SQT {12}: More Book Rage and Stinking at Diapers

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Seven Quick Takes

-1- Quiet LOUD

We are missing another library book.  This is a big deal in our house.  It’s a smallish book–a popular board book size- – so that means the possibilities of where it could be are limitless.

I’m doing my best not to slide into another book rage.

St. Anthony, please help us find this library book so we don’t have to pay big moneys to the library.  Amen.

It’s an cute book.  We did find and return its cousin No No Yes Yes, which was equally amusing.

 

 

 

-2- The Missing Library Book by Me

A new-to-me blog Little Book Big Stories has an awesome post about writing books for your kids.  “It’s easier than you think!” she says.

I made a silly one once years ago, and the book was loved to bits.  This is the inspiration I need to start regularly making family books.  First up will be “The Missing Library Book,” in which  a mom storms around the house tearing off couch cushions and chucking things kids search in funny places until the book is found and celebrate by cuddling up to read it.

 

-3-  Copyright!

Snap.  Did I just give away an idea for a real book?  Well, copyright!  Isn’t that how it works?  You just say “copyright!” after something, and that is like an invisible force field preventing someone from taking it?  Yes?   …Just kidding.  If you write that book, more power to you.  Let me know so I can check it out from the library.  And I promise not to lose your book on losing books.  Maybe.  It hasn’t worked out so well for Quiet Loud

 

-4-  Ruined by Motherhood

Haley’s post,  “Have You Ever Felt Like Being a Mother Has Ruined You?” definitely spoke to me this week.

Have I ever felt like being a mother has ruined me? Brought out my absolute worst? Of course. All the time.

I thought I was a patient, laid-back but on-top-of it kinda gal. I didn’t have a short fuse. I didn’t get easily flustered. I was rocking out life. I was good at everything. Then motherhood broke me. Or rather, it was a huge inescapable mirror that showed me who I really was. And I didn’t like what I saw.

Whoa.  There have been times that I’ve thought, “I used to be someone.  And now I change diapers all day.”  In reality, motherhood has shaped me into a much better person.  Even on the worst days, this is a good life.  I just need to be more conscious of sweeping up the bits of joy instead of focusing on they yuck-o dried up bits of food.

 

-5-  Stinking at Diapers

Speaking of diapers, how can I have four kids and still be the worst at changing diapers?  Honestly, I should be able to teach a masterclass by now, but I still need like 15 wipes to get through one…job.  The diaper comes off, and I panic.  “Get more wipes!  More wipes!” as if like the federal government throwing dollars at a problem, only a few more will fix everything.  But in both situations, we all just end up exhausted and covered in poo.

 

-6- Well Read Mom

To get more in touch with the me of yesteryear, David has encouraged me to participate in a Well Read Mom group.  The meetings will be monthly in the evenings.  Unfortunately with David’s schedule I’m not sure if I’ll actually be able to attend, but either way I plan on reading Actual Books Without Pictures.

It’s taken me a long time to work up the courage to start The Death of Ivan Illyich, the first book.  I’m listening to it at night while I do dishes and all the chores.  So far I’m understanding it.  I’m not sure what I was so afraid of…that it would be in Russian?  That it would be so esoteric that my Brown Bear, Brown Bear head couldn’t handle it?

At any rate, I look forward to the other selections we’ll read.

 

Brown Bear

-7- Just Enough Info on Thursdays!

Can I plug the Zelie Group link up again as a Seven Quick Takes item?  Yes?  Good.

The-Zelie-Group

Angela from This Mom Needs Chocolate  titled her post this week, “Just Enough Info….or Three Short Questions I Have Time to Answer,” and I thought that perfectly captured the idea of JEI – – creating community in a low pressure way.

The theme this week is “Back to School,” and I’ve enjoyed the variety in the mom-blog linker-upers- – public school, private school, homeschool — all of us are just doing the best we can for our kids.  Solidarity!

Other than that, we *are* united in not doing too much to mark the back-to-school time for our kids and maybe being pinterest-guilted into thinking we should.  Turns out no one plans elaborate apple-themed parties.  Hooray!  (No offense if you do.  I’d love to read about your apple decor and treats if you link up!)

The Back to School link is open until Wednesday if anyone would like to contribute.

If you’re looking forward to the September 8th JEI, the topic will be “Prayer.”  Here are the questions to ponder and answer if you like to be ahead of the game.

1.What are your favorite devotions?
2.Have any of your prayers been answered? Do you have any prayers that you are glad weren’t answered the way you’d hoped?
3. How do you pray with your kids?

—-End JEI plug—-

 

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Check out This Ain’t the Lyceum for more Quick Takers!

19 Comments


  1. // Reply

    SUch a fun post!! I clicked to your BTS linky too…looks like a lot of fun over there as well!! I think I’ll try to link up in the future…but either way, reading your posts and the linked ones has been a nice relaxing break from “life!” LOL

    SO nice to “meet” you. Clicking over from QTs…I’m at #4 🙂

    xoxo


    1. // Reply

      Thanks for stopping by! I just read your post on hiking in the Grand Canyon- – I’m pretty sure that I won’t be becoming part of that 1% any time soon. I love finding new blogs to read, and I’m excited to look around more. 🙂


  2. // Reply

    Those Patricelli books are THE BEST – It used to have my son giggling in fits when he was little. LOVE those things – Hope you find it!


    1. // Reply

      Thanks! They would make a great baby gift to a family with a toddler. 🙂


  3. // Reply

    I hope that you find the library book! They should really put bright orange covers on children’s library books or something to make them stand out from books that people own. Thanks for mentioning making family books-my mom did this for my sister years ago (we didn’t get it printed, it was just in a folder at home) but it was so neat! I really want to do this for my son when he gets a little older.


    1. // Reply

      Thanks! I just renewed it, so that buys us a little time. Hopefully it will turn up. 🙂


  4. // Reply

    I admit envy that you get to participate in a Well Read Mom group! We have one starting this month in our town, so my husband and I talked about it, and it didn’t seem prudent to spare me for one Saturday morning monthly.


    1. // Reply

      It’s so hard to get away! The books are listed, so you could “read along” even if you didn’t attend the meetings. 🙂


  5. // Reply

    I love your book rage post. With the speed at which my kids love to read, and the fact that in our library system there are NO LIMITS on how much can be checked out at a time on one card, we easily have 100 things checked out from the library at any given time. Which means that I don’t even know something is missing until it goes overdue and I get an email about it. In fact, right now we have two overdue books that I’m fairly sure we already brought back (it’s happened before that we’ve returned something but it got missed in the stack of our returns). I plan to tear apart the house at a later date and then call the library again to double-check if it is there, after all. Good luck finding yours!


    1. // Reply

      I’m glad to know we’re not alone in our book losing. Good luck to you as well. 🙂

      And let me know if you want to co-author that children’s book.


  6. // Reply

    I never did get good at diapers, either. Each one was a new catastrophe. My husband was even worse than me.


    1. // Reply

      I guess it’s just good to be aware of our strengths and weaknesses. If I can only be good at one thing in life, I wouldn’t pick diapers. 🙂


  7. // Reply

    I hear you on reading the “heavy” “classics”. Especially those that have been translated. It’s like there’s a huge mental stumbling block that makes you want to quit before you even begin. But… I have found if you can get one with an excellent translator it makes ALL THE DIFFERENCE. But, all the same, glad to hear Ivan Ilyich is understandable, am starting it soon (I just have some library books to finish up)
    Best of luck on your library book. It happens here way, way, WAY more often than I’d like.
    Oh, and that new linky looks fun, may have to see if I can manage to join in 🙂


    1. // Reply

      Thanks for the encouragement with WRM. 🙂 We’d love to have you link up tomorrow!


  8. // Reply

    This post is wonderful! Thank you so much for linking to my blog. I hope your story (both the written version and the actual search that inspired it) turns out beautifully 🙂 I recently learned that the missing library books in our house end up underneath the piano–with the giant house spiders (!!). On a related note, the books are still under the piano . . .


    1. // Reply

      Hahaha! I hate spiders, so I’d probably just pay the fine not to have to go in after them. Your blog is beautiful, and I hope to do more exploring there. 🙂




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