Adventures in La La Land

Affiliate Link One thing I love about contemporary fiction is that it deals with such real issues. None of this, "Oh dear, I'm a titled aristocrat but I have no patience for the whims of the aristocracy and long for meaningful connection with a man who loves me for my heart not my title." (Although in fairness, Willow is a minor celebrity with a major bank account, which pretty much makes her a modern day aristocrat.) Willow Bradford has the perfect life but secret mistakes from her past haunt her. Abandoned by her mother at a young age, Willow has always set out to deserve love by being a good girl and following the rules. I loved how Wade weaved in Willow's struggles with admitting her need for grace and then accepting it. I don't appreciate preachiness in Christian fiction, but Wade does it so well that I hardly even notice. And her theology is so timely and spot-on that I want to applaud after every paragraph! This book isn't all heavy-hitting though

1. Last Sunday we went to Justin's grandparents' retirement home to swim in their pool. I wasn't going to actually swim because thighs/cellulite/belly flab/mombod but it was so hot in the pool area that I decided to put my swimsuit on. And then when I stepped in the water, I was shocked by how warm it was. It must have been 85 degrees. It was amazing. The kids were in their glories, and Levi was totally fearless. Before Justin and I even changed into our swimsuits, Levi was marching down the stairs into the pool. And then when I was holding him in the water he kept pushing my hands away because he wanted to swim by himself. Haha. Finally, I situated him so I had my hands under his armpits and he just took off "swimming", paddling his hands and kicking his feet like a natural. I definitely need to get that kid in swimming lessons. Can you tell Justin's been working outside lately? Lol. 2. Diet update: It's not going super great. I officially st

We forgot to do this on her actual birthday. And she's old enough now to read what I type. The things in parentheses are her additions. ;-)  What do you and Mommy do together? I don't know. Read, I guess. What do you and Daddy do together? Watch TV What does your dream day look like? Screen time all day, McDonald's for lunch, Papa P's for dinner, chocolate chip cookies and cinnamon rolls for breakfast, and then the next day would be all swimming and the same food, and then the next day would be half reading/half swimming, same food. What makes you happy? Esther What is something scary? A thunderstorm when it's dark out What are you really good at? Swimming, reading Who is your best friend? Presley, Skyler, Alyssa Dr, and Avery V Who’s the prettiest person you know? Esther What do you want to be when you grow up? A teacher What do you think about before you fall asleep? The next day Favorites: Color  Either light green or aqua Book The Lena Series ( NO

1. We had a nice Mother's Day. The girls (and Justin) made me breakfast in bed. I was easy on them this year and bought microwavable cinnamon rolls from Daily Deals. They were delicious. The kids all made me cards. Lucy's contained a Roses are Red poem and  Bible verses, so I obviously have this Christian parenting thing down pat. ;-) I told Justin not to buy me anything because I've bought myself a couple of expensive things lately. #responsibleadult 2. I went back on my diet this week: no pop, tons of water, tons of vegetables, limited carbs (but not being crazy about it). I haven't lost much weight, which is always discouraging. I don't understand how I can cut hundreds of calories out of my diet each day by eliminating pop and not immediately start dropping pounds. I'm really going to try to stick it out this time, though. (How many times have you heard that before?) My crazy goal is 25 pounds, but I'm going to force myself to keep going until I lose a

1. First of all, thank you to everyone who reached out after my depressing post last week. So many people sent facebook messages, took me out for ice cream, invited me over for playdates, and prayed for me. God used all of you to minister to me this week. 2. We had a crazy busy week. Lucy's science fair project was due on Wednesday and the procrastination genes are strong in this family, so we were scrambling to get it finished Tuesday night. And then of course we've been preparing for Lucy's Birthday Extravaganza this weekend! 3. I'm a big fan of birthdays and that seems to have trickled down to my children. Haha. We had a three-part birthday event in honor of Lucy turning 8. Her actual birthday was yesterday. She picked donuts as her birthday treat (girl after my own heart), and then it worked out that it was Grandparents' Day at school, so she got to be doted on by her grandparents and ride home with my parents. After school, when Justin got home, she opened