Just Another Night With the Hubs

I'm grumpy tonight.  It's been a very long week. I think all that fun made me anti-social tonight. Tonight everything the Hubs says pisses me off.  I'm irritable and I'm definitely letting him know. Here's the latest conversation/squabble we just had:

Me:  Be quiet.  You're really getting on my nerves.
Hubs:  Well you're getting on my nerves.
Me:  Shut up.  You're annoying me.
Hubs:  You're annoying me.
Me:  Shut it!  You annoyed me first.  End of discussion.
Hubs:  You're funny.
Me:  (laughing now too) Stop it.  I'm pissy.  Don't make me laugh.
Hubs:  OK, let's just cuddle.
Me:  You bitch.  You never just want to cuddle.
Hubs:  It will relax you...
Me:  Go away.

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Me - At Zen Massage

So I've been having a lot of stress-related (and, let's face it, age-related) pains lately and I figured I needed a massage.  I bought a massage gift certificate at an auction a few months ago and I decided on the spur of the moment to book a last minute massage last night.

I was going to try for sometime later in the week, but after I looked at my calendar for the upcoming week I felt the knots in my shoulders tighten.  I asked if they had an appointment for that night and the receptionist said I could get the last one of the night.  Perfect.

Or so I thought.

PIWTPITT's 10 Rules for Grandparents

If you've been reading me for any length of time you will know that I love to make a good list of rules. Rules for daughters. Rules for sons. Rules for my kids when they're at playdates. Rules for moms who host playdates. Rules, rules, rules. I enjoy a good list of rules, even if I hate to follow rules (don't we all?).

Now I have a new list.

Rules for Grandparents.

Disclaimer: Now, now, I know my parents read this blog and before they get their knickers in a wad, I will say: You are good grandparents and even better free babysitters, so just relax over there these are not all about you. Just have a laugh - and maybe stop watching so much "CSI" in front of my kids. Adolpha knows what "blood spatter" means. 

Actually, that's a good place to start:

Summer Reading List for Tweens and Teens

If you follow my personal Facebook page or my Instagram, then you know I'm always sharing book recommendations. I even run a book club that you can join.

Today I shared a recommendation for a middle grade book Adolpha recommended to me. Someone asked if I had a list of books that my kids enjoyed because she's having a tough time getting her kids to read.

I have one good reader (Adolpha, 11) and one tough reader (Gomer, 13). Adolpha devours books and loves series that she can read over and over again. Gomer is a very slow reader and so series kind of intimidate him, but once he finds one that hooks him, he reads them all. He's also started wandering into the adult section at the library and bookstore. I really don't mind. I'm that parent that lets her kids read pretty much anything. I just want them to read. I was reading The Shining and Jackie Collins in middle school, so I get it.

I've made a list of the favorites and I've tried to group them into Middle Grade and Young Adult and I've even got some Adult Nonfiction that Gomer has tried and liked. Hopefully you'll find something good on here for your kiddos.

MIDDLE GRADE

Are You There, God, It's Me, Margaret (Judy Blume)
A Wrinkle in Time (Madeleine L'Engle)
Babysitters Club (Adolpha wants me to be clear that she ONLY likes the graphic novel versions illustrated by Raina Telgemeier)
Blubber (Judy Blume) *There's a lot of Judy B. on here, this is the set Adolpha has and I think every one of them are on her "must read" list.
Coraline (Neil Gaiman)
Crenshaw (Katherine Applegate)
Deenie (Judy Blume)
Dork Diaries series (Rachel Renee Russell)
Esperanza Rising (Pam Munoz Ryan)
Ghosts (Raina Telgemeier)
Greenglass House (Kate Milford)
Iggie's House (Judy Blume)
I Survived...series (Lauren Tarshis)
Joshua's Island (Patrick Hodges)
Land of Stories series (Chris Coffer)
Number the Stars (Lois Lowry)
Princess Diaries series (Meg Cabot)
Sisters (Raina Telgemeier)
Smile (Raina Telgemeier)
Swing It, Sunny (Jennifer L. Holm)
The Meanest Doll in the World (Ann M. Martin)
The Name of This Book is Secret series (Pseudonymous Bosch)
The Shadow Children series (Margaret Peterson Haddix)
Who Was...series (assorted authors)
Wonder (R.J. Palacio)


YOUNG ADULT

An Ember in the Ashes series (Sabaa Tahir)
Caraval (Stephanie Garber)
Dear Martin (Nic Stone)
Dorothy Must Die (Danielle Paige)
H2O series (Virginia Bergin)
Legend series (Marie Lu)
My Lame Life: Queen of the Misfits (Jen Mann)
One of Us is Lying (Karen M. McManus)
Order of Seven (Beth Teliho)
Red Queen series (Victoria Aveyard)
Seeds of America series (Laurie Halse Anderson)
Speak (Laurie Halse Anderson)
The Book Thief (Markus Zusak)
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (John Boyne)
The Gay Teen's Guide to Defeating a Siren (Cody Wagner)
The Giver (Lois Lowry)
The Hate U Give (Angie Thomas)
The Hunger Games (Suzanne Collins)
The Internet Girls series (Lauren Myracle)
The Maze Runner series (James Dashner)
The Resistance series (Tracy Lawson)
The Selection series (Kiera Cass)
Then Again Maybe I Won't (Judy Blume)
Throne of Glass series (Sarah J. Maas)
We Were Liars (E. Lockhart)


ADULT FICTION BOOKS THAT GOMER LIKED

Jurassic Park (Michael Crichton)
Ready Player One (Ernest Cline)
The Martian (Andy Weir)
Wool (Hugh Howey)


ADULT NONFICTION BOOKS THAT GOMER LIKED

Into Thin Air (Jon Krakauer)
Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase to Catch Lincoln's Killer (James L. Swanson)
The Lost City of the Monkey God (Douglas Preston)


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Do You Make Your Kid Share?

Do you teach your kids to share? Do you enforce some sort of sharing rule in your house? What about outside of your house?

An article was brought to my attention recently. It's called Should You Teach Your Child to Share? The author is firmly in the camp of "my child does not need to share." EVER. Her child attends a preschool co-op where the children are not required to share toys. They can even call dibs on a toy and a teacher/parent will hold that toy for them while they go to the bathroom, break for snack, etc. They also don't have to share the swings or the monkey bars at recess.

Douchey Dad Revisited

'Guest post from The Hubs'

Apparently Jen hit a douchey nerve with her previous post.

I had no idea Jen had so many Douchey Dad readers and that they cared so much what she thinks or writes.  Before Jen started writing I never even heard of or read a blog before.  I think I was too busy on the golf course with my Douchey Dad friends.  Now that she has found a great audience and her voice, I fully support her writing and her sharp wit - even if she makes me look like a bitch sometimes.

Goody Bags that are Nicer than the Gift My Kid Gave

We all know that birthday parties have become outrageous and ultra-competitive - that's yesterday's news.  The new frontier is the dreaded goody bag.

The goody bag has always been the bastard of the birthday party.  It's a throw away.  An afterthought.  Because it's the bastard it's always been full of cheap junk or teeth rotting candy.  It's a small token that says, I just paid about twelve to fifteen bucks for your kid to come celebrate my kid's birthday and we appreciate your $12-25 gift so here is your bag of shit.  Thanks for coming and see you next month at your kids' party!