Happy Thanksgiving guys!
Apparently I’m thankful for blog link ups this year! I’m linking up with Mama Kat’s Writer’s Workshop by answering the following questions found on her So Very Thankful You Tube Tag. Wanna play along? Just answer the following questions:
1. Name a color you are thankful for. I am thankful for the color blue for giving my children such gorgeous eyes.
2. Something your spouse does that you are thankful for. My husband is amazing guys! It would take me a lifetime to list all the things he does that make our lives better. I am supremely thankful for his overall handy nature – his intelligence and hard work keep our appliances running, our home in good condition, our bellies full and heck – it made the desk that my computer is sitting on as I type this!
3. Something your kids do that you are thankful for. I have terrific kids. They are sweet, clever, silly and keep me on my toes. I am thankful for a son who is always willing to help out around the house and is always, always kind – he has the biggest heart and it makes me really proud. I’m thankful for a daughter who defies all stereotypes but isn’t afraid to embrace them sometimes, too. She can rock her princess dresses but is happy to roll around in the dirt, play video games or have a Nerf fight.
4. A food you are thankful for. Dessert, obviously.
5. What recent good news are you thankful for? It’s been a rough few weeks for news but I’m thankful for the people around me who focus on hope and love and compassion even when it would be easier to focus on fear. It’s easy to look at all the sad things in the news and lose yourself down the rabbit hole – I’m grateful for the people who don’t let themselves succumb to that.
6. Name a drink you are thankful for. Lactose free milk because it lets me live in denial and keeps my coffee habit running strong.
7. Name a restaurant you are thankful for. I’m thankful for Olive Garden because it’s the location where my husband proposed (and was often the surprise awesome meal that I’d get treated to as a starving college student). Also unlimited soup, salad and breadsticks. Nothing else really needs to be said.
8. Talk about an animal you are thankful for. I think I’m supposed to say my dog because it would be weird if I didn’t right? He’s okay.
9. Name a beauty product you are thankful for. The detangler from Ulta Beauty pretty much changed my life. Brushing my daughter’s hair often feel like a hostage situation with negotiations and subterfuge, but the detangler cut out a LOT of the drama. I’ve tried similar “imitations” but this one seems to have some magical quality that made everything different.
10. Name a cleaning product you are thankful for. Laundry pods make laundry so simple that my six year old can do it. We’re working on getting the kids to help out more with chores and although BB does still admittedly need to be supervised with laundry chores, MM at 9 can handle laundry from beginning to end now – and laundry pods mean I’m really not too worried about whether he is doing a good job or not.
11. What social media platform are you thankful for? Haters can hate on Facebook as much as they want and I hear you, but that silly little website has helped me forge relationships with distant relatives, maintain friendships despite major moves and life changes and tentatively tip toe into new friendship with school moms, etc. It’s earned my thanks ten times over.
12. Tell us why you are thankful for the last person who texted you. That would be my handsome husband who I talked a lot about in question 2. I’m also thankful for nine years of marriage making our relationship stronger than ever. We’ve been lucky to grow together over the years and though we obviously have our ups and downs like every couple, he’s still the person I cannot wait to talk to each day, my sounding board and confidante and the funniest person I know.
13. Name a candy you are thankful for. Reeses Peanut Butter Cups (or Reeses Pieces) because of the magic that can happen when peanut butter and chocolate get together.
14. Name an app on your phone that you are thankful for. The camera app on my phone is pretty amazing and because of it, I manage to get tons of snapshots of the kids without lugging a camera around with me. Admittedly, I should probably lug the camera around, too, a bit more often – but so many moments get saved thanks to the convenience of a phone with a built in camera. I’m also quite fond of being able to have essentially my entire music collection on my phone, a GPS, email, pedometer, receipt scanner and obviously Angry Birds.
15. What are you looking forward to that you are thankful for? I am looking forward to shopping with friends from my women’s group for our annual Adopt a Family event and I’m thankful that we’re able to help people in need each year. I think the holiday season feels even brighter when you are reaching out to others and helping where you can.
All The Light We Cannot See
I was really impressed with this story. Nightmares! is about a boy named Charlie who is still reeling from this death of his mother a few years ago. His dad remarried and he really doesn’t like his new step mom, but the real issue is that Charlie has been having horrible nightmares and he can’t sleep and it’s making him really moody and alienating him from his friends and family. He’s convinced his step mom is a witch (literally) and that his little brother is in danger. From here, the story takes on a fantasy element – he ends up going to the Nightmare World and has to save his friends and his whole town. I have to admit, I saw some plot points coming early on – but I think I am probably older than the intended audience. My nine year old LOVED the book and wants to read the second one. REALLY LIKED
I liked this book but I’m not sure I can say I loved it. I thought it was an interesting story and well executed but it definitely borders on preachy and parable-esque, too much in some ways. But it’s a short read and I definitely got something out of it so I’m glad I read it. The Alchemit is “the magical story of Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy who yearns to travel in search of a worldly treasure as extravagant as any ever found. The story of the treasures Santiago finds along the way teaches us, as only a few stories can, about the essential wisdom of listening to our hearts, learning to read the omens strewn along life’s path, and, above all, following our dreams.” I think this book would be better suited for YA readers who maybe haven’t thought about some of this stuff before. LIKED
I wasn’t sure if this book would hold up to the first but Han’s writing is addictive and this story might have been even better than the first. I am still not sure if I am Team Peter or not but I’m definitely Team Lara Jean and I loved the insight into the double standards between men and women and her thoughts on dating today versus dating back in the 1950’s and the cyber bullying plot line. I think this would be great food for thought for today’s teens. It definitely brought me back! Make sure you read 
