Eat, Read, and Be Mommy

I have an intermediate nonfiction title I’ve been waiting to review for at least a week and a half, folks. The problem is that the subject matter is heavier, meaning the review will take more concentration, and I just wasn’t feeling that today. And so, in a spectacularly ‘whatever, it’s not like I don’t know I’m a little odd’ sort of move, I finished up the short graphic novel that I started last night so that I can review that instead. I’m guess I’m feeling a special kind of lazy.

Anyway. Brittany Long Olsen’s The Happy Shop popped up on my radar because of another book by the same author, only for a surpassingly ‘too stupid to share’ reason, I ended up reading this one first. (Last night and today, in fact, as previously mentioned.) I was hoping it might be a contender for one of my youngest daughter’s Christmas graphic novels, but at 140 pages, it’s a bit too short for how quickly she goes through them. She’ll still enjoy reading the library copy, however, and if you’ve got a slower reader who’s drawn to stories about feelings, this one’s an especially good option.

Happy Shop centers around Darcy, whose mom has just moved the two of them to a new country for her dream job. Missing her friends and struggling to understand the accents of those around her, Darcy holes up in her room until her mom sends her out for some grocery shopping. It’s then that she discovers ‘The Happy Shop’, a store that sells happy feelings collected in jars by one of the owners. After accidentally breaking a few of the jars, she ends up working at the shop after school to pay off her debt; it’s then she discovers that the business is struggling. Is there a way for the shop to become successful again–and can Darcy help make it happen?

This really is a lovely little story about feelings and adjusting to change; the art matches the feel quite nicely. Its length does make for less character development than an older reader might wish, but the target audience shouldn’t mind. My one real complaint is that I prefer more concrete resolution from an ending than we’re given. This may well be an intentional, stylistic choice, but I’m afraid I’m too OCD to fully enjoy an implied happy ending–what my daughter(s) will think remains to be seen! In the meantime, it’s a short, cozy graphic novel, something like a mug of flavored hot chocolate on a chilly day. I’m looking forward to the author’s other book(s)!

That’s what my hubby and I have been doing in the last 14 hours, folks. Last night when we came home from Sunday dinner in Clearfield, my phone screen got a crack in exactly the wrong place in it; my best guess is that my keychain swung into it on my way into the house, but I heard nothing and noticed nothing until my phone reset and then wouldn’t let me use touch ID. While my hubby was researching new phones for me–because yes, no phone is a first world problem, but getting texts from my children, among other things, is kind of important–my mother-in-law called the home phone to say that my hubby’s work backpack had been left up there. Unfortunately, his work laptop was in it. So I drove back up and back (luckily my hubs managed to bring up Spotify, so I had music) last night to get his backpack, and he’s leaving work for a while today to meet me at the store and get a new phone set up for me. Because life happens.

In the meantime, I’m pulling Tall Water out of my stash of completed books waiting to be reviewed, because I need to not let myself get any further behind in that department. A graphic novel by SJ Sindu and Dion MBD, Tall Water has been on my radar since it was named an Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature Honor book in January; I ended up picking it up to read in September, and since (being YA) it’s a little old for my 11-year-old and unlikely (for different reasons) to appeal to my older girls, it can now head back to the library. (Have I mentioned before that my son does NOT prefer graphic novels?) It was, however, quite an interesting read.

Nimmi, although of mixed heritage, has grown up in America with her father, with only letters to and from and a few phone calls with her mother in Sri Lanka. When his career (he’s a journalist) sends him back there, however, she’s driven to go, too, despite his adamant refusal for safety reasons. She books her own ticket and surprises him at the Sri Lankan airport; presented with a fait accompli, he takes her to meet her mother. Unsurprisingly, she’s unprepared for the reality of a country at war (parent perspective–maybe her dad’s reasons for refusing were actually legit?), and that’s before the tsunami hits.

Tall Water is a fascinating look at a conflict too few people are aware of; it’s based on some of Sindu and her family’s actual experiences and is a passionate cry for relief for those who are suffering. The LGBTQ+ element is subtle and takes a (far) back seat to Sri Lanka itself, which is the true focus of the story. I did, unfortunately, find it somewhat difficult to follow what happened during the tsunami itself, and while that may have been intentional as a representation of the chaos and confusion of the actual experience, more clarity for the reader would have been preferable. Nimmi’s American boyfriend is also effectually dropped from the plot once she leaves for Sri Lanka, which is problematic as he’s left taking care of her cat. Overall, the picture Sindu paints is worth seeing, but the mechanics of its story are sometimes uneven.

Bottom line? Worth reading, but not what I would necessarily call essential. You’ll have to decide for yourself on this one!

Today was the sort of day that starts out slowly but gets busier as it goes on; I napped and puttered around doing household tasks this morning, but my son had a doctor’s appointment at 3:15 and then my senior danced at the homecoming game tonight. I was exceptionally pleased, then, that this Cool Beans Salad, which I totally made in stages, was as good as it was. I replaced the bell pepper with tomato because I don’t care for bell peppers, but the only other change I made was to replace half the chili powder with smoked paprika.* (Because we like smokiness but we’re generally too wussy for chipotle chili powder.) I mixed the dressing and added the beans earlier in the day and I think it upped the flavor; both my middles gave it a thumbs middle to up, and I’m eating more at 11 pm because it’s good. (Although digestively speaking a definitely questionable choice.) Y’all should definitely give it a try!

*Oh, and I substituted red beans for the kidney beans, because I prefer them.

The reason I’ve been MIA for the past week is that my dad went into memory care on September 21st; my sister went out of town on the 23rd, and so I drove up to Idaho myself to stay with my mom. It’s (unsurprisingly) been hard for us all, but his steep decline over the past few weeks has now made it physically impossible for my 81-year-old mother to be his caretaker. We’re all at peace with the decision, but witnessing his further decline is a special kind of heartbreaking.

What I am grateful for was the chance (with my mother-in-law’s help on the home front) to spend the time with my mother. We have very different personalities and sometimes frustrate each other, but it truly was a help to have me there, and I felt truly blessed to be able to be that help. (Also grateful that my sister pushed me into asking my m-i-l for the help, because my hubby’s work schedule would not have permitted him to take over the daytime chauffeuring duties.) My older girls were both a help at home, and I’m feeling blessed by my family.

Now. Since I was in the car by myself for 5 hours twice in the last week or so, I enjoyed being able to listen to whatever audiobook I wanted, and on the way up I finished listening to Hena Khan’s Drawing Deena, which I definitely enjoyed. (Although every time the audiobook narrator pronounced the artist’s name as Van ‘Goff’ it weirded me out. Is it not Van ‘Go’? Never have I ever heard anyone say Van ‘Goff’ before!) Deena is an American girl whose parents grew up in Pakistan, and she worries about more things than her parents realize. As she tries to help her mother’s business grow (maybe then she won’t overhear her parents arguing about money?), she also looks for ways to improve her art while trying to be a good friend and cousin. Eventually, however, she realizes that in order to do that, she needs to get a handle on her anxiety.

My only real issue with this book is the somewhat uneven pacing of the anxiety arc; otherwise, Deena’s parents could have been fleshed out a bit more, but Deena’s journey is one older elementary kids ought to appreciate. It portrays anxiety in both a relatable and a helpful way, and I enjoyed the small business aspect of the plot. I’ll let you know how my artistic and anxious children enjoy it!

To wit: I just finished The BIG Adventures of Babymouse: Besties!, which I’ve had in my library pile for a good long while; Goodreads, however, lists it as ‘Not Yet Published’ and gives an expected publishing date of January 2, 2079. (Note: if I’m still alive at that point, I will be 99 1/2.) Why? No one knows. But Besties! is as insightful and entertaining as the rest of Babymouse’s adventures, so I wouldn’t wait until the last quarter of the century to pick it up. In it we meet Kara, an adorable and seemingly perfect koala that seems to be charming her way into the heart of Babymouse’s friend group. Has Kara replaced her–and even appropriated her best friend, Wilson? You can guess what the end result will be, but Babymouse is consoled on her journey of understanding by an unexpected source, making for some fantastic panels. Don’t miss this one!*

On the homefront, my dad–my amazing, flawed, loving dad, who dementia has reduced to a shell of himself–is scheduled to enter a care center today. It’s more than time, as the strain of his caretaking has been weighing more and more heavily on my 81-year-old mother, but it’s going to be a difficult transition for both of them. I can’t be there today–my son’s very first high school jazz band concert is tonight, and I wouldn’t miss that–but I’ll be spending a great deal of time with my mother later this week, so I’ll likely not post until a week from Wednesday. If you’d like to send prayers, thoughts, or good vibes their way, our family would appreciate them.

*It’s clear that many people have already not missed it, so to speak. I generally mend rips in library book pages, but more than half of this one’s over 200 pages had at least small rips on the bottom. I didn’t have the will to mend more than the worst one or two.

My kiddos didn’t have school today* AND I have some significant family things going on, so I’m afraid you don’t get much today. Let’s hope for a quieter day on Monday…

*I will say, however, that my living and dining rooms look much better now than they did this morning; there will also be fewer chores tomorrow. Which is something.

I am SO SO SORRY about the advanced state of hyperactivity in which I dropped my child off at the activity tonight. I was not expecting quite so many of her friends to be in line with us during SEPs, and having one of those friends come to the activity with her just fueled the insanity. At least you only have them for an hour?

In other news, I quite liked the Tuscan Style Chicken Piccata I bought at Costco this month and served up tonight; my senior also liked it, my son did not, and I’m waiting on the rest of the family to try it. I do wish I’d cooked up 12 oz of pasta to add to it rather than 8, though. I’ll let you know what other people think…

Y’all know I often can’t resist trying new things at Costco; last week’s impulse purchases included a tub of Curry Chicken Breast Salad and a bag of Nutty & Fruity Crazy Fruit.

Not my best purchases ever.

The Crazy Fruit is described as ‘sour candy coated mango with a splash of real peach juice’, and since I have two mango loving girls AND two that love sour candy–sadly, not the same two, but still–I thought it was a pretty safe bet. The problem is that inside the sour candy coating, that mango isn’t so much chewy as hard. You have to work at it. That coupled with the impressively unfortunate sugar content means I will not be purchasing those again. As for the Curry Chicken Breast Salad, well–while I didn’t think the curry flavor was at all strong, my two curry haters nixed it. My son wasn’t a big fan for reasons he didn’t elaborate, but my hubby and youngest both complained about the mustard flavor. Spoiler alert? Mustard is not listed as an ingredient. (Although of course, the ‘spices’ could probably include mustard seed.) The funny thing is that I know what they mean, but I found it almost too salty. Sadly, that adds up to no one in our household preferring it, so I’m going to pass it on to my friend Britt. Perhaps her crew will feel differently…

In fact, my MO for Terri Libenson’s ‘Emmie & Friends’ series seems to be to finish the one I’ve got checked out right about the time the next one gets published. (Although to be fair, I’m a couple of weeks ahead of the game this time.) I did, however, finish Entirely Emmie on Wednesday night, and despite some misgivings about Joe’s co-starring role, I found myself completely enjoying it. The setting is a celebrate-the-end-of-the-school-year class trip to a camp by a lake; Emmie’s (much) older sister is coming along as a chaperone, and she and Bri are expecting plenty of bestie time.

Except.

For starters, Bri comes down with a miserable cold just before they’re scheduled to leave. And Joe’s parents, who find the flyer at almost the last minute, encourage him to go by heavily implying that the weekend at home will be a veritable chore-fest if he doesn’t. Which then makes the two of them inconveniently buddy-less–together. What starts out as a miserable weekend, however, starts to shift when Emmie and Joe start to really talk to each other. And even though neither one of them would have chosen to be forced out of her/his comfort zone, they both appreciate some of the aftereffects.

To be honest, I was most impressed at how Libenson handled Joe’s inner voice. While I generally can’t STAND people who crack jokes at other people’s expense, Joe’s thought processes and character growth nudged me out of my reader comfort zone, rendering him a sympathetic character in his own right. There is definitely some typical middle school drama as well, but that’s more of a plot device to aid what matters than anything else. Entirely Emmie is, well, entirely worth your time.

In other–sad–news, we lost one of our bunnies yesterday. Marshy–short for Marshmallow, since he was an albino lionhead–was at the outer edge of the life expectancy for outdoor bunnies, and he got lots of love and attention yesterday from the two kiddos who loved him most, but those kiddos–ESPECIALLY my son–will miss and miss him. He was chill enough to hold and hang out with, and despite an unfortunate penchant for nibbling on shoes, he was good natured and accommodating. He served as an emotional support animal for my oldest in early high school and my son for the past several years, and we will not forget him.

My neighbor has also had barely any tomatoes off of her plants this year. Why? Garden tomatoes and corn on the cob are two of the things that make heat bearable. I WANT MY TOMATOES!!!