2006 August

Aug 31, 2006

A Well-Read Life

I can not remember a time when I didn’t enjoy reading. When I was really little, it was Dr. Seuss books. (I especially loved There’s a Wocket in My Pocket and Wacky Wednesday – they must have appealed to my budding appreciation for the bizarre.) As I grew, I found endless pleasure in Nancy Drew Mysteries, the Little House series, the Chronicles of Narnia, books about the Black Stallion…the list goes on and on. I often smuggled a flashlight to bed so that I could continue reading long after the lights went out. And back in those days, I had no idea how to get anywhere, since as soon as I got in the car, I stuck my nose in a book. (We went to the same amusement park every single summer and I didn’t learn how to actually find my way there until I was 16, and even then I needed a map.) Many of my books were creased and dog-eared, the signs of wear obvious, since I re-read books without hesitation.

For all of my thirty-some years, books have been a constant companion, my bed-time winding down ritual, my escape, sources of enjoyment, learning, challenge, and growth. There’s always a small book tucked away in my purse, several (aka “a teetering pile of”) books on my nightstand, and “current reads” scattered throughout the house, particularly anywhere I spend any significant amount of time. I would say that I am leading “a well-read life.”

But my definition might differ from that of others. Some people might insist that in order to claim a well-read life you have to:

…read a certain number of books per year (or week)
…have read “the classics” – all of them
…prefer “literary” books to “genre” books
…have read certain landmark books, that everyone who is anyone has surely read

Me? My guidelines are much more flexible.

Do you love books? I mean really love them?
Do you prefer reading over many, many other activities (such as housework, for instance)?
Do you always have at least one book in progress?
Do you try different authors and genres?
Is Amazon.com one of your favorite websites?
Given a few hours to yourself, would you choose to browse in a bookstore?
Are you sad when a wonderful book comes to an end?

If you answered “yes” to these questions, then you, my friend, are also leading a well-read life.

No literary snobbery here. I’ve read As I Lay Dying and The Grapes of Wrath, but to be honest, I’d often rather get lost in a thriller than consult Faulkner or Steinbeck. And if you don’t have time to read three books this week, that’s okay. And if you didn’t enjoy the great classic, Moby Dick, you will receive no condemnation from me [true confession: I couldn't make it through that one, myself].

So if you are leading a well-read life, check in here. Let me know in your comment what book(s) you’re reading right now, what book you almost couldn’t bear to see end, and how you feel about quitting in the middle of a book that is just too horrible for words. Or just share one of those things. After all, I wouldn’t want to keep you from getting back to your current book!

Filed Under: Books/Reading 19 Comments

Aug 31, 2006

Thirteen things on my Master To-Do List

written by katrina · 14 Comments

It’s that time of year again. The time of year when, like my friend Jennifer, I start thinking about my schedule, my goals, things I need to get done around the house. There’s something about the start of school and the slight crispness to the morning air that turns my mind toward organization and accomplishment, priorities and plans. And so, in keeping with my post about mental decluttering, I set about making a Master To-Do list this week. It contains all the things I really and truly need to get done, things I probably should do, things that would make my life easier, and things I’d just plain like to do. The list is loooooong. Rather than bore you with the full contents of it, I’ll just bore you with a 13-item sampling.

Put up the curtains that I finally bought for our bedroom.

File my huge to-file pile.
…yes, it’s that bad. Don’t tell anyone. Especially my mom.

Create a Master Household Notebook to organize my life a little better, incorporating ideas from this post, this book, and these two websites.

Take maternity clothes out of the closet, and return my normal fall/winter clothes to their rightful place.

Clean the baseboards – all of them.

Make a trip to Half Price Books with the stack of already-read-but-don’t-need-to-keep books that’s currently taking up space in the garage.

Call painter about painting outside trim and front door.

Empty out, sort through, declutter C.’s closet.

Learn how to use more features of photo editing software.

Learn how to bake with yeast. Start with soliciting people’s easiest yeast-incorporating recipes.

Have brother- and sister-in-law over for another game night.

Schedule L.’s first “professional” pictures.

Order new address labels.

Okay, well those tasks, along with all the other ones on my list, should certainly keep me busy for a while!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!
View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Filed Under: Etc. 14 Comments

Aug 30, 2006

WFMW: The Gift Stash

written by katrina · 14 Comments

On the top shelf of my closet, where children are never permitted to look, there is…a stash. A stash of inexpensive little gifts that I’ve bought here and there and secreted away for a rainy day. Or a snowy one. Or a special one. Or a just plain boring one. You could call it: The Gift Stash.

Whenever I’m out shopping, I keep my eyes open for things that I know C. would enjoy but that don’t cost too much. A paperback book, a Matchbox car, a little notebook and some markers, clay, etc. I then draw from this collection to surprise him with an occasional present. I might give him a gift to let him know I appreciate his helpfulness. Or I might get one of the items out because we’re having a snow day and it’s too cold to play outside, but it feels like we’ve exhausted our “indoor activities.” Sometimes a new little “something” is just the thing to get us through the day.

This past summer, I used the stash for another purpose as well. L. was born May 25th, which meant that we’d pretty much be spending the first part of summer break adjusting to the whole new baby thing. I knew that this might be a little rough on C. – he’d be a bit bored, he might be a little jealous – and so I stocked up on gifts and gave him a new one every week – “just because.”

Now, I’ll admit that I’m a gift-giver by nature – I absolutely love to find the “perfect” gift and to surprise people with unexpected presents. So maintaining this stash is easy and fun for me. But it’s practical, too. Have you ever been on your way out the door to attend a wedding (where kids are invited) and suddenly wondered, “Uh-oh! How am I going to get him to sit still that long?” Ta-da: go to the stash and get a tiny notebook and race-car-designed pencil. Instant distraction for when the ceremony goes a little long. Since I started keeping the stash, I’ve found countless occasions when a distraction (or reward) is needed…and now I’m prepared.

Dollar stores are the perfect place to find stash supplies. So is the dollar section at stores like Target and Michael’s. It makes the whole process simple…and easy on the budget!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Shannon’s got lots of other tips listed over at Rocks in My Dryer. Check them out!

Filed Under: Works-for-Me Wednesday 14 Comments

Aug 29, 2006

More than we give them credit for

written by katrina · 7 Comments

I got an email today from a friend whose son started kindergarten yesterday. She admitted to me that as the bus pulled away from their driveway, she cried as if he were shipping out to sea instead of traveling the couple miles to school. What if there was a problem with the bus? What if, for some strange reason, he got locked out of the school? I could commiserate…it seems that every year, as C. gets older, there are more things to worry about. My husband might disagree; he might tell you that I look for things to worry about. But I don’t. Honest. These things just find me somehow.

Although C.’s in second grade this year, we are still experiencing a first: this is his first year to do bus transfers. Last year, I opted out of sending him into the unknown abyss of transfers. Instead, I drove him partway to school and had him picked up and dropped off where there was no need to switch buses. But this year, with a baby at home, I had to admit that having him get on and off the bus here would make my life a whole lot easier. And he was more than ready to give it a try – it seemed like such a grown up thing to do.

I will confess to all of you that I had bus transfer nightmares for the three nights before school began. In my dreams, I was running around frantically, unable to get to the transfer spot, where I was supposed to meet C. to make sure he got on the right bus. I couldn’t find my car, couldn’t find the keys, got in repeated accidents…obstacle after obstacle kept me from doing my part of the transfer process.

[Now in real life, I don't need to go to the transfer bus. I get C. on the bus by our house and off he goes. But you know how dreams are.]

So, Monday morning arrived, and I was doing my best to not act nervous in front of C.. I had prepared in every possible way. I had tested C. on his bus numbers – all four of them. We had driven past the two transfer points, so he would be familiar with them. And I had put “the card” in his backpack.

“C., I put a card in your backpack. It has your bus numbers –”

“But Mom, I know my bus numbers.”

“I know, but just in case. And it has your teacher’s name and your school –”

“Mom, I know all that stuff.”

“I know. But just in case. It also has our home phone number –”

“But –”

“I know. You know that, too. But just. in. case. And it has my cell phone number. So if you need any of that information, for any reason at all, it’ll be right there.”

“Okay mom.” (I have a feeling that he was secretly thinking, My mom is a psycho.)

Naturally, he didn’t need the card, he got to school just fine, and he made his transfers without a hitch. We had one minor incident – when the afternoon bus driver cruised right past our house – but that all got worked out, too. C. felt incredibly mature for handling multiple transfers, and I’m pretty proud of him. Sometimes I worry that I keep him “too young” by protecting him from these kinds of things. So this whole experience has been good for both of us. He got some added confidence and pride, and I learned a teeny bit more about the whole letting-go process.

Kids can usually handle more than we give them credit for. At least mine can. I’m still learning how to hold on loosely to him – loving him fiercely while letting him venture a little further into the world all the time. It can be hard to find that balance. But I’ll keep working on it. And keep praying for wisdom. And most likely, I’ll keep finding myself amazed by him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A couple first-day pictures:

Bright-eyed, bushy-tailed, ready to go

At the bus stop

At his desk

Filed Under: Family 7 Comments

Aug 28, 2006

Mental Decluttering

written by katrina · 12 Comments

Do you ever feel like your brain is going to simply explode? Yes, me too. And it’s usually because I have a mile-long mental list of things that I really need to do, things that I’ve been procrastinating about, things I’m worrying about, things I told someone I would do but haven’t yet done, and things that I want to do “someday” but I’m not sure when but I keep them in the semi-forefront of my mind so I don’t forget them. All that adds up to: Mental Clutter!

And with school starting today, I can assure you that the mental clutter is only going to get worse. Lunch money, permission slips, school volunteering, homework… my brain will be chock full o’ stuff. And so, in order to clear out some of the mess and give my mind a little room to breathe, I am committed to doing a little mental decluttering this week. I will handle at least one thing from each of the various categories I listed above.

And, just to hold myself accountable, I’ll post my plan right here:

Something I really need to do: Drop off birthday gift at my sister-in-law’s (her birthday was last week, so I’m already late!)

Something I’ve been procrastinating about: Write note to C.’s piano teacher re: lessons.

Something I’m worrying about: Spend time in prayer for my friend who is battling cancer, and then drop a note in the mail, just to let her know I’m thinking of and praying for her.

Something I told someone I would do but haven’t done yet: Get C. batteries for his little electronic thingamajig.

And…regarding the things I want to do “someday”: I will sit down and make a Master To-Do List of all the things I need to do or want to do or should do, but that are not time-sensitive (such as clearing the maternity clothes out of my closet, or cleaning the baseboards throughout the house, or learning how to use Photoshop Elements). Then, hopefully, I can tackle one or more of those things each week, thereby slowly but surely getting through the entire list.

How about you? Do you have any mental clutter to deal with? What’s one thing you can do to ease the load on your own mind this week?

Filed Under: Etc. 12 Comments