Attempting to be a Super Mom

The 18th book I read for my 24 books in 2017 was called Into The Water. I actually borrowed this one from my sister-in-law after she finished reading it and couldn't wait to get it started. See, the thing is, I love Thrillers, but I often read fun and light hearted because with thrilling and scary books, I tend to get too into them and find it hard to do anything else. Yup that happened with this one.  I finished it in about 3 days. Into The Water by Paula Hawkins Hardcover: 400 pages  Publisher: Riverhead books; First edition (May 2, 2017) Amazon Summary: A single mother turns up dead at the bottom of the river that runs through town. Earlier in the summer, a vulnerable teenage girl met the same fate. They are not the first women lost to these dark waters, but their deaths disturb the river and its history, dredging up secrets long submerged.   Left behind is a lonely fifteen-year-old girl. Parentless and friendless, she now finds herself in the care of her mot...

For my 17th book in 24 books in 2017, I read The Knockoff. (I'm going to do these book reviews a little different now.  I feel that because by the time I actually write up the review I've usually read at least one more book, I can't do a proper review. I'm going to post the Amazon summary and then my thoughts on the book from here on out.) The Knockoff by Lucy Sykes and Jo Piazza Paperback: 352 pages  Publisher: Anchor; Reprint edition (May 3, 2016) Amazon summary: As editor in chief of  Glossy  magazine, Imogen Tate is queen of the fashion world … until Eve, her conniving twenty-something former assistant, returns from business school with plans to knock Imogen off her pedestal, take over her job, and re-launch  Glossy  as an app. Suddenly, the Louboutin is on the other foot; Imogen may have Alexander Wang and Diane von Furstenberg on speed dial, but she doesn’t know Facebook from Foursquare and once got her phone stuck in Japanese for three ...

The 16th book I read for 24 books in 2017 was called On Turpentine Lane. On Turpentine Lane by Elinor Lipman Hardcover: 320 Pages   Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (February 14, 2017) Ok, confession time... When I pick my books, most of the time I find a book I've read and loved on Amazon. Then when a list of books similar to the one I liked pop up, I find ones with interesting covers and read their little blurb that the book is about. If I'm still intrigued I throw it in the cart. I'm sure I'm not the only one who does this... This was exactly how I found this book. Faith Frankel is engaged and somewhat happy in her job, writing thank you letters for her alma mater. Her fiancé decides to take a crowdfunded cross country walk and she gets fed up with the inability to get in touch although he's able to post photos of him with other women to social media, so she breaks off their engagement. (I'm not so sure they were actually engaged.  He seemed t...

The 15th book I read for my 24 books in 2017 was Sugar by Kimberly Stuart. Sugar: A Novel by Kimberly Stuart Paperback: 248 pages  Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing (February 7, 2017) Ok, anyone that truly knows me, and maybe even not so truly, knows that I love everything about food.  The taste, the sight, the smell, cooking it, eating it... everything! I also love Chick Flicks and Chick lit. Give me a good love story that makes me laugh and cry, and I'll read it or watch it over and over and over again. This book was everything I love all rolled inside of one cover. Charlie Garrett works at a very high profile restaurant in New York City.  She dreams of one day becoming the executive pastry chef but doesn't seem to be making any progress where she's at. One day her ex-boyfriend Avery Michaels comes to her restaurant and asks her to come work with him at his new restaurant across the country in Seattle as his executive pastry chef.  When she gets to Seattle...

I actually read The Hate U Give for my 13th book this year, but accidentally typed up a review for the one I read after it first, so we'll just call it my 14th book. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas Hardcover: 464 pages  Publisher: Balzer + Bray (February 28, 2017) I actually found this book because an author I love was tweeting nonstop about a book that was going to kick her from her spot on the Young Adult Bestsellers list. I don't think I feel comfortable writing a review on here for this book.  If you know me personally, you know where I grew up, the important people in my life, why I feel the way I do about world issues, and why this book spoke to me. If you don't and don't agree with me on world issues, I really don't want to offend you, so I will not be writing a review for people to see publicly. I will say that this book is worth the read if you grew up in a neighborhood filled with minorities, are a minority, love someone who is a minority, or...

The 13th book I read in my 24 books in 2017 is All Grown Up by Jami Attenberg. All Grown Up by Jami Attenberg Hardcover: 208 pages  Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (March 7, 2017) Andria Bern is a young woman who seems to not want to grow up while all of her friends and family is. Her best friend got married and had a baby. Her brother and his girlfriend got married and had a baby who had a heart condition and wouldn't grow to be older than 5. Andrea on the other hand, is working in a job she doesn't care for but could do with her eyes closed and her hands tied behind her back. She drinks a lot, does occasional drugs, and has sex with random men. She distances herself from the people who really care for her while she self destructs. She's lonely and knows that she has a problem or several but is not capable or willing to fix them. Each chapter is from a different part of her life that show how she got to where she is and every couple chapters is a chapter o...

The 12th book I read in my 24 books was Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher Paperback: 288 pages  Publisher: Razorbill; 1st Edition (June 14, 2011) Ok, so unless you've been living under a rock you already know what this book is about.  The controversy surrounding the Netflix series and this book are completely insane but probably warranted. I have to start this by saying suicide is something that has effected me and my family, so it isn't something I take lightly. Thirteen Reasons Why is about a girl, Hannah, who has committed suicide and leaves behind a series of tapes that explain why she did what she did. With the tapes is a list of people that are supposed to receive these tapes, one after another. We see the story and hear the tapes through the eyes and ears of Clay, a boy who had a crush on Hannah. From an adult point of view, I can say that what this girl seemed to experience was not ok, but kids are cruel and the sam...

The 11th book I read for 24 books in 2017 was Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella. Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella Paperback: 304 pages  Publisher: Ember; Reprint Edition (May 3, 2016) Audrey is a teenage girl who has gone through a terrible incident with bullies at school, leaving her struggling with the after effects. She wears dark glasses, she doesn't go out of the house except to therapy, and she doesn't communicate with anyone but her parents, brothers, and therapist. Then, one day she meets Linus, her brother's friend, who pushes her to push herself.  He helps her talk, laugh, and find herself. This book was extremely different from the usual Sophie Kinsella books. In fact, it's a book recommended for teens. I think it's a book, I'd like my kids to read, maybe even Ben (who is 9) in the next couple of years. It really shows the effect that bullying can have on a person. It also really helps to understand mental illness.  As someone who has str...

The tenth book I read for my 24 books in 2017 was I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella. I've Got Your Number: A Novel by Sophie Kinsella Paperback: 448 pages  Publisher: Dial Press Trade Paperback; Reprint Addition (April 23, 2013) Poppy is about to marry her dream man, but in a crazy incident at her bachelorette luncheon, there is a fire drill which not only causes her to lose her engagement ring (an old family heirloom) and get her phone stolen. In what can only be described as destiny, she finds a phone in a trashcan at the hotel lobby.  She takes the phone and starts giving out the number so the staff can get ahold of her if they find the ring. The phone actually belongs to a business man who is trying to get the phone back, and in a compromise she forwards him all of his messages (and eventually starts responding to some on her own) until she can get her ring found and her own phone. Meanwhile, she has to hide that she lost the ring from her fiancé and his...

The ninth book I read for 24 books in 2017 was Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella. Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella Paperback: 448 pages  Publisher: Dial Press Trade Paperback; Reprint Edition (March 9, 2010) Lara Lington is struggling. She's just been dumped by her boyfriend with no real explanation and she's recently gone into business with a close friend, who has since disappeared on an open ended holiday, leaving her in the lurch. With a failing business and a broken heart, she has to attend a funeral with her worried parents for her great aunt Sadie who nobody in the family really knew but lived to be 105.  During the funeral she meets and eventually gets stuck with Sadie's ghost, who needs her help, finding a necklace she owned. While Sadie truly needs Lara's help, soon we find that Lara needed Sadie's help too. The two make a great duo, even if nobody else ever learns that Sadie is still there and hasn't moved on to the afterlife. I hav...

The eighth book I read for 24 books in 2017 was Wedding Night by Sophie Kinsella. Wedding Night by Sophie Kinsella Paperback 464 pages  Publisher: Dial Press Trade Paperback; Reprint Edition (May 13, 2014) Lottie thinks her long time boyfriend is going to propose but when he doesn't, she gets upset and calls off their relationship altogether. Strangely enough, at the same time, her old flame Ben gets back into contact with her, and the two of them decide to skip dating and jump right into marriage. Lottie's sister Fliss, who has been going through a tough divorce is determined to make sure her sister doesn't end up in the same position she's in. Believe me when I say, Fliss will do anything to make sure her sister doesn't consummate the marriage. This book was a little different than the others I've read by her, because it alternates chapters every so often to change from Fliss and Lottie's view points. It also took a little longer than the o...

The seventh book I read in my 24 books in 2017 was Remember Me by Sophie Kinsella. Remember Me by Sophie Kinsella Paperback: 400 pages  Publisher: Dial Press Trade Paperback; Reprint Edition (October 28, 2008) Lexi Smart is a 25 year old working girl, in a crummy relationship, and about to attend the funeral of her father. She wakes up 3 years later in a hospital only to find that her whole life and appearance had changed. She's now a corporate business woman, with a gorgeous husband and a glamorous life. As she tries to put the pieces of the last 3 years of her life back together, she meets Jon, who throws everything into a tailspin with the bombshell he drops on her. This book was really good, but not quite as funny as some of the others I'd read. I'd still definitely recommend it.

My 6th book I read for my 24 books in 2017 was The Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella. Can you tell, I've been really loving Sophie Kinsella? The Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella Paperback: 400 pages  Publisher: Dial Press Trade Paperback; Reprint Addition (April 25, 2006) This book was pretty hysterical. Undomestic Goddess is about a woman, Samantha Sweeting, who is a lawyer trying desperately trying to make partner. She hears a rumor that she's made partner and it will be announced later in the morning, but just after people start congratulating her, she realizes she made a horrible mistake that will cost her company a lot of money and she'll never be made partner. She leaves and just keeps walking and riding trains until she arrives at a mansion in the middle of nowhere. She stops to ask for directions and is mistaken for a housekeeping applicant. Samantha doesn't know the first thing about cooking, cleaning, or mending clothing, but her competitive s...

The fifth book I read in my 24 books for 2017 was My Not So Perfect Life by Sophie Kinsella. My Not So Perfect Life by Sophie Kinsella Hardcover: 448 pages  Publisher: The Dial Press (February 7, 2017) After LOVING Can You Keep A Secret? I went on a crazy amazon shopping spree. I needed more Sophie Kinsella. My Not So Perfect Life is her latest book. True to her style, the main character Katie or Cat Brenner has big goals but the worst luck. She's made redundant at her job where she looks up to her not so nice boss with the perfect life, and she's fallen for her boss' boss. She can't find another job and moves back home to help her Dad and Step-Mom run the glamping site they've set up on the family farm. Her old boss shows up and hilarity ensues. Definitely a great read. I couldn't put the book down and laughed out loud through most of it. Every lady I know, who loves good girly, light hearted books, should read this and laugh along with me.

The 4th book I read for my 24 books of 2017 was Can You Keep A Secret? by Sophie Kinsella. After the tear filled ending of King's Cage, I needed something light and fun. Can You Keep A Secret? by Sophie Kinsella Paperback: 368 pages  Publisher: Dial Press Trade Paperback; Reprint edition (March 1, 2005) If you've ever read the Shopaholic series, then you've probably already fallen in love with Sophie Kinsella. She writes about these girls who could be anybody. They are really good in some parts of their life and crummy in others.  She does it in this laugh out loud, captivating way. This book is about Emma Corrigan, who accidentally tells all of her most deep dark private secrets to a stranger during a traumatic plane ride. When she gets back to work, she is shocked and embarrassed to see that he's one of the big bosses at her job. This book was awesome, and everything I needed and wanted it to be. I read it in about two days. Definitely a chicklit...

The 3rd book I read for my 24 books in 2017 is King's Cage by Victoria Aveyard. King's Cage by Victoria Aveyard Hardcover: 528 pages  Publisher: HarperTeen (February 7, 2017) So a year ago, my sister-in-law got me hooked on the Red Queen series. It was about the time the 2nd book came out. I read through the first one, bought the 2nd one on my kindle the moment I finished the first, and then bought the two novellas the second I finished the 2nd book. Then, I had to wait a whole year for this book to come out. This book starts out with Mare Borrow trapped as Maven Calore's prisoner. He takes away her powers with silent stone and is on a mission to control his country even if it means betraying people who have been loyal to him. Meanwhile Cal and the other new bloods are trying to figure out how to get Mare back as well as prepare for the impending war. King's Cage was so good. I love the suspense and how easy it is to be invested in the characters. This book ...

The second book I read for my 24 books in 2017 was Born a Crime by Trevor Noah. Born A Crime: Stories from a South African Child by Trevor Noah Hardcover: 304 pages  Publisher: Spiegel and Grau (November 15, 2016) Something you should know about me.  I love memoirs about people I find interesting. Musicians I enjoy listening to actors I like watching. I really like reading these memoirs when their lives and upbringings are so different from mine. I should have been a sociologist. Is that a real thing? Anyway, Trevor Noah was born and raised in South Africa. If you know anything at all about South Africa, the word apartheid probably comes to mind. Yup, that's all I knew about South Africa... that and Charlize Theron comes from there. Apartheid is defined as institutionalized racial segregation and discrimination, in South Africa, that occurred from 1948 to 1991. Trevor Noah was born during apartheid to a Swiss (white) father and a Xhosa (black) mother. Interrac...

The first book I read, in my goal for 24 books this year, was The Magnolia Story by Chip and Joanna Gaines. The Magnolia Story by Chip and Joanna Gaines with Mark Dagostino Hardcover: 208 pages  Publisher: Thomas Nelson (October 18, 2016) First of all, I'm a huge fan of the show Fixer Upper. I'm obsessed with Joanna's decorating style, Chips sense of humor, the idea of fixing up a house into exactly what you want it to be, and I really like Chip and Joanna's dynamic and family life. That's what drew me to this book. I really liked their story. It was a sweet book about two people who are total opposites, encouraging each other to follow their dreams from day one. I loved how on so many occasions they gave it all up to God and everything worked out the way it was supposed to, even if they didn't like the way it looked at the time. (Example: When Joanna closed her Magnolia Store to raise her kids and work on their home. Eventually, if you are fans of t...

Every year, Shawn and I go out for our anniversary. During dinner we discuss our personal and family goals for the next year. Last year it's where we said we'd like to buy our family home by our anniversary the next year. Six months and one day later we were moving in to our home. I also said I'd like to complete a crochet project, from start to finish, and that goal, I didn't achieve.  See, little goals and big goals. This year, one of my personal goals was to read two books a month. This is a big goal with all of my time wrapped up into housework, the kids, blogging, and vlogging. I'll have you know, upkeep on my blog was another goal this year. I just really like reading, and feel that if I'm reading, and Shawn's reading (He reads a lot, but very late at night usually and I have to get up early in the morning, so I can't do the late nights he does.) then we are setting a better example for the kids. So far, it's March 24th and since I made the...

I am beyond exhausted lately.  I've hardly been sleeping at all, which I kind of think is expected at this point. As of today, I'm 9 weeks from having our baby.  I'm uncomfortable and have no energy and to top it off, have been dealing with sick kiddos.  Last week, it was Ben, this week it's been Sydney and Rylie.  Ben wasn't too bad.  One day he was pretty sick, Sydney has had one day that she was pretty sick and a couple of days of a cough and runny nose, but Rylie, she's been sick since Sunday, and yesterday afternoon seemed to get at her worse.  She's got a fever and runny nose and she barely slept last night.  I'm hoping for a good nap today. Our van had been in the shop since Friday the 31st and we finally got it back last night.  I was bummed it took so long, especially considering the trouble only having one car caused, but this morning, I took Ben to school and the girls to Starbucks in my van with heat, a seat I could move to where I n...