April books.

I'm back with more books sooner than expected because I've been reading more this month. Some are audio but that counts. Plus, we've got a fun new book link-up to join! 

Head over to one of these blogs and share your current reads. 

Linking up with Tanya!

The World After Alice by Lauren Aliza Green 3.5 stars

This was sent to me by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. 

I liked this story. It'd make a great movie. There's lots of back and forth in time and there are no, in my opinion, likable characters. It works but it's depressing. I can't say much without giving away spoilers but my Goodreads review has spoilers if you want to go over there. The only thing I'll complain about is that the author really liked her thesaurus. That will jump out at you right away and is *not* a spoiler. 

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas 2 stars

I am the last person to read this and I decided I would try it out and see what all the hype was about. I ranted on Instagram last week. I have a lot to say. Basically, I was intrigued and pulled into the story immediately. I enjoyed the main character at the beginning. The premise (a version of Beauty and the Beast) was somewhat interesting to me. However....Maas started throwing around the word "glamour" and I started having flashbacks to 2008 and I saw green forests and Volvos and vampires in this story (iykyk) when it's not actually about vampires. ACOTAR is about fairies....I thought "glamour" was specific to vampires. 

Essentially, by the end of the book I was convinced that Maas had taken Twilight + The Hunger Games + maybe a little of the Sookie Stackhouse novels and whipped it into a fantasy series of sorts. That didn't work for me. It seemed like a recreation. I did finish the book though with some heavy skimming toward the end.

And she really liked the phrase "my bowels turned watery" and I'm not sure why she used it so many times.

Everyone Here is Lying by Shari Lapena 5 stars

I listened to this in two days. I really enjoyed it. I don't usually jump for her books immediately but they don't really let me down. I'm not sure why I don't read all of her novels right away. It's a mystery with many layers. Lots of lying. Maybe some unreliable narration. I kind of predicted the ending but it was a good ride getting there. 

Well to the Core by Robin Long 4 stars

If you already follow Robin and her Pilates company, most of this isn't new. But her approach is motivating and made me realize I don't have to do-it-all in a season where I'm at the edge of barely functioning. (Seasons change and hopefully this one is almost over.) And when anyone says "oh you're thin" (I don't condone this...it's awkward) or, my favorite, "do you run?", I always feel dumb if I say I do pilates. But this is ALL I do at this point. I wish I had time to walk every day but I don't. I can usually do 15 minutes of pilates though and it makes a difference. 

Her podcast is really good too, so I recommend it. 

If you're looking for a balanced way to even out your habits and your health, this is worth a read. I've followed her since 2014, so I knew I'd get to this eventually. It was released last fall. 

The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

I don't really "rate" kids' books. But this is going to be an unpopular opinion: I loathe this book. I, as an intermediate teacher, managed to avoided it for several years. I knew I wouldn't like it. I don't do animal stories. I especially don't do sad animal stories. But, when I moved into a new school, I inherited 50 copies and an already-bought novel study so I had to do it. It's a 300+ page slog of depression and sadness. And if you look up the story of the real Ivan, that'll make you sad too. I don't think the kids disliked it but it was way too long to hold their attention and the chapters aren't numbered so it was really hard to give them reading to do because I'd have to use a range of pages and it just didn't work. There was a lot of violence and animal abandonment and adult themes. I'm not going to do it next year.

And I feel pretty vindicated knowing I've been right about how *I* would feel about this book all along :)

However, I also found the movie on Youtube and we watched it after finishing the book. The movie is great! Wells watched it too. I would recommend that as a stand-alone, 100%. 

Did not finish:

The Burnout by Sophie Kinsella

Funny Story by Emily Henry

These two books are exactly the kind of movies I would pull up to watch on Netflix. They would hold my interest. They would maybe even make a cute series. But I know exactly how they end. I just don't know the exact path the author will use to get there. So I enjoy the start of them and I can appreciate the set up and then...I lose interest. They are too tropey for me. I want to watch them. I don't want to read them. So it's not them, it's me. 

Currently reading: 

Unpopular opinions #958

I wish I'd actually kept track of how many of these I've written. Maybe it's like 9 or 10 by now. Who knows?

Let's start off with a good one: Long hair is not a personality trait. I don't know how women, especially moms, spend all their time flipping their long hair about. Like, doesn't it bother you? Shoulder length is fine, ladies. There's nothing you can't do with mid-back hair that you can't also do with shoulder length.

I bought a (cheaper) waterpik because my dentist insisted for the third visit in a row. I hate it. It is awful. There is no reason why anyone should have to use a waterpik, ever. I will never actually use it regularly and I keep thinking that if I slip and miss, I will lose an eye. 

Kids should not be allowed to chew gum. It ruins their teeth. This is 100% my most unpopular opinion these days. Wells keeps saving all of his gum until he's "six". Benchmark is about to move to "seven". 

Hey Dudes are the actual worst. You will never convince me that these are worth $60+. Crocs, Hey Dudes, Danskos.....my list of ugliest shoes in the world continues to expand. I know when you look at the Hey Dudes site, they don't look *that* bad and, hey, they'd be great for a weekend at the lake (per the pictures). But there is SOMETHING about grown adults wearing them in professional settings that makes me think our civilization is coming to an end. Like, this is it. We're done. There's nowhere left to go. 

Spirit weeks at school are not really spirit weeks when they come once a month. Back in the day, we'd have one spirit week for Red Ribbon Week in October and everyone would get really into it and it would culminate in Halloween. Then, we'd have maybe one more for the week before state testing, just to do something fun. Now, it's every week before a holiday break, the whole month of December, the whole month of May, and a few days in between. I cannot keep up so I stopped trying. It literally doesn't matter, it doesn't make me a better person to participate, and you'll never convince me otherwise. 

Make me feel better about being so picky about things. Give me an unpopular opinion. 

No summer school

 

I made the decision that we would not do summer school this year. If anything, this summer will be my experiment into homeschooling, doing some of the basics each day. We can go to library story times, Wells can play tball, we can go to the pool since Sutton is older this year and hopefully more agreeable. 

There is no reason why Wells needs to be in summer school. I need that entire two month break and I think he does too. 

The Sunday scaries hit me in a big way each week, and I can't imagine pushing through an extra month of that. Sure, it'd be an extra paycheck, but the regular daycare will not be available in the summer. I can't fathom dropping Sutton off *somewhere else* and leaving her there all day. I also don't want Wells going on field trips without me. Last year, I went on the field trips with him and I still had moments where I wished I'd stuck an airtag on him. You see,  I've taken kids on overnight field trips.  I've done field trips to any and all places you can imagine including amusement parks and water parks. I, for the life of me, do not understand how parents just...let their kids go on field trips? I never didn't do the best job I possibly could and we never had any issues. However...no one watches your kid like you do. I follow way too much true crime for me to believe he's always going to be safe. 

And I don't trust my 5 year old who can't swim at a pool without me. Unfortunately all the field trips are to the pool this summer. If I were teaching summer school, I wouldn't be able to go on the primary grade field trips with him. I'd have to go on my own trips, Sutton would be in a strange daycare, and Wells would off somewhere without me. 

Call me neurotic, but it is what it is. 

So the plusses of teaching summer school (one extra paycheck for the month of June and not having a stranger in my classroom) do not outweigh the minuses.

Plus, Scott's block leave is in the summer and, while I don't know that we're taking a big trip or anything, it's nice to have the option.

Friday things, 4/19

1. Jett is having some health issues. He has a mass that needs to be removed and another one that likely needs to be biopsied and removed. They told us, last week, that it was basically the end of things for him. When the bloodwork came back, they seemed shocked to see that it was "good" and better than normal for a 10 year old dog, even. He's a candidate for surgery so I'm taking him to a surgeon in a few weeks. They will tell us what we should do. He is acting *fine* at this point and I'm just praying that continues because my nerves seriously can't take this.  He is on an antibiotic and I started a series of anti-inflammatory supplements. He's not young but Brittanys usually live 14 or 15 years. We would really appreciate any prayers you have for Jett. 

It was a really long weekend, basically, sorting out what to do for him. He's acting normal but I feel like some pricey medical procedure + recovery time is coming. 

2. A always favorite I don't share enough: I bought a recent refill on this and it's the only kitchen spray I like to use. There is one grocery store here that sells it but Amazon is usually where you can find it. The parsley one is a favorite but it's really hard to find, which is so odd. I started buying that one when we lived in Colorado. 

3. I mentioned this oil cleanser last week-ish. If you haven't tried it, you need to physically run to the website. I have been using it for over two weeks and this week, for some reason, I've used it exclusively at night. I cannot say enough good things. It does everything the site says it will.

4. I had an appointment on Tuesday and I took the whole day off instead of rushing back to school and it was amazing. I stopped for coffee. I got a pedicure, I met Scott for lunch, I finished two books that had been half-started on my kindle, and then I took a nap. I did nothing productive and it was perfect. 

5. This weekend, I am building a kid-sized cardboard car for a school project and grading an enormous stack of papers. If I didn't have to take time off to take Jett to the vet, I'd be taking another day for myself before the end of the year for sure. I think the kindergarten teachers are trying to do me in with these projects. 

"Have fun" as I'm asking Scott at 10pm if there's spray paint in a variety of colors in the garage. "Fun"

Linking up with Andrea and Erika

The best $20 I've ever spent.

When Wells was born, we didn't buy a highchair because I'd heard you didn't need one til they were like 6 months old and then we were going to move when he was about 5 months old and so I figured I'd worry about that later. We just used the bumbo when he started solid food at 4 months. 

I ordered this antilop high chair from Ikea in February 2019 when we moved to Pittsburgh. I had gotten used to ordering online, having lived in Colorado and Wyoming, so it never occurred to me that I could've driven 30 minutes to Ikea and picked it up. 

Wells' first birthday

Fun surprise for me: when it arrived, it didn't have the legs with it. I couldn't figure out what I was missing or if I was going crazy, but then I ended up packing up 7 month old Wells, half a highchair, and driving to Ikea anyway. This was my second time ever in an Ikea so I had to negotiate how to find the returns/exchanges location. If you're wondering, I 100% went on a weekday morning. 

When I told them it was missing legs, they said that happens all the time and grabbed me four legs from a backroom. 

Chair. 

I *love* that they say you can take it apart to take along to restaurants. It's not THAT convenient. They didn't have this tray 5 years ago. I'd get that today if I were buying it again, along with a foot rest. I know the foot rest is important for traction while chewing and all. However, it would also give them more traction to climb out. Sutton has become an expert at trying to climb out of this high chair. 

We used this highchair all during our time in Pittsburgh and then we packed it into storage and moved it to Kansas. It does have a really wide footprint so it took up a lot of space in our tiny Pittsburgh kitchen. Wells was 23 months at that point and he just started sitting at the counter in Kanas and we never used the highchair. It came with us to Missouri and lived in the barn for a bit. When Sutton was probably 6 months old, I dug it out and cleaned it up and it's been in our kitchen ever since. 

Since she is over two now, I would like to pack it away again. I mean, you can only look at a piece of Ikea plastic for so long if it's not super useful and she prefers the counter. She, most days, actually refuses to sit in it.  But once in awhile, she wants in it.  As soon as I tried to take the legs off this weekend, she started trying to climb in. She also can't climb up a bar stool yet on her own.

It's my personal opinion that you don't need a fancy highchair and when I see moms buying the $$$ ones, I cringe. This looks *just* as nice as a Stokke or Tripp Trapp, you know? It's also a million times easier to clean and you won't be (as) sad to pack it away because it wasn't a huge investment. Packing up baby gear you feel you didn't get your money's worth from is a terrible feeling. 

However, I'll warn you: you will be watching Youtube videos on how to remove the tray, probably more than once. (also, white plastic stains easily: I've used bleach spray and then soaked in clean water to rinse and it always looks brand new)

Sutton's first birthday.

(I don't exactly endorse not using the straps, but we often didn't use the straps if we were right there. But you don't come to this blog for professional advice :)

Photos lately.

 

Sutton went to the dentist last week. She did really well, me holding her arms down and all. But I think watching Wells go first made a huge difference. 

This piqued my interest. I screenshotted it so now I get lots of ads.

The discreet doggy door in a random back corner of the house changed everyone's quality of life. We put it in about a year ago. It's a game changer. If you don't have a doggy door for your dog, you need to get one. 

The pellet stove also is a huge quality of life thing around here. Missouri winter is bitter cold, wet, windy, and gross. There was an addition added onto this house before we bought it and this keeps that part of the house warm, especially at night. Fun fact: it was definitely broken when we moved in, despite us being told otherwise. Scott fixed it a year and a half ago and we haven't looked back. 

Building a cheetah habitat. I do enjoy it when teachers give parents homework.(not really). He did do this himself. I wrapped up the box in paper, bought the cheetahs, and used the hot glue gun after he had it all arranged. Scott said *I* did it, when I definitely did not. I provided no guidance because as soon as I handed him the box, he got started and I didn't have a chance. He used a whole roll of tape on that den there.

Next week, we are building a kid-sized cardboard car for their next project....

Ice cream.

Eclipse viewing.

Cheetah habitat on display.

Our front yard these days. Those are roof panels.

I make one or two sourdough loaves a week. 

It's nice when they get along. Usually "getting along" means sharing a $6 container of blueberries. I bought two of them on Saturday and they're already gone. 

I don't take outfit photos anymore because this is what it usually looks like when I walk in the door. 

I decided on Friday I was going to pack up the high chair because she never wants to sit in it (she sits at the counter on a stool). Yesterday she decided all she wanted to do was sit in it, so it might make it to summer vacation. 

6 more Mondays....

(I initially thought 5 more Mondays last week and it was a little heartbreaking to realize my math was so wrong.)

Church-less Easter (+ military life thoughts)

 ...which is actually our norm. We went to church on Easter last year for the first time since 2013. It has nothing to do with what we've believed in and has everything to do with location. 

Bread

This Easter, and I feel like people who don't live near family might not understand, was just similar to any other Sunday. Scott was mid-roof replacement. I wasn't going to make a giant dinner for us. We didn't have anywhere to go or anywhere to be. We also weren't invited anywhere which is something I didn't realize until I was typing this. Often, in the military, you find yourself invited somewhere by someone. 

Last year, we went to a church near our house from about February til September-ish. At that point, Sutton was at the height of clinginess and attending church was something I physically didn't have the capacity for. The bigger reason was that I did some digging into doctrine and I realized I didn't believe what this denomination believed. Scott didn't believe it. No one I knew believed it. I asked a lot of people a lot of questions. I read a lot of books, articles, and listened to more Youtube videos that I care to remember. I was looking for every reason to prove that I was right and this church was wrong. 

In the end, I realized it didn't matter. I don't believe the denomination is right. I don't believe they're backed up by the Bible. And I spent a lot of time trying to figure out if the hundreds of people who attend (good people, wonderful people) even know that this is what the denomination believes or if it's just cultural church, a small town, a family-based Sunday activity with grandparents, cousins, aunts, and uncles. 

In the end, again, it didn't matter. We could stop going. We could go somewhere else. I didn't need to prove anyone wrong. I did prove myself right but it didn't matter; the denominational beliefs are the denominational beliefs so I wasn't going to change anyone's mind.

The bunny (dogs) ate the carrots and left eggs.

Back to the point of this post:

Scott has been replacing the roof entirely on his own. He started the week of spring break. I picked stuff up. I threw things in the dumpster. I kept the kids busy for weeks while he worked. Wells and Sutton picked up nails. 

Almost 3 years ago, when Scott replaced the back half of the roof, his friend drove in from Colorado to help him. This time, the same friend (who we didn't expect to come help again, by the way) asked "wow you don't have anyone to help you?" and we realized we didn't. 

"Church" in the sense of being the hands and feet of Jesus would, I think, look like neighbors and friends offering to help Scott with the roof. I don't want to think we're entitled to help and I don't want to pull that "Christians don't act like Jesus" talk because it's not true. It just doesn't seem right that *we* are not going to Easter egg hunts and potlucks with everyone else simply because we are busy with a 2-3 man project that Scott is accomplishing all on his own. I don't want to be petty but it's just another reminder that we are not of this small town in the same way we're not of this world. That's what military life feels like, often. That you don't really belong anywhere. I do not want to live on a military base. But at least if you live there, everyone is in the same boat. 

Dressed in our Easter best

I will say that the resiliency factor instilled in us all is really something. I see it growing in Wells and I hope Sutton gets it too. I signed Wells up for summer sports near the base, specifically, because I want him mixing with other kids. April is the month of the military child and the flower of the military child is a dandelion because they can grow anywhere. 

I don't want Wells to forget that even though this is where we live now, this is not how it will always be. They were talking about adding grandparents' day breakfast to the school schedule for next September, and saying it didn't matter if some kids didn't have grandparents because other kids should get to have breakfast with their grandparents. That was another reminder that maybe Wells should just be in a military school, after all. They'd never have that attitude there. I still remember Wells crying when he was 3 in preschool because he didn't have grandparents to eat breakfast with. 

Anyway. That was just all going through my head when Wells asked why we didn't go to church on Easter. I don't know how you could try to, or even want to, make a 5 year old understand all of that. 

Products lately.

I recently placed an order with A'del Natural Cosmetics again. About a year ago, I got loose powder from them instead of buying Bare Minerals. I liked it so much better! I'm almost out now because it lasts forever. This is what I got from them this time:

I kept going back and forth about whether I should order products from Beauty Counter or from A'del. The truth is that A'del is a Christian company started by one woman and the products are superior. They just really are. This is not drugstore make-up. It also has all the "free" labels on it and it's not terrible for you. 

Granted, Beauty Counter is also a clean option and I do like their products a lot; they're just a lot more expensive and I don't know where my money is going aside from into the MLM infrastructure. 

The selling point to A'del for me personally though, is that they give a military discount. TWENTY PERCENT. It makes such a difference. 

Here's my order from A'del:

This is what a similar product order would look like from Beauty Counter:

BC doesn't have powder foundation, which was my reason for going to A'del. The Lipid Defense Cleansing Oil is what I wanted from BC but I'm going to try the Blue Lagoon Cleanse(ing) oil instead because it's basically the same thing and I've heard good reviews. Cream blush has been on my list for awhile. ...does blush go bad? I have a powder blush I've loved from Sephora but it doesn't give the same look it used to it seems. 

Something else I went back to, speaking of MLMs, was ordering a product from Rodan + Fields.

 Hear me out: I seriously love their products. I would use them exclusively if they weren't so expensive. When I was a consultant, my products were mostly paid for by my commissions and discounts. If you don't have an actual need for the products, it's probably not something you want to spend money on just for fun. If you don't have a *need* for actual dermatological products, it's not worth it. But my skin has been bothering me again lately...flare-ups of PCOS and stress, probably. 

As I perused the new offerings on the site, I saw this geared toward acne. While I am a forever stan of Unblemish, it's not cheap. And it's a whole regimen. I don't want the sunblock (I love Supergoop Glowscreen for my face). I don't feel like I need the toner. I have no dark spots that it's meant to treat. I really like my elf toner, to be honest. All I really want is the "dual intensive acne treatment" (the peroxide/salicylic acid stuff you put on your face before bed) and a cleanser for the end of the day. 

I ended up getting Spotless instead. It fits what I want for half the price. I mean, who cares if it's for "teens" right? 

I will say that I think the formula is different than Unblemish but I'm seeing results already so I'll take it. If you have any kind of regular adult acne, I highly recommend because, short of going to the dermatologist and getting prescriptions (a route I've also taken in the past), you won't find a better OTC treatment than Rodan+Fields. 

I don't sell anything for them anymore, but my advice is that if you plan on ordering more than once a year, it's absolutely worth the $19.95 to become a PC Perks member. Free shipping and a hefty discount on all products. 

And then two very affordable and effective products to round out this post:

Gold eye masks. 

These are a game-changer if you have sinus issues and a godsend after a night up with a toddler. Keep them in the fridge. 

CeraVe eye cream

This is the best eye cream. Beauty Counter ($77 and $47), Rodan + Fields, or spend all the money you want on a product. This $13 tube is superior. Change my mind. 

Amazon lately. (January-March)

We're just running on a quarterly system these days. 

This is a toddler sleep sack that would've worked wonderfully for toddler Wells. Toddler Sutton hates it, so I don't think I ever even got it on her. But these giant Ziplock totes are perfect for storing baby clothes and toys and going under beds. The sleep sack is already in one. 

We got this highback booster for Wells in our extra vehicle since he's outgrown our extra carseat. File under things I'll never understand: why do some carseats and boosters cost $487 and some cost $60? Why are some systems $900-1200 while some are $150? WHY? (we also finally threw away our infant seat system which has definitely served us well for 6 years...I don't know why it makes me so sad to throw it away. It's expired. It can never be used again, so it's not like we can

The phone case was an impulse buy. I like Speck a lot but it was $13, not $25. I don't know, guys: I've had two really great phone cases in my life: one bought at Fred Meyer for an iPhone 4 and one bought at Walmart for an iPhone 8. I've been chasing that high ever since. 

For Valentine's Day...

New pajamas for both kids. I like these a lot. They weren't impressed with my pink and red color scheme. 

The Daniel Tiger Colorforms was more trouble than it was worth for an almost 2 year old. Maybe for a 4 year old they'd be better. 

The Lego set brought a lot of joy though, per usual. 

The dino book and stuffy was for a 2 year old's birthday. Lambs & Ivy is a nice brand if you're looking on Amazon. 

The beads were for a school friendship bracelet group. 

And more pacifiers obviously. Buying just the replacements is a great hack, instead of a whole new stuffy + paci. 

 

This is the best affordable undereye corrector. I make that claim because I'm sure there's something expensive out there but I haven't tried it. 

More beads. 

This undated planner is actually very nice. For $20, it's the EC brand but you can customize it any way you want. 

Cake topper. 

I like to use these as meal-planners and grocery lists but I haven't been as faithful to this system (that worked so well for me in 2021) in 2024. 

In so many moves/houses, we've lost and found and re-lost and broke many a measuring spoon. This set is really nice because it has two styles of spoon (round and oval) and they stick together in the drawer. 

Our 13 year old crockpot finally died this past fall (the stoneware cracked). Scott ordered this one and I like it a lot. 

Antlers for dogs. 

A children's biography of Einstein that I used for school. It was a coincidence that I read this right before we watched Oppenheimer over spring break and it all made so much sense when I saw Einstein's role in the movie. 

Suit and rash guard for Wells. 

Water bottle for Sutton. Thee are my favorite water bottles for kids. They last forever. 

We probably won't be buying more Pokemon "legos". This isn't the actual Lego brand but I've learned that Pokemon "legos" only come from this company and they are not as high-quality as actual Legos. We didn't have issues with the two sets we got last year for Wells' birthday but this one, from Easter, caused some frustration; the blocks don't easily snap and stay together. 

Sunglasses for kids. 

This party in a box. I think it was kind of a waste of money but I really wanted the decorations/plates/cups. I did not need the wooden 'plastic'ware and paper cups. 

It's like they know you can't find Daniel Tiger decor just anywhere so they mark up the price. 

I got these sharpeners for school. It was a bargain and they are pretty high-quality for the price. 

A thundershirt that doesn't work :) I think it's a dog problem, not a product problem.

Refill for the carpet scrubber. I just look for pleasant/clean scents. This one had good reviews. 

My favorite soap for the kids. 

Always have to have Resolve on hand with small children around. 

Our food scale was also on it's last leg. The buttons had fallen off awhile ago. I believe Scott originally bought it in Afghanistan (Amazon delivers everywhere!) and used it to make dough and bread there. 

But I noticed the measurements where way off when I was making sourdough. This new one works perfectly. 

These dish brushes are so much better than the plastic ones with sponges. I also run it through the dishwasher once a week or so.

We did not have a Dutch oven. I got this, originally, for sourdough before I realized I preferred a loaf pan for bread. But it looks really high-end so I think I'll use it for a lot of things. 

The story of James Naismith for kids, another book for school. And the book of animal poetry, also for school. I use these with my curriculum ("curriculum"), but I justify it easily because of Wells and Sutton since they can have them.

Last but not least: A Daniel Tiger dress. 

Linking up with Tanya!