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Why do I do this to myself?

Someone once told me,

that the last good night's sleep I would ever have would be the night before I found out I was pregnant.  Truth.  Anybody's who has been pregnant knows that it comes with discomfort, and lots and lots of bathroom trips.  And leg cramps.  And husbands who wake you up, because you are sleeping flat on your back.  (Side note:  Don't do this.  Yes, technically laying on my back wasn't ideal, but at. least. I. was. asleep.)  And then we had babies, who were/are lovely and beautiful, but totally sucked at sleeping.  I was in Zombieville for like 5 years. I know I am in the minority in that I have never watched The Walking Dead.  I assume it is just about my life when my kids were babies?

And now,

my kiddos are almost 7 and 9 and pretty much sleeping through the night consistently.  One of ours has a little GI/urinary issue, AND is afraid of the dark, so I do get woken frequently to escort her down the hallway to the potty.  Also, our 11-year-old dog has decided that when she is ready to be awake for the day, at least one of her parents should be too.  Lucky for me, she usually picks her dad.   So, we sleep better, but still not great.  It is almost like our bodies and minds forgot how.  Or maybe our minds have more and more burdens as our kiddos get older.

Also, I make bad decisions.

I just love reading....so much.  I have loved books since childhood, climbing into my parents' laps demanding to be read a story.  My husband doesn't share this hobby.  In fact, he would sometimes call me when we were dating and ask what I was doing.  When I answered that I was reading, he would incredulously ask, "FOR FUN????"

And, yes!  Yes, for fun!  I love escaping into stories, learning new things, entering a new world, or going back in time to experience history.  I love the silly and musical cadence of picture books: the rhyming nonsense of Dr. Seuss, the coolness of Pete the Cat, and the cleverness of Mo Willems.  My kiddos have moved beyond picture books, which is kinda heartbreaking, but now every night I get to share with them in the magical world of Harry Potter, and the hilarious happenings of Junie B. Jones.
But, I like to read for my own enjoyment as well, and I do it whenever I can.  I pretty much exclusively check out books from the public library, most often on my Kindle using the OverDrive application.  I love reading on my Kindle(s), I have the Fire and the Touch, because I can get books delivered immediately, and if they aren't available, I put them on hold, and when they become available, they are checked out to me automatically.  So miraculous.  (In fact, as I was sitting here typing this, I got an email that Lost and Found Sisters by Jill Shalvis was checked out to me.  I don't remember what that one was supposed to be about.  I probably liked the cover art.  I sometimes judge a book by its cover.  Deal with it.)  My husband likes it when I read on my Kindle (Fire) too because I do most of my reading in bed, and he goes to bed first, so this way my light doesn't keep him awake.  But, I have a problem, and that problem is called:  I Stay Up Way Too Late Reading and Am Therefore Tired All the Freaking Time.

Anybody else have that problem?

Here's what I have been reading lately.

  • Currently:  Interrupted (Revised and Expanded) by Jen Hatmaker
  • Also currently:  The Answer to Bad Religion is Not No Religion: A Guide to Good Religion for Seekers, Skeptics, and Believers by Martin Thielen
  • Barefoot by Elin Hilderbrand
  • Also by Elin Hilderbrand:  Here's to Us, The Blue Bistro, The Identicals, The Rumor, The Matchmaker, Beautiful Day, Winter Stroll, Winter Street, Winter Storms.  And maybe some others.  I tend to pick an author and read all the books they have available to check out on OverDrive.  
  • The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien
  • The Opposite of Me by Sarah Pekkanen

Up Next:

  • The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown.
  • American Jezebel: Then Uncommon Life of Anne Hutchinson, the Woman Who Defied the Puritans by Eve LaPlante
  • And when they come off holds:  
    • Goodnight Nobody by Jennifer Weiner
    • The Other Einstein by Marie Benedict
    • Into the Water by Paula Hawkins
  • Also, I will reread To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.  I do every year.  
What about you?  What is your fave book or author or subject?  What is next on your list?

Here's to a big cup of coffee in the morning,

xoxo, kristen
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