June Fun

 Kindergarten Graduation. Jack got 3 medals. One for getting straight E's (like A's) and one for citizenship and one for participating in Field Day.

 We tried to go camping.  We got a campsite at the island on the beach. When we got there we set up our new tent. Adam realized our boat was leaking and ended up taking it home to fix. Laura and the kids and I spent the night on the island and Adam joined us the next day. The boys loved cooking hotdogs and mashmallows but the girls couldn't get a decent fire started because of wet wood (even with Adam's blow torch lighter.) We had a fun time tubing and playing in the water even though it was a little chilly early in the season.

All in all, we have been having a fun summer. The boys have been playing with neighbors, playing Bey Blades, and driving Adam crazy as he tries to get do homework until all hours of the night.  Lilly runs around and plays with her big brothers, she is always so happy. They eat lunch at a local church that offers free lunches and the elderly lunch ladies just love her.  It's been getting very hot here and we mostly try and hide from the heat and use our window air conditioners and ceiling fans to get some relief.

Book Reviews June

Well I thought I would give my latest book reports on what I have been reading lately but now that I'm starting to write I think I should focus on the lesson that I'm learning. I'll start with just a brief intro to the books I read (or listened to depending on the book)

 

I totally loved this book and recommended it to Laura because of her

work with traumatized children. It was insightful and uplifting to hear some of the success stories of children that can overcome horrible odds but also frightening about the power of neglecting an infant and the capacity of children to invent memories that feel real when they are interogated and why they might do that. I know that was a really long sentence but I'm sleepy, it's midnight so grammer is flying out the window.

I LOVED this one. Laura has been claiming that she is the Tiger aunt and I am the Tiger Mother who were going to whip the boys into shape for their triathlons. It motivated me to expect more from children and that wasn't a bad thing but also to look for my childrens individuality.

LOVED this one. Temple Grandin is a woman that was born with autism and has changed the way livestock is handled improving the facilities and introducing legislation based on her unique ways of relating to animals and sensing their stress levels. 

REALLY REALLY LOVED this one. This is about Stephanie Nielson who was a young other in Utah, who gave her husband flying lessons and flew with him in his little airplanes much like Adam and I used to. She started her blog around 2005 when I started mine and blogged about happy small enjoyments of being a mother. She was injured in a terrible small plane crash which burned 80 % of her body and left her nearly dead. She then went through rehab at U oF U (where several of my friends work as therapists for burned victims). Basically her story hit home with a pashion and made me wonder how I would react to something like that and if I could be positive and motivated. Her testimony strengthened mine and I was truly uplifted buy this book. 

The book that the movie Precious is based off.  I did not like this book. It had very bad language and after listening to it in my car, these bad words would pop into my head and I hate that. Words I would rather not have learned. LAura gave the book to me and she listens to alot of books that are "cultural" and I definately became better aquainted with problems that I have not had to deal with personally but this was not uplifting at all. 

Maybe even worse than Push. The premise is that Kevin, the son of Eva and Franklin, has committed a terrible crime. The story is set in the aftermath of this crime, as Eva examines her role in events through a series of flashbacks. As the book progresses, I was not quite sure who the real victim is – was it Eva, plagued by a psychopathic child she never wanted? Or was it Kevin, who from birth could sense his mother’s resentment?  Jack has been pushing buttons trying to adjust to a new summer schedule and I can't help being overly critical of his bad attitude as I attempt to keep him from becoming a serial killer.  This book depressed me. I came home in a grumpy mood and was quick to loose my temper or become malaised after reading it. Adam asked me to stop reading it but I couldn't. It felt like a scab and even though it hurt I felt like I had to keep going until I got to the end of it.  

Hungergames- Adam and I listened to hunger games on the way to Disneyworld. We enjoyed it. Even though the premise is murderous, it was not depressing or draining like the two above. We are hoping to see the movie some day if we can ever get a babysitter or when it comes to Redbox.

The philosophical baby-  I Loved this one but it is also a clinical book about experiments and results of child psychology.  Laura and I did one on Charlie which showed he is a typical 4-year old who does not recognize and connect past self with present self and future self.

Are you there God, it's me Margaret- So so. I'm not a big fan of teenage drama and aitheism.

Blink/ Outliers- Very interesting books by the same author about the power of the first impression and hard work. The author gives case study examples and draws you in.

Blubber- Judy Bloom I thought I would love it but it was very jouvenile and had some bad language.

Dawn- OK. It was about WWII and holocaust which I usually enjoy but the ending was vague and left something to be desired

Good to Great- Why some companies have achieved greatness and why some companies don't- Like IT

History of Love- It was entertaining but then it ended very ubruptly like they just ran out of paper and tied it up without any sense of completion.

A hope in the Unseen- Loved this one- It is about a poor black boy from DC area who is able ot make it to an ivy league college and the struggles he overcomes.

Moby Duck- Long sometimes boring account of rubber duckies floating all over the world. What he might have written in a nice 3 page article, he expanded to fill like 18 hours of book on tape.

The Pixar Story- I love Disney and Pixar so I enjoyed this account of their beginnings

Wish you Well- LOVED this one. It was set in a rural southern Virginia town up near the blue ridge mountains which is exactly where I drive every day. It was uplifting and tender and made me want to read it as fast as I could. I went to the gym and rode the bicycle just so I could listen to more of it.  I forgot how much I can love fiction.

The 7 habits of Highly effective people- re-read. This is a good book, this and How to win friends and influence people I like to re-read (gasp- I never re-read books...) from time to time to apply the concepts to my new situations.

A Mormon in the Whitehouse- I really enjoyed and feel like I understand Mitt Romney a lot better now.  I know it was written with a bias towards him but I can't help feeling that if he could fix our country like one of his broken businesses and make us profitable even if some hard decisions have to be made, that he would be a man that could do it.


SO, The lesson I have learned this month is that books can have a powerful effect on me for either good or bad. A book can affect my thoughts which in turn can affect my language and behavior.  I really wish that their were some sort of rating system for books like there are for movies so that I could somehow avoid the ones with bad language or bad subject matter. I know that the books my sister get are probably ok for her but maybe I am more sensitive so I need to monitor my book reading more closely.  I've always known the importance of choosing good media but what I have to learn now is how to stop rading a book in the middle. I feel like those people who watch an accident happening and even though it's horrible, they have to keep watching. Even though I'm uncomfortable I have to keep reading, but for me once those images are in my head, they are there for good.  Anyone have any suggestions for me?  Have you read any of these books? If so which ones and what did you think?