Red Scarf Girl

"Ji-li's deeply moving story should be on the shelf of every person's library. Her courage in the face of adversity and her steadfast loyalty to her family are truly inspirational for young and old alike." --Nien Cheng (Author of A Life and Death in Shanghai)

It is very rare that I love a book so much and just have nothing to say. I think it's probably because I don't want to chance ruining the good job the author did. ;) I quickly read through Red Scarf Girl: A Memoir of the Cultural Revolution this past week. I was subbing in a 7th grade English room and this was the book they were reading.

Ji-Li's story is about how her and her 'black' family lived during the time of the Cultural Revolution in China. I found it very intriguing and the 7th graders and I had great conversations. They were engaged and seemed to be really into it. I honestly, did not hear any whining/complaining about it, which for junior high kids is quite the feat!

The book's main focus is on Ji-Li's junior high period. Ages 12-14. It talks of how she goes from a star well-respected student to being made fun of and forced into 'study sessions' to try to tell secrets about her 'rightest' father.

I would recommend this book for adults and teens alike. It gives a first-hand account of a time period in China that most people in the US do not study / know much about.

What do you remember from junior high?

Shutterfly Holiday Cards

Okay, I’m pretty cheesy when it comes to things related to Christmas. Maybe cheesy, isn’t the right word, maybe in love with traditions and how things always are. I’m a creature of comfort. Since the husband and I got married, we have always done photo cards. The first year, we used a picture from our wedding, but ever since we have used a picture of us wearing our Ohio State / Michigan shirts. This year, we don’t have a photo like that unless we fake posed for one and we don’t really feel like it. So, we almost thought about doing regular holiday cards. But, I just can’t break from our little holiday card tradition. Next year, we will have our new baby to splash across the cards and I am super stoked about continuing photo cards with our kids to share with our family and friends.

Enter Shutterfly. I will confess, I have never used Shutterfly before, and have just recently looked at their website when I was looking for a different company/better deal to make our family calendar. But then I found out on Twitter about the Shutterfly Blogger Holiday Card Promotion and was like well if this isn’t a sign I don’t know what is! So yes, I am receiving 50 free cards in exchange for this post, but come on there is some super cute stuff to buy there!

I know it is going to be hard to pick which design to use, but here are three of my favorites!

This one is probably my favorite and looks almost identical to the background from last year.

I usually like to have Merry Christmas on my cards, but I would make an exception on this one because depending on the picture I choose to use the background would look really good with it.

On this one, I really like the ornaments and the green and red.

As you can tell, I like to have only one main picture be the focus and then minimal stuff on the side. Probably when I am a crazy mom I will pick a collage because I won't be able to pick just one picture of my cute child! ;)

Here are some more Holiday Cards to pick from.

I also think this is a pretty cute Invitation for a holiday party! I love SNOWMEN!!!!!

More Invitations can be found here.

Shutterfly also has cute address labels, gift tags, and personalized photo gifts. (There are some adorable shots of babies in ornaments!!)

Now that I have spent the last few days drooling over this stuff I may be Christmas shopping off of here or planning future projects to showcase my child!

What kind of holiday cards do you send?

You Don't Look Like Anyone I Know

Heather Sellers is a far stronger person than I will ever be. The fact she survived childhood with two dysfunctional, some may say crazy, parents is astounding.

Her father drank too much and was unstable. Her mother was obsessive and overly worried. Her mother was a picture of paranoia and her father just kind of let it be.

She spent most of her early life shuttling between homes when one got worse than the other. Which meant she also changed schools a lot. But her mother also had her switch schools occasionally because she was worried about people knowing too much information or the unseen people who always followed them. She barely escaped away to college and eve then, her crazy parents interfered and showed up.

Most perplexing in her life was how strangers would approach her and talk like they were friends. Or when everyone looked vaguely familiar but she could not place them. She lost friends because they thought she snubbed them in public. Or most embarrassing, she did not alert a friend that the people her friend was talking about were right behind her!

At first she thought she was mentally ill, especially after a run-in with a former boyfriend who inquired about her schizophrenic mother. Uh what??? Her mom was a schizophrenic??? How could she not have known? Was she crazy as well???

This prompted her to start researching and begin questioning. Who knew? Her dad wasn't telling any secrets. Was there a family history? Her mom never really let them see her family. Was she schizophrenic too?

Finally, she discovered the answer prosopagnosia. Face blindness. Heather could not remember people's faces. She used context clues to figure out who they were.

Face blindness is an extremely rare condition that not many people know about. Sellers has struggled to educate herself and others on the topic.

I really enjoyed the book. Her storytelling is fascinating and I enjoyed the changing time periods.

I wold recommend this book to others, especially if you like and enjoyed Jeannette Wells memoir, The Glass Castle.

Thanks to Lydia Hirt from G.P. Putnam's Sons / Riverhead for providing me this book to review. All opinions and thoughts are mine.

What is your favorite memoir? Have you ever heard of face blindness before?

14 weeks and growing...

today at 14 weeks! I look way bigger than I think I look. Perhaps I was just that fat before hand? I notice a difference but I swear I don't look that big to myself but looking at this picture I look huge! haha

How far along? 14 weeks
Weight gain/loss: down 6
Maternity clothes? Not yet, but the cords that I wore today were a lot more snug than they were last week when I wore them. I sense they will be in my near future!
Stretch marks? nope
Sleep? Sleep has been fabulous and I have actually made it 5 hour stretches with out waking up at night to pee!!
Best moment this week? Going to the doctor and hearing the heartbeat again! It was going away fast and strong about 155 bpm. Plus, I got schedule our appointment for our anatomy scan where we will hopefully find out that our baby is growing on schedule and if it has boy parts or girl parts!! My blood pressure which is usually great was even better than before, my bloodwork came back great and overall things were awesome!
Food cravings: mashed potatoes and gravy!!!
Gender: We both think it is a girl because we have always wanted a boy so much haha.
Belly button in or out? In
Movement? I'm sure it is not, but sometime at night I think it is. I'm sure when it happens regularly I'll know!
What I miss? Really wanted a Clamato Bud Light while tailgating last week. My dad's looked sooo good! Typically, light beer this pregnancy has not been a desire, but that Clamato juice looked good! I have also wanted margaritas like crazy!
What I'm looking forward to: Seeing family over Thanksgiving and our anatomy scan!
Milestones: By all accounts I am totally into 2nd trimester!

Things That Irritate Me (just a small portion)

When people ask other people for their opinion (ESPECIALLY in a public forum) and do not get the answer they want they get all bent out of shape. Get over it. You asked and people told you what they think. Not everyone thinks the same as you. If you only want to hear POSITIVE things, it isn't happening unless you find the forum for whatever it is you desire to hear positive things on.

If you ask me about your potential child's name and I say it sounds like a hooker name to me, that is the truth! I am not going to say oh it's okay. No, it has a definite connotation in my head, so sure as heck I am going to tell you what it is. A blogger got a little upset with my comment on her post a few months ago because she was asking opinions if a bag was cute or not and I said I thought it was ugly. She actually went off on me for being mean and said if I didn't have anything nice to say, don't say it. Um. what? You asked what we thought about it???? It was ugly. I told you. Just like I tell my mother that purses she picks out or shirts she points out are ugly. Then the best was when her bloggy cohorts all ganged up and called me such a meanie. It was a day of pure hysterics for me. Seriously, get your panties out of a wad and realize not everyone likes the same things you do. When you post it on the Internet it is fair game. But all those clicks I get from people who get angry, are also awesome so thanks for the traffic! ;)

Another thing that irritates me is when people post EVERY freaking detail of their life in their facebook status. Yes, I am very sad for you that you are having a miscarriage. No, I nor your hundreds of other friends need to or WANT to hear about you passing your fetus. Hourly updates not needed. And for all that is holy, if you are going to link to your blog that you write about said incident, would you please at least research trying to conceive and fertility so you don't sound like a moron? And PLEASE stop blaming the doctors for doing their dang job.

Also, pets are not kids. Do not compare your puppy to my unborn child. They will not be cousins and no it is not like having a baby. No I will not be purchasing it a Christmas gift and no it is NOT welcome at my home. It is a pet.

And these are just a few things that irritate me..... What irks you?

Self-Promotion among other things

IT IS FRIDAY!!!!!! Which really means little in my world of substitute teaching when I feel like it, but I am leaving for Columbus in less than an hour with my dad to enjoy a nice Big Ten football weekend.. OSU vs. PSU!!! Woo Woo!

First, the lovely Jess is featuring me over at her place, Taking it One Step at a Time for Follow Friday! So go check it out and learn more about me and check Jess's blog and the adorable pictures of her son!

And hello to you, if this is your first time stopping by!

Second, I think I am finally getting a baby bump. It's not sucking in. ;) It's still not pretty but it is something that is just not belly fat! I will definitely plan on picture taking for this Wednesday's update!

Third, (tried to spell that with a Fhird haha) I am reading You Don't Look like Anyone I Know by Heather Sellers and it is fabulous!!! I am hoping to finish it between the ride down to C-bus and down time this weekend!

Fourth, did I mention I am going to Columbus???? I am so pumped. OSU football, good tailgating, friends I only see during the fall and I get to go shopping!!! (for a cute little onesie for the baby that it's father may or may not kill me over, silly wolverine fan he is!)

Fifth, Fruit Smoothies are amazing. I have been making a ton lately and they are fab. Some concoctions I have had this week have been

-strawberry yogurt
-strawberries
-frozen raspberries
- banana
- ice
- tangerine juice (someone, ahem me, didn't read the label and got this instead of orange juice whoops)

and then yesterday I had the same recipe but added in pineapple!!! i had been adding in milk but was getting waaaay too much dairy in my diet and felt like poo so I eliminated the milk from the smoothie.

I hope you have a fabulous weekend! Any big plans? Reading anything good? Let me know!

Cleopatra

Description: Her palace shimmered with onyx and gold, but was richer still in political and sexual intrigue. Above all else, Cleopatra was a shrewd strategist and an ingenious negotiator. Though her life spanned fewer than forty years, it reshaped the contours of the ancient world.

She was married twice, each time to a brother. She waged a brutal civil war against the first when both were teenagers. She poisoned the second. Ultimately she dispensed with an ambitious sister as well; incest and assassination were family specialties. Cleopatra appears to have had sex with only two men. They happen, however, to have been Julius Caesar and Mark Antony, two of the most prominent Romans of the day. Both were married to other women. Cleopatra had a son with Caesar and--after his murder--three more with his protégé. Already she was the wealthiest ruler in the Mediterranean; the relationship with Antony confirmed her status as the most influential woman of the age. The two would together attempt to forge a new empire, in an alliance that spelled their ends. Cleopatra has lodged herself in our imaginations ever since.

Famous long before she was notorious, Cleopatra has gone down in history for all the wrong reasons. Shakespeare and Shaw put words in her mouth. Michelangelo, Tiepolo, and Elizabeth Taylor put a face to her name. Along the way the supple personality has been lost. In a masterly return to the classical sources, Stacy Schiff here boldly separates fact from fiction to rescue the magnetic queen whose death ushered in a new world order a generation before the birth of Christ. Rich in detail, epic in scope, Schiff 's is a luminous, deeply original reconstruction of a dazzling life

Very rarely do I pick up a book and not finish it. Mainly, because I only read things that appeal to me. However, my attempt at reading Cleopatra by Stacy Schiff, failed miserably by page 15.

I really wanted to learn more about her and the time period but the writing was so dry and the names confused me because I could not frankly stay engaged. I'm sad to report this and would love to know if someone was able to read it all or farther than me and share some insight.

I received this book from Crazy Book Tours. All opinions are mine.

Have you read any books on Cleopatra? Watched any movies? What was the last book you read that you just had to put down?

13 weeks

How far along? 13 weeks
Weight gain/loss: down 6 pounds
Maternity clothes? no, but it is close. today's pants had to be hair tyed to work. it seems my pants that come up higher are not good at the moment but the lower rise ones are fine. my mom did buy me a pair of maternity pants this week and they will be definitely be worn to thanksgiving, who knows when i will bust into them for real. i have determined that i will just be buying regular shirts that are empire waist for as long as possible. not a huge fan of maternity tops.
Stretch marks? No
Sleep? last night i was exhausted but didn't seem to sleep a lot.. hopefully that isn't a new trend
Food cravings: salad/veggies, smoothies...
Gender: really thinking it is a girl
Movement? The last couple of nights I swear I feel something, but I have no idea.
What I miss? Being rational 24/7
What I'm looking forward to: my appt next week and hopefully finding out when I will find out if we are having a boy or a girl!

I would love to start sharing belly photos but I really don't want to just take them of me being fat. I am thinking next week I may have one to show!

Water for Elephants Discussion

questions ganked from here

1. Water for Elephants moves between a story about a circus and a story about an old man in a nursing home. How do the chapters about the older Jacob enrich the story about Jacob’s adventure with the circus? How would the novel be different if Gruen had only written about the younger Jacob, keeping the story linear and never describing Jacob’s life as an old man?

2. Did the chapters about the nursing home change how you think about older people? In what ways are the doctors and nurses condescending? How is Rosemary different? How do you treat older people?


3. In chapter two, the twenty-three year old Jacob starts his story by telling us he is a virgin. From the cooch tent to the erections the older Jacob gets when being bathed, sexuality is woven into the whole story. Why do you think Gruen added these details? What role does sexuality play in Water for Elephants?

4.When you first read the Prologue, who did you think murdered the man? Were you surprised by who the actual murderer was?

5. In what ways is Water for Elephants a survival story? A love story? An adventure?

Here is a link to an interview with the author Sara Gruen

Who read it? Who started it? Who never cracked the cover?

(I never cracked the cover, I did carry it in my bag with me for half the month.. haha whoops)

12 weeks whoaaaaa

How far along? 12 weeks
Weight gain/loss: I don't know our bathroom is a bit under construction at the moment and I haven't had access to my scale since last Thursday or so haha..
Maternity clothes? not really but getting close to wanting some comfy pants
Stretch marks? no
Sleep? It's hard to get comfy at night but I am out like a log as long as I am not peeing!
Food cravings: Chocolate
Gender: I'm kind of starting to think it is a girl
Belly button in or out? In
What I miss? Alcohol.. i would kill for a big ole drunk fest this weekend.. it is a year from the worst week ever when my grandpa died and then my grandma.. and to add to that lovely fun week, my grandma's sister died yesterday. this is a freaking fabulous week. i would like to be numb so that i can stop being a crying mess.
What I'm looking forward to: my appt in 2 weeks

In blog news, nobody suggested anything until Kelly felt bad and suggested something for the November group read on Monday. So I am making the executive decision that we are taking November off and we may just be on a permenant lull or temporary.

Also, I never read the October Group Read but I will post discussion questions tomorrow. I suck at this too haha.