I Don't Like "Rainbow Fish": I'm Not Alone {and} Why We Will Still Read It {Parenthood}

I was first introduced to "Rainbow Fish" by Marcus Pfister for Virtual Book Club for Kids. The library wait for the hardback was forever and a day, so I decided to go with the board book. After all how different could the board book be? That was my first experience with board books being a slightly condensed version of the actual book. My impression of that book was less than thrilling.

Fast forward a few years. Our MOPs group brought back the Book Club for Kids we started my year as the events and creative activities person. The host picks a book, does a craft, and maybe a snack to go with it.  

The recent pick was the "rainbow fish". 

My son is studying rainbow fish in second grade. I realized in some conversation with him that I hadn't read the full story, or there was something I was missing.

I decided to go and experience the book in a new light. So many people enjoy this book. I felt I must have been missing something.

And... I missed parts talking to some other moms.

I decided to find a reading on youtube. We sat and listened to the whole story. I was let down by the story again. 

The artistry is alluring. I understand the want to teach our kids to share. It's the premise behind the type of sharing that drives me nuts about the book. There was more to it and I couldn't put my finger to what I didn't like. 

So I set to trusty Google to see what else others might have said. I can't be alone in my opinion in this over-opinionated cyber world. I found at least 4 (here, here, here, and here) posts. The rest, several pages were art activities for kids. Yet. I am not alone in my opinion of the book. Thank goodness, at least.

1st issue. overly prideful. I have this same issue with Thomas the Train. Yet, kids are like this. We weren't born void of sin, so that's understandable. The colorful fish would flaunt his scales to the other fish even though they wanted to play with him. Now there is nothing wrong with taking pride in god given gifts, abilities, and traits. Yet, flaunting them is not ok. The rainbow fish wanted to know why the other fish turned their backs? Maybe if he made more of an effort to play. It wasn't the fact that he had the scales and didn't share that was the problem, but the fact that he was flaunting them to the other fish.

2nd issue, the demanding little blue fish. Like so many of the other posts, this one bugs me. The rainbow fish had every right to say no to giving away his scale to the little blue fish. It was not asked of him to give a scale away but demanded. We don't demand things in this house. We ask nicely. At least that is what I tell myself and remind my children when they demand. After the octopus said his thing and the little blue fish came back further irritated me. Starting to not be mad because he only wanted one scale. Again, a demand. Not asking nicely.

3rd issue, the other fish only played with him after he gave his scales away. Like another of the posters stated, what if there were more fish and he didn't have enough scales to give to them all? He is essentially buying his friends using the scales? Are those fish true friends? Taken literally, should we harm ourselves for the sake of having someone as a friend?

My husband found it nuts that he wasn't happy until all the fish were the same, with one shiny scale per fish. He claims socialism undertones.

What I wish was that there was more to the growing happier when giving his scales away. More towards the rainbow fish's change in behavior and attitude and less about the fish taking away the scales and playing with him because they have a scale. Don't get me wrong. Generosity and giving is a good thing to promote, it's the premise behind it that bugs me the most.

Now, I'm not going to shun this book from my house.

The best thing about this book? All the room for this book gives for meaningful discussion with the kids. Life isn't perfect. Stories aren't going to present and solve problems perfectly. This book gives so much for us to use with our kids from the behavior of the rainbow fish to the little fish.

I hope my kids will be better than to flaunt something in front of their friends. I hope they don't demand things from their friends or expect their friends to give them something just because they have so much. I hope they know that it is ok to say no to giving a piece of themselves away, that those people aren't going to be very good friends if they demand or expect that.

All those points you can use throughout the book and talk about. We were lucky. My son brought up the book and a writing assignment he had from their study. What kinds of things can you share with your friends? He didn't know. It also happened to be my daughter's 5th birthday and she picked the meal. My son threw a fit because he didn't want to eat it. She picked chicken wings, tater tots, salad, and rolls and he didn't want to eat the bone-in chicken wings. It was the perfect opportunity to talk about the kinds of things that we can share vs. things we might not want to share and don't have to share. Our now 5-year-old chose to share some of her favorite food with her family because it is something she enjoys. My son decided to eat the food despite the bones in the chicken. He enjoyed dinner, and ate more than what my husband and I anticipated. And, he said he had an idea for his writing assignment.

I still don't like the book. It's not a favorite. But we may not have had the discussion at dinner about sharing. I hope that we can read that book and use those disliked elements for developing further meaningful conversations with my kids.

Tear Paper Craft: The Watermelon Seed by Greg Pizzoli {Read and Play}

"Mommy, can you read this book to me?" ... or from the toddler ... "Read a book?"

Day after day after day, book after book after book. 

I love my kids' enthusiasm for reading.

I just don't love doing it all the time. the same book after book, over and over again.

And now that it is summer, it is the perfect time to get some crafty, playtime ideas together. 

Our MOPS group is bringing back Kids Book Club from when I was creative and activities leader and I am super excited, I had to jump in! It needed to be something summer-esque like watermelon or ice cream.

Ooh. Making Ice Cream would have been perfect too. 

We are not making ice cream. I'll have to file that for later.

I went searching the library and came across a few watermelon books. Have you seen how many watermelon crafts there are on google? I didn't even try Pinterest. We love some tear-paper art here. Can't go wrong with having kids tear their own pieces of paper.

"You mean I'm allowed to be destructive?" As their little faces beam with every satisfactory riiiip of the construction paper. Hey, It's good fine motor practice for those little fingers too.

You need:

half a paper plate

about a quarter to a half a piece to a full piece of red construction paper

about a quarter to a half piece of green

liquid glue

q-tips to dab glue

black paint for seeds (little fingers make cute seeds)

         or black construction paper circles cut from a hole punch if you don't want to brave the paint. We just ended up using construction paper

Kids tear and glue to make a slice of watermelon. then glue the black seeds down (or paint the seeds) on the red. Super easy, super cute, and the kids love tearing the paper.

We read "The Watermelon Seed" by Greg Pizzoli to go along with the craft. It's all about swallowing a watermelon seed. It made me laugh a little given my current state. The kids didn't quite get why I  thought it was funny.

I'm super excited that the big guy has enjoyed reading this book multiple times over since this activity.

What are some watermelon crafts you have done with your littles?

Read a Book: Curated Closet by Anushka Rees {Self-Care}

You walk into my closet in the morning and look around at all the clothes hanging, waiting to be worn. You blink a few times before deciding on something to grab. Only thing is, you don't want to wear any of the clothes in front of you. Or you go through multiple combinations before finally deciding on something to wear for the day, feeling completely dissatisfied with the selection you ultimately made. All the pieces in your closet were cheap easy buys you made because it was cute, or you liked it for the moment only to discover they don't work with anything else you own or you don't really like it as much as you thought.

Yeah. I've been there.

I'm still there. Kind of. It's getting better. Slowly. My capsule has helped a little bit.

I'm still searching out tips for working on your wardrobe. The hardest part is not having the budget for it, so I am limited. But that will not always be the case. At least I hope not. For you all, I hope that is not the case. It's fun going clothes shopping. Usually. Without kids.

I read this book recently. Curated Closet by Anushka Rees. I picked up the e-book from my library after having it on hold for forever!

I have to say, I really enjoyed it. I was going to try to move through it quickly (seriously the wait line at the library for it is so long!) and a friend was next in line. But this is so full of information for the wardrobe obsessed individual it makes it hard to just read. I had to take notes. I have a Trello board dedicated to the notes I have from this book.

And I feel that I need to go over it again. I haven't performed all the exercises she goes through in this book. And some I need to be more thorough with. The above picture is outfits that I have pinned in my summer and winter inspiration Pinterest boards. I still have yet to create a "mood board". It seems like a lot of work, but I think it may interesting later.

One of the activities is comparing the outfits you have to the typical activities you do during a 2 week period. These are a rough estimate for now. If I pulled everything out and categorized my thoroughly it would be more accurate. And if I created a section for costumes, because I kept all the Halloween Costumes from over the years, it would be more accurate!

Seriously. I go nowhere except pick up and drop off for the kids, and grocery shopping during the week! Maybe the occasional play date if I can get the kids out of the house in time. My life is so boring! I had to back it out a month because I *sometimes* am able to make it to a house evening with the girls or a quilt guild meeting. Though that would still count as "daytime" outfits and not necessarily semi-fancy as I have it sorted for the purposes of the above pie chart. (I did this in google sheets, super excited I figured that out!)

The current wardrobe is an interesting thing, especially in comparison to what I actually do during the day. Granted it is not as accurate as it could be. It includes dresses I have worn for weddings, clothes that I never touch, clothes that don't fit that for some reason I still cannot get rid of, and the small number of clothes that I actually wear (making a case for a capsule for myself I think?) I still have clothes from my working days; I stopped working to be a SAHM back in 2013! It's been 5 years! I am laughing at myself at the moment...

After looking through the outfits I would actually wear, and the clothes in my closet I do wear and using her book, these were the colors I came up with. After doing this it made me feel better about my mini capsule choices (read about it here and here).

I seriously had fun with working through the outfit formulas too.

Now, this would all be amazing if I took the time to actually discover all my different outfit combinations and ways to style them. She even talks about that too!

I think my most exciting takeaway is that this book gives you strategies to help build a wardrobe despite the trend of fast and cheap fashion. I have fallen to the ills of fast fashion with almost all of my wardrobe buys. I hope that this book and the strategies she suggests help me when I am at the store.

All the rest of the book is probably way more hassle than it's worth. But, I have enjoyed it!

So far I have not made any clothing purchases in the last few times I have been to the store because none of the items worked for my lifestyle or what I already have in the closet. I call that a win!

Do you have a wardrobe you love, or do you wish you could vamp it up somehow?

Penguin and Pinecone by Salina Yoon: Using Your Senses {Read and Play}

We jumped in with Virtual Book Club for Kids and their weekly book selections this past week. Since S has only a year and a half until she starts Kindergarten, I figure it might be a good idea to start doing more to get her ready. It was so fun when we followed along while N was a preschooler... This week's theme is penguins, and the main book is Penguin and Pinecone by Salina Yoon. We love her Penguin series and S was super excited when this one came in at the library! (seriously, holds are awesome!)

There are so many directions you can take this book, one of the reasons we love the series! We went the science route and combined it with art!
**Check out my inspiration of the painting activity over at Inspirational Laboratories**

What you need:

• Penguin and Pinecone by Salina Yoon
• objects from around the house to practice using the senses (Sight, Sound, Touch, Smell, Taste)
• Rocks (we searched for ours outside. Yay, Desert Nature!)
• Black, white and orange paint
• paintbrush
• newspaper (I'm just glad I had the wipes available! oops!)
• wipes for quick and easy surface clean-up

We've read the book several times by this point. I opened this "lesson" by feeling, sniffing, and looking at the book.

When I get to the point where Penguin is using his senses to discover that pinecone is not a snowball and cold we pause and talk about what Penguin is doing in each of the images (using sight/eyes, taste/mouth/tongue, touch/hands/feel).

Discuss the senses and how we use them to observe and make sense of the world which surrounds us. Practice on objects from around the house and what senses we use for those particular objects. We used a koosh pool ball, a soft rattle, a foam number, and a lolipop!

Using sight, touch, (and maybe smell) search for the perfect rock on which to paint your own penguin. We talked about not always using all our senses (we don't want to lick rocks, Yuck!)

If you decide to wash off your rocks, give them time to dry. We just dry brushed off the dirt before starting.

While we painted we talked about P being for Penguin and Pinecone too! And I think these turned out great!

I ended our activity with a quick recap of our senses!

The possibilities are endless!

These little rock penguins were super fun! We did some role play after they dried. Paint some more and use them for counting, one-to-one correspondence practice, non-standard units of measure, Paint some pinecones and use them in combination with penguins for adding/subtracting, create a tic-tac-toe set

Being Thankful

I have not posted in a long while! I've been lucky to get through day to day! This thanksgiving, as the kids and I discuss the holiday we are also talking about being thankful for what we have and what we are given. Especially since the start of school, attempting to introduce my middle to letters (I think we are going to wait and focus on other things, like this), and the baby needing much attention and rarely sleeping, having the visual reminder of things we are thankful for is so important. The kids and I need it (ok, maybe mostly me), and it's been fun!

I did a simple 'kids thankful craft' search. There are so many ideas on pinterest for thankful trees, displays, banners, and even jars! I've decided to go with a banner, writing what we are thankful for on leaves printed from here done like what was done here.

But before we got started with the leaves, I needed an introduction. Teacher me coming out here. They really have no frame of reference for the Thanksgiving dinner. I don't think I have really talked about it with them directly. And if I did, they most likely do not remember. Especially my middle, after all she is only 3!

I reserved a lot of books from the library. Some that we have been using are: (each book is linked)

It's been a fun. We have been talking about:
-The First Thanksgiving and how the pilgrims were thankful for the help when they needed it
-How to be thankful when you don't have much and are given something (even when it might not bee what you specifically want) <-- This one is because we have a hard time with that, just thankful for generosity
-Finding things to be thankful for when you think there is nothing to be thankful for
-Saying thank you to people for more than just giving you things
-Being thankful for God's grace and love

So far, I love it. Writing and coloring on the leaves is so fun.

Filling out some of our #thankful leaves

A photo posted by JessiBerry (@jessiberry09) on Nov 15, 2016 at 10:00am PST

My favorite one to this date is my middle, "I'm thankful for my heart that beeps". I think that is the cutest thing!

My little boy so far is thankful for star wars characters. Ha!

It might not be the most glamorous of banners, but it is something we've been looking at and reading as a reminder. It's serving it's purpose. The leaves have some thing written on the front and the back...

And, what I am very thankful for, is that this has been said by one of my littles...

#thankful At least this has been said. Makes my heart happy.

A photo posted by JessiBerry (@jessiberry09) on Nov 15, 2016 at 2:53pm PST

I'm hoping to make this a tradition. Or at least some variation of this every year. I'm not going to save the leaves though. That would be too much, and I trying to use craft supplies not change their shape.

What thanksgiving traditions do you have?

Read a Book: The Poison Tree by Erin Kelly {Book Review}

I forgot to post my book review for April! And barely missed May! So I was going to do a double one in May, but decided against it and glad I did since it's June! I didn't read too much in April, and fought through this book in May. As a result I'm going to use this as a "practice" to test out my scoring categories. Plus reading this book took me forever!

I'm reviewing The Poison Tree by Erin Kelly

I'm trying my best not to give spoilers here and be as vague as I can be. there is some slight foreshadowing in the beginning (is that what it is when it is past tense, but not revealed until the end?), but after the half way point it starts to become more frequent. You read just to figure out what her 'secret' is.  Hint: don't read the reviews on goodreads, people give it away!

Story Line/ Content
-The story bounces back and forth between present and past, which the author does fairly well. At least it doesn't cause to too much confusion. For my overtired momma brain, it was a bit much.
-I would have to reread the book to search for any foreshadowing, but there was nothing that stood out to me.
The beginning of the story dragged on. It wasn't until you meet the father who was originally presumed deceased, though wasn't, where the story picks up. Then the thrill and suspense kicks in!

Character development/
Honestly. I was not captivated by the characters. It felt like "Anniversary Party" meets "Daria" with a cross of "The Dreamers" thrown in, but not at all in a good way. The characters seem annoyingly flaccid in their interactions in the beginning. Biba is the only one who feels like her energy isn't dull or drowning like the rest of the characters. I see the attempt to juxtapose Karen's rich school mates with the delinquency from privation of Rex and Biba. I am annoyed by the characters and their interactions together. But without the conflicts between Guy and Rex, and Karen's search (almost feels like a search for herself), there would not have been much interest for this story.
I found myself mad with the characters once events started to unfold, even though I didn't feel drawn to them in the beginning, I grew to care for them as I read further. I found I loved the characters you were meant to love and in the end, sighed a relief with Karen!

readability/ writing style
It is easy enough to read. The story line moving so slowly with tense changes within each chapter and often times jumping back and forth multiple times within the chapter is almost too much. I feel I need to sit and re-read straight through. I would often jump back into the book after taking care of the kids and forget if I was in the present or the past. It was rather annoying, but it might have been because I was tired with too many interruptions to keep up with the book. Of course, it's not really the books fault!

Aside from it being hard to read in the beginning it was easier from the middle to the end. I was finally able to delve into it and immerse myself in her world.

The book itself reads like a modern day noir fiction. Well, it is a modern day noir. I loved it about this book!

Conversation worthy
For me? No. I honestly don't have much to tell you in reference to this book. Aside from the fact that I felt excited that I am able to label it as modern day noir fiction. It would be hard to talk about the book with people who have not read it! Too much mystery involved and not wanting to give it away!

If you read it, I'm sure we could spend some time discussing it! I am sure there are things I am missing. Honestly. If you were Karen's situation, would you do as she had done? Me, I probably would... Probably not... I don't know! Honestly, you have to read the book!

Invokes personal thought/ reflection

It does remind me of the want to rebel, to throw cares to the wind and who cares what happens. The alluring carefree days of young adulthood and the thrill of doing and behaving in a way that is just this side of bad. I don't know a single person who did not experience such a phase, short lived or not. This book takes a seemingly innocent rebellious behavior and throws in what happens when it's pushed over the edge too far. What happens when innocence Something about that late 90's and bringing back My So Called Life and the feelings that time era evokes.

Overall
I was excited about it being like a modern day noir ( I know I have said this multiple times but it's the most exciting part of the book for me, recognizing and feeling that it is as such!)
The story itself is pretty decent, though I think the delivery (to me) felt choppy. It's not a book to read intermittently. It needs to be read without so much interruption. That's hard to do with 3 kids demanding attention constantly!
For me, I wanted to give this book 2/5 stars originally. 1 for the story line (noir) and 1 for personal thought (emphasis on the story line). Other than that, it was hard for me to enjoy this book. Well, up until at least the last 40%. I would have given up reading it if it weren't for this 'rubric'.
I am giving it 5 stars as as it does deserve way better than I am giving it. The book deserves more focus and attention than I can give it. And to be honest I would want to pick it up again later when I have the time I can devote to this story and take it in all at once instead of small confusing piece by small piece.
But, it was a really good read and I am glad and excited to have pushed through!once you got to the last 25% (poor kids were ignored), I had a hard time putting it down. And then I had to hold them tight afterward!
What starts off as slow and sludgy does not end as such!

Books read in April:

In the Shadow of Banyan by Vaddey Ratner

The Guest Room by Chris Bohjalian

Books read in May:
The Sleeper and the Spindle by Neil Gaiman
The Martian by Andy Weir
Sherlock Holmes Theater (3 Plays audiobook)

Check out my other books reviews here

Join me on GoodReads here, I'm always on the lookout of a new book!

Read a Book: After You by Jojo Moyes {Book Review}

This month has found me with my kindle during those late night baby feedings. As a result I have finished 6 books and started number 7! The only hard thing is putting the book down to care for the kids during the day. I get to engrossed in the story and NEED to find out what happens. Or in the case for this book, to involved in the characters and not finishing will drive me nuts.

The Story

Nothing like it's predecessor, Me Before You, which I absolutely loved. Instead this story follows our main character through the road of healing after the suicide of her charge from the first book. 

One can expect a person's world to fall apart after someone they love commits suicide. But to Louisa Clark, her fall apart is a deep depression. Almost to the extent of the reader developing an irritation in her actions, agitation toward her relationships she develops with others (how she handles those relationships), and a lack of pity and empathy for her situation. Majority of the book I was angry with the character, and in turn upset with the author. It was not at all what I had expected after the ending in Paris from the first book.

The introduction of Lily seemed to come way out from left field, as an attempt to keep the story going. Her selfish, argumentative, combative personality is tiresome. This character's mother only exacerbates the reader's frustration with Lily. 

I had a difficult time connecting with these characters, and in turn had a hard time feeling for the events which took place in the story. The only character I remotely enjoyed was Sam the paramedic, who was living his life; working, taking care of his nephew, and maintaining a 'farm', even after the death of his sister. To me he was real; he was relate-able. He makes sense to me. Despite what happens you keep living, keep doing what you need to do day-to-day. 

Besides my frustrations with the characters and it's affect on my appreciation of the events in the story, I fairly enjoyed it (once I got passed those things). Yes, your main character (Lou) is depressed. Is there any other way for her to behave? No. Her actions fit how the author set up her mentality. Lily is basically an abandoned teenager. Do I expect any better of her other than to combat adults? Not really. I knew 3rd-4th graders who acted in much the same way. It follows reality and I imagine the psychology of someone in a similar position. 

In the end...

The problem is resolved. Our main character overcomes her depression. Teenage Lily finds herself loved (her indiscretion taken care of - hilarious), and everyone moves on. Overall the ending made it satisfactory.

Throughout the book, it had some insightful moments in dealing with loss, healing and parenting.

My Rating

Over all, I rate this a 3/5 stars. But mostly because I got to a point where I needed to finish to see if/how things got resolved. Would I recommend it? no. If you've started reading it, go on ahead and finish. But honestly I don't think to much is missed if you don't read the book.

It did make me realize I need to develop some kind of rubric for scoring books. To teacher-ish of me? Probably, but I feel I need to keep things... hmmm... streamlined... accurate... consistent. Yes, consistency is needed. I'm thinking 5 categories for the 'out of' 5 star rating available on GoodReads. I'm an aesthetic reader, so I will miss things in the writing itself unless I have a hard time following the writing structure. I don't see words and letters. I am transported right into the story. It's great when I'm reading, bad when the kids are trying to get my attention!

So far this is what I am thinking:

     Story Line / Content

     Character development / ?

     readability / writing itself

     Conversation worthy

     Invokes personal thought/reflection

I wanted to go with aspects that are directly related to the book itself and also how it affects myself as a reader. Since not all books are the same, I think it might make it a little more fair? Probably not really, hmm...

What do you think?

What makes a book stand out to you? What makes a book awesome/horrible? What would you add/take away to a scoring rubric for books?

More:
other Books I've read this month:
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
The Psychopath Test: A Journey Through the Madness Industry by Jon Ronson
Independent Study by Joelle Charbonneau
Graduation Day by Joelle Charbonneau
The Third Door by Emily Rhodda

Join me on GoodReads here

Happy Reading!

Read a Book: Wife of the Gods by Kwei Quartey {An E-Book Review}

Happy Leap Year!
February has been an interesting month and even though our Lil' Munchkin arrived, I was still able to get some reading time in. Hey, those late night feedings are good for something as she sleep nurses. Of course it is hard not to fall asleep while reading, especially when already tired...
I am thankful for the extra day this year to let me finish my third book for the month, and to be able to get this review up!

Here are the books I have read this month!
Wife of the Gods by Kwei Quartey
The Silver Door by Emily Rodda
Love Does by Bob Goff

This book, I have no idea how I came across it. I don't recall. But I read it as part of the Book Riot Read Harder Challenge for task 16: "read the first book in a series by a person of color" ...

The Story
This was a fascinating murder mystery, set in Ghana, Africa. We follow the detective through his investigation of the murder, while unearthing the truth to his own family tragedy.

I found the character in the book as neither extremely likable nor hated. But it is not because they were not developed well enough. They were developed well, with aspects which make them admirable and not. I did not like, nor appreciate, the main character's addiction to marijuana and his aggressive behavior. But at the same time, his aggression was towards those who mistreated and abused others or broke the law (even though his was hypocritical, with the marijuana addiction).  Yet, these elements of each character made them more real.

I found the language intriguing. The way the characters interacted and spoke to each other was almost formal. I wondered if this was just the others writing style or the way they actually spoke to one another. I'm thinking the later since the author, though living in the states now, was born in Ghana.

My favorite parts was the glossary of terms at the end and the background information of the given in the beginning about the servitude and slavery of women taken by "fetish priests" (Trokosi). A huge part of the book focuses on the controversial of the Trokosi within the nation itself. Ok, maybe not huge, but it took up a big part of it. 

It's a series!

Am I going to pick up the next book in the series? Probably, probably not. I really don't know right now. I liked it, but am not chomping at the bit to read the next one... I do want to learn more about the detective's family and what happens with his son who has a heart problem and the insurance in the country is not great, they cannot afford the surgery he needs.

Extra Thoughts

As a teacher, we were always on the lookout for books and stories which accurately betrayed other cultures. There are so many out there which do not give an accurate representation of countries and their people. When I end up finding one I hope does provide an accurate representation, I want to share it. I hope this book is such.

What do you think?
What books do you think are great/accurate representations of other countries, other cultures, and their peoples?

Read a Book 2016:
Maltese Falcon

Happy Reading!

Read a Book: The Maltese Falcon on Audio {An Audio Book Review}

So, one of my goals for this year is to read 30 books. And after reading some others' reading goals, I thought I might share with you my thoughts on the stories I read. At least once a month sharing one of the books I have read and my thoughts on it (I got the idea to share from HattieLuHandmade)! The hard part was picking which book to share with you! I have enjoyed them all!

The Month of January I read:
Inside the O'briens by Lisa Genova
For the Love by Jen Hatmaker
The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hamett

It was hard because I really want to share Inside the O'Briens with you. But I am deciding to go with The Maltese Falcon.

I have not seen the movie with Humphrey Bogart, nor had I read this prior. I bought a copy after I read Mildred Pierce by James M. Cain in college and felt that I needed to read more vintage crime novels. But, I never actually read the book.

The Story
I'm not going to give too much away about the story itself.

I wouldn't mind picking this one up again! It was captivating, the characters were fascinating especially the multi-layered Miss Wonderly. I pictured in my head Sam Spade as rough around the edges. But the time period of the 30s is fascinating, especially when dealing with the PI stories of the time. The story has everything I imagine for a 30's PI story: Deception, Murder, Mystery, Womanizing Romance that only the 30's can portray, conniving women with their just as dubious male counterpart.... No one is innocent or free from scrutiny.

The part that sticks out to me the most is the first scene between Sam Spade and Kasper Gutman. I found Gutman humorous and actaully kind of reminded me of someone I used to know (no longer associate with) with his round-about, 'I'm better than you', gentlemanly-type talk. But the line that sticks out the most is their toast, "Here's to plain talk and clear understanding". I found that line fascinating. Slightly the antithesis of the character himself, in reference to Gutman, and exactly the opposite of what transpires between the two characters immediately following.

The line got me to thinking about our relationships with those around us. Really, how often do we say things that either beat around the bush to how we really feel? Or it is something that we think the other person wants to hear? But even if we speak truthfully, the other people usually will read into thoughts or assume the worst when it was not the intention. But if we speak plainly, is there only one way but through clear understanding? Can we really get mad at others for feeling the way they feel, especially if they share those said emotions and thoughts?

The Audio
Actually, I am still stuck in this feeling that I still haven't actually 'read' the book as I listened to this one on audio. I've tried listening to books on tape before (books on cd/audiobook same thing right?). I always felt bored listening to the same voice over and over again. But this one was different, nice, in that it had a full cast to portray the characters. It kept me engaged and interested, but I still wonder how much I have missed through not actually looking at the words.

It was fascinating though. I was able to work on cleaning, housework, sewing, crocheting all while listening to this book. I listened straight through earbuds on my phone and loved it! It might have helped that is was an Audie Award winner book! It does make me want to see Humphrey Bogart as Sam Spade...

Tell me
Have you read/heard/seen The Maltese Falcon? What were your thoughts?
What have you read/listened to recently? Did you enjoy it?

Do you think listening to an audio book is the same thing as reading?

Until next time...

Read A Book: The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo {Book Review}

If you follow organizing blogs/facebook groups and what not, you have probably heard of the KonMari Method. You purge the things that do not spark joy. The goal is to surround yourself with the things that spark joy, and thus are less stressed and can focus on living your life instead of the things that surround you. The book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo, is essentially the step by step process of her method. 

I feel like this is almost cheating. I haven't quite applied the know how presented in her book just yet. In fact, I just finished the book! But don't get me wrong. I did start. I did another pass through of my clothes after my initial sweep when setting up my Capsule Wardrobe. and I managed to get 'rid' of a second trash bag amount of clothes. In quotation because they are still sitting on my floor begging to have something done with them, like be turned into clothes for the kids. Or, actually get sent off to GoodWill, which the closest is 22 miles from me. That's a long drive. 

The Method

As I was going through my clothes, my husband kept looking at me like I was crazy. I was talking out loud the process of asking myself "does this make me happy?" I knew what did and what did not. Some things I wasn't so sure about, but this is the process for the book. Why bother, right? How weird. But, I am happier with my clothes that are in my closet than I was before. I feel like the clothes on my floor (that have yet to get taken away) are sad because they have gone so long being unworn. 

But it's more than just clothes. It is everything. She has a list of what items work best in the process of what to go through first, then the rest of the items typically stored in the house. People have created printables for this method even. like this one here...

It seems silly at first. I still feel silly. But I knew, as I was going through my books what brought me joy and what did not. I shouldn't have. It leads to regression, and whatever other reasons you are supposed to stick with the list. But clothes were hard for me because of the repurpose upcycling that I do for the kids. I needed to try somewhere else less sentimental. I put stuff back on the bookcase because the kids asked to read them (not the point!), but I could have cut my books by half had I just done the joy thing and not given another thought to it!

The Author

At first, the book was hard to read. It almost felt like so much background information was given and repeated in the beginning that it nearly dragged. But at the same time you form a connection with the author that would not have taken place otherwise. She comes off as crazy. She even says towards the end that she is eccentric! But what she says makes sense. 

Some Ah-Ha Moments

The basic part of it: The purpose of the item is to be used as it was meant to be used. Clothes to be worn, books to be read, etc. If they are not being worn or being read they are not being used as they were meant to be. Why keep them if someone else may enjoy them or use them as they were meant to be used? There is no point in keeping something just to keep it. It defeats the items purpose.

The two main things that keep us from getting rid of something that does not make us happy are these: 1. We are attached to the past (living in the past) or 2. We are afraid of the future. I have found this to be so true! I miss the way things were in the past and don't want to get rid of something because of that (like a broken chevron car from my grandfather who recently passed away) or afraid of the future (if I get rid of clothes, what will I have to make the clothes for the kids? My budget is based on being able to make things with what I already have).

Everyone needs their own space, their own sanctuary. A place to call their own. 

You can only make the decisions regarding your own things, you cannot decide what brings joy for others

Confused about still

I need to really experience the purging fully to really grasp this part. That all those organizing tools out there are not going to work. They do not address the problem of too much unnecessary stuff. 

I need a video to see what she means for folding clothes and socks.

How to go about doing this with kids. They get into everything as I am working on them. It is not helpful and makes it harder.

Once you go through this you have found the magic click for what works for you and the clutter wont come back.

I know it is going to take me a few more passes over the clothes to really get the hang of it.

What do you think?

Have you read the book or heard of the method? I would love to hear your opinion! 

Are you looking to start a purge of items, or organize your house more? Are there things that you have tried but the clutter keeps coming back? Does this sound like something that would be interesting to look into?

Read a Book: Clutterfree With Kids by Joshua Becker {Book Review}

*This post contains affiliate links. I have not received compensation for this review nor was it requested of me to do so. All opinions are my own.*

I saw someone mention this book, but I cannot remember where. So I decided to pick up a digital copy for the Kindle app on my phone and see what it was about. I know that I could use some help cleaning up, organizing and de-cluttering my home.  Clutterfree with Kids: Change your thinking. Discover new habits. Free your home is about minimalism, not just de-cluttering but about living with less. This book is written by the man behind Becoming Minimalist and his other book Simplify (2.99 for the kindle version right now).   It's about living with simplicity and helping your kids to do so as well.

At first the beginning of the book (the first 1/3) focuses on the benefits of living with less. I know I have accumulated more stuff than necessary. The points that the author makes towards living with less make complete sense. That with less stuff, you spend less time organizing, cleaning, and maintaining said stuff and more time doing things you enjoy doing. I know I would love to spend less time organizing stuff and more time sewing, or playing with my kids!

The chapters are set up nicely with a story that pertains to the subject (toys, pictures, collections, etc) where a person makes a change to live with less. Brief, but gets the point across that there are different reasons for people to take a step towards minimalism. It helps to connect to the process of how to minimize the contents.

Then it gets into the nitty gritty of how to go through things as almost a step by step process. I say almost a step by step process because it is not quite a step by step process. It's more like a series of questions and guidelines to base your needs off of and make your own decisions on how to declutter and de-own. In the section about clothes it mentions project 333 where you limit yourself to 33 articles of clothing for 3 months (don't worry, there are exceptions).  Or the craft room and my fabric supply would be a beneficial place to go through (the opening story for collections is about a knitter and her yarn... close enough!). But, baby steps. I'd rather start with my clothes instead.

As I think about this book, and share my findings with friends, I can only think about the difficulty. Sure, I have started going through and purging damaged items in my sock drawer. I've removed clothing articles that no longer fit me (they are now sitting in a re-purpose pile in the craft room). But, I am horrible at comparison and fall prey to envy often. It's something I am working on.

I still need to get rid of stuff. Several months ago, prior to reading the book, my son and I had a game of tug-o-war about cleaning up toys. After an entire day of making requests, spending time in the corner and more requests, toys got 'taken away'. When this happens, they need to be earned back. Needless to say, most of the toys are not yet earned back. Seriously, that's a lot of toys! And it isn't even all of them!

You can imagine what his room looked like when we took all those toys down and put them in his room. Can we say overwhelmed child?

This took a while. We got a box for trash and a box for toys to get rid of and started going through them. There is probably a lot more toys we can get rid of that are too young for little man, but a baby wipes box full of broken toys and trash and a huge box that held his desk/easel full of baby toys is not too bad.

One of the biggest helps is having a place for toys. we are still working on a designated place for some toys, but now it is not as much of a fight to get him to clean his room. And, he is even earning a commission for it (that is based on another book to be reviewed later).... But seriously, so much better than when we started! Still have a ways to go but already we are feeling better. Even little man is proud of his hard work when he cleans his room.

I probably would have waited to start going through the toys until they were taking over our entire house. Just looking at this picture is giving me motivation to tackle baby girl's room!  We just have so much stuff. But, we are slowly working our way through it all.

With having developed a better way of budgeting, and us working on eliminating debt, I know that stuff is a bit of a road block for us. This book provides a nice stepping stone with questions to ask yourself as a you prepare to make a purchase, tips for controlling clutter like having designated spaces for stuff (I don't think an old fishtank stand counts as in the first picture of little man's toys), and advise for overcoming envy and comparison. It also gives some lee-way and understanding that one person's version of minimalism may not be exactly the same as another person's.

Check out his books Clutterfree with Kids: Change your thinking. Discover new habits. Free your home or his other book Simplify  and tell me what you think. Was it helpful for you?

Here is to working on living simply. Living within our means and working on having our children growing up with a sense of gratitude without a sense of entitlement.

Live Well,

Indoor Fun With Kids: Create your own Bowling Pins (Read and Play)

Monsoon season has started here in the desert. That means lots, and lots, and lots of rain... I love it. It's great. But for the kids, being cooped up in the house all day, all afternoon, day after day... Well... At least we are getting rain. That does not happen all that often. What indoor activities do you do on rainy days?

We have been making good use of our local library and little man loves it. One book we picked up is Mitchell Goes Bowling by Hallie Durand (affiliate). How perfect? I used to work at the local bowling alley for the summer when I was pregnant with him. He hasn't even been to a bowling alley yet!

Amazon affiliate link

I decided (based on some bottle saving a year ago) to make some bowling pins using PediaSure Nutrition Chocolate Drink, 8 oz bottles (affiliate).

Here is our process... There are so many out there, but this is what we did. :)

Once you have drunk the contents (this part took a while as these drinks were a treat), remove the wrapper and wash thoroughly inside and outside. Then dry. I washed them in the dishwasher and let them air dry.

Once they are dry, paint them how you want to paint them. I love these little paints! I used Folk Art Multi Surface Paint, 2-Ounce (affiliate) in licorice, that was what little man picked. Since I was enlisting the assistance from him for the painting, it made sense to him to pick. He wanted to help and loves to paint. Plus this is more for him than anything else. Sure, the lines aren't perfect. Hope you don't mind. ;)

Once the paint is dry, you can add sand or some type of filler to weigh them down. Otherwise they topple over super easily. We decided not to weight them.

Then, set them up and roll a ball to them to knock them down! So much fun! You can mark the spots with tape, or on a cardboard alley. we just played however we set them up.

extension: difficulty at different distances.
pick several different types of balls and make predictions. Which one will knock the pins down easier? Which one will be harder to make it to the pins? etc. Explore and have fun! :)