Thursday, January 11, 2018

book review: leaving time

Leaving TimeLeaving Time by Jodi Picoult
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

It's hard to choose a "main" character here. I'm not entirely sure whose story this is, as it is told through alternating viewpoints. We mainly hear from the young girl Jenna, who is looking for her missing mother and Alice, Jenna's mother who's obsession and research on elephants guides her life. Jenna recruits psychic Serenity and PI Virgil, who are both drawn to and inspired by Jenna, to help her figure out if her mother is dead or alive, and where she might be.

It was a cool adventure trying to solve this mystery. There is a lot of detail given about elephants which was interesting, and I really liked the descriptions of how the Gift works for a medium... but I hated the ending. There's a point where you kind of realize that some assumptions you made throughout the entire book may not be correct, and it's not often that I get tricked like this, so I do give the author credit. But once you get past that tipping point it's a confusing rush to the end. That's all I'll say here, to avoid spoilers.

View all my reviews

Saturday, January 6, 2018

book review: Wonder

WonderWonder by R.J. Palacio
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Another five star review for Wonder.

All the glowing reviews this book got: “I laughed, I cried, I cheered out loud!” Well, they were right on. Wonder is fantastic, from the message to the way the story is told by the different characters. It’s a perfect book that makes my mama heart so happy, and I can’t wait to share it with my kid.

“Sometimes people surprise us.”

View all my reviews

Thursday, January 4, 2018

good mornings

A few months ago, I explained this gist of this article to Oliver. I told him that I'm going to make time to connect with him every morning, so that his brain can wake up peacefully. I asked him what he would like to do if we had a few minutes to spend together and he said, "play Legos."

The next morning I went in his room, flipped on the light, and gathered his clothes. I laid in his bed and asked Siri to set a timer for 5 minutes. We snuggled for a minute and then got up and played Legos until the alarm sounded. He liked what I built. :) It was freaking magical. He got dressed on his own and went downstairs. I didn't have to ask him more than once to get his shoes, jacket, backpack, etc. He told me twice that he liked connecting with me. He let the dog out. He poured his own milk.

I didn't expect this miracle to repeat itself daily, and honestly I haven't been the best at reserving a set amount of time with him, but it has made an impact. This school year has thrown some interesting challenges at us, and I really think that getting down on his level - literally and figuratively, can only help us navigate what we'll face in the years to come.

As the new year begins, I will continue to make time for his little soul. My favorite quote from the article says, "...fill your child’s cup before the day starts, and reconnect after the separation of the night." They're only this age once!

second grader