The Yearling book review, with NO spoilers

I finished The Yearling late last night and I wish I was in a book club to discuss every part of it. Now I'm not going to give a thing away (you know how I hate that!) But there are a few things I wish I actually had known going into it.  I wish I had known this whole books is mostly about character development and setting. I kept waiting for the plot to start, but similar to Jayber Crow, this is just a calm, lovely read. I wish I could have let go of the expectation of conflict or struggle earlier on and just soaked up the scenery and people along the way.

My mom told me it was made into a movie, and I cannot fathom how this story would work on the screen. So much of it is descriptive setting and interpersonal growth, I just don't know how the heart of this book would translate. But maybe some day I'll watch it.

I told Rory this book was so descriptive that quite likely in a few months I'm going to say, "I'm so glad we took that trip to inland Florida this summer" even though we didn't actually go. But I have this whole world in my head and heart now, and I was swept up. And the people. Oh the main characters in this book are lovable and upright. Sometimes when Rory and I are watching a movie he'll say, "There's not one character I'm rooting for right now. I'm done watching this." And it's so true...modern stories seem void of good, solid, moral people. But this book follows a father and son, two of the best.

It's a sweet read. Enjoyable all the way through. But now after reading a 500 page WW2 book, and a 500 page Coming of Age book, I'm going for something super light. Next up: a recommendation from my friend Amanda, The Rosie Project.

we are pool people!

I have a friend who has kids that are now both on the swim team. She was telling me recently how crazy it is that her kids are so capable in the water and how much her pool days have changed since they were my kids' age. I told her with enthusiasm, "you're a magazine mom! you could actually bring a magazine to the pool and read it!" ***

Last night I brought my kids to the community pool for the evening rate and felt my own sort of graduation into a new season of motherhood. The past two years we haven't hardly ventured to the pool. We just were too little and the whole scene was too overwhelming for one mama to take two wiggly toddlers. We went one time last year, with Rory. But last night, equipped with puddle jumper life jackets (that I found at Aldi Grocery Store for $12 each!) I also graduated into another season of motherhood. The one where I can safely and sanely bring my kids to the pool and enjoy it!

Now these pictures don't show it, but I was in the water the whole time with them (well, not the toddler pool in the last picture.) But every time they were in the big pool I was right there, guiding their arms as they floated and hopped around. I recently read Ali Edwards' summer manifesto to simply get in the pool with her kids where she linked to Jessica Turner's article encouraging mom's to put on that swimsuit. I loved every word of it...be sure to click on that link.

So last night I took my six month pregnant self and celebrated my two puddle jumping kids. Next summer will likely be completely different again with a baby and we'll likely have a summer or two where it feels too overwhelming. But this summer we're going to be pool people!

(***obviously still keeping an eye on her kids! I'm all about pool safety here, people!)

Elsie goes to High School

Today Elsie and I got to go and talk to a Family and Consumer Science class that my niece Josie is in. We were there to talk about what it is like to have a two year old and what it is like to be a two year old. Elsie was thrilled at the invitation. It was very special that it was just her thing.

It wasn't until this morning when I was getting dressed to go back to the high school I graduated from that it all hit me. I graduated sixteen years ago. I am pregnant with my third baby. I am walking back through the doors as a...panelist. What in the world. Life and age is a funny thing and much of the time I think of myself as much younger than I actually am. Today as I carried my two year old in over my baby bump in my front, I realized there is no denying it. I am not in high school any more.

The panel was fun. There were two other mom's there, one who had just had her first baby at age 40. The baby was two weeks old and she was in the overwhelmed stage. The other mom had grown children and brought her daycare kids along. The students asked questions the whole hour about discipline and sleep habits and the hardest part and best part of motherhood. The three of us moms enjoyed ourselves...at one point Josie whispered to me, "do you know these other mom's? It's like you're best friends." But that's because moms have a tight bond. We've all been there, or are going there...

It was a fun day at the high school. Tomorrow is their last day before summer vacation. And perhaps the most important thing we learned today is that the Apple Valley Waterpark is now open for the season!

annika's granola

I wake up in the morning excited to go eat my breakfast. My sister Annika shared this recipe with me, and I have no idea where she found it. But since she's the one who shared it, I'll call it Annika's Granola. It's really simple to prepare and after making it one time, I will for sure double the recipe when I make it in the future. I ate it up so fast!

Annika's Granola:
2 cups old fashioned oats
1-1.5 cups coarsely chopped nuts (I used pecans and slivered almonds)
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/2 Tablespoon of coconut oil or canola oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (I used more because I love cinnamon)
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup dried cherries (or craisins, blueberries or raisins)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Mix everything all together and spread on a sprayed or parchment lined cookie sheet. Toss every 8 minutes, bake 24-26 minutes).

It's so good and crunchy, great with yogurt and I like how "clean" the recipe is compared to the store-bought granola. Enjoy!

happy sabbath

Could I love a little boy anymore than I love this one? I am often struck by how much my love can grow for my kids. Just when I think I could certainly love them no more than I already do, more time passes and my love and affection deepens and it makes me wonder what it will feel like when they are 50 and I am 80.

I worked in the church nursery today and loved it. My kids were thrilled that I was the nursery worker. All week long they kept asking when it would be Sunday so that I could play with them in the church nursery. Somehow the fact that I am with them 24 hours a day isn't quite enough. Elsie woke up aware of the day and told me gladly, "you're the worker today!" And we had so much fun with all of the kids. We played restaurant and colored and played circle games and sang songs. And then I was spent and out of ideas and we still had thirty more minutes to fill. I made a mental note that next time I'll save my tricks for the last thirty minutes...

And now we're home and I'm finishing up The Yearling and loving every sweet minute of it. Some of my family is napping and one little girl is making up very sing-songy dialogue with her my little ponies. Rory got this shot of Ivar a few days ago and when we showed Ivar he laughed and laughed. He thought it was so funny he fell asleep in a chair. His dad had moved him so that when he woke up he was in his own bed. But this picture cracked him up. And it melted our hearts.