All You Need To Build A Book Club

What would you do if you woke up in the hospital and 10 years of your life was gone, forgotten? You are living ten years ago. The rest of your world is living 10 years into a future you know nothing about.

Have you ever wondered what living with you was like from your dog's perspective? Have you ever wondered what their dreams, goals and passions are?

These are the last two stories we've read in my book club. Respectively, What Alice Forgot and The Art of Racing in the Rain.

I am lucky to count myself a member of a group of ladies who are intelligent, beautiful, fun, strong, interesting, different, and who happen to just all love books. We call ourselves Reading Between the Wines. We meet once a month, rotating hostess duties at our homes. The hostess is in charge of choosing the book to be discussed on her month, providing the food and everybody brings a bottle of wine. Mostly, we have a blast and get to be together once a month for an afternoon. I've had several people ask me how I found the book club. I didn't, we made it together in March of 2013.

 

The original members got together and made a list of all of the books that all of us had on our wish lists, a basic structure of how we'd like to spend our time together, and a calendar of the first couple months of hostesses.

 

We've lost and gained members in that time and currently have nine members. I'll tell you, this is really a perfect number to shoot for for a couple reasons. First, not everyone can make it every month but nine ensures that there are still several of us together. There aren't so many ladies that people feel like they didn't get to share their thoughts. No one gets overly tired of being the hostess. And finally, it's such a fabulous mix of ladies. Our members include, 2 friends that I graduated high school with, 1 friend I have known since the first grade, 1 friend I met in college through really odd circumstances, 1 friend I met through an ex-boyfriend, a co-worker of one of the high school friends, a woman I've always known of through mutual friends but just got to know well in the last year, and a woman who married an old high school acquaintance.

 

Here are several of us last fall on a beautiful post discussion walk.

 

 

We are a wonderful mix of working moms and stay-at-home moms, moms to human kiddos and moms to fur babies, professions within those of us who work outside the home, ages (26-48), family types, ideas, opinions, and passions. That's what I love most. Nine different women's lives all come together once a month to discuss ideas, literature from the great to the trashy, and often just drink, laugh, and share. I've gotten to read some fantastic book I may not otherwise have discovered. We even have a Facebook page where we can share great articles, book lists, funny memes, and pictures of our time together.

 

 

My advice is to not look too hard for a group to join. You have great friends already. Many of them like to read. Get together and get started! Even if it's just an excuse for some child-free, girlfriend drinking time. And if you're looking for book suggestions, man do we have them!

 

Here's all you need to get started:

1) Friends who like to read.

2) Books

3) Wine

4) Once a month childcare arrangements.

Cheap Exfoliator Straight From Your Kitchen

I am not a fan of spending tons of money of facial scrubs. I also recently began seeing stories that the plastic beads used in many commercial scrubs are potentially dangerous to aquatic animal life and thus anything that eats the affected aquatic animal life. I'm not an expert but it just doesn't trip my trigger to pay that much money no matter the level of potential contamination or pollution. There are LOTS of articles out there if you'd like to learn more about the fight to ban these plastic beads. The scrubs that use crushed shells, nuts, and nut shells always leave my face feeling a little stingy. Again, I'm no expert but if it feels stingy, I don't think it's good for me. At the very least, I don't want to subject myself to a sore face on purpose!

 

About 4 months ago, I read an article that I thought might offer me a solution.

 

 

 The article, from a natural living blog referenced baking soda as an exfoliator. I decided to give it a try. It made my face feel fantastic! I mix about a Tablespoon in my hand with just enough water to form a paste then GENTLY rub it on my face in an upward circular motion. I let it sit for about 2 minutes. Longer than that and it starts to dry which just plain feels weird to me. I wash clean and my face feels amazing. You can also mix it with a little of your regular cleanser and use it that way.

 

The best part?!? The boxes are less than $1 at my local Aldi store and last for a couple months.

 

I keep mine in a glass jar next to the tub because if I leave it in the paper box, it gets soaked and mangled by a very active, splashy 2 1/2 year old with whom I share the tub. I only use it once a week otherwise, it just feels like it dries me out. I'm curious to see if I'll still like it in the winter when my skin is so much more likely to be dry. I did make sure to read several articles about using baking soda if you have rosacea (since I do, dammit!). Most of what I read said it may actually help as a highly alkaline diet has been suggested as a treatment for rosacea and baking soda is an alkaline compound.

 

I've been super happy with my results but I do want to note that there are a couple of websites that discourage using baking soda as a facial exfoliator. You know your skin. Do your research. Give it a try. If it doesn't work, or you don't like your results, you've got a box of baking soda to use in the kitchen and you're out 0 dollars!

 

 

Microwave Popcorn That Isn't Gross!!!!

I LOVE popcorn. LOVE it! I don't have enough counter space for an air popper and I don't have the skills to make it happen in an electric skillet like my mom did. We used to eat microwave popcorn but lawsuits that began appearing from ill people who worked at a popcorn plant in my region started me down the research road in the early 2000s. Holy Moly, we will never eat that again.

 

On Pinterest and recipe websites, there are umpteen ways of making your own but most of them call for oil. I just want good old, 30ish calories per cup, air popped popcorn. There is a way, and it's so easy and so much cheaper than microwave popcorn anyway.

 

 

Purchase a package of brown paper lunch sacks at Dollar Tree. Pour about 1/2-3/4 Cup of the popcorn kernels of your choice into the bag.

 

Make sure to fold the bag over pretty tightly twice. Otherwise your microwave will be full of kernels flying around out of the bag. The popcorn setting on my microwave is the perfect amount of time but you may have to play with yours to find the perfect setting. When you started to hear about 2-3 seconds between pops, it's done.

 

Viola, air popped popcorn in less than three minutes. About 1/2 Cup kernel netted about 2 1/2 Cups popcorn. They are naturally multi-colored as a result of our favorite mixed kernels I purchase at a local Amish grocery store. And yes, those are scorch marks to the right of the bowl. I put a WAY too hot cast iron skillet down for just a second last winter. Oops, guess I'll need new counter tops soon.

 

There are lots of ways you can season the popcorn. If you like real butter go for it. With the diet choices I make due to health (for more information, you can subscribe to my Eat To Live blog), I go for less naughty choices. Some of our favorites are nutritional yeast, Dr. Braggs Sea Kelp Delight Seasoning, a mix of chili seasoning, cumin, cayenne pepper, and paprika, and a mix of dill and salt/sugar free lemon pepper seasoning. I have also discovered some tricks for helping the spices adhere to the popcorn and not just lay at the bottom of the bowl. A light spritz of olive oil cooking spray, pickle juice, Dr. Bragg's liquid aminos, lemon juice, or flavored vinegar all work. Be sure to use a spritzer with a fine spray or just barely dip your fingers to flick the liquid onto the popcorn, otherwise it'll be a soggy, gross mess. Play with flavors and tailor it to the tastes that are best loved in your house.

 

Enjoy!

 

P.S. There is one exception to my never again rule with regard to commercial popcorn. The movies!! I will totally eat movie theater popcorn AT the movies and guiltlessly realize that although it's terrible for me, it's delicious and I only get to go to the theater once a year since I have a 2 1/2 year old.

 

Part Organizational Beast-Part Tree Hugger Semi-Pro

Late last year sometime, I just plain got sick of trying to keep my pretty kitchen towels stain free. I try to be environmentally responsible as much as I can. Not cloth diaper responsible, I just simply could NOT bring myself to that level, but composting, recycling paper and plastic, running appliances outside of peak hours, and trying really hard not to use paper towels for much of anything responsible. I thought that maybe if I had an affordable, easily accessible, pretty (this is very important) alternative I could save my towels and the Earth at the same time.

Enter Dollar Tree.
 

 

$6 plus tax later, I had my solution. A pretty red basket that can live next to the sink all of the time and five 3-count packages (mostly so there's never an excuse that there were no clean towels available) of micro fiber towels means my pretty towels stay pretty, my kitchen stays clean, and it takes us a couple months to get through a role of paper towels.

 

I do sort of wish I'd gotten all white because it's nice to be able to bleach the white ones clean but even the green ones launder really well. We also use cloth napkins at our dinner table almost exclusively, much to the chagrin of a few family members who for whatever reason really want paper (WHY?!?!).

 

I have learned one very valuable lesson with our cloth napkins and micro fiber kitchen mess towels. Wash them separately if you have animals in your home. The micro fiber LOVES to hang on to dog hair and no one, including animal lover me, wants to open up their napkin and see a dog hair during a meal.

 

Remember, small changes can make BIG differences!

No Time For Projects For All The Fun!

I just love bowling alleys that haven't been upgraded much. Our local bowling alley was host to my work's annual bowling tournament on Friday night and walking in feels like the 70s to me. I think the bowling balls and shoes (check them out!) might be about my age which is cool, but so is the air conditioning unit, which is not cool. Hella hot! We had so much fun though. AND I came in second of five in game two. That's never happened before unless I was only bowling with one other person.

 

 

Saturday, we got up early and headed to the zoo that's about an hour East of us. We only told Sam that we were headed to an adventure. He loves "ventures". We made fun animal friends, got some good outdoors exercise, and the flowers in the zoo were just beautiful. We hadn't been to this particular zoo since Sam was about 5 months old and he had a ball. Feeding the animals and hiding in the bamboo were his favorite parts!

 

Feed Me!

Me Too!

 

Watching Sam thrill at his "ventures" and the flowers were my favorite part.

 



Being there made me want to join the zoo club. If you love the zoo and the animals within, I think it's a great idea to help them in whatever way you can! I'm torn between joining the club right now or saving up a little to purchase a painting by one of the zoo residents. Here's the one that one of their chimpanzees did. I mean, how cool is this?

 

Dickerson Park Zoo "Wild And Fresh" Project

 

Saturday evening, we got Jeff's Fathers Day grill gazebo put up on the patio. Thank goodness because it poured on him Sunday after he got all of the food on the grill!

 

Sam's Club Sheridan Grill Gazebo

 

This butterfly was just hanging out on the patio while the boys were working. I felt like it followed us home from the zoo it was so beautiful and unexpected.

 

 

Sam got some new boots from a friend and I can not get them off of him but check how cute he is clomping around our kitchen.

 

I LOVE My New Boots!

 We finished off the weekend with our friend Ava from next door and made our way through about 8 cans of silly string. That's the silly string leftovers all over the patio. I LOVE that they've changed the recipe of silly string and it doesn't stain anymore because I can let the kids go nutso and just wash it off with the hose! They had silly string out the wazoo at Dollar Tree for Easter baskets and I stocked WAY up back then. It's not technically a project but your kiddos will have so much fun, it might as well be.

Friends Are Fun

 

Yea, that's it.....I'm calling this our project for the weekend. We used the last 8 of $30 well spent on silly string! "Ventures" come in all forms! Embrace them all.

Finding Peace With Your Kiddos In A Hectic, Noisy World

The world can be a really hectic place for kiddos. I listen to friends and family list their children's activities and it exhausts ME! That's not to say I don't plan activities and learning opportunities for Sam. I absolutely do, and will continue to do so. However, we do something in our house that might be a little different. I plan downtime. I plan centering, peaceful, mindful moments for Sam, and for me so that we can have happier hearts and minds. There are a couple of fantastic books, and visuals that I use to help us wind down into the peaceful times that I would love to share with you.

 

Peaceful Piggy Meditation

 

Peaceful Piggy Meditation by Kerry Lee MacLean is a fantastic book about how young piggies find peace in a frustrating world through meditation. It's a really good message told by animals which Sam loves! Full of straight forward, easy-for-kids-to-understand language and blissful, vibrant, childlike images, it's one of our favorites. Purchase it HERE.

 

I found the yoga poster above at www.yogamatters.com. Karin Eklund's sweet, simple images of very basic poses are easy to understand and fun for kiddos to practice. I laminated copies of this poster for both our house, and for my classroom of 2-5 year olds at church. Sam has even made up some of his own poses and likes for us to do those together. I say, go for it!. If he's focused, having fun, and finding his own ways to have peaceful moments, I'm not going to stop him.

Peaceful Piggy Yoga

 

We liked Peaceful Piggy Meditation so much, we bought Kerry Lee MacLean's Peaceful Piggy Yoga too. More of MacLean's beautiful illustrations show simple poses to help you and your little find peace in a noisy world. Purchase your copy HERE.

Mindful Monkey, Happy Panda

 

Mindful Monkey, Happy Panda by Lauren Alderfer is a new favorite that I just found last week. This wonderful picture book introduces the powerful practice of mindfulness in a fun and exciting way. Monkey is not so mindful, always jumping from one task to the next and never living in, or enjoying, the moment. Panda helps Monkey recognize the simple joy of doing what you're doing while you're doing it. Purchase it HERE.

 

Whatever your books, tools, quiet time rituals, or routine, I believe all of us benefit when we teach our kids to relax, focus, be calm and peaceful, and enjoy the moment. I love it even more because when I'm helping him find these moments, I get to have the moments too.

 

Namaste

 

Keeping The Monsters Away

It hasn't happened a lot, but a couple times recently, Sam has mentioned monsters so I decided to arm our house to fight them if it should come up again! I had a spray bottle that had been washed out and was waiting for a new project already on hand. I also already had black duct tape on my tape organizer (see awesome tape organizer on previous blog post HERE) and if your house is anything like mine, TONS of stickers including the letter stickers to spell out "Monster Spray". Check out the final product.

 

 

We haven't had to use it, and mostly I hope we don't, but I do think it turned out really cute and once wouldn't break my heart. In the meantime, I'm ready to fight anything that might be in Sam's closet or under his bed!

 

Side note: I swear I'm not a terrible mommy :). I don't actually want Sam to feel fear. I  just want us to get to use a cute, free-to-make-because-I-already-had-the-supplies, item.