Eat, Read, and Be Mommy

I have been productive–I promise! In addition to taking my son to therapy, my furnace filter has been changed, a great deal of cleaning up and organizing has happened in my bedroom, my dishes are done, and a goodly portion of my Finch goals completed. It’s true that I wish I had it in me to write a book review–AND that I wish Marshy were already in his cage for the night–but I suppose we can’t have everything. And give this recipe a try, if you’d like–I used evaporated milk for the cream and 2 8-oz cans of tomato sauce, and with some Italian cheese and Balsamic drizzle on top, it was a hit!

Creamy Tomato Tortellini

The local news station says it’s 102 out there, which is why I’m sitting at the computer with some frozen chocolate-covered-raspberries and a big glass of water. My deep freeze may or may not be dead, I still have no oven, and my phone screen is cracked–but my AFR is done, so I’m surviving. (That AFR took up a fair amount of time yesterday, but at least my son and his friend boxed and unboxed all of our no-longer-really-frozen food out of our freezer and into three different freezers in our neighborhood. We have a nice neighborhood–maybe not fancy-nice, but definitely the kind of nice that counts.)

Anyway. On to my first book review in a bit, right? I finished listening to Sarah Adams’ The Match on Friday as we drove home from Idaho–or, more specifically, as my oldest drove home and I vegged in the passenger seat. I wouldn’t actually recommend listening to it over reading it, to be honest–I didn’t love the male narrator, and when you actually TALK about southern accents multiple times over the course of the book, narrators WITH southern accents (or narrators who can credibly fake them) would seem indicated, right? The story, however, is fun. Evie has epilepsy and works for the service dog organization that gave her a level of freedom she hadn’t imagined possible; Jake’s daughter has epilepsy and sets up an appointment for him to meet with Evie without telling him. That first meeting doesn’t go well; the story thereafter, however, is cozily predictable. Evie’s parents are rich and hope to financially manipulate her into living the life they want her to live, while Jake’s ex-wife routinely flakes on time with their daughter (and has quite the Linda-from-“The-Wedding-Singer” moment late in the book). There are definitely extremes here–both the parents and the ex-wife are a little too villainous at times–but if you’re looking for a comfortably happy ending and likeable leads, The Match makes for a solid life-is-stressful-so-my-reading-choices-need-NOT-to-be experience.

I’m rather looking forward to the sequel.

You can say that again, folks. I’ve finished at least two of the audiobooks Goodreads has me currently reading, but it’s 7:42 and there’s just no way I’m reviewing tonight. So–let’s sum up the last week or so instead!

1. We left for Idaho on Sunday the 14th. My oldest drove the second half of the drive, and as long as I didn’t concentrate too hard on what she was doing, it was quite nice. (She’s not a bad driver, I’m just easily spooked.)
2. She had a rough day before we left, which was scary, but she seems to be doing well.
3. The day before we left was crazy–she went to a baptism, the three younger kids had their piano recital, my niece and her family came to that and stayed to visit with us for a while afterwards, and there was a ward baptism that the older girls and I went to.
4. Idaho went pretty well. I took each of the kiddos out to lunch one on one, which was nice.
5. My youngest said her Waffle Love was “pure deliciousness.”
6. My older three got to go to the temple, and so did I.
7. My older girls got to float down the Boise River with cousins.
8. My kids got to see “Inside Out 2” with family; I stayed home with the 3- and 1-year-olds.
9. My youngest got to have private swimming lessons with her cousin, which went beautifully well.
10. Evening walks in the summer are totally bearable when you soak your shirt before you leave.
11. My older girls watched–and enjoyed–“Return to Me” with me, although I took my walk in the middle.
12. I had a nice birthday, overall.
13. We made it home safely Friday night and my oldest again drove the second half of the way.
14. Despite the icky construction traffic.
15. The big girls are off to FSY and I’m home with the littles this week.
16. I’m also trying to finish up the PTA financial year. I just want to be DONE.
17. Okay, that’s it for now. Have a good night all!

Or trying, anyway. Today, for example, the kids finally had their piano recital–and they all did so well! Hallelujah! And my niece and her family came to visit for a bit, and I did ALL THE LAUNDRY…yeah. Friday I really meant to post, except that it took ALL my mental energy to work on my PTA sales tax refund, and on, and on, and on…

So. I’m taking the week off to be with family, because FAMILY, and then we’ll see how I do. Wish me luck surviving July!

Just as far as sleep goes, though. Reunions with my hubby’s side of the family are fun and chill, but it’s not like any of us get to bed on time! Highlights include–me actually winning the macaroni and cheese contest (it was the ham, I’m sure, but I do always make it that way), lots and lots and lots of games, a pickleball tournament (I made it to the second round on the strength of my teenage boy partner), lots of snacks and soda and food in general, and did I mention lots of games? I didn’t even make it down to the lake, but I did take a couple of morning walks, during which I surprised a number of chipmunks and one jackrabbit. I’ve also decided that I quite like having my food assignment over with in the first 24 hours, and I have to thank my early-rising brother-in-law for his help, because my hubby had been SO sore over the previous 48 hours that I just let him sleep. (My son and I could’ve managed, but it was nice to have the extra pair of hands!) We got back on the 4th and my littles got to go to a BBQ at their friends’ house–a conveniently (for us) spaced brother and sister–before we sent everyone to bed early. (Including me. Sadly, my hubby had a harder time falling asleep.)

In other news, we celebrated July birthdays in Clearfield yesterday, with ice cream and toppings for my son and angel food cake with strawberries and whipped cream for me. (Also a lemon cheese-cake-y dessert for my in-town brother-in-law and a homemade German chocolate cake for my mother-in-law that my sister-in-law made. The latter was especially tasty…) This morning was back to work for my hubby and back to summer things for the kids and me; also back to my blog, right? And since I finished a graphic novel last night, that’s obviously the review you get from me today.

I honestly can’t remember when Matt Tavares’ Hoops popped up on my radar; the fact that it’s based on a true story, however, as well as the kind of true story it’s based on, immediately sucked me in. 1976 may have been before I was born, but both of my siblings were alive, and the reality of what life was like for girls playing high school sports is always sobering to consider. On the other hand, the difference young people can make, when given half a chance–that’s inspiring. Tavares based his book on the Warsaw High Girl’s Basketball team, and he interviewed three of its members while writing it. This is history, and it matters–AND it’s packaged in a graphic novel that’s engaging and not terribly text-heavy. If you have kids–if you like sports–really, if you live in the world–you should just read it.

I mean, I know how it happened. It happens every other year–I get so caught up in planning for the family reunion that I space the whole BIRTHDAY SHOPPING FOR MY SON thing. Now he’ll be 12 day after tomorrow and, well–we’ll be celebrating later.

Also, I’m taking the week off because family reunion. Have a great 4th of July!

I delayed a day sort of on purpose, because I spent Thursday doing housework and sweating over my treasurer’s reports with Britt’s help, and yesterday cleaning the living room with the kids, going to Costco, and doing odds and ends of things. AND I finished Jamie Sumner’s The Summer of June last night, so I can now review that for you. And it was good.

(I’m pretty sure Cynthia DiDonato would not appreciate those two sentences in a row beginning with ‘and’. If she’s no longer alive, she’s probably rolling in her grave, but hey–it’s Saturday, and realistically, standards are looser.)

June Delancey starts off her summer by shaving her head–but only because she pulls hair out when she’s anxious. Having no hair to pull out, however, doesn’t make the anxiety go away, and even though when her mom sees her, she shaves her own head in solidarity, she’s still having a rough time coping. And when she meets a few new people who want to befriend her, June is resistant, especially since a couple of her mom’s past boyfriends have made it even harder for an already anxious girl to trust people. Still, as she struggles through her choices, she eventually discovers a healthy coping mechanism, a few more ‘safe people’, and courage she’d only hoped she possessed.

I really enjoyed this one, especially since the last Sumner novel I read was a little less my thing. I have more than one child struggling with anxiety, and while they don’t (KNOCK ON WOOD) struggle quite as badly as June, Sumner’s message of compassion and healthy strategies for dealing with whatever issues we face is still a deeply relevant one. If you love someone with anxiety–especially a child–you should read this book.

That’s tonight for you, folks. I recognize that it’s already close to 9:30, but I went to the Layton temple with family this morning and spent most of the rest of the day running kids around and completing errands. (SO HOT…) When I finished my scripture study, however, I turned to Booki Vivat’s Meet Me on Mercer Street, since I was close to done with it, and thus, you have a review today. Lucky you!

My now-14-year-old and I read Booki Vivat’s ‘Frazzled’ series years ago, when it was new; we both enjoyed it, but until recently, I hadn’t seen anything else by Vivat at our library. Mercer Street came out this year, however, and I promptly used up a precious (read–possibly not even really available) hold space for it. (It’s a fast read, though, so my kiddos should sail through it.) What did I think of it? Honestly, I’m having a hard time quantifying it. I really enjoyed the feel of it–I love it when a neighborhood truly has a sense of community–and yet, from an adult’s perspective, the plot’s a bit uneven. Kacie comes back from a summer with cousins to find that her best friend is gone–another family is living in her apartment and everything–and the store her family owned is being replaced by a soulless chain (my words, but accurate). The way the adults around her are acting, it’s clear there’s something bigger going on, but what? Being an adult myself, the answer is pretty obvious; on the other hand, Kacie’s feelings and thought processes may thoroughly resonate with the book’s intended age group. It’s got a format like the ‘Emmie & Friends’ series–a heavily illustrated novel interspersed with pages of true graphic novel panels–and the message is a nice one. I’ll be interested to see how it goes over with my kiddos, but even though I was aware pretty early on that my not being the intended audience was a drawback, I still enjoyed this one.

I mean–to be fair, my niece and her hubby and kiddos–who are 1 and barely 4–stayed with us on Friday and Saturday nights and went to church with us on Sunday, so we were getting ready for guests last week. And with my older girls gone to girls’ camp, I had no buffers between my 9 and 11-year-olds, who pretty much can’t stop fighting this summer. The older girls got home Friday, my sister and parents got in Thursday, and Thursday evening was my sister-in-law’s birthday, and she just happened to be in Utah for it (even though she lives in Hawaii), which meant a drive to Clearfield. Add to that an impromptu hike with friends, a temple appointment, and a day spent at that friend’s house?

It was legitimately a busy week.

Also, Saturday was my great-nephew’s birthday party–remember how he’s “barely” 4?–so we were gone for much of the afternoon, and then we tended the kiddos that night while my niece and her hubby went to a concert, and their overtired 1-year-old DID NOT ENJOY me giving her a bath. (LOUDLY.) We survived, though, and played a new game on Sunday, and today my sister and I went out to lunch and my parents came to dinner. Tomorrow my son leaves for young men’s camp–he can’t fight with his sister(s) from there, right?–and my car’s supposed to get fixed, so there’s that. Maybe I’ll manage to finish a book, too…

Tuesdays and Thursdays, that is? I guess we’ll see…

Anyway. Our Father’s Day was discombobulated, because after going to our church we hightailed it north to see two of my nephews speak at their church; one just completed a service mission for our church, while the other is leaving on a proselyting mission to Argentina today. And yesterday? I mostly had a very slow start, and the rest of the day continued in the same vein. I used up what energy I had taking care of the last PTA check I’ll ever have to write (knock on wood) and cutting up a watermelon with a bruised side, courtesy of my 11-year-old son standing on it. (Picture eyeroll emoji here.)

Today my littles and I are meeting friends at the park, since my 14-year-old left for Girl’s Camp yesterday (she was on the youth planning committee) and my oldest left this morning. (I’m pondering Taco Tuesday for dinner.) Since that’s not until more like 11, however, I have time to review Angela Cervantes’ Lety Out Loud, which I ended up reading aloud with my 14-year-old. It’s a Pura Belpre (picture an accent over that last “e”) Author Honor book from several years ago, which is why it was on my radar; I picked up a cheap copy at a library sale, I think, and my girlie picked it from the group of choices I presented to her last time we were starting a new book.

Here’s the thing–I think she really enjoyed it, while I thought it was, you know, good. Lety and her friends are thoroughly likeable, and the idea of volunteering at an animal shelter worked well for a setting; the conflict worked as well, although the turnaround by the end was possibly unrealistically positive. I think my problem is just that I wanted more, you know? A little more depth, a little more background, a little more detail in general…you get the idea. And yet, it was certainly enough for its target audience. I suppose the bottom line is this–animal-loving kids will really like this one, but it’s not a must-read for an adult reading on his or her own, partly because it skews a little young. Beyond that, you’ll have to be the judge!