Book Clubbin'

I've always wanted to belong to a book club. A real life, gathering of people who sip coffee or tea and discuss the latest book selection, preferably wearing full J Crew attire with ultra white teeth and head tossing laughter. So I can't afford full J Crew attire, I can blend! So I drink too much coffee and my teeth aren't ultra white... The point IS, that it just seems like so much durned fun! Heck, I'll even sip chocolate soy milk in the kitchen and promote it!

And THEN, la la la laaaaaaaaaaa ~ I found myself a crew of real life FUN women who want to form a book club! I was SUPER pumped and searching the clearance selection at J Crew Online. (No, not really!) I had all great intentions of purchasing my copy of The Great Gatsby, our first pick!

And THEN, summer took over, and with it a busy workload, three kids at home fighting as I work and/or asking repetitively, "Can I have a friend come over? Can I have a friend come over? Can I have a friend come over?" As well as, "Can we go to the mall? Can we go to a movie? Can we go to the park? Can we go on a bike ride? Can we go buy , Can I have a pony?" (again, not really...) And also, "I'M BORED!" There were business meetings, camping trips, birthday parties, a small vacation to The Wisconsin Dells, and once in a while, sleep.

SO ~ I still have not purchased my copy of The Great Gatsby. What's wrong with me? Two girls are done with it, one is halfway through, one couldn't get past page seven. And then there's the book club dreamer, ME, who hasn't even made an attempt! But ohhhhhh, that will change. I shall go out and buyeth my copy and I shall retire to my bedroom at a respectable hour and read that which is a classic. Soon!

Horror Flicks & Thrill Rides

When I was a kid I loved scary movies and thrill rides. Bring on Freddy Krueger and Jason in the hockey mask! I loved them! The bigger the roller coaster the better! Now that I'm an adult I avoid horror like the plague and the kiddie coaster would be enough to set my stomach off. Occasionally I can watch the end of a scary flick and then be okay with watching the whole thing...weird, I know. I found this out by subscribing to HBO and watching Shutter and The Ruins. I ended up liking both of them, but that doesn't mean I'm going to go watch Saw or even The Orphan! No thanks! I'll go see The Time Traveler's Wife and romantic comedies.

My lack of desire to sit on a ride as it clicks higher and higher into the air before a drop has disappointed my children, I do have to say. They cannot understand how I would not LOVE it as they do....or that I used to love it and then fell out of love. They think it's because I'm scared of something happening to me now that I'm a mother. That's really not it! If that was it, how good of a mother would I be allowing my children to endanger their lives? No....as the years have aged me I have grown very fearful of heights and my stomach just won't stay put when given too much of a jostle. It's a feeling that I'd rather avoid, like scary movies.

My friend did a study in college and found that there's something in our inner ear that isn't fully connected when we are young and as we grow it makes the connection between what we are seeing and how our bodies cope with it. That's not put the right way, but I was told about it years ago and I just don't fully remember how it went. However, it does make sense to me. I wish I had that free feeling of flying through the air and loving it! This has nothing to do with horror movies. I chalk that up to overexposure on my part!

Sorry kids ~ Mom will stand at the bottom of the rides and take pictures of your exuberant, smiling faces! Sorry kids ~ Mom will be known as the STRICT mom among your friens. (I've been told this by a tearful thirteen year old...) R rated movies aren't allowed yet. I allow PG-13, so I can't be all that bad, can I? My response to being told how awful I am because of my rules.... "I'm sorry you feel that way. I'm your parent and it's my job." Thank you Love and Logic, for supplying my appropriate words!