September was not a very productive reading month, despite my best efforts. With our mini-vacation towards the beginning of the month and having company for a good half of it, there was not much time to crack open a book.
Mouse started her new Tumble and Dance class early in September, which she seems to like okay, but I am not especially happy with it. We'll see how it goes over the next few weeks. If it gets better and she enjoys it enough, we may do it again, but at this point, I'm thinking not. If she still is interested in doing gymnastics, I may look into classes at an actual gym.
Parker seems to have rebounded well after his surgery. Which reminds me, I need to take Gracie in for her annual check-up soon.
This past Saturday, Mouse and I spent the day being pampered in preparation for a friend's daughter's Quinceañera. It was our first time attending one. It was such a beautiful celebration and very touching. Mouse and her friends had the best time though, spending more time on the dance floor than my husband and I saw. They were busy watching the birthday girl dance and dancing themselves. Mouse loved the feel of the birthday girl's dress, and so she made sure she was close enough to feel it swish against her as often as she could.
I volunteered to test out a new subscription box through Read Brightly. The books, games, and toys came to me free in exchange for my taking a survey telling them what I think of their products. I have to say, both Mouse and I are quite impressed with the box. Mouse and I have been playing Go Fish every night since the box arrived. She's been going around telling everyone, "My mom did not teach me how to play Go Fish. I was born to play it!" She is pretty good at it too. The one time I won, we had to have a little talk about being a good sport and not getting upset about losing.
The box includes a set of superhero bath toys, an alphabet animal puzzle, Go Fish card game, a t-shirt, and three books (Duck & Goose: Goose Needs a Hug, My ABC Book, and Follow the Line to School by Laura Ljungkvist). This particular box is designed for children 2 to 5 years of age. Although we did play with the superheroes (outside the bath because my daughter only takes showers these days), Mouse making up quite the elaborate story around them, she was quick to inform me that these superheroes are meant for babies, not big girls like her. The books are quite popular in our house, especially the Duck and Goose book. And of course, the puzzle. Mouse loves to put together puzzles.
Mouse started her new Tumble and Dance class early in September, which she seems to like okay, but I am not especially happy with it. We'll see how it goes over the next few weeks. If it gets better and she enjoys it enough, we may do it again, but at this point, I'm thinking not. If she still is interested in doing gymnastics, I may look into classes at an actual gym.
Parker seems to have rebounded well after his surgery. Which reminds me, I need to take Gracie in for her annual check-up soon.
This past Saturday, Mouse and I spent the day being pampered in preparation for a friend's daughter's Quinceañera. It was our first time attending one. It was such a beautiful celebration and very touching. Mouse and her friends had the best time though, spending more time on the dance floor than my husband and I saw. They were busy watching the birthday girl dance and dancing themselves. Mouse loved the feel of the birthday girl's dress, and so she made sure she was close enough to feel it swish against her as often as she could.
Plans for October: Author Rebecca Chastain will be visiting my blog later this month to talk about her favorite literary cats. I am currently reading her latest book, A Fistful of Fire, the second in her Madison Fox series. I hope you will drop in and see what she has to say.
On the home front, I am seriously in the mood to do some tidying. And it isn't because I am in the middle of reading The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondo, I swear. I have actually been wanting to do some major fall cleaning for awhile now.
My brother and his wife will be coming into town next week for a visit and then a family friend is expected later in the month. I am still hopeful though that I will be able to fit in at least a little more reading than I did last month. That's the plan anyway.
I am most looking forward to the cooler weather now that fall is officially here. Temperatures finally seem to be on their way down here in Southern California. I hope it sticks.
On the home front, I am seriously in the mood to do some tidying. And it isn't because I am in the middle of reading The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondo, I swear. I have actually been wanting to do some major fall cleaning for awhile now.
My brother and his wife will be coming into town next week for a visit and then a family friend is expected later in the month. I am still hopeful though that I will be able to fit in at least a little more reading than I did last month. That's the plan anyway.
I am most looking forward to the cooler weather now that fall is officially here. Temperatures finally seem to be on their way down here in Southern California. I hope it sticks.
How did September turn out for you? Does anything in particular stand out?
What was your favorite September read?
What was your favorite September read?
September In Reading Mews:
Number of Books Completed in September: 4
Number of Books Completed in September: 4
- The Demon's Librarian by Lilith Saintcrow
- My Grandmother Asked Me To Tell You She's Sorry by Fredrik Backman
- The Other Daughter by Lauren Willig
- Bearing It All by Vonnie Davis
Favorite Book of the Month:
- The Other Daughter by Lauren Willig
Currently Reading:
- Fistful of Fire by Rebecca Chastain
- The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondo
Reviews Posted:
- Girl Waits With Gun by Amy Stewart
- The Lovers Set Down Their Spoons by Heather A. Slomski
- The Child Garden by Catriona McPherson
- From the Archives: Nonfiction 2006
- Drop Dead Punk by Rich Zahradnik
- Paris Time Capsule by Ella Carey
Posts of Interest This Week:
- Beyond the Books: Those Who Inspire and Library Sales
- Where Is Your Bookmark? (09/08/2015) (Including Top Five Finished Series I Have YET to Finish Reading)
- Where Is Your Bookmark? (09/15/2015) (Including Top Ten Books I Just HAD To Buy... But Are Still Sitting On My Bookshelf Unread)
- Beyond the Books: My Favorite Food & the Rewards of Being a Book Blogger
- Where Is Your Bookmark? (09/22/2015) (Including Top Ten Books On My Fall TBR)
© 2015, Wendy Runyon of Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.
I love Mouse's attitude!
ReplyDeleteKathy - Me too. :-)
DeleteIt sounds like you had a very busy month! I am amazed you fit in as much reading as you did. Mouse looks so happy in that picture. My youngest loves to play go fish as well. It is one of those games we both enjoy playing! I hope that October is a great month for you!
ReplyDeleteSamantha - I just realized it probably will be busy up until the New Year. :-S Maybe November will slow down for us . . . Go Fish is fun. :-) I hope you have a terrific October too.
DeleteSounds like September was an extremely busy month despite your not thinking it very productive reading wise.
ReplyDeleteSubscription boxes sound very popular, I know one of my blogger buddies has been trying out lots of them. Not something that is big here in the UK - yet - though I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
Tracy - The busy months seem to be the ones I suffer in my reading. :-(
DeleteYes, I've been noticing that about subscription boxes too--very popular. I'm trying out the Book Riot one, which has been hit and miss with me so far. I really like this Read Brightly Box though. I'll wait and see how often and for how much. Cost matters, as much as I wish it didn't.
I love the 'swishing' story. Sounds like you guys had a fun. Go Fish - do I remember that game? Oh, yes. That box of goodies seems like it was a hit. Good luck with your tidying/clearing out. That seems to be the activity of the year for most. Hope you have a good October, Wendy!
ReplyDeleteKay - It was so adorable. I have a feeling if my husband had seen her doing it, he would have stopped her. No one seemed bothered though, so I let it go. She was having so much fun. :-)
DeleteI had hoped to do some major cleaning over the weekend, but it didn't happen. With Mouse sick, you'd think it would have been the perfect time. It wasn't. I hope you have a good October too!
That subscription box looks awesome! I love subscription boxes as it but that one looks especially fun. I've been thinking about signing the Tornado up for some kind of book club where they mail you a book once a month but that looks even better.
ReplyDeleteI read the tidying book a few months ago and had mixed feelings about it but it did me cleaning! I got rid of so much stuff and I feel better for it.
Love the story of Mouse at the Quinceanera! It sounds like a good time was had by all. We don't see to many of them here but my oldest went to a friend's a number of years ago and had the best time.
Katherine - We've really enjoyed the subscription box. I love the idea of them too--I just wish they didn't cost so much. I've been looking at them for Mouse too. I'll be curious to see what they settle on in terms of price and how often with this one.
DeleteI'm finding the tidying book interesting--already I can see I won't follow it the way the author probably would like. I am not sure I believe some of her claims. I do need to get rid of quite a bit though and hopefully this will continue to motivate me in that direction.
My daughter's bestfriend's mother said she hopes our daughters don't get any ideas about wanting a Quinceanera of their own. They really are like weddings, cost and all.
Ha, ha! Love that Mouse was born to play Go Fish! I wrote a post on my other blog about playing Go Fish with my granddaughter and how excited I got when I finally won a game. A single game! And it happens every time.
ReplyDeleteJenclair - I think I've won Go Fish twice now. The first time she cried, she was so upset. The second time she congratulated me and told me she was happy for me. I could tell it took a lot out of her to do that--she was still disappointed. LOL
DeleteHow cute that Mouse and her little friends enjoyed the dancing at the Quinceanera! I did not have one of those beautiful parties but I remember when I was little I made sure my barbie's had Quinceaneras :)
ReplyDeleteHope you get a chance to do a bit more reading this month. I am also very excited about Fall and several bookish events that are happening in town. Not to mention cooler weather!
Iliana - It was such a beautiful event. I loved the ceremony of it all--the change of shoes, the not so surprise dance, the crowning. We didn't stay the entire evening since we had a young one with us, but what we did see was great.
DeleteI am determined to fit in more reading no matter how busy this month proves to be. :-) I also need time to write reviews. :-(
It's supposed to get back up to 99 this coming weekend. I was bummed when I heard that. We turned off our air conditioner this weekend, the whether was so nice.
The Tumble and Dance classes sound fun.
ReplyDeleteAnd Quinceañera is surely a big deal. I flew to Puerto Rico when I was 14 to be in my cousin's quinceañera. It's almost like a wedding...lol.
How cute is she having fun with the Read Brightly stuff. Enjoy!
I barely read one book in September and have no reviews up for the month aside from a short story I read by Poe. My crochet has been taking up most of my free time.
Happy weekend.
Naida - Yes, very much like a wedding! It definitely had that feel to it. I loved that the birthday girl had her older brother as her dance partner when she danced with her chamberains. Her mother had told her to pick a friend or her brother, not someone she had a crush on because she might not like him later and would hate to look at her pictures. I thought that was smart. :-)
DeleteI've looked a little at the Read Brightly site and found some good articles and stuff there.
I am behind in my reviewing writing. I have a few that need polishing before I post, but there's not a lot of time for even that much unfortunately. I hate being behind.
I hope you have a great week!
That is a cute package Mouse has to enjoy. Choosing the right activity for little ones is always a tough call. I'm sure she'll find just the right one for her soon.
ReplyDeleteWendy, what exactly was wrong with Parker. I knew he had issues but don't think I read the verdict?? Glad he's on the mend.
Diane - She really enjoyed the soccer and I would like to have kept up with that (she wouldn't have minded), but when she expressed an interest in gymnastics, I thought maybe she'd enjoy doing something different. I don't want to overdo it with activities either--so my husband and I agreed only one at a time, especially at this age. She still needs plenty of free play time too. She's already mentioned wanting to try martial arts--I told her she has to be five for that, but if she's still interested, we'll give that a try.
DeleteParker has a number of issues, but the most concerning this past summer was the malignant tumor that was growing on his hip. It'd gotten pretty big fast. Now that it's gone (hopefully forever), we can start focusing on his thyroid issue and his continuous GI problems.
I'm glad Mouse had a fun time! It's great to hear Parker is recovering well!
ReplyDeleteI hope October will be a better month for you in terms of reading. Me too since there have been lots of distractions: the haze and my daughters' forthcoming exams...
Hope you've a great week, Wendy!
Melody - I am too. I love seeing her so happy and having fun. :-)
DeleteI hope you have a better October too. I heard the haze is still bad over there. It actually made our local news this morning. I hope it clears up soon and those fires are put out.
The Quinceañera sounds like it was a lot of fun! Mouse's actions are making me giggle - she's an adorable girl! Glad to hear that Parker is doing well. He so needs it!
ReplyDeleteThe subscription box sounds interesting! I will be interested in hearing what you think of it as you sample more of them. I find subscription boxes a hit or miss - not always worth the high price tag. But this is one I may love.
Athira - It was fun! The best part for me was seeing Mouse having a good time. She was really in her element. :-)
DeleteThis does sound like a promising subscription box. I'll be curious to see what comes next.