Seven Quick Takes vol. 116

Clicking with Kelly today for some seven randoms - because what are Fridays for?

{one}

Hello my long lost readers! I feel as if I haven't had any time to think let alone write anything of worth lately because I was dealing with a pox upon my house. We had a weird illness: fevers, coughing, not quite the flu but sufficient to knock everyone out to a whining lethargy, which went on to transform into the bacterial friend of all parents, ear infections. It went through every kid, each one dropping the next day and it almost killed me. I know, I'm being super dramatic but almost two weeks of baby lying on me, too much Netflix, constant needs needing to be attended, and only getting out of the house to go to the doctors was rough. The kids have been better since Monday, of course that was when I went down with sinus headaches for a couple days, but now I think we're in recovery and trying to get back on track!

{two}

It's been over a year and a half since every kid was seriously sick at the same time in our house. Which I think it ridiculously good. But by being really healthy, my kids have had no practice in creating a patient sick-kid mom. So they have to deal with me who pretty much loses patience after two days of lying around. I think I actually did fairly well, but in my head I couldn't stop being tired of having so much sickness in everyone. But we survived? Maybe it was a Lent thing...maybe I grew in holiness somehow? Let's hope so!

{three}

Does anyone else ever experience this weird feeling after all the kids are finally healthy again and feel like you have to re-learn how to make plans and live a normal life? I swear all week I went around double checking myself before making plans for the upcoming weekend, "Can we go swimming next Sunday? Oh, I guess we can...we're not sick anymore...." It felt so strange and bizarre. It was as if when we were all sick I couldn't imagine a time where we wouldn't be sick and able to get out of the house! 

More evidence I'm losing my mind. I get it.

{four}

Other than the sickness and surviving I feel like I have no news. It's like I've been in a bunker. A bunker full of germ makers. While rocking sick kids to sleep I watched more Friday Night Lights - I just want a Southern accent! And I watched a couple episodes of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt which I thought was a cute show, although I haven't been laughing out loud a la 30 Rock yet, but I'm willing to give it more time. 

{five}

Does endless winter make anyone else shop for outrageously priced handbags online? Because I think it's becoming my new hobby. 

Tory Burch, $660.80 CAD

Michael Kors. $531.00

Kate Spade, $298 USD

Le sigh. A bag for the price of half a mortgage payment....

{six}

Dom lost one of his front teeth last week and I swear it gives me physical pains. It just seems impossible that my baby has lost a tooth. Yes, this has happened already, but no, I can't get over the shock it makes me feel. But he's sporting a sweet grin and has developed a bit of a lisp that is really adorable when he starts talking fast. Like when he and Luke rushed over to me yesterday telling me they discovered...MUD!!

{seven}

We had a great time talking to Karen Edmisten this week on the podcast. If you haven't had a chance to listen I really think you'll enjoy it, we talk about just about everything and Karen is such a down to earth but inspiring person. 

Hope you all have a great weekend - if it's above freezing rejoice! 

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5 Fave St. Patrick's Day Books for the Littles

I always am woefully lacking in appropriate holiday-ness, but this year I actually have some fun St. Patricks's Day books for the kids and we might even get things together to do something green and Irish next Tuesday! Everyone cross your fingers for me, but until then here's what the little wee ones are reading around here.

Patrick: Patron Saint of Ireland by Tomie dePaola

A classic in the holiday/saint category. Really, a great biography for kids about an important saint that doesn't make it boring but exciting. The illustrations are, or course, glorious. I love it!

Jamie O'Rourke and the Big Potato: An Irish Folktale by Tomie de Paola

A sweet board book of a cute Irish folk tale. I'm not quite sure if my kids "get it" but that's part of the allure for me. And it teaches about laziness.

St. Patrick's Day in the Morning by Eve Bunting

This is a sweet story perfect for young children. The illustrations are by Jan Brett so they're particularly lovely and done in black and white and green which is fitting.

Tim O'Toole and the Wee Folk by Gerald McDermott

This is a sweet fairy tale-like book for young children that brings a little imagination along with good story-telling and colourful illustrations to the whole leprechaun thing. I had to explain all these cartoon leprechaun's appearing in store windows lately and my kids were not getting the connection to St. Patrick at all...so this fairy tale came in handy. (Literal Catholic kids...sheessh.)

A Fine St. Patrick's Day by Susan Wojciechowski

Another fairy tale type story about Ireland and leprechauns. The illustrations are especially beautiful and a feast for young and old eyes alike. I love drawings of sweet little towns too.



That was quick, so drop by Jenna's for more great Faves this Wednesday!

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What I've Been Reading Lately - Lots of Mysteries

I'm checking in to talk about some books I've been reading because we've been inundated with illness for over a week here and I can tell ya, it's got me in a mood! But I can always talk about books, and it won't make me sound too cranky so we're all winning. Remember, if you want to find more great reads Jessica is running her WWRW linkup today.

After the Funeral by Agatha Christie

Every so often I have to read a mystery novel. And not just any mystery novel, a classic. To me there's nothing so comforting as settling in to an isolated English manor house where a terrible crime has occurred with a set number of suspects and an enigmatic but eccentric master detective. Life just gets better when you're trying to figure out whodunnit. I also want to read every book ever written by Agatha Christie, so this was a natural pick from my shelf. Although a later Poirot novel, this one perfectly combines strange relatives with an eye on inheritance and crimes committed in different locations. Christie's writing only improves the more you read because you come to appreciate her succinct prose and her laser sharp characterizations.

The Monogram Murders by Sophie Hannah

This is new story of Poirot by an author who has been approved by the Christie estate, which I believe makes this a big deal. It revolves around the murder of three people in the same hotel, and the mystery threads it way through the past connections of the three victims. While the plot was twisty enough to be an original Christie, the author goes to extremes to make Poirot "persnickety" and "eccentric" and you have to be told how eccentric and persnickety he is during his every conversation. This is a criticism that probably will only bother the devoted Christie fan, because otherwise the novel is well constructed and reads very well for a mystery. So I'm just going to play my Agatha Christie snob card on this one.

The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag: A Flavia de Luce Novel by Alan Bradley

Clearly, once I get into a mystery bent I just want to keep going! Honestly, it sometimes feels like I have to force myself to not read mystery. I'm completely in love with Flavia. A wickedly smart, precocious eleven year old living in rural England, Flavia loves chemistry and solving the murders that occur in her small village. She's the perfect mix of Nancy Drew spunk and innocence mixed with a delightfully well-read British detective. I enjoy the mysteries, but I love even more the constant literary references, the little Flavia-isms, her eccentric family, and her love of chemistry. I'm trying to space out my reading of this series because I enjoy it so much. This is the second in the series and I believe the seventh was just published. This series is written by a Canadian -- just thought I should point that out.

The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin

This is a lovely, light, but heartfelt, story of a bookseller living on a fictional New England island. It's fairly delightful. Written with a good dose of sarcasm, it succeeds in creating characters who love books but aren't completely obnoxious or unlikable - which doesn't sound too difficult but try to think back to a specifically bookish character who you liked? Once the story winds around to a small child opening up the heart of A.J. and in turn the entire bookshop, I was as good as hooked and enjoyed it till the end.


That's it for today, I'm currently reading some heavy duty awesome books that probably deserve their own posts so hopefully I'll get the chance to write about them sometime soon. Until then, have you read any of these? Got some more good ones for me??

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