Book Chat: My Favorite Couple

So, my friend Jessica over at Sweet Green Tangerine just started this pretty fabulous feature on her blog called The Book Chat. Basically, every week she gives us a prompt/question related to books and we all link up our posts on Thursday. I am not so big on linky parties anymore, but this one? Is basically right up my alley of awesomeness (if book nerdiness is awesome, which of course it is).

This week the question was who is you favorite fictional couple. I have been thinking about this all week. The word favorite is always hard for me, because narrowing things down to just one is a little difficult. Still, I have to say that my favorite couple is pretty much the most obvious one.

source

I tried to be original in my choice, but how could I not pick Romeo and Juliet? I do teach 9th grade English, after all. I read this story six times a year, and I love it more each time.

Romeo and Juliet are very young when their story is told (Juliet was 13) and they fall madly in love within minutes of seeing each other. They know each other for just a few hours before they decide to get married in secret, despite their families' feud. Their relationship is completely impractical and almost silly. They are naive, innocent, and passionate to the point of insanity. But gosh, I love them for it. That all consuming first love is something that so many of us can relate with. For me it brings back a whirlwind of memories of a certain fifteen year old girl (read: me) who was so "in love" that she could barely think straight. I think that the innocence of Romeo and Juliet's relationship only serves to worsen the audacity of their parents' grudge, which ultimately leads to their deaths. Do I think they felt true love? No, probably not. But I don't think this story is really about true love.


Make sure you check out The Book Chat, and join in on the fun!

Mama Reads. Baby Reads. | v.3

Mama reads...The Road by Cormac McCarthy

From barnesandnoble.com:

The searing, postapocalyptic novel destined to become Cormac McCarthy's masterpiece. A father and his son walk alone through burned America. Nothing moves in the ravaged landscape save the ash on the wind. It is cold enough to crack stones, and when the snow falls it is gray. The sky is dark. Their destination is the coast, although they don't know what, if anything, awaits them there. They have nothing; just a pistol to defend themselves against the lawless bands that stalk the road, the clothes they are wearing, a cart of scavenged food-—and each other.The Road is the profoundly moving story of a journey. It boldly imagines a future in which no hope remains, but in which the father and his son, "each the other's world entire," are sustained by love. Awesome in the totality of its vision, it is an unflinching meditation on the worst and the best that we are capable of: ultimate destructiveness, desperate tenacity, and the tenderness that keeps two people alive in the face of total devastation.

Winner of the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction

Wow. This book. When I downloaded The Road I didn't have a clue of the premise behind the story. I didn't even read the overview first. Honestly, I was completely confused for the first 15 pages. The story takes off right away with no back story, and not much is ever given. I was left wondering what had happened to leave the world in such ruin, but no definite answer is to be found. There are no chapters, instead the story is written in chunks, cutting abruptly in and out of scenes. The language and sentence structure of the book are very poetic, which took a little while for me to get used to. I kept telling myself to slow down and appreciate the deeply beautiful language of this book. But at the same time, the plot kept me on the edge of my seat, frantically going through pages with my heart in my throat. It was hard to get through at times because the devastation and hopelessness really got in my head and upset me. Still, I am glad I read this book. I found such strength reading about the father's complete dedication to keep his son alive. It was inspiring and really made me think.

Baby reads... The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch

This is such a fun little story. Lately Hannah has fallen in love with dragons. We have a little stuffed dragon that she uses to terrorize the princess in her toy castle. It's pretty fantastic. Whenever I pull this book out at bedtime Hannah yells, "DRY-IN!" And I kind of love it as much as she does. The story is about a unique little princess who sets out to save her fiance from a ferocious dragon in a paper sack that she wears because all her clothes were burned by the dragon's first attack. She outsmarts the dragon, only to have her fiance criticize her for being dirty and wearing a paper bag. The end of the story is what I love the most.

What a fantastically unconventional story for a little girl, right?

Happy reading, friends!

XOXO

a day in my life

Lately the days have just been flying by, even though I'm doing my best to stay in the moment and appreciate it all. So many days go by and I'm left at the other end with hardly a clue as to how I spent my time. I thought it might be nice to document an average day of my current life, because I know one day I will be glad for the reminder.

Thursday morning begins with an early 5:15 alarm, which I am not a fan of. The snooze button gets the better of me, and I finally pull myself out of bed at 5:40. I make a quick stop by Hannah's door to listen to her sleepy breaths, then head to the kitchen to get my coffee started. The pot is all set up the night before so I just have to press at button and it is good to go. Next stop is a quick shower, then clothes, makeup, and a quick blow dry to tame my bangs. At this point I'm running later than I'd like, so I hurry to grab my lunch, bag, and coffee before racing out the door. Hannah and Wytmer are still snoring away in bed; they will wake up in a couple hours and have some daddy-daughter time before Hannah heads to the sitter and Wytmer to work.

The road is dark as I make my way onto the freeway, but hot coffee and Pandora keep me company. This morning I have on my Chasing Pavements station, which is a pretty amazing mix of Lauryn Hill, John Mayer, Adele, and John Legend. I'm not a fan of morning traffic and long commutes, but secretly I welcome the quiet time in the morning to just be alone. Lately these moments are few and far between.

Once at work, I jump right into teaching first period. Today the kids are writing literary essays, and I am busy grading endless stacks of assignments. This week we had exams, the end of a grading period, extra meetings, and tutorial sessions to manage. It's the busiest time of the year right now, as our big state exam approaches, and I always feel like I'm scrambling to keep on top of things. The good thing is that the day passes quickly, and before I know it, it's 3pm and I'm on my way to pick up Hannah.

As I'm driving I realize that I haven't planned anything for dinner, so I make a quick call to Wytmer and we decide on Chinese take out. There aren't many non-home cooked meals that Hannah will eat, but she loves egg rolls. I stop to pick up our dinner before getting Hannah from the sitter. When I arrive I see the kids outside playing and Hannah barely notices that I have pulled up. She is busy giggling and climbing all over a power wheels jeep. I talk for a little while with the sitter and we eventually convince Hannah to leave the jeep by letting her borrow a book to look at on the ride home.

At home we eat dinner right away and then spend a few minutes tidying up. Hannah loves to help clean. She takes a wet rag and goes around cleaning every surface she can reach. I load up the dishwasher and start a some laundry before asking Hannah if she wants to read some books in mama's bed.

This is my favorite part of the day. Hannah and I have eaten, the apartment is fairly clean, and I'm pilled in bed with my favorite girl and a stack of books between us. Hannah will read silently to herself for a few minutes, and I take advantage of that time by doing some reading of my own. I love that she is old enough to do this now. I crave that peaceful moment with her each night and I love that we can bond together by doing something that we both love so much. Plus, I think it is important for her to see that mamas read, too. Eventually she wants to share her books with me, though. So I put away my nook and we read a few picture books together with the blankets pulled up to our noses.

The rest of the evening is spent building block towers in the living room, watching yo gabba gabba, and folding a load of laundry. Hannah's bath time is 7:30, but tonight I let her get in a little early because I know she will want to play in the tub for awhile (and Mama is a little tired of DJ Lance's face). By 8pm Hannah is in her pajamas, with her teeth brushed, and a bedtime story picked out. Tonight it is The Paper Bag Princess, one of our favorites. After we read the story together, I lay Hannah in her crib with her book, baby, and sea horse. She closes her eyes and smiles when I ask if she wants me to take a picture of her in bed.

Once Hannah is in bed I make sure I have my lunch, coffee, and outfit for the next day all ready to go. Around 9pm Wytmer gets home and we spend an hour together watching basketball (him) and blogging (me). By 10 I am exhausted and head to bed, ready to do it all again in the morning.

XOXO

This Week

This week just flew by, didn't it? Thank god for instagram photos, because otherwise I would have no way of keeping track of it all.

Probably the biggest thing that happened this week was that Hannah started drawing faces. She drew her very first face on Valentine's Day. She has been drawing little circles all over her magnadoodle for a few weeks now, and that night she drew two little circles inside a bigger one. I said, "Hannah, what is that?" And she said, "eyes." I think my heart stopped beating at that moment. She completely took me off guard. My baby is drawing faces? Craziness. She added a little mouth at the bottom, too. Her faces are pretty creepy, but gosh, I am so proud. Last night she drew a face with hair, eyes, ears, a mouth, and a nose. We are celebrating by getting her a bigger magnadoodle.

A few other things that happened this week:

Wytmer brought home a handful of broken cookies wrapped in a napkin that he stole from a work meeting and gave them to me for my Valentine's gift. I know I should have probably been disappointed or something, but I loved him for it.

I ate a lot of bagel sandwiches. I kind of have a way with breakfast foods. There is just something so perfect about a well scrambled egg. Combine that with crispy bacon and a toasted bagel? It's a beautiful thing.

I also got my bangs trimmed on Friday. I always put off trimming my bangs until they aren't bangs anymore. It took me ten minutes and five dollars to finally get them fixed. I should do that more often. Fresh bangs are exciting.

And I started reading a new book this week. It's called The Road and it's written by Cormac Mccarthy. I read the first few pages last night and I have no idea what is going on yet. But I hear good things, so I'm not giving up yet. If I do get into it I might feature it in an upcoming Mama Reads/Baby Reads post. I kind of love doing those posts, and I hope you guys like them too.

And now I'm in the middle of a pretty fantasatic long weekend with mi familia. We haven't got much planned besides a trip to the grocery store tomorrow and ten million loads of laundry to put up. But just being home together is enough to make me happy. I hope you all are having a fantastic weekend!

XOXO

A commercial that made me cry

I know everyone is currently talking about this commercial from last night's Grammy's (by the way...Adele! Yes!). Anyway, I just wanted to share this commercial here, just in case anyone didn't catch it. I was really moved by the message and thought it was something worth acknowledging in this space.



I know I need to do a better job remember this everyday. As a mother, I think this concept of going "back to the start" is vital.

What did you guys think about this commercial? I'd love to read your thoughts in the comments!

XOXO

Saturdays are my favorite

Just a few pictures from today. Daddy had to go to work so Hannah and I spent the day cleaning and cuddling. My sweet girl has really started to show an opinion on the clothes she wears. Some days it is a football jersey with a tutu. Today she wanted to wear her new rain coat and old sandals over socks. It was a little chilly out today, but the sun was shinning bright, so Hannah played on the patio while I folded some laundry and kept an eye on her from inside the screen door. The rest of the day was quiet until Daddy came home and my two sillies had a dance party in the living room. Hannah has got some serious moves. But now the little is off to bed and I'm snuggled up in some fresh sheets and my nook. Life is good.

Hope you all are having a great weekend!

XOXO

Rain Boots and Puddles

I love this picture of Hannah. There is just something about a kid wearing rain boots and splashing in a fat puddle. I wish you could hear the shrieks of laughter that were coming out of her when I took this photo. She ran as fast as she could up to the edge of the puddle and then took little but heavy steps all the way through; savoring splashes. "Watee! Boots!"


This moment was everything that childhood should be.

Recipe: No Bake Nutella Cheesecake

I found this recipe on Pinterest the other day and was inspired to try my own version. The original is individual cups and much more fancy shmancy. I lazy-fied the recipe by buying a pre-made oreo crust and making it whole. And you guys? This one is insanely delicious, and ridiculously easy. Nutella cheesecake? Plus it's no bake? Sign me up.

Ingredients
*premade oreo crust
*one 8 oz package or cream cheese
*2/3 cup Nutella
*1 tsp vanilla
*one 8 ounce tub of cool whip
(top with extra whip cream/cool whip)

Directions
Blend together Nutella and cream cheese until well blended. Add the vanilla. After the vanilla is well blended, mix in the cool whip. Pour into the oreo crust and smooth evenly. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Done! Easy, right?

Enjoy!

XOXO

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Favorite Things: Natural Beauty Products

We try to choose natural products as much as possible. I'm not a big fan of all the harsh, unnecessary, and potentially dangerous ingredients that are so often put into big brand items. It's nice to have a variety of natural items to choose from, and I thought I would share some of my favorites with you today.

1. Weleda Natural Tooth Gel for Children. It took me so long to find a natural toothpaste that is safe for toddlers under two. Hannah doesn't mind the taste and I can buy it at my usual grocery store.

2. J.R. Watkins Lemon Cream Hand Cream. I've actually blogged about my obsession with this lotion before. My love affair is still going strong. Best smell ever.

3. Burt's Bees Honey and Shea Conditioning Bar. I actually use this soap myself, and on Hannah. It is 100% natural and makes our skin feel so soft and clean.

4. Burt's Bees Baby Bee Original Lotion. This baby lotion smells unbelievably good, and it isn't too heavy or sticky. I steal this for myself all the time.

5. Jason's Natural Biotin Shampoo. This shampoo is mega moisturizing. I actually don't even use a conditioner after I use this, which saves me time and money.

XOXO

Raising a Biracial Daughter

Recently my students were reading Martin Luther King's famous speech, "I Have a Dream." As excited as I was to share such a momentous time with my ninth graders, I was also a little scared. What could I possibly do or say to make them understand? Lord knows I didn't when I was their age. But I wish I did. We sat together in the darkened classroom to watch King deliver his message, and as he spoke these words--"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character"--my heart fluttered and goosebumps covered my skin. Yes I thought, listen. All day those words ran through my head and I kept seeing my daughter's face. Her gorgeous skin that becomes the softest shade of caramel in the summer. Her full lips, round cheeks, and button nose. Her blue eyes, and her blonde, kinky hair. My beautiful, biracial daughter. And I asked myself, how will I teach her this lesson? How will I give her this history?

Hannah's life so far has been cocooned by my protection. She knows only love and kindness. Sure, we've noticed a few angry glares in our direction, but she doesn't see that. She is completely innocent to the hatred of this world. I'm not fooling myself that this will last. One day she will have to face this beast head on and I want her to be ready. I want to build her up before anyone has a chance to tear her down. And I want her to believe that she has no reason to feel shame about any part of who she is. My daughter is black. My daughter is white. And that duality is beautiful. Because for every person who sees her biracialism as a reason to hate, there are a dozen more who love her for the same reason. Almost fifty years ago Martin Luther King shared his dream with our nation. Today my daughter is that dream incarnate. Her blue eyes and full lips are a symbol of a love far greater than just that between her father and me. Her life is a symbol of the love that burned in the hearts of every person who refused to live in a racially segregated county. Men and women risked their lives and were killed so that we wouldn't live divided. My child, she means so much. And I see it now, in the soft aged eyes of those who believed and fought for freedom. They stop to ask a question, to touch her hair and smile. I see a "thank you" in their gestures. Not for me, but for God in letting them see this day.

So yes, Hannah will meet a lot of ugliness in her lifetime. But I want to teach her to see the beauty first. I will share the stories of our history with her. I will be the one to give her Rosa Parks, the freedom riders, and Martin Luther King. I will fill her mind with heroes and heroines that belong to her. I will surround her with role models that she can relate to, because she should not feel alone. And I will love all of her, even the parts that are different from me. I will give her a safe place to be all of herself and the freedom to decide what that means. And I will pray for the wisdom and determination to show her how to be a strong, confident woman even when the world doesn't want her to be.

My daughter will understand.