I'm still here

I've been busy getting the house ready to put on the market. I'm actually enjoying it, mostly, because it's starting to look really good, which makes me motivated to do more. (Why can't I make it that way for US?) We also put some stuff in storage to give it a roomier feel, because truth be told, it IS a small house. That's why we need to move.

Anyway, here's what else I have been doing:

Watching Felicity DVDs. As if the Newlyweds wasn't bad enough (and I still haven't finished Season 2 yet, let alone got started on Season 3). But I actually watched Felicity occasionally when it was still in its first season, so this isn't a recent lapse. My college years were some of the best (and worst) of my life, so it is kind of fun to experience them vicariously through a TV show. In some ways Felicity is like I was: brainy, naive, inexperienced. I was not, however, graced with Keri Russell's beauty (not to mention that HAIR! OH. MY. GOSH. I would kill for hair like that, even today...), nor did I give away my virginity in a one-night-stand after a break-up. I also did not date my friend's love interest...that was something someone did TO ME, in my case. But I digress...

Exercising. I'm loving Curves. I find myself excited about going, anticipating the rush in the middle, and the glow at the end. (Gee...that sounded vaguely R-rated, did it not?). Unfortunately, it does not seem that I have lost much weight, maybe just a pound or so. Problem is I'm still eating junk. Baaaaaaad girl.

Reading. At Borders the other night, I bought several paperbacks for escape reading this summer. One is an old favorite, Light a Penny Candle by Maeve Binchy (in which a character named Aisling was the inspiration behind my youngest's name). Love, love, love her writing. I heard a few years ago that she was not going to write any more books, and was heartbroken. But she's published a couple since then, so I don't know.

I also bought a book by Tracy Chevalier, and I can't remember which one at this moment (but it wasn't Girl With a Pearl Earring, because I already read that one, and I haven't read this one).

Finally, I bought a book that I am ashamed to confess I have never read before: To Kill a Mockingbird. At least I have also not seen the movie, because then I would almost certainly not feel the need to read the book. I started it last night, though, and since I have seen enough clips of the movie, I am picturing Gregory Peck all the way through it. And, I love it. Can't believe it's taken me so long to pick it up. Since I am too busy to do a thorough journal on it the way I would like to (the way Kathy Carlson taught me in college), I may check out the Cliff's Notes from the library so I can get more out of it.

A couple of weeks ago I also read a Phillippa Gregory book, The Constant Princess, a fictional historical novel about Catherine of Aragon, the first wife if Henry the VIII. Previously I'd read Gregory's novel about the sister of Anne Boleyn, another of the same king's doomed wives, so I was thrilled to see another book about another of his wives. And I actually learned a bit, as well, despite the fact that it was fiction. Did you know that Catherine of Aragon was the daughter of Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand of Spain, the very couple that commissioned Christopher Columbus' voyages to the New World? Yes indeed.

Finally, I've also been reading to Audrey. She finally has the attention span to sit through chapter books, even ones without a lot of pictures. We started at the beginning of the year with Junie B. Jones (who is HILARIOUS; I highly recommend her, even if you don't have the excuse of a young daughter to read them to). A couple of months ago I decided to try The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, ready to put it aside if she seemed uninterested. To my delight, she ate it up. (I'm only disappointed that the recent movie is probably a bit too violent for her to see yet, but I think there is an older series of films based on the book, and I do believe our library carries them.) And this month we read James and the Giant Peach, which I am once again embarrassed to say I did not read as a child, so we got to enjoy it for the first time together.

I've also managed to get her reading ON HER OWN! Not out loud to me, but silently to herself...for fun! (who knew reading could be FUN! ;) ) It took about three days, but she managed to read through one of the longer Amelia Bedelia books all by herself. I am so proud of her. She has always loved for me to read to her, and of course I love reading to her, but I was starting to worry that she would not make the leap to the joy of reading to herself. I was a very early reader (I'm told at the age of two I demanded that my mom teach me how), so I think I've been a little overly concerned about Audrey. (What? She's three years old and STILL has no interest in reading?? What will become of her???) I wisely held off pushing her...I think it took the peer pressure of kindergarten (and a love for her teacher) to get started what I knew she was smart enough to do. Anyway...I've been thinking that once she can read and write (the hard part!), I may be ready to jump back into the possibility of homeschooling. One down...one to go. We'll probably need at least another year to get the writing (or at least printing) down. I can tell her the proper way to make her letters ("Start at the top honey...make the stick first, and then the ball...yes, really, it is better to do it that way") but she doesn't like to listen to me, on that matter anyway. She is willing for me to teach her lots of things...but not how to write!