now posting regularly

Looks like it's time for the last ode to NPR for the year. In the last week or two, I've bookmarked a couple of stories that might be of interest to you, or perhaps it's just me...

• What's The Word? How English Evolved This Decade- I love lists and I love words, so how could I not love this story from Fresh Air about the words that have become a part of our lexicon in the last ten years? I did learn something, too. I've always thought that we "defriended" people on Facebook, but apparently the term should be "unfriend." Meh.

• For Rural Adults, Health Care Is Wishful Thinking- I really enjoy the offerings from Youth Radio that are featured on NPR. This story aired on Morning Edition, and it's certainly worthy of the air time. These are the circumstances that I feel too many politicians either are unaware of or blatantly ignore in their fights against a public option for health care.

• Jailed Iranian-American Faces 15 Years In Iran Prison- This is heartbreaking, and it never ceases to amaze me what the Iranian government is capable of in terms of human rights injustices. Haleh Esfandiari is briefly featured in this story from Weekend Edition, and after reading her book, My Prison, My Home, I'm overwhelmed by these atrocities even more. I really don't know what can be expected as far as change, but if you're a praying kind of person, the prisoners in Iran are in need of as many prayers as possible.

• Classic Toys- This segment of The Diane Rehm Show (in the 11:00 hour) is as obvious a pick as ever for me. I didn't get to listen to it in its entirety when it aired, but I knew that it was coming up and made a note for myself. And then when it aired, a friend even called to tell me about it, because we have the same vested interest in this topic as preschool teacher people. Definitely worth listening to, especially if your kids have some gift cards to redeem at all those after-the-holidays sales!

• The Best... and The Rest- Oh, the end of the year lists keep on coming! This time television is on the block, and this piece from Fresh Air features tv critic David Bianculli gives his picks, and I'm happy to say that Jon Stewart, Glee, and Modern Family (my personal faves!) all make the cut!

• Ex-Hedge Fund Analyst Finds Calling On YouTube- This is a neat story from All Things Considered about a guy who has become an online tutor via YouTube. I think we may be looking him up for homework assistance very soon!

• Jon Ronson, Staring (At 'Goats') From The Sidelines- Okay, this one must really be perfect for me, because not only did I bookmark it when it aired on All Things Considered in its first running that afternoon, but lovely hubby heard it two hours later on its re-run while he was driving, and he called home to tell me to click my bookmark! I haven't read this book or watched the movie, but it certainly sounds unique. Since I'm not usually a fan of movie adaptations of books, I'm always intrigued to hear how authors feel about the movies made from their works.

I am confident that 2010 will bring a new abundancy of NPR stories to ooh and aah over!


Sharing the NPR love as always,

a year of classics

End of the year blog posts about goals for the new year are clogging the blogosphere as we speak. I could get all crazy and say that I resolve to pull that hellish DVD out again and get my fat butt off the couch, or that I plan to cut down on my chocolate consumption (ha ha ha ha), or that I plan to finally get to that blog overhaul that I've had sketched out for months and months. All of those are lofty and worthy goals that I do hope to someday accomplish, but I'm not quite prepared to say that they're imminent.

Instead, I'm opting to join a reading challenge of sorts, since that's the area of my life that I'm most likely to have success with. Over at 5 Minutes for Books, we're changing up the Classics Bookclub a bit, and I'm dipping my toe in a tiny bit. I'm the first to admit that I have shied away from the "classics" for a long time, always gravitating toward contemporary fiction as my first choice in reading material.

So, in light of the new Classics Bookclub, I'm making a goal of reading four books that I'm designating as classics:

Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger-- okay, so it helps that I was already planning on reading this in January for my online book club, so it's serving double duty.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen-- no, I've never, ever read anything by Austen before, okay?? I've been shamed and tsk-tsked for long enough. I guess I've been missing out big time, since everyone in the book blogosphere worships her, and I've been told that P&P is the best option for newbies like me.

Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton-- I'm picking this one purely because I read it back in high school and I vaguely remember liking it. I don't really remember what it's about at all... was there sledding somehow involved? Seriously, I have a terrible memory.

A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen-- Ditto on this selection, although I recall a bit more of this play from my high school reading, and I believe a production of it that I saw in college. I remember having strong feelings about this story when I was unmarried and 20 years old, so I'm curious to know how I'll view it as a 30-something married reader.


Those are my classics goals for 2010. Yup, just four; like I said, I'm dipping my toe in, not splashing right in. Perhaps I'll even end up feeling more sophisticated by year's end!


Looking forward to a new year of reading,

Long Distance Holidays

Originally published on DC Metro Moms, 12/29/09:

 Another Christmas has come and gone, marking yet another year that we did not make the trip north to visit with grandparents.  The logical reasons all exist- at the top of the list is the sole breadwinner of the family has no leave remaining this year.  There's also the fact that the drive up the east coast to the farthest eastern portion of Connecticut where my dear parents reside takes over seven hours.  And that's without endless potty breaks, meal stops, and forty-thousand-jillion other vehicles on the road, so during the holidays, I believe we end up driving for two days to get there.  Alright, it may only take an hour or two more, but being cooped up in the van with three kids who simply don't like being cooped up in the van feels like torture as defined by any Geneva Convention-abiding state.

Yes, hubby and I made a decision to move hours away from our families when we first settled in the DC area twelve years ago.  What can I say?  He was still a University of Maryland student, and we were young and childless.  We hardly thought a month ahead of time back then, let alone considered the long-term effects of establishing our lives so far away from our childhood homes.  Fast forward all these years, and I feel more identified as a Washingtonian than I do a New Englander.  My three kids are growing up with the norm being Metrobuses rolling by our house every hour and six lane highways as regular old roads.  This area that I now lovingly call home is perfect for our family in so many ways, except at the holidays, that is.

When I was a kid, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter and a ton of other average weekends all meant trips to my grandparents' house.  With a slew of aunts and uncles usually in attendance, the house would be packed, and the crew of cousins would inevitably be shooed outside to let the adults play cards or cribbage in peace.  The kitchen table would be extended as much as possible with leaves pulled from closets, and the living room would host a card table or two for the kids come meal time.  The laughter and ever present loud voices would echo through the house, with quiet being a foreign concept to my relatives.  As a child, all I wanted to do was hang out with the adults- to be given three dimes and dealt in for a game of thirty-one was the ultimate experience.  When it came time for presents, each person had the chance in the spotlight, as the unwrapping began with the youngest among us before progressing up the chain by age.  (As the impatient oldest of the grandchildren, I remember this tradition well.)

So when Christmas rolls around each year now, I can't help but feel the guilt that accompanies my self-imposed title of Bad Daughter.  I am denying my parents the chance to play hosts in this manner for my kids, and they don't get to sit on the couch watching the kids tear the wrapping paper from their gifts on Christmas day.  My kids' memories of holidays won't mirror my own of large family gatherings, but will instead revolve mostly around our nuclear family's experiences.

The positive side of the story is that we've chosen this long distance life in our current age of technology.  Thanks to the miracles of the Internet and free video conferencing on Skype, my parents had the pleasure of seeing three smiling faces greet them on their computer screen shouting their greetings of Merry Christmas and modeling their newly opened gifts this year.  While they may not have been able to hold their grandkids tight this Christmas, I'm thankful for the ability to connect, even if it's only online.  Oh, and I'm happy not to be on the NJ Turnpike today, too.  Most definitely.

This is an original DC Metro Moms post.

Dawn blogs nonsense about her family at my thoughts exactly, but tries to sound intelligent when she reviews books at 5 Minutes for Books.

this week's guffaws- super end-of-the-year extravaganza!

Everything must go, go, GO from my inbox to make way for next year's supply of funny email forwards, wacky photoshopped pics, and low brow humor! That's why on this last Sunday of 2009, the guffaws are plentiful, and they're all marked down half-price!!

Okay, what's half of free, anyway? Eh, you've probably already seen a bunch of these, since they've been seriously traveling the interwebs like mad in the last few weeks, but I'm cleaning house in my inbox, so I'm sending them all here. Maybe you'll get a repeat chuckle.


How about this one with the cool holiday decorations?

"Good news is that I truly out did myself this year with my Christmas decorations. The bad news is that I had to take him down after 2 days. I had more people come screaming up to my house than ever.

Great stories. But two things made me take it down. First, the cops advised me that it would cause traffic accidents as they almost wrecked when they drove by.

Second, a 55 year old lady grabbed the 75 pound ladder almost killed herself putting it against my house and didn't realize it was fake until she climbed to the top (she was not happy). By the way, she was one of many people who attempted to do that. My yard couldn't take it either. I have more than a few tire tracks where people literally drove up my yard."

Even though both Christmas and the after effects of last week's blizzard have passed, these cartoons still make me giggle.











Are you exhausted from the hustle and bustle of the holidays? Or just from the hustle and bustle of everyday life? You should appreciate this one.

Catching Up

An older, tired-looking dog wandered into my yard. I could tell from his collar and well-fed belly that he had a home and was well taken care of.

He calmly came over to me, I gave him a few pats on his head; he then followed me into my house, slowly walked down the hall, curled up in the corner and fell asleep. An hour later, he went to the door, and I let him out.

The next day he was back, greeted me in my yard, walked inside and resumed his spot in the hall and again slept for about an hour. This continued off and on for several weeks.

Curious I pinned a note to his collar: 'I would like to find out who the owner of this wonderful sweet dog is and ask if you are aware that almost every afternoon your dog comes to my house for a nap.'

The next day he arrived for his nap, with a different note pinned to his collar: 'He lives in a home with 6 children, 2 under the age of 3 - he's trying to catch up on his sleep. Can I come with him tomorrow?'

The massive shopping trips should be in your recent past, but this still may hit the funny spot.

Why Women Shouldn't Take Men Shopping

After I retired, my wife insisted that I accompany her on her trips to Target. Unfortunately, like most men, I found shopping boring and preferred to get in and get out. Equally unfortunate, my wife is like most women - she loves to browse. Yesterday my dear wife received the following letter from the local Target.

Dear Mrs. Samuel,

Over the past six months, your husband has caused quite a commotion in our store. We cannot tolerate this behavior and have been forced to ban both of you from the store. Our complaints against your husband, Mr. Samuel, are listed below and are documented by our video surveillance cameras.

1. June 15: Took 24 boxes of condoms and randomly put them in other people's carts when they weren't looking.

2. July 2: Set all the alarm clocks in Housewares to go off at 5-minute intervals.

3. July 7: He made a trail of tomato juice on the floor leading to the women's restroom.

4. July 19: Walked up to an employee and told her in an official voice, 'Code 3 in Housewares. Get on it right away'. This caused the employee to leave her assigned station and receive a reprimand from her Supervisor that in turn resulted with a union grievance, causing management to lose time and costing the company money.

5. August 4: Went to the Service Desk and tried to put a bag of M&Ms on layaway.

6. August 14: Moved a 'CAUTION - WET FLOOR' sign to a carpeted area.

7. August 15: Set up a tent in the camping department and told the children shoppers he'd invite them in if they would bring pillows and blankets from the bedding department to which twenty children obliged.

8. August 23: When a clerk asked if they could help him he began crying and screamed, 'Why can't you people just leave me alone?' EMTs were called.

9. September 4: Looked right into the security camera and used it as a mirror while he picked his nose.

10. September 10: While handling guns in the hunting department, he asked the clerk where the antidepressants were.

11. October 3: Darted around the store suspiciously while loudly humming the 'Mission Impossible' theme.

12. October 6: In the auto department, he practiced his 'Madonna look' by using different sizes of funnels.

13. October 18: Hid in a clothing rack and when people browsed through, yelled 'PICK ME! PICK ME!'

14. October 21: When an announcement came over the loud speaker, he assumed a fetal position and screamed 'OH NO! IT'S THOSE VOICES AGAIN!'

And last, but not least:

15. October 23: Went into a fitting room, shut the door, waited awhile, then yelled very loudly, 'Hey! There's no toilet paper in here.' One of the clerks passed out.

While not related to Santa, snowmen, or shopping, this one still is pretty current...

Early Dismissal

It is near the Christmas break of the school year. The students have turned in all their work and there is really nothing more to do. All the children are restless and the teacher decides to have an early dismissal.

Teacher: "Whoever answers the questions I ask, first and correctly can leave early today."

Little Johnny says to himself "Good, I want to get outta here. I'm smart and will answer the question."

Teacher: "Who said 'Four score and seven years ago'?"

Before Johnny can open his mouth, Susie says, "Abraham Lincoln."

Teacher: "That's right Susie, you can go home."

Johnny is mad that Susie answered the question first.

Teacher: "Who said 'I have a dream?"

Before Johnny can open his mouth, Mary says, "Martin Luther King."

Teacher: "That's right Mary, you can go."

Johnny is even madder than before.

Teacher: "Who said 'Ask not, what your country can do for you'?"

Before Johnny can open his mouth, Nancy says, "John F. Kennedy."

Teacher: "That's right Nancy , you may also leave."

Johnny is boiling mad that he has not been able to answer to any of the questions.

When the teacher turns her back Johnny says, "I wish these bitches would keep their mouths shut!"

The teacher turns around: "NOW WHO SAID THAT?"

Johnny: "TIGER WOODS. CAN I GO NOW?"

And finally, a totally unrelated email funny that made me not only laugh but sent me searching to see if it really could be true. (Sorry, it's just an urban legend, but it's friggin' brilliant!)

A Well-Planned Retirement

Outside England's Bristol Zoo there is a parking lot for 150 cars and 8 buses. For 25 years, its parking fees were managed by a very pleasant attendant. The fees were 1 pound for cars ($1.40) and 5 pounds for buses (about $7).

Then, one day, after 25 solid years of never missing a day of work, he just didn't show up; so the Zoo Management called the City Council and asked it to send them another parking agent.

The Council did some research and replied that the parking lot was the Zoo's own responsibility.The Zoo advised the Council that the attendant was a City employee. The City Council responded that the lot attendant had never been on the City payroll.

Meanwhile, sitting in his villa somewhere on the coast of Spain (or some such scenario), is a man who'd apparently had a ticket machine installed completely on his own; and then had simply begun to show up every day, commencing to collect and keep the parking fees, estimated at about $560 per day -- for 25 years. Assuming 7 days a week, this amounts to just over $7 million dollars!

And no one even knows his name.

That marks the 29th guffaws of 2009, and I hope you've found at least a few laughs among them! If you come across any funny emails in your own inbox, go ahead and send it my way.


Wishing for a 2010 full of laughter,

mandatory end of the year sappy post

Yup. Another year has come and gone, and we're fully in the season of end-of-the-year lists again. I hopped on the bandwagon in 2007, decided it would be fun to give it another whirl in 2008, and now I feel a bloggy duty to continue the tradition in 2009. Once again, I've been jotting down notes and coming up with the perfect items for this year's:


The Top Ten Things that I Liked, Laughed At, Smiled About, or Generally-Remember-in-a-Fond-Way of 2009.

10. The Internets is a funny, funny place.
Oh, the places you can go online for a laugh. Do you admit to bouts of schadenfreude? The FAIL blog is the site for you. Looking for little moments of WIN instead? Head over to It Made My Day. Want to see Google mess with people's minds? You can't miss Autocomplete Me. Or maybe it's the hilarity that is Awkward Family Photos that's perfect for you. There are certainly a TON more out there, but these happen to be the ones that I've found myself giggling to the most this year.

9. Reading is FUNdamental!
Back in January, I was bursting with joy to be joining the lovely ladies at 5 Minutes for Books as a staff reviewer, and the thrill of receiving books in the mail, followed by getting the opportunity to share my opinions about them in review form was overwhelming and sorta unbelievable. Now with over 100 reviews and essays posted on the site, I feel a little bit more established, but I still get totally giddy to see a package on my doorstep. Free books and a chance to write about them? WIN.

8. Who you calling blogger?
That's me, baby! With almost three years residence at this little home on the web, I happily bought the domain morninglightmama.com and planted my flag here. I've made myself joyful with my silly BNL series as well as my semi-weekly guffaws. I like chronicling the things I hear on NPR that make me think, and as usual, I mostly spent the year blogging about a whole lot of nothing. I've begun to spread out online too, as I was thrilled to join the DC Metro Moms family this fall, and I'm trying my darndest to submit posts that are even half as amazing as their regular offerings! This is me embracing my blogger status with a huge grin on my face.

7. A popcorn kind of summer.
This was definitely the year with the Summer of Movies. I went to the movie theater eight times from May to August, which is probably the most since I was a teenager! And the best part? I don't think we had to pay a babysitter for any one of those times, because I either went with my best movie buddy L, or that same buddy babysat for payment in chips and dip while lovely hubby and I went out. Lots of laughs and a few tears came out of me while I lounged in the wonder that is a darkened movie theater, with no kids commanding my attention and at least 90 minutes away from the world. Good times.

6. Our future headliner at Caroline's.
Yes, everyone's child is the smartest and cutest kid to ever walk the face of the earth, I realize this. But as an official 'mommy blogger,' (see above), it is my duty to extol the virtues of my kids (while I try hard not to post too often about how much they drive me crazy). In this spirit, the newly-turned-2 year old Pudge, is by far, the funniest little kid around. From his goofy 'cheese face' grin to his hilarious habit of answering all questions asked of him with a finger tapped on his chin and a "Hmmmm...." or my favorite, "I don't know either," it's a major challenge to keep a straight face around him. He tells a mean knock knock joke, too, assuming both roles in the format, so that it comes out all in one fast breath: "Knock, knock, who's there, Mr. Potato Head!" He was one heck of a surprise, but one that has brought infinite laughter to our lives.

5. She moves creatively all day long.
Red got her wish this fall when she was finally old enough to take a dance class offered at our local community center. She's been in absolute heaven. Unfortunately, the gigantic never-ever-snows-like-this-in-DC storm last weekend forced the cancellation of her last class which was to be the first time parents got to watch a class. Thankfully though, she's signed up again for the next session, and that last class/show just happens to fall on her fourth birthday! This girl has music in her heart, that's for sure, as she's always singing her own little ditties or belting out her favorite songs while she plays, and her little body is always in motion. Maybe she got some coordination skills from her daddy and we'll be seeing her in a bigger tutu in years to come.

4. It must be in the genes.
Surrounded by books is a good way to describe our home life, and JAM has certainly continued in his love of reading this year. I've tried to read more stuff that he's interested in and is geared at his age group this year, and we had the pleasure of reading several books either together or concurrently over the last twelve months: Alienated, Captain Nobody, The Secrets of a Christmas Box, The Penderwicks, Hoot, and The Invention of Hugo Cabret. And when September rolled around bringing The National Book Festival to town, he was by my side for author meetings and talks, and I felt so joyful for this hobby that we share. And we even reminisced about our days reading Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! when we met the beloved Mo Willems, reminding me that we've had nine incredible years of sharing the wonder of books!

3. Finding my groove at this staying at home thing.
It might not sound like much, but this year marked my third school year out of the workforce and I finally feel like I've found my footing. With Pudge getting out of the always-needing-to-be-held-or-taking-a-nap stage of infancy and early toddlerhood, the kids and I have gotten into a pretty steady weekday routine that moves like a well-oiled machine. Red, Pudge and I have even dipped a few toes into the world of project learning, and at last I feel pretty competent at keeping my to do lists in fairly good shape, putting some sort of meal on the table each night, and managing to keep three kids from strangling each other by the end of the day. Now that I've gotten in my groove, the talk has already begun about my eventual return to the world of working moms... but I'm holding on to this fantastic gig for as long as I can!

2. What's a four letter word for extreme happiness?
Or, what brought me immense joy on Wednesday nights this fall? Glee of course! I'm certainly not alone in my gleeky love for this show, and I even convinced lovely hubby to give it a try, who of course ended up loving it, too! (He even blogged about it himself!) Is it the music? Is it the impossibly beautiful supposed-high-schoolers? Is it the dark humor? Is it Jane Lynch? Yes, yes, yes, and hell yes! While April is a LONG way off until we get any new episodes, I'm making do with rewatching episodes online, like my favorite one of the season, and listening to the two CDs that have a permanent place atop the kitchen player. Yay for Glee!

1. 15 years isn't something to sneeze at!
Fifteen years ago, we were silly little freshman at a teeny, tiny college, and he was one of the tallest people I had ever met. We ran in the same friend circle a bit, and one winter snowstorm found us both part of a big group snowball fight. Later that winter, I remembered that he was the tall guy that threw me in the snow, but I guess I forgave him when I decided to kiss him. Through those years, we each watched as the other walked across the graduation stage, we moved into a variety of places we called home, we brought three beautiful children into this world, and we've laughed and laughed, and laughed some more. The years have transformed us from those goofy teenagers to the mature adults that we are today (ha!), and I'm looking forward to another first kiss of the new year with my lovely hubby.

Another year, another list of joys and smiles. I like to think of the end of the year as the closing of one chapter, with a whole new adventure waiting for us on the upcoming pages. Happy new year to you, and here's to 2010's happiness!

the twelve days of Christmas books- complete edition!

This Christmas Eve evening brought us to the final night of our Christmas book extravaganza, that I wrote about earlier this month. I wanted to keep a record of the books that we read together this year, and hopefully this will be a tradition for years to come. I wrapped the books and the kids' names were pulled out of a hat each night (in four rounds, so that the distribution of turns was as fair as possible!) to choose each night's selection. While JAM wasn't thrilled with the younger books, he did stay close just to listen while he continued with his drawing or playing nearby.

This year's twelve books were...

• Bear Stays Up for Christmas by Karma Wilson

• Dream Snow by Eric Carle

• Four Friends at Christmas by Tomie dePaola

• Gingerbread Friends by Jan Brett

• The Great Reindeer Rebellion by Lisa Trumbauer

• If You Take a Mouse to the Movies by Laura Numeroff

• Maisy's Snowy Christmas Eve by Lucy Cousins

• Mouse's First Christmas by Lauren Thompson

• My First Christmas by Tomie dePaola

• Olive, the Other Reindeer by Vivian Walsh and J. otto Seibold

• The Twelve Days of Christmas in Virginia by Sue Corbett

• Waiting for Christmas by Monica Greenfield

With Christmas upon us, I anticipate another little bloggy break for me. I leave you with a holiday wish from my crazy crew-- may your Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/Solstice/regular-old-Friday be or have been filled with joy, family, laughs, good eats, and magical elves to clean up all the mess!

Merry Christmas from these happy folks I know!

To you and yours,

nightstand notes/ wanna view some reviews?

While it may appear that I am forsaking my beloved self-applied label of blogger, I actually do plan on being on here again soon. It's been a lovely week of busy times, stressful mishaps, snowy fun, wonderful visits, sick children, and sad goodbyes. Now is the time for catching up, and I'm starting by correcting my mistake of missing yesterday's What's on Your Nightstand? on 5 Minutes for Books.

I feel like I haven't had much time for reading lately, with everything that's been going on, but I have a few books that are hoping for a piece of my attention. I'm almost halfway through Nurture Shock by Po Bronson and Ashley Merriman, a book that I've been recommended by at least a dozen people! Lauren wrote a review of it last week or so on 5M4B, and I'm adding my voice to the many words of praise that I've already heard. It's full of interesting takes on some previously thought of "common sense" parenting practices, and I'm trying to apply much of what I've already read. Definitely a good recommendation!

I picked up a novel at one of my last library visits, and it's been sitting on the shelf ever since. It's going to be due back soon, so I'm thinking I should get started. I don't really know anything about it, but the cover and title caught my eye: How to Paint a Dead Man by Sarah Hall. I'll share my thoughts in a review for 5M4B.

I also have a middle grade novel, The Wish Stealers by Tracy Trivas, coming up for January review that I hope to read with JAM. The mystery component of this story sounds like it will appeal to him, and I'm finding myself enjoying more and more of the middle grade and young adult genres. (Just in time to share with my oldest!)

Finally, good old The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger is still on my shelf since my online book club shifted our reading by a month. This group is made up of many really hard-core readers and quite intelligent folks, so I'm looking forward to a discussion of this classic story. I reread it a few years ago for the first time since high school, so on this third read maybe I'll have something to add to the conversation!

***********************************************************************************

Shameless plug time!

For the young kids to teens set:
Ballet Kitty: Play Book and Little Lost Unicorn (cute picture books)
The Great Reindeer Rebellion (reindeer on strike? union-friendly Christmas picture book)
The Twelve Days of Christmas in Virginia (a picture book for older kids with cool VA facts)
The Nutcracker (beautiful new picture book edition of the original story)
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and The Wizard of Oz (newly released editions of these classics)
Secrets of a Christmas Box (middle grade novel perfect for the holiday!)
Alienated (an alien-filled & very funny middle grade novel- great for tween boys)
Open Me Up, How to be a Genius and Pick Me Up (three new DK titles with a TON of fun info)
Draw Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Invasion of the Bristlebots (two Klutz titles that will be under the tree in a few days)
Candor (an intense YA novel with a very unique premise)

For adult readers:
Wishin' and Hopin' (Wally Lamb's new holiday-themed novella- HILARIOUS!)
Lime Tree Can't Bear Orange (novel released earlier this year)
Nanny Returns (sequel to The Nanny Diaries)

For online fun:
Words Move Me (a newly launched website by SONY for avid readers to share their "literary moments")

(Note: All the giveaways on these reviews are over now, but the reviews themselves are still helpful, especially for last-minute bookstore shopping!)


Hoping to get some reading time in over the holiday "break,"

public service announcement

It's been a very, very busy and fretful and exciting couple of days around here. From a long-awaited special visit to my first-ever mammogram today, life has not allowed for much blogging as of late. But I logged on the computer tonight to check the usual sites, including a quick stop over to see the latest stats for my little old blog. It's fun to see the google searches that lead people here, and I'm always reminded of the apparently significant desire to know about "fat pregnant ladies" in India. (Seriously, it's searched for WAY too often...)

There's one entry that seems to be in an uptick lately, one that never ceases to amaze me in its obsessive and just plain unexplainable appearance on here. The really funny thing is that for as often as this particular cyber stalker visitor checks in here and over on lovely hubby's blog, she never seems to be able to remember our URLs. So, here's my little PSA for the day. No need to search "kiwanji blog" or "morninglight mama blog" on Google, Einstein. It's actually fewer keystrokes to type kiwanji.com and morninglightmama.com. Or you could go to the top of your screen up there and bookmark us. Or, you could even put our feeds into your reader. Lots of options. No need to google it day after day.

With that simple little piece of advice out of the way, I hope to get back on here soon with regular blogging zeal. We've had a crazy amount of snow for our mid-Atlantic area, three days of school have already been cancelled, putting in place an extra long winter break, and we've been having a blast with family activities and holiday prep. Good times.


Living the life,

A Neighborhood Transformed

Originally published on DC Metro Moms, 12/19/09:

 The snowstorm is fully upon us now, and I've even heard the "storm of the century" phrase being thrown around.  (Which seems somewhat anti-climactic when you think that we're less than a decade into this century, right?)  Our city, in the heart of Prince George's County, is awash in that fluffy white stuff that I had begun to think would not play a part in any of my children's memories.  Having grown up in New England, I can vividly recall the feeling of the snow in my face as my sled barreled down a neighborhood hill.  I had resigned myself to the fact that since I had chosen to raise my children technically south of the Mason-Dixon line, they probably wouldn't be reminscing someday about snowball fights, sled crashes and gigantic snowmen.  But this weekend just may be one that holds a special place in their childhood memories, as well as the history books, perhaps.

As I hauled out the triple, or maybe even quadruple-layered kids outside this morning, I was transfixed for a moment on how foreign the landscape outside my door appeared.  Living on the corner of a major intersection ensures that very few quiet moments can take place in our yard.  Let's just say that even my two-year-old is beginning to be blase about the wail of sirens streaking past, since it's so commonplace.  I never cease to be amazed at the number of cars that can be spied speeding down the road at 3:00 am.  But not on this snow-globe morning.  For as far as we could see from our front walk, our neighborhood was akin to the slumbering house on the night before Christmas- absolutely no one was stirring.

To see an intersection void of any cars next to townhome lawns all painted with untouched snow was a sight to behold.  The silence struck me, but only for a moment of course, because soon my three kids were marking up that blank palette of white snow with boot prints and slicing through the quiet with their sharp shrieks of pure delight.  Suddenly my own experiences of years ago were being relived by the next generation, even down to the attempted use of the plastic snow brick maker, an activity that I never found terribly successful, myself.  The wonder of hours of heavy snowfall had magically transformed our Maryland life into the images of my New England childhood.

As I began to labor at the adult snow day responsibility of shoveling, I felt a sort of double-existence- the child in me is apparently very much still alive, begging to know when we're going to go sledding, pretty-please!  At the same time, though, the realization of exactly how much laundry would be piled up by the end of the day also filled my grown-up thoughts.  Perhaps snow has the ability to transform our fully grown-up lives right alongside our usually busy streets and leaf-strewn lawns, giving us the rare opportunity to express the uninhibited joy of childhood once again.  I hope I'll be the one screaming the loudest as we push off from the top of the hill this afternoon.

his is an original DC Metro Moms post.

Dawn blogs nonsense about her family at my thoughts exactly, but tries to sound intelligent when she reviews books at 5 Minutes for Books.

now posting regularly

Well, I lost track of time last week (surprise, surprise), so I should have double the amount of NPR stories this week, right? Not exactly, since part of the losing track of time also includes much less radio-listening-time than I would like. Daily life is a bit hectic these days, and there's a very much unresolved (and no easy solution in sight) issue with JAM's schooling on the back burner as well, and all of that is making for a nice little holiday ulcer right about now. So, my two week's worth of NPR highlights are really just a few items.

• I heard this story about the "donor illusion" in charitable giving on American Public Media's Marketplace. I found it interesting, especially in the Kiva controversy that's mentioned. (Lovely hubby? This is one that you'll want to click on.)

• This one from Morning Edition, "Librarian Nancy Pearl's 2009 Under-The-Radar Books", almost slipped by me, because I came in on the tailend of the story, but I knew I'd want to go back to it. How funny that even if I had not gotten to the bookmark in time, my 5M4B editor Jennifer also emailed me about the story! The first book mentioned, Spooner, is one that I tried to like... I got almost 300 pages into it, but finally gave up because I just didn't care about any of the characters. And now I've seen a whole bunch of really positive reviews of it, and I'm beginning to wonder if I should return to it at some point... maybe it was just me? I do know that I need to check out When You Reach Me, a middle grade novel that has been raved about everywhere.

• In the same vein, "Alan Cheuse's Book Picks to Warm a Winter's Night," from All Things Considered, gives some book recommendations just in time for the holidays. There was a time that I was really into horror books (I read a lot of Stephen King), but I'm sure that a book like American Fantastic Tales: Terror and the Uncanny from Poe to the Pulps would scare the crap out of me now. I've totally wimped out as an adult.

• Finally, "Taiwan forging ahead as IT titan" aired on Marketplace this morning, and as it began talking about netbooks, I just knew that they were referring to Acer, the maker of my very own little netbook on which my fingers lovingly type each and every day. I still adore my mini-laptop as much as I did on the day that lovely hubby brought it home from Costco.

Hoping to tune in a little more this week,

the twelve books of Christmas

There's a whole lot on my mind right now, most of which is unbloggable, unfortunately, making it harder for me to want to come on here and write anything at all. But, it's Kids' Picks time over at 5 Minutes for Books today, and even though it's late in the day, I'm giving it a shot. And, because my mind is scattered and heavy right now, I'm combining this effort with another book related post I've been meaning to write.

It's holiday time in full swing, and in the blogosphere that means posts galore about traditions and family fun being had in the spirit of the season. Two years ago, I read on my friend Corinne's blog about a really lovely Christmas reading tradition she had started with her children: The 12 Days of Christmas books. I remember loving the idea then, but being too preoccupied with newborn Pudge and toddler Red and all those adjustments that came with expanding from a four to a five member family. Last year, I think I meant to do it, but time snuck up on me, and well, [insert semi-plausible excuse here].

This year, I was determined to do it. I even had a bag of twelve books put aside weeks ago. I kept intending to get some wrapping paper down from the attic, but well... again, these things happen. But, never fear, on the first night that we were going to pick a book, I feverishly wrapped all the books while lovely hubby bathed the kids. So, yay! We have successfully copied our friend's wonderful idea!

basket o' holiday books!

I've tweaked it a bit to work best for us, so we're reading just before bed each night, rather than in the mornings like my friend. With twelve books and three kids, the math works in our favor. Since I loathe the "that's not fair!" claim, we're diplomatically pulling names from a hat for four rounds, and so far we've got three nights under our belt. (We're reading our last book on Christmas Eve, rather than Christmas evening.) Each night, the lucky one whose name was pulled gets to choose a "gift" book from the basket, unwrap it, and present it to everyone. I pulled together picture books of varied levels from our own collection as well as some library books. JAM is being a sport and sticking around for even the read alouds of the very 'young' books, just to be a part of the fun.

Now, the smart thing would have been to write down all twelve titles at some point in those weeks that I had them assembled before wrapping them all, right? Yeah. Well, on a good day I can only claim moderate intelligence, so unfortunately, this didn't happen. I can share with you, though, our first three nights.

Night 12, Red's pick turned out to be: Mouse's First Christmas by Lauren Thompson

A cute paperback book that we have from Scholastic, this one is a fairly simple story about a mouse creeping through the house on Christmas Eve and all the wonderful things he spies, from the cookies on the plate for Santa to the big jolly guy himself. This was a perfect pick for Red- she giggled through the whole thing.


Night 11, JAM's pick turned out to be: The Great Reindeer Rebellion by Lisa Trumbauer

JAM was going for one of the thicker and bigger books in the basket (of course) and he chose one that did have some appeal to him in its humor. This picture books presents the reindeer as some disgruntled employees looking to use their leverage as the only ones Santa has to do the very important job of pulling their sleigh, and they make some demands that Santa isn't so keen on delivering. So, Santa opts to try out some new creatures for the job instead, and the fun begins as cats, dogs, and even flamingos get in line for a chance. I reviewed this very cute book for 5M4B earlier this month, and the kids really did enjoy it.


Night 10, Pudge's pick turned out to be: My First Christmas by Tomie dePaola

Again, the perfect pick for the littlest one in our family to choose the littlest book. This board book is short and sweet, pointing out the beautiful decorations and items all around a home at Christmas time, of course in signature Tomie dePaola style. (One of my most favorite children's illustrators!) A very cute book for the youngest Christmas celebrators.


That's what my kids have picked (albeit from a group pre-selected by me) in our most recent holiday reading bonanza. Head on over to 5 Minutes for Books for more Kids' Picks.

(The complete list of our 12 Books of Christmas can be found here.)

Happy holidays and happy reading,

this week's guffaws

How about some hodgepodge guffaws? The first one is hilarious (thanks Jessica!), and the other two are pretty representative of the holiday spirit. Read on...

UPS Air Cargo

Just in case you need a laugh:
Remember it takes a college degree to fly a plane, but only a high school diploma to fix one; a reassurance to those of us who fly routinely in our jobs. After every flight, UPS pilots fill out a form, called a 'gripe sheet,' which tells mechanics about problems with the aircraft. The mechanics correct the problems; document their repairs on the form, and then pilots review the gripe sheets before the next flight.

Never let it be said that ground crews lack a sense of humor. Here are some actual maintenance complaints submitted by UPS ' pilots (marked with a P) and the solutions recorded (marked with an S) by maintenance engineers.

By the way, UPS is the only major airline that has never, ever, had an accident.

P: Left inside main tire almost needs replacement.
S: Almost replaced left inside main tire.
*
P: Test flight OK, except auto-land very rough.
S: Auto-land not installed on this aircraft.
*
P: Something loose in cockpit
S: Something tightened in cockpit
*
P: Dead bugs on windshield.
S: Live bugs on back-order.
*
P: Autopilot in altitude-hold mode produces a 200 feet per minute descent.
S: Cannot reproduce problem on ground.
*
P: Evidence of leak on right main landing gear.
S: Evidence removed.
*
P: DME volume unbelievably loud.
S: DME volume set to more believable level.
*
P: Friction locks cause throttle levers to stick.
S: That's what friction locks are for.
*
P: IFF inoperative in OFF mode.
S: IFF always inoperative in OFF mode.
*
P: Suspected crack in windshield.
S: Suspect you're right.
*
P: Number 3 engine missing.
S: Engine found on right wing after brief search
*
P: Aircraft handles funny. (I love this one!)
S: Aircraft warned to straighten up, fly right and be serious.
*
P: Target radar hums.
S: Reprogrammed target radar with lyrics.
*
P: Mouse in cockpit.
S: Cat installed.

And the best one for last
P: Noise coming from under instrument panel. Sounds like a midget pounding on something with a hammer.
S: Took hammer away from midget.

It's no secret that the neck of the woods in which I grew up was tinged just a little bit red. I'd like to think that I've moved past that, but seriously, those redneck pictures never cease to crack me up. This one is particularly festive:

Redneck Sleigh

Now, I know that this one may have been among the very first emails mass-forwarded when the Internets were first invented (thanks Al!), but it just doesn't lose its funny...

Dear Santa,

I've been a good mom all year. I've fed, cleaned, and cuddled my two children on demand, visited the doctor's office more than my doctor, sold 62 cases of candy bars to raise money to plant a shade tree on the school playground, and figured out how to attach nine patches onto my daughter's Girl Scout sash with staples and a glue gun.

I was hoping you could spread my list out over several Christmases, since I had to write this letter with my son's red crayon on the back of a receipt in the laundry room between cycles, and who knows when I'll find anymore free time in the next 18 years.

Here are my Christmas wishes:

I'd like a pair of legs that don't ache after a day of chasing kids (in any color, except purple, which I already have) and arms that don't flap in the breeze, but are strong enough to carry a screaming toddler out of the candy aisle in the grocery store. I'd also like a waist, since I lost mine somewhere in the seventh month of my last pregnancy.

If you're hauling big ticket items this year, I'd like a car with fingerprint resistant windows and a radio that only plays adult music; a television that doesn't broadcast any programs containing talking animals; and a refrigerator with a secret compartment behind the crisper where I can hide to talk on the phone.

On the practical side, I could use a talking daughter doll that says, "Yes, Mommy" to boost my parental confidence, along with one potty-trained toddler, two kids who don't fight, and three pairs of jeans that will zip all the way up without the use of power tools.

I could also use a recording of Tibetan monks chanting, "Don't eat in the living room" and "Take your hands off your brother," because my voice seems to be just out of my children's hearing range and can only be heard by the dog.

And please don't forget the Playdoh Travel Pack, the stocking stuffer this year for mothers of preschoolers. It comes in three fluorescent colors and is guaranteed to crumble on any carpet making the In-laws' house seem just like mine.

If it's too late to find any of these products, I'd settle for enough time to brush my teeth and comb my hair in the same morning, or the luxury of eating food warmer than room temperature without it being served in a Styrofoam container.

If you don't mind, I could also use a few Christmas miracles to brighten the holiday season. Would it be too much trouble to declare ketchup a vegetable? It will clear my conscience immensely. It would be helpful if you could coerce my children to help around the house without demanding payment as if they were the bosses of an organized crime family; or if my toddler didn't look so cute sneaking downstairs to eat contraband ice cream in his pajamas at midnight.

Well, Santa, the buzzer on the dryer is ringing and my son saw my feet under the laundry room door. I think he wants his crayon back. Have safe trip and remember to leave your wet boots by the chimney and come in and dry off by the fire so you don't catch cold.

Help yourself to cookies on the table, but don't eat too many or leave crumbs on the carpet.

Yours Always,

Mom

And, if you're in the mood for a little flashback, these holiday guffaws from last year still make me giggle.


Loving the laughs,

mini season's greetings

We had a dilemma. A small house + small children + wood stove + Christmas tree dilemma. We spent the last week working through our options and weighing all the factors, and the problem has been solved this evening, resulting in a very different look for our living room this year. A look that I'm finding surprisingly charming and just right.

Here's the deal. We do have a very small home, like European-small, especially for a family of five. While I dream of someday living in a big house with separate rooms for the kids and a place for them to play and not be directly under my feet, I am really quite happy with our little home. We've utilized the beauty that is IKEA in most rooms, and while I still believe that we have too much stuff, we do have some really fantastic organization systems. But every year when Christmas rolls around, we end up giving up a huge chunk of our living room to a tree. Several years ago, we purchased a beautiful artificial tree for an amazing price. It is most definitely a pain in the rear to assemble with row after row of individual branches to clip in, but it always looked lovely when it was decorated and all lit up. In our former living room set-up (and when we only had one kid!), we could make do for a couple of weeks with significantly less space, but with our current setup, and triple the number of offspring, it's a bit more challenging. Add to that the one year old that spends his days with us, and the idea of a giant tree in the middle of our play space was not attractive.

We considered getting a really thin live tree to try to put in a corner of the room that wouldn't be in the way, but we weren't sure that we could even find something slim enough to fit in the small space. And, we have a wood-burning stove in the middle of the living room and dining room space that is the main source of our winter heat, and we figured that a tree cut back at Thanksgiving time would be lucky to last 48 hours in our Sahara-desert-hot living room.

We looked at smaller artificial trees, too, but the thought of dropping $150 on another fake tree wasn't appealing, either. Seriously, the prices on those bad boys are outrageous.

Then, lovely hubby had an idea. What if we bought a small live potted tree? Could we find something that we could decorate, even a little, and then keep alive in the pot all winter until we could plant it in the yard in the spring? We looked at a local nursery last weekend, but only saw little trees that needed full sun when planted, something that our yard can't provide. Last night, hubby headed to his heaven on earth, The Home Depot, and sent me a pic on my cell. While it looked teeny-tiny on my phone, we talked a bit, and soon it was official.

This evening, we set it up on a little table in that small corner, and we rifled through our big box of ornaments to find the most special and lightest ornaments that would get called into action this year. One small string of lights and a short decorating time later, and we have our very own small potted mini-Christmas tree. Since he's going to be a part of the family, either planted in our yard in the spring, or perhaps just moved to a bigger pot on our patio, I suggested that he get a name.

I present to you... Charlie:


Yes, our little Charlie Brown tree is up, lit and decorated. He will grace our living room corner for the next few weeks, and after that we'll get to watch him grow for the next 12 months. If we keep him potted, he can even return next year for a repeat (and maybe a bit bigger?) performance. Dilemma solved! He fits perfectly, we didn't have to rearrange anything, and he takes away zero play space. It shouldn't be too difficult to keep him well watered and healthy, and it shouldn't be too challenging to keep all the kids' paws off him. Add in the environment-friendly angle, and we've really found the perfect solution.

The best part, though, was hearing the kids ooh and ahh over Charlie. Not one "It's so SMALL!" was heard, with "It's beautiful!" in its place instead. The kids were happy to have something special to mark the holiday, even if it's only a little something. Too often we try to make things bigger, thinking they'll be better, but right now, I'm really pleased with our little tree in our little living room in our little house. That seems to be just right for right now.




Finally getting into the holiday spirit,

yup, I was right

All those years ago, I would lay in bed, hearing the vague echoes of some 1980's sitcom filtering down the hallway, fighting off sleep by imagining all the fun that was being had in the living room. I remember my eyes filling up with tears at the sheer UNFAIRNESS of it all. Why, oh why, did they get to stay up when I was forced to head to dreamland and miss it all.

Well, I was right. And being on the other side of this equation is pretty darn sweet.

That's all that I could think tonight when JAM and Red were playing their ridiculous we-don't-want-to-go-to-sleep games. When they came down the first time, I was comfy on the couch watching TV, and the jealousy was apparent in their eyes. When they came down the second time, I was enjoying a big cold glass of Tang, something I'm sure they wouldn't have passed up if it had been offered to them in the moment. But when JAM came down the third time and I was eating a bowl of ice cream (small... really... good for a sore throat!), and I saw an immediately recognizable expression cross his face.

Yup, he might think it's unfair, but it's looking good to me now, all these years later. His day will come, too, but he's gotta wait for it just like I did.


Really wanting you to believe that it was a small bowl of ice cream,