Style This Challenge: Sequin Diaper

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We interrupt our regularly scheduled programming to discuss a pressing fashion emergency.  The Mom Edit points out a pretty neat sale at French Connection: 50% off already reduced items with the code 50Sale.

Not bad, right?   Even though I’m pretty set on my shirts, I decided to poke around.  Plenty of cute stuff, the sort of edgy basics that I like.

But then I stumbled on this:

That’s right.  I can only describe this as a sequined diaper.  French Connection calls it the “Cosmic Sparkle Short.”  I will agree, they are definitely far out.  Out of this world.  From another planet.  OK, I’ll stop.

But seriously, when would you wear these?  How would you wear these?  Even pretending I was a fabulous young thing and not a mother of two–even one who loves her some skinny jeans, what situations in my life would make me think, “you know what would really work here?  My sequin diaper.”

French Connection suggests to “Channel a vintage gymnast look and pair our sequinned Cosmic Sparkle Hot Pants with woolly tights and a fluffy knit.”  I guess it would have to be a short fluffy knit so you could still see the using-this-term-loosely “shorts.”

Maybe these could look edgy under a sheer dress?  Even with tights under, I just have a hard time picturing them standing alone.  Remember the epidemic of “whoops, she forgot her pants” in Hollywood?  I feel like–for better or for worse–leggings as pants are now more accepted.  I haven’t seen as much pearl clutching on this one.  But I have not see sequin diaper as pants being an accepted phenomenon.  Is this a bridge too far?

I love that fashion feels more fun now.  I don’t know if it is style bloggers or cheaper fashion or what, but it seems like things that used to be completely fashion verboten are now complete non-issues.  It feels admittedly silly to type this, but growing up I used to be physically pained at the idea of mixing black and brown.  I once saw a black and brown and navy dress and thought it was one of the most awful things I had ever seen.  Now I wear a camel colored purse every day without even glancing at my (probably black) shoes because they both are just neutrals.  Why wouldn’t they go together?  You know what else I now consider neutrals?  Camouflage.  Stripes.  Floral.  We all have our sartorial threshold, but you have to admit fashion is just more fun now, right?

Fun enough for a sequin diaper?  I guess we shall see.  I couldn’t rock this one, but if you are fabulous enough to do so, I say more power to ya!  (Could you please direct me to your instagram feed?  I imagine you must have photos there of you, stroking a liger, sipping flaming martinis, on a yacht that is circling someone’s private island.)  I have found myself eying sequin leggings recently.  If sequin diapers catch on, sequin leggings will be totally accepted daily momwear, right?

Would you sequin diaper?  If forced to wear a sequin diaper, how would you style it?  Do you agree that fashion is more fun than the shoes-match-purse feelings of yore?

I crossed the river into the land of beer

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Don’t get me wrong.  I heart Italian wine.  Right now I’m loving all the big, meaty reds.  When it warms up outside, I’ll be ready to return to the world of whites and start a hunt for my favorite prosecco.  (Not that I haven’t gotten a head start on that.)

But I do miss beer.  Specifically, hops-for-days beers that no beer connoisseur would describe as well-balanced.  Balance, pfft.  Why have balance when you can have MORE HOPS.

We did have some luck at Open Baladin last fall.  Now we embarked on a journey across the river in hunt of more beer.

When I say “crossed the river,” I do not mean the metaphorical river.  We actually walked across it.  I mean, on a bridge of course.  This one.

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This was our first foray into Trastevere, an area of the city where the “Romanest of Romans live” according to my sources.  Our first trip, but definitely not the last.

But first a quick Italian pronunciation guide so you don’t go around mispronouncing Trastevere for ages *cough cough* like I did.  Two rules should apply, but alas, an exception I do not yet understand tripped me up.

First, all pieces of words are pronounced in Italian.  This means there is no silent “e” at the end of a word.  Limone (lemon) is Lee-moh-neh.

Second, words are accented on the penultimate syllable.  Carrying through our example, you pronounce lemon, lee-MOH-neh.

Good so far?  So for Trastevere, a word that is literally beyond/across/over the Tevere (Tiber), you pronounce the “e” on the end to make it Tras-teh-ver-eh.

Looking at the penultimate syllable rule, you would think it would be Tras-teh-VER-eh.  But do not be fooled!!  It is Tras-TEH-ver-eh.  Alas, I can give you no explanation.  James even asked his Italian teacher, but she couldn’t give a reason.

Point of the story, I thought I was all “hey I know Italian grammar and I can pronounce words,” when actually I sounded like a dummy.  Learn from my mistake.  #dontsoundlikeadummy Tras-TEH-ver-eh.

Trastevere was very adorable, but we didn’t poke around much.  Our destination, Bir and Fud, was just a hop, skip, and jump from the river.  We walked in and found this sleek bar.  Ah, look at that row of glorious taps.  It wasn’t crazy crowded when we were there, but friends warned us you can’t walk through at all when it fills up.  I believe it.

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Behind the bar is a restaurant with tightly knit tables.  I was glad we had a reservation.

The beer list was not small, but not overwhelming either.  Plenty of Italian beers, but plenty that weren’t.  All beers, 5 euro.  I ordered a Spaceman from Brewfist and wondered if I might actually have a legitimate reason to call it a Spa-CHEM-in.  See earlier pronunciation guide.  The beer was hoppy and delicious.

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To accompany the beer, we got garlic & pecorino chips and prosciutto & mozzarella.  All delicious, but I think my pores oozed garlic for a week.

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We split a pizza, which they conveniently pre-split for us.  I was glad we split.  That’s a big pizza.

For some reason, I was fascinated that James has a very methodical pizza cutting and eating technique.  For me, I usually just attack the thing with a fork and knife all willy-nilly.  Cut a random piece here, random piece there.  Pizza in mouth is the only goal.  I don’t think this will change if I eat 5000 more pizzas.  James, however, did a precision strike that you could tell was honed from practiced pizza eating.  It was sort of impressive to behold.  I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.  The man does love pizza.  #pizzasurgeon

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If I had any knock against Bir & Fud, it would simply be that they seemed to be out of a lot of things.  We tried to order an appetizer from their specials list, something involving fried mozzarella and hot sauce.  Out.  For our second round of beer, we both struck out.  I don’t know if this is typical, and it wasn’t such a big deal because they had plenty of other great things to choose from, but we did seem to be hearing that they were out of things quite a bit.

After dinner, we went across the street to Ma Che Siete Venuti a Fa, which my sources tell me translates to “But what did you come here for?” or “What the hell did you come here for?”  This was a cozy, wood-paneled hole in the wall with an impressive tap selection.  Beers were 6 euro to drink inside or 4 euro to drink outside in a plastic cup.  I chose an Italian IPA that was a little too balanced for my taste, but not bad.

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All in all, I considered it a most successful first foray across the river.  It felt like–for just a few hours at least–we were back with our people.  Beer people.  I’ll just have to console myself with incredible Italian wines that are a fraction of the cost of what you can get them for stateside.  Poor me.  (Winking angel face.)

 

Serenity Now!

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A mother’s prayer in a time of (first world) adversity.

Dear Lord,

Please help me to be the mother I want to be when the chips are down,

When the kids are a hacking, snotty, teething mess,

When nothing I can do soothes them or pleases them,

When it rains for (what feels like) 8 days straight.

It is easy to be kind and patient and thoughtful when things are going well,

When they smile and play by themselves,

When they play nicely together,

When they adhere to the nap schedule.

Please grant me patience when they are (unusually) irrational,

Calm when they will not stop yelling, and

Tolerance when they will not let go of my leg.

Please help me to be the mother I want to be when I do not feel well,

When they have infected me (again) and I am a hacking and snotty mess,

When I am tired and would rather lie down than “be the fire truck” (again),

When I feel like I do not have anything left to give.

Please grant me strength to carry their heavy selves when I feel weak,

Perspective to know that these days will not last, and

Cheer during a temporary bout of illness.

Please help my instinct be to smile instead of yell,

Hug instead of sigh, and

Laugh instead of Cry.

(And if you could help everyone feel better again soon, that would also be amazeballs.)

Amen

 

Aristocat Fan Fiction

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We’ve been sick around here.  3/4 of us so far.  James is still standing strong.  I hope he stays that way, but I fear it is only a matter of time.  The rest of us are a snotty, feverish mess.

Stage right, enter the TV.  Because we try not to watch too much generally, I feel no guilt about employing this weapon in survival mode situations.  TV, chocolate (mostly for me), PJs all day.  Nothing is sacred or off-limits if it will bring us closer to the goal of renewed health and good moods.

One of the fun things about being a parent is revisiting old favorites from your own childhood and sharing them with your children.  A less fun thing is realizing that many of these films just aren’t very good.  And I’m sorry Aristocats.  You just aren’t very good.  There isn’t that much going on, there is only one kind of good song, and that one cat is, dare I say, a little racist.

This does not bear on my assessment of the film’s merit, but I did not notice as a kid how much Disney was into recycling in the 1970s.  It feels like half the cast of Robin Hood (a film that does stand up IMHO) is voicing the parts here.  Also, the wicked stepmother from Cinderella looks almost identical to Madam, the cats’ owner.  Right down to her hairdo and brooch.  This is just bizarre.  How am I supposed believe that this lady is nice and caring when all I can think is evil Evil EVIL??  Does Disney really only know one old lady hairdo?

But I digress.  I found it interesting that absolutely no mention was made of the kittens’ father.  I mean, kittens must come from somewhere.  They didn’t throw in a line about how the father was gallantly killed in the cat war of ’23 or how Duchess went to the sperm bank and looked at Grade A cat sperm for philosophers and chemists.  Nothing.

So I present the following backstory on Duchess.  A classy cat who mysteriously ended up with three kittens.

Duchess gazed moodily out the window, twirling her diamond collar.  Madam was talking about something again, but Duchess couldn’t make her mind focus.  She took in the room with its plush upholstery and ornate furniture.  It was nice.  No, much more than nice.  It was every cat’s dream.  Or it should have been.  Duchess knew she was lucky, but she couldn’t shake this dreadful feeling of ennui. 

Duchess longed for a cigarette, but she knew Madam wouldn’t approve.  She’d have to wait until after Madam went to sleep.  Duchess had taken to roaming the streets at night.  She no longer bothered to stick to their well-lit and posh area of Paris.  She just wanted something different.  Something to shake her out of this dreadful rut. 

Something outside twitched and drew her attention.  It was that cat again.  That was the third time this afternoon he had stalked down the street.  Oh, he thought he was something, didn’t he.  That swagger.  That cocky swing of his hips.  Even though he clearly thought too highly of himself, Duchess surmised he was probably the kind of cat who could help her find a smoke.

You get the drift.  Or maybe it wasn’t like that at all.  Maybe Madam fixed her up with a nice doctor cat and they were very happy together until he died of Feline AIDS.  (There was random “Feline AIDS” graffiti near our place in Columbia Heights.  It cracked me up every time.)  Or maybe the kittens just showed up on their doorstep and they took them in.

I don’t know.  But I won’t be watching again any time soon to look for more clues.

Image via IMDB

Goals for 2015

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Well, I looked back on 2014, but I forgot to mention my favorite song:

You’re welcome.  And now on to 2015!  Instead of resolutions, I’m trying for some goals.  You may be getting quarterly updates on these.  You know, just to keep me honest.

Blogging/Writing Goals

Stockpile some posts.  A lot of my blogging is done in real time.  Nap time rolls around, I sit at the computer and share with you immediately.  Sometimes this is fine, but it is not always ideal.  Some topics I’d like to think about a little more.  Sometimes we travel and I can’t write a post.  I like to vary the content so you don’t get just kids or just food on any given week.  This would all be easier to do if I built up some post reserves.  The goal is to have some posts that I can choose from instead of feeling pressure to get a finished product out every day.

Make the blog look prettier.  You may have noticed some site updates.  I am hoping to continue to upgrade.  Until now, my goal has been content, content, content.  I wanted to get on a regular posting schedule, and I generally have.  Creating posts was more of a priority than having a slick-looking platform.  Now I’d like to make the whole thing a little easier on the eyes and easier to use.

Group blog content in a more helpful way.  I’m working on creating a travel resources page.  I’ll also try to work on other ways to organize content so that it may be of use to you.

Read 4 books on writing.  I’ve read Bird by Bird, but I really haven’t read much else on writing.  I love to read.  Getting through a book on writing each quarter should not be a hardship.

Read more about blogging.  I’ve been down a rabbit hole on Blog Tyrant over the last few days.  There is so much I know nothing about.  I’m sort of shocked that I figured out a “.com” way to blog.  This goal is a bit loosey goosey, but I want to get better.

Submit a piece of writing to another platform.  The goal is not necessarily to have the writing published somewhere (something I can’t really control) or to be paid for writing.  I just want to make myself send something somewhere.

Kid Goals

Potty train the toddler.  He turns 3 this fall.  I’m not pushing the potty agenda yet.  I’ve heard that boys generally train later.  But I’d love to cut down our diaper consumption at some point this year.

Get the baby sleeping through the night.  Mac generally still gets up once a night.  Some mights it is closer to 6:00; not really complaining about those.  Some nights it is more like 4:00 am.  Not cool.  I get that a lot of this goal is outside of my control, but I’d like to keep working on it.

Get some childcare.  I mentioned before that we’d like to get some baby parking for Henry a morning or two each week.  Mostly because I think he will love it and it will be good to get some Italian language exposure.  I’m not in a rush on Mac, but later this year I’d like to have some system for some kid-free time for me.  It would be good to have some time to take a language class, exercise, do more writing, wander the city, etc.

Be braver on morning outings.  Up to now, we’ve stuck closer to home so that Mac could get a good morning nap in his crib.  He still naps, but he is starting to be a little more of a pill about it.  I think we may start to venture more far flung and Mac can nap on the go if he needs it.  Morning adventure should get easier as it warms up this year.  I’d like to get zoo annual passes, check out the children’s museum, get comfortable with the kids on public transportation, and more.

Health Goals

Build exercise into my routine.  My real goal is to lose the last few pounds from the last baby, but I’m trying to work on process goals instead of the end result.  I still haven’t made exercise a priority, and I need to.  The goal is to try to figure out a time when I can run and to make myself get up earlier for other exercise, like pilates.

Build a paleo(ish) meal plan.  I don’t mind repetition in food.  We end up eating a lot of the same things anyway.  My goal is to have a week or two of meals all planned out so that I can have a ready-to-go grocery list that will equal a meal game plan for the week.  I say paleo-ish because I’m ok with some beans and cheese.  If I get this one figured out, I’ll be sure to share!

Cook for leftovers.  I’ve written before that I struggle on making healthy and tasty lunches.  Leftovers would really help on this front.  For some reason, I struggle on making more for dinner the night before.  I aim to fix this.  I’m eying recipes for soups, frittatas, and slow cooker meals that should result in a better lunch than yogurt.

Cut down on added sugar and gluten at home.  If I can ever get the holiday sweets out of the house, I’m going to try to adhere to a “treats are for outside the house” mentality.  Same for gluten.  Pasta and pizza are OK for when we are out, but we will try to avoid at home.  The Italians make better pasta and pizza than I ever could anyway.  This goal will never reach 100% compliance, but I do want it to be the goal.

Other Goals

Hang up the rest of the pictures.  The goal was to hang up everything before our friends visited at the end of the year.  We have been making excellent progress, but a few left.  Maybe can finish before my mom gets here next month?

Behold my frame wall!

Behold my frame wall!

Make more time for email.  Being away from people is hard.  But in a way it has been good because I’m emailing with some people more than we got to talk when living in the same country.  And then I drop the ball.  Some days life just feels like kids and blog.  I need to carve out time for my correspondence.

Do a big trip each quarter.  That list isn’t going to see itself.

Tackle those neglected corners of the house.  Most things are put away, but a few spots need some work.

The corner of my bedroom where things go to die.

The corner of my bedroom where things go to die.

Make a photo book for 2014.  I actually need to make photo books for every year except 2007, but this seems like a more realistic goal.

Well, that should keep me busy.  Do you have goals?  Resolutions?  Resolutions still intact?  How is it already Jan. 20!

 

When to push it?

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When to push it_

We were all set to go away this weekend.  Take advantage of the holiday.  Get out of town.  Check something else off the list.  It was gonna be great.

We found an amazing looking airbnb.  I plotted an itinerary I thought would work with our family’s rhythms.  I had a game plan to eat out and cook at home.  It was gonna be great.

Then the airbnb host responded and said that property wasn’t available only for two days even though it says that NOWHERE on the listing.

Then the forecast looked bleak.  Like rain all weekend all the time.  After having a stretch of dry days, I’d almost forgotten how much of a bummer the rain here can be.

We searched for another airbnb, but we couldn’t find anything that looked as nice.  Definitely not anywhere I’d want to be stuck if it rained nonstop.

We looked at the lovingly crafted itinerary.  Literally everything on the list we want to do is outside.  EVERYTHING.

Laura Vanderkam has mentioned recently about the do it anyway approach.  Yeah, you’re tired and your sweatpants are giving you that come hither look, but just do it.  You’ll probably have fun once you do and you’ll have the fun memories to look back on.

I’ve mentioned, less recently, the struggle on when to go for it.  When do you see the thing, even though doing it could push your kids past the point of enjoying being around them?

We pulled the plug.  After much deliberation, we will not be on a jaunt to Tuscany this weekend.  I hated doing it.  I hope it is the right call.

It’s just that rain with the kids is not fun.  Rain in the winter–cold, chills you to the bone rain–is downright miserable.  Kids + cold rain = not a fun weekend.  These are sights I want to actually see.  Not to just survive and endure.

So what is the answer for this bummer of a fail on the go-for-it attempt?  I am determined to have the best weekend in Rome ever.  Fun will be planned.  We will see things here.  We will see friends.  We will adventure!  And we’ll start working on planning another trip soon.  (My mom is coming in less than three weeks.  W00t!  Look out Rome.)

Do you get a three-day weekend?  Any big plans?  I wish you fun and adventure!

 

Want to make eleventy billion dollars in Rome?

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If I had buckets of money, patience to figure out Roman building permits, and know how on Italian labor laws, I would open a Waffle House in downtown Rome.  Or a Waffle House like restaurant.  It would make a killing.  Lemme ‘splain.

Italians don’t really do breakfast.  Nick Kroll was not too far from the truth when he said breakfast would be a cigarette and a bar of chocolate for Europeans.

Italians are crazy for coffee.  I’ll see people come in, order an espresso, down it at the bar, and leave before I can even figure out how to get my stroller through the door.  Cappuccinos are for morning; never for afternoon.  It is my understanding that Italians believe milk interferes with digestion.

9.13_first cappiciono

You may see someone get a pastry.  A cornetto is an Italian croissant.  I like them quite a bit, but they are different than French croissants.  A cornetto is denser and less flaky.  They do come with fillings.  Nutella and apricot jam seem to be particularly popular.

Mmmm...nutella croissant

Mmmm…nutella croissant

I can’t say what Romans do in the comfort of their own homes, but this seems to be the standard breakfast.  Some combination of espresso beverage and cigarettes.

I miss American breakfasts.  Big plates of pancakes with syrup streaming down the sides.  Cheesy omelets.  Crispy bacon.  Toast with jam AND butter. Back home, we usually had breakfast out on Saturday or Sunday.  It was awesome.  Breakfast food is thankfully pretty easy to make at home, but sometimes it isn’t just the same.

You will see places that advertise brunch here.  I accompanied some friends to a brunch buffet not too long ago.  They had sushi, pasta, salad, meats and cheeses.  It was nice.  But there wasn’t anything particularly breakfasty about it.  I’ve heard from others that many other “brunch” places are similar.

Enter my brilliant idea.  A breakfast joint in Rome.  Even if it was just a greasy spoon, I think it would make a killing.  First you get the ex-pats, then you get the tourists, then maybe, just maybe, you get the Italians.  Probably not for breakfast, but possibly at 9:00 pm.

Hot drinks for cold days

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Now we’re in it.  January and February are pretty bleak.  Christmas cheer has been packed up.  Things can be a bit dreary.  Back home, March is usually just as bad, which is even worse for me because I stubbornly continue to think it should be warm.  March, that should be spring, right?  WRONG, YOU GET A SNOWSTORM.  Hope that parka goes with your Easter ensem!

Things in Rome have been downright balmy compared to DC.  The weather claims the highs are close to 60.  I guess I can’t argue with the weather reporting professionals, but it doesn’t feel like 60.  40s and 50s, yes.  It is a damp cold, but the teens it is not.  Huzzah.

In case you are experiencing mega-cold let’s-build-a-fire type weather, consider these toasty Christmas market inspired drinks to warm you right up.  These drinks were great for walking the markets in Germany.  I think they would also be awesome on a chilly evening tucked up with a blanket.  You don’t even have to worry about paying extra for your cup deposit (pfand) and remembering to get your money back!

Gluhwein

Mulled wine is a staple at Christmas markets.  You can find both white and red, but I’m all about that red.  There are about a million recipes online and I can’t claim to have found the best one, but you are probably looking at some combo of wine, cloves, sugar, and orange.

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If you like your gluhwein with a little more flair, consider trying a . . .

Feuerzangenbowle

With a little help from wikipedia, I can tell you that this fun-to-pronounce drink involves a run-soaked sugar loaf being set on fire and dripped into gluhwein.  The main difference in the markets seems to be that feuerzangenbowle, aka fire-tongs punch, stands are usually covered with flames and fire.

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We tried it.  It was tasty.  I didn’t notice a huge difference from traditional gluhwein.  I was disappointed that nothing was lit on fire in front of me.

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The problem with gluhwein is that it can feel a little too Christmas-y.  If you want to mix up your flavors, allow me to recommend . . .

Fruity Gluhwein

In Nuremberg, we enjoyed some heidelbeer gluhwein.  Heidelbeer doesn’t exactly translate to something in the U.S.; it seems to basically be a European blueberry.  James and I ended up liking this a lot.  You could really taste the fruit.  I think this could be great with blueberry wine, strawberry wine, or any wine your grandmother would probably be really into.  I’m looking at you Manischewitz.

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If you are over hot wine, why not try a . . .

Hot Coconut

We got this on our trip to Tollwood.  I’m not translating here.  We literally ordered the “hot coconut.”  It was served in a half coconut bowl that I forgot to take a picture of.  I’m pretty sure it was just rum and coconut milk heated.  I’ve tried googling to confirm, but all sorts of delicious and more complicated recipes come up.  These sound pretty incredible if you have the time and inclination, but I’m pretty sure hot run and coconut milk together would be a simple win.

I would NOT, however, recommend that you try . . .

Gluhbier

That’s right.  I tried hot beer.  The descriptions sounded amazing.  Beer with additions of vanilla and caramel flavors.  Beer with orange.  James and I both got a different flavor.

Yeeaah, it was still hot beer.  It is not something I would recommend.  I like the concept.  Hated the execution.

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We also tried the Stachelbier.  For this one, they put a hot poker into a cold beer, with the goal of creating hot foam.  The point is then to enjoy the hot foam with cold beer.  It was. . . interesting?  There was definitely hot foam on the beer.  I would not say it created any sort of unique flavor experience, but I’m glad we tried it.

And for the kiddos . . .

Kinderpunsch

That’s right, zee Germans serve a hot punch for kids that looks like they are swigging hot wine along with everyone else.  We only got this once for Henry because it was HOT and there was the mess factor.  Henry can report that he really enjoys french fries dipped in his kinderpunsch.  Also, this is not a hot one, but Henry put a hurting on some apfelschorle, a carbonated apple drink, during the trip.

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Want to elevate your market-inspired drink experience?  Try these authentic market munchies.

Is it super cold where you are?  Do you have any favorite drinks to warm up by the fireside?  Do you have a fireside?  If so, I am definitely jealous!

2014 was quite the year

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Ah, January.  The time for being resolute.  I have some goals for the new year that I will share soon, but I wanted to spend a moment looking back on 2014.

A lot happened in 2014.  We had our second baby.  James and I celebrated our ten year anniversary.  I quit my job in biglaw.  We packed up all of our belongings and moved to Italy.  I’m a little overwhelmed just typing that.  My only other year that even comes close is 2004, when I graduated from college, moved to DC and started a new job, got married, and bought my first house.  If the trend continues, I suppose 2024 will be a crazy year?

I started this blog in 2014.  I shared 80 posts.  The blog had more than 2500 page views.  (Thank you!)  Most viewed posts of 2014:

Confessions of a mono-dresser: I only wear one shirt

Fall in Italy

My Mission Statement

I can’t believe they didn’t mention church

Apples and Oranges: San Gimignano and Volterra

It was a good year for books.  I read at least 50 new books in 2014.  This number is mostly based on looking at my kindle order history.  I probably squeezed in some other books as well.  I signed up for a goodreads account, but I haven’t been active on it.  Maybe I’ll try to keep up this year.

I read a lot of good books, but here are some faves.  Many of these are Modern Mrs. Darcy recommendations.  If you like to read, her blog is a fantastic resource for what to put next on your to-read list.  In fact, her blog is one of the reasons I haven’t covered more books here.  I feel like I would just generally be copying her suggestions instead of offering new ideas.  But maybe there will be some book reviews here in 2015.

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon.  This was in my book club.  I bought the book, but couldn’t make the meeting and forgot to read it.  When I rediscovered it on my kindle, I inhaled it.  It was a mystery!  And it’s in a series.  I haven’t read any of the others yet, but I may have to do that.

Anything by Orson Scott Card.  I’m not normally huge on sci fi, but really liked Ender’s Game when we read that awhile ago.  James went ahead and got the rest of the Ender series, the Bean series, and the books on the first Formic Wars.  I can’t really explain why, but I can’t put any of them down.  It is just such a rich and fully developed world you inhabit in these books.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society: A Novel by Mary Ann Shaffer.  Historical fiction.  Loved.  And I learned what the Channel Islands are!

Clutterfree with Kids: Change your thinking. Discover new habits. Free your home by Joshua Becker.  This was a timely book that helped as we purged for our move.

All Joy and No Fun: The Paradox of Modern Parenthood by Jennifer Senior.  I find books that discuss the evolution of parenting fascinating.

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth E. Wein.  More historical fiction.  More WWII.  The end of the book made me turn around and immediately read again.  I have no idea why this is marketed as YA.

Overwhelmed: Work, Love, and Play When No One Has the Time by Brigid Schulte.  I’m also fascinated by books on society’s obsession with busy-ness.  I think a lot of people feel the time confetti Schulte mentions.  Feeling like I can breathe a little is something I am definitely enjoying here.

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell.  I think I read this in one night.  I just couldn’t stop.

The Silkworm (Cormoran Strike Book 2) by Robert Galbraith aka JK Rowling.  Ya’ll, did you know that J.K. Rowling writes mysteries under a pen name?  I didn’t like this one quite as much as The Cuckoo’s Calling, but I still liked it a lot.

I Don’t Know What You Know Me From: Confessions of a Co-Star by Judy Greer.  Interesting observations and thoughts on show business from someone who has put a lot into her career.  I read more memoirs in 2014, but I liked this one the best.

What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty.  Also a sort of mystery, as the main character forgets 10 years of her life after a gym accident and has to piece things together.  An excellent read, and I may have enjoyed it even more as I’ve been looking back over my own past decade.

The Secret Keeper: A Novel by Kate Morton.  More historical fiction.  More WWII.  (Hmm, maybe I have a type?)  This mystery toggles between characters in London in WWII and their present day descendants who are trying to unravel a mystery.  Like Code Name Verity, the ending here immediately made me turn around and reread the whole book.

It was a good year for books, but I don’t think I saw a single movie in the theater.  I did finally see Frozen, and I haven’t gotten sick of it yet.  I saw The Lego Movie and Divergent on the plane.  Surely, I saw some others, but not very many.

On the TV front, we continue to watch Brooklyn 99 and The Mindy Project.  I love both of these, but if you aren’t watching Brooklyn 99, you really should start watching Brooklyn 99.  At the very end of the year, we started on Sherlock and I am hooked.  We only have one episode left which makes me sad, but I’ll just have to watch them again.  We also like the show’s American cousin, Elementary.

On the vacation front, around this time last year we went to Disney World which seems like eons ago now.  We did a trip to SC and the beach last summer.  So far in Italy, we’ve made it to Hadrian’s Villa, Volterra, San Gimignano, and Siena.  We saw the Christmas markets in Munich and Nuremberg in December.  We’ve had some fun in Rome, but we have plenty more on our list to see.  I won’t list them all now, but I am pleased to report that I have been to many more restaurants in Rome since providing our two month update.

And, of course, there are all the metrics I can’t measure.  (I mean I guess I could, but it would be super creepy.)  The smiles.  The hugs.  The tears.

It has been a full year.  I’ll miss ya 2014.  (I’m always partial to the even years; not sure why.)  But there is much to look forward to in 2015!

Good 2014?  Do you look back and recap your year?  Any books you recommend for the 2015 list?

Crazy Eights

10 Comments

Dear Mac,

You are somehow eight months old.  You have lived outside the U.S. longer than you lived there.  Wild.  When we first moved here, we met an eight month old.  She seemed so impossibly big and capable and it all seemed so far away, but I knew it would be fast.  And here we are.

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You are quite the little roly poly.  Not just because of your adorable squish, of which there is plenty.  (Your dad said your thigh crease looked like a second butt the other day.  A very cute butt, of course.  And I mean booty, don’t say butt.)  No, you are a roll-a-mus because you are literally on a roll.  After showing very little interest in rolling at all, you can now flop from front to back AND back to front effortlessly.  We can put you down at one end of the carpet and you end up all the way at the other end.  You are going to be crawling any day now, I’m sure.  Although we said the same thing about your teeth . . .

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Even though you have been teething for at least four months, you refuse to sprout any teeth.  I can only imagine this is some sort of Benjamin Buttons situation where you are not growing teeth because you lost them already.  (If it was not abundantly clear from the previous sentence, I have not actually seen the movie.)  Every day we keep checking, but no dice.

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Your lack of teeth has not deterred your love of solid food though.  Man, you love to eat.  There is no combination of baby food too disgusting for you to ingest with relish.  You will eat pork, mixed veggies, and prunes together and then probably wonder about a second course.  You are a little more skeptical on some of your less pureed foods.  The chopped fish and green bean situation was not your jam.  We give you little bits of things to try to pick up, a challenge you seem to enjoy.  You will happily gum a hunk of apple all through breakfast.  You have tried rabbit baby food, but I think we will skip the recently-spotted horse.

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You had a fun Christmas with your brother.  Wrapping paper was a big hit.  Speaking of your brother, even since I last covered him, he has taken his play up a level.  He can now do imaginative play, particularly with his new Christmas cars and trucks.  The cars go on adventures and eat pancakes.  It feels like a little mini game of improv.  The cars jump off the building?  Yes AND they land at the octopus park!  I love this so much.  I really do.  But I find it to be draining.  I’m not sure why.  I can read the same book 12 times in a row without complaint, but for some reason “being the firetruck” takes a lot out of me.  Needless to say, I’m really excited to see you and Henry play this way when you are older.  I have very fond memories of playing Barbies, or My Little Ponies, or both with my sister for hours.  Her memories may be less fond because I know I was teeniest bit cough cough bossy.  I hope you and Henry have excellent memories together.  And if you can “be the firetruck” for a bit, that is all the better for me.  (I am always fire truck.  I don’t mind.  I’m just curious what made the kid look at me and think, yup, you are definitely firetruck material.)

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For being a baby, I am always impressed how hard you can troll your brother.  You guys seems to have a strange symbiotic relationship where you can’t stand to be apart but often can’t stand to be together.  It usually starts when Henry insists on playing right beside you.  You grab all the toys he doesn’t want you to grab.  He melts down.  You melt down.  Repeat.

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You also seem to have fun together.  I think you could watch Henry for hours.  I get pretty indignant when he causes you harm.  (I do try and avoid this, prevent it, and police it.)  You look at him with such admiration and trust and when he hurts you it feels like a punch to the gut.  Every time.  You never see it coming and your eyes go from trust to naked disbelief that this would happen.  And then you flip over on the bed and put your feet all over your brother.  I think you’ll be fending for yourself before I know it.

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I keep sleep stalking you.  At the risk of waking you, I even take pictures.  Or ask your dad to do it.  You still aren’t quite making it through the night, but your wakeups are getting closer to five or six AM.  I keep telling myself that we’re getting there . . .

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Speaking of sleep, you seem to be dropping your morning nap.  I’m OK with this.  It frees us up for more morning adventures and you can cat nap if you need it.  I am not OK with the state some days which seems to be a crankypants baby who refuses to sleep.  Your choices are be asleep or be awake and pleasant.  Thank you in advance.

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I really can’t complain because you continue to be the happiest, most cheerful little dude.  I think you are getting a little slower to smile at strangers; you like to analyze the situation first.  You don’t mind not being around me, but you often get upset when I leave the room.  This always surprises me because many times you are doing your own thing, and I didn’t think I was even on your radar.

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Being on a cute baby’s radar.  There are worse places to be.  🙂

Love, Mom

P.S.  Whoops, didn’t write about 7 months (I swear we took pics!), but more on Mac at 4 months, 5 months, and 6 months.

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