Books 65, 66, 67 and 68

A banned book and I don't get it. Issues that send the girl to a mental hospital and she learns to deal with her life and emotions. Maybe having worked with mental patients I can relate, but why ban it? Teenagers are curious and telling them they can't read this will just make them want to read it. It had nothing that shocked me.
Cenneidigh and I finally finished this book. It is by the same author as Ella Enchanted and I have to say I enjoyed that book more then this. I loved Ella Enchanted by the way and would suggest it to anyone(I loved the movie too, but instead of hating it I viewed it different, not really the same story as the book.)I read it slowly with Cenny and the words are hard to read out loud. Most of them are in a made up language and when you read to yourself you can skip it or make it up, but Cenny read over my shoulder most of the time and tried to sound them out instead. She read every other page and I read every other, until about page 120 and then I read most of the rest except the singing parts. I figured we would otherwise be reading it for the next ten years. She now needs to pick out another book for us to read.
Funny at times. The retelling of King Lear through the Fool's character. Short, loads of language, so beware.
Funny and banned in many schools. Rebellion, family issues, pain, guilt, piercing, and date rape. Read it from the banned list. Okay, not bad but not great, why ban? Issues in this book are what's really going on in high school.

There is only love, Last Happiness Project Commandment

The last commandment in the Happiness Project and I can see why this is the last one. You need to use most of the other commandments to make this one work. When David bugs me I need to "Lighten UP" "Let it go." and "Identify the problem." Which is going to be me. I need to realize that I love him and that I need to work on me and not on him. You're the only one that can change you and you can't change anyone else.

When you forget the problems you see with others and remember that it is only love you can do amazing things. When David bothers me, I only need to remember that I love him and forget all the reasons I'm upset in the first place.

With "No Calculations." I need to not overestimate my work and underestimate his. I need to remember only love. Love wins in the end, if we let it.

I had a workmate that was extremely difficult to get along with. Everyone told me to just grin and bear it, but I didn't like that idea. I pushed my way into his life and

looked at all the good things about him only, determined to ignore the bad. We slowly became friends and the more time we spent together, WOW, I have to tell

you that it has been years since we worked and hung out together, but we stay in contact and to this day and forever(I'm sure) I will always consider him one of my dearest friends.

It works, but I've been too busy to put it into practice lately (it also requires lots of time, worth it in the end.)

Am I happier now that I have read this book and thought about the principles one at a time? I am happier now. Sure I still have the same things, life, house, husband, kids, stresses, an old van that may be on its last leg, a budget that always has more month in it then money and the same old temper that gets me into trouble that I had when I started reading and researching Happiness, but I now feel I have the tools necessary to keep striving for more and more and more happiness. I've also searched out other books on happiness. It really is a conscious decision you need to make if you want to be truly happy. Happiness is not about where you live or where you work or how much money you make or who you hang out with or how your parents made or broke you. It is about you!!!!!! and about how you see things. Choose to be happy and you will be. "Act the way you want to feel." Happiness is up to you. Remember Moms. "When mom ain't happy, ain't no one happy."

Choose to be the one that sets the tone and watch the world around you change for the better.

Cenneidigh wins 3rd in the 800

She was happier then she looks. It was hot sitting in the sun for hours.

Subbing at the 4th grade city wide Track and Field Event

Waiting in the sun for our turn.
McLoones 4th Grade class.
The Tug-o-war trophy for our class, we beat all the other 4th grades in town. I was very excited and really cheered them on.

I had quite a day subbing for a 4th grade class at Banfield. It was Track and Field Day and so I was told to pack a lunch and lots of sunscreen(I think the bottle is empty now, lots of the kids did not remember this item.) They had many running events and field events. The kids competed in 4 events and did really well finding when and where to go. After the rewards(Cenneidigh won 3rd place in the girls 800) they had a class tug o war. My class or really Ms. McLoones class WON!!!!!!!! What a great day to sub. I don't think I lost anyone(I hope anyway).

Trip to the Peters in Illinois.

Qatar and his hat that Grandpa and Geekie brought back from Australia for him and the rest of the boys.


DOTS shopping trip.
We looked at the summer calender and decided that if we didn't go see Geekie and Grandpa soon we would never be able to go. The drive down was long and we listened to Gregor the Overlander. Everyone seemed to enjoy the book. At McDonald's our order went to a bus so they gave us McFlurries while we waited and then only gave us half our order, I went back in and asked for the rest. After waiting 20 mins for the first half we waited another 5 for the rest and they gave us a few free apple pies for our trouble. I really would have liked to skip the free items and just get the stuff I paid for alittle quicker.

We arrived late and then slept in the next day a bit. Geekie had tons of food for us and breakfast was great. We walked around the country roads and went to DOTS for goodies. The boys slept in the motorhome and Cenneidigh and I slept in the house and she pushed me off the bed so I climbed back in the other side and she seemed to leave me alone then.

We got back Sunday late and had play practice and then unpacking. I'm tired, but it was nice seeing the In-Laws again.

Book 64 Eat Pray Love

As for a terrible book I read to page 98 and gave up on the book Julie & Julia. I loved the movie, but the book was awful. It was a misery to read and I had to stop. She loves to swear and I mean SWEAR, not little swear words but the monster ones and more then one per sentence at times. She hates Republicans and they are the root of all evil in the world(the author below started down this path, but stopped before she really got to me.) This author on the other hand kept going and going and going. I could not in good conscious continue with the horror of her book. I do not know how Hollywood took this horrible, awful, low vocabulary book and created such a cute movie out of it. It was not fun to read to page 98, I suffered through a few pages every night and finally I had to quit. YUCK!!!!!!

This book started out very self-involved(the author) and I was a skeptic about finishing it, but I ended up loving it and would suggest it to anyone. Eat was her time in Italy, after a nasty divorce and a boyfriend gone wrong. Pray is the 4 months she stays at an ashram in India learning to meditate and find God in that time. Love is the 4 months she spends on Bali.

What I got from this book: All the unhappy people in the world are the cause of all the worlds problems(war, famine, murder etc.) Happy people never would think of doing those things. Finding happiness is a quest and a conscious decision, one you must work at it everyday of your life. Even if you are happy, if you don't work to stay that way you could lose it. Being happy is not only a gift to yourself, but to the world in general. Be happy for you and see the world change for the better because of it.

After 1/2 the chapter on Italy I loved this book. Uplifting and very interesting to boot. We are God and God is in all of us. I now need to try meditation. This journey to find more happiness has lead me to books I may never have read and WOW I've learn a lot about myself in the process. You would think at 40 I would know myself better, but I'm enjoying the journey I've chosen. It may change tomorrow, but searching for happiness or more happiness, in my case(I felt happy when I started,) was a great plan. One I would suggest to anyone.

Read this book, well worth it.

No Calculations

This one is really hard for me and I think it is a bit of a repeat of be fair. "I made dinner, so you....." "I gave the kids a bath so you......" I worked all day on the yard so you..." I am a good one for calculations, I think I even keep a notebook in the back of my brain of all the things people owe me. Bad? I know and I'm tiring to change, but it is hard and I think I will struggle with this forever. I hope someday to take the notebook out and burn it and all the contents and not worry about what I do and others do.

St. Therese wrote: "When one loves, one does not calculate." I guess I need to love more. What can I say?