Melissa Wiley's Blog, page 192

The Season of Becky

Summer did come, and summer was the season of Becky Jack. The kids were free (free!) from the constraints of homework and school days. And they would go stark raving insane with nothing to do, so the Jack home became a summer camp: summer projects (raising insects, quilting, coin collecting, studying kinds of clouds, family read-a-thons), sports (swimming, rafting, hiking, Little League), field trips (zoo, amusement park, bird preserve, lakes, mountains, rivers, meadows), service projects (neigh

These Busy Days

I started a "books read in June" post before June ended, and it's still sitting there in drafts though I've opened it at least a dozen times, adding a sentence here and there. Dunno why I'm being sluggish with that. Perhaps it's because one has to be sluggish somewhere, and everything else is go, go, go these days. In a good way. All our usual activities are suspended for the summer, but we went and got ourselves busy with new things. We're very busy relaxing, if that makes any sense at all.

We'r

Twitterlog 2009-07-13

My 3yo on public display of affection: "That's percusting." #Blog search hit of the day: "spell the sound of sticking out your tongue." #Jane's new dentist, upon seeing us enter, en masse, w/ double stroller & baby in sling: "Good Lord, it's a preschool." #It is ridiculous the degree of affection I feel for this specific shade of pink nail polish on my toes. #Overheard: 14yo: "Do you need help pouring the milk?" 3yo: "Nope." 14yo: "Are you sure?" 3yo: "I don't want to be sure." #I just got hit w

Bouncing Baby Boy

How much does this baby like his bouncy chair?

This much!

July Garden

Sunscreen Choices Redux

My pal Caryn wrote today, looking for a post I wrote a while back about my struggle with the question of daily sunscreen use. What's worse, I wondered (and still do): the chemicals seeping into our skin, day after day after day? Or the dangers of sun exposure? Ever since our move to San Diego in the fall of 2006, these questions have plagued me. My kids wear hats some of the time, and I know keeping covered is the best course of action, but still: it's short-sleeve weather here almost all year r

From the Archives: Who's on Surp?

Originally posted in April, 2005, when Jane was nine, Rose was six, and Beanie was four.

I was cleaning the bathroom this morning when Jane came in to ask me how to pronounce the word "usurp." She had seen it in print a number of times but wasn't sure how to say it. I told her, and then Rose wanted to know what it meant. So I gave some examples, including: "Or let's say you're sitting on my lap and I send you to get a tissue, and while you're up, one of your sisters climbs in your place."

Rose sta

Twitterlog 2009-07-06

OH I AM STEAMED. Towing company tried to cheat us on mileage, more than double the correct mileage/price. They've not heard the last of me. #Scott's car died on commute home. Tow truck driver claimed mileage is gauged by GPS, not his odometer. AND tried to use wrong location. #Looks like the littles & I will be without wheels today. Not a problem; home is nice. We have big plans to blow bubbles. #On phone with shady towing company. They claimed they calculate mileage based on their GPS, not odom

Books to Fall Headlong Into

Laurajean asked for some more book recommendations.

I'm going to list some favorite reads off the top of my head, with or without notes as I have the time. I may come back and add to the list later. And please all of you feel free to chime in with your own recommendations!

Novels I've read recently and especially enjoyed (and posted about—check the lefthand sidebar for links):

The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett
The Sherwood Ring by Elizabeth Marie Pope
The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey
The Hunger

The Actor & the Housewife: Open Thread

I know not many of you have had a chance to read it yet, but I've had a couple of requests for discussion of this book, so I'll go ahead and open a post for it now. Chime in when you can!

Here's my post about it.

You can read the first chapter at author Shannon Hale's website.

WARNING: There will very likely be spoilers in the comments below, since it's difficult to discuss any book without discussing its plot. That's why I'd rather do most of my book-talking in the comments rather than in a post.