S Club Mama

I was the story time lady for 2 1/2 years at our local library - I love children's books! I especially love well-written children's books. There are a few things to look for in a good story time book. I'd like to share those with you using the illustration of "The Beautiful Garden of Eden" by Gary Bower because it exemplifies those characteristics. 1. It must be beautiful. This, of course, has more to do with the illustrations than the writing but a book with pictures that look like I drew them (definitely no artistry coming from my hands) are not going to draw in a child. The Beautiful Garden of Eden is illustrated by Barbara Chotiner. They are not too intricate but not too elementary. It's a beautiful blend of the two that lends wonderful pictures with this story. I love the bold colors she uses - deep pink and luscious green. I adore her details of the serpent's scales and the bramble thorns. image via Amazon.com 2. The words must dance. This is...

I had a revelation the other night while I was attempting to sleep (after having a few hours long nap during the day) and I really had this inkling to start writing up healthy...ish tips on this blog. I thought about starting a new blog but really, I don't want to. I love this blog and I love the people that read it (the few, the proud!). I have had quite the journey to becoming healthy...ish. What is healthy...ish? I was talking to a friend a few weeks back who was lamenting over fitness, exercise, and eating healthy. It's hard! It's hard to find time to work out, to not be frustrated when the scale doesn't match the effort, when those extra brownies/ice cream/chocolate shows up on your hips or butt or arms (wherever). I was telling her that really how I lost my weight was by living a healthy...ish lifestyle! We don't diet here. It's just not realistic for us. I'm never going to have 6-pack abs; I do have abs, I feel them under the fluff and they're...