Bookworm: I Just Finished... Twisted and Who Do You Love? (August 2016)

Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson

I almost didn’t write up a post for this book. Not because I didn’t enjoy it, but because it was honestly one I grabbed off my classroom bookshelf to keep me entertained while my students completed their spring writing prompts. A couple of boys, who I know are reluctant readers, used Twisted for their book trailers, and it sounded pretty decent. It was definitely a young adult read, but I enjoyed it. Laurie Halse Anderson rarely disappoints in the plot department. Twisted is about a high schooler named Tyler who has gotten tired of being the unpopular kid. When he tries to gain attention via graffiti, he is forced to take accountability for his actions through community service. As Tyler tries to clean up his reputation, his journey is complicated by his dysfunctional family, his crush, Bethany, and her super-douche older brother, Chip. As mentioned before, it’s well-written and entertaining, if you don’t mind YA fiction.

Who Do You Love? By Jennifer Weiner

I’m just going to come right out with it. I really did not enjoy this book. It pains me to type this because Jennifer Weiner is one of my favorite authors. I’ve read all of her work, even her short story collection. And, while I’ve had favorites (Good In Bed, Little Earthquakes, All Fall Down), there have been others that weren’t quite as memorable, but were still pretty darn good. I kept stalling out on this one. It wasn’t so much the plotline--there were definite moments throughout that caught my attention--but the sex scenes woven in and out felt super cheesy and distracted me from an otherwise sweet love story. I’ll leave it at that because I truly love this author and how she stands up against a literary double standard, but this one just didn’t work for me.

Mama Blacksheep... Parenting Fail Turned Win

All parents have them… Those moments when that nagging question creeps into the back of our minds--am I doing a good job? And, chances are, most of us are doing just fine by our kids. Yet, we still get the feeling when we’re less than perfect, and none of us are, that maybe we should be doing better.

The other day, my four year old, Chace, asked me if he could read me a story. I was curious since he doesn’t read how he was going to pull this off. When I asked him what book, he said I’m just going to tell you the story. He proceeded to tell me a pretty damn good version of “The Three Little Pigs.” I was proud of his ability to remember the entire plot, but I found myself wondering where he learned the tale. It wasn’t one we had read together. He told me his teacher, Judi, used to tell it to them. I then spiraled into a negative head space that went something like this….

I should be telling him more stories. We haven’t been reading as many books lately. Is he bored staying home with me all summer? What else does he know that I don’t know he knows? I should be a better mom. Am I not doing enough activities with them? Am I not teaching him like I should be? I mean, I’m a teacher by profession for Christ’s sake.

Chace then asked me if I knew any stories to tell him. So, I gave him a completely butchered version of “Little Red Riding Hood.,” which he totally loved. This helped shift my mindset from the negative self-talk. It’s hard to juggle all of the roles we play in life. And with our kids, it’s impossible to get it all right all the time. Instead of letting moments like this haunt me for the rest of the afternoon, thus exacerbating my feelings of ineptitude, I needed to think about how to take these gut check moments and turn them into parenting wins.

I remembered Chace talking about sock puppets at one point, so I thought it might be a fun multi-day or at least multi-step activity to make some sock puppets representing the characters in “The Three Little Pigs,” so we could act out the story. The sock puppet creation would be one project. Then we would need to build the three houses. Finally, we could bring the story to life through a puppet show.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not suggesting that every time you feel guilty for checking your email and not completely tuning in to your child’s tenth performance of the “Hot Dog Dance,” or turning on one more show to give you time to flip the laundry or start dinner, you should need to prep and put on a full-scale puppet show performance (I’m a teacher who’s home for the summer). I’m just saying don’t let it ruin your mood.

You could miss making a really great memory by dwelling on your shortcomings.

Mama Blacksheep: Family Mini-Vacation 2016

We're off!!!

This year, during Dave’s week off from work, we took a mini-vacation to the White Mountains and Belfast, ME. After visiting Santa’s Village last summer with our neighbors and absolutely loving it, we decided to give Storyland a shot. My in-laws spend their summers on the Penobscot Bay in Belfast, Maine. Since Storyland is on the eastern side of the White Mountains, we figured we’d take a trip over there to spend some quality time with family after our time at the park.

I am a total prepper, compulsive almost, so it was necessary that I check the website a gazillion times prior to visiting. First, I just wanted to know the basics--hours, ticket cost, etc. I revisited several times to check out the park map and also read some blogs to get some tips from people who have already made the trip.

We left on a Thursday morning at around 7:30, and, with a pit stop, arrived at Storyland at around 10:00. We opted to not bring a stroller, knowing that if we all of a sudden decided we needed one, we could rent. We managed the day without and just carried around a backpack with diapers, wipes, PBJ fixins, and snacks.

I took some advice I read on the blogs and we headed to the left when we entered the park. It seemed like more people were going right, so we were able to hit the first several rides with very little crowdedness, even enjoying some time on the splash pad. Honestly, we didn’t wait very long all day. We hit up the left side of the park hard, enjoying lots of rides that both Chace and Andrew could experience.

We had a little snack when we got to the farm area with the ride-on tractors. We then hit a couple more rides before deciding to have lunch at the pavillion. While we did pack sandwich supplies and planned on purchasing drinks (too heavy in backpack) and maybe a small snack, we overdid it a little and bought some food as well.

As I expected, the boys did not have as much gusto after lunch as they did before. We rode the teacups and then tried the Polar Coaster, but that was a no-go (Andrew was an inch too short, and Chace got cold feet).

We ended our day at around 2 o’clock with a ride on the train. It was a great way to finish up, but I also kind of wished we had ridden the train first since it gives you a good overview of the park. While there were a few things on the right side we didn’t get to, I thought that four hours was pretty solid for a four year old and a two year old.

We spent that evening at the Storybook Inn. It was literally right next to Storyland, which was super convenient. After we settled in, we spent a little time at the indoor pool and then went to dinner at the Spaghetti Shed.

My grandmother's license plate used to say "BKIND," so I thought it very appropriate that we saw this sign at a restaurant serving her favorite food. 

We went to bed early and slept in, signs that we got our money’s worth at Storyland. We left for Belfast at about 10 am. The kids were cranky at first since they hadn’t worked out their morning energy, but both eventually fell asleep for part of the three hour ride.

The best part about our trip to Belfast was that it was a surprise for Dave’s parents. The anniversary of the passing of Dave’s brother was the next day, so they were very excited to have family close by for support. Dave’s sister Kristen and her family were also there, so the kids were able to spend some time with their cousins. We headed straight for their RV resort and said hello. Then, we let them get back to work and checked into our hotel (a mere 500 yards from my in laws’ place).

We had some lunch and let the kids play on the lawn. We also took a dip in the indoor pool. Dave and I even got to spend a blissful five kid-free minutes in the hot tub. We headed back over to the RV resort for happy hour. The kids played on the playground while Dave and I got to meet some of his parents’ friends. At around 7:30, Kristen and her family arrived, so the kids had a great time running around and taking rides on the golf cart. We had a nice campfire and some quality family time. It was a wonderful night.

The next morning was a little rough as Chace’s swimmer’s ear returned. We had initially planned to spend a good portion of the day in Belfast, but given the rain and Chace’s obvious discomfort, we headed for home at around 11:30.

Not quite as energetic on the ride home. :)

We arrived home at around 3:00, rested and exhausted all in one. Isn’t that the way when you vacation with kids?

DIY: How To Make Diaper Babies

I’ve made these a couple of times now. They add a cute bit of pizazz to a baby shower gift basket. Most recently, I made them for my friends, Katie and Tracy, who are expecting a daughter in July.

My original inspiration.

Materials (for 6)- 6 washcloths, 3 pairs socks or mittens, 6 newborn or size 1 diapers, 6 safety pins, hot glue gun (optional), 12 googly eyes (optional)

1. Roll the diaper like a burrito (or joint) the long way and place a sock or mitten around one end (non-gathered end is usually the best for not having any design on the babies’ faces).
2. Use a washcloth to swaddle the other end. Secure with a safety pin. How to swaddle:

3. Use a hot glue gun to add googly eyes. Or, draw on simple eyes with a black marker.
4. Use to dress up a gift basket.

DIY: How to paint a mason jar with a chalky, rustic finish.

I just love the look of painted mason jars, which I recently experimented with for my sister-in-law’s baby shower. They are fairly easy to pull off as well.

My inspiration. See link. 

The Link I Used As A Guide

Materials- paint brushes (bristle or foam; I used foam), chalkboard paint, finish paint, sandpaper

1. Start by covering the jar with a coat of chalkboard paint. This acts like a primer and also adds to the rustic look when the final product is distressed.

2. Turn the jar upside down and cover with thin, even coats of paint, allowing plenty of time to dry in between. Plan on about 3 coats of paint. Wait until the final coat is complete to paint the bottoms of the jars. This will allow you to use this surface area to rotate the jar.

3. When all coats of paint are completely dry, use sandpaper to rough up the finish to your desired level of rustic-ness. I used it to go over the lettering, which created a rustic-light look.
   
   
   
   
4. Embellish as desired.

Party: Brittany's Baby Shower (6/25/16)

The parents-to-be. 

Those of you who know me well already know that I am super excited to become an auntie again this summer… to twin boys. My brother, Chip, and his wife, Brittany, are expecting this August. A couple of months ago, at the babies’ gender reveal party, we were asked to be godparents to baby Finn. Another awesome family milestone and memory to look forward to.

It’s no secret that I enjoy parties, so I was very excited when my mom and Brittany’s mom wanted to include me in the planning. I hoped to go into our meeting prepared with some ideas, so I listed out the major components (guests, location, food/drink/cake, theme/decor, invitations, games and prizes, favors, and special touches). I began taking notes on ideas that popped into my head, and I also did some exploring on Pinterest/google.

Adorable cake courtesy of B's mom

Some of my favorite ideas were the location, homemade centerpieces, donation favor, baby shower price is right, and photo clothesline.

We have always held our family showers at halls, and while that is a great way to have more control over the food and decor and possibly save some money, I decided to look into brunch options at some restaurants/function halls. I thought it might be different, possibly not much more costly, and, given our tight timeline, would eliminate the task of having to coordinate/prepare food. I looked at lots of different places online, but I was drawn to Fratello’s. Being in an old mill building, the room is already beautiful, so there wouldn’t be a need for tons of decorations. The price per person for brunch was also very reasonable, and I know their food is delicious. Needless to say, I was super excited when the moms were in agreement. Not to our surprise, the service and the food were top notch. We went with the italian buffet, and I’m not gonna lie, I could have eaten the entire tray of toasted raviolis.

First prototype, before I decided to change the ribbon. 

"Andrew's" artwork. :)

Which ribbon placement?

I knew I wanted to do something with painted mason jars for the centerpieces. Brittany’s mom suggested possibly doing non-flower centerpieces, so I hit up Google. I noticed some people using small paper poms in lieu of flowers, and I thought that was a cute option. I then wanted to think of some sort of frame or tray or placemat for the centerpieces to sit on. I had a couple of different ideas, but decided to have Jordyn, Chace, and Andrew complete some paintings and frame them in rustic finish frames. The final result was super cute, and I was proud of the personal touch of including the kids that mean so much to Brittany and Chip.

There wasn't a centerpiece left over, so I guess people liked them. Yay!

After a bit of searching for favor ideas, I felt underwhelmed. Most possibilities that were not ridiculously expensive were kind of cheesy, and I knew they would end up left on the table. Years ago, at my friend Bridget’s wedding, the couple made a donation to Project Smile in lieu of favors. I thought that was super classy, and also that Brittany might like the idea. The first charity to pop into my head was the March of Dimes. Since most twins are born prematurely, I thought this would be a good fit for the occassion. I thought small cards at each place setting would be a cute way to let everyone know about the donation, but my design was lackluster. That’s when I called in my bestie--super talented decorator, party planner and graphic designer, Marissa. She designed a super cute card that looked amazing on the tables.

I hate annoying shower games. Showers are a time to get together and chat with the girls and oohhh and ahhh over home goods or baby stuff. Still, I think they can be a way to keep people entertained and engaged. At my friend Crystal’s baby shower, her sister did a “Baby Shower Price Is Right,” where guests guessed the cost of some basic baby items (cutely displayed in a basket). I thought this would be a perfect option for Brittany’s shower since it was a totally different group of guests, and it wouldn’t intrude too much with the eating and socializing. The closest to the actual cost at each table got to keep the centerpiece, and the overall closest got a gift card. Brittany and Chip kept the basket, so they were winners, too.

Game Table including prizes, the diaper/formula raffle, and "Baby Shower Price Is Right" swag tote. 

I love the idea of a clothesline at pretty much any shower, but I also like to mix up what I put on it. In this case, I decided on baby pictures of mom and dad. We mounted them on scrapbook paper and ran the line along the gift table. I thought the final result was really cute, even though I couldn’t get the moms out of the way to get a good picture. :)

Overall, it was a beautiful day. All of these ideas in addition to a super cute cake, gorgeously wrapped gifts, a diaper and formula raffle, yummy food, and lots of memories made, created a wonderful brunch that I hope the parents-to-be loved. We can’t wait to meet Jamie and Finn.