Books Read in June 2013

1. Just One Kiss by Susan Mallery  (NOTE:  This is part of the Fool's Gold Series. You can find the order in which to read it here.)
2. Lush by Lauren Dane  (NOTE:  This is part of the Delicious series.  The order of which can be found here. However, this series is very close to the Brown series and many characters appear. You can find the order to that series here.)
3. It Had to Be You by Jill Shalvis (NOTE:  This is part of the Lucky Harbor series. The order of which can be found here.)
4. One Ssweet Ride by Jaci Burton. (NOTE: This book is part of the Play by Play series. The order in which to read can be found here.)
5. The Perfect Gift by Jennifer Ashley  (NOTE:  This is part of the Mackenzie Family series.  The order of which can be found here.)
6. Two of a Kind by Susan Mallery  (NOTE:  This is part of the Fool's Gold series.  The order of which can be found here.)
7. A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin  (NOTE:  This is part of the A Song of Ice and Fire series.  The order of which can be found here.)

Big month and all spread out. Lots of fun little romances. Then, I finally finished A Game of Thrones. I've read the book on and off for years. Literally years. I finally finished it. I did buy the second book, and hopefully, it won't take me years to read that one.

Movies Watched in June 2013

1. The Great Gatsby
2. Star Trek Into Darkness
3. Dark Shadows
4. Much Ado About Nothing

It looks more impressive than it is, but it's better than last month.  I took Mom to The Great Gatsby for a belated Mother's Day present.  I don't know that it needed to be in 3-D, but it was a visually beautiful movie.  I saw Star Trek for my birthday, and that was a fun action movie with pretty boys.  I'm going to pretend I watched Dark Shadows on HBO, but Brave on Starz made up for it.  It was worth the wait.  Snuck in Much Ado About Nothing on the last day of the month.  It was really good, and I can take or leave Shakespeare.

Weekend Update - Summertime!

Last weekend, I got soaking wet walking home from work. It took my shoes 2 days to dry out. 

Saturday, we were given a beautiful day though. Little Miss and I went out to my parents' pool to celebrate my dad's birthday and Father's Day - both a little belated. We played at the pool with my parents, Sister and Nephew. We had lunch and snacks. Then, we went back to the house for dinner. We all ate ourselves silly and had cake as more of a symbolic gesture than anything else, but it's not a birthday without cake!

On Sunday, I met a friend in Bethesda for lunch and a movie. It was a really good day even if my GPS took me the scenic route home. The company and the movie were great. Husband golfed most of the weekend. It led into a quiet evening which was a great way to cap off the weekend.

Hockey

Little Miss has really enjoyed hockey this season.  We took her to a Rangers game during Spring Break.  She would watch the first period of the Playoff games with Husband before bed.  She was learning the players and their numbers.  She wore her jersey often.  Then, when the Rangers were eliminated, Husband had her rooting for Boston over the Pittsburgh.  So, when it came down to Boston versus Chicago, she continued to root for Boston on her own.  

During the last game, she said she was rooting for the "Bostons to win because I want them to win the Champions' Cup."  Unfortunately, she woke up to disappointing news.  

Lawyer Perhaps?

Little Miss is very influenced by advertisements.  She knows many jingles by heart.  She sings the Nationwide jingle all the time for instance.  The latest commercial that has caught her fancy is one for Flashlight Friends.  She mentioned to Husband the other night that she really wants one.  If you don't click on the link, they are stuffed animals with a built-in flashlight.  She said if she had one, it would help her read in bed and help her become a better reader.

That's sound logic right there.  There's a good chance she may be getting a Flashlight Friend. 

Honesty, Thy Name is Toddler - Part 2

As I mentioned here, Little Miss had a sleepover at the In-Laws' apartment. When I picked her up the next morning, I asked how her weekend went. She looked at me and said she had fun, but "Well, you won't be happy with some of it." 

As it turns out, she gets spoiled at her grandparents' house and things aren't done the same way they are done at home which is expected - one wants grandparents to spoil because many, many children don't have grandparents these days. One day (and soon, I imagine), she'll start to keep secrets from me so I try to react calmly so she'll share information with me as long as possible. In the meantime, I'm going to glory in the fact that she's still honest with me.

Honesty, Thy Name is Toddler

I don't wear green often.  Nothing personal, but I just don't have a lot in green.  The other day, I chose a green floral tunic top that I've worn maybe once before.  Little Miss looks at me and says, "Ugh, that color looks awful on you.  You should wear this shirt."  She then handed me a pink shirt.  So, I wore that one.  It is unclear if I will ever wear that green shirt again.

Weekend Update - Busy Bees

Two weekends ago, we had a busy weekend.  On Friday, I took the train and met a former co-worker for dinner and a walk around the mall.  It was a really nice evening.  Although, you should never mix martinis and shopping.  Regardless, it was a great night.

On Saturday, the three of us went to a BBQ at friends' house.  Then, we dropped Little Miss off at the In-laws' apartment with her cousin for a sleepover.  Brother-in-Law, Sister-in-Law, Husband and I, and two other couples went out for Mexican and then went bowling.  It was a lot of fun.  We were all feeling no pain except for our bowling scores.

On Sunday, Husband went golfing while I lounged in bed.  Then, I picked up both kids and met Sister-in-Law.  We went to the playground with the kids and then Little Miss took an unplanned nap.  When she woke up, the boys got there, and we all went to the pool.  We ordered pizza and then head on home. 

It was a great weekend, but it left us exhausted.  I think I spent all weekend recovering.

Too Many Choices

Last weekend, we went to a BBQ where it was BYOB.  So, I let Little Miss pick her own juice boxes to bring.  She stood in the large aisle looking at all her options.  Meanwhile, I was just wanting to run in, pick out our beverages and run out.  So, I tried to push her along.  She looked at me and said firmly, "Mommy, I need you to give me patience."

I counted to ten.  She chose juice boxes and then said, "See, when you give me patience, I make a choice!"

She's got a point.

Weekend Update - Father's Day

Last weekend, I came right home after work ended at 3PM and took Little Miss to the park for her last playdate with her friend.  Her friend and her family are moving to Poland so we tried to get as many playdates in as possible.  Because neither girl wanted to be sad about the parting, they decided to bicker the entire time, but they did part as friends.  On the way home, I picked up a small pizza for Little Miss for dinner.  She ate half of the 10" pizza and declared it "the best pizza in the world".

On Saturday, Little Miss had her last swim class.  There was a substitute, but she did quite a bit.  At the end, she got a certificate.  After, we came home and napped.  It was glorious.  Then, we cleaned.  And cleaned.  It was much-needed.

On Sunday, I got up with Little Miss because it was Father's Day.  We had a big breakfast and beat the storm and took a walk.  During our walk, we snacked along the way.  Little Miss had a cake pop and I snagged some frozen yogurt.  Then, we went to the store to cook Husband's dinner for Father's Day.  Husband got some crab dip and a pasta dish.  It was a nice relaxing day despite a couple of meltdowns on everybody's part. 

We had some tentative plans, but this was the last weekend we had before a bunch of very busy weekends so we stayed in which was perfect and relaxing.

oooops...

Little Miss came stomping into the living room today and announced that yesterday was Flag Day.  She said she wanted to celebrate, and we missed.  I responded that I forgot.  I mean, even if I didn't forget, it's not normally a holiday I celebrate outside of stating, "Hey, today is Flag Day."  So, she gives me this look of utter derision and says, "Well, now you know."  

Yes, now I know.

Family Pictures

Just a sampling of some of our family photos.



Below are the ones we purchased:

All in all, we were happy with them.  The process is always tedious (bordering homicidal for Husband), but we only do them every other year as a family.  Little Miss LOVES having her photo taken.  She'd still be there posing if we let her!

Spelling Humor

You know, when you spell hippopotamus, it starts with H-I-P-P... and after that, you lose a 5-year-old's attention because there is PP in the middle of the spelling.  *sigh*  I can't wait until her humor graduates beyond the bathroom.

Anything Goes

Yesterday was my birthday.  As I wrote, I had a lovely Friday night with friends for my birthday so most of the celebrating was over.  However, yesterday was quite nice for a Tuesday birthday.  I brought in munchkins to the office.  I like to do that because they're small and no one can say no to a donut hole.  My friend sent me flowers to the office which was a nice treat and brightens my sparse office.  My co-worker treated me to frozen yogurt which was a nice afternoon snack.  Then, after work, I met Sister-in-Law for a happy hour and dinner before seeing Anything Goes at The Kennedy Center.  The show was very energetic and really cute and high-energy.  When I got home, I got to open a card from Little Miss that said, "Happy birthday, Mommy!  I love you and I like you."  For some reason, that really made me giggle.  It's a keeper. 

It's a Wonderful Life

You can find the sign above here.

We have a plaque that says It's a Wonderful Life.  Little Miss loves to read it and point it out.  I mostly forget it's even there.  Regardless, tonight, she was hanging with Husband, and she pointed it at the sign and read it.  Then, she says, "It's a wonderful life ... Actually, it's not a wonderful life.  Sometimes, it's a bad life."

Wiser words have not been spoken.

Weekend Update - The End of an Era

Last Friday, I took some vacation time to see Little Miss in her preschool finale. The kids did a fantastic job. It really was a fantastic class - small and really close-knit. She made her first really good friends. The kids received a certificate.

 

You can see Little Miss was very proud of her certificate. After the show, there was a little reception - lots of sugar and presents. After, Little Miss was invited to spend the afternoon with her good friend while Husband and I returned to work. Little Miss painted pottery and then went to lunch and was dropped off at the Inlaws' apartment. I worked and then Friday night, I met friends, Sister and Sister-in-Law for some drinks, food and a movie to celebrate my birthday a little early. It was a lot of fun! On Saturday, Little Miss had swim class. Then, there was lunch and bath before we got family pictures taken. They came out really nice. We were pleased - even though Husband almost had a heart attack dealing with the traffic and mall stress. After Little Miss got to enjoy herself at the fair for about an hour. Then, Husband had plans to meet friends for some golf and dropped off Little Miss and me at my parents' house for dinner. Mom and Dad drove us home, and we were all sleeping before Husband came home (though he did say I had a conversation with him).

On Sunday, we had a quiet day recovering from our busy Saturday. Little Miss and I woke up early and had some breakfast and played some board games. Then, we had brunch and a nap. The nap was my favorite part. In the afternoon, a family from Little Miss's preschool hosted a really lovely bbq. The kids had a blast, and it was a nice end-of-year event before the kids all went separate ways. Some will at least be in town, but a couple of the kids are moving out of the country. It was a long weekend, but it was full of fun which is the best kind of weekend!

Weekend Update - And so begins the summer...

Husband and I mapped out our summer, and it is ridiculously busy.  Seriously, I'm exhausted and it hasn't started yet.  So, hopefully, this blog will be hopping!

This weekend, Little Miss came home on Friday with a low fever and a hacking cough.  I let her fall asleep in bed with me and Husband let her stay the night in our bed.  So, around 3AM, she woke us both up from the radioactive heat radiating from her body.  We took her temp which clocked in around 102.3 and stuffed some Tylenol down her.  At 5AM, she decided to sleep with her feet on my pillow, and at that point, she got booted back to her own bed.

Because she was sick, we kept her home from swimming and cancelled our day at the pool.  She ran some errands with Husband and then took a 4-hour nap.  Since then, she's been 99% (can't get rid of the cough).  Meanwhile, I promised my mom a day of fun for Mother's Day so we did lunch at Seasons 52 and then went to a movie.  After, I introduced her to Pinkberry. When I got home, I took a little nap and then we all did dinner and bedtime. Little Miss usually reads herself to bed and last night, she read Sleeping Beauty. So, at 9PM, she called me in crying. She has reached the point where she is comprehending stories and Maleficent scared her. A lot. So, we let her out on the couch and then back in bed with me, but she went to her room when Husband came to bed because we had a lot planned for Sunday. 

On Sunday, no surprise, Little Miss slept late. We did brunch around noon. Then, we pretty much went straight to lunch. Husband went out with a friend around noon while Little Miss and I hit the bank and then met some of her friends (and their parents) at The Cheesecake Factory. After, we met a bigger group of friends at the park for a big playdate. Little Miss played hard. She came home tired and sweaty, but it was a great day for her. She had such a fantastic class this year. I'll miss them.

Books Read in May 2013

1. Fly Away by Kristin Hannah  (NOTE:  You really should read Firefly Lane first.)
2. Strong Enough to Love by Victoria Dahl  (NOTE:  This is part of the Jackson Hole series.  The order of which can be found here.)
3. Hot Ticket by Olivia Cunning (NOTE:  This is part of the Sinners on Tour series. The order of which can be found here.)
4. A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick
5. Too Hot to Handle by Victoria Dahl  (NOTE:  This is part of the Jackson Hole series.  The order of which can be found here.)
6. Halfway There by Susan Mallery  (NOTE:  This is part of the Fool's Gold series.  The order of which can be found here.)
7. This Is Who I Am by Cherise Sinclair  (NOTE:  This is part of the Masters of the Shadowlands series.  The order of which can be found here.)

Decent month of reading.  They were all digital. I read A Reliable Wife for book club, but I bought the book years ago. So, if anything, I was glad to finally read it. The others were good books though some aren't for the faint of heart so if you're playing the home game, read the summaries before you read. I'm enjoying being able to read on the way to work, the joy of commuting on the train. Lots of good books coming out this summer, too.

Movies Watched in May 2013

1. Contagion

Sad movie month. On the last day of the month, I caught Contagion on HBO Go. Meh.