Eat, Read, and Be Mommy

Not that I’m surprised, you understand; Rob Buyea always has plenty of feels. But Carter Avery’s Tricky Fourth-Grade Year has different kinds of feels than some of his other ones, so they still feel worth mentioning. (By the way, I put off my post deliberately so that I could review Carter Avery today, since I only finished reading it aloud with my youngest yesterday afternoon. And it’s a ‘Battle of the Books’ book, so she and I can fill out our summaries today as well!)

First of all, Carter Avery is narrated only by–surprise surprise!–Carter Avery; most of Buyea’s books have more than one narrator. Secondly, he’s on the youngest side of Buyea’s main characters, and he and his sister live with their grandmother because their parents died in a car accident when he was a baby. (Feels.) Third–well, the plot does involve teachers who make a difference (in both directions!), but Ms. Krane and Mr. Terupt are really quite different. Carter’s journey with teachers, learning, and friendship has all the heart you could ask for, however, and while the Missy Gerber aspect of the plot feels like one of the biggest reality stretches, it definitely matters. I loved Lieutenant Boss, Mrs. Stinger’s fate felt perfect, and overall, Carter’s story grabbed me and didn’t let go. As for Grams, Torrie, and Brynn–and Mason and Susie–well, let’s just say there are a lot of characters to love.

Don’t miss this one.

You know those foods that your children say they really like but then don’t necessarily eat much of? Cheddar Bay biscuits–you know, the Red Lobster kind you make from a boxed mix you can get at Costco–are one of those things, and I had one package of mix left in the box when I came across this recipe for Creamy Tomato Soup with Cheddar Bay Dumplings. I knew my family wouldn’t be particularly excited about any tomato soup, but hey–it was an easy recipe, and they can live with something they’re not excited about every once in a while, right? So I waited for an acceptable soup day (it’s been a warm November) and today was it. The verdict?

First of all, my hubby’s tummy was bugging him and my oldest went out to dinner with friends, so it was my younger three and me eating it. Among the four of us, my 16-year-old couldn’t deal with the texture and my littles both gave it a thumbs middle, so not exactly a success, but I rather enjoyed it. I do know that a lot of people struggle with the ‘soggy bread’ sort of texture you find in soup dumplings–among other things–and anyone who so struggles should definitely avoid this recipe. If the texture doesn’t bother you, however, and the idea of garlic-cheddar dumplings in a simple tomato soup appeals, then I recommend giving this recipe a try.

I’m kind of looking forward to the leftovers.

Seriously, folks. I just finished listening to all of the ‘Little House’ books again since my youngest started the series, and as far as I can tell, ANY time ANYONE just needs one good wheat crop to pay off their debts and start making a real go of it on a farm, it NEVER ends well. (Did that need a spoiler alert? This does, too, then–does any wheat crop in the whole entire series ever come out well? Maybe in Wisconsin…) I mostly read the first four books multiple times growing up; the rest of them must have needed checking out from the library, so my memories of them were spotty. I read the whole series when my oldest child or two was little-little, but that oldest turned 19 yesterday, so it had been a bit. Now it’s just hard, because instead of relating to Laura, I’m worrying and working with Caroline and Charles, and it’s not at all the same experience.

Anyway. It was an odd sort of birthday celebration yesterday–the day seemed to creep up on my other kiddos, my oldest doesn’t like to choose food, Saturday’s BYU game was a late one, and my youngest sang in the retirement center’s branch sacrament meeting in the morning. We didn’t even have family scripture time until after church, and I work pretty hard to avoid that. Still, we were home together as a family, the kiddos got to bed at a decent time, and I’ve been relatively productive this morning. Cross your fingers for me that it stays that way for the rest of the day!

The coolest thing about this week was watching two of my children perform–my son in a sport/hip hop dance number at the Jr. High’s dance concert and my youngest daughter in a patriotic concert on Veteran’s Day. My older two were more stressed this week than anything, and my youngest had to complete and turn in her science fair project by Friday, so that balanced out the good; I also spent Wednesday and Friday mornings at the school, helping (respectively) with ‘Battle of the Books’ and the school’s fundraiser (our attendance secretary was out, and it took pretty much three PTA volunteers to adequately take her place). Today my older girlies and I went shopping at Seagull Book and then went to see my niece (their cousin, of course) in her high school production of ‘Oklahoma!’. You know, I never loved that musical, but boy howdy, as an adult woman in the 21st century I found that I actively dislike it. I could write pages and pages of scathing literary criticism about that thing, and while the kids were great, I would have vastly preferred to enjoy their talents in a different show.

On the positive side, I did finish listening to Meg Eden Kuyatt’s Good Different–another ‘Battle of the Books’ title for this year–and yowsers, what a book. This verse novel about a girl learning about and growing to appreciate her neurodivergence had ALL THE FEELS, and while I was pretty annoyed with the mother for most of the book, I was much more understanding by the end. (I could still cheerfully slap–or sue–the principal, though.) Selah is an inspiration to every kid who feels different, and as a mother of more than one not-exactly-neurotypical children, I hope her story helps its readers better understand those with a different perspective than theirs.

Everyone really ought to read this book.

After a PTA meeting, too! Which went okay, although our numbers aren’t what they used to be. Afterwards I talked to multiple people at the school before heading home and–quite literally–finishing the last three pages of Fingerprints: Dead People Do Tell Tales. (You’d think I’d have just finished it last night, but I couldn’t keep my eyes open. Which is generally what happens when I read in bed.) Now, full disclosure? I only picked it up from the library because the author has written some fantastic nonfiction picture books. Still, I learned some really interesting things about fingerprinting and the history of criminal investigation, so it was definitely well worth my time. At a little over 100 pages–with illustrations (mostly photographs)–it’s accessible for a wide variety of ages and is a great choice for people who enjoy crime shows or have a scientific interest in fingerprinting but don’t have as much time to read as they’d like.

Know anybody like that?

I’m dreadfully afraid that I’m going to be struggling with posts this whole school year; I’m certainly not half as involved as the PTA president I was treasurer for, and yet I’m still at the school more than I’ve ever been before. Add to that the Great Laundry Crisis of 2025–plus regular errands–and I feel like I never know what I’m going to be doing. Sunday afternoon we watched “Night at the Museum” as a family, and the kiddos seemed to enjoy it; since I didn’t help with dinner, however, the kitchen the next day was terrifying. It’s also crunch time for the science fair, and I’ve been driving more with my 16-year-old again…yeesh. I just feel like I’m doing all the things all the time.

What I DID take time to do today, however–in between cleaning and laundry and Sam’s Club and dinner prep–was finish reading The Challenger Disaster: Tragedy in the Skies. The ‘History Comics’ series run noticeably less than 150 pages, but there is a LOT of information in this one–slightly more technical information than I wanted, to be honest. Once I was past the technical specs of the space shuttle, however, it was a thoroughly interesting read, with profiles on each astronaut and an explanation of the Rogers Commission and its findings. While I do remember watching the Challenger’s launch live, I was young and my memories are not vivid; I still, however, was in tears before I finished the book. It’s a ‘Battle of the Books’ title for this year, so my youngest will be grabbing it in the morning, but I may honestly have all of my children read it, because it matters.

On that note, I have to be at the school first thing tomorrow morning, and the rest of the day is going to be full as well. Here’s hoping y’all had a good hump day!

You know when there’s a series you like but one of the books is the kind of plot that drives you crazy? But you can’t just skip the book because the series builds and you’d miss out on details that matter? That, my friends, is how I felt about The Secret Recipe of Ella Dove. I’ve enjoyed the Dove Pond series–the first two books as well as the two novellas–but this one drove me crazy. I’ve never liked the sort of plot where people are lying to each other (or afraid to tell each other the truth) and won’t just spit out the truth already. Add to that the fact that I didn’t exactly love Ella, and it took a bit for me to get through this one.

It’s not that Ella is precisely awful, mind–she’s talented and fun and has a back story explaining her “wanderlust” and serious commitment issues–but that wanderlust and those issues were still a bit hard for me to take. The commitment issues would be seen in a rather less flattering light if she were a man, and the double standard (and total lack of awareness of the other point of view) annoyed me; the “wanderlust” would be better described as “rootlessness” and I couldn’t help feeling that Ella was too old not to be aware that that sort of lifestyle indicates a troubled psyche. Gray, the love interest, is really the saint in all of this, which is its own kind of plot imbalance. I most enjoyed the festival portion of the plot, as that’s a significant part of the series’ ongoing story line, and the denouement did manage to soothe my irritation some. Ultimately, however, if I go through the series again at some point, I’m likely to skip this one.

In other news, my kids made a terrifyingly impressive candy haul last night, and the younger two had a good time at my hubby’s work thing. How was your Halloween?

for this week to be over. Even though today was actually very productive, and even though it hasn’t been exactly a bad week, I’m desperately ready for it to be over. Except that when it is over, it’s going to be November, and based on the number of things already on my calendar for the month, it’s going to be a doozy. Could we stop time for a bit? Pretty please?

Yesterday got away from me, but I have to review Lisa Fipps’ And Then, Boom!–it’s a ‘Battle of the Books’ title this year, and my 5th grader is waiting on it. (Interestingly enough, it’s Fipps’ second book, and her first book was a BotB title when my current 8th grader was in 5th grade. I still remember going to ask him to take the garbage out and finding him under his bed, almost done with Starfish; he looked at me and said ‘no! I’m reading!’ Which is not so common of an occurrence with him.) She’s sort of patient, yes–but also sort of not.

Back when Fipps’ first book came out, I had my older girls read it after my son and I were done; one of them commented that ‘that book was so good, it hurt.’ It was a pretty accurate assessment. The thing about And Then, Boom!, is that it’s the same kind of thing, but on steroids. (So to speak.) I don’t think my girlie will find it as heartwrenching as I did–parenthood does things to you–but she’s still going to be feeling the feels.

And Then, Boom! is the story of Joe Oak, who mostly lives with his grandmum (she’s from England), since his mom always gets the ‘Itch’ sooner or later and takes off for increasingly long periods of time. There’s never enough money–or food–for him and Grandmum, but there is plenty of love, and they make a good team. Unfortunately, life’s ‘boom!’s keep happening to Joe, and the harder they hit, the harder his life gets. Thankfully, the book ends as happily as is realistically possible, but my heart broke for Joe several times over before we got there. And Then, Boom! is an accessible-for-middle-graders story of poverty, occasional homelessness, and hunger; it’s also a story of friendship and some incredible adults. I wish every kid with Joe’s struggles could also have his support system.

I also wish every kid with those struggles could end up in as good of a situation as he does. This book is indeed ‘so good it hurts.’

Still so much laundry, folks. Still ALL the laundry. Although I did, at least, manage 3 loads and a whole bunch of errands yesterday!

Anyway. We had a whirlwind of a fall break in Idaho with my parents and siblings–my mother made her incredible homemade doughnuts on Saturday, we went to DI on Friday morning and took more than we bought (except that we took more from my parents’ house, and what we bought came home with us), and we watched a movie with my parents before having dinner at my brother’s house on Sunday. Good times! We desperately missed the littles–my great-nieces and great nephew–that moved at the end of the summer, but we still enjoyed our family time. Now it’s back to school for the kiddos, a stressful week of work for my hubby, and all the things to do at home for me. (Although to be fair, I do volunteer at the school on Wednesdays, and so I’ve done that today.)

Before we left, however, I did manage to finish reading Hope Wins: A Collection of Inspiring Stories for Young Readers, and it was lovely. ‘Stories’ is not the most accurate term, since they’re short-story-length memoirs or essays, but the fact that the experiences related are real makes them far more relatable–and impactful. And given the collection of contributing writers–Newbery winners, Rick Riordan Presents authors, authors of popular series, and graphic novelists–my guess is that most readers of Hope Wins will have read something by at least one of the authors sharing his/her personal experiences. And because those authors are sharing real struggles–the death of a family member, divorce, undiagnosed autism or mental illness, the difficulties of fitting in (especially when your racial, ethnic, or financial situation makes that near impossible), the seeming impossibility of dreams–their readers are (hopefully) going to feel seen in a way kids so often don’t. Bless Rose Brock for making this book happen.

And now, back to the laundry.