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recent reads #2

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Pictured is what I just picked up from the library and below are some thoughts on what I’ve read recently! Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore 3.5 ⭐️ I found this book while cleaning and then read it all in one go. I’m a sucker for a bookstore setting and I enjoyed the movement through time and perspectives; however, the characters all felt like characters, if that makes sense. They were there to connect a web vs being messy and dense and complex. It felt too planned out when what I wanted it to was breathe. Still, a fun enough read to fly through on a lazy afternoon.  Bobbie Faye’s Very (very, very, very) Bad Day Toni McGee Causey 3⭐️ It kind of reminded me of how I felt about the Stephanie Plum books. Crass but not gross, purposefully messy heroines, and a wacky cast of friends, enemies, and families. I don’t think I ever felt like Bobbie Faye was centered enough - she felt like more a plot catalyst than a character.  We Solve Murders Richard Osman  4⭐️ I was ready to not like thi
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hello from my car picnic

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When Lil Momma was a tiny thing and it was winter, one of our favorite things to do was to pack up a snack-heavy picnic lunch and drive somewhere just the right amount of far away. We’d go for a chilly walk in the woods or we’d go stand near the ocean and just freeze to see the water and jump back in the car and go grab hot chocolates. Then, we’d park in front of a beautiful view and have a car picnic with some fun tunes on the radio. (For LM’s younger years, the rotation was very Taylor Swift heavy, haha!). We’d chat and eat and warm up and sip our fun drinks and it was just this little moment of joy and good bit of distraction during those toddler and preschool years.  I’m in the position, like I have been in recent years, of having to burn vacation time during the last two months of the year. Note, being more intentional with my paid time off is one of my birthday goals for next year . I try to stay out of the house while the Mr. is working and it’s been a really fun challenge to t
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-ber months and -brr months and grr months

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I’m a -ber month person ! September, October, and November are my favorites – and even our recent unseasonably less frigid Decembers can be added now.  Walks in the woods! Bike rides to peep leaves! Hiking when it’s not ridiculously hot! Usually,  it’s the brr months that get me down ; January – March can be pretty miserable, all dark and cold and wet. I have to motivate myself to get out and be present in the chill.   But this year in the prime -ber months, I am just  grrr .   When I hurt my right arch back in May, I thought I’d be out of the slogging (slow jogging) game for a few weeks but back on track by the time school got out.    When I hurt my left arch in August because of the inserts I got because of the misguided post-walking boot instructions from the podiatrist, I figured it would be sore for a few weeks, but I’d be back on track by the time school started.   When my right ankle began to swell in October during and after PT appointments and I realized I may have torn my per
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NaBloPoMo cheer squad

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alternate title: NaBloPoMoFOMO I really considered joining this year. I boomarked San’s post ! I made a list of prompts. I started writing in advance. I felt both excited and scared.  Then, I considered how life had been the past few weeks / months. My mind spiraling from work. Navigating so much school drama with Lil Momma. This ankle injury literally dragging me down.  In meeting myself where I’m at, I think my energy may be better placed as a super consistent commenter / informal cheer squad .   My November goals are to: - Comment on 5+ NaBloPoMo posts each day trying to spread the comments to different - and new! - blogs along with those already on my regular reading list  -Use some of my prompt list to try out some short form posts here 2x a week to help me get in a better flow in 2025 - Look for some glimmers in November . Take pictures when something brings me joy. Be a present person.  I love NaBloPoMo! It’s what made me want to start blogging and leave my lurker corner and e
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Monday Musings 10.14.24

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We took a day trip to Mystic, CT on Saturday. After some aquarium fun (I love the penguins), we wandered around Olde Mystik Village for some shopping and snacks and ended up in an artisan honey tasting room (words I’ve never put together before, haha!). Lil Momma had a whole moment when trying some of the “hotter” ones and I was able to find a few to buy and try out at home: lemon honey, ginger honey, and salted caramel honey. We are trying the ginger tonight as part of a stir fry! My arch/ankle saga has gotten a bit worse, sigh. The PT is definitely helping “raise” my fallen arches, but has also identified that I stand on the outer edges of my feet (no wonder balance is hard for me) so we are doing lots of work on that, too. The new challenge, though, is that I seem to have torn/strained my right peroneal tendon and have a ton of swelling in that ankle, which is also stiff any creaky. I’m off to an orthopedist who specializes in feet in a week or so, so hopefully I can get back to wal
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on september and sleep

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Instead of deep diving how I cried at my yearly physical only for the doctor to tell me I’m not sleeping enough ever since the double hit of Lil Momma’s scared freak outs and getting up earlier for middle school (sigh), I’ll just note that I’m focusing on sleep hygiene and personal routines / rhythms in October and recap last month. This mummy Hello Kitty is my stand in, haha! As for my September 16 … I’m super proud of myself! It was a hard and exhausting month but I was able to take some great steps to taking care of myself (and my to-do lists): 6 habits  Wk1 ✔️; Wk2 ✅; Wk3☑️; Wk4 🏁 Shower every morning  ✔️✔️✔️_✔️_ ✔️✔️ ✅✅✅✅_✅✅ _☑️☑️_ _ ☑️☑️ _ 🏁🏁_🏁🏁_ Drink water every morning  ✔️✔️✔️✔️✔️✔️✔️✔️ ✅✅✅✅✅✅✅ ☑️☑️☑️☑️☑️☑️☑️ 🏁🏁🏁🏁🏁🏁🏁 Have a vegetable every day _ ✔️_✔️✔️✔️✔️✔️ _✅_✅✅_✅ ☑️☑️_☑️☑️☑️☑️ 🏁🏁🏁🏁🏁🏁🏁 Take a walk every day  ✔️✔️✔️_ _ ✔️✔️✔️ ✅✅✅_ _✅✅ _☑️☑️_ _ ☑️☑️ _ 🏁🏁_🏁🏁🏁 Read a book every day ✔️✔️✔️✔️_ ✔️✔️✔️ _✅✅✅✅✅✅ ☑️☑️☑️☑️☑️☑️☑️ 🏁🏁🏁🏁🏁🏁🏁 Do 3 workouts each
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recent reads roundup

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  The “recent” is probably not accurate in this case; it’s been a bit since my last reading roundup. But, here’s some thoughts from the last few months’ worth of books! Marple: 12 New Mysteries  3.5 ⭐️ When they worked, they worked. I really wanted to like these more than I did. Agatha Christie’s Jane Marple books were formative in my lifelong love of mysteries. I love the idea of 12 women authors putting their spin on Miss Marple as she ages, but it made me miss Christie’s specificity in places. These were written for the twist and I think that’s what let some of them down.  The year of living Danishly: Uncovering the Secrets of the World’s Happiest Country  by Helen Russell  3⭐️ I liked the first half better than the second half… The conceit was so compelling (burnt out writer goes freelance in Denmark and explores what makes Danes so happy), but the execution got bogged down in balancing the memoir aspects with reporting on the reality of Danish life. I’m glad I read it, but it wasn
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