reading

i came across this book at the library book sale.

have read nineteen pages. depressing, painful, amazing, life shattering, inspirational.

at one point i thought i would just put this book down and not finish, it was just to hard. then i thought, if this man lived the life and wrote about the life then who the hell am i to think it is to painful for me to read.

that is when i realized this is really a powerfully inspirational book.

"The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" by Jean-Dominique Bauby

lyn

On a mission......

a reading mission that is.

Not the Religious Type: Confessions of a Turncoat Atheist

Some of it was over my head. Part of it bogged my mind down with other stuff. But the parts that didn't fall into those categories really made me think. And ponder. And wonder.

So all in all....it was worth my time.

lyn

to digest.......

......a book completely can take some time. Every once in a while, for me, a book really does reach all the way to my soul. Way deep down. And when it does it may take me years to totally digest it. I may think of it daily for a while. Then weekly. Then daily some more. Then, maybe, not for sometime. Something will draw me back to it. And boom I am digesting more than I ever thought possible.

Ten Degrees of Reckoning by Hester Rumberg

That kind of book is what I just finished reading. The story is heart wrenching. Not heartbreaking. Not sad. Not tragic. Heart wrenching...............

It will stay with me.

lyn

As they grow.....

they still enjoy:

picture books ~ current favorites The Hidden Alphabet by Laura Vaccaro Seeger, Doggie Dreams by Nancy Kapp Chapman, The Pencil by Allan Ahlberg, Loveykins by Quentin Blake and The Twin Princes by Tedd Arnold, who always makes them laugh.

playing with playdoh.

building with Legos.

go fish, even when poker has been learned and perfected.

army men.

beanie babies.

It is so interesting to watch them. See them grow. See how their minds have matured. Some times they play with these items just like they did when they were younger but many times they have moved up a level and worked these items into their world now.

Picture books are read and laughed at and then pronounced perfect for Cousin L or Baby E who are years younger. They read and enjoy but also think of others to share this with. They will make fine fathers someday. Playdoh is just enjoyed, many times, for the texture. It truly calms children. Rolling it over and over in their hands. Squeezing hard with frustration, touching softly with unhappiness. Surprise side effects for a timeless toy. Legos still test them. Challenge them. Encourage them. Go Fish, some days they just need something totally repetitious to give the mind a break. This fits in nicely. Army men = boys and stories. I can not remember how many battles have been fought, people saved, things rescued, bad guys squished. Beanie Babies are cared for, tucked in and cuddled. As well as thrown up in the air with glee. Such forgiving animals they are.

My boys are maturing. They are growing taller. They are eating and sleeping more. I am so glad they are still comforted by toys from their toddler years. Makes a mother's heart hurt just a tad bit less.

lyn

Weekend Read

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas Wonderful, haunting read. If one is looking for a true fact filled story about the Holocaust then move on from this book. If one is looking for a fictional view from a child's eyes then read it. I am tossing it around to give to Wise One. He is just now asking and understanding this time in history. Frankly, do any of us truely understand this time?

lyn

Reading and thinking.

"Part of the allowable leisure in a bookstore comes from the product it sells. Books are slow. They require time; they are written slowly, published slowly, and read slowly."

"There may be five thousand copies of this particular book in the world, or fifty thousand, or half a million, all exactly alike, but this one is as rare as if it had been made solely for us. We open to the first page, and the universe unfolds, once upon a time."

"For the past several days I've had the sudden and general urge to buy a new book"

(I always have this urge)

The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop a memoir, a history by Lewis Buzbee

I just started this book and it has already swept me into another place. Funny thing about books, they have that power and it still surprises me.

lyn

All About Cookbooks

I am on a bit of a kick.....a reading cookbooks kick!

Several that have caught my fancy:

Cookies and Brownies by Alice Medrich (Good but I can't figure out why it is $80!)

The Breakfast Book by Marion Cunningham

Hallelujah! The Welcome Table by Maya Angelou

I am the type of person that likes to read a book from cover to cover. Like the book jacket, the table of contents, the acknowledgements and anything in the back. I find the best things this way. The extras, the back stories. Well cookbooks are no different. I rather like to read them before I try any of the recipes. Kinda like I have to size the author up before I know whether or not I want to try the recipes. If I can relate to the author then I can relate to the recipes.

I have two more stacks......the journey continues.

lyn

Just Finished...

Read:

Broken for You by Stephanie Kallos loved it, the characters became friends and I was sad when the book ended. it was a wonderful and enchanting escape.

An Affair to Remember by Christopher Anderson what a completely unconditional love story. i want to go and rent all the Spencer-Hepburn movies. i have seen several and but can watch them again and again, now with a little back story.

Watched:

The Eye Don't. Waste. Your. Time. horrible acting.

Mr. Brooks chosen one and i liked this one alot! good acting. good story. suspense. drama. i thought william hurt did a wonderful job!

lyn

Children's Books

These are a few goodies we found at the library last week.

Scribbleville by Peter Holwitz Love it! My boys totally got the bigger picture. It was a great conversation.

Art Auction Mystery By Anna Nilsen While the actual text was little overwhelming, it is comic book style, the boys loved to examine the art and look at the details.

An Egg Is Quiet by Dianna Aston This is a beautiful book. Enough said.

Lyn

Oh what wonderful things the library offers.

This is making the rounds in our house. Time and time again. We have taken it to Nana and Papa's, school and I even took it to work.

It. is. that. cool.

One of those finds at the library that may need to be a permanent house companion. One of those finds that makes us want to see everything the author has ever done.

Yeah, one of those.......

Lyn

In the reading stack

Can It Be True? Susan Hill

The Real Santa Claus Marianna Mayer ***parents need to read first before sharing with children. Talks of the legends and may not agree with your beliefs.

The Crunchy, Munchy Christmas Tree Karen Gray Ruelle

All picked up at the library because their covers spoke to us. So far we have not been disappointed.

Happy Reading!

Lyn

Reading

On my last trip to my aunt's house I came back with a big o'bag of books.

So far I have read:

Rise and Shine ~ two thumbs up. I enjoyed the story about the two sisters. It kept me interested and had enough real life in it to make it believable. I laughed out loud and cried as well.

Lost & Found ~ at first I wasn't sure that I could handle the content about a husband dying of a heart attack but it was actually healing, in a sense. I felt the author rushed the ending and I wasn't really happy with that but overall the book was good one.

the curious incident of the dog in the night time ~ interesting and more interesting. Not only the story line but reading it from an autistic veiw point.

Lyn

Late birthday presents.....

are always fun, unexpected and just what we needed today.

Wise One received this in the mail today from my aunt. It looks deliciously fun and I can't wait to read it! He was tickled, of course, to get mail. As he flipped through the book he got even more excited with the content page: The Greatest Paper Airplane in the World, Fossils, First Aid, Making Cloth Fireproof, Secret Inks, Sampling Shakespeare...(just to name a few) he can't wait to read it either he has settled in his room with it already.

Lyn

Almost July

We have been busy reading, watching, shopping, x-boxing and, oh yeah, a brief trip to the ER!

Reading:

Traveling Mercies by Anne Lamott an author recommendation by Randi. And one that does not disappoint. This was the only one at the library. Her other titles are being pulled for me. I can relate to this woman. It is crazy relatable.

pg 4 There were dozens of children in that family, or maybe it just felt that way, babies everywhere, babies crawling our from under the sofa like dust bunnies.

pg 41 Mine was a patchwork God, sewn together from bits of rag and ribbon, Eastern and Western, pagan and Hebrew, everything but the kitchen sink and Jesus.

pg 93 It's so awful, attacking your child. It is the worst thing I know, to shout loudly at this fifty-pound being with his huge trusting brown eyes. It's like b!tch- slapping E. T.

pg 167 And soon my prayers were answered, first when patience miraculously descended like soft, chick-yellow parachute silk.

She is so honest. So true. So raw. I was sad when the book was over. I wanted to continue the conversation.

Watching:

Some Like It Hot This made my boys g.i.g.g.l.e!


Fabulous sale at JcPenney lead to an update on work clothes. It was much needed and I am very happy with the new duds!

Oh yeah and that trip to the ER. High blood pressure that is being handled with meds. So far I am not feeling the negative affects.

Enjoy something. Laugh at something. Suggle with something. Summer is flying by.

Lyn

ADD and my child

I am only just begining what I know will be a long ongoing journey with my youngest son. Rowdy One has always been full of life, full of movement, full of emotion for most of his life. And the name I gave him for this blog fits him well. As he grows it is becoming clearer that he has what appears to be classic ADD. I tend to leave the H out because I do not see the hyperactivity in him that is customary for these children. Rowdy yes but to me he is well within the normal area of activity for a happy healthy six year old boy.

Classic ADD symptoms that he exhibits: is easily distracted; has difficulty sustaining attention span; has difficulty following through on tasks and instructions; has difficulty keeping an organized area; has trouble with time; has tendency to lose things; is forgetful; is restless; has trouble sitting still; is noisy; is impulsive. While some are mild more than half are increasing as he ages. One of my main concerns is his impulsiveness. While he does well most of the time I can not ignore the many times he does not. Many red flags go up on a daily basis with him and I can not deny the fact that as a parent and who I am I must investigate and be proactive for my child and my family.

This is the road I am currently on. Learning more, reading, researching, discussing. Making subtle changes. Becoming more of an advocate for him/us so that our family will be better prepared as he ages.

The statistics startle me. Not that I didn’t know what was going on but that my child has a higher percentage of falling into them.

52 percent of untreated teens and adult abuse drugs or alcohol. (many
times as a way to self medicate)

43 percent of untreated
hyperactive boys will be arrested for a felony by the age of 16.

50
percent of inmates in a number of studies have been found to have ADD. (75 % in
one study)

Parents of ADD children divorce three times more often
than the general population.

Healing ADD The Breakthrough Program That Allows You to See and Heal the 6 Types of ADD by Daniel G. Amen, M.D.

Labels and statistics can be sticky. Much information is blown out of proportion. Many labels are not used properly. But when I look at the over all picture and take in all that I am reading and seeing it is hard to ignore the facts I see day to day. I do not mind a label that is used to help someone. I have issue with a label given to give someone as an out or excuse. Statistics need to come from several different areas and sides to be useful and balanced. As a responsible parent this is what I am using as my guide for statistic and labels.

My therapist has been telling me that at some point Rowdy One will need to have medication. Not telling me to push it down my throat but telling me so that I have time to get used to the idea. In most of what I am reading I see that she may be right. But there is also a lot my family can do first.

Last week as I sat down to read with Rowdy One I saw up close and personal, and very clearly I might add, some of his struggle. He is a very good reader. He learned quickly and enjoys books. He was reading a story about a frog and a fish to me. He could not finish a page without getting distracted. Not distracted as in frustrated but distracted as in something he read made him think of something else. Fish hid beneath a rock lead him away from the table to look for his rock that looked like what he saw in the book. Frog played hide and seek with fish lead him away from the table to find his Froggy book. And each time he returned he had to find where he was and get back on track. The thought of my child not being able to finish reading a book made me sad. I do not want him to give up on reading at some point because it becomes to difficult to focus. I do not want him to lose the adventures reading will provide him because he can not remember where he was and can’t keep other things from distracting him. That was a crystal clear moment. I have to become proactive. I must.

I am sure I will fill many other posts about this journey. I would love to hear any stories, encouragement, advice or ideas on the subject. Whether it be books to read, diet plans or personal stories. Please fill free to leave a comment or email me directly at njherbst at hotmail dot com.

Lyn

New favorites

Cashed in on some old books and just had to have these. Not to bad, turn in 15 take away 3.

The Wisdom of Forgiveness by The Dalai Lama and Victor Chan

Betty Crocker COOKBOOK

The Best Life Diet by Bob Greene

****************************************************************

From the last one I found a new favorite recipe.

Berry Smoothie

1 1/4 cup vanilla soymilk
1 cup frozen unsweetened blueberries
1 6oz container french vanilla yogurt, I used Yoplait.

Mix in a blender and enjoy.

This will become a breakfast for me. YUM-O

****************************************************************

Dinner consisted of many new favs.

Beef Tips, one of the best sauces I have tasted.
Rice, this really was that easy.
Veggies, our produce has just not looked good so I checked out the freezer section.

Happy Weekend!

Lyn

Why DO I love this book.....

Let me count the ways.

I first spotted Why Do I Love These People by Po Bronson here. And then one day, totally by chance, I walk in the library and there it is. In. And waiting on me (I just know it was!). What are the chances? It had been checked out for months.

The first chapter was life changing for me. This book will be on my shelf for many years. I will smile at it. I will thank it. I will read it again and again.

Now the life changing part is not for everyone. Two years ago my little Rowdy One fell in a pool, fully clothed, while playing knights in shining armor with his brother. His sword fell in and he tried to reach it. He drowned. He had no pulse. He had blue lips. His life was saved by CPR. It was and has been a nightmare for me. I was there along with five other adults. The kids treat this house like there second home. They have swam in the pool and played in the yard, many times. They are familiar, as am I, to the surroundings. It was the day everyone had returned from evacuating for Hurricane Rita. We were all stressed out and this was supposed to be a relaxing evening. Grilling, the kids playing on the fort. It all changed rather quickly. The boys, my two and another that is Wise One's age, were in and out battling the villains that were attacking their fort. They were equipped with swords and a healthy imagination. They were all under foot or out on the fort. We were helping unpack boxes from the evacuation and telling stories about our trip. I went to the bathroom and then was frozen at what I was hearing. The other little boy came into tell his dad that Rowdy One was at the bottom of the pool. I was in a totally different part of the house and it was like he was whispering this information in my ear. I run to find my friend diving to the bottom of his pool to pull my child out. I will never forget what I saw and what went through my head. The nightmare began with those imagines.

At the hospital I had to face my parents and my husband, none of which were at the house. I had to face Wise One, who discovered his brother missing, and help him deal with what he saw and the guilt he felt. I had to answer questions from the drs. Look at the faces of the nurses. Deal with ALL the questions with the tone of how stupid a mother are you.!?

The whole while I had a vision in my head. A vision of Rowdy One struggling to reach the side. Calling for me. Wondering where his mother was. Why she was not there to help him. Save him. Why this water was taking him and his mommy was not helping him. I had a vision of him knowing he was drowning and struggling with it.

I have lived with this vision. At times it has consumed me. At times it has beaten me down. At times it makes it hard for me to breathe.

The next day he spoke of a bright light and reaching out for it, that is a whole nuther post. He spoke of falling in and not remembering after that. We got back in the water a week later. It was fall but we got in the very same swimming pool and swam. He didn't want to go under until the following summer. Now he swims like a fish and talks of getting to ride in an ambulance when he "drownded". That is all he remembers.

I on the other hand still struggle. I have a very hard time watching movies where someone is drowning. I have a very hard time reading about people drowning.

And then I opened this book.......and the first story is about a mother who almost drown. On the second page of the book this is what I read:

..... Some would say her soul was saying good-bye to her bag of bones. Some would say she experienced a hallucination caused either by lack of oxygen or by calming endorphins that numb the brain to alleviate the suffering of death. ......

Calming endorphins!!! What the hell are those and why has no one told me about them? A wave of emotion hit me. It was some relief to know that it very well may have been what happened to Rowdy One. He was taken care of by his amazing body. His fear was subdued.

There are loads of other explanations. Believe me, people feel free to share their opinions on this with me. There is still enough guilt to last me a lifetime. It didn't really alter that. But is was comforting to know that maybe, just maybe, Rowdy One didn't struggle like I imagined. Maybe.

He is a happy, healthy, rowdy one. He shows no ill effects.

I am a grateful, thankful mother. I grew a tremendous amount during this time. I still battle my demons. I am still overprotected. But this book gave me another look. Another side. Some comfort. It helped me grow more.

Thank you Mrs. Mmv for showing me this book. Thank you Mr. Bronson for writing this book. For helping these stories reach other people. It is an Honest and Amazing book of Real People.

Lyn

Reading and Watching

Watching:

Superman

Bringing up Baby I thought Wise One would pee in his pants during the scene where they are trying to leave the restaurant and her dress is torn. F.U.N.N.Y!

Reading:

Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Gilbert

Wicked, yes, still working on it. It is very good just been pushed aside for a bit.

The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo This cover is so endearing to me. A little mouse with his needle sword. This is Wise One's second time around with this book and Rowdy One's first. A very sweet read aloud.

Just finished:

Over the Hills & Far Away by Chris Conover This is a book Rowdy One and I shared together. The illustrations captured both of us. The endpapers show Tom's family tree. The first thing Rowdy One did was recognize that it was a family tree and remember when we made our family trees and hung them on the fridge. I love books like these. My boys "see" themselves. Something familiar about how it all works.

Why Do I Love These People by Po Bronson In another post I will tell you what this book meant to me. It has truly changed me. And it all started in the very first chapter. I love books like this one. This will be a purchase to live on my shelf for the future and it will be a gift I pass on to many friends.

Lyn

Guess where I was today?

I was at Rice University to see him.

He was calming. He was inspirational. He was witty. He was awesome. I listened more and spoke less today.

Thanks e for sharing this experience with me.

May I also recommend The Art of Happiness.

My favorite quote from today " ....what matters is six billion people and one Earth." Basically, we are all the same. All human beings. All gifts to each other.

Compassion. Love. Forgiveness.

Lyn

Days....flying by

Reading ~

Wicked by Gregory Maguire. A friend highly recommended it and I must say it has drawn me in. I was skeptical and leary but I have been surprised.

Good Poems for Hard Times by Garrison Keiller. Thank you.

Listening ~

Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown

Watching ~

Ladies in Lavendar can't remember where this recommendation came from......but it was someone in blogland.

Eating ~

Garden Salsa Sun Chips Breakfast, lunch and dinner. Yummers!!!

Have a great weekend. And give your loved ones a big squeeze!!!

Lyn