November 14, 2016 by Jaclyn

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? (November 14, 2016)

Well, that was interesting. So, how’d you all weather the election storm? I’m guessing probably about as well as I did – which is to say you freaked out and fell screaming into a black hole of thinkpieces about the dismal fate of humanity. As you all know, I have been a fan of HRC for a long time, and I proudly cast my vote for her on Tuesday – but despite our votes, and despite the fact that she’s up about 1.8 million votes in the popular vote total (with millions more ballots still to be counted, mostly on the stalwart blue West Coast) we have instead a President-elect who rode to office on a tide of bigotry and misogyny. (Tell us how you really feel, Jac…) Suffice it to say I’m disappointed, discouraged by an electoral system that has outlived its usefulness, horrified by the reports of people of color, LGBTQ+ folks, religious minorities and other groups being targeted for hate crimes and bullying and especially horrified by the President-elect’s refusal until the eleventh hour to disavow the crimes being committed in his name. (And I think his disavowal was lukewarm when it did come.) We’re in for a really hard few years, friends. A really hard few years.

Anyway, this weekend we mostly laid low. I’m pretty beat down and depressed by the turn of events, and – very unusually for me – I didn’t want to do much. I’m exhausted; Steve was traveling for work last week so I had to fly solo and balance the kids and work on my own without help for four days, which always takes a lot out of me. Plus I haven’t slept too well in the past week – now why might that be? So we just hung out at home, mostly. We took a couple of walks around the neighborhood – including our usual weekly stroll to the library, and a walk down to the waterfront to see El Galeon, which has been visiting the harbor for the past week. Other than that, I just wanted the comforts of home. We did a lot of playing in the kids’ rooms, I worked on some unpacking and food prep, and we relaxed and tried to rest up for another week ahead.

What with all the news pieces I have been reading this week, I haven’t spent much time in between the covers of an actual book. I finished Crowned and Dangerous, the latest “Her Royal Spyness” mystery from Rhys Bowen, early in the week and enjoyed it very much, as I always enjoy a visit with Georgie. On Tuesday I picked up Before We Visit the Goddess, by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, whose 2012 book The Palace of Illusions I had read and loved. (She has a long bibliography, as it turns out! I’m going to have to seek out more of her work. Her writing is so beautiful.) Although Goddess is short – only just over 200 pages – it took me almost a week to finish, between watching election coverage, reading news article after news article, and general fretting (not to mention working full time and taking care of both kids full time while Steve was away last week). I finally finished it late in the week and turned to the next new release on my library stack, The Invasion of the Tearling (second in the Tearling trilogy). But I still can’t seem to focus, despite having loved the first book in the trilogy. My library stack continues to grow and is totally out of control, so I have to buckle down, log off Facebook and block The Atlantic (I would never) and get to reading.

Hopefully I will be able to turn off the news and get back into my book world, because reading is the most comforting thing for me and so I really do need that. When I do finally manage to sit down and read The Invasion of the Tearling, the next book on my agenda is (finally!!) Chigozie Obioma’s The Fishermen. I’ve heard such wonderful things and I can’t wait to read it at last. And after that – I don’t know! Maybe Bloodline, the new book about Princess Leia. Maybe something else. We’ll see!

On the blog this week, some slightly more organized thoughts about the election on Wednesday – maybe; I’ve scheduled the post, but I could still change my mind and take it down – and then something light-hearted on Friday: my book-buying rule and a list of exceptions that render it basically meaningless!

How are you holding up this week, my friends? And what are you reading?

November 11, 2016 by Jaclyn

“Will and Jane” at the Folger Shakespeare Library

One of the most delightful discoveries of my new job is that my firm is populated with avid readers. This is not a surprise – when I interviewed, one of the attorneys made a joke about Franz Kafka, and I instantly decided, these are my people. But it’s been such a joy to find so many other book lovers at work and in two months at my new job I’ve already had more ecstatic water cooler conversations about Pride and Prejudice than in my entire career leading up to this job. One of the most ardent readers I’ve met at this job is – again, no surprise here – the firm librarian, who works three doors down from my office. It took about two weeks for me to discover that she is a true kindred spirit. And it was she who told me about Will and Jane: Shakespeare, Austen and the Cult of Celebrity, a special exhibition on display for two months only at the Folger Shakespeare Library.

“They have The Shirt,” she reported breathlessly.

It’s on.

Would you believe I’d actually never been to the Folger Shakespeare Library? I had wanted to go for years, but didn’t make it in the entire time I lived in D.C. from 2003 to 2013. Visiting the library was high on my list of things to do upon moving back, and a Jane Austen exhibit gave me the perfect excuse to go. Not wanting to miss out, I dragged Steve and the kids out first thing on Saturday morning of the exhibition’s final weekend.

I loaded Peanut in the stroller and literally – literally – skipped down the sidewalk with her, I was so gleeful at the prospect of finally making it to the Folger, and making it in time to see Will and Jane. On our way up the ramp, we stopped to snap a picture of the serene garden. I could totally picture myself lounging on the grass with a copy of my favorite Shakespeare play – Macbeth.

First stop when we got inside was the theatre. They were actually holding a children’s event in the theatre, and there were kids of all ages reenacting scenes from Romeo and Juliet onstage when we stepped through the doors. My little drama queen didn’t want to get up on the stage (doesn’t she know her mother once placed second in a school-wide Shakespeare competition? there’s a family tradition to uphold, kid!) but she did consent to a selfie inside the hallowed halls of the Folger Shakespeare Theatre you guys.

Enough stalling. We left the theatre, turned into the exhibition hall, and There. It. Was.

The Shirt. Bestill my beating heart, THE SHIRT.

I can’t imagine that I have any blog readers who don’t know this, but since the question came up on Facebook, NO DAD, THIS IS NOT THE PUFFY SHIRT FROM SEINFELD. The Shirt, as all Janeites know, is Colin Firth’s iconic white shirt worn in the lake-jumping scene from the 1992 BBC production of Pride and Prejudice starring Jennifer Ehle as Elizabeth Bennet. (You can see her on the screen just behind The Shirt, in the picture up above this one.) A few things about The Shirt, which I am qualified to comment upon now that I have stood in its rarefied air, sort of (it was behind glass – boo):

Initial disclaimer: as most of you no doubt know, the lake scene is not in the book. But I suspect Jane would have approved.
The Shirt was every bit as magical as you would hope.
I was inches away from fabric that touched Colin Firth. I WAS INCHES AWAY FROM FABRIC THAT TOUCHED COLIN FIRTH. I WAS INCHES AWAY FROM FABRIC THAT TOUCHED COLIN FIRTH.
It was dry. This was less disappointing than you would expect, because it was still pretty adorably wrinkly. According to my firm librarian, the staff at the Folger Library told her the shirt couldn’t have been kept wet (by such means as a mister, for example) because it would damage the fabric. And of course, we can’t have that.
I WAS INCHES AWAY FROM FABRIC THAT TOUCHED COLIN FIRTH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Steve was shockingly unimpressed.

I mean, look! He’s wearing The Shirt and he’s about to jump in the lake and get all wet and emerge looking brooding and disheveled!

All right, all right. Enough about The Shirt. You may find this surprising, but there was a lot more to the exhibit than just Colin Firth’s wardrobe. The theme of the exhibition was how a “cult of celebrity” grew up around both William Shakespeare and Jane Austen, and how Shakespeare’s celebrity influenced and informed Austen’s work. It was a fascinating take on both geniuses, and there were tons of cool artifacts.

Such as the playbill from a production of Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice that Austen saw performed in London in 1814. Worlds colliding!

As is to be expected from the Folger Library, the exhibition also included a number of books of varying age and rarity. How stunning is the iconic peacock cover of Pride and Prejudice. Wish list, if I was a billionaire!

There were examples of how Shakespeare’s and Austen’s celebrity has lasted over the centuries – such as these grave rubbings from their respective tombs.

An illustration of how Austen’s image has been polished and altered to create the iconic Austen of today – starting with Cassandra Austen’s sketch of her sister and reworked posthumously until the popular image on the left came to be.

And examples of how both Austen and Shakespeare’s images – and those of their characters – have been coopted into everything from collectible figurines to children’s toys and literary kitsch – like these bobbleheads and action figures. (And Jane Austen band-aids! Weeeeeeeird!) They also had a copy of the “Cozy Classics” Pride and Prejudice board book – but in what I considered to be a shocking oversight, were lacking the books from the BabyLit series, even Good Night Mr. Darcy!

And of course, interspersed throughout were truly exciting bits of BBC memorabilia – like the wedding bonnet worn by Jane Bennet in the final scene, when (spoiler alert!) Jane and Elizabeth marry Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy, respectively, in a fabulous double wedding.

Will and Jane was everything I had hoped for – and more. I’m delighted that I was able to make it there before the exhibition closed (even if I went down to the wire) and now I’m itching to re-read Pride and Prejudice (maybe I’ll pull out the gorgeous illustrated edition I bought a few months ago!) and get back to the Folger Library to see what it looks like when not devoted to a special exhibition.

November 9, 2016 by Jaclyn

Laugh Warriors

Public Service Announcement: If by some chance you actually haven’t seen “Melanianade” yet, here ya go. Go ahead and watch it. I’ll wait.

I first became attuned to political satire after 9/11. I remember searching for the Saturday Night Live video of a comedian playing George W. Bush telling Osama bin Laden “You screwed up, buddy,” because “you messed with Texas” after hearing my friend Seth describe the sketch. I was vaguely aware that SNL mocked politicians (and that they were equal opportunity mockers) and was wondering how they were managing to approach a national tragedy as a comedy show. (I thought they walked the line incredibly well, but I suppose that’s no surprise. SNL has, throughout its history, been written by very, very smart people.) Of course, I never got to see these political sketches as they were actually airing, because I am way too old and lame to stay awake that night, and that was also true when I was twenty.

jon-pondering

Backing up for a minute, though – it was not actually SNL that started my love affair with political comedy. It was this man: my favorite comedian of all time and longest-running crush, the incomparable Jon Stewart. There was a period in my life when I got 100% of my news from The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, and that period coincided with me being better informed about the political process and our governance than I ever have been before and since. I mean, who can resist the patented Jon Stewart Smirk? You know the one, where he’s just reported some crazy but true news item about rampant Congressional stupidity, and he turns his face to the camera and gives a look as if sharing a private joke with his viewers, asking them, you find this as ludicrous as I do, right?

Jon Stewart

That’s the one. And also this:

jon-smirking-again

(Please excuse my present tense when writing about Jon. I’m still in the denial stage of grieving his decision to leave The Daily Show.) Of course, one can’t talk about Jon Stewart without also talking about his counterpoint and foil:

colbert

Steven Colbert, who I adore almost as much as Jon Stewart. The days when The Colbert Report immediately followed The Daily Show on Comedy Central really were the golden days of political satire. I don’t care what the Greek philosophers would say to that. It’s the truth. amy-and-tina

These are scary times that we are living in. We’ve been buffeted by hateful rhetoric for months, listening to a candidate for the highest office in our country spew sickening comments about women, immigrants, African-Americans, Muslims, the disabled, and basically every group of people other than his immediate family. We’ve watched hate crime after hate crime unfold in a twenty-four hour news cycle – mass murders at nightclubs and churches, and death after death of unarmed black men, women and children at the hands of out-of-control renegade police and angry vigilantes. From early in this Presidential election cycle, there were comparisons with Adolf Hitler’s rise, and those comparisons started looking more and more apt as time went on and we all started to fray at the seams. And now the worst has happened and we are left to wonder – what went wrong, did I do enough to prevent it, and how on Earth am I going to explain this to my daughter?

kellyanne-day-off

We have reason to worry about the behavior that was exhibited in political rallies, about the tightening of restrictive voter laws, about the fact that rampant hate and bigotry was elected last night. I can’t fault anyone who grabs for a life raft in these stormy seas. And this is the life raft that I am grabbing for – that I always grab for – satire and parody.

amy-rapping

You may say, Jac, it’s just comedy. But it’s not – it’s more than that. The people who mic up and go into battle, eyes blazing, against the forces of absurdity are performing a necessary public service. They are fighting for America and Americans using the most basic of liberties: the First Amendment. They are proving that we are still a democracy, and we will be a democracy as long as they are around. Because when we lose the right to make fun of our Presidential candidates’ hair, we lose our humanity.

No, I mean that. I am completely sincere when I say that the right to laugh at Alec Baldwin in a Donald Trump wig, to wipe tears of mirth as Cecily Strong sings “You’d just be that guy with the weird hair” and then declares “I wrote that all by myself!” in Melanianade, to giggle at Kate McKinnon as she assumes the roles of both Hillary Clinton and Kellyanne Conway – these are fundamental American rights, as important to our democracy as anything else. And I believe that the fact that we can do this, laugh and mock and point out the ridiculousness – this makes us strong.

sarah-palin

Donald Trump has, unsurprisingly, laid into SNL for its portrayals of him and his campaign. Trump has proven again and again that he can’t take a joke, that he doesn’t recognize the importance of parody and satire in our discourse, and I believe that is the tendency that would cause him to try to strip away our American freedoms one by one. Contrast this with Sarah Palin, who threw her hands up in the air, did a “raise the roof” move and busted out an admirable duck face when Amy Poehler rapped “All the mavericks in the house put ya hands up!” in 2008. I was not a fan of Sarah Palin in 2008, and I’m not a fan now, but there’s a difference there, and I gained some respect for Palin when I saw the sporting way in which she sat and laughed along as Poehler teased her in rhyme. Yo yo, my name is Sarah Palin and you all know me, V.P. nominee of the GOP… McCain got experience, McCain got style, just don’t let him creep you out when he tries to smile. ‘Cause that smile be creepy! But when I’m V.P. all the leaders of the world gonna finally meet meeeeeeee! (And who could forget my favorite line from the Palin rap: My husband Todd lookin’ fine on his snow machine.”) But it’s not just about being a good sport. It’s about sending a message: This is part of our political tradition, and I understand that. If I’m elected, you can make fun of me all you want – you can even point and laugh – without fear that you’re going to be thrown in prison or shot. Because this is America and that’s not who we are.

Satire and parody. These are weapons to expose the soft underbelly of politics, and all its attendant ridiculousness. Satirists such as Jon Stewart also eviscerate the mainstream media for its flaws, and in that way, they preserve a tradition of robust debate that dates back to the founding of our country. (Wouldn’t A. Ham be proud?) These are the reasons why it is important to keep political satire alive and well.

Some may say that promoting comedians to a role on the front lines of preserving our freedoms assigns them too much responsibility and importance. I disagree. I don’t think it’s possible to overstate their importance to our democratic discourse, to our freedom to debate and disagree. And they keep me optimistic that we’re going to be okay, in the end. As long as Alexandra Petri is skewering Washington insiders in the pages of the Post, as long as Seth Myers is ripping into the collective insanity that has gripped one of our major political parties, as long as the Harry Potter Alliance is selling “Granger / Lovegood 2016” tote bags for those who want to vote third party… I can have some hope that we’re still America and we’re going to be okay. We can’t be a dictatorship, we won’t be a dictatorship, as long as someone like Kate McKinnon can poke fun at the ruling elite and do it with impunity and without fear. The political comedians and comediennes are shielding the rest of us with their audacity.

Jon Stewart. Steven Colbert. Tina Fey. Amy Poehler. Seth Myers. Kate McKinnon. Emily Blunt. Cecily Strong. Alexandra Petri. They are our laugh warriors, keeping us free.

November 7, 2016 by Jaclyn

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? (November 7, 2016)

Happy Monday-Before-Election-Day, my friends! Does everyone have their plan for voting tomorrow? I had hoped to find time to vote early, but it didn’t work out. So I’ll be braving the lines at the polls – book in hand, of course. Go, Hillary, go!

This was an unusual weekend. Usually we’re either on the go all weekend, or we’re just hanging out (and maybe getting stuff done around the house) – but this weekend covered both extremes. On Saturday, we were out the door early for a very exciting special exhibition at the Folger Shakespeare Library in DC (I’ll tell you all about it on Wednesday!). Going to the Folger was high on my to-do list anyway, and the exhibition we saw was smack dab in the middle of my wheelhouse, so I was basically beside myself with glee all morning. Saturday afternoon was spent running errands around town, doing a massive grocery shopping, and being generally productive after a “lost” week when I did nothing but work long hours. On Saturday night Steve and I finally found a moment to kick back, but instead of picking up a book, we turned on the first episode of The Crown, the new Netflix original series about Queen Elizabeth II, starring Claire Foy (who played Anne Boleyn in Wolf Hall and basically stole that entire show). Aside from some graphic scenes related to King George’s lung cancer, I loved it (and so did Steve, who has a stronger stomach than I do). Sunday was a rare low-key day at home. We hung out in pajamas most of the day and made roasted pumpkin seeds in the morning, then I squeezed in a little work during naptime. We capped off the day with a walk to the library, then about half an hour hanging out in the alley behind our house, chatting with our neighbors while Peanut ran around with their two little girls. Perfect.

I actually had a decently productive reading week, which is kind of a surprise considering how crazy work was – about twelve hours spent behind the wheel (I did manage to catch up on a few podcasts as I drove) and one night working at my kitchen table until midnight, plus all the regular stuff, too. Next week is looking like another packed one, so I’m extra glad to know that I can still check a few books off even during the craziest week – because my library stack has really taken on a life of its own. This week’s outbox was comprised of My Brilliant Friend, which I finished earlier in the week, and The Fire This Time, which I wrapped up on Saturday night. I seem to be working at a pace of about two books per week, which is good but is not going to cut it if I don’t want to return unread library books and don’t want to incur overdue fines. Next I picked up Crowned and Dangerous, the latest installment in the Her Royal Spyness mystery series – which I love, they’re such fun. I’ve been picking at it all weekend and could really use a couple of hours to sit down and sink into the story.

After Crowned and Dangerous, I’m trying to work through the new releases on my library stack, and I think my next read is going to be Before We Visit the Goddess, by Chitra Bannerjee Divakaruni. I’ve worked out that if I alternate one “diverse” book with one “non-diverse” book through the end of the year, I’ll surpass the goal of 33% “diverse” voices that I set at the beginning of the year. The problem is, a lot of the “diverse” books on my library stack are older, and they have to compete with new releases that can’t be renewed – like The Invasion of the Tearling, by Erika Johansen, and Here I Am, by Jonathan Safran Foer, to name just two. I guess that just means I will have to read all the faster, right?

I have good stuff coming up on the blog this week. On Wednesday, that recap of the special exhibition at the Folger that I teased at the top of the post. Trust me, you don’t want to miss this one. And on Friday, I’m talking about my favorite way to take in the news – political satire! I’m psyched about both posts, so do check in.

What are you reading this election week, my friends?

November 4, 2016 by Jaclyn

Fall Festivities

Happy week-after-Halloween, my friends! I’m still coming down from a fabulous October, and hoping the rest of the season is as much fun. After three truncated fall seasons in New York, we are squeezing every bit of golden light out of our first fall back in the DC area. But we’ve been so busy that I haven’t really been able to keep up here. So instead of boring you all with fall fun recap posts into December, I’m just going to tell you about the last two weeks of October, and Halloween, right here. Prepare for a massive photo-bomb post!

Apple Picking at Crooked Run Orchards

Apple picking is always on my fall agenda, but I never seem to be able to get the timing right. I always think that it should be fine to go in October, and I’m always confronted with slim pickings (see what I did there?). Aside from one year in Buffalo, when we actually made it on time, we’ve always been among the very last pickers to trickle into an orchard and this year was no exception. I thought we should be able to push it later than in New York, given the long growing season here. Evidently, I was wrong and will file that information away for next year. But we still had fun, which is what counts!

We arrived at Crooked Run Orchards, out in Loudoun County, in our rain boots and tulle dresses (okay, that was just Peanut) and ready to pick. The friendly farm staff told us that the trees were mostly picked bare, but there were a few spots in the back corners of the orchard where we might expect to find some more fruit. Not to be dissuaded, we headed out for a little hike to the promised fruit.

After fording a stream and hiking through the entire orchard, we found one lonely tree with decent-looking apples up at the top branches. After an attempt at hoisting Peanut, I ended up climbing up myself to reach the apples.

Peanut waited below the tree with a bucket, held out her hands for the apples I passed down, and carefully placed them in the bucket. When did she get so helpful? Hold me.

Eventually we let Nugget out of the backpack to run around…

And do a little picking of his own.

And eventually I was able to get what I wanted – other than a bucket full of apples, that is – a picture! Someone was a little too excited. Can you handle Nugget’s expression? He’s like, OMG, tone it down, sis!

There was more tree-climbing after we were done picking. Peanut declared that she is an apple.

Yay, apple picking! I’m glad we made it out to the orchard before it was really, really too late. We have a few apples left – Peanut has been eating them with her lunch every day, but they’re starting to look a bit long in the tooth. I think an apple coffee cake is in order this weekend, to use up the rest.

Pumpkin Picking at Krop’s Crops

Moving right along to pumpkin picking! I harbored some far-fetched hopes of finding a farm that would do both apples and pumpkins so we could knock both out at once, but it was not to be this year. So the following weekend, we were back in the car and headed to the country again, this time for the other required fall pick-your-own experience.

We had considered going pumpkin picking with Peanut’s class, but the farm they chose was far away and super expensive, and it was really windy outside. So we opted for a smaller, closer, less expensive spot and were so happy we did. Everyone on the wagon, it’s hayride time!

After a short spin around the farm grounds – looks like they do Christmas trees, too – we were deposited in a pumpkin patch with the option to choose one of the pumpkins there and take it back on the hayride, or buy a pumpkin from the field right next to the general store, by the car park. We decided that we had enough of an armload for the hayride and didn’t need to haul pumpkins of both the gourd and human varieties back on the wagon, so we would get our pumpkins from the farm store. But that didn’t mean we couldn’t take pictures in the pumpkin patch!

If only a certain someone would cooperate. Well, actually, two certain someones.

Caught them in a sweet moment. Awwwww.

Got back to the farmstand and found wagons! I decided to try again for good pictures, this time aided by wheels. We convinced Nugget that the wagon was a truck, and we were in business.

Speaking of trucks, Nugget happened to spot one of our hayride companions getting his picture taken on an old tractor parked outside the farmstand. Try as I might, I couldn’t drag him away from the tractor after that. So this had to happen.

Ha. This kid seriously loves vehicles.

We headed home armed with three pumpkins – a big one for the parents, and little ones for each of the kids! I haven’t dug into any of them yet (I know, I know) so pumpkin seed-roasting happens this weekend. My favorite fall treat!

Harvest Days Family Festival at George Washington’s Mount Vernon

Another day, another pumpkin patch! The day after our pumpkin-picking excursion, we all piled into the car again and headed down to Mount Vernon for the Fall Harvest Days Family Festival.

Most of the festivities were going on down on the pioneer farm site, so that’s where we headed. Hi, sheep!

There were volunteers dressed in period costume all over the place, showing off their historically accurate skills. Peanut enjoyed watching this puppet dance.

And Daddy got a cooking lesson. This was some kind of sausage, apple and mustard dish. I don’t know, you guys. It sounded awfully gross.

The highlight for Mom: a stained glass window depicting the General and his Right-Hand Man! Sadly, the festival was cut short for us by a massive Peanut tantrum. It was not her day. It happens.

Pumpkin Hunting at the Lee-Fendall House

On the Saturday before Halloween, we pulled the costumes out of their hiding spots for the first time this season! I usually like to dress the kids in their costumes for their trip to the pumpkin patch, but as you can see from the pictures, that was not an option this year. Can you imagine trying to take this mermaid and fire truck on a hayride and into a possibly muddy pumpkin patch? How many languages can you say “no way, Jose!” in?

So the first appearance of the costumes was on Halloween weekend. We had been discussing a playdate with one of Peanut’s school friends, and had hit on the Saturday before Halloween as a date that would work for both of our families, when I discovered a children’s party and pumpkin hunt taking place at one of the historic mansions just a few blocks from our house. I texted Peanut’s friend’s mom, and they were into the idea. A pumpkin-huntin’ it was!

The mansion went all out! The employees were dressed to the nines in their Halloween best, and they had cookies, juice and games for the kiddos. Including bowling for candy corns! Nugget only made off with a few of the pins before the rest of the kids could play. He really is a menace. But he’s my menace!

So snuggly!

We waited patiently all crowded on the patio until the kids got the green light, and then it was a pumpkin-grabbing free-for-all on the grass!

Nugget found the prize pumpkin! His prize was a stuffed bat and a bag of choking hazards that I promptly threw away. (He got to keep the bat, so don’t worry.)

After the pumpkin hunt, there was an excessively adorable costume parade. Peanut and her pal marched up near the head of the line, while the little fire truck chugged along behind.

And then went back to bowling.

It was such a fun morning! We were so glad that we were able to get there with Peanut’s little friend. All of the kids had a fantastic time. We will definitely be keeping this event on our Halloween agenda for future years!

Halloween Crafting

Of course, we had to get in some crafts, too. Peanut asked if she could decorate her room for Halloween, so Steve bought her a kit to make a black cat garland, and on Friday night we had a mother-daughter crafting party!

It’s possible I may have had a little too much fun. Peanut liked my kitty faces, though.

I think this black cat is bringing me good luck!

On Sunday morning, we pulled out Part II of our Halloween crafting. For the past few years, instead of digging out either sharp implements or messy paints, I’ve pushed the easy button and let the kids decorate the pumpkins with spooky stickers. Peanut loves festooning her pumpkin with stickers (she’s a big sticker fan in general) and Nugget didn’t really know what was going on, but he was EXCITED.

He did eventually do a few stickers. What a big guy!

Peanut, of course, was all over it. And Mom loved the fact that nobody got covered in finger paint or lost an eye. Wins all around!

Trick or Treating on South Lee Street

At last, at last, we come to the day itself! Little folk were psyched for the main event!

One of our school friends had tipped us off that South Lee Street, one of the side streets in Old Town, closes to traffic and basically becomes a giant block party starting at 5:00 on Halloween. So clearly, that’s where we went. Have to be in the mix, right?

Peanut and Nugget were all business. They put their game faces on and it was time.

Mermaid showed Fire Truck the ropes. Both kids got lots of compliments on their costumes. Lots of neighbors shouted out that Peanut was a beautiful mermaid, but my favorite was the woman who saw Nugget and called, “The Fire Department’s here!” Ha!

Nugget surprised me by doing really well with taking one piece of candy and putting it in his bag. He also said “Trick or Treat” a few times (although it came out “Twee Twee!”) and told most of the neighbors “thank you” when I prompted him. Peanut was an old pro at saying “Trick or Treat,” and “Thank you and Happy Halloween!” at each house. So proud!

And then came the highlight of Halloween. Ariel! She was handing out candy at the last house we visited and Peanut was totally starstruck.

Happy Halloween, indeed! Props to you if you made it this far, and I hope you all had as fabulous a Halloween season as we have! And now… on to Thanksgiving!

Happy Halloween, my friends! Did you go trick or treating?

November 2, 2016 by Jaclyn

Reading Round-Up: October 2016

Reading Round-Up Header

Reading is my oldest and favorite hobby. I literally can’t remember a time in my life when I didn’t love to curl up with a good book. Here are my reads for October, 2016…

Why Not Me?, by Mindy Kaling – My mom told me that she is starting a tradition of giving me a comedienne’s memoir or book every Christmas. In 2014, I got Yes Please!, by Amy Poehler, and this past year it was Mindy Kaling’s second book, Why Not Me? In Why Not Me?, Mindy continues to mine her life for material – coming up with essays on her brief stint as a sorority girl, a day-in-the-life describing just how insanely busy she actually is, a list of things to bring to her house for a dinner party, and more. (The best: a series of emails between alternate existence Mindy, a hard-partying Latin teacher at a posh NYC private school, and her disapproving colleagues.) I laughed through the whole book and loved every minute.

George, by Alex Gino – This is a charming and sweet middle-grade story about the experience of being a transgendered pre-teen. George knows deep in her heart that she is really Melissa. And thanks to an accepting best friend and school principal, she concocts a plan to let her community see who she really is. I read George in one sitting and loved it (although I agree with my friend A.M.B. that the title really should be Melissa) and I think it’s going to be a tremendously important book to trans kids just beginning to grapple with their gender identity. I’m so glad this book is in the world.

Stella by Starlight, by Sharon M. Draper – Stella is a young African-American girl living in the Jim Crow South, who sneaks out one night and sees something she was never meant to see: a KKK practice rally across the lake near her house. What Stella sees will shake her community to its core. I thought this was an incredibly powerful and well-written YA novel taking on some very difficult subjects. Of course, because the intended audience is children, it shies away from the most frightening. Although bad things happen (spoiler alert!) no one dies and the ending is hopeful, if not completely happy. But it’s a beautiful book and a worthy addition to a diverse young adult library.

Feathers, by Jacqueline Woodson – I read Woodson’s memoir in verse, Brown Girl Dreaming, last summer and was astounded by her beautiful writing. Feathers wasn’t quite in that class, but it was still excellent. Telling the story of a few weeks in the life of Frannie, a young African-American girl, and her friends Samantha and the Jesus Boy, Feathers takes on issues of faith, friendship, bullying and more. Frannie deals with issues at home – her beloved older brother is deaf and Frannie feels his disability deeply; her father, a truck driver, is rarely home, and her mother is pregnant again after several miscarriages. There’s no real resolution to most of the story lines; the book is really just a snapshot in the life of these characters. But the writing is lovely and lyrical, and I can’t wait to read more from Woodson.

We Should All Be Feminists, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie – I’ve had Adichie’s much-lauded essay (adapted from a TED talk) on my to-read list for ages now, and I’m embarrassed to say that the only thing holding me back from reading it was the fact that none of the library systems to which I have belonged seem to have it in their collections. (Is that embarrassing for me, or for the library?) Finally I wised up and downloaded it to my kindle, and I read it in less than an hour – it’s only about 45 pages, after all. Adichie combines memoir with feminist philosophy and it’s absolutely wonderful. We should all be feminists, indeed, and we should all read We Should All Be Feminists.

The Obelisk Gate (The Broken Earth #2), by N.K. Jemisin – In my quest to read more books by diverse authors this year, N.K. Jemisin stands out as a new favorite. I read the first in her Broken Earth trilogy – The Fifth Season – back in February and loved it, so I reserved the second as soon as it came out. As I mentioned in one of my weekly reading posts, there are a couple of story lines – well, really, they are elements to the main character’s back story – that upset me (as a mom, and particularly as a mom to a boy – I’ll leave it at that). But the world-building is great and Jemisin’s writing pulls you into the story in a very satisfying way. As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, I’m getting a little burnt out on the sci-fi genre (and will probably read less of it in 2017). But I’m glad not to have missed The Obelisk Gate.

Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mew’d (Flavia de Luce #8), by Alan Bradley – How I love a good cozy mystery! I think that the Flavia de Luce series is my favorite currently-in-progress mystery series. I just love Flavia’s voice, and all the supporting characters. (I wish Flavia had a better relationship with Daffy, though. I could see them making a great crime-solving and trouble-causing duo.) In this installment, Flavia has returned to Buckshaw from a short stint at Miss Bodycote’s Female Academy in Toronto – and she arrives to find that her father is in the hospital, and no one will let her see him. Flavia is despondent, until the discovery of a corpse cheers her up. She dives into the mystery surrounding the death and identity of an elderly woodcarver. Meanwhile, it’s clear that Flavia is starting to grow up – there are a few references to her getting older, and it’s poignant. The book ends sadly, but I won’t tell you how. Even with the slightly darker storyline, I’m loving Flavia’s journey and eagerly awaiting the next book.

Love Wins: The Lovers and Lawyers Who Fought the Landmark Case for Marriage Equality, by Debbie Cenziper and Jim Obergefell – I remember the day the Obergefell v. Hodges case was decided. Like many, I was waiting anxiously for the decision, and I cried tears of joy as I read Justice Kennedy’s opinion striking down same sex marriage bans across the country. “Love wins!” became the slogan of the triumphant gay community and their allies, and Love Wins is the title of this wonderful, wonderful book celebrating the case. It begins with Jim Obergefell and his dying husband, John Arthur (have tissues ready) and the story wends its way through law offices, living rooms and courtrooms until they finally reach the hallowed halls of SCOTUS. You don’t have to be a lawyer to follow the book, though, and I encourage everyone to read it. Just expect to cry, because you will – at the descriptions of John’s difficult childhood, as the story of his diagnosis and death is told, at the depiction of Jim sitting alone in the courtroom, at the ultimate triumph, and at so many more points. This book is fantastic and I hope it’s taught in law schools all over the country.

To the Bright Edge of the World, by Eowyn Ivey – I was sort of putting this off, because it’s a tome with small print and densely packed pages. But I loved Ivey’s first (much shorter) novel, The Snow Child, and her sophomore publication has already gotten raves, so I picked it up. Golly, what a gorgeous book. It tells the story of Colonel Allen Forrester, leading the first exploratory expedition into the newly acquired Alaskan Territory, and his young wife Sophie, left back at the Vancouver, Washington barracks. The story is told primarily through Allen’s and Sophie’s personal journals, but interspersed with other journals, articles and correspondence and sprinkled liberally with pictures.

October was a good reading month! I got through some great books, particularly toward the end of the month – Love Wins and To The Bright Edge of the World were the highlights for sure. I’m particularly proud that I managed to tick off nine books in a very busy month – packed with family activities on the weekends, and jammed up at work during the weeks. It’s all good busy, and I’ve been able to squeeze in reading, so I can’t complain. As for what’s next, I’m midway through My Brilliant Friend, so stay tuned to find out if I catch Ferrante Fever! And after that, I have a massive stack of library books and more on hold to pick up, so November is looking like a busy month. I’ll be checking in, of course, with my weekly reading recap posts and it’s looking like another massive round-up for you at the end of the month. Check back!

What was the best thing you read in October?

October 31, 2016 by Jaclyn

It’s Halloween! What Are You Reading? (October 31, 2016)

Boo! Mermaid and Fire Truck send you their spooky greetings and hope that you had a fabulous Halloweekend. I loved seeing all of the creative (adult!) costumes that my friends have been posting on social media. As for us, our Halloween was considerably more kid-focused this year – we have a certified Halloween-lover in the house. Halloween is Peanut’s faaaaaaaavorite holiday. Yes, more than Christmas. So we’ve been going all out finding all the fun stuff to do around town. On Saturday morning, we met up with Peanut’s BFF from her new school, S, and S’s family for a children’s party at one of the historic mansions in Old Town. More on that coming on Friday, but it was a blast and the kids had a fantastic time. Peanut loved running around in her mermaid costume and was so excited to see her friend outside of school, and Nugget’s morning was a huge success – he almost destroyed a centuries-old door knocker (but he didn’t! no historically important artifacts were harmed!), won the prize pumpkin (his prize was a stuffed bat) and left his fire truck costume alone all morning. Winning! On Sunday we’d hoped to trick-or-treat at Mount Vernon, but I misread the date. So we ended up having a more low-key day – just walks around the neighborhood, to the waterfront, the library and the playground, and unpacking (the job that never ends) during afternoon nap. It was a nice, simple weekend full of fun for the kiddos, and it was way too short.

to-the-bright-edge my-brilliant-friend

Had I had more time, I would have gotten more reading done, I’m sure. The library situation is getting dire. I have fifteen books currently checked out (although one, as mentioned last week maybe, is a book of Halloween poems that the kids are reading). But fourteen books is a stretch even for me. I did finish To the Bright Edge of the World last week, which was an endeavor not quite on the scale of the Alaskan trek depicted in the book, but still pretty darn daunting. But it was an absolutely gorgeous book – exciting, heart-rending, and beautiful to look at (pictures!!!). Then I picked up My Brilliant Friend for a second attempt at catching Ferrante fever. I’m partway through now and am definitely starting to sink into Elena and Lila’s world – I hear it keeps on getting better.

Next up on the reading agenda, I’m excited to have The Fire This Time, a collection of essays on being black in America, edited by Jesmyn Ward. I’ve been patiently waiting for about a month and my library copy has finally come in. After that, who knows? I’m not exactly lacking for choices right now, even if my library stack might actually fall over and kill me.

On the blog this week, I’ve got two round-ups coming to you! WHAT?! On Wednesday, I’ll have for you my October reading round-up. I had a great month and read a lot of excellent diverse titles, so I’m looking forward to sharing that. And on Friday, I’m catching up on fall fun with a giant photobomb of a post recapping apple picking, pumpkin picking and Halloween festivities. It’s going to be epic, and if anyone but my mom makes it through the whole thing, I’ll eat my hat.

Happy Halloween, my friends! What are you reading this week?

October 28, 2016 by Jaclyn

Hiking Shenandoah National Park

Somehow, we managed to live as avid hikers in the DC area for ten years without ever making it to Shenandoah National Park. My college alumni club went to the park to hike Old Rag, its most popular peak, twice a year, but I never was able to join the group (it seemed I was always out of town, or running a race, or pregnant, when they would go). Nor did we ever get there on our own. Since we love the outdoors and love national parks, this was a huge omission that I was determined to correct as soon as possible when we moved back. And a few weeks ago, that’s what we did!

The most important agenda item for our weekend in Little Washington was a hike in Shenandoah. Steve and I both researched trails and decided on the trail to Mary’s Rock. Boots on the ground, and let’s go!

We hiked through beautiful wooded trails and I checked out the ferns on the forest floor, thinking of the words from the Shenandoah National Park foliage report the weekend prior to our visit:

Ferns are turning gold –their kelly green fronds brushed lightly now with gold dust, but transforming frond tip by frond tip into the cinnamon and milk chocolate tones they’ll wear in winter.

(Whoever the park has writing the fall foliage reports needs an immediate raise. I felt like I was reading Henry Beston.)

We passed by the foundation of an old cabin, chimney still intact. I love stumbling upon visual treats like these, and speculating on who lived here and what their lives were like.

Finally, we made it to the first overlook. We spent a few minutes just drinking in the views of the gently rolling slopes and valleys laid out below.

From there we hiked on up to the ridge leading to Mary’s Rock, but after about half a mile, Steve and I looked at each other and conceded that we had to turn back without summitting. A cold wind was whipping all around us, and while we were fine, the kids were both crying in the backpacks. (Being smaller, and not working up a sweat the way we were, they were feeling the wind.) It just wasn’t our day. As soon as we got down off the ridge and back into the more sheltered forest, both kiddos perked up. And before too long, one of them sacked out. Too cute.

On our way back down the mountain, we stopped to drink in more gorgeous views of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Marveling at this view ^ Steve remarked, “Now I see why they call it the Blue Ridge.” Indeed!

Longtime readers may recall that Steve and I both grew up in or near the Adirondack region in New York State. I lived in Albany, slightly south of the mountains, and spent countless days at my family’s cabin on the Great Sacandaga Lake. Meanwhile, Steve was in Glens Falls, in the Adirondack region itself. We both consider the Adirondacks an important part of our personal stories. On this trip, we talked about how much we want our kids to grow up with the Blue Ridge Mountains meaning to them what the Adirondacks meant to us.

I guess that means we’re just going to have to go back soon and often. That shouldn’t be a problem!

October 26, 2016 by Jaclyn

Diverse KidLit: Grace For President (October 2016)

diverse kidlit

In 2016, I set a goal to read more diversely both to myself and aloud to my kids. As this year has unfolded, celebrating our differences has become more important than ever. 2016 has brought unspeakable tragedies born out of hate and ignorance – and the best way I know to fight those evils is to read books celebrating love and diversity. This month’s diverse kidlit choice is Grace for President, by Kelly DiPucchio.

Grace Campbell is a young political enthusiast who gets a rude surprise one September day in school.

When her teacher, Mrs. Barrington, displays a poster showing the faces of all of the country’s Presidents, Grace notices a glaring omission, and she’s not pleased. “Where are the GIRLS?” Grace demands.

Mrs. Barrington explains that no woman has ever been elected President of the United States. Grace, naturally, thinks this is ridiculous. (I agree, Grace. I agree.) So she decides, with the impeccable logic of an elementary school student, that she’d like to be President. Although the rest of the class giggles and snickers at Grace’s declaration (see what I did there?) Mrs. Barrington seizes the opportunity for a hands-on lesson about the electoral process, and immediately declares a school-wide election. Since nobody else in the class is interested in running for President, Grace figures the election will be a cakewalk.

Whoops – not so fast, Grace. “In the name of democracy,” Mrs. Barrington invites another class to participate in the election. Mr. Waller’s students nominate Thomas Cobb, general extracurricular overachiever, as their candidate. Grace is disappointed to see her hopes of an unopposed election evaporate. Mrs. Barrington and Mr. Waller prepare a drawing in which each student – except for Grace and Thomas – randomly selects a state to represent. Once all of the states are assigned, the teachers explain the Electoral College and the concept of electoral votes.

Thomas and Grace start their campaigns and before long, they’re in full swing. In what will sound like familiar language to my American friends, Grace urges her voters to make history. Thomas, meanwhile, promotes himself as “the best MAN for the job.”

While Grace takes her campaigning seriously, Thomas slacks. He’s figured out that the boys hold a slim majority of electoral votes. Predicting that the boys will all vote for him and the girls for Grace, Thomas figures he’s got the election in the bag.

On election day, the school gathers in an assembly to watch as the states cast their electoral votes. The election seems to be going as Thomas predicted – all the boys are voting for him, and all the girls are voting for Grace. Thomas sits smugly as Grace becomes more and more worried. Finally, it’s down to the last vote. Grace has 267 electoral votes, and Thomas has 268. With the final three votes to cast, the election is up to…

The Equality State of Wyoming, represented by Sam. In a turn of events that shocks the entire school, Sam casts Wyoming’s three votes for…

Grace Campbell! History… made! When Grace asks Sam why he voted for her, he replies simply, “I thought you were the best person for the job.”

The next week, Grace and her classmates make their career day presentations. Grace stands before the class waving her American flag and declares that when she grows up, she’s going to be President. The book concludes, “This time, everyone believed that she would.” Oh, and spoiler alert…

She does!

When I decided to take on this yearlong project of seeking out and reading diverse books to Peanut, I knew immediately that I wanted to include Grace for President on my list. I love the empowering message and the fact that it is embodied by not just any little girl, but a little girl of color. And what better book to read in the weeks leading up to Election Day?

One of my favorite things about Grace for President is how layered its message is. Peanut is too little to understand the Electoral College or the nuances of the Presidential election process – although for older kids, Grace for President makes for a great introductory lesson. (It’s a bit simplified, but consider the audience. I think Grace for President does a pretty good job of explaining an antiquated and nonsensical system to kids, who are notoriously intolerant of things that are antiquated and nonsensical. Gotta love kids.) For Peanut’s current age and stage of understanding, we’re mostly talking about Grace for President in the “girls can do anything!” context – and of course, I love the diversity of Grace’s classmates, which I think adds a wonderful visual message to the story. But I expect we’ll be returning to Grace for President in four years, when Peanut will be eight years old and able to understand more of the complexities of our political system. I think it’ll be a useful teaching tool at that point, and one that we’ll still enjoy using. I do, however, hope that one aspect of the story will be outdated in four years. When Grace places her hands on her hips and indignantly shouts, “No GIRLS?” I’d love to be able to tell Peanut, “That part was true when the book was written, but it’s not true now!” (Although this isn’t a political blog, I doubt anyone who reads my posts will be surprised to hear that #ImWithHer.)

What diverse books are you reading this month?

October 24, 2016 by Jaclyn

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? (October 24, 2016)

Right-hand man! Show of hands if you watched Hamilton’s America on PBS on Friday night. All of us? Good, then we can discuss it. HOW FREAKING GOOD WAS IT YOU GUYS AMIRITE? Steve and I watched it on Friday when it aired, and then again on Saturday (we recorded it). And I’m sure we will be watching it plenty more over the coming months. We pretty much spent the entire weekend in a Hamilton haze, either watching the #Hamildoc, singing along to the soundtrack, discussing a trip to Broadway (not likely) and driving down to Mount Vernon on Sunday to soak in more Hamiltonia – like this stained glass window showing the General and his right-hand man. (We would have gone to Mount Vernon this weekend even if we hadn’t been in a revolutionary mood from Hamilton’s America, because it was the fall harvest days family festival, which I put on our calendar weeks ago.) Anyway, it was such fun to stroll the grounds of Mount Vernon rapping “We are outgunned, outmanned, outnumbered, outplanned” – oh, and we taught Nugget to shout “Rise up!” from the backpack, so basically we were the coolest people on the farm. #YayHamlet

So, Hamilton mania aside, I had a pretty decent week in reading. I finished two books: Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mew’d, the eighth Flavia de Luce mystery, and Love Wins: The Lovers and Lawyers Who Fought the Landmark Case for Marriage Equality, and started To the Bright Edge of the World. In a turn of events that will surprise exactly no one, my library stack is completely out of control – I have eight books checked out (although two of those I’ve finished and another one is a book of Hallowe’en poems for the kids) and five to pick up from the holds shelf. (Being back in a library system that doesn’t charge for holds is going to be good for my wallet but bad for my spare time, such as it is.) Anyway, it was a good reading week. I always enjoy a visit to Buckshaw, even though Flavia’s story seems to be taking a sadder turn lately. And Love Wins was spectacular. I spent about a third of the book ugly-crying – including sobbing through the last couple of chapters on the metro. This was not a shock, since I cried when I read the Obergefell v. Hodges decision on the day it came out, too. Now I’m working my way through To the Bright Edge of the World, Eowyn Ivey’s sophomore novel. (I loved her debut, The Snow Child, when it came out in spring of 2012, and have been looking forward to her next book ever since – so I’m excited to finally have it in my hands, courtesy of the library.)

When I finish To the Bright Edge of the World, I’ll pick up another library book – I’m just not sure which one. If I’m feeling nonfictiony, I’ve got Waiting to be Heard, the memoir written by Amanda Knox after her release from prison in Italy. I followed her case with fascination as it was unfolding and always believed that the “evidence” against her simply didn’t hold water, so I was very happy to see her come home and am looking forward to reading her book. Or I might pick up the seventh volume of Fables, which I finally have in hand after waiting weeks to get it (the library only has one copy, and it was overdue for about two weeks). Or maybe something else from my holds queue – I might end up surprising myself!

On the blog this week, my diverse kidlit pick for October, and it’s another good one, coming on Wednesday, and a visit to Shenandoah National Park on Friday. Have a good one, my friends!

What are you reading this week? And more importantly, how many times have you watched the Hamildoc?

covered in flour

the adventures of a wandering reader…

Author: Jaclyn