son Aidan enjoyed the bits that I read out loud. I can't wait for the next book. Will Daniel defeat Number 5?

Basically Daniel is an alien hunter on earth. He leaves the good aliens alone. It's the bad ones who want to destroy earth that he's after. He has The List and he also has amazing powers. When he was a child he avoided death from a giant praying mantis, The Prayer, by turning himself into a tick.

His favorite animal is the elephant. His brain has it's own iPod with better sound and a longer song list. He can run faster than a train and can smell an alien from miles away. Who needs a cape and spiderwebs when you're a super alien sent to save earth?

Daniel X isn't the type of book that I would typically choose. I wanted to read it because I have a son who loves to read. I hope that he continues that trend. James Patterson wrote this book specifically for boys. He was responding to a study by the Young Adult lIbrary Services Association which found that boys don't read because they find it to be boring. Because James Patterson has a 10 year old boy he decided to create this series. He not only succeeded in creating a book that young men will enjoy but also young women. I have two friends, both women in their 30s, asking to borrow Daniel X!!

James Patterson's web site

Wikipedia entry for the series
Publisher's website
Excerpt from USA Today
Interview at Borders
New York Times article
Read what other mother's thought of this book at www.mother-talk.com

The Bookseller of Kabul by Asne Seierstad

2008-07-24T16:28:00.000-07:00

An amazing insight into the life of the typical family in Afghanistan. Asne Seierstad takes us into a different world. A world where men rule. Women are like slaves.

Every American should read this story. The average American has a life a million times better than those in Afghanistan. It's heart wrenching to read.

Asne Seierstad is a journalist from Norway who went to Afghanistan after September 11th. She found a bookstore and a bookseller her seemed to her to be completely different. He could speak English, he seemed well-read, worldly, and liberal. She asked to live with him and write a book about his life. He agreed. For months she lived in his home. Not as a woman but without a sex. She was able to eat with the men and speak to men. The other women could not even look at men. Seierstad wore the burka. She felt both liberated and trapped in it.

What infuriated Seierstad the most about living in the bookseller's home was the way that the women were treated.

What surprised me by this story was how the men even feel trapped by the rules their culture enforces upon them.

The bookseller, Sultan, works very hard for his family. He holds himself to a very tough standard. His younger brothers and his sons have to live up to this standard as well. Even though the bookseller's family are thought of as a wealthy family they live like the rest of the poor families. Sultan saves his money to build more bookstores and print school books.

My favorite character in the book is Leila. I hoped that she would marry Karim and have a better life. She is slave to everyone in the house. The youngest female. She wakes before everyone and goes to bed after everyone.

My least favorite character is Mansur (Sultan's eldest) and a shopkeeper friend who sexually abuses women and young girls. Mansur physically and emotionally abuses the women of the house.

I am sad for Afghanistan. At one time it was a wealthy, beautiful country.

According to an article I read, the bookseller of Kabul had to leave Afghanistan after Asne Seierstad's book became a top seller. Asne has donated large sums of money from the sell of the book to a charity that helps families from Afghanistan.

The bookseller has come out with his own book.

NPR Article about Kabul Bookseller

Interview with the author
New York Times Article

The Dangerous Days of Daniel X by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge

2008-07-23T15:12:00.000-07:00

I love receiving books in the mail! Love it!!

What a fantastic week. First my copy of Daniel X arrives on Tuesday. Just in time for my Mother Talk Blog Tour and then I get home Wednesday to find a gift from my husband!! A book! America America: A Novel by Ethan Canin. The book was wrapped with a card that read,

Corey,
I heard about this book on NPR and thought of you.
I love you,
A.

Isn't that romantic?! What a sweetie!!

So, now I have three books on my night stand. I LOVE IT!!

James Patterson's Web Site

Finding Nouf by Zoe Ferraris

2008-07-21T20:18:00.000-07:00

I just picked this up from the library. I read about this book in the SF Chronicle. As soon as I'm done reading The Bookseller of Kabul I'll be able to start this one. Two good books! Yeah!

Moody Movie Madness

2008-07-21T20:01:00.000-07:00

I stopped by Blockbuster today for more movies:

My Blueberry Nights with Jude Law, Rachel Weisz, and Norah Jones.
I really liked this movie. It was a bit sad but Norah Jones did a great job and I always love Jude Law. Norah Jones character is cheated on by her boyfriend. She has blueberry pie every night with a cafe owner, Jude Law. She decides to "run away." She waitresses in small towns, bartends in the evenings, goes to Vegas where she meets a gambling addict, Natalie Portman. She ends up back at the cafe eating pie.

The Final Inquiry with Monica Cruz, Penelope's sister
I couldn't finish this one. Yes, it was that bad.

Andrew rented a few movies for us:

The Patriot with Mel Gibson
I haven't seen this movie since in came out. Heath Ledger is so young in it. Even though Mel Gibson is such a weirdo now he really is a good actor.

In Bruges with Colin Farrell, Brandon Gleeson, and Ralph Fiennes.
This movie was a bit gory but I liked it. Good cast. I love the honesty. For some reason brutal honesty works better with an accent. I love brutal honesty. There's a part where the two assassins are going to go up a tower to view the city of Bruges. A fat family are about to go up. Colin Farrell's character tells the fat family that they don't want to go up the tower because they're too fat to fit up the thin stair case.
Colin Farrell and Brandon Gleeson are assassins that Ralph Fiennes pays to kill people. Colin Farrell's first job goes badly. He is sent to Bruge for a week...you'll have to watch the movie to know more.

It's funny how the Harry Potter movies have changed the movie world for me. In the above movies there are several actors who are also Harry Potter characters. In The Patroit, there's Malfoy's father. In Bruges: Mad Eye Moody, Voldemort and Fleur.

Jumper with Rachel Bilson and the kid who plays Luke Skywalker, Hayden Christensen
I liked this movie too. I was surprised that I liked it, actually. It was entertaining. Hayden Christensen's character can jump from city to city. He surfs in Fiji, has lunch on the top of the pyramids the next moment. He doesn't know that there are others or that there is a group of people out to kill him.

The kids and I watched Mary Poppins today. I LOVE that movie!! I think that Mary Poppins is the first witch ever. I think that she could be related to Harry Potter.

Saturday we saw Journey to the Center of the Earth with Andrew's parents. The kids loved it. It was very entertaining.

Sunday I went to see Mamma Mia by myself. I really loved this movie. You can't be unhappy watching this movie! The music and the characters are bright and loveable. I can't wait to buy it!!
Pierce Brosnan sounds great! Stellan Skarsgard is sexy as the rugged adventure author on his sail boat. Definitely a must see!

Movie Madness

2008-07-17T20:17:00.000-07:00

Since coming home from four days away with my husband I could not get motivated to do anything. So, I rented several movies:

Beowulf
This is that animated movie where the warrior Beowulf has to fight the monster Grendel. Grendel's mother is the beautiful Angelina Jolie who is able to change form and captivate kings.
It was hard to get past the "cartoon" part and take this movie seriously. It was pretty violent. Not sure I liked it.

Eight Below
This is a cute sled dog movie that my daughter chose. We watched it 2.5 times. I didn't want to rent this movie but I actually liked it.

Definitely, Maybe with Ryan Reynolds
I thought this was going to be really cute. But it just seemed depressing. Ryan Reynolds has an adorable daughter. They're both very cute. I don't feel like telling you what the movie was about... basically Ryan's character is desperate for true love and meets amazing women. He seems to pick the wrong woman, fall madly in love, and then lose them for one reason or another....

My Mom's New Boyfriend with Meg Ryan and Antonio Banderas
Horrible movie! I use to love Meg Ryan before all of the plastic surgery. This movie was incredibly stupid!! Meg Ryan's son is an FBI agent. He has to watch his mother's boyfriend who is thought to be an art theif (Antonio Banderas).

Becoming Jane with Anne Hathaway and James McAvoy
Honestly, I only rented this to see James McAvoy. When I looked up Jane Austen (who is my favorite author) on Wikipedia it said that most of this movie was incorrect. It is a cute movie. I like Anne Hathaway. It's an interesting perspective into Jane Austen.

Movies recently seen at the theatre:

Wanted with Angelina Jolie and James McAvoy
The only good parts are Angelina Jolie's naked body and James McAvoy's naked torso. If there had been more of that I think that I would have enjoyed the movie more. It bothered me that Morgan Freeman used the F-word. He's the narrator for the penguin movie. I didn't think it was necessary that he cussed so much. I liked the ending and I did like the soundtrak.

Hancock with Jason Bateman, Charlies Theron, and Will Smith
FIVE STARS
My husband and I loved this movie. It's definitely a feel good movie. Jason Bateman plays a very nice young man who wants to change the world for the better. Will Smith is an alcoholic super hero. He doesn't know why or how he's a super hero and doesn't care. Jason Bateman does his best to turn Hancock's image around.

Plan to see:
Mamma Mia. I expect this film to be fantastic!! :D

What's on my night stand...

2008-07-07T13:43:00.000-07:00

David Golder, The Ball, Snow in Autumn, The Courilof Affair and Fire in the Blood by Irene Nemirovsky

The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories by Susanna Clarke

2008-07-07T13:18:00.000-07:00

Susanna Clarke is one of my favorite authors. Her book Jonathen Strange and Mr. Norrell captivated me so much that I read for four hours straight while my husband drove up the coast. Now, if you know me, you know that I cannot even look down without getting sick. BUT, for some reason, a magic spell was cast on me the moment I opened this book! I could not put it down. When I saw that Ms. Clarke came out with a second book... well, I absolutely had to have it!

And once again, a spell was cast. I could not put this book down. When I'm done with a book I will pass it on to a friend but with Susanna Clarke's books I do not. I want them on my bookshelf with my other treasured books (Amy Tan's The Bonesetter's Daughter James Clavell's Taipan and Shogun are just a few examples).

Anyway, if you have read Ms. Clarke's first book then you must read the Ladies of Grace Adieu. It is a series of short stories that will remind you of what Jonathen Strange and Mr. Norrell went thru. They are little stories that either happened before, during, or after events in Ms. Clarke's first book.

The Author's Web Site

My Tooth Brush is Green

2008-07-03T13:59:00.000-07:00

Actually, my toothbrush is a really pretty periwinkle blue which is one of my favorite colors. It matches my bathroom perfectly!! My toothbrush is green in that it is good for the environment.

I was asked to review the Preserve toothbrush for Mom Central. I jumped at this opportunity because anything that will help my family help the earth is great! We were sent two toothbrushes. I immediately put them in our frog toothbrush holder. I said to my husbanbd, "Andrew, this is yours and this one is mine." They were really pretty shades of blue which reminded me of the ocean. I was sure my husband would complain about the new, smaller, less flashy toothbrushes. Like, maybe they wouldn't clean as well. But he actually liked the new toothbrush a lot and he liked that I could send it back to Preserve (for free!) to be used for other necessary items (like a bench or deck).

Andrew has a big mouth and teeth (sorry Honey, but you do!) and he liked the tooth brush just as much as I did. He felt his teeth were just as clean as his big, fancy, bright toothbrush.

I like the curve and that it's soft. My gums don't bleed when I use it. It seems like there are so many funky gimmics out there about toothbrushes. Plus, the classy, slender look is appealing to me. We all need to brush our teeth. Why not help the environment while you're at it. I wish all products were this earth friendly!!

I was worried that I wouldn't be able to find the Preserve toothbrush in the store but I noticed them at Target and Trader Joe's. Yeah!!

Thankfully I live in an area where it is easy to be earth conscious. I live in the Bay Area. Oakland to be exact.

When my husband suggests that we move somewhere hot and humid, somewhere more affordable, I say, "ok, we could afford that huge, gorgeous house if we were to move from the Bay Area, but what is the carbon footprint on that house?! It's not very good for the environment." Not to mention, public transportation is a key factor when talking about a new home town. I drive a Prius, take BART, walk, or run.

I live in the ultimate house. It has been recycled a few times. We are the third owners of a house that is over 100 years old! That is a well used house. We immediately started replacing the bulbs for more energy efficient ones. We don't have an air conditioner or heater. We don't need it. It rarely gets to be over 90 degrees here and when it does it lasts for three days then the fog rolls in. We're working on a gray water system so that water we use in our home goes to watering our garden. Every appliance is an energy efficient one and only the fridge is plugged in. We unplug EVERYTHING that isn't being used. No reason to use up energy if it doesn't need to be. Right?

I buy used clothing and toys rather than new ones which create a lot of trash and those old toys still have a lot of use in them! I like comfortable clothes and I find great deals on designer gear for much less than if I had bought them in a department store.

Anyway, back to my awesome tooth brush! I love it! Love it!! And, I found out that the company that makes my awesome "green toothbrush" also makes other products!!

razors
kids toothbrushes (I change my kids brushes more than mine due to illnesses (strep) so this is really great! No more guilt about throwing away a new toothbrush!)
toothpicks
cups
silverware
plates
food storage containers (really cool!)
cutting boards
colanders (snazzy colors!)

Wow!!

When you're done with your toothbrush it gets a second life as a bench, deck, or other item. Just send your toothbrush in a paid envelope back to Preserve.

We've been talking about building a deck. Maybe our deck will be made out of all of the toothbrushes?! Maybe our toothbrushes. How cool is that?! My kids are going to love it. I think we'll paint a toothbrush on our deck... when it's built.

Go Green Article on Mom Central

How the toothbrushes are made:

P.S. I love you by Ceceilia Ahern

2008-06-18T19:31:00.000-07:00

My husband and I recently saw the movie "P.S. I Love You." We both enjoyed it very much. When I saw that the movie was based off of a novel I had to get it.

The book is not all that different from the movie. Just much more in depth in the girls lives and a little bit messier which is what life is really like. Not a nice, tidy Hollywood movie.

So, basically the story starts with Holly devestated because her husband has died of a brain tumor. He's young. He's only in his 30s. This hit home with me because a close friend of mine lost her husband last year at the young age of 34 to colon cancer. There were moments in the book where I cried quite a bit.

Gerry, Holly's husband, makes a list. Every month she opens an envelope from him with a task. Every time she opens an envelope from him she can feel him. Some of the tasks are funny. Some sad. You have to read the book to know more and no it's not the same as the movie!!

The author

Buy the book

Author's Web Site

Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky

2008-06-18T19:11:00.000-07:00

The director of my department at UCB loaned this fantastic novel to me. I found it on his bookshelf when I was moving him from one office to another. It had been on the best sellers list for some time in both the SF Chronicle and the NY Times. I really wanted to read it but have a buying ban currently enforced by my husband especially on books.
Anyway, this is an absolutely wonderful book. A must read!
The story is set in Paris, France when the Nazi's are about to invade during WWII. Many of the Parisians remember WWI. Nemirovsky takes you into the lives of many families. Some are wealthy families in Paris. Others are simple farmers in country towns where German soldiers have become occupiers.
This is a very touching book told by someone who lived and unfortunately did not survive.

The author

Buy the book

Sydney Half Marathon for Steve

2008-05-21T05:39:00.000-07:00

I posted earlier that my friend Rebecca was running the Sydney Half Marathon in honor of her husband Steve who died of colon cancer last year. She ran on Sunday. Here is her e-mail:

Sunday May 18th was an amazing day!

We had 17 starters in the race yesterday for Team SMP in ideal conditions and everyone finished.

There were no injury's, many smiles and a few tears on the day. I think that all members of the team feel they have acheived something great.

Some of our team members ran amazing times and others of us just made it accross the line within the official time limit.

Overall our donations to date tally close to $23,000.

This is a very significant amount of money and it will help towards colon cancer research. It is a fitting was to honour Steve memory - I beleive he was looking on
and smiling on Sunday.

So a huge thank you to everyone for your support, both financial and inspirational. On a personal note this event has helped me to feel stronger and
more capable of dealing with my new reality. I also made some new friends.

For anyone that hasn't donated and was thinking about it or were waiting for us to make the finish line the online facility is still open
at http://www.everydayhero.com.au/teamsmp

Once again thank you and to all the donors. Hopefully, with the right support scientists and doctors will be able to make cancer survival a reality for everyone
in our life times.

Rebecca

The Third Angel by Alice Hoffman

2008-05-18T16:02:00.000-07:00

I love Alice Hoffman's novels. Practical Magic is one of my favorite movies. Although I wasn't all that impressed with the book. It just went on and on and on. But, all in all, I do like Alice Hoffman's writing style. It's easy to get immersed in her stories and shut the world out.

In fact, I read this book Mother's Day weekend while staying with my family in Olema. I was able to shut out the kids, conversations, and TV to finish this novel in just two days!

Basically, this is a story about three women. There lives are all very different but their paths cross at some point. All of the women in this book are connected in some way.

There is Maddy, an attorney from NY, who comes to London for her sister Ali's wedding but falls madly in love with Ali's fiance Paul. Paul's mother, Freida, is the daughter of a doctor who expects her to follow in his foosteps. Instead, she moves to London where she works at a hotel and falls in love with a musician. She loves to write. She writes songs about a ghost in the hotel. Maddy and Allie's mother, Lucy, is a young girl who has traveled to London for her stepmother's sister's wedding. She sees a dreadful accident which is connected with the ghost in the hotel.

When the reader first meets Freida she is an older, timid, house wife who worships her son, Paul. When the reader first meets Lucy she is fighting cancer, her husband has left her, and her daughters trust that the white crane in their pond will take them away.

At the end of this book I had to sit for an hour tying together everyone's lives, how they were connected and how their decisions affected each other. I would love it if Ms. Hoffman continued this story with another book. I want to know what happens to Allie and Maddy.

Author's Web Site

Women in Hats by Judy Sheehan

2008-05-18T15:56:00.000-07:00

Women in Hats is about a woman, Leigh Majors, who has a very difficult relationship with her movie star mother. As a successful director she is about to experience her worst nightmare when she is set to direct her mother. At one point Leigh fires her mother and works to gain the respect of the actors. During this time Leigh finds herself. She finds herself by rewriting the play, falling in love, and letting the chip on her shoulder go.

I think I read this book in three days. I wanted to find out what happened. I can't say that this is my favorite book. But, it was a good read. I gave it to my most fabulous friend who thought that the book sounded interesting.

The characters in the book seem very real. Their drama real.

A Plumm Summer

2008-04-21T19:56:00.000-07:00

I LOVE this movie! What a fantastic family film!
Our family has their favorite shows. Sometimes the kids and I will watch a program once a day. These are the films we watch when we're home sick from school, when we have slumber parties, when family comes to visit.... something that everyone can enjoy.

We have a new favorite family film!! "A Plumm Summer" is absolutely the sweetest movie. I just finished watching the DVD sent to me by Mom Central.

In the 1960s there was a program on TV set in Montana where a magician and his marionette, Froggy Doo, entertained children. Froggy was kidnapped. The FBI became involved in the search for Froggy Doo. Elliott Plumm decides to search for Froggy Doo along with his brother Rocky who is one of Froggy's biggest fans.

The family dynamic between Elliott and Rocky as well as the boys relationship with their father who is facing his own demons creates an amazing story. Add the beautiful blue sky of Montana, a great soundtrack, and interesting characters.... and you have an absolutely entertaining, feel good film everyone will enjoy!!

Screenplay by Nicholls Award Winner TJ Lynch.
Producers: Frank Antonelli and Caroline Zelder
Director: Caroline Zelder
Cast

Happy Herb and Froggy Doo

Articles on Froggy Doo:
2008 IFFF Top Applause Award
Wikipedia
Story of beloved TV puppet begins journey to big screen
Froggy went a-filmin
Man Reveals who took Froggy Doo
Film's screenwriter finds mother lode of story ideas in Montana roots

Beneath a Marble Sky: A Love Story by John Shors

2008-04-21T19:26:00.000-07:00

This has become one of my favorite books. I read it nonstop until the last page!!

I love the story and the setting for this novel. The emperor of 17th century Hindustan is devestated from the death of his wife, the empress, that he commission a white palace unlike any other, the Taj Mahal.

During the building of this beautiful treasure to the emperor's wife sibling rivalries ended in eath, the country was at war, and people were hungry.

The empresses daughter, Princess Jahanara, did her best to care for her heart broken father and the large temple dedicated to her mother.

You will fall in love with the architect of the Taj Mahal, cheer for Princess Jahanara's efforts to break out of the walls trapping her as a woman, and anticipate the emperors first steps inside a finished Taj Mahal.

Beneath a Marble Sky: A Love Story by John Shors
Here is the author's Web site

A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this book will be donated to Children's International Summer Villages.

Mamma Mia!

2008-04-17T09:49:00.000-07:00

Ok, I saw the preview of this movie and I absolutely cannot wait to see it!! Then I saw this contest from Ponds. They're asking for women who are 40+ to enter into a contest by submitting a video showing how sassy and fabulous they are just like the women from the movie and musical Mamma Mia!

I immediately thought of my most fabulous friend Janeen and my sister-in-law Carie... I'm trying to get them to enter. I even offered my photography skills and video camera to help them along their way.

I know that you're fabulous too!!

Please make sure to watch the trailer and take a look at the contest information on Ponds web site.

Calling all women who are 40+ and Fabulous!

You and two friends could star in London at the world premiere of MAMA MIA!

Ponds is looking for a trio of women who best embody the sassiness, sexiness and confidence of Donna & the Dynamos from the movie MAMMA MIA.

Dirty Little Secrets From Otherwise Perfect Moms

2008-04-16T19:59:00.001-07:00

An old friend of mine stopped by my work to give me a really cute book. This book is totally me!! I definitely am not a perfect mother. I think I am a "real" mom. I've never pretended to be perfect but I have been around those women who do act like they're "perfect." It was frustrating. Thankfully someone felt the same way and came out with a fantastic book for us "real" moms!!

My Dirty little secret, I wiped my kids faces off with a wet cloth and then sprayed them with Febreeze on our way out the door this morning. I just didn't have the time to give them a bath. Thankfully it was really just chocolate on their faces for their ice cream sandwiches after dinner and their hair seems to always smell like wet dog anyway... so it's not like they were really dirty or anything.

Authors web site

A Plumm Summer

2008-04-16T19:27:00.000-07:00

This movie looks soo great!

My husband and I are constantly looking for good family films. We recently took the kids to see "Nims Island." We all liked it. "Speed Racer" looks lke a good family film. Our son is excited about seeing it.

It seems like lately it's hard to find family films that the entire family can enjoy. Sometimes I pull out my favorite movies from my youth, "A Black Stallion" for Audrey who loves horses.

A Plumm Summer is an independent film that has been reviewed as the family movie of the summer. Take a look at the trailer

Do you have a favorite family film?

Make sure to check back for my review of "A Plumm Summer" to see what I thought!!

Or

Find a theatre near you for opening week which is coming up!!

April 25th

List of theatres

Currently reading Women in Hats by Judy Sheehan

2008-04-15T12:26:00.000-07:00

So, I get home yesterday and there is a package with a book, "Women in Hats" by Judy Sheehan. Woo hoo! I love getting books in the mail. I started reading it and I am completely in love with this book. I'll let you know what I think when I'm done. Until then, check out Sheehan's blog

Sydney Half Marathon. Run for Cancer

2008-03-30T19:26:00.001-07:00

My dear friend, my running partner from SF, had a very tough year last year. Her husband was diagnosed with colon cancer on July 4th, 2006 while vacationing in Lake Tahoe. Within two weeks they sold everything and moved home to Australia. Just a year later he died at the very young age of 34.

Rebecca is working hard to put her life back together and to care for her two small children. They are the same age as Aidan and Audrey and they miss their father.

In Rebecca's quest to stay strong she has decided to run the Sidney Half Marathon in Steve's honor. Please help Rebecca reach her goal. Below is her e-mail and information.

-----------------

Hello,

As you know my husband Steve Patterson passed away last September after a tough fight against colon cancer. Steve was only 34 and was very brave. He tried very hard and was positive for the whole 14 months of his illness but the cancer was very aggressive. Josh, Emma & I miss him desperately but are doing well overall.

We are starting to pull our lives back together and as part of this it is very important to me to do something positive.

I have never had any experience with cancer before Steve's illness and from the very brief reports I had read in the papers I actually thought we were winning the battle. It wasn't until we were faced with this terrible disease head-on that we realized how many outstanding people (many of them very young) are lost everyday.

Some friends & family members and I are entering into the Sydney Morning Herald Half Marathon to raise funds for cancer research, particularly colon cancer research. We have set an ambitious target of $34,000 (for Steve's age).

The run is on May 18 and being a half marathon follows a scenic course around the city for 21.1km. At present there are 12 of us doing the run and its not too late if you want to join the team (although entries fill up fast and are limited for the race - see here).

So, if you know anybody who has been affected by cancer or if you would simply like to support this cause and/or the memory of Steve then please follow this link http://www.everydayhero.com.au/Teamsmp to donate . Every dollar would help. And of course, feel free to come along on that Sunday in May to cheer us along.

I know that other members of the team are also sending out this link so sorry if you have already received this information but I don't want to miss anybody.

If you know of anyone who may like to support this cause please feel free to share this email with them.

Many thanks in advance
Rebecca

The Gay Uncle's Guide to Parenting: Candid Counsel from the Depths of the Daycare Trenches by Brett berk, M.S Ed.

2008-03-04T18:58:00.000-08:00

When I heard about this book I absolutely had to read it. Our dear neighbors next door are a 70 year old gay couple who are constantly giving advice. They also will occasionally babysit for their neice and her four children. They bring me things for my kitchen and were completely shocked to hear that I do not like to cook. So, I had to read, "The Gay Uncle's Guide to Parenting!"

Every soon-to-be parent should definitely read this book!! It is a fun, witty, interesting view on parenting from someone who has never done it himself but has watched those around him do it and doesn't mind giving his opinion on how poorly they're doing.

I really liked how practical the advice is. A bit snarky at times but mostly a practical book for parenting. Definitely something that new parents who are completely obsessed with their kids and don't have a real life outside of being a parent. Somewhere between our grandparents and our parents we became obsessed with our kids and completely forgot about the real world, the world where we don't worship our children and become slaves to them. Our childless family and friends would probably love to tell us so... The Gay Uncle isn't afraid to tell you!

I think that my favorite chapter is the one on discipline. Since Brett Berk has a degree in education and a lot of experience as a preschool director he certainly understands the way we should talk to and work with our children. I like his matter-of-fact, as well as, dramatic, witty parenting tips. It is certainly the most unique parenting book that I have read.

I also like the parenting bubble alerts. They are little blurbs that incorporate child development/teacher type information in a witty tone. I agree with his practical wisdom and hope to incorporate more of it in my every day parenting.

When I was pregnant with my first child I spent hours at bookstores reading books that told me I needed to buy a large list of items. We could not afford to buy half of them. According to the Gay Uncle you really don't need any of them and I totally agree. When I had my second child just a year after Aidan's birth we only bought diapers and wipes.

Reading the first chapters of the Gay Uncle's Guide reminded me of life before children. I had a lot of ideas about parenting. I told myself that my children would never watch TV, eat only healthy, organic food, that they would never go in public with their hair sticking up, mismatched clothes, that I would always look hip, fit, and presentable in public, etc. Well, needless to say, none of that happened! My son had a wild hair do this morning because I just didn't have the energy or time to get it to lay flat on his head. Turn the cartoons off? I have too much to do and I really want to go to bed before midnight. I can't afford a sitter and my family lives too far away. So, yeah, I just gave a lot of excuses that the Gay Uncle would probably think are dumb but I would like to see him do what I do. 24/7 full-time mother, business coordinator at UCB, housekeeper, cook, runner, lover, and PTA volunteer.

When all of my friend's started to have children I remember going into their homes thinking, "what on earth have they done? This furniture is awful! What happened to my hip friends? Is that baby spit up on her clothes? UGH! What a mess!" And I remember saying that I absolutely would not be one of those parents. Well, two kids in two years and I have to embarrassingly admit that I turned into one of those parents. I don't know how you keep from turning into one of them: looking for comfort where you can because working 24/7 as a parent is a very tough challenge. While I thought that the Gay Uncle's Guide to Parenting was witty and fun I also found it to be somewhat impractical and kept thinking to myself, what does he really know? He has never been a parent. I would take this book more as a type of guideline and a remember-how-you-felt-before-you-had-children book.

Author Brett Berk's (very funny) blog

The Golden Compass by Phillip Pullman

2008-01-21T13:49:00.001-08:00

Ok, so I saw the movie first. I'll admit it. And I really, really liked it a lot. i hadn't heard of Phillip Pullman and his Dark Trilogy so I ordered the book from the library. I pretty much could not put it down. I explained the story to my husband as a mix between Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and one other children's fantasy series I can't remember at the moment.
Anyway, I usually don't like hte changes made to the story when it goes from book to movie but I actually liked the changes in this instance. The Golden Compass, the book, is full of so much and it doesn't flow. It trots along in it's weirdness entertaining the reader while at the same time confusing them.
I definitely did not like the end. I found myself irritated with Lord Asriel and Mrs. Coulter but completely enamored by the gyptians, Iorek Bernisen and Lyra.
I guess I'll read the rest of Mr. Pullman's books. I am curious to find out the end and I don't feel like waiting for the movies since the writer's strike is screwing up all of the release dates.

I AM NOT MY BREAST CANCER. Women Talk Openly About Love & Sex, Hair Loss & Weight Gain, Mothers & Daughters, and Being a Woman with Breast Cancer

2008-01-21T13:16:00.000-08:00

I signed up for this book review because my sister-in-law Carie went thru a breast cancer diagnosis, chemotherapy, and radiation all while working full-time, going thru a divorce, getting remarried, taking care of her two boys, and becoming the top sales leader for her company. Amazing!

I watched my grandmother courageously suffer with terminal cancer and I was deeply concerned for Carie who is a mother, a vibrant woman, young, busy, and energetic. What was this going to do to her life? Make her stronger is what it did. And it sounds like, that is what it did for many of the women in "I am Not my Breast Cancer."

Carie has been two years cancer free. She walked in the SF Walk for Breast Cancer as a survivor. That was so inspirational to me.

The book "I am Not my Breast Cancer" is an amazing, amazing read. By page four I was crying. I know that cancer is a very scary thing. But, I didn't know that the emotional affects of cancer ran so deep, so raw, and for so long. I learned a lot just in the first chapter. I didn't feel that the book was depressing. I felt enlightened by the women in this book.

I remember people coming to visit my grandmother. They would look at her frail, bald face and start to cry. She made a rule, "only happy people come to see me. I don't want any crying!" She was fierce.

Another thing that touched me was how the women felt like they had to be the strong ones for their family members and how their husbands would shut down emotionally. This book teaches you so much!! Everyone should read "I am Not my Breast Cancer." We're all touched in some way by cancer. Maybe it isn't breast cancer. Maybe it's prostate cancer. Just this morning a coworker told me that he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. "I am Not my Breast Cancer" has taught me so much on how to treat, feel for, understand someone who has been diagnosed with cancer.

Amazon

First Person Plural Site

Publisher's website

Review in Publishers Weekly

The Sound of Language

2007-12-08T19:36:00.000-08:00

Raihana leaves Afghanistan as the Taliban are wreaking havoc on her people and her country. She goes to a refugee camp in Pakistan then to Denmark to live with a distant cousin. She is given a small allowance by the government and must complete Danish language classes. Raihana thinks that the Danish language sounds like a thousand bees buzzing just like her uncle's bees before the Taliban killed him.

Gunnar, an elder Danish man, has just lost his wife Anna. He spends his days drinking and smoking. Bee keeping, something that Anna was very passionate about is no longer an interest to Gunnar. The bees will die without proper care.

Raihana is learning Danish quickly. It's time to get a part-time job as a part of her asylum. Christina, Anna's best friend and Riahana's teacher, learns that Raihana helped keep bees as a little girl. Christina convinces Gunnar to let Riahana help with the bees.

Gunnar and Raihana over come many obstacles in the months that she visits his home. At first she sits in the garage waiting for him to come out of his house. While in the garage she finds a diary. It's Anna's diary, A Year of Keeping Bees. As Gunnar finally comes out of his house, he teaches Riahana how to care for the bees and Anna, though deceased, is teaching Riahana thru her diary.

Not only have Raihana and Gunnar overcome their own personal hardships but they also face more hardships as both cultures disagree with the arrangement.

Amulya Malladi tackles so much in this novel. This is her fifth novel and it is by far my favorite. She shows the reader what it is like to be a refugee in a foreign land, to learn a new language, and to build a new life. All of the characters learn something. Their prejudices are broken down. Their horizons widened. Ms. Malladi goes much deeper in this novel than her others. It is amazing how smoothly she approaches the topic of skin color, cultural misconceptions, rascism, and religion without going too deep. I felt like she stepped outside of the box just enough to create a beautiful story.

The Sound of Language will capture you the moment you read the first sentence and you won't be able to put it down until the very last page.

Everyone should read this story.

Author's web site
Author's Myspace Page
Author's Blog
Amazon

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

2007-11-10T16:03:00.000-08:00

Daniel, a bookdealer's son, is captured by a story that sends him on a journey to find other books written by the same author. He finds that the books are being destroyed by someone who wishes to destroy the memory of the author. He meets danger, love, and adventure in his quest to preserve the book that has changed his life, save those he loves, and uncover the mystery of the author. Set in Barcelona in 1945, Carlos Ruiz Zafon takes us on a daring adventure that you won't want to end.

The Daring Book for Girls

2007-11-03T14:30:00.000-07:00

When I received my copy of "The DaringBook for Girls" by Andrew J. Buchana and Miriam Peskowitz I was very excited. My husband has been reading the book for boys and laughs out loud quote often. SO, when I heard that there was one just for me coming out it was very exciting.
The teal cover with the sparkly font really caught my eye. Then I opened the book to the first few pages. Under "Essential Gear" I saw a few items that I most definitely would call my own essential gear as well as good ideas to add to my personal list. No. 1 is a Swiss Army Knife. I had a little one on my key chain that broke recently. I really do need to get a new one. It worked well for cutting cuticles and strings that my children wrap around stuff they shouldn't. I especially like No. 4 on the list, Journal and Pencil, with a Back-up Pen. Yes, this is most definitely an essential item. No. 12 on the list is Patience. As a mother I understand this essential quality. I really liked what is said under Patience.... "you can do anything once you've practiced two hundred times."
I'm not much of a sports fan and I don't care to learn so I passed up the rules on sports but I definitely admire any woman who is good at these games. My twin sis, in fact, loves sports. She's very good at most of them. FOr some reason, my brain just cannot wrap itself around all of those pesky rules.
My children are enrolled in a French school so the chapter on French Terms of Endearment, Expressions, and Other Items of Note was fun. Especially the term "ma puce!" which is "my flea." I think I'll use that one.
One night I could not get thru another chapter in a book I've been reading so I picked up my pretty teal Daring Book for Girls. I decided to open the book and read that chapter then go to bed. The chapter that I opened to was about "Princesses Today". Did you kow that Princess Kako Akishino of Japan rides a unicycle and is a sign language interpreter? She's about 13 years old and sounds like a very talented young princess.
My favorite chapter is on "Explorers." The year that I was born, 1976, Krystyna Choynowksi-Liskiewicz of Poland sailed around the world solo. She was the first woman to do so. Amazing!
My Daring Book for Girls taught me how to you put my hair up with a pencil, tie a bandana around my head, tie knots that will stay, play cards such as hearts and gin rummy, and tie a sari.
I forgot how to make colorful friendship bracelets, jump rope games, and play four square. Now I have my own manual to remind me how to do all of these things from my youth.
My "Daring Book for Girls" is a fun book for the coffee table. In a moment of relaxation and rest I sit down, pick it up, and let it open to whatever page it feels like turning too. No matter what page that might be, there is something interesting for me to remember from my days as a little girl on the playground or for me to learn and enjoy today as a mother.

Links:

Amazon

Publisher's Web site for book
Andi and Miriam on the Today's Show!

Andi's author bio page and Miriam's author bio page

The Reincarnationist by M.J.Rose

2007-10-28T21:00:00.000-07:00

When I read the summary for M.J. Rose's "The Reincarnationist" I was desperate to get a copy. A book about reincarnation, pagan religion, and solving a mystery. Sex, religion, murder, and Rome. What more could you ask for?

Josh Ryder, a photographer, is in Rome to get a picture of the Pope when a bomb explodes in front of him. Ryder barely survives the blast. His life is changed forever. Unable to work or continue as before he joins the Phoenix Foundation, a group specializing in children's past life memories.

Ryder has flashes in and out that take him from the present day to 300 A.D. Rome where he is a pagan priest desperate to save a woman he loves. As Ryder comes out of moments of memory he realizes that he has something to accomplish in the present.

Can Ryder change the path that he is on and succeed where he has failed 1,600 years ago? The reader is transported on an interesting thread thru time, meeting others like Ryder who are also experiencing flashbacks. Some are able to help him to untangle the mysteries that cloud his mind as well as save lives.

From the moment I turned the first page I was hooked. The author, M.J.Rose, has spun an interesting tale which keeps the reader turning pages without realizing how far they have gone. I would tell myself that I would put the book down at page 150 then find myself on page 163. it was impossible to set "The Reincarnationist" down.

I have to say I was a bit disappointed by the ending... I simply did not want the story to end.

Amazon

Author's Blog.

Backstory

Podcast Interview

Amulya Malladi's fifth novel on it's way!

2007-10-24T09:00:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite author's, Amulya Malladi, is coming out with a new book! YEAH!

You know how when you have a book that you absolutely love so you buy everyone for Christmas that book and suggest it to everyone when they ask if you've read a good book lately??? Well, Amulya Malladi's books are that way... AND, you know how when you read a book you really love you look for more books by that author and hope that you'll enjoy them all as much as you did the first one that you picked up??? Well, yup, Malladi's books are that way.

Her books give you a glimpse into her culture. They are light and easy to read. They are pleasant and memorable.

A book club that I was a member of chose two of her books and they were a big hit. One of those books is "Serving Crazy with Curry." When we read this book we each chose a recipe to feature at the meeting. For "Mango Season" we called Ms. Malladi. She was amazingly gracious answering all of our questions.

"A Breath of Fresh Air" was a beautiful read. I haven't read "Song of the Cuckoo Bird" YET. But, I definitely plan too. It's on my "to read" bookshelf !

Wow! I can't wait!!

My To Read List:

2007-10-22T19:28:00.000-07:00

February Flowers by Fan Wu
Getting Unstuck Without Coming Unglued: A Woman's Guide toUnblocking Creativity by Susan O'Doherty
Lost and Found by Carolyn Parkhurst
Writing Motherhood: Tapping Into Your Creativity as a Writer and a Mother by Lisa Garrigues
The Zookeeper's Wife: A War Story by Diane Ackerman
Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson
The Street of a Thousand Blossoms by Gail Tsukiayama
Song of the Cuckoo Bird by Amulya Malladi
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia marquez
Between Two Worlds: Escape from Tyranny by Zainab Salbi
The Other Side of War: Women's Stories of Survival and Hope by Zainab Salbi

Moloka'i by Alan Brennert

2007-10-21T21:43:00.001-07:00

Another book that I could not put down. I spent my holidays and some summers in Hawaii so picking up this book was a great joy. One of my other favorite books about the islands is James A. Michner's book "Hawaii."

However, Brennert's book is about the island where lepers were sent and what their lives were like.

This is a sad book yet there is much happiness. I enjoyed the history of the islands especially what it was like on the island of Moloka'i. It's amazing how Brennert is able to capture the easy feel of the Hawaiians.

I gave my copy to a friend who enjoyed it as much as I did and passed it on to a friend ...

Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

2007-10-21T21:37:00.000-07:00

I just started this fun true story by Elizabeth Gilbert. I'm about half way and though I normally blog about books I have finished I wanted to go ahead and put a note out that this is a fun, fun story!!

What I really enjoy is her craziness. I feel like I'm inside her head, going along with her on her journey.

More to come ....

11/10/07 - Ok, I just cannot get thru this book. I can't stand listening to her talk about how awful her friends lives are who are married with children. I'm going to hand this off to my single friends. I think that they may enjoy it more than me. I like being married with kids. It's very glamorous. I'm sorry that Elizabeth Gilbert doesn't think so... maybe she does later on in her novel but I just cannot read another page. I have too much to do and too little time. I'm going to move on to "Suite Francaise" and "The Dream of Scipio." Thanks!

Kindred by Octavia E. Butler

2007-10-14T16:36:00.000-07:00

This is by far my most favorite book. My husband will probably tell you that I say that all of the time of a lot of books but this definitely is THE ONE! I don't remember why I picked this book up. I got it from the library. I started it at 8 p.m. I remember vividly the night that I opened the front cover. I was laying on the futon in our bedroom. We were sleeping in the guest bedroom because we were removing wall paper from the master. I went in there, with the sheets on the windows, the floors covered, the wallpaper steamer in teh corner, and I didn't move or put the book down until I had read the last word. It was 3 a.m. I felt like I had a big cry, I was exhausted yet alive.
This is an amazing story!! This is a 1976 version, the first version, of "The Time Traveler's Wife" and "Uncle Tom's Cabin." Both of the books I just mentioned are my favorite stories. YOU MUST read this book!!

In 1979 Ms. Butler came out with this novel about an African American woman in 1976 L.A. who is a writer and married to a caucasian man, also a writer. She is transported back to nineteenth century Maryland where she meets her ancestors and realizes that she has a purpose in this time. She doesn't know when she's going home or how long she has in her real time before she's transported back to the plantation.

Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky

2007-10-14T16:09:00.000-07:00

So, I recently purchased a six month subscription to the San Francisco Chronicle. I was picking up my daughter at my twin sister's house when a man in a nice suit minus the jacket walks up to us. I could tell he wanted to sell us something and I was determined not to buy anything. But, then I heard his lovely accent and he was so good with the kids. He talked about his daughter learning French on her own. He is originally from the Congo but has been in Oakland for some time ... Anyway, a six month subscription to the Chronicle sounded like a good thing especially since I love the Sunday book section. I read the comics, flip thru the ads, toss the sports, the business, and the other parts ... read the comics first, the travel next, sometimes the front page, always the International page and I save the book review section for the last. This section I savor. I need a hot coffee for this part so I usually fill up my cup, add my cream, and sit down, criss cross apple sauce on the big blue chair with a pen in hand to circle the books I MUST read.

The above book is one of those books. I saw it in my director's book shelf when I moved him from his old office to his new Director's Suite. I must ask to borrow it. So, I circled "Suite Francaise" as well as "Eat, Pray, Love" , "A Thousand Splendid Suns," and a few others I can't remember but don't worry. I clip out the list of NY Times Bestsellers, Chronicle readers favorites, Paperback bestsellers, and other important info I may need in the future for inspiration or reminders.

Last night I opened Jack's copy of "Suite Francaise." It sucked me in. I fell asleep at chapter three. If today wasn't such a busy day I would have spent the entire day reading it. At one point we ended up buying art supplies at Target in Albany. There was "Eat, Pray, Love" I had to have it! I mean, HAD TOO!! So, while my husband was in Costco looking at big screen TVs I started a second book. Wow! I love this one too!! How great is my life?! TWO FANTASTIC books I can't put down!! I can't wait for the kids to go to bed so that I can read until I fall asleep.

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

2007-10-14T15:52:00.000-07:00

I just finished "Water for Elephants: A Novel" by Sara Gruen. My mother gave it to me for my birthday along with some fabulous black, felt Dansko clogs. Books and shoes. The best birthday present for a tired mom of two! Very luxurious to receive a book and shoes. It says, "you have time to indulge in a novel and maybe you can wear your new shoes somewhere other than the playground.... at least, that's what it says to me.

Anyway, I really enjoyed this book. I don't think that I would have purchased this book so I'm deeply grateful to my mother for doing it for me. I love the main character, Jacob. The story starts with Jacob not remembering his age. Is he nintey or is he nintey-three. He's recalling his days as a veterinarian in a circus, what brought him there, and what he experienced. Jacob is an amazing young man who believes that all men and animals are equal and he is going to take care of them the best way that he can. The circus culture and life was one of my favorite aspects of this novel.

I don't want to say too much because I want you to read this book. Here is the author's web site: http://www.saragruen.com/

My favorite books ... a list

2007-10-08T17:01:00.000-07:00

I often think about my favorite books and how I have learned from them. I read a book five years ago by Wendy Orange, "Coming Home to Jerusalem." It's one of my favorite books. I set it free via http://www.bookcrossing.com/ Hopefully someone picked up this wonderful book and enjoyed it as much as I did.
Ms. Orange taught me about the problems in Israel and the West Bank. I was completely ignorant of the situation in that part of the world. Her personal account of her time in the area is beautiful and eye opening.
"Martyr's Crossing" by Amy Wilentz is a novel that I read around the same time as "Coming Home". I also enjoyed this book.
I want to continue writing about my fav books and include a list but the laundry is beckoning.

Here's a short list ... in no particular order ... (will add more later):

Sammy's Hill and Sammy's House by Kristen Gore
King Rat, Taipan and Shogun by James Clavell
Iron and Silk by Mark Salzman
The Bone Setter's Daughter by Amy Tan
The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls
Veil of Roses by Laura Fitzgerald
Harry Potter (all of them!)
Eragon and Eldest
A Series of Unfortunate Events
The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards
My Sister's Keeper: A Novel by Jodi Picoult
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan: A Novel by Lisa See
Pride & Prejudice and all other Jane Austen novels
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
Interred With Their Bones by Jennifer Lee Carrells
The Hobbit & Lord of the Rings
Hawaii by James A. Michner
Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriett Beecher Stowe
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
The Green Grass of Wyoming by Mary O'Hara
Thunderhead by Mary O'Hara
The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
The Bean Trees: A Novel by Barbara Kingsolver
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd
The Thirteenth Tale by Sue Monk Kidd
Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi
The Bridges of Madison County by Robert James Waller
Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader by Anne Fadiman
A Breath of Fresh Air by Amulya Malladi aswell as her other novels
Serving Crazy with Curry by Amulya Malladi
Mango Season by Amulya Malladi
Madras on Rainy Days by Samina Ali
Martyrs' Crossing by Amy Wilentz
Coming Home to Jerusalem: A Personal Journey by Wendy Orange
The Dogs of babel: A Novel by Carolyn Parkhurst
I know why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
The Four Feathers by A. E. W. Mason
Proof (a screenplay) by David Auburn
The Birth of Venus
The Red Tent

MotherTalk Blog Tour Book Review: Interred With Their Bones by Jennifer Lee Carrell

2007-09-23T21:07:00.000-07:00

Interred With Their Bones

by Jennifer Lee Carrell

A Murder Mystery

I couldn't put this book down! I loved the twists and turns! I can usually guess how a book is going to end but I was surprised many a time with "Interred With Their Bones."

Ms. Carrell has done a fantastic job of keeping the reader involved in an interesting adventure. An adventure that leads us to the possible uncovering of a literary mystery. Who is William Shakespeare? Did he write all of those plays?

The main character, Kate Stanley, is a scholar of Shakespeare. Originally the brilliant student of a Professor of Shakespeare, Kate becomes the Director at the Globe. A fire breaks out, a murder occurs, sending Miss Stanley on a crusade, reading codes, signs, uncovering secrets, and untangling mysteries. Helping Kate along the way is a famous Shakespearean actor, a rich, eccentric old woman who worships all things Shakespeare, and an ex British spy. But someone is out to kill Kate and everyone along the way in order to keep the secret she's about to uncover.

These aren't ordinary deaths. Each murder mimics the death of a Shakespearean character. My favorite part about this book are the quotes from Shakespeare's plays. The little secrets about real people from Shakespeare's day, the intertwining of centuries thru families. Kate is an amazing and courageous lead character.

You don't have to know or even to have read Shakespeare's work to enjoy this book. The author does a fantastic job of keeping the reader enthralled in the story as well as educate the reader in Shakespeare's plays.

In fact, this story made me interested in reading Shakespeare which I had never been very interested in before. This book had much more substance than some thrillers that I have read. I enjoyed the details regarding Shakespeare's history and the politics of the era. I recommend this book to everyone. I recommend a quiet area to open this thriller. You won't want to miss any of the details!

Buy at Amazon.com

More Mother Talk Book Reviews

Backstory: “Interred With Their Bones”

September 14th, 2007

by Jennifer Lee Carrell

Interred With Their Bones arose from the lure of the lost: lost beauty, lost knowledge, lost truth.

I remember vividly the moment I discovered that some of Shakespeare’s plays had been lost।It was a crisp autumn evening early in my sojourn in graduate school, and I was poking about among the old books in Child Library, the English Department’s private refuge on the top floor of Harvard’s Widener Library. For reasons I still can’t fathom, an old four-volume set of books plucked at me: The Elizabethan Stage by E. K. Chambers, published in 1923. One by one, I dusted them off and opened them. To me, they seemed like a chest of pirate’s treasure — full of strange, glittering facts about Shakespeare’s Theatre... read more

Or visit the author's web site: http://www.jenniferleecarrell.com/

"The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls

2007-07-18T17:42:00.000-07:00

Another book you just can't put down!!

Jeannette Walls is raised in an interesting family. Her father is brilliant. Her mother is an artist. They prefer to live and raise their children on their own terms. They take a more than practical approach to life and material possessions. Jeannette's father believes that the government is after him so he keeps moving the family from one city and state to another until they finally end up in a small coal mining town. The kids survive by eating food from garbage cans and washing themselves in cold water. Their shack doesn't have a bathroom, electricity, or plumbing.
Jeannette and her siblings over come their homeless upbringing to become successful. Their upbringing makes them tough and capable of surviving anything. Their parents gave their children intelligence rather than toys.
You will read this book thinking what on earth are the parents thinking? Yet, you will be very proud of Jeannette and her siblings for getting thru it all so well.

"Come Back: A Mother and Daugther's Journey to Hell and Back " by Claire and Mia Fontaine

2007-07-18T17:37:00.000-07:00

My daycare provider handed me this book one day. She said that she picked it up and once she opened the book didn't set it down until she finished it. She read all night long. I love books like this. I love books that you can't put down. I have a couple on a list that I recommend to everyone. This one is now on that list.
Mia and Claire have a rough start due to an event that occurs while Claire is married to Mia's father. All of those horrid memories come back when Mia starts to go thru puberty. Claire doesn't realize that her personality is partly to blame until she has to send her daughter to a special school in the Czech Republic where Mia isn't allowed to speak for long periods of time. She's left with her thoughts which at first are unbearable but soon the silence is calming and wanted.
Both mother and daughter learn a lot about each other and themselves. The story is told alternately by mother and by daughter. You feel their anger and their sadness. You're listening to the voices in their heads and following their actions.
It's a remarkable true story about the love a mother has for her daughter and that she'll do anything even travel to hell and back to keep her alive.

"A Mighty Heart" by Mariane Pearl

2007-07-18T17:33:00.000-07:00

I recently picked up the book "A Mighty Heart" by Mariane Pearl. I'm not exactly sure why I decided to get this book. Something told me I needed to read it. I hoped that when I opened the first page that I wouldn't be able to put it down.
Fortunately that was indeed the case with this wonderful story about a woman who loses her husband in the worst possible circumstances.
We all know the ending of this story yet Mrs. Pearl is able to express her feelings in such a deep and compelling way that makes you want to see the events thru her eyes, thru her words.
I fell asleep several nights with this book in my hands. The night that I finished the book I fell asleep crying. It is that deep a story. It is a book that I think all Americans should pick up. My favorite part is when she tells Laura Bush that the terrorists know more about America than Americans do. And until American's educate themselves about other cultures and people they will be a target.
This is an incredibly amazing book.