Another Update on Laurryn's Summer Reading List

I am hoping to finish 75% of my summer reading list by the end of this month. There are still some pretty big books on my shelf, and Matt and I finally got our Sellersburg library cards, so I’ve been a little distracted by some new books, too. Here’s an update of how I’m doing since my last post.

Books I’ve finished:

Anthem (Rand) – This book is practically a pamphlet compared to Rand’s more famous works, such as Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead. It’s definitely a quick read, and a little weird (I don’t think the word “I” appears in the book at all, which is part of the story). I did enjoy this one, though.

Banner in the Sky (Ullman) – I thought I would have to force my way through this book, but I found myself craving the moments that Gwen needed to be rocked before napping so that I could read it (I would hold the book in my left hand, hold her in my left arm, pat her with my right hand, and turn pages with my right hand). It’s a very good story!

The Color Purple (Walker) – I knocked this one out pretty quickly. The chapters were often quite short, and I found myself looking for any few minutes to get another chapter read. Such a classic!

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (Haddon) – I don’t know how to describe this one…It seems that it’s well-known for being a book from the perspective of a boy with autism, and I loved that about it. I feel like I better understand those with autism as a result of reading it.

Decision Points (Bush) – I finished this book and loved it. I have a whole new understanding of and a deeper respect for President Bush. I always liked him, but I like him even more now. I’ve already lent it out.

Do the Right Thing (Huckabee) – I finished this one on our recent trip to Florida. I did enjoy it, so much so that I grabbed his newest book, A Simple Government, on my most recent library trip.

Financial Peace Revisited (Ramsey) – I knocked this one out pretty quickly, mainly because it’s an easy read and didn’t contain anything I didn’t know. On a trip to Cincinnati earlier this year, Matt and I listened to the Financial Peace University cds, and the book is basically the same thing.

Kiss Me, Kill Me (Rule) – I didn’t have much left in this book, but I finished it. It makes me ready for another true crime book as soon as possible!

The Phantom Tollbooth (Juster) – This book is SO FUN! The author has so very much imagination! What a great read.

Sarah, Plain and Tall (MacLachlan) – If I read this book as a kid, I forgot. It was a half hour read, but a cute book for little ones.

The Tale of Despereaux (DiCamillo) – This book was okay. I felt like there was a lot of hype that it didn’t live up to for me. It was cute but not amazing.

To Kill a Mockingbird (Lee) – I started this during Gwen’s I-need-to-be-rocked-before-I-nap phase, but she’s moved on from that, so I haven’t been able to read much lately! It’s nice to read another classic.

A Wrinkle in Time (L’Engle) – How enjoyable this book was! I recommend it and really enjoy her work.

The Young Drover (Carter) – I enjoyed this one much more than I thought I would. The chapters were relatively short, so it was easy to get through quickly. A very cool story!

Still reading…

Broke (Beck) – This book is HEA-VY. First, Glenn takes you through our nation’s history with debt and helps you to understand the actions of our government. I’m past the history part and I’m working on Glenn’s suggestions for fixing the problem, but this is serious stuff. One of the toughest things about this book is how different it is from all of Glenn’s other books – it’s not as funny (because, truly, the subject matter isn’t funny). It’s good to read, though, just scary. I have to read a bit at a time.

Everyman’s Talmud (Cohen) – I have not picked this up since my last post. Whoops.

Mein Kampf (Hitler) – This book is so, so dull. I have never read a more terrible book. In fact, I had to deal with how much I hated it by resigning myself to putting it down entirely. Now it’s sitting at my bedside, waiting to be picked up on a night that I simply can’t fall asleep.

The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich (Shirer) – I am really enjoying this book; the writing is great. It’s not easy to pick it up and read a quick chapter, though!

Recently, I also read American Wife (Sittenfeld). This is a fiction book based loosely (very loosely) on Laura Bush’s story. Even though I already know Laura Bush’s story, I couldn’t help but spend nearly every spare moment with my face in this book. I enjoyed it, but it’s a one-time read. The truth of the matter is, the book seems pretty improbable to me, but it’s interesting how the author chose to connect the dots of Laura Bush’s life and make some crazy (crazy unlikely) connections.

I also finished Cinderella Ate My Daughter (Orenstein) and it was too funny! A friend from my last practicum recommended it and I just love it. The author talks about the present girlie-girl culture and its effect on the daughters in America. She discusses Disney princesses, pageant parents, makeup and clothing habits of kids, and tons of other stuff. I could hardly put it down!

I mentioned earlier that I grabbed Huckabee's A Simple Government at the library, and it was good. I'm so disappointed that he won't be running for President.

I also grabbed Donald Rumsfeld’s Known and Unknown (which is quite a chunk) from the library, and I’m loving it so far.

I also added The Illustrated History of the Third Reich to go through along with the other history books. A friend lent me two books about children surviving the Holocaust, so I’m working through those, as well.

Still to start…

Inside the Third Reich (Speer)
The Nazi Doctors (Lifton)
Tender Victory (Caldwell)
The Original Argument (Beck) – This wasn’t on my original list, but I couldn’t help but pick it up. I’ll start it when I finish Broke.

So the plan is to finish everything but the Holocaust-related books by the end of this month (although I'll certainly work on the Holocaust-related books if I finish early). In September, I'll study for my CSW (Certified Social Worker) exam, and then I'll do my best to finish the Holocaust-related books in October (six books). My goal is to have started (re)reading the Harry Potter books starting in November. Oh, and a friend lent me the Watchmen comic book, so I'm looking VERY forward to getting into that, too!

So there you have it! A long, boring post about my summer reading list. My other summer goals are to make 30 new meals, read through the New Testament, and go on a ridealong with Matt. All this by the end of the month!

Update on Laurryn's Summer Reading List

I am satisfied with my progress when it comes to my summer reading list. I have gotten some books completely done and I am in the middle of others. The strikethrough from MS Word isn't showing up on here, so I'll have to write "DONE" before the book title.

DONE - Animal Farm (Orwell) – I knocked this out during one of Gwen’s longer naps. I remembered so much from this book but now I finally understand what Orwell was trying to get across to his readers. What a classic! I’m glad to have it.

Anthem (Rand) – I have the bookmark in this book; I’m ready to start it this week. I want to read the first chapter in one sitting, so it might be one night this week that I really start it.

Banner in the Sky (Ullman) – I read the first chapter of this book last night and I might have to force my way through it. We’ll see.

Decision Points (Bush) – I am moving along in this book; I just finished the chapter about Afghanistan and the Iraq chapter is next. It’s wonderful; I absolutely love reading this one.

Everyman’s Talmud (Cohen) – This is another book with the bookmark in, ready to be started. The bookmark is a wonderful Jewish bookmark made for me by Emilee J.Q. Foxworthy (the Q stands for Hotness).

DONE - Island of the Blue Dolphins (O’Dell) – Oh, how I love this book! I didn’t remember all of the story, but it was wonderful to feel like a kid again as I read it.

Mein Kampf (Hitler) – I had to force my way through the first chapter of this book. It is horribly boring. This may be the first book that I start but never finish.

DONE - Stargirl (Spinelli) – I loved this book. So fun and refreshing!

DONE - Superfudge (Blume) – I started and finished this book yesterday. I got a kick out of the silly humor of the story.

DONE - The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle (Avi) – I truly enjoyed reading this book. I am glad to have revisited it, but I don’t plan on lending it to Camden any time soon.

DONE - Under the Overpass (Yankoski) – This book, in case you don’t know, is the story of two young men, Christians, who travel through six cities as homeless. Their experiences are wonderful and the insight contained in this book is extremely thought-provoking for Christians.

DONE - The Wednesday Letters (Wright) – This book was quite good! It’s a story about family secrets; it’s difficult to put down.

Confessions of a Stay-at-Home Nanny

I have successfully survived my first week as a stay-at-home nanny! Gwen, who will be four months old later this week, has been my buddy this week. I have grown by leaps and bounds in my knowledge of baby-watching, it seems. Here’s a collection of some of the things I’ve learned in the last week.

1. I can rock a sleeping baby, hold a book open, read, and keep a pacifier in a baby’s mouth at the same time. I have gotten a lot of reading done this way!

2. I googled “Moby wrap” to remind myself of how to put the wrap on, even though I’ve totally done it before. A bunch of times. In order to make sure that I put the wrap on correctly, I watched some videos. Thank goodness it’s pretty easy to put it on.

3. Oh, reading is even easier with a Moby wrap because I can use both hands to hold up the book! I reserve hardcover books for the times when Gwen is in the Moby wrap.

4. Oh, man, I can so do this one day.

5. Oh, wait, no, I can’t.

6. Tumbler is my assistant. Seriously. He is always waiting outside the kids’ room as I put Gwen down (all three naps per day, each day). He’ll lay near her when she’s down to be changed. He’s always following us around, making sure we’re okay. If only he could actually help out. He does a really good job of looking concerned and cute.

7. I am a master of prioritizing. And I am becoming a master of flexibility. If my MSW program didn’t teach me this (which it did), spending 8 and a half hours per day with a baby is teaching me. And putting me right to the test.

8. The other day, I discovered that I can carry the carrier (with Gwen inside), the diaper bag, my purse, a shopping bag, and two liquid-filled cups. That’s when I thought, “Oh, man, I can so do this one day.” Within about five minutes, I was probably thinking, “Oh, wait, no, I can’t.”

9. While running errands with Gwen the other day, I realized how AWESOME it is to have a baby with you because people are way nicer to you! One person said, “Hi, can I help you?” in a voice that conveyed her boredness and annoyedness and then, suddenly, she was all smiles and cheerfulness due to the cuteness that is Gwen.

10. Finally, I’m beginning to see why parenting is such a reward and such a challenge. I’m not equating myself to a parent, but I can see those moments where parents would feel quite challenged and where some of the rewards show up. I can only imagine that, with my own children, I will feel more challenged and more rewarded.

So there you have it! Some of the lessons I’ve learned as a result of my time with Gwen. I’m sure I’ll have more to tell you as I go.

Laurryn's Summer Reading List

I have to tell you: it’s ambitious. This fabric box houses my summer reading list and – as you can see – it’s pretty full.

Uh, please ignore the other crap in the photo. Thanks.

Seriously, though, here’s the list. And it really is ambitious. At the end of this summer, I’m planning on taking my licensure exam (to become a Certified Social Worker in the state of Kentucky), so I’m not sure how realistic it is to think I’ll get through all of these (I’ll have my nose stuck in the DSM-IV-TR). So maybe this is really a “Laurryn’s Rest-of-2011 Reading List.” (And please ignore the fact that the books aren't underlined - it deleted that when I copied and pasted and I can't underline in editing, apparently).

• Animal Farm (Orwell) – Have you read this since fifth grade? I don’t think I have. I bought it for less than a dollar at my favorite local used bookstore and it’s been staring at me, chanting, “I won’t take that long to read, I promise!” At least now I’ll get the metaphor.
  
  
• Anthem (Rand) – I started this book once…or twice…maybe three times. It’s not that it won’t be excellent (all of Rand’s stuff is) or that it won’t be a quick read (it’s a short brochure compared to her masterpiece, Atlas Shrugged), but textbooks have been the priority for the last two years.
  
  
• Banner in the Sky (Ullman) – I don’t know why I have this book. I don’t remember when or how I acquired it, but I know we read an excerpt from it in junior high and I enjoyed it. I remember learning new words like “citadel” and “crevice” and liking that.
  
  
• Broke (Beck) – I’m truly embarrassed to say that I haven’t finished this yet. I’ve made it through a portion but not all of it. How can I call myself a GB superfan if I don’t immediately drop everything to read his latest work? That’s what I’ve always done before.
  
  
• The Color Purple (Walker) – I remember reading this on a family vacation in high school. Of course, parts of it were tough to get through, but I think I will get a lot more out of it as a result of the (social) work I’ve been doing over the last six or seven years since high school.
  
  
• The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (Haddon) – I am completely blindly jumping into this book. I know nothing about it, except that I’ve seen it a ton at stores and that some friends from church had it on their bookshelf. So it’s borrowed, and I’d like to give it back to them before the end of the summer.
  
  
• Decision Points (Bush) – I bought this for Matt for Christmas, knowing full well that I was buying it 30% for him and 70% for me. I peeked when he opened it but haven’t gotten very far. I am in the middle of Laura Bush’s book right now and I absolutely love it.
  
  
• Do the Right Thing (Huckabee) – It’s okay if you don’t like Mike Huckabee, but Matt and I are big fans. I love political figures who seem real – like nice, normal people who are friendly and down to earth. I feel that way about Huckabee, and I’ve read about half of this book and feel like I’d feel right at home in the middle of his circle of family and friends.
  
  
• Everyman’s Talmud (Cohen) – I am quite certain that I bought this book during my freshman year of college. And opened it and read a few lines and got so excited by the spiritual-thought-provoking that resulted from my reading that I became determined to give myself plenty of time and focus when it came to reading this book. Apparently, I haven’t had adequate time and/or focus since 2004.
  
  
• Financial Peace Revisited (Ramsey) – Thanks to our favorite Hellers for letting us borrow their Financial Peace University. This book is a part of the set and I’m excited to dive into it. I’ve already listened to all of the cds and downloaded the forms, but I’m excited to read the book, too!
  
  
• Inside the Third Reich (Speer) – Alright, this is one of three Holocaust-related books on the list. If I don’t read this book now (it’s another bought-during-freshman-year-of-college book), I’m afraid I never will! When will I be in the mood to read about this awfulness? Never o’clock, that’s when. I remember leaving my college class on the Holocaust in tears…nearly every day. I will have to make sure I am reading something fun and cheery alongside this.
  
  
• Island of the Blue Dolphins (O’Dell) – I don’t remember what grade I was in when I read this book, but I could have read it a zillion times. I remember getting lost in that book as a kid. I mean, I remember which room I was in at Taft School when I opened it. So when I saw it at work in a “Please take home a book” box, I nearly cried. It means that much to me.
  
  
• Kiss Me, Kill Me (Rule) – I like true crime. I always have, even as a kid (not sure why my mom wasn’t freaked out by the books I read as a kid). This is the volume that I happen to be on right now; I’m literally in the middle of it. There are a number of stories in it, so I probably have a few more to go before this one will be done.
  
  
• Mein Kampf (Hitler) – Do I need to talk about this one? Read my info about Inside the Third Reich.
  
  
• The Nazi Doctors (Lifton) – Repeat.
  
  
• The Phantom Tollbooth (Juster) – The most awesome teacher ever, Mrs. Kittle (for those of you who know how I became “Laurryn” after “Lauren,” she’s the reason), read her classes chapters of books and this was one of the books. I remember learning a great bunch of new words from this book as a kid!
  
  
• The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich (Shirer) – Oh, I guess there are four Holocaust-related books.
  
  
• Sarah, Plain and Tall (MacLachlan) – I have never read this book and I know nothing of it. But I got it for free and should probably read it.
  
  
• Stargirl (Spinelli) – I read this my freshman year of college and loved it. When I saw it at my favorite local used bookstore, I had to own it. I can’t wait to revisit this story that I loved!
  
  
• Superfudge (Blume) – Alright, this is the point that I should admit that I took more than one book from the “Please take home a book” box at work. I mean…five books from this list are from that box. And I took more than that. Oops. Anyway, I remember reading this on the eighth grade field trip to Springfield, Illinois. We were done with all of our tests and everything by this point, so I’d grabbed a fun book from the library that I’d loved as a kid. That’s the last time I read it!
  
  
• The Tale of Despereaux (DiCamillo) – Pretty sure this is a Newberry winner, which is why I’d heard of it, which is why it lives at my house instead of the “Please take home a book” box at work.
  
  
• Tender Victory (Caldwell) – I know absolutely nothing about this book, except that my grandmother handed it to me the last time we were together and said she thought I would like it.
  
  
• To Kill a Mockingbird (Lee) – I remember reading this over summer break one year in junior high. That’s the last time I read it. We watched the movie for a class in college, and my awesome FBI, Mike, bought it for me for Christmas that year. I stumbled upon the book as I was cleaning out the office-turned-kids-room in our house and that (combined with the fact that one of my practicum supervisors has an autographed photo of Gregory Peck) convinced me to add this to my summer reading list.
  
  
• The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle (Avi) – I don’t remember when I read this, but I saw it while cleaning and thought I should probably re-read it before I lent it to Camden. I think it involves pirates and murder accusations. So I may not lend it to Camden.
  
  
• Under the Overpass (Yankoski) – Matt and I read this in college and enjoyed it, and I’d love to read it again, especially after working with clients who have dealt with similar circumstances.
  
  
• The Wednesday Letters (Wright) – This was a Glenn Beck recommendation. As long as his recommendations don’t sound horribly boring, I usually give them a try. Like The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, I found it on friends’ bookshelves.
  
  
• A Wrinkle in Time (L’Engle) – Read it as a kid, loved it, bought it as a grown-up, want to read it again.
  
  
• The Young Drover (Carter) – You guessed it, the “Please take home a book” box at work. It’s about a kid who grew up on a cattle ranch, I think. Actually, I was inspired to read it because I like saying “drover” (like Hugh Jackman’s character in “Australia”).
  

And there you have it! My summer reading list. If anyone has any comments or questions, feel free to make note! Is anyone else planning on getting some good reading done this summer?

Advocacy.

So in news here, the graduation situation at the University of Louisville is different than expected. They are changing up their graduation this year and, as a result, master's level students are a part of the graduation for bachelor's level students. Typically, in the past, the Kent School of Social Work has had their own graduation for students, but this is the first year that it isn't so.

When I found this out (after inviting tons of people and my family making plans to visit), I was, understandably, upset. Shortly after I found out (literally less than an hour later), I had my mid-term evaluation at my practicum. So my practicum supervisor, MAW (a very liberal social worker), and my MSW supervisor, DH, (a partner at a respected law firm in downtown Louisville) had some comments that made me laugh.

LAURRYN: They're not having a Kent School graduation.
MAW: Advocate for one!
LAURRYN: I'm having trouble considering myself an oppressed person in need of advocacy.
DH: Why not? I advocate for rich people.
LAURRYN: And that's why I love you.

In other news, I finally felt like I was a real advocate for the first time in my life. At my practicum, I often interact with clients over the phone. Periodically, a client will come in and I'll interview her in person. On Monday, my supervisor couldn't be at court with a client to help her to get her Domestic Violence Order (an order of protection). I was able to talk her through the process of the hearing, help her through her brief session with her Legal Aid attorney, and be with her during her hearing. She had brought her small daughter with her, and part of my job on Monday was to help with her little one. The attorney and I kept the little girl occupied as the mother testified, and I did my best to support the mother as she answered some tough questions.

See, there's no book that tells you what to do in each and every situation. When I felt like it was right to sit closer to my client, I did. When I could tell that she was nervous during her testimony, I set my hand on her arm to let her know that I was right next to her and supported her. I guess it's a kind of intuition, and I'm so glad that I was able to be there for this client. Even though she had an attorney (and a good one at that), I think it was beneficial to have me there, too.

And, in case you didn't know, I just love kids. This little girl was certainly no exception. I did my best to interact with her and keep her occupied during this process. At the end, after the order was granted and we were waiting for the papers, the girl ran over to me and sat on my lap. Her mother said that she usually cries around strangers and that I must be good with kids.

Based on how many I'd like to have, I certainly hope so :)

All I Want For Graduation Is...

I am less than three months away from being D-O-N-E-DONE with my master's degree in social work. If you have been anywhere near me in the last month or two, you know that I am ready to be D-O-N-E-DONE (not sure why I like to spell it, but it makes me feel better). So what is on my graduation gift list, you ask? I made a list like my Christmas wishlist, so enjoy!

5. A new car.
Yeah, we love our Glenn (our Corolla) and our Dwight (our Camaro) but we would happily accept the generous gift of this beauty:




What? It's just a 2011 Ford Escape Hybrid. With a $30, 045 price tag, it would be a SUPER awesome gift! Soon enough we'll start working on some kiddos to pack up in the back.

4. A new coffeepot.
Mmm...My knees get weak when I think about how beautiful one of these would look in my kitchen.
Hey, at least Walmart's selling this baby for $109.95. Pocket change compared to the SUV.

3. A Glenn Beck Extreme Insider Subscription.
Hmm, does this sound familiar? That's because this item graced my Christmas wishlist. To no avail.

2. Something sparkly.
I'm pretty easy to please. Seriously.

1. All of my favorite people in the same place at the same time.
Yeah, that one's not going to happen (unless EVERYONE that I invite is coming to my graduation party AND a few of them are coming from overseas) but at least a bunch of my favorite people will be in the same place at the same time. I'll take it.

Caiden Quotes

A brief post that will - hopefully - make you smile.

We took the boys overnight last week and two conversations with Caiden made me laugh.

Before I brought the boys home, I was putting Caiden in his carseat (the van was parked in our driveway). Then this transpired:

CAIDEN: Jesus said we can't go in the garage.
LAURRYN: We were in the garage last night, remember?
CAIDEN: Yeah, but Jesus said we can't go in the garage.
LAURRYN: Jesus didn't say anything about garages.

On the way home, I pointed out how pretty the snow looked and this is what followed:

LAURRYN: Look how pretty the snow looks! It's like God took a big jar of glitter and dumped it out all over the ground.
CAIDEN; Laurryn, God is mean.
LAURRYN: No, he's not! God is very, very nice.
(Pause)
CAIDEN: He is big?
(At this point, I'm pretty sure that Caiden is picturing God to be a big dog, like our "big dog" - Caiden's words - T'Angelo)
LAURRYN: He is very big! He is everywhere.
(Pause)
CAIDEN: He will come to ours house?
(I'm afraid that he is now terrified of God, who probably resembles a certain German Shepherd)

:)