Summer Secrets by Jane Green

It's the summertime! For those of us who like to devour books by the day or week that can mean only one thing. SUMMER BEACH READS! If you are dying for a great read while you are vacationing or just taking a little weekend escape then I have a wonderful read for you. Summer Secrets: A Novel by Jane Green. Straight up, I read it as fast as I could last week before we left for the Fourth. In fact, H was packing up to leave and I was still lying on the bed trying to finish up the last few pages before we headed out.  It was worth it.  I couldn't put it down.  It was light enough to be enjoyable while sitting on my porch or by the pool but had depth and detail in the story to keep me rooting for the characters. A little more about it... A shocking family secret is revealed to … [Read more...]

Where’s Mummy?

Not home, that is for sure. I am sure if you swing into the Yorktown area of Virginia later today you will find me in a pool with my kids enjoying this first week of summer. Earlier this week I was up in Dearborn, Michigan again with Ford. I know! I was beyond excited too! Drag racing F-150's, learning about new and current technology in Ford cars and meeting some amazing people. It was educational, inspiring and a total blast! Ed Begley Jr spoke about the small things we can all do to help the environment. It was great to hear such passion from someone besides myself on this matter. On a whole other note, head over to MPR. Scroll through and enter some great contests on beauty items, Cars 2 prize packs and a year's subscription to Discovery Girl magazine! If you are a ginormous … [Read more...]

Where’s Mummy?

On her third cup of coffee and still finding herself standing in her kitchen holding a fork, dish towel and piece of pineapple in her hand. Am I eating the pineapple with the fork or am I wiping it with the dish towel? I don't know. I'm too tired today to remember. Thanks Cinco de Mayo!In other news-There's still time to enter a Fling Bin for your recyclables! ProPlants is giving one lucky MPR reader a $50 gift code too! There are Tostito's too!Good Reads-The Lies Parents Tell by Sarah and the Goon SquadCathy Herard's awesomeness. She has more than reviews. She has green living, recipes and all sorts of other things under the Maine sun. All the books I think I will be getting for Mother's Day-Bossypants by Tina FeyThe Social Climbers Handbook (think female American Psycho) by Molly … [Read more...]

Just Book It

"When are you going to write a book? Quite honestly, I think you should. You have such a beautiful gift."I've been told I should write a book for a while. Even Role Mommy said so! I have to say that I am indeed working on it. It's just incredibly hard when you only have blips of time to do that work plus everything else. For me to write a book or even get enough of my act together to send something off to publishers would take s o much concentrated time and effort on my part.I promised H I would do it by the end of the summer but then my weekly sitter up and quit on me. So the whole working on the book thing isn't going as well as I would have hoped.Here's the thing though- would you even buy a book I would write or am I just wasting my time? … [Read more...]

On The Nightstand

I've been inspired this week by the summer reading bug, Newsweek and the blog, Everyday I Write the Book. I'm an avid reader, typically reading about 3 books and 2 magazines at a time. I read standing up while cooking dinner, I read in the car while waiting even if it's for a mere moment. I scatter reading material all about the house so that there is always something handy if I have a free second to read. When Newsweek devoted a whole issue this week to author interviews, a revised 'must' read lists and the pure joy that is reading I found myself in a state of bliss. I had just finished 'Testimony' by Anita Shreve and I'm working my way through these two books as well. Books are piling up on my nightstand and my local library just waiting for me to unleash their secret worlds. A … [Read more...]

Jennifer Weiner’s New BFF

Recently, I had the opportunity to interview best-selling novelist Jennifer Weiner about her new book, Best Friends Forever (debuting July 14, 2009). To say I was ecstatic would be an understatement. I have enjoyed reading Weiner's book since the very beginning. I can still remember a cross-country flight that was fun and relaxing because I was reading, In Her Shoes (now a major motion picture), the whole time.1. The theme of female friendship is the common thread that all your previous books have in common. However, the opening to “Best Friends Forever” plays out like a suspense thriller. How is this book different from your others?I wanted to weave elements of suspense and a highly compressed time frame in to a more traditional narrative about the way two girls came together and grew … [Read more...]

The Comedian

So, what is up with you acting like a five day old Wolverine baby? All gnashing gums and razor fingers ripping at my decolletage. You find it all highly and sickly amusing. Are you illin' or just up to your usual tricks? Internets, I would like to introduce you to The Comedian. Formerly known as Dash Two this little bundle of non-stop giggles has shown us she has quite a sadistic *cough* er interesting sense of humor. Exhibit A:Me: Gaah!! Must nurse! Let's go Dash Two - feed!Dash Two nurses for 2 seconds, breaks off, looks up at me and smiles. Then laughs. She repeats this painful little move about nine more times. TD finds it all very hysterical. Me? Not so much.Exhibit B:Dash Two wakes up and I pick her up. She stinks. As I begin to change her my finger lands in something … [Read more...]

Book Day! Entry 3

Once again, saved by the book. After a sleepless night convincing me that there is indeed no rest for the wicked (another post entirely) and the wicked not being me but our dog, I am grateful to be have the book. You'll notice this part goes back a few years in Casey's life and this part is really just setting the scene for later things. I'm toying with this idea of going back and forth in her life. The 90sCasey slid down the wall, hugging her notebook to her small frame and feeling the hard books in her backpack dig into her back. She slumps down beneath the front office window of her new school. Who knew that high School was the gateway to hell, she thought to herself. Certainly not her parents who had decided that public school would be a good change for her. She had her doubts, but … [Read more...]

Oh! You Didn’t Know I Had a Maid, Did You?

Yes, it's true. I have a maid. How else would I get everything done?She's quite efficient too. When I finish my shower, there she is at the ready, holding my towel for me. She would not have it any other way. She's my lady in waiting though I have no rank.She hands me my make-up. She holds my hairbrush and patiently waits for me to put in my hair goop.She even doles out my lotions and other assorted face products.She puts away the laundry. Everything in its proper place! Draws must close completely and she scolds me when I half shut them.She is obsessive about dusting and even screams at me when I try to do it myself.In fact, whenever I try to do anything on my own there she is trailing after me yelling, "ME HELP! ME HELP!"If you haven't already figured it out, my daughter is the maid. … [Read more...]

I’m sorry, I cheated.

Dear Hairdresser,Would you prefer to be called stylist? I'm just not sure anymore. My confidence in you has gone. We had such a beautiful relationship. It was good while it lasted and then things just went horribly wrong. I'm not sure what happened still but your inability to listen forced me into the arms of another.I hated to do it. I'm not one for betrayal. I really did think you had mad skillz in everything hair. The subtle way you wound highlights into my hair each autumn with the lowlights was completely stunning. Your service impeccable. You spoiled me. Your clean, vibrant, non-chemical smelling salon turned me rotten for everyone else. So did the cookies and chocolates on trays and all the other small touches I became used to when in your presence. I even, sigh, let you hug me when … [Read more...]