Trash Mountain

My husband is leaving the country. Exciting, right?

For the last few years, our church has partnered with an organization called Trash Mountain. Trash Mountain works with trash dump communities in developing countries all around the world to provide them with clean water, food, and sustainable living. International travel and missions are both passions of mine, so when my husband was offered a place on a team traveling to the Philippines in 2015, I wasn't sure how to feel. On one hand, this was an amazing opportunity for my husband. It was an opportunity to see a part of the world he has only heard about (his aunt, uncle, and cousins served in Manilla for more than 20 years). It was an opportunity to expand himself professionally, as he will be leading worship with ministry leaders while he's there. It's an opportunity for him to grow spiritually, because, let's face it - you can't NOT grow when you see God's grace and providence in environments so vastly different from your own. On the other (far more selfish and way louder) hand, I knew this was going to be a time of trial for me. I LOVE LOVE LOVE things like this and haven't gotten to go since before our kids were born. Truth be told, I wish it was me. This is also the first international trip that we haven't taken together. It's also a ten day stretch of me with the kids. Alone. Like, by myself. Right when school starts back. And it means the kids will be apart from their dad for longer than they have ever been. So...I'm a bit torn.

To help myself get over my selfishness, I tried to focus my energy on Charlie. To explain this to him, Daddy pulled up a map on the computer. He showed Charlie where we are and where the Philippines are. He explained that he was going to help little kids just like him in the Philippines. He also told him that he was going where Aunt Pam and Uncle Ben are from, to which Charlie responded, "No Daddy, they are from Singapore." Yes, that's where they are now. Good memory, kid. We talked about how Aunt Pam and Uncle Ben got to tell people in the Philippines and now in Singapore about Jesus. Wasn't that exciting? I told Charlie that Daddy would be meeting kids who didn't have a house like him, didn't have peanut butter and jelly like him, and didn't have toys like him. I asked him if he wanted to go through his toys and see if there was anything he would like Daddy to take as a gift to the boys and girls in the Philippines. About ten minutes later, Charlie came back to me with this bag FULL of planes, trains, cars, and other toys.

As much as Charlie and Lucy (and Mommy) are going to miss Daddy, it's important for all of us to understand and recognize that Daddy is going to do one of the most important and powerful things we as Earth-dwellers can do: SERVE OTHERS. And, even though we can't go with him, we can do things like give up our toys, give up our time, and shoulder more work. In this way, we are still contributing because he is serving on our behalf.

And THAT is exciting. Details to come!

Book: The Beginning of Everything

The Beginning of Everything

by Robyn Schneider

Length: 352 pages

Format: Kindle
Price: $2.99

How I heard about it: Saw it on the "You Might Also Enjoy" list on Amazon

Basic Premise: Ezra Faulkner has always been defined by his athletic ability. But when a car wreck leaves him without the full use of a leg, he finds himself trapped in a weird limbo of the school's social hierarchy as he struggles to define himself after sports.

My Take: 5 out of 10 (scale here) 
Meh. This is another book I could really take or leave. It was one of those books that made me feel like I'd read it before. The story itself was strongly reminiscent of Paper Towns and Stargirl - a boy is taken by a girl who is different and dazzling unattainable and aloof and indefinable and who ultimately stays that way. The big "mystery" of the story - the thing I was supposed to be wondering throughout the book but wasn't because the rest of the story just didn't take me there - was anticlimactic. I liked Schneider's writing style and the way the story moved. I was not particularly attached to the characters, though I did like Ezra's quick wit and personality. I would like to explore more books by this author and, as this is a 2014 title, am curious about whether it will be discussed at my YAL conference next month.

Crock Pot Potato Soup

Potato soup might be my all-time favorite kind of soup. Over the years, I've tried many different versions, and while most have been very successful, this one takes the cake, if for no other reason, because it can be made in the crockpot. And you know how I feel about crockpots.

I've tweaked the original recipe a bit, but these are the basic ingredients. The only two not pictured are green onions and dry Ranch.

-1 carton chicken broth

-1 can cream of chicken

-1 pkg frozen hash browns

-1 pkg cream cheese

- 3 celery stalks, chopped

- 4-5 green onion stalks, chopped

- bacon, cooked and chopped

- 1 t dry Ranch

Step 1: Layer in Crock Pot

Wisk together Cream of Chicken soup and a small amount of broth until smooth. Place hash browns in the crock pot and pour mixture from above over the top. 

Add celery, half the green onion, and a handful of bacon. (Reserve the rest of the onions and bacon for garnish.) Pour remaining broth over the top.

Step 2: Cook

Cook on low 6-8 hours.

Step 3: Add the cream cheese

Thirty minutes to an hour before serving, place the package of cream cheese in a cup of hot water. When softened, mix into soup and add dry Ranch.

Step 4: Add toppings

Top with green onion, bacon, and cheese. Enjoy!

Charlie Brown Christmas

My son likes Charlie Brown. He's also almost five. So when I heard that our local theater was putting on a production of:

I told my mom about it. And being the lover of theatre that she is (not to mention the awesome grandma she is), she offered to take us both. And Charlie came prepared.

I was the slightest bit nervous about how he would do, only because this was his first time at a stage production. I wasn't really sure what to expect either, as I had never been to this smaller kids theatre. But I used to go to high school with the director, and I knew the show was going to be great. As the music started and the adults dressed as kids came onto the stage, it was clear that Charlie was going to have no problems paying attention.

It was quite short (wise, I believe as the audience was probably 50% fidgety kids and 50% nervous adults) and at the end, the actors came back onto the stage and lead the audience in a Christmas carol sing-along. They waved at the kids, and Charlie waved back, swinging his stuffe Charlie Brown in the air so they could see it. They smiled and waved at him enthusiastically, which put an even bigger grin on his face. Afterword, the actors came out to meet the kids.

Of course he had to meet Charlie Brown, show him his Charlie Brown, and tell him he had a sister at home named Lucy. And then of course, we had to get a picture with Lucy.

It was a great, unique way to celebrate Christmas and introduce Charlie to theatre! Thanks, Gigi!

Book: The Fallout

The Fallout

by SA Bodeen

Length: 352 pages

Format: Paperback
Price: Ordered from Scholastic for my classroom library with my free teacher points

How I heard about it: Sequel to The Compound, which I heard about at my YAL conference

 

Basic Premise: After surviving his six-year incarceration underground, Eli attempts to pick up the shards of his old life. But how do you recover from missing out on the world for six years due to the insanity of your own father?

My Take: 7 out of 10 (scale here) I LOVED the first book, and this one was a bit of a letdown. The plot itself moved more slowly, but there were also moments when I wondered why the author was spending so much time on small details, like fixing breakfast in the morning or getting into a car. I wanted a little more character development (but, to be fair, I always want more character development). It was still very good, and while I don't agree with the kids who told me it was BETTER than the first one, I do agree that it's a good book and a page-turner. When I finished, I immediately got online to see when the next book is coming out, and it doesn't appear that there will be one. Argh!

Reading List #2 - FINISHED!

In January, for the first time ever, I tried reading from a list. I selected 20 titles from the YAL conference I attended and read all but one (which I attempted and abandoned, because I firmly believe time should not be wasted on a bad book). I read 25 books in just over six months. I LOVED reading from a list and decided to do it again, so in July I selected 10 more titles. I finished last week!

List progress:
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson review here
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot review here
Parenting with Love & Logic by Jim Fey
Silver Star Jeannette Walls review here
Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger review here
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak review here
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck review here
Shepherding a Child's Heart by Tedd Tripp review here
Those Who Save Us by Jenna Blum review here
Mocking Jay by Suzanne Collins review here

I am calling this finished even though I didn't read Parenting with Love & Logic because I put this on my list thinking I was going to be taking that class at church. Instead, I took a class on being a better wife. It was an excellent investment of my time, though I do hope to take the parenting class and read the book some time in the near future.

I also read three titles which weren't on my list:
The Skinny Rules by Bob Harper (review here)
The Gurnsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Borrows (review here)
If I Stay by Gayle Forman (review here)

That's 12 books in 5 months. Not as good as the first half of the year, but I'll take it!

Book: If I Stay

If I Stay

by Gayle Forman

Length: 320 pages

Format: Kindle
Price: $2.99

How I heard about it: Students

Basic Premise: Julliard-bound cellist Mia Hall is involved in a tragic car accident which leaves her orphaned and in a hospital with severely critical injuries. She is given the choice to go or stay, but if she stays, what will be left for her?

My Take: 7 out of 10 (scale here) I really liked this book. It was a quick read, which was exactly what I needed after my recent slow slump. I heard about it at my YAL conference (which I get to go to again next month - whoop whoop!) when they mentioned Just One Day, which is by the same author, but I've seen several kids with it recently. When I saw it was only $2.99 on Kindle, and I had a $5 gift card, I figured, why not?

I liked Mia. She was level-headed and intelligent. She was not boy-crazy or overly superficial. She seemed like the kind of girl I would have hung out with in high school. She had a boyfriend who was in a band and way cooler than her, and about whom she was constantly asking, "What could he possibly see in me?" which are both things to which can relate. The story moved quickly, which was surprising considering the entire book occurs in a 24 hour time span, there was very little action, and most of the story is flashbacks. But I really liked it and am tempted to read the second one. 

The Worst Mom Award

One of my favorite things to do with my children is go to the library. They love it because they get to play and get books and I love it because, after having taught all day, I can sit somewhere that is not my house where laundry, the dishes, the dirty kleenex on the floor next to the trashcan are not shouting to be straightened. It is a calm, quiet atmosphere and we go at least once a week.
Last week, they had these cars:

I tried to get a picture of the two of them playing together, because they truly were playing together. But as you can see, Lucy has her sights set on another toy. She immediately went for the toy and another little girl took up residence on her yellow car.

Lucy was having none of that.

She went SCREAMING back to the car saying, "Mine! Mine!" so loud you could hear her in the parking lot. I immediately intervened, taking her back to a chair and telling her she needed to sit with me for a while.

She was having none of that, either.

She began to THROW A FIT. Screaming so loud my teeth were rattling in my jaw. Kicking so hard her shoes were flying off her feet. Making such a ruckus that people were stopping and staring - like, stopping in the middle of the aisles and watching me try to unsuccessfully calm my daughter down. Really, all I wanted was to get her to stop screaming. Never mind the disobedience, never mind the disrespect, never mind the defiance JUST STOP SCREAMING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FREAKING LIBRARY.

Nope. She was having none of that.

It took me all of ten seconds of this to decide we couldn't do this - we were leaving. I grabbed my flailing daughter, groped about for her shoes, and said, "Charlie, we are leaving. Let's go."

You know that scene in one of the Shrek's where the cat makes his eyes go all big and sad? That's what my son did. "But Mommy, I don't have my library books yet." I wanted to shout "CAN'T YOU SEE THAT YOUR SISTER IS HAVING A MELTDOWN? WE DON'T HAVE TIME FOR BOOKS!" But instead, I hauled myself and Lucy to my feet (bless the little random girl who found Lucy's shoes for me) and frantically said, "Go FAST! Find your books and meet me at the checkout in less than one minute!"

But one minute was too long. Because rather than calming down, Lucy was just getting started. Her face was red, tears were cascading down her cheeks, and she was wailing like a fire engine. I tried to sit her upright in my arms but she fell sideways, reaching for the floor and shrieking. I wrestled her shoes on to her feet and tried once again to calm her down. By now, the ENTIRE LIBRARY has stopped and is staring at me. I tell Charlie to hurry while I try to find the library card in the labyrinth of my purse. Lucy has once again kicked her shoes off and the little girl has once again found them and returned them to me. I find the library card, thank the girl, and call for Charlie again. He appears with an armful of books. Hands down the fastest he's ever been at picking. But rather than praising him, thanking him, saying, "My dear, dear son, THANK YOU for picking your books so quickly and without one word of complaint," I say, "Hurry up and get them checked out" because Lucy has hit some all-time high of toddler-dom - an award-winning level of fit-throwing that I hadn't known existed. I had to HOLD HER SIDEWAYS to keep her from falling out of my arms. Forget the shoes. They were going in my purse if the little girl could find them again. If not, they were the library's. Maybe they could find a little girl whose feet they fit because WE SURE AS HECK AREN'T COMING BACK TO THE LIBRARY EVER AGAIN.

Meanwhile, my son is trying desperately to check out his books. But he can't, because he's not good enough at the screen to put my code in by himself, even though he chants it to himself and does his best to hit the right buttons. I take over for him, but I can't see the screen through my tears. I am absolutely and utterly humiliated. I can hear the librarian calling to me from the desk but I don't turn around. I shove Charlie's books in the machine, yank my card out, tell him to grab his books, and take off out of the children's wing.

The hallway was empty (thank God), but the echoing acoustics magnified the shrieks and howls coming from the 2-year-old. Charlie is doing his best to carry his armload of books, but he drops them all every fourth step or so. And it doesn't help that his pants are too big in the waist (story of that boy's life, let me tell you) and he has to keep hiking them up. I cannot take the books for him because I'm still trapped in a weird vertical wrestling match with Lucy. As we walked out into the atrium, which of course was busy with people, I did my best to keep my head down and hurry through. Charlie kept dropping his books despite my constant hisses of "Come on!" and "Hurry up!"

It takes us FOR.EHH.VUR. to get to the car. I open her door and Charlie follows. I try to cram Lucy into her seat but she is doing that back arch thing so I can't get her in the car seat. I'm telling you, this girl is pulling out the stops. Charlie's whining about something. I think he's dropped his books on the ground again. I tell him to pick them back up and let me finish with Lucy.

Ohhhhh, Lucy.

I finally strap her in. I get in her face and tell her how upset I am. How terrible she's been acting. How this makes me never want to take her out in public again. Charlie pulls on my coat but ignore him. I say to Lucy, "Do you have ANY IDEA how embarrassing that was girl? You are in SOOOOOO much trouble!"

"MOMMY!" Charlie yells.

I finally look down. My boy is near tears, his library books are clutched awkwardly in his arms and HIS PANTS ARE DOWN AROUND HIS ANKLES.

"CHARLIE!" I yell, "What happened to your pants?"

"They fell!" He says frantically as I pull them up.

"Why didn't you just pull them up?

"Because you said I had to hold my library books!" he wails.

FAIL.

FAIL.

FAIL.

Worst Mom Award. Go ahead and lay it on me.

But give my son the Best Son Award. Both his mother and sister JUST LOST THEIR MINDS in the library. He got his books quickly. He did his best to get them checked out. He got himself to the car even though he dropped his books repeatedly and had to keep picking them back up. He obeyed and held his books even when his pants fell down around his ankles in the middle of the library parking lot. And when, after I finally get everyone safely into the car and started to drive away, I apologize to him, he says, "It's okay Mommy. And do you know what?"

"What, Charlie?"

"I will never ever ever stop loving you."

 Wow.

Does he get it? Does he know about forgiveness, really? Is a four-year-old child capable of understanding what it means to never ever ever stop loving someone? I don't know. But I do know that his Daddy models this every time he gets in trouble. When it's all over, he takes Charlie in his arms, makes him look in his eyes and says, "I will never ever ever stop loving you" and things go right back to normal. Just like nothing ever happened.

It was easier to forgive Lucy after that.

Product Review: Norwex Bathroom Scrub Mitt + Ergonomic Toilet Brush

How I Heard:

Norwex is pretty much my new favorite thing. Click here for details :)

What I Used: 

I used the Bathroom Scrub Mitt. It has microfiber on one side:

And little scrubby things on the other side:

I also used the Ergonomic Toilet Brush for the toilet bowl:

 

Application:
I used the mitt to clean my bathroom sink which was, well, disgusting.

See?

I ran the mitt under water, squeezed it out really good, and then went to work. There was some serious toothpaste stuck to the basin so I did need to use the scrubber side. I used the soft part to go back over everything one more time. It looked GREAT and only took a few minutes.

Results:

I also used it on my toilet, but I didn't take pictures. You're welcome. When I was done, I simply rinsed it out and hung it up to dry for next time.

Okay, before I go on, I need to confess something: I like to clean bathrooms. I truly do. If there is ever a corporate cleaning situation, I always volunteer to do the bathrooms and people always think of me as this super-selfless person who is taking one for the team by doing the dirty job that no one wants. But the truth is that I'd rather clean the toilet than dust, sweep, or clean the sink. I used to do it at the golf course I worked at, and let me tell you - once you've cleaned a public toilet - or worse, a URINAL - nothing can gross you out. And since I am not easily grossed out by germs or dirt or hair, the bathroom and I have a good thing going. Okay - confession over.

The toilet brush is GENIUS. I don't know why someone hasn't thought of this before now. The toilet bowl might be my favorite part of cleaning the bathroom. Spraying the toilet bowl is always the first thing I do and then scrubbing it down is always the last thing I do so that when I go to scrub, the chemicals have already been working on the germs for a good chunk of time. Now this is the part I really like: I know how nasty that toilet bowl is and I know I'm scrubbing and flushing the nasty, pee-y, poopy germs away. This time, it was better because I knew I was able to reach even more of the nasty stuff!

My Take:
I am a fan of both of these items - the toilet brush in particular. It made the already kind of fun process of cleaning the bathroom even MORE so.

Click to read my review of the kitchen cloth and cleaning paste.

Kindle Book: The Silver Star

The Silver Star

by Jeannette Walls

Length: 304 pages

Format: Kindle
Price: $9.99

How I heard about it: Lindsey

Basic Premise: When their drifter-mother leaves teenage sisters Jean and Liz Holladay on their own, the girls journey to their mother's birthplace and discover a family history that makes them wonder why their mother swore to never return.

My Take: 7 out of 10 (scale here)

This was a pretty good book. I liked that it was set in the 60s and the South. I liked the main character because 1) her first name is my daughter's middle name and 2) she had guts. I thought the villain was a bit unbelievable. I realize the 60s were a different time, but it's hard for me to believe a man like that would have gotten away with that sort of crap. There were parts of the plot I wish the author would have chased, like the integration issue. In fact, I thought that's where the book was going when it was first introduced. But just as there were things I wanted to know more about, there were facets on which I wish she wouldn't have lingered because they were, well, boring. But over all I liked the book and will recommend it to students. 

List progress:
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
Parenting with Love & Logic by Jim Fey
Silver Star Jeannette Walls
Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
Shepherding a Child's Heart by Tedd Tripp
Those Who Save Us by Jenna Blum
Mocking Jay by Suzanne Collins

Kindle Book: Of Mice and Men

Of Mice and Men

by John Steinbeck

Length: 112 pages

Format: Kindle
Price: Free!

How I heard about it: It's a classic...

Basic Premise: George and Lennie are looking to get themselves "a steak" - enough money to buy a farm and be their own masters. But Lennie seems to...complicate matters.

My Take: 6 out of 10 (scale here)

I have always wanted to read this book and now felt like a good time, seeing as how I wanted a classic for my list and I knew this one was short. Beyond watching trailers for the movie with Gary Sinise and John Malcovich, I didn't really know what the book was about. I can't decide if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

Steinbeck is dark. He is not feel-good or happy-go-lucky. He's not even-light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel. And truly, this book is no exception. I loved the prose - the descriptions, the dialogue - it was excellent, excellent writing. I loved Lennie. He was the heart and soul of the book. The story is raw and real and gives the reader a sense of realism that created almost palpable tension. Big picture parts of the story were predictable, but the ways in which they were carried out were not. Like, at ALL. To call the ending abrupt is a gross understatement. The ending was...I can't even think of the right word. I'll come back and edit if I think of it.

Overall...not my favorite.

List progress:
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
Parenting with Love & Logic by Jim Fey
Silver Star Jeannette Walls
Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
Shepherding a Child's Heart by Tedd Tripp
Those Who Save Us by Jenna Blum
Mocking Jay by Suzanne Collins