Friday (er, Saturday) Recommendations, 5/25

 1. The Mayor of Kingstown.

I started watching this a year ago and gave up after two episodes. Since it permanently pops up on Amazon for some reason, Scott and I started it again last week. Once you fall into it, you will not stop. I have discovered that I basically like my TV as violent and vigilante-ish as possible and I don't know what that says about me. I just think you'll fall in love with the character of Mike McCluskey. He's smart and he's patient. This show gives you almost no information and just throws you into the story. 

It's not for the sensitive viewer; I've definitely had moments where I've fast-forwarded (or left the room if Scott is watching), but the storyline is enthralling. 

2. 

I just finished this book (FREE ON AUDIBLE) and it's been forcing me to reframe how I deal with all children, mine included. They don't need us to solve all their problems, but we do. They don't need us hovering, but we do. The over-monitored recess is a huge part of the problem because that's why kids don't know how to play together. In my one district, we had to track how many kids we interacted with during recess and there were cameras to make sure we were floating among the kids and not just standing off to the side.

This book is such the opposite of what I've seen lately from the Christian mom community ("my children won't leave my side") and I'm really trying to think about what kind of balance I need to seek. 

The title is a little misleading...it's not about letting your kids do whatever they want, I promise. It's about making sure your child is doing age-appropriate tasks independently. 

For example, I was walking all over the place with my cousins by age 10. I could not imagine letting my 10 year old do that today...I don't even like letting my almost-6-year-old go on field trips alone. But is that sustainable? No. Is it helping him? No. 

Anyway, this is a must-read for all parents, and teachers too. It's an excellent pairing with Abigail Shrier's Bad Therapy: Why The Kids Aren't Growing Up. 

3. Our Woman in Moscow by Beatriz Williams

I read this book almost 3 years ago when it came out because I can never wait long to get to whatever Beatriz Williams writes next. However, this one was unputdownable. It's 75% off on audio right now if you need a new book. 

In case you can't tell, I'm building a summer to-read and to-watch list...

4. I'm going to re-recommend a product here that I can't get enough of: the Blue Lagoon Cleanse from Adel. I use it to wash my face at night and I promise my skin has never looked better. I've used it almost every day for 6 weeks and the bottle is still half full. 

5. I'm going to attempt these lists again every Friday for the summer. I get my best ideas from blogs, always, so hopefully you find something useful.