BOOKS I FINISHED - FEBRUARY 2020

*****

Before I Let You Go, written by Kelly Rimmer

Two sisters, one a physician who's about to get married and the other a talented writer with a drug addiction, have to navigate their new reality when they discover there's a drug-addicted baby on the way. Written in alternating voices of the sisters, the story walks you through the closeness the two shared as young girls living through loss, life-changing circumstances of their childhood, and their adult relationship, which was complicated by addiction. A story of love in the midst of brokenness, this novel also makes one think about how our country, and particularly our justice system, treats mothers who are drug addicts. It's a problem with no easy answers, but so much at stake.

p. 141, "Twinkle, twinkle, little star, do you know how loved you are? In the morning, in the night, I'll love you with all my might. Twinkle, twinkle, little star, do you know how loved you are?"

p. 261, "I'll do better. I promise."

"No, Lexie, I want you to do worse," Sam says gently. "I want you to stumble and let me pick you up. I want you to tell me the load is too heavy and let me carry some of it. I don't want you to superwoman me out of your life."

A note from the author - Most of all, I hope that her story reminds you that a person with an addiction is not a label or a problem to be solved: the individual is someone's sibling, someone's child, someone's beloved uncle. Addiction is ugly, but its victims each have a story and a life that matters.


*****

Educated, written by Tara Westover

This memoir was written by a woman raised by parents with an intense distrust of the government and a commitment to a survivalist lifestyle. Wanting more education and opportunities than were offered at home, as well as needing to get away from a physically abusive brother, she moved away for college in what would have been her junior year of high school. Her story is disturbing and fascinating, heart-breaking and inspiring. It's a stark reminder that life is messy, relationships can be complicated, and sometimes it's hard to know the right thing to do. Although it's not realistic, I'd love to hear each of her siblings' perspectives of what their childhood and early adulthood was like, as well as her parents' description of the same time period.


*****

No-Drama Discipline: The Whole-Brain Way to Calm the Chaos and Nurture Your Child's Developing Mind, written by Daniel J. Siegel, M.D. and Tina Payne Bryson, Ph.D.

Coming from the basis that discipline means to instruct, Siegel and Bryson give lots of information about what's going on in our kids' developing brains, practical suggestions for how to focus on strengthening relationships in the midst of poor behavior, and reminders that connecting with your kids doesn't mean forsaking your authority or expectations. I appreciate that they acknowledge there's no one right way to handle various parenting issues and that every parent will blow it sometimes. Progress, not perfection, seems like a good way to describe their approach.

*****

The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child's Developing Mind, written by Daniel J. Siegel, M.D. and Tina Payne Bryson, Ph.D.

I read this book before their one about discipline, but there's a lot of overlap between the two. With catchy phrases to help you remember whichever strategies you want to work on in your own home, they give plenty of information, illustrations, and real life examples to help you out.

*****

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THANKFUL THURSDAY

I'm thankful for all that public libraries offer - books (paper, audio, digital), movies (disk, streaming), magazines (print, digital), board games, rooms for quiet study, concerts and other performances, outreach programs to the housebound and elderly, puzzles, helpful classes on a variety of topics, summer reading programs, toys, guest speakers, space for group events, story time for toddlers, community service (blood drives, tax help), art displays, and more. What's something that you're thankful for?

TWO SATURDAYS WITH GIRL TIME

I was able to spend the first two Saturdays of the month having some girl time. So fun! 

The first Saturday Kit hosted a tea for several gals who sit near her at church. Most had met or knew each other, but some were introduced that day. We couldn't all fit in a picture together, so we split into two groups. First was Mindi, me, Michelle, and Corrine. 

Next was Kit, Tami, and Cathy.

It was great to spend time eating and chatting, just getting to know each other better. I really appreciate Kit's desire to connect with other gals at church and her hospitality in hosting a gathering.

The following Saturday Heidi was in town and invited some friends to hang out before she drove home. The day started with Heidi, Thea, me, and Toni.

Faith was able join us a while later, just in time for a tasty lunch at Choza. Let me just mention here that I ordered churro bites as a dessert and they were amazing. So delicious!! In fact, the rest of the crew decided to split an order of their own and we all made sure the dipping bowls were wiped clean. 

I've been friends with this crew for 14 years and love opportunities to spend time together. It was awesome to spend several hours shopping (which is always entertaining for us, even when we don't buy anything), talking about the ups and downs of life, and laughter.

Pretty great start to the month!

WILLAMETTE MISSION STATE PARK - FEBRUARY 2020

The little Ws and I headed out for a spontaneous hike at Willamette Mission State Park after breakfast this morning. We've been there many times, but Devon pulled into a different parking lot than usual and we walked a trail we'd never been on before. 

Such a gorgeous day!

THANKFUL THURSDAY

I'm thankful for sales, coupons, and good customer service at Sherwin-Williams. What's something that you're thankful for?

SANDWICHES & SCIENCE

Tim went through Exquisite Creatures more slowly than the rest of our crew back in January and said he'd come back after work someday to look at the upper level of it so he could hang out with the rest of us as we moved on to other OMSI things. The after work plan never happened and the exhibit closed on Sunday, so he headed up after church to finish walking through it. Silas and Devon both had plans from after church until later in the evening, but Naomi, Tyler, and I ended up going with him.

First stop, lunch at Firehouse Subs. The happy side of the table.

And the half happy, half pretending to be happy side. (Don't worry, my grumpiness didn't last all day.)

Off to OMSI. On a Sunday, which is always busy. On the last day of an awesome exhibit, which means all the other procrastinators were there. And there was no parking. We finally got sent down to a non-OMSI parking lot for overflow and walked back. Well, three of us walked. Tyler got a ride on Naomi's shoulders. This picture makes me laugh because it looks like a really tall person with a really long torso and arms set low on their body.

The line for Exquisite Creatures was absurdly long, I'd already seen it twice (once with the fam, once with my sister), and the kids weren't interested in seeing it a second time, so we split up. Tim waited in line and saw the upper level while the rest of us went off to have fun. At one point Naomi and I were both a little bored and crabby, so we took pictures with each other while Tyler played.

Tim found us when he was done with Exquisite Creatures and Tyler, who was obsessed with making flying objects on this visit, had Tim join him for a while.

We snapped a quick picture together as we left, then headed home to relax for the rest of the day.

Quick trip. Rough start. Horrible timing. All's well that ends well.

MISCELLANEOUS FEBRUARY PICTURES

Just a few random shots from the first part of February.

2/5 - Naomi woke up with a fever and slept the day away on the couch. Thankfully, it was just a one day bug and she was back to normal the next morning.

2/6 - Some of the Ws got to watch Gabi's musical performance at school, which included him being the lead part of a moving worm for one song.

2/7 - Our wipers needed to be replaced and I couldn't figure out how to do it, so Devon saved the day. He took a peek at the not very helpful directions, looked up a helpful YouTube video, and did the job for me.

2/9 - Math time. I'm thankful for the time Tim puts into helping in this area of our lives.

2/9 - Someone offered Tim two tickets to a Blazers vs. Heat game. He asked if I wanted to go, but I desperately needed a quiet evening at home. So he took Tyler to watch the Blazers win by six points.

THANKFUL THURSDAY

I'm thankful for two silver linings of regret - learning to do things differently next time and remembering that God's love for me is not based on how wisely or foolishly I handle a situation. What's something that you're thankful for?

THANKFUL THURSDAY

I'm thankful for recent phone calls with my grandpa and dad. What's something you're thankful for?

APPLES TO APPLES, WITH A TWIST

Naomi and Natie played Apples to Apples Junior last night, a game which requires at least four people. Natie's brilliant solution? They each came up with three characters, which they wrote on a piece of paper with names and some personal traits, and had to play the game in character. So funny! Silas, Devon, and Tim all joined in separately as the game progressed, which just added to the entertainment.

If that sounds like fun to you, here's how they tweaked the process to make it work. They took turns pulling green cards and had to declare which of their characters was pulling it. Their other characters didn't play any red cards, but the other person would play a red card for each of their characters. As the green card character went through all the red cards, they used voices and made comments suited to their personality. Staying in character was key to the game!

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DEVON MADE ME SMILE YESTERDAY

Tasked with making coleslaw while I cleaned the stove, Devon put this in front of me and asked if I wanted a purple Christmas tree. He often sees the little random things I miss because I'm focused on my task, things like how the edge of a cabbage core can look like a tree.

Tyler was working on science and had some questions about wind chill factor, so Devon talked to him about it until Tyler could explain it in his own words.

Gummy grapefruit is one of my favorite treats in the world, so I declared all Devon's sins were forgiven when he unexpectedly put one on my lap at the end of the day. Evidently he bought some over the weekend, then decided to share one with me.

These are all little things, but sometimes the little things are the big things.

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