Book-Geek

There were definitely some amazing quotes in this book. I follow Glennon Doyle on Twitter and find her to be a source of joy, clarity, and strength. I didn't really appreciate the extremes in her story. I recognize she can't change them. It is just something I can't relate to and didn't enjoy reading about. It did remind me that even people brought up in a loving home with privilege still go off course and that life is hard for us humans.  There was one point that I truly disagreed with and that is her refusal to do what it takes to maintain a friendship. There was one part that she mentions not liking texting because of the obligatory back and forth and I was like...That is called a conversation. Goodreads

Change doesn't usually bother me but I detest shopping on a good day so I am sure this is why I have been so reluctant to change in the past.  Online shopping is so convenient.  I like researching and reading reviews, (even though I realize that most of them are being incentivized to do so).  This pandemic has opened my eyes to how far I have sold out and gotten away from my values.  Change here we come! When the kids were little, I worked very part-time from home.  I then stayed home for five years, focusing on our family and trying to save money wherever I could.  I embraced my inner college student.  If I wanted something, I wrote it on a list.  If I still wanted it by the time payday came, I would go buy it, (at a thrift store if at all possible).  The kids are older now, their needs seem immediate.  I'm not just talking candy, soda, and chips.  If one of them needs underwear, I just go online, find the brand I bought them last ...

This past weekend was Memorial Day.  There was no parade.  My husband went to put flags on tombstones because the kids couldn't.  I read The Tattooist of Auschwitz . We relaxed our defenses a bit and went for a long bike ride with the kids.  I actually took my daughter to the fabric store to buy a ton of fabric to make masks.  A friend sent me this video:   video of awesome face mask .  I tweaked it a bit and now use t-shirt material for the ear elastic and it is so much more comfortable! My daughter also moved out to our screened-in porch for the summer.  I sleep out there when I want to be up half the night and don't care if I can't walk the next day.  It is all worth it when she wakes up with a huge smile on her face and says good morning. It has been incredibly hot so I have been working a ton because my kids are being slugs.  I did manage to get the paddleboards in the water the other day.  It was so hot, humid, and buggy,...

The kids were done last Friday.  I go back June 8th.  This is a weird time where I am encouraging them to just relax and enjoy this time, while I am frantically trying to pack in hours from home.  I think some re-evaluation is in order.  I am going to dial it back and be more available for them before I go back to work but what am I going to do?  I suppose we could blow bubbles or draw with chalk in the driveway.  Teenagers love that stuff right? My daughter is so bored already that she made an indoor mini golf course all over the house.  It is very fun but walking around has become a bit of a death trap.  My son mowed the lawn and went for a bike ride, (26 miles).  They are both a chip off the old block in that they don't idle well. We don't want them to get jobs as we don't feel it is worth the health risk.  They will be taking online classes over the summer but what else are they going to do to take up their time?  I can tell you...

My husband informed me that we, meaning I, had 22 Amazon purchases last month.  I got a little sick to my stomach at the thought that I had purchased that much and from a company that is supposedly so awful.  In my defense, (as if I have to defend myself) I thought the items would just ship whenever.  I honestly didn't know that people were working overtime to ship out my vitamins or face serum.  Most of the purchases were things that I already purchase from them, sad, or get at Walmart, embarrassing. Since it is so hard to find answers to anything other than a simple baking question on the internet, I decided to do some, you guessed it, internet research to either ease my heavy heart or force myself to wake up and do the socially responsible shopping that my laziness and anxiety have prevented me from doing.  This is what I found. In an editorial in The Augusta Chronicle from May 16th, 2 days ago, nothing nice was said about Amazon.  Apparently, they are p...

The right type of boredom is actually good for you.  I have been reading about it since I became a parent.  Unfortunately for me, when my son gets bored, something gets taken apart, cut down, dug up, or otherwise adds stress and a crap ton of work to my life.  He is crazy creative and motivated but balance is not in his vocabulary.  Yeah yeah first world problems... Yesterday was immensely productive.  My whole family worked all day on a project that involved picking up a wheelbarrow full of rocks, putting down about a half a yard of loam, putting the rocks back, seeding the loam, and moving two rain barrels into place while trying to make them aesthetically pleasing as possible.  I roasted a chicken and we ate a late lunch on the deck.  The weather was amazing and so as anyone who lives in New England knows, if the weather is good, one must take advantage of it.  We absolutely took advantage of it!  My husband and I even managed to go work o...

As the weather gets nicer, it is easier to get outside and do different things such as yard work and long walks but it is also more enticing to get together with friends. Yesterday was a bit windy but my friend came over with her daughter and we walked for miles while the girls hung out and did what teenage girls do, (show each other pictures and videos on their phones).  We were not wearing masks and we weren't six feet apart at all times but we were outside.  It felt amazing!  It felt almost normal except there were no hugs goodbye.  If there is one thing I am going to miss after this is all over, it is hugging.  No one will be touching again ever and it makes me a little sad. A friend is coming over today to pick up a couple of chickens. We will be wearing masks because chicken wrangling is a full contact sport.  We will have coffee outside and it will be glorious!  My zoom friends discussed walking in lieu of chatting once a week and I am totally d...