Classics Challenge - A Tale of Two Cities

So, Dickens. This was good but not very enjoyable. How's that for a conflicting review. I can't say it isn't well written. But several times during the course of my reading, I couldn't help but think of a funny quote of my late great uncle Arthur. Seeing as he was an English professor, I don't think he would really appreciate my using his words against Dickens when he first said it at my brother's graduation, loudly, about the keynote speaker, "my, how he does go on!"

Yep, that's Dickens. I've found that I'm not big on descriptive passages. I tend to skim them. I'm trying to stop that habit but this book really tried my patience. Another problem I had that probably made the ramblings much worse for me, isn't Dickens fault at all. I knew the story. I picked this Dickens book over several others (Great Expectations and David Copperfield) because I thought I knew less about it going in but turns out, I already knew how it ended. I'm not really sure how I knew. I've never read it in any form or seen a movie about it but CharlesDicken's works have just become so integrated in our culture that I guess its inevitable. And I can't really complain about "spoilers" when the book was written in 1859, at least not without being irritated by myself just as I was at the silly girls who got mad when people commented on future events in the comment section of Emma Approved. But I will say that if I had been able to read this as a weekly installment story back when he wrote it, I think I would have been a lot more intrigued.

I also felt fairly removed from the characters as I was reading. It's not that they weren't developed but more that I just didn't connect or care that much about them. Except Madame Defarge, I did want her to die.

I'm still glad I read it. If nothing else it shows me how easy it can be to read a book if you just plug away at it, one chapter a day. If I ever decide to try another Dicken's novel, and that's still a bit if at this point, I think I'll go with Bleak House. Not only is it considered one of the best, but I really like mysteries, especially when I don't know the ending, which I don't think I do with Bleak House.

A Tale of Two Cities in my 19th Century Classic selection for the Back to the Classics Challenge. To read more classic reviews, visit Books and Chocolate.

Dear (5 year old) Lucy,

Dear Lucy,

I can't believe you are five years old today! But then I look at you and you are such a little (big?) girl now. I've loved watching your personality and gifts emerge more this year.

I like to think of you as my little Anne Shirley. You just love to learn about everything. Not just math and reading (although your always asking to do those with me!) but you're always asking the most interesting questions about everything you could possible think of from questions about God and Jesus to what bugs eat. I just never know what you're going to be thinking. You love big words and books and stories and I'm so glad I've got a fellow book worm in the making.

 I can see all those stories pop up in your play but you always go above and beyond with what you come up with.You're still not the most social child. I used to think you were going to be shy but that's not really it. You just don't need other kids, you've got a whole world in your head.  If we've got friends playing over at the house and they are all playing together, you'll probably be found up in another part of the yard, just dancing around or immersed in whatever fantasy you have going on. You're my little imaginative fairy child.

The one exception to your playing is Jonah. You two just love each other and while you can drive each other crazy sometimes a lot of the time, at the end of the day when your both tucked in your beds in your room, you always call out to each other "I love you, do you love me?" "Yes I love you too" and it melts my heart. You've learned this year that, sadly, you can't marry him when you grow up so now you just say, "let's pretend to get married Jonah. It's okay if its just pretend." And it is. It's adorable. Although somehow you think that means you get to boss him around, let's pretend that doesn't say anything about me.

Alas, another similarity to Anne Shirley is your temper. And neither your dad nor I quite know where you got the dramatic flair you have. Oh my, the drama! I can't even count the number of times you are "never coming out of your room" or "never playing again." - but you also work very hard to control yourself and you have come so far that it makes me smile in pride to think of it. You asked Jesus to be your "rescuer" earlier this year and now when you struggle with something, you'll ask me if it would be good to pray and ask God for help with it. You are my little prayer warrior. I have rarely seen anyone, young or old, so persistent and consistent in their prayers, both for certain requests (a baby!) and in thanksgiving for what God has given you. When you were born, my biggest hope for you would be that you would grow to love the Lord and follow him and I know that my memories of watching your faith become your faith is a treasure I will keep in my heart and ponder for many years.

You love princesses and fairy tales and pink and all things pretty and sparkly. You even say your favorite letter is p because pink and purple begin with p! But you're not afraid to play in the mud and rescue "cute little wormies" that are on our driveway and make sure they get safely back into the dirt.

You love drawing pictures and doing art projects. You're always asking me for "real art lessons" and "real piano lessons.". Even without lessons, you like to sit at the piano and play high notes and low notes and tell me what characters they represent in the song you invented.

I love how confident you are. You'll just come up to me after getting dressed and tell me how pretty you look. Or show me a picture you drew and tell me what a great job you did. Or finish a page of reading, turn to me and say "I'm doing a really good job reading, aren't I?" You can be pretty hard on yourself if something isn't working out just how you imagine so I appreciate these times. You are just as likely to praise someone else as yourself and it isn't really vanity or your trying to make others think well of you, you just say what you think and you think you're pretty great. And so do I!

Another year, another interview

It's time for the annual birthday interview with Lucy. A lot of her answers are more accurate this year where as before it would be whatever she could think up in the moment. But there are still a few randoms in here (twinkle twinkle little star?). But either way, this is Lucy at 5!
What is your favorite color? Pink

What is your favorite toy? Magnatiles

What is your favorite game? Candyland and Enchanted Forest

What is your favorite song? That sound about the star, uhm, shimmer shimmer tiny star? (Twinkle twinkle little star)

What is your favorite animal? Bunnies

What is your favorite book? Laura and Mary (Little House on the Prairie)

What do you like to snuggle with at night? My lovies (green blanket, owl blanket, baby owl, horsey, tiger, pearl the pillow)

What is your favorite movie? Pippi Longstocking

What is your favorite thing to eat? Blackberries

Where is your favorite place to go? Zoo

What is your favorite outfit? My pretty Easter dress

What do you like to learn about? Reading

What have you learned in the last year? How to read

What is hard for you? Wake up in the morning 

What is your favorite thing to do as a family? Family date to the playground

What do you like about Mommy? Because she's special - and because you do nice hugs

What do you like about Daddy? He's nice

What do you like about Jonah?  I like him


What do you like about yourself? I am pretty

What do you want to be when you grow up? A vet and a mommy

Jonah's Favorite Folk and Fairy Tales

It's no secret that I love Fairy Tales. And Lucy quickly followed in my steps. But recently Jonah has been getting into the fairy tale scene as well and I'm super excited about it. This is mostly because he is now able to handle the slightly longer books and stories and as much as I love Sandra Boyton, I do appreciate being able to add some more sophisticated language into our nap and bedtime routines.

I almost titled this post Folk and Fairy Tales for Boys but I hate to do that because it assumes that most fairy tales aren't for boys. That's just silly. I always assumed he would like fairy tales as much as Lucy but I'm also not surprised that he is drawn to slightly difference ones than she is. But everything on this list has been enjoyed by her as well.

Paul Galdone's Folk Tales

These are great starter books for those looking to dip your toy into the world of folk and fairy tales (yes, there is a difference between the two but I'm not going to get into that). And they are good for those that aren't quite comfortable with magic. That's not an issue I have but I know it is for others and these are pretty safe - no fairies or wands just talking animals and maybe a giant or ogre. The pictures aren't quite as "pretty" as the ones below, but they are fun and engaging. Our favorites are probably The Little Red Hen and The Three Billy Goats Gruff although he also really enjoyed the (G-rated) nakedness of The Elves and the Shoemakers. I haven't read them all but we've enjoyed every one we have.

Classic Fairy Tales by Scott Gustafson

I love Scott Gustafson. His Nursery Rhyme book is probably the most read book in our house but this one is a close second. Each kid has their favorite stories from it, with Lucy being partial to Cinderella and Snow White and Jonah most often picking Goldilocks and The Three Little Pigs although he's recently started branching out and requesting Puss in Boots. The picture in this book are gorgeous. His versions of the stories are not the shortest or simplest out there but I think that's a good thing. Yes, we have to divide Puss in Boots up into 2-3 sections for Jonah to be able to hear the whole thing without getting antsy but he still enjoys it. I think we need to get his Classic Bedtime Story book next because I just realized neither Lucy nor Jonah has heard Jack and the Beanstalk and I think that needs to be remedied.

Rumplelstiltskin by Paul O. Zelinsky

Another pretty picture book. We've read several versions of this story but this is by far the best illustrated. We own and adore his version of Rapunzel (questionable "marriage" and all :-) so when I saw the library had this, I knew we needed to check it out. I didn't realize that it would almost instantly become a favorite of Jonah's. He quotes it all the time. His quotes don't normally make any sense in the situation but its hilarious all the same. I also like that the little old man just flies away made instead of stomping himself to pieces. I'm not opposed to rough endings for villains at times but in this case, it seems like enough of a punishment. I mean, he did save the miller's daughter's life.

Saint George and the Dragon by Margaret Hodges, Illustrated by Trina Hyman

This is probably one of the longest and most complex books that Jonah selects for himself. He'll listen to Lucy's picks while bouncing around the room but this one is a sit and listen story for him. It's a classic brave knight saves damsel in distress story (although the princess is pretty brave herself). This epic story has quite an intense plot and the pictures are slightly violent but if your little guy is looking for inspiration on how a saintly knight behaves, it might be a good choice. Jonah also likes the slightly different and less gory version of St. George and the Dragon found in The Children's Book of Virtues so if you have a sensitive child, you might start there. But Jonah insists on sitting on my lap during the scary parts of the Gruffalo and has no problem with this so you never really know with kids.

Hope that gave you some good ideas. For more options, I'll leave you with my a tip on how I find new fairy tale books. For me, illustrations are just as important as the text itself. And while I like a wide variety of illustration styles, for fairy tales I prefer a more realistic and artistic look. So where as with other books I often look for an authors books, with fairy tales, once I find an illustrator I like, I tend to stick with them. But I'm always looking for more good stories so if you have a favorite I haven't mentioned, please share!

19 weeks and finally got a belly shot

I also just realized in trying to tag this post that this is our first baby that doesn't have a fetal name. But the kids call him/her "baby!" so I guess that will have to do.

A Mother's Daybook - May 21

Thinking - Help me God! No seriously. I feel like this whole pregnancy, even back when we were just praying for another child, has been a serious mental/spiritual battle. And everytime I start to lose confidence in God or let go of his hand, I start to drown. Right now, that letting go looks this - once a week I throw a tantrum like a two year old, fussing about how I don't want to throw up anymore, I don't want to take Zofran, I don't want any more shots and I don't want my progesterone levels to go down anymore (I'm now on 2 shots a week because even with weekly shots, my levels went down, not up. I'll test again next week to see if that is enough), and I don't want any more side effects. Then God picks me up and dusts me off, I remember that I'm really blessed to be pregnant and we keep going. And each week I'm one week closer to the end. Depending on how bad the weeks been I may be thinking of the end as getting to meet and hold my baby or being done with pregnancy forever. Either way works.

Reading - Chaucer for Children with the ao forum. Despite the "for children" in the title, I'm pretty sure I would not be tackling this on my own. It's more...poetry. Poetry is really hard for me and chaucer has added challenge of being written in less than modern conventional English. But I am enjoying the challenge so far. I dropped the other big poem (Idylls of the King) I started this year so I'm determined to finish this one. And its more encouragement to continue making poetry a priority with the kids so that they have an easier time than I do. Both Idylls of the King and Chaucer for Children are scheduled for Y7 of the AO curriculumn. I can't say for sure that we'll still be using it then but I love the idea of them reading this at that age.

For lighter reading, I've started Eight Cousins (probably my Classic written by a woman choice for my challenge) and First Impressions: A Novel of Old Books, Unexpected Love, and Jane Austen. 

Eating - Back to cheerios and eggs after a few days of salads and nutritious goodness. But I haven't taken Zofran in 3 days and I'm feeling a bit yucky again. But I haven't thrown up since Friday (almost a week ago!) and the side effects of Zofran were beginning to outweigh the benefits. Each day has gone a little worse than the day before so I'll see where it levels out before declaring myself officially Zofran free - or not.

Finishing - My 2014 scrapbooks. They are one their way here! This is the first year I've given up on the idea of making individual pages in photoshop and just printing them with shutterfly and instead I used their program. It does make it a lot faster but I'm anxious to see the results. I have a feeling I'll end up preferring mine BUT I also know I prefer my scrapbooks to be completed within a year :-)

Now I need to start 2015 and get caught up before the baby comes. On the one hand I'm about 5 months behind, one the other, we haven't done a whole lot since the new year so I don't think it will take long. We do have one event coming up that will probably yield lots of pictures though.

Planning and Preparing - Our summer vacation! We're going camping for 4 days. It's the simplest vacation we've done recently but I'm still very excited about getting away. 4 days of family time sounds like bliss right now. We've only done one overnight trip with the kids so I'm not completely sure how 4 days will go but we won't be in a tent (we've book a yurt!) and we've just keep feeding them lots of fruit and hotdogs so what could go wrong?

Birthday Party Fun!

Lucy turns 5 next week. I know, I can't believe it either. We had her party yesterday. This is really the first fun friend party she had since the past two years were just with family and before that, the friends were mine and Craigs. She still wanted it to be small, just a few families. But even just us and four families made 14 kids so plenty of excitement and fun!

We managed to get everyone in a picture together. Most of these kids I've known since they were born so its so much fun watching them get bigger together. That's something I didn't have growing up and I'm glad Lucy and Jonah get to experience it.

We didn't have much scheduled other than letting the kids play at the park. Funny story about this park. It wasn't the park I thought it was. I was thinking of another nearby park when I wrote the invitations and that morning we followed the gps and I was really confused, thinking, hmm, maybe it's just taking me a different way. We get there and I see a big sign with the park name that I sent out in the invitation but I still didn't recognize it. I had never even been to this park! But it was a lovely park and no one else was confused so alls well that ends well but it did have me thrown for a bit. I had gone list crazy with this party because I was sure I would forget something but all the planning in the world still can not totally make up for pregnancy brain!

 Lucy changed her mind every single week about what type of party ever since February when I had my birthday and she knew hers would "be next." Finally, the week before, she picked Frozen. I obviously didn't go all out with the theme but we did have had frozen napkins, plates and a pinata.

My little adventurous Kristoff.

She started with an Elsa Cape to go with the crown but it quickly got taken off in the heat.

The one thing Lucy really wanted at her party was a pinata.

And she was serious about getting it open

Jonah was a little more relaxed and eventually just handed Craig the bat and asked him to take his turn.

She changed her mind about the cake about as often as she did the theme but when she picked cheesecake with strawberries on the side the weekend before the party, I reminded her several times she couldn't change her mind then off I went to the store. The next day she asked how I was planning on making it look fancy! Uhm, I wasn't :-)

But some friends came through with inspiration and I was able to easily cut the strawberries to look like butterflies and put them on top. Not really very frozen-ish but she loved them and the crisis was averted.

I need a few days to recover but everyone had a good time. Lucy said on the way home it was her "best day ever."

When does it get easier?

This has been a fun week. I've felt kicks before but pretty sporadically. We are now in the daily movement zone which is nice and reassuring. And Monday we had a little mini-baby shower for a friend at the end of our monthly preschool co-op time which gave me a chance to ooh and ah over teeny tiny baby clothes. I'm still not really at that panicky "oh my goodness, a baby is really coming and I'm not ready (even if I really am)" stage. I haven't bought anything yet but honestly, I don't really need anything other than a new pack or two of cloth wipes. But I'm starting to get there and I was thinking about the change from two to three. Maybe I'm just being naive but I'm not really worried. The one to two was an adjustment and we had our bad days but it wasn't nearly as hard as I was expecting. I guess I just know that we made it from the 0-1 kid adjustment and nothing can be harder than that, right? (Other than the multiples fun of going from 0-2 or 0-3 but its too late for that for us!)

And babies, well, I can do babies! Babies are my thing (unless we get colic, we've never had colic so please God don't give us colic!) And Jonah's two and hit that terrible two period for sure but I am finding it nice to know that we've made it through this before. He is all boy, very different from Lucy and comes with his own unique situations to deal with (why was I assuming I had until 3 yrs old before the potty and penis talk started - I was wrong!) but when I get to that heads gonna explode stage I can look back and remember feeling the same way before. Or when we are in a public place and Jonah starts screaming, Craig and I can just ignore him while laughing as we bring up all the of Lucy's tantrums that were worse (like this one on the DC metro, that's still one to remember!) and carry on knowing his lack of self control right now probably doesn't indicate a life of crime in his future.

But Lucy is turning 5 in a few weeks and every once in a while I'm reminded that the poor thing is still our guinea pig. This week has been deep questions week apparently. Monday I asked Jonah for a hug but he said no and when I got up to do something else, he ran away. So I called them both back and talked to them about how in our house, we respect people's choices about their bodies so I wasn't going to make him hug me, I just needed to get up to pee (when do I not these days :-) Respecting people's space and choices is a big issue for Jonah, sometimes its "No Jonah, Lucy doesn't want a hug" but more often its "No, Jonah, Lucy doesn't want you to hit her on the head with a block." But Lucy ended up asking all sorts of questions and eventually led to us talking about privacy and modesty and listening to ourselves if we feeling uncomfortable.

Then on the way to co-op we were listening to Bible songs when the song "This little light of mine came on " and Jonah got really excited at the "No!" part saying it was his favorite song because it was naughty. That led to a talk about while it is wrong to shout "No!" to your mother when she asks you to pick up the banana you threw on the ground (have I mentioned the terrible twos :-) that doesn't mean it is always wrong to say no. We brainstormed situations when that would be the case.

Then on the way to the doctor the next day, we revisited the body issue to clarify that we WERE going to let the doctor look at our problem spot on our head so she could help while I held my breath I wasn't going to regret the previous days discussion (I didn't. Lucy wasn't happy about being examined but she complied. Diagnosis - Staph! Ick. But she's on the mend and no longer contagious crisis averted).

And thinking to give myself a break, we turned on a children's biography about Beethoven only to have a discussion about alcohol and how it can make people mean and why that won't happen when our daddy has a beer when we go camping.

Now these are all good conversations to have and I'm happy with the way I handled them all but I won't lie, today when she came in from playing saying she wanted to talk about "birds and bees" I was really glad when she added "and caterpillars" to that statement. Turns out she just wanted to talk about the difference between nests and hives.

So you know what's sounding easy about now - a newborn.

Not so bad

Last week Craig and I had to make some decisions about our future. Nothing to go into here because it's all up in the air but it got me thinking. And I decided I really like my life. I guess I knew that before but these were all the little things I like and would miss if they had to change for some reason. Plus the big things that won't change :-)

I love being a SAHM. I love reading a good book in the sun while the kids ride their bikes and the chickens peck around us. I love baking with my kids even though it makes a huge mess. I love them watching me taste the cookies to see if they are good. I love a cup of fresh milk with my cookies. I love sitting down to tea time with some tea which sometimes is more milk than tea, reading poems and looking at art and hearing little opinions on which is their favorite. I like having my life back. This has been such a long, hard, emotional few months but not being able to fully be a part of it really did make me appreciate it.

A decent mother's day picture! 

Could be worse

Growing up, one of our family's favorite books was "Could be Worse." I haven't read it as an adult. I'm a little afraid that it won't hold up to my expectations. That's always the risk. Ferdinand the bull was as wonderful as I remember it being, The Berenstein Bear - not so much. But I probably should try it because we liked it enough that "could be worse" quote was one my mom used to use a lot around us kids.

I was thinking about that expression a few nights ago. Because you know what's worse than having insomnia?

Having insomnia when you are pregnant and sick and exhausted.

What's worse than having insomnia when you are pregnant and sick and exhausted?

Lying in bed watching your husband sleep peacefully and getting all the rest while you have insomnia when you are pregnant and sick and exhausted. (I won't say I thought bad thoughts about him that night, but I won't say I didn't either)

What's worse than lying in bed watching your husband sleep peacefully while you have insomnia when you are pregnant and sick and exhausted?

Lying in bed watching your husband sleep peacefully getting all the rest while you have insomnia when you are pregnant and sick and exhausted - and trying to distract yourself by thinking of a song or hymn but being unable to get "Give Me Oil in my lamp" out of your head. You know...

Give me oil in my lamp, keep me burning, burning, burning

Give me oil in my lamp, I pray

Give me oil in my lamp, keep me burning, burning, burning

Keep me burning 'til the break of day

Now, I like singing Hosanna as much as the next gal, I just prefer to do it after a nice nights sleep and this felt a lot like my subconscious was mocking me.

Oh well, could be worse.

The things they say

We've been working on asking mom, not telling mom, to do things. It's a work in progress. But it kinda explains this conversations:

Me: Lucy, here is your rag, go wipe off the table now (that's her table chore).
Lucy: Uhm, that was telling me! Not asking me!
Me: Yep, I'm the mommy. I get to do the telling.
Lucy: oh

Another late night Jonah conversation. He gets more and more hilarious as we get farther past bedtime. If only I was in the mood to appreciate it at 9:45pm.

Jonah: Mommy, why are we here in bed?
Me:   Because its time to sleep.
Jonah: No, no, no. Why do we need to sleep?
Me: So we can have energy for playing. Our bodies need sleep so we aren't tired and cranky tomorrow.
Jonah: But why?
Me: Because that's how God made our bodies. So go to sleep!
Jonah: Why do we need to eat? Because God made tummies?

I'm lying down next to Jonah in his bed. It's a twin. We are sharing a pillow.
Jonah: Mommy, we aren't close enough.
Me: We are right next to each other. Can't you feel my arm next to yours? (While thinking we can't possible be closer than we are right now)
Jonah: No, you put your arm on my back and I'll put my arm around your neck. Now we are close. This is better. 

A few days later
Jonah: Do you like me? Do you love me?
Me: Yes, I like you and I love you!
Jonah: They why are you so faarrr away.
Me: I'm right here. 
Jonah: Your face is away.
Me: Well, I have a cold and I'm coughing a lot so I want to keep my germs on this side. But you can snuggle up right against my back.
Jonah: Okay, but I like you and I love you so I will sleep here and put my finger in your ear. (And he laid there with his finger in my ear!)

Kids playing outside with Craig...
Jonah: Mommy! I need a cup! I found nature!
A couple minutes pass
Lucy: Mommy! Jonah dropped a birdy egg in his cup and it broke and now the baby bird will never live again!


Lucy: Can we have popsicles?
Me: Yes, but we only have a few flavors left so no complaining. I hand her a banana flavored popsicle.
Lucy: This is banana? It's a little...looks at me...interesting.

Me: How is your snack.
Lucy: Oh, it is divine! (Note: It was not a banana flavored popsicle :-)

Mother's Day book - It's May!

Wearing - Maternity Clothes. I broke them out this week. I've actually got very little and need to go shopping. I thought I was up for a little shopping last Saturday but that ended up with me holding a plastic bag filled with grossness on our drive home so perhaps I'm not quite ready for that much adventure yet. But even with the lack of nutrients going in, my body has still managed to put on a few pounds and this week I went from "I know I'm pregnant and can see a belly but I think other people just think I have a mummy tummy" to actually looking pregnant. It's a nice change.I still haven't taken a single belly shot and I do want to but it just hasn't happened yet. Alas. Also, I always think maternity clothes are cute until I get pregnant and have to wear them. Why is that?

Reading - All the books. I was in the middle of three books already when two ILL books arrived days of each other. Ack!

Watching - My kids play outside. I love spring and felt like I was missing it this year but I'm finally able to go outside with the kids. We aren't hiking or visiting parks yet but we still managed to get in 27 hours of outside playtime last week. And I am able to do more reading while sitting outside than I am inside because I have less fight breaking up to do which helps with the above "problem." It's also nice to be able to enjoy their company and remember that I do actually like them and they aren't just bouncy loud nausea inducers which is kinds what they had been.

Eating - A fairly regular diet. I still can't get off this stupid zofran but I'm down to just one pill a day and with that I'm able to eat almost anything again. I've not tried a full salad but I did have lettuce wraps with kimchi which was a bit risky but worked out. And Jonah was really excited to have kimchi again after several months of it being not allowed in the house. I love watching the kids with these little chopsticks. He doesn't use the finger positioner at all but he's still pretty good

Planning and Preparing - For the new arrival by working on our morning routine. We had one but the last few months have lost that and Jonah was often in his pajamas until, well, it was time to put clean pajamas on again :-) The first few days were "torture" with lots of "why don't you ever let us play! We just have to do all this stuff and never have time to play!" but I stuck with it and its coming along. It's pretty simple - eat breakfast, clear table, table chores (I need to pass Lucy's to Jonah and give her a new one soon), get dressed, make bed, brush teeth and hair then go play while mommy does bible time. As you can see, I'm obviously a slave driver who never gives her children free time. I still need to do each step with Jonah to keep him on track but he's getting there and Lucy is almost independent - as long as she knows I'm paying attention. I'm thinking 6 more months of practice and they should both have it down.

Doing - A teensy tiny bit of preschool. Mostly we've been outside but between lunch and nap we have been able to sneak in one thing a day - either table time or reading or math. We've all missed this so it's nice to add it back in. I'm sure we'll do more once it gets hot and we don't want to be outside during the middle of the day but for now, I'm just enjoying the spring!

Classics Challenge - Three Men in a Boat

I read this back in January and really thought I had reviewed it as my Humorous selection for the classics challenge but I guess I was mistaken. My brain really is having trouble working these days* so we'll see how much I can remember for this review.

Three Men in a Boat is classic British literature. Recounting the travels of Jerome, his two friends and his dog Montmorency, as they float down the Thames river, it is much more about the descriptions of the events than what happens itself. If you like this sort of Jeeves and Wooster stuff, you'll appreciate this book, and will probably read the whole thing in a Hugh Laurie voice. If not, try looking elsewhere for a laugh. I happened to love it. I didn't read it fast though, just a short chapter before I went to bed to move my mind from the heavier or more intense other books I was reading. It's really a great type of book for that sort of thing.

One side note - the last chapter (or two?) when they are off the boat and telling ghost stories just didn't seem the match the rest of the book. It wasn't bad, just odd. But maybe I'm missing something, like Diana when she thought Anne should drop the cake baking scene?

*A while back someone asked me the name of my church and I couldn't remember. We've gone there since Lucy was a baby! I knew the town and the letter it started with but I just kinda looked at them for a few minutes. Luckily she is another fellow pregnant mom so I'm thinking she knows the feeling.

Three Men in a Boat is my Humorous or Satirical Book selection for the Back to the Classics Challenge. Visit Books and Chocolate to learn more about the challenge.