What I Didn't Do in December...and What I'll Be Doing Next Fall

I've mentioned a couple of times that December was sort of a lost month for me, in many ways. So just in case you were dying to know the extent of the damage, here you go! I've been kind of curious myself, because I keep thinking of things to add to the list! (Hoo boy.)

Things I Didn't Do In December

1. Fill up Advent calendars for the kids.

Oh, I hung them up at the end of the hallway...and that's as far as it got. In past years I've had fun activities to do or leftover Halloween candy, or a mix of both. This year? Nothing. Finally around Dec. 12 my kiddos asked if I was ever going to put something in them. Um....no. I guess not. I handed over the bags of candy saved for this very purpose and told them it was their job to fill them up this year.

2. Put up outside Christmas lights.

This is usually my job and one that I enjoy--at least the results. I don't go too crazy, but generally at least the front porch, railing, and doorframe get done. After a week of tripping over the box, I put it back downstairs in the storage room. Sorry kids. Not this year.

3. Baking or treat making. At all.

[This was last year's Bake-a-Palooza. Fun times.]

Nothing for in-town friends or neighbors. Heck, nothing for us to munch on in the name of holiday indulgences. Nada.

4. Fill up my bird feeders. Poor birds.

5. Wrap presents.

You think I'm kidding. I wrapped the bare minimum for stockings on Christmas Eve, and didn't get the rest done until the night we came back. Literally last minute. (We had 2nd Christmas the next morning, since we didn't bring any presents with us on our trip.)

6. Exercise. Just didn't happen.

7. Blog...much. I put in some effort, but it wasn't much.

8. Volunteer at my kids' schools.  Supposed to happen weekly. Didn't happen at all in December.

9. READ.

You've got to know something's going on, when I could not even make myself sit down and read a book. I did manage to read Christmas picture books to the kids. One saving grace! But for myself--in the 3 weeks before Christmas I read ONE middle grade novel, and it was 3rd in a series that I was already interested in (post on that next month!) The last 2 books in the series were only available on e-audio from the library. Actually, that worked out well. I couldn't bring myself to pay attention to a book, (!) but lying in bed in the dark while someone else read to me? That was about my speed for December.

10. Go grocery shopping.

My husband went instead--bless him!--and I was so grateful I almost cried. Okay, I totally cried. A little.

11. Cook...much.

I managed to keep my people fed, with the help of frozen pizza, cold cereal, and lots of sandwiches. Thanksgiving leftovers helped a lot. My husband and kids helped where they could, too.

With everything that didn't happen this year, there is one very important thing that I managed to do in December--and I'm not talking about getting my Christmas cards sent out (though I am proud of that, considering.)

I survived the 1st trimester of my 4th pregnancy!!

Survived would be a good word for it. That was the most morning sickness I've had so far.
(Still not debilitating, mind you. Thank goodness.)

Which brings me to...

Part 2: What I Will Be Doing Next Fall

Ever since school started this year, I've been thinking about what I will do to fill my time next fall. You see, my youngest will be starting kindergarten and around here it's full-day. I've thought about everything from getting a part-time job, to writing a novel, to planning out my flower farm, to sitting on my couch and reading the day away. Well friends, I guess now I know what I'll be doing!

Actually, it sounds quite heavenly. Snuggling with a new baby in a quiet house? Yes, please! In some ways it will be like having my first again, except this time I will be able to completely enjoy it, without all the first-time mom fears getting in the way.

So, baby #4 will be joining our family at the very end of June. We can hardly wait!

(p.s. The kids are super excited, too!)

Winterizing Your Mind, courtesy of Vivian Swift

I'm going to admit it straight out: January is my least favorite month. The excitement of Christmas is over, and the sudden stillness left in its wake feels deafening. It always feels to me like the year picks up speed from the start of the school year on through to Christmas, then it just stops. I am mostly an introvert, and you would think I would find it peaceful to have some downtime after all the hoopla. I do...for a couple of days. I take down all the Christmas decorations and feel like I can breathe in my living room again. Clear surfaces! Space!

Then I start drumming my fingers. I look outside. Same as before: deep snow and building tops. I read [another] book. I send my children to school and pick them up again. Only 5 1/2 more months to go before school gets out. I usually love school--when I was in it, and now that my kids are in it. Except in January. It just feels like a long, long, road from here to summer, is all I'm saying.

(For some reason, in Fall Semester it seems that we hardly ever have a full month of school, what with all the breaks. In comparison, Spring Semester is just relentless. It's 2 months longer to begin with, and you get very few breaks. Oh sure, there's a 3-day weekend here and there, but other than that, get that nose to the grindstone and good luck.)

I make my resolutions and goals, I put on multiple sweaters, I make soup. I put laminated snowflakes up on all the windows, just to give us all (me) something pretty and interesting to look at. Somehow I get through it every year, but not very gracefully. More like stoically.

So when I encountered this idea of "winterizing your mind" in Vivian Swift's book, I latched on to it. THIS is what I need in January! I'm going to try it. I may even report back at the end of the month. (Scroll down if you don't want to hear about the book first!) It's from her book: When Wanderers Cease to Roam: A Traveler's Journal of Staying Put.

It was one of my Christmas presents, and I was so happy to see it! This is one that has been on my list ever since I happened upon another of hers: Gardens of Awe and Folly.  Like that one, it is all hand-lettered words, with sketches, watercolor paintings, and asides throughout.

So this one--as the title suggests--reads like a journal. It's divided up into months. Each month's section has a timeline page, of sorts, listing various weather events or outings. Then each one also includes little tidbits here and there about enjoying the month you're in, random asides about clothing or neighbors or cats, memories from her travels, important keepsakes, etc. It's just a lot of fun. I sat right down on Second Christmas afternoon and read it cover to cover.

[Um...Second Christmas? Let me sum up: we went to Utah and Idaho for Christmas this year, but we only brought along stockings, because trying to bring everything else would have made us all (okay, mostly my husband and I) crazy. Plus, no room in the van. That meant the day after we got back home again was Second Christmas! Ho ho ho! Opened all the presents and had a "proper breakfast," per my daughter's requirement, although she agreed cereal and scrambled eggs qualified.]

It's quirky, and probably not everybody's cup of tea, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.


So for all of us enduring January rather than enjoying it, I quote from page 5:

How To Winterize Your Mind:

One: See the sun rise and set every day.
The average night is 13 1/2 hours long. We spend most of January in the dark. Don't miss a minute of daylight.

Two: Learn how to draw a tree.
Now is the best time to see what a tree REALLY looks like. Draw one a day.

Three: Put something beautiful in your room so that it's the first thing that you see when you wake up. (She has a list of possibilities. I'm thinking of my own.)

Four: Mend something with your hands.
Sew it, glue it, nail it, FIX IT.

Five: Seahorses, ladybugs, wooly bear caterpillars, and dragonflies do it--HIBERNATE.
Life is but a winter dream.

Today's sunset was worth a very cold moment on the porch with the camera.

What do you do to get through January?

2 Potential Read-Alouds: Nancy & Plum, and The Magic Half

I read both of these as a preview to reading them out loud to my kids. Then December happened, the books became due (despite multiple renewals), and back they went before we ever sat down and read them together.

At least now I know what they're all about. There's always next time!

Nancy and Plum, by Betty MacDonald

3 stars: Two orphaned sisters take matters into their own hands.

Nancy and Plum are two orphans who live at Mrs. Monday's Boarding School. Life is not rosy for these sisters, as they are Mrs. Monday's favorite scapegoats whenever anything goes wrong. They live by their wits most of the time, with a bit of sass thrown in. They're definitely not afraid to tell Mrs. Monday what's what, which as you can imagine, does not do much to further her good graces. They do have an under-the-radar champion: Old Tom, Mrs. Monday's brother, the resident handyman and animal caretaker.

One fateful day they discover that they haven't been as forgotten by their extended family as they had supposed. They find an empty doll box addressed to them, the contents of which they have recently seen in the arms of Mrs. Monday's niece Marybell. That is the last straw. They decide they simply MUST get away from The Boarding School. So begins their adventure.

* * * * *
I think my kids would really enjoy this one. Nancy and Plum are a good balance for each other: Plum being the more impulsive, reckless (or brave, depending on your point of view) one, and Nancy a bit more timid but still willing to jump into any scheme.

The ending is warm and happy, but with enough obstacles along the way to cast into doubt a time or two.

(Finished reading Nov. 18.)

The Magic Half, by Annie Barrows

3 stars: A time-travel friendship, twins, and trouble.

Miri is unique. Well, her whole family is unique. There are 2 sets of twins with her in the middle: brothers older, sisters younger. The only sibling without a built-in partner, Miri often feels unnoticed, left out, or unimportant. When the family moves to an old farmhouse she gets her own room, for better or worse.

One day she discovers a way to travel back in time to 1935. Same house. There she finds another girl her same age named Molly. Molly's life is much worse than Miri's. Molly has an abusive adoptive family to put up with. Her older brother, in particular, is cruel and takes delight in terrorizing Molly. Miri wants to help Molly, but can't figure out how to make the magic work the way she wants it to. Before anything gets resolved, Miri finds herself back in her own time, but now she has a purpose: finding out more about Molly and trying to figure out how to save her.

* * * * *
Another one by Annie Barrows! I enjoyed this one, but I don't think I'm going to read it out loud to my kids. I think it would be too much for my daughter and youngest son, for sure. From what I can remember, Molly's physical abuse happens offscreen, but Miri overhears verbal abuse. Molly has bruises to show for her brother's treatment of her and truly fears for her life (with good reason, as it turns out.)

The resolution to Molly's perilous situation was well-done and satisfying, and the ending for both girls was truly magical. I just don't know that all the ending stuff would overcome the creeping anxiety from the middle part of the book. At least not for my younger two, and I don't know that my oldest son would be interested.

I will keep it in my for later on down the road, though. I found out on Amazon just now there is a sequel to this one as well, titled Magic in the Mix.

(Finished reading Nov. 25.)


* * * * *
What potential read-alouds have you come across lately?

2 LDS Fiction Titles: A Heart Revealed & Lord Fenton's Folly, by Josi Kilpack

Every so often I enjoy dipping into the world of Regency romances, particularly when I've got a lot going on in real life demanding thought, careful planning, or loads of time. They're totally candy reads, and at times, they are exactly what I want.

Incidentally, though these two are sold through the LDS (Mormon) market, they don't have any mention or hint of Mormonism in them. (That would be very awkward and unlikely, anyway, given the time period and setting, but thought I would mention it in case you were curious.) What I like about reading romances through LDS publishers is that I can pick them up, knowing they will be clean.

There was a handful of overlapping characters between the two.

A Heart Revealed, by Josi S. Kilpack

3 stars: Unique plot.

In a society where what matters most is physical beauty, Amber is on top and means to stay there. She has her pick of men at the balls and is almost set to make a very advantageous match. Then she experiences a devastating event--for some reason, her hair begins to fall out and thin. It's not long before her prospects follow suit, and one devastating ball crushes all her hopes.

Instead of earning her mother's approval (finally), she is now officially the family embarrassment, and gets packed off to a tiny cottage far from the reaches of society and any further chances to ruin her parent's reputation. All of a sudden, she must find out if there is more to herself than what was on the outside.

* * * * *
This was fascinating to me on a medical level. I've read one other book about a child's experience with alopecia areata--an autoimmune diseasing where your body destroys your own hair follicles, causing patchy or overall hair loss--but this was the first featuring an adult protagonist. Then to set it in the Regency era, with its intense focus on outer image made it all the more interesting. I thought Kilpack did a good job imagining how such a thing would be received--or not--back then.

I was lukewarm about Amber herself, although I suppose to show significant growth she had to start pretty low. Likewise, the romance didn't draw me in very much. Amber's maid was the true heroine of the story: honest, loyal, and self-sacrificing.

(Finished reading Nov. 19)

Lord Fenton's Folly, by Josi S. Kilpack

3 stars: A mismatch that may over time become true love.

Lord Fenton lives to get under his father's skin, which means the more outrageously he dresses, flirts, and spends money, the better. What he doesn't expect is a comeuppance. After all, Father still holds the reins. Unless he wants to be disinherited completely, Lord Fenton must clean up his act and begin behaving responsibly. As much as it galls him, he decides to do it for the sake of his mother. Unfortunately, there is one other condition to his reprieve: he must get married. It's an item on an infuriating checklist, and he takes his mother's first suggestion without batting an eye.

Meanwhile, Alice has known Lord Fenton since he was boy, and has always had a crush on him. When he proposes, she can hardly believe it! However, as time goes on, it becomes more and more apparent that his heart is not in their relationship. As in, he is actively avoiding her. When she discovers the truth--that he proposed simply to fulfill a requirement--her heart is broken, but her resolve is not. She will not be made the fool of, even if means packing away her fondest hopes and trading them for a marriage of convenience and insults.

* * * * *
Lord Fenton's complete lack of respect for his father translates into lack of respect for himself and others, unfortunately. Not until his engagement to Alice does he begin to see beyond himself and his issues a bit, but it takes quite some time. In fact, it doesn't happen at all in London--it takes removal to one of the family's country estates, where shocking family secrets come to light.

As you might infer here, I didn't like the leading man all that much. He was selfish and immature through most of the book. Alice was slightly better. At least her bitterness and resulting actions were covering up a genuinely broken heart. It was satisfying to see them both make some needed changes and growth towards the end.

(Finished reading Nov. 22)

* * * * *
Almost caught up with last year's books! More reviews coming soon!

Series Spotlight: Ivy + Bean, by Annie Barrows

This is a series my 1st grader and I have been enjoying together. I found them when I was looking up Annie Barrows, having read 2 of her adult books: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, and The Truth According to Us. I had no idea she also wrote middle grade fiction!

They are right on target for my 7-year-old's reading level and the situations are things she can relate to, as well. There are usually 11 or 12 short chapters, with plenty of lively illustrations by Sophie Blackall--1-2 pictures per 2-page spread. We read the first one together to introduce her to the series. Since then, she has read some completely on her own, and we have taken turns with some of the others.

Probably the best part is that they're funny! At one point, as my daughter was reading on her own, she started laughing so much she could hardly explain what was happening. Always a good sign!

Luckily for all of us, there are many (many) books in the series.

Here's a sampling of what we've read so far:

Book 1: Ivy + Bean

Ivy and Bean are second graders, and next-door neighbors who never meant to be best friends. To tell you the truth, Bean had always pegged Ivy as completely boring and possibly weird. Despite her mother's suggestions to make friends, Bean always resisted...until the day she got into a rather tight spot and Ivy came to her rescue with an ingenious plan. That sealed it. They have been friends ever since.

* * * * *
Read this one first if you possibly can. You could get by without it, but it's a great introduction to the series, and some later references will make a lot more sense if you've got this one under your belt. The rest can be read in any order.

Book 3: Ivy + Bean: Break the Fossil Record

Ivy and Bean's second grade classroom has become obsessed with world records! Everyone wants to break one--after all, how hard could it really be to balance spoons on your face, or eat a whole bunch of M&M's? Ivy and Bean are desperate to be the first world record breakers in their class. After a few (rather unfortunate) false starts, they decide to become the world's youngest paleontologists. Bring on the shovels!

Book 6: Ivy + Bean: Doomed to Dance

After reading a book about ballet, Ivy and Bean are absolutely certain that they must become ballet dancers. After some begging and pleading, they get to join a class--on the condition that they have to stick it out for the entire 4-month session. No quitting. They are not worried at all. Piece of cake! Until the first lesson, that is. Oh boy. This was not exactly what they had in mind. Only 15 lessons to go...unless they can figure out a way to get out of it.

Book 7: Ivy + Bean: What's the Big Idea?

It's Science Fair time, and Ivy and Bean are partners. Their classroom's theme is global warming. Try as they might, the girls can't think of a project that has to do with global warming. Until they get a brilliant idea...

Book 8: Ivy + Bean: No News is Good News

The latest thing in the second grade is Belldeloon cheese. Well, perhaps it would be more accurate to say the packaging of Belldeloon cheese is the newest craze. You see, each individual portion is wrapped in red wax that can be used for all sorts of things. Ivy and Bean are determined to get their hands on some! Unfortunately, neither of their mothers will buy it for them. It costs $5 for a small package. So they need $10.

Actually, what they really need is a money-making scheme. Pronto! After a discussion with Bean's dad, they decide on just the thing: they will write a neighborhood newspaper and sell subscriptions. All there is left to do is snoop around and find out some news-worthy things to write about.

Book 10: Ivy + Bean: Take the Case

Ivy and Bean, girl detectives, are determined to solve all the neighborhood's mysteries. If only they can find some. Surely there must be something mysterious and unexplained happening on their street. They even get the neighbor kids involved. Just when it seems they leave on the most boring street in the entire world, a genuine mystery comes along. Who better to take the case?




* * * * *
Though the protagonists are girls, I think the quirky situations and humor would draw boys in, as well. Have you read these? Any favorites we should be sure not to miss?

3 (and a half) Delicious Snow Treats

We have had more and more snow here in Eastern Washington!

Barely visible vegetable garden terraces.

We have at least 2 feet in our back yard, deeper where it has drifted.

It makes the trees look shorter, when the snow goes so far up the trunk!

In front, due to shoveling or snowblowing to clear the driveway, my entire bottom 2 terraces are completely buried.

Garden? What garden?

Driveway view: the wall of snow.

You can see a few echinacea tops peeking out, and the tops of the shrubs, but that's about it.

Cherry tree buried up to its branches.

The kids have loved playing in it!

They've been out almost every day, even with temperatures this week in the single digits.

I...have mostly stayed inside where it's warm.

However, I have managed to make one valuable contribution to the snowy days fun:

snow ice cream.

You know it!

When Mom says its okay to eat snow, then you know good things are happening!

This stuff is gooood. Sometimes in the summer I think about it, wistfully.

So after your next snowstorm, do yourself a favor and mix up some of this!

* * * * *

Snow Ice Cream

1 C. Milk

1/3 C. Sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

4-5 C.  freshly fallen, clean snow

1.  Bring a bowl outside and scoop up 4-5 cups of fresh, clean snow. If you're not making the ice cream right away, but want to insure the cleanliness of your snow, either put it in the freezer, or put a covering on it and leave right outside your door until needed. 

2.  Mix together milk, vanilla, and sugar, stirring until sugar is dissolved.

3.  Slowly add the snow to your mixture, stirring constantly, until it is as thick as ice cream. Chill in the freezer for 30 minutes and then take it out and enjoy!

* * * * 

When you're ready to take it to the next level, try this variation:

Fancy Snow Ice Cream

1 C. cream

1/3 C. sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 T. instant vanilla pudding mix

crushed Oreos, to taste

6 + 4 C. clean snow

1.  Stir ingredients together, using the 6 C. clean snow, until it is a thick, milkshake-like mixture.

2.  Cover the bowl and set it out in the snow for 15 minutes.

3.  Mix in about 4 more cups of snow, until it is thick, and ready to eat.

From: http://almostunschoolers.blogspot.com/2010/12/new-and-improved-snow-ice-cream.html

I haven't tried these last two yet, but I have no doubts they will be just as well received.

Hey, the month is still young!

Maple Snow Candy

1 C. 100% pure maple syrup

¼ C. unsalted butter

a clean patch of snow

1.  Place syrup, butter, and a candy thermometer into a saucepan and place over medium heat, making sure that you stir constantly.

2.  Keep boiling and stirring until your thermometer reaches a temperature of 220 degrees Fahrenheit.

3.  Remove the pot from the heat and let it sit for a minute or two and then find a nice clean patch of snow and pour. You can wind the candy around popsicle sticks for easier eating.

Fresh Snow Slushies

Fruit juice

Freshly fallen snow

Small containers to hold the slushies and spoon

Scoop some clean white snow into a cup or small jar. Pour fruit juice over and enjoy!

* * * * *

C'mon, no holding out on me!

What other recipes do you have for snowy goodness?

(After all, if you can't beat it, EAT IT!)

Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo

This book was a standout read in late November. A good one to read just prior to the Christmas season, to inspire me to serve who I can.

Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity, by Katherine Boo
National Book Award for Nonfiction (2012)
Pulitzer Prize Nominee for General Nonfiction (2013)

4 stars: A moving portrayal of life in the slums of India.

Abdul Hussain is a Muslim teenager and resident of Annawadi, a shanty town on the edge of Mumbai's airport. He makes a living for his family sorting garbage tossed out by the rich people living in the hotels close to the airport, and recycling items for sale. He doesn't speak much but feels the weight of his responsibility to his younger siblings keenly. Unfortunately, he is on the run.

You see, there was bad trouble with the Hussains' neighbor Fatima. Fatima of the one-leg, who recently died due to complications from self-immolation, and blamed it on the Hussains. They never did get along, and now her vengeance is about to tip their tenuous existence over the edge. Everyone is corrupt, everyone has a price. For the poverty-stricken Hussains, like every other citizen of their settlement, almost any price is too much.

* * * * *
This is not just the story of Fatima and the Hussains, though they remain a common thread running through the narrative. Boo also brings to light the lives of several other people in Annawadi. It's a different world, the contrast to the lives of the wealthy made even more glaring by the expensive hotels and state-of-the-art airport on the borders of their little town. The struggle to break free from their life in Annawadi and the varied forms that may take. The deck permanently stacked against them.

It was heart-wrenching. I couldn't put it down.

Sometimes I get too comfortable in my American middle-class world. Books like this help bring me up short, and remind me of all the privileges I enjoy every day. It was a reminder of my responsibility to use what I have to make the world around me better. Even if I can't help the Hussains, there are those within my sphere that I can and must help.

Content: There's some language, and Boo doesn't shy away from any of the situations faced by the Annwadians, from prostitution to suicide. For older teens and adults.

(Finished reading Nov. 29.)