Quick Before I Get Sidetrack'd

Yesterday Little and I got new ‘dos.

This was Little’s very first haircut.  She was born with a headful of hair and never lost any of it.  Because of that we had two issues: first, her hair was uneven – her “original” hair is very straight and her new hair has some curl; second, the longest parts of her hair came almost to her waist.  In order to even it up and get rid of her scraggly look, we got it cut in a blunt cut that falls just above her shoulders.  It is absolutely adorable, but she does look more like a little girl now.

She was a very good girl while her hair was being cut.  Our hairstylist is also a good friend, so Little is comfortable with L and I think that made a huge difference in her willingness to cooperate.  She sat in the chair like a big girl and was remarkably still; she even said “thank you” when L was finished cutting.  I was very proud of her, and I just love her new ‘do.

As for me, I went a little shorter in the back than the cut I’ve been sporting since January (which was pretty short already); the front is the same length it has been, but it is styled a bit differently.  I also got some copper highlights that I’m loving (settled on copper because Matt was very against the red-red that I wanted to do).  Just something fun and a little sassy for the summer.

It was fun to see Little’s first haircut, and I enjoyed getting a little pampering.  We had a nice “girls night” with L.

I would love to share pictures, but I’m having trouble with iPhoto; maybe I can get some posted after my tech guy is home to help.

Matt and I don’t see movies in the theater.  Before kids we made it to a movie about once a year, twice if it was an exceptionally good year for new releases.  Since Little was born, I think we’ve been to a theater once, to see the second Pirates of the Caribbean movie.  We’re Netflix subscribers so we see plenty of movies, just a few months (or more) after most people. [as an aside, I really like the Netflix service; if we weren’t members, we’d never see movies!]

Last night we decided to watch a movie after the kiddos went to bed.  Our movie-on-hand was Juno.  We’d seen the previews and heard good things about it, but I wasn’t really prepared for how much I would like this movie.  Granted, there are many things in the movie that I don’t condone – teenage pregnancy, divorce, bad language – but I laughed so hard that Matt was laughing at me. I have a bit of an odd sense of humor, and Juno is one of those quirky comedies that fit it perfectly (like The Princess Bride, Monty Python, Rushmore, for other examples).

In fact, I liked it so much that I considered watching it again today before I sent it back to Netflix.  I think I might have to add it to our DVD collection.

A few weeks ago our temperatures reached into the upper-80s and 90s and I ceased to view the season as Spring.  However, today is officially the last day of Spring, and, thus, the end of the Spring Reading Thing. All-in-all, I’m quite pleased with the reading I accomplished, especially since we added Boo to the mix about a month into the challenge.

These were the lists I started with:
Non-fiction:
John Adams by David McCullough
A Midwife’s Story by Penny Armstrong
The Thinking Woman’s Guide to a Better Birth by Henci Goer
The Complete Book of Sewing by DK Publishing (won’t finish this one by June)

Fiction:
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
Austenland by Shannon Hale
The Boleyn Inheritance by Philippa Gregory
Mater Biscuit by Julie Cannon
Stepping Heavenward by Elizabeth Prentiss

Here are my answers to the wrap up questions Katrina posted.

Did you finish all the books you had planned to read?  If not, why?

I finished all of the books on my fiction list and most of the books on my non-fiction list.  The two I did not complete were John Adams, which I’ve begun reading, and The Complete Book of Sewing, which I haven’t picked up since the beginning of the challenge.  I just don’t have the time or mental capacity for sewing right now.

Do you think the challenge helped you read more? Or maybe helped you read books you otherwise wouldn’t have?

I’m a pretty avid reader, so I don’t think it necessarily helped me to read more.  However, having a set list of books enabled me to keep my reading focused and prevented me from “flailing around” unsure of what to read next.  These challenges do help me to read non-fiction as I’m generally unmotivated to pick up non-fiction books.

What was your favorite book you read this spring? Least favorite?

It’s tough to pick a favorite because I really enjoyed all of the books on my lists this Spring.  A Midwife’s Tale and A Thousand Splendid Suns probably stood out the most for their stories and style.  I really related to the sentiments portrayed in Stepping Heavenward and enjoyed reading it as well.

As for a least favorite, I would have to say Mater Biscuit.  It isn’t that I didn’t like the book, just not as much as the others.

What did you learn about your reading habits or interests?

I’ve always struggled reading non-fiction, but during this challenge I liked the non-fiction that I chose and got “into” the books just like I do with fiction.  I learned that I can read non-fiction easily and really enjoy it if it is a topic that I’m interested in.

Are you interested in another “Fall Into Reading” challenge this fall?

Definitely!

Visit Callapidder Days to see the other participant’s wrap up posts. Thanks, Katrina, for hosting another great reading challenge.  I’m looking forward to the next one!

From Little – as we prepared to go to the zoo yesterday – “skeeto bite no go to zoo.”  Yeah, if I could figure out how to leave mosquito bites behind I’d be a rich lady.

New to her vocabulary – “paw-der” for pillow

From the potty training diary – she has pee-peed in the potty once, but she won’t wear training pants because apparently they hurt (she spent 30 minutes pulling at them the other day before she finally brought me a diaper and asked me to put it on).  I’m not sure she’s really ready yet; we’ll give it some time.

From The Boy – during his 4-ish a.m. feeding this morning I laid him down in the floor to change his diaper.  He proceeded to roll over from his back to his tummy.  Whaa?  You’re only 9 weeks old boy!

On sleeping – he’s up to 6 hours straight for the past several nights.  We’re still getting up two times, but I’m hoping that we’ll cut out the 4 o’clock feeding before long.

And from the pacifier files – I haven’t yet decided whether it is our friend or not.  It is much better than sucking on my pinky, but it presents it’s own set of challenges (like when he loses it during the night).

As for me – I almost let myself get heat exhaustion yesterday.  4 hours at the zoo in 85 degrees weather, the last 2 hours of that with Boo in our black wrap, and only about 8 ounces of water don’t make for good times at the end of the day.  Fortunately, I’m feeling much better today.

And finally, from “file it under random” – I glanced at the Pay Per Post form in my SIL’s sidebar earlier, and the default birthdate is June 19, 1906.  I’m thinking that 102 year old bloggers are a bit hard to come by.

That’s all I have for now.  Hopefully, tomorrow I can put coherent thoughts together and bring you a well constructed post.  We’ll see.

I’m wondering…

Who came up with the term happy medium?  And did they ever find one?  If so, can they give me some pointers?