Bluebird Books

I recently had to take a trip across the country.  For the first time in my 13 years as a mom, I flew with my four kids, solo.  It was intimidating.  imagine this + dragging four kids and three suitcases with you.  #fun Traveling is stressful.  Security lines, figuring out meals, and keeping track of everyone makes me haggard.  But, there is one part of gearing up for a flight that I look forward to... The kids are buckled in and holding their respective security objects, blankies and well-worn stuffed animals.  We've taken off and the flight attendants have cleared the use of electronic devices.  Air is rushing in my ears and the lights in the aircraft dim a bit.  And I lean forward and pull my book out of the seatback pocket.  We are surrounded by clouds. In this moment I breathe deeply and feel a strong sense of gratitude.  For the next 3 hours, the kids' issues will be minimal, there will be no pressing distractions (laundry, I'm looking at you).  There's

Spring is here!   The kids are home because of a snowstorm!   It's actually still snowing and I'm kind of terrified that school will be canceled tomorrow too.  Maybe the time they are spending in the snow will mean a nap or an early bedtime.  That's wishful thinking. Speaking of wishful thinking...let's talk about how happy I get at the start of something new.  New year, new season, new outfit, any of these things can lead me down a path of blind optimism.  Well, we're heading into a new season, even if there are 6 inches of snow on the ground, and I am feeling hopeful.   This shows great growth as I just had part one of a root canal, my kids have not gone to school for a solid week in months, and the snow, the dumb snow.   One way my hopeful outlook is manifesting itself is in my recent Old Navy purchase.  I literally snagged four pairs of sunglasses, including a rose-colored pair, and really cute ankle jeans.   Cute, right? Another way I get

About a year ago, our pastor spoke about ways to have a healthy marriage.  One of the more actionable tips was to go on a weekly date night.  He knew this was not feasible for many and offered the usual alternate idea: after the kids go to bed be intentional about spending time together, watching a movie, eating dessert, etc. I don't stay up very late and this never really worked for us.  In the midst of a messy table, I couldn't think deep thoughts with my husband.  This type of date only made me feel like I should really be tidying up. Our kitchen island is always covered in books, art supplies, homework, papers, food, and stuffed animals.  There is always something to clean.    Finding a babysitter has always been more challenging than I would like.  Teens have busy schedules and when they could come, they would spend the evening doing homework or texting friends.  Paying for a sitter and dinner made the evening feel like a major splurge, so we settled on going o

February was interesting...a short month, with very weird weather.  I got a little bored with one book and a little frustrated with another so I wasn't sure how many I would actually finish.   ***disclaimer****  It really doesn't matter how many books you finish in a month.  I would shamelessly post one if that was what I felt up to reading.  One of the things I love about reading is that I can control how many books I read in any given season.  And believe me, there were seasons with 0...I'm looking at you, newborn mom years.  Please don't feel pressured to read more--that is when the magic of reading is dimmed.   My number this month is 5 and that seems like a lot.  But it's also kind of cheating because two of them were audiobooks that I had started months ago.   Here are the books I read this month: Belong to Me This was the frustrating one.  I did not enjoy this.  I was outright annoyed by some of the characters and plotlines.  With