Adventures in La La Land

1. This week's drama was Lena's bug bite saga. Tuesday evening she started complaining about itchy bug bites. She was up every single hour  all night crying that she was itchy and begging for "bug bite cream." I marched up and down those stairs with Hydrocortisone cream roughly 6,000 times. Wednesday was an absolute nightmare. She was covered in big red welts - arms, legs, belly, back, fingers, feet, and face. She did not stop crying all day. I used half a tube of Hydrocortisone, a chunk of Vick's, and an oatmeal bath to no avail. Finally, I wised up and gave the poor kid Benadryl. I've never given my kids Benadryl (I gave Levi Zyrtec for his hives), so I was nervous she would be one of those weird kids who has an unusual reaction. But she did exactly as expected: I suggested that she lay in my bed and watch a movie during Levi's nap and she fell asleep within minutes. She slept for 2.5 hours and we all had a welcome reprieve from the scratching

1. The girls had their first gymnastics classes on Monday. They had been eagerly (and impatiently) awaiting them, so we were all excited for them to get started. Waiting for class to start When it was time for them to get started, they had opposite reactions. Lucy ran right out there and joined her class. Lena clung to me crying that her belly hurt. The poor kid wants to do stuff so badly, but when it comes down to it, the anxiety overwhelms her. I gave her a Tums and pushed her out on the floor. She sat with her class crying for about 30 seconds until they started stretching. Then she was fine the rest of the time. I am a terrible photographer and did not get many pictures. Lucy's class started on the floor, doing a series of exercises that Lucy can't do without help (handstand, bridge, etc.), so she kind of stood around aimlessly unless the teacher was there to help her. I could see her confidence slipping and could tell she wasn't enjoying it. But then they sw

Affiliate Link I requested to review this book in June because nothing else that was available interested me. I wasn't overly thrilled to read this one either, as is obvious since I just remembered I had it. So I was pleasantly surprised to discover that I liked it so much more than I expected! At first, I was annoyed that it was going to be another  one of those stories - you know, where the rich heiress is sick of society's games and just wants to marry for love. Been there, done that. So many times. But this story was so much more layered than that. There were love triangles that kept me guessing, mystery, and heart-wrenching emotions. And Tenley's story, set in modern times, was equally well done. Sometimes in past/present novels, I favor one storyline over the other. But in this one, I loved them both and was eager to find out what happened in each. The characters were well-rounded and believable. I felt for them and rooted for them. And discovering the conne

Affiliate Link The strength of this book lies in its legal elements. Dylan obviously has experience as a lawyer, but she did an amazing job of dumbing down the jargon for those of us whose only knowledge of the legal system comes from fictional TV shows. It was educating without being dry and I felt like I understood what was going on every step of the way. The story was compelling and the mystery elements kept me guessing. I read it all in one sitting to see how it would resolve. However, I felt like the romance and relationships were a little stagnant. There was zero chemistry between the love interests and even the friendships were cliched and one dimensional. Of course Kate happens to have two friends who are lawyers and Landon has two male friends as well. I can't imagine where that might lead . . . Overall I enjoyed the story. I give it 3.5/5 stars. I received this book for free from Baker Book House in exchange for an honest review.

1. Quick camping recap: It was pretty much what I expected. We all "slept" in the tent on the first night. Levi woke up after a couple hours crying inconsolably and ended up on the air mattress with Justin and me for the rest of the night. Lucy woke up crying inconsolably for no apparent reason. And I was freezing. The second night, Levi and I went to a family member's house down the road and slept in their basement. It was so  much better. During the day, Levi just wanted to run. We had a group site, and everyone helped watch out for him, but I felt like I couldn't take my eyes off him. It rained for about an hour one evening, but our tent stayed nice and dry. Overall, it was a great time. I'll never enjoy cooking outside or trekking to the bathroom or trying to keep my kids away from the fire, but I love spending time with family, swimming in the heated pool, and watching my kids enjoy everything. 2. Levi had his 18 month check-up this week. He weighs