Currently reading

When I have spare time (what's that you ask???), one of my favorite pasttimes is reading.  It is hard to pick up a book and read and read and read like I used to, with little ones around, though I am carving out bits and pieces of time more and more lately.  I used to cozy up in a comfy place with a snack and a cup of tea and read for hours.  Now, I sneak in moments here and there reading articles I come across online, or tuck into bed with a book before closing my eyes to sleep.  Some are funny and give me a chuckle to get through the day, some are topics I scour the internet for advice on, and some are touching and moving in the throes of the difficult times of motherhood.  Most of them are centered on parenting/motherhood, because that is what I do with 100% of my time these days.  Feel free to skip on over if you're not interested.

If you are in a scrolling along, reading kind of mood, here are a few places online I have been reading lately.

1. Excuse me while I lather my child in this toxic death cream
This is not actually about sunscreen, but rather how overwhelming it can be to be a mother in this day and age

2. Toddlers Are Dictators
Just as it sounds

3. How to teach the non-conforming child
A nice read on changing the teaching style to fit the kid, when necessary

4. Managing your toddler: Tantrums
Because.... yes

5. Parenting the highly sensitive boy
A great read for anyone who spends time with kids in general

I have also picked up a few books in the last few months and was surprised that I was actually able to finish reading them... something that hasn't happened in a long time.  So if you're looking for something bigger to read, here are the books I have enjoyed:

1. For the Love by Jen Hatmaker
A great, easy read, on allowing grace to enter your life, rather than comparison and rules and rigidity in this day and age.  (It's a Christian book, as a head's up)

2. Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson
A delightful little love story

3. The Woefield Poultry Collective by Susan Juby
A funny (laugh out loud) story about a New York girl trying to make her way on a farm in Vancouver Island

4. Missional Motherhood by Gloria Furman
I haven't read this yet, but am waiting on it to come in for a fresh perspective on bringing the Gospel into motherhood.

So there you have it!  Anything good on your summer reading bucket list?  

Mid-Week Blues

How are ya'll doing today?  Happy middle of the week!

It's Wednesday and I'm feeling slightly overwhelmed that we are halfway through the week already. We were away last weekend, and my house still hasn't been cleaned, I have 3 baskets full of laundry that have sat on my couch for the past two days waiting to be folded and put away, my kids are whiny and clingy, and now it's raining.  Plus, we have company coming and a house full of 10 people coming this weekend.  Some days, being a grown up is just hard work!  

Our boys are growing up.  They are learning to use the potty and wear underpants, talking a mile a minute and, most recently, learning to climb out of their cribs... The last point led me to do a little rearranging in their room to remove the convenient dresser in between their beds, which was a perfect little bridge from one bed to the other.

I just had to share a few pics of how cute it turned out once the rearranging was done.  Our little twin foxes sure do have an adorable little den!  

What's your week been like?  What do you do when the mid-week blues set in?  Anyone have fun plans for the weekend ahead?