The pencils are all inside the couch. I know they are there. I just don't want to stick my hands inside to get them out. So we just flounder around... desperately trying to find a pencil. I feel your pain. If only I could insist on anything involving a pencil being done at a table. But there's a lot of sketching and writing done here all over the place and even a lot of schoolwork done on couches.

So I revived my long dormant (not looked at since some time in 2012) Goodreads account in order to try to sort through books for the Brit Tripping. I've checked out MumToTwo's page and found the 540 books listed. Here's my plea: is there some sort of Goodreads for dummies available? I'm not sure if I want to start tracking things on Goodreads and if so, what's the best way to start. I'm a bit afraid of adding another thing to my plate. I am already tracking things in two places (here and just in a word document on my computer) but I suppose I could replace the latter with Goodreads. What are some of the benefits of Goodreads? Thoughts?

Yesterday was a rest day - just aimed to get in my steps and that was about it. I had also fallen off tracking my food a bit so I'm trying to get better at that. I keep on getting breakfast and lunch tracked but then it all falls apart at dinner time when I feel bad using my phone at the dinner table trying to sort out what I'm eating. This morning was a gym morning. I was not feeling it. But I left the house. Still not feeling it. But I got to the gym. Couldn't decide what to do. Thought about the bikes. Nope. Decided to just get on a treadmill and see what happened. I haven't been on a treadmill in probably almost 5 years. Walked for 15 minutes varying the incline and then ran for 25 minutes, increasing the pace every time I finished a quarter of a mile until by the end I was going at a 10 minute mile pace. Also varied the incline during the running portion. I was dripping sweat by the end. Still haven't managed to see anyone about my shoulder because every place I call has openings that are completely the opposite of when I can get somewhere. I will keep trying.

I'm intrigued by the Brit Tripping and might try to spend some time sorting out how I could participate as a Rebel. I finished the romance I was reading last week - The Day of the Duchess by Sarah MacLean I enjoyed the fact that the characters didn't hate each other, and even though there were plenty of typical romance tropes, both female and male leads were witty and caring, which is not something I am used to finding. I've started The World Between Two Covers by Ann Morgan, which is about her reading books from all the countries in the world. So far, I am not getting into it at all. And since she is spending a decent chunk of the first chapter talking about the plethora of books in the world and how hard it is to realize that you will only read a small amount of them and wondering how you choose, I am only going to give this book another 20 or so pages before deciding if I choose to read a different one! Off to research books set in London, involving Scotland yard. I see I have a week to come up with something non mysterious. I guess I could read a mystery and still be a rebel. Right? Rebels can do anything.

Yesterday was pretty much a write off aside from the 45 minute walking of the dog, which at least ensured that I got to about 14000 steps. This morning I went to the gym even though both my weekend gym partners begged off. I figured I might as well since I was already up due to, once again, walking the dog. And since they weren't there, I could run at my preferred pace. Decided to run 3 miles - a mile is 8 laps - so I would run 8 laps, walk for 1 lap, rinse and repeat. I did it! I ran 3 miles, felt fine, did some legs and abs and some very very careful and specific arm strength training afterwards. I used to be a consistent 10 minute mile person and then when I was running seriously and training for various races I could get down to 9:30 minute miles. Now I'm at about an 11 minute mile, probably a bit over, but I'm quite happy with that. Thanks for the supportive words. I've figured out the cause of my shoulder problems and am trying to come up with ways to solve it (the dog pulls on the leash and yanks and after a few years of this and a heavier dog, my shoulder has just given out) - I might have to be one of those people I loathe who keeps the leash around their waist. I am currently making sure I use my left arm to walk the dog and trying really hard to train her not to pull but I think she might be past the trainable part of her life and I don't walk to wreck my left arm like my right arm has been wrecked.

So despite getting to the gym yesterday and today, I'm in a pretty bad place right now. My shoulder has been bugging me and seems to be getting worse. I fear a rotator cuff injury. I have to figure out when I can afford to go to physio and I'm dreading the result. Speaking to a friend yesterday who had a similar injury did not alleviate my fears. Also speaking to same friend, she mentioned her current weight and that depressed the heck out of me. I'm trying really hard not to focus on weight, but I know my scale said I was 25 lbs heavier than what she said hers said for her and I can only imagine how bad I must look if that's true. Ugh. I have avoided looking at myself too much in mirrors for about 2 years now. I know scales can be different but that's still a big gap. And then mirrors - I went to yoga this morning at the gym and it is in the dance studio meaning I am staring at myself in a mirror. Between that unpleasant fact and the fact that my shoulder hurts so badly that I couldn't do a lot of the poses very well, it was a depressing class. I think I'll probably still go to the gym on Fridays but not go to that class. Which sucks. Because I love classes. But I hate all the morning classes - there's only 1 available that early in the morning on most days and none on Tuesdays. I might try to do a yoga/pilates video at home on Saturday where there are no mirrors and I can feel less bad about not being able to do things because of my shoulder (and, if I'm honest, my knees and wrist). And then I'll probably try to do some weights and cardio on Friday morning at the gym. I've been wanting to go swimming but that is probably not good for my shoulder. Blah, just rambling here. Back to my breakfast salad which I still haven't finished. It takes a long time to eat salad at work.

My parents read all the Oz books and all the Black Stallion books to my brother and I as bedtime read-alouds. Those are some of my fondest childhood memories.

My kids hated that book - they found it was just torture over and over again - and I was not that thrilled my it either; aside from Flora and Ulysses we haven't enjoyed any de Camillo books much.

DH is a big Sawyer fan and buys his new stuff as soon as it comes out. He also likes William Gibson, Terry Pratchett, Douglas Adams and Ann Leckie if that gives you a better idea of the sort of books he likes (I realize that Pratchett and Adams are of a different category than Leckie/Gibson but thought I'd include them anyway). I was not a big Nancy Drew fan but when I was really young (7-8) I loved the Bobbsey Twins. I had about 30 of them. Read of one of them as an adult and promptly got rid of them as I didn't want my kids to read them. I've kept my Three Investigators books and even had DS read one of them but I'm a bit afraid to read those as an adult. Finished The Borrower by Rebecca Makkai. It was meh. I really wanted it to be either more whimsical or more action=packed but mostly I was bored. Since the main character was a children's librarian, and it started off with references to children's books, I was hoping for more of that, but it did not provide. And I just couldn't buy into the story of this library taking off with a kid who frequented her library and about whom she has concerns about his parents/upbringing with regards to their religious ideas. I've start The Day of the Duchess by Sarah MacLean, which I found listed on some website recommending romance novels - decided to try it - am quite enjoying it so far - wish I was at the gym less and awake more so I could read more of it! Haven't found a romance I've enjoyed for quite a few years. My kids are making fun of me and I can't bring myself to read it on the bus but I am having a good time. Also started What We Love by Zinzi Clemons, which has gotten good reviews and I'm enjoying the writing at a technical level but not that engaged by the story. I think part of that is because I feel like the timeline of events is not making sense in terms of her mother's death and her family's move to the apartment and their purchase of a vacation home in South Africa. So I keep being drawn out of the narrative by trying to understand when things are happening.

Missed the bus this morning but decided to take the later one and just compress my workout. I took a bit off my tempo for my run and decided to run for longer - ran a mile, walked a lap, then ran another mile, walked a couple of laps for cool down and then I had to quickly shower and change for work. It was good. I haven't run a mile without walking for probably over a year.

Me: 1 cup leftover roasted yams with garlic and a banana. This is not typical. This would normally be lunch but I had such a busy weekend I didn't get my usual breakfasts prepped for the week (usually I'm having salmon burgers or mushroom/onion omelettes that I premade on the weekend). DH, DS and DD: nothing. Drives me nuts.

We spent 10 days in Victoria/Tofino/Nanaimo in early March a few years back and it was gorgeous and sunny and warm the whole time. However that was an exception - other times I've been there in March, it has been mixed - some days of drizzle, some rain, some sun, some clouds. As for things to do, we enjoyed just walking along the boardwalk and had a surprisingly good time at the Victoria Bug Zoo, which might not be for everyone, but we had a fabulous guide who made everything very interesting, albeit somewhat creepy.

I had always wanted to have a very casual wedding reception featuring my dad barbecuing in his backyard in his Hawaiian shirt. And that was what I got. We told everyone to dress casually - encouraged Hawaiian shirts - all the food was homemade - and we had to run over to the liquor store across the street halfway through. It was a really fun time - lots of dancing to the ridiculous pop music of the 70s and 80s and 90s and great weather, which was a bonus since we were outside.

Change is hard - hopefully the fact that you are going back to what you have previously done can alleviate some of your anxiety. Having a steady schedule can be pretty helpful - I've been back what is essentially my previous job after 4 1/2 years off for 5 months now and it has been good for us, and good for me - I've been able to get a lot of things back on track now that I have a steady work schedule. Hoping for the best for you.

I wish I could mail you by Platform 9 3/4 brick wall sheet and our mirror that still (over one year later) says that the Chamber of Secrets has been opened - enemies of the heir beware. And our floating candles. I suck at making up questions, but I googled and found many HP quizzes online, including this one that seemed to have some that might fit into your categories. Hope everyone has a great time!

It is hard when grandparents or other relatives experience sudden decline and you are not sure what to share with your kids. Although my kids haven't experienced any close family members dying, 3 years ago I had 4 friends close in age to me die of cancer, 3 of whom had kids that were around the same age as my kids. We talked a lot about what was happening, especially since there were ups and downs for several of them (the one they were closest to actually was in remission, was diagnosed with a second type of cancer and despite a bone marrow transplant that was successful, eventually died as the chemo etc was so hard on her organs that they shut down). One woman was a neighbour whom my kids had known since birth and we had spent a good amount of time with - she was childless but was the most vivacious fun bubbly person I've ever known. She spent the last 3 years of her life after her diagnosis living as much as she could and sent out regular emails about her adventures. Because we were home during the daytime thanks to homeschooling, she was able to come over and visit us in the afternoons when she was feeling well enough to walk down the block after any procedures. So the kids got to see the progression of the disease for her but also got to see a very positive spirit. I didn't want to hide things from them, but I let them lead with questions. I let them decide if they wanted to attend funerals. They have each selected a memento that belonged to the two people they were closest to that let's them remember them and they still cherish those mementos. My parents are starting to have health problems despite being active and healthy to date and we are letting them know the basics at this time - what surgery is needed, what it is for, what is the likely outcome, what does this mean for their time with Grandma/Grandpa. All this to say, I think it is important to talk to kids about these things, but to gauge their ability to handle things. I would not want to hide it altogether and I would, if possible, let them visit with relatives/friends in ill health if they so desire.

I have Blackout and All Clear but I've been too afraid to read them since I loved the world created in Doomsday Book so much and I didn't want my feelings for it ruined. I've had such bad luck with trilogies/series - I tend to always enjoy the first book and find each book that comes out in the series to be progressively less enjoyable until I am in despair at the end. Come to think of it, perhaps that's why I wasn't in any rush to get the 2nd Genevieve Cogman book in her Invisible Library series. Well, it's on its way to me now, so I can't avoid it.

I've realized that I really need the weekends to prepare for the coming week in terms of food (making enough food I can eat, like to eat, and is healthy for me) and the last two weekends have been a gong show in terms of kid activities. This weekend was DD's sleepover birthday party and between preparing and shepherding and recovering, I didn't do any of that. My diet is really suffering and as a result yesterday I ate a whole bunch of things that in and of themselves probably weren't too bad but all together they set off my IBS like crazy and I had a miserable miserable evening and night. However, I hauled myself out of bed this morning, walked the dog at an almost jog pace, made the 6:35 bus and managed to get in 35 minutes of cycling at the gym, which was about all I had the mental or physical energy for. Better than nothing though! Now, however I'm trying to figure out how I'm going to survive until I get home on a banana and a Daiya yogourt alternative.

Have not swum in a serious way with mine but I have worn it into the lake a few times when out 'swimming' with the children so it has gotten a good soaking. So far, so good. It did stop working after one event but the contacts on the back were all gummed up (DH said it was chocolate, I doubt that) and once they were cleaned it was fine and could be charged again and that's was almost 16 months ago. Have not looked into getting rid of data so can't help with that. Tell me about it. DD's birthday party was on Saturday and the kids had a sort of Iron Chef/Master Chef cooking competition. Guess who got to judge all the creations by tasting them? I actually did not have dinner that night and just used the tiny bites of wraps, tiny sips of smoothies and tiny forkfuls of mug cakes as my dinner. Some of the concoctions were quite nice - some were disgusting (DS got seaweed as his mystery ingredient for his mug cake and let me just say that seaweed and cake are not two things that should ever be considered together). Then I went to the gym on Sunday and did the usual run/arms/legs/abs workout. Can really feel the abs today!

I finished The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui for my graphic novel square in Bingo. I enjoyed the spare colour scheme - it made it easier for me to focus on the illustrations and the storyline. Having just covered the Vietnam War with the kids, this was a valuable addition to that for me and I recommend it for older teens (grades 11-12) and adults. I'm not a big graphic novel fan but this was one that I would be happy to revisit.

Thank you for mentioning this. I had so enjoyed the first one in this series and meant to reserve the next one right away and then forgot. I've done that now. And I'm happy to hear you are finding it exciting. I keep meaning to read It Takes One to Tango and Born a Crime. In fact I've been waiting for the library to deliver Born a Crime to me for about a year but I just realized that perhaps I had not actually requested it - done now. I'll be interested to hear about your thoughts on Doomsday Book. I don't know anyone else who's read it and I was very drawn into the world she created. Another vote for everyone should read Being Mortal. I handed it immediately to my dad after I read it and he has also been passing it on to lots of his friends.

Sorry about your FIL Soror. It might be a bit much for you now, but if it is, I also strongly recommend to try it again in a year or so. It is a book I wish everyone could read. I finally finished another book! 5. Less by Andrew Sean Greer - this was recommended on a blog I follow and I tend to enjoy her recommendations but I was only so so on this one. The main character, Arthur Less, is so completely hapless that I cringed throughout the book. How could so much misfortune (that ends up mostly working out) follow one person? Some found it hysterically funny - I found it rather caricatured and over the top. I started on The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui as my graphic novel and so far I'm thoroughly enjoying it.

Hmm, good to know. I may have totally glazed over that when reading it originally. I have a vague recollection of reading somewhere recently about some McCaffrey novels that were suitable for younger kids but can't remember where I saw that or which ones they were - oh wait, I think it was specifically the Harper Hall trilogy which does not include Dragonflight. Will have to look into this more.

Well that sucks. I hope they fix it for you. I've had mine for almost two years now and it has been through the wars and survived. I like it a lot. I made it to the gym early enough to take the yoga class. It was relaxing and good for stretching but also brought to light how many parts of my body are working the way they should. I had to modify a lot thanks to my right wrist, right shoulder and both knees - things that don't bother me in my other activities but clearly aren't in great shape. I'm hoping we can make it to the end of February without any medical mishaps and then I can use the rest of our health care spending account from work on a trip to the physiotherapist for some exercises and care for those parts.

To be honest, I also hated the third book. But I find that is pretty much the case in every trilogy I have read. Love the idea of a BaW cruise. I vote for a European version. I read the Xanth novels as a young teen and even then was mildly offended but didn't know what else to read. They are not ones that I'll be suggesting to my kids. I'm more likely to pick some Anne McCaffrey for them, which are also books I read at that time, and they've already started on some Pratchett, which didn't exist then but had it existed I'm sure they would have been staples of my young teen reading list.