(Book Review) Cinderella Ate My Daughter by Peggy Orenstein

I took my time with this book, reading a chapter at a time and really soaking it in. With a 4-year-old daughter I felt I owed her -- and myself -- the time. Time to turn the info over and over in my head.

This I Believe about "This I Believe"

This I Believe is a New York Times bestseller featuring 80 essayists (60 from the NPR series and 20 from the 1950s series) sharing their most deeply held beliefs. Contributors include Isabel Allende, Gloria Steinem, John McCain, Bill Gates, Penn Jillette, and John Updike.

This I Believe awed me. Or more specifically, its contributors awed me. To communicate a deeply-held belief in 500 words or less is a daunting task. We all know how hard it is for me to write blogs that concise, and none of mine come close to conveying a profound belief.

A Nice Change-Up

I made a trip to our local public pool this past week. Shannon had friends going and I thought it’d be a nice change-up from my mom & dad’s pools. Off we went the few blocks with our little bag, change-purse loaded for the required 10-minute breaks each hour.

Lessons Learned from My Obsession with Space

My dad loves to tell the story about my 7th-grade trip to Space Camp. Or rather, the circumstances surrounding winning my trip to Space Camp.

Now I've Gone & Said "Ifs, Ands, or Buts." Who Am I?

We took our 4-year-old daughter to watch our city's local fireworks Monday night. It was her first time to see fireworks and I was almost as excited as she was about sharing such a special moment. I loved fireworks as a child; heck, I still do.

So we arrive at our viewing point, the local community college. We find a spot on the concrete stairs. We'd have preferred the grass but earlier it'd rained just enough. Another family with a little boy was seated a few steps above, and he and Shannon struck up a conversation almost immediately. Within minutes they bonded over their overprotective parents, both of whom kept telling them to stop swinging on the railing. This kept her entertained since we'd arrived about 20 minutes early, which was all well and good. Until I told her she needed to come sit with us since the fireworks were about to start.

To which she replied with an emphatic stomp and a stubborn, "No, Mom. I wanna sit with my friend."

A Swift Kick from Bossy Tina Fey

I finished Tina Fey's Bossypants today. To say Tina's funny "would be the biggest understatement since the captain of the Hindenburg said ‘I smell gas.’" (To be clear, that's a joke from the book, but not about herself.) The early conversation about puberty made me laugh out loud and almost drop the light bulb I was changing. And fall off the chair. And my husband to look at me peculiarly and ask, "What're you listening to?"

But two of my favorite quotes?