Almost Friday -

I was very pleased that Lee DeWyze won American Idol. I just never bought into the Crystal Bowersox groove even though she sings well.

Tonight, "So You Think You can Dance" is starting, and I love this show! I'm making sure that my kids have the opportunity to dance whenever they want. I was always so self conscious as a kid that I couldn't just let go and be me, never took any dance classes or anything. I don't want my kids to feel that way so I dance like a dork with them now just to have some fun and encourage them to just be themselves. Ahem...actually I only dance in front of the little ones not Frances, or my husband...LOL!

I'm so glad it is Thursday! My work is constantly busy never a break always something to work on and some days are particularly more trying than others. This has just been one long week and I'm ready for it to be over at work anyway.

My younger sister Peg wants to get together at Sanborn Park in the Saratoga Hills this weekend for a picnic/BBQ. We are usually so busy with our own lives and kids that we don't always take the time to get together. We live only about 10 minutes apart but it may as well be 2000 miles. Peg's kids are busy with baseball, soccer, swimming, and boy scouts. Mine are busy with dance, theater, kindergarten, and pre-school. We never seem to be able to find time to get everyone together. Peg and I both work too, so that takes up the rest of our time. I need to make a better effort to give her a call and plan things. A couple of years ago we got together once a week with a few of Peg friends for a women's bible study. That was a lot of fun. We typically meet at a local restaurant and eat a meal together then launch into study. We chose a couple of topics and focused on them. Peg found a couple of great study guides for the areas we had chosen to focus on and she kind of lead the group. We did this once a week all summer long. It was nice to get out of the house for a few hours without little ones to worry about. And it was great just sitting and chatting with other adult women who cared about the same things.

I've read a ton of books this year. A couple of favorites out of the pile are The Help and Still Alice. Right now I'm reading Dear John and All The Pretty Horses. I spent a lot of time reading non-fiction books like The Connected Child; Quirky Yes, Hopeless No; The L-Factor; and The People of the Lie. I tend to read several books at once because I get bored quickly and my mood changes so I'm not always wanting to read the same things every night. I read mostly before bed when I've gotten the munchkins settled and quiet. It's hard to read any other time, so for the most part, I read a lot on weekends, and before bed each night. I'm a fast reader too, so if a book really gets my attention, I'll finish it usually in less than a week. Other books, however, seem to drag on and on and on. I don't give up, but I put them in the bathroom so that I only have to focus for short periods of time. It took me over a year to read Thirteen Moons by Charles Frazier. Nothing wrong with the book, and overall I liked it, but I just couldn't get swept into it; it was just one of those books that I needed to take in a little bit at a time.

I just realized that I've passed the 100 mark on number of friends on Facebook. Who da thunk it? I guess I know more people than I thought. It's been fun to catch up with old high school classmates and a friend or two from college as well. I've been spending a lot a time thinking about Ardmore and growing up there. I have no idea why. I guess as one gets older, the past comes flying back.