Eat, Read, and Be Mommy

Honestly? Our Christmas was lovely. The kiddos were thrilled, we spent time with family and played games–we are blessed. The days after Christmas, of course, find the kiddos squabbling and the house a bit of a disaster, but as of yesterday at 4, those kiddos are at Grandma’s house and my hubby and I are enjoying an anniversary stay-cation. (Well, I am. He does have to go to work today.) My docket for today includes deleting a whole ton of emails (because that situation isn’t pretty), going through pictures on my phone so those can be deleted, and reviewing books I’ve finished this year but haven’t gotten to yet. Which is why we’re here…

So. I finished reading The Distance Between Me and the Cherry Tree aloud to my 14-year-old the other day, and while it had plenty of sad parts, I think we both enjoyed it. After all, you know going in that Mafalda is going blind, so you’re prepared for much (although not all) of the sadness, right? And there are moments of hilarity plus a few good friends. Ultimately, this is a valuable read for anyone enduring (or preparing to endure) a significant trial. (And it’s got a cat!) I picked it up because it was a Batchelder Honor book in 2020–that’s the annual award for outstanding children’s books published outside the US and translated into English–and I’m glad I did. Let me know what you think!