My youngest has taken the concept of the "nature pee" (as we now call taking a whiz outdoors) to a new extreme.  The big guy has been pretty good about this.  At our old house, he favoured our apple tree, but since we have moved and have more than one bathroom the only nature pees he takes are when he forgets to go to the bathroom before leaving daycare (along the trail in the woods or in between two open car doors where I wave my finger and tell him not to hit the car).

Now, C-man dropped his drawers in downtown Barkerville.  He has tried to go in the garage.  He has gone on the patio.  He has streaked through the neighborhood on his jeep.. and yesterday, I really had to restrain myself.  We were at the spray park, and once I said we had to go, both boys went in different directions.  Ergo, I get one under control, and I look over to see this perfect arc of whiz, coming off of the playground.

I love you C-man.  At least most parents in close vicinity weren't too horrified, and since most people didn't hear my gasp of dismay, I think this incident went relatively unnoticed.  Lovely lecture on the way home about nature pees and when to do them.  This is the stuff your mom doesn't really give you advance warning about.  Then again, I suspect my kids are a wee bit different than we were (wink wink).

Aside from nature pees, I am taking a break from cleaning up the family room.  We are going to entertain family on Saturday so it was time (again) to attack our carpet with a rug doctor. We have the nicest looking horrible carpet out there.  You give our carpet a sideways glance and brush some dust off of your pants, and viola! Instant stain.  *SIGH*  I am taking this opportunity to move some furniture around.  I haven't done this for months and I forgot how gratifying it can be.  One of my dark secrets.  I like to move furniture around late at night.  I blame this weird urge on moving too many times when I was a kid.

A quick but satisfying read

Finally.  A book that was more thoughtful than how many of the last books that I have been reading?  This had an interesting premise.  This starts with the protagonist (Grace Winter) heading to court for the murder of a shipmate on a lifeboat that has been lost at sea.  The story takes place shortly after the sinking of the Titanic, just as World War I breaks out.  The first 2/3s of the novel deal with the first two weeks the survivors in the lifeboat are at sea, and the final third deals with Grace's trial and fills in bit and pieces of her life.

This is an intriguing novel, and I got more out of the first parts of the novel more so than the later parts.  Reading about the survivors and how they faced difficult choices was much like a literary version of the movie Open Water.  This story delves in to the question, what would you do if your lifeboat had too many passengers?  Some very thoughtful passages, and I think this is a book that will stick with me a bit.  As the main character, Grace is likeable - strong, and very much a survivor.  It is interesting how she relates to the other women, and to the fewer men in the boat.  Well worth a read.

I am slowly catching up with all the books I have been reading over the last few weeks.  Between the few that I jetissoned, and these more recent books.. I have been feeling like I have been going through a reading rut.  I got in to work on Monday and I started whinging about the books I have been reading lately... and I got a new one handed to me yesterday.  It will be another quick read, but I am already much happier with this new book than the last several I have been reading. 

This was a very idealist book about a young Iranian woman that is sent to America to find a husband so she doesn't have to return home. I would admit that some of my perceptions are coloured because of the many student stories I have heard over the years, so I found this book to be too superficial in many ways.  Things happened so quickly, and as I said, so idealistically... I found it wasn't that satisfying because it truly wasn't that deep of a novel.  Perhaps right now I am in need of some literary fibre.  Any suggestions? 

Overall this is a decent read, it is quick, and decently written... but for me, not that satisfying.  Compare this book to something like the Prisoner of Tehran and for me there is no comparison.  If you are looking for a quick, sweet story with a happy ending, this is a good choice.

Another book that I blitzed through that didn't leave much of an impression.  I guess I am glad that I bought it used? Books like this are good for yearly stats, and perhaps a bit of escapism and not much else.  I got to read it in a night - all my boys were asleep early and I had time on my hands so I decided to read... at least it wasn't a long book!  This one was average.  There were some well crafted scences, and decent writing.. the beginning took a while for me to warm up to, and the end almost wrapped up too quickly for my liking.  It was an almost good book for me.

A world of Pooh

 In a month full of books that have not been all that satisfying.. this was a great read.  It was really quick, and very profound all at the same time.  There are many simple,elegant truths in this book, and I think one day it is one I will reread and reflect upon.  I will also follow it up and read the Te of Piglet when I have a moment and am so inclined.  It has already been a few weeks since I read it, so I don't have a lot of profound statements to make, except that this was a satisfying read, and one that will stay with me.

There is truly something to be said about letting go of our constructs, and going with the flow, and not being so caught up in things.  Our relationships matter.  Clarity, clear speaking and thought are goals to work towards. 

Worth checking out the author's website, and their comments on how they have been treated by their publisher.  This is equally eye-opening when you realize just how popular this book has been in the last 30 years.

Wild Hair

C-Man and my hubby... making crazy hair faces

Before the big cut, July 2012

Did I mention I was also a hairdresser? I cannot say that I am the most skilled, but I do try.  When the boys hair gets to a certain length, it is time to open up shop.  Of course, it is a lot of fun to have some crazy hair first.  I must find a few shots of B when I did a similar series of him and Ken.

Jetsam and Flotsam

I hate mosquitoes.  They love me.  With all the high water around here this year, the mosquitoes have bred like crazy and they keep finding me.  I finally have a great backyard to kick back in, and before I go there, I have to layer on the bugspray.  I think I am getting a little better at not scratching all my bites until they bleed... but my legs aren't pretty.  I have many, many new scars already from this summer.

I have also chosen not to continue reading two books.  Rarely do I do this, rarely does it happen back to back. I tried to read the last book in the Fifty series (Freed).  I couldn't do it.  I skim read a few parts to get the gist of it, but I just could not do it.  Done with Fifty.

I also tried to read The Devil's Punch Bowl by Greg Iles.  Normally I really enjoy his writing.. got 200 pages in to this one, and just lost total interest.  I don't think it is a terrible book, again, just wasn't doing anything for me, and I have a whole pile of books on my side table that are screaming out to be ride. 

Again, this book has been jettisoned and is off to the side. 

Summer is here.  It is just so damn awesome to be warm.  To wake up to a cool morning with the sun shining.  To be able to get out and play on the weekends.  Sun makes such a difference after all the rain we have had.  It has been a few strange weeks at work - I have reached a saturation point about certain things, and I have been getting some pretty nice kudos from students and staff that I am doing a good job.  It feels like when you want to get a haircut and then everyone tells you how good your hair looks - it feels like a bit of a disconnect.  C is getting in to daycare for September, and B ended up getting his space after all.  It seems like things are slowly coming together.  Now if we could buy the winning lottery ticket, everything would get a lot easier! LOL