Cliff Notes

Why do I like this so much?

I can't stand having that negative review at the top of my blog, so here's a wholehearted recommendation to displace it :

More Driving Miss Daisy than To Kill A Mockingbird.

This book left me feeling vaguely unsatisfied. Its take on Civil Rights-era Mississippi seemed a bit superficial. Maybe I just can't get past a privileged white Southern woman voicing privileged white Southern women's maids. I have issues! That said, its reach will probably be greater than a more nuanced and potentially disturbing Toni Morrison novel. I know from book club experience that this may be some readers' first foray into this world. Which is not a bad thing. Maybe I should give The Help more credit. But it bugged me. 


PS: I did enjoy the characters, and I sped through the book. In other words, I liked it. It's very readable. I just didn't LOVE it.  

The Book Thief was most compelling book I read last year. After I finished it, I just sat there for a few moments in silence. Have you read it?

Warning: German swear words abound in this book.  They are translated the first time but if you can substitute your own  silly curse like "sock monkey" or "doodyhead," you'll do fine.

When it is 19° outside and you have to drive the kids to school, aren't you glad you can just pull on your Harvey jammies and go? Two days in a row...

They look like this. Only lavender. With snowmen, penguins, trees and mountains. But mine are much bigger.

I've been working on a monthly budget today... sad to say, the first reckoning in years. I've kept a mental budget in my mind and it's allowed me to stay within my means, but not much more. Somehow, during the past year, I've crept into some bad habits that have started to take their toll. I blame turning 40. But that's a whole other story.

The good news is that upon careful review, I think we'll be able to make a few thoughtful changes and get back on track. So I've proposed an actual itemized budget to John and we'll see how it works. One thing I'm trying out is a spending journal. It's like a food journal when dieting: whenever I spend money, I track it in my journal. I think it will help me be more mindful of purchases and at the end of this month I'll have a very accurate, detailed list of where the money went. Then I can tweak my budget where needed. Wish me luck!

Final thought, stolen from an online discussion: when did modesty become exclusively about how you dress?