My Corner of the World

Well, it's that time of year again when the kids are back in school, probably not learning a whole lot yet and probably writing those back to school essays. I used to hate those when I was in school, but now I find myself reminiscing about them and wishing I were back in school with any kind of assignment. My summer vacation wasn't super eventful, but a lot changed over the summer. I'm the kind of mom who is anxious for summer vacation to begin, if only to get a break from all the dropping off, picking up, driving around running errands. And our summer break started off with a bang. We took a trip to San Diego with my family over Memorial Day before summer even officially began. The kids enjoyed it because we were at the beach a lot, which is a novelty to them. We went boogey boarding and played on the sand with the cool wind rushing by (It was the end of May in San Diego) and even found a dead jellyfish that washed up on the beach. We returned home just in time for the k...

Starting when I was about in the third grade, I read all of the Nancy Drew & Hardy Boys series. Then when I was a bit older, and still living at home,  I moved on to reading Agatha Christie and John Grisham and even some Stephen King. I handled those okay when I lived at home with my two parents and lots of siblings. However since I've been an adult, I can't handle reading scary stories. They give me nightmares and keep me up at night, listening to the sounds outside my window and putting me on edge when I hear unfamiliar cars driving down my street. I'm currently reading the Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman and, while it's scary and there's tension, the setting is enough removed from my life that it doesn't scare me to fall asleep at night after reading it. The monsters are timeless, powerful and mythical and not at all suburban or modern. The book jacket recommends this book for readers of all ages. When I finish it, I'll let you know if it ...