Friday Things #354
1. Someone is turning FIVE on Sunday! Can you even believe it? He got to bring in treats and get sung to at school yesterday, which made his day. Life before he was born seems like an altogether different lifetime, it’s crazy. This boy LOVES cars (understatement of the century), always asks to do some sort of art or craft project, loves puzzles and games, and is a voracious learner. It has been so fun to watch him grow and learn and develop friendships; I can’t wait to see what the next year brings!
2. As it turns out, someone else had a (very unplanned, premature) milestone this week, too… Dominic “lost” his first tooth, eeeek! He started complaining of something hard in his mouth last weekend and by Sunday afternoon I spotted what looked like another tooth behind his front one. Confused, we called our dentist, who said sometimes pieces of enamel can come through, not totally uncommon, it would be fine. But it became increasingly bothersome for him and he started having trouble eating, so I took him to a pediatric specialist yesterday only to find out it was actually all part of his front tooth – it had sheared in half lengthwise 😱likely due to “trauma”, which… it’s not like my boys run around like maniacs and fall a thousand times a day, so… yeah, totally possible. But, it had to be pulled… my little guy was so brave and was feeling so much better once it was out. He’ll have a toothless grin for a good 4 or 5 years now 😍
3. Sweet Isabelle has been SO spunky lately! She chatters so much, is very busy with her dolls and toys, and very much knows (and tells us) what she wants all the time. What a fun little lady she is.
4. Some good bits in here >> 25 Tiny Habit Changes That Will Make You a Different Person In a Year From Now
5. A couple of months ago, I mentioned that I discovered the peppermint mocha from Starbucks and that it might actually turn me into a coffee drinker. I’ve been trying hard to quit my daily Diet Coke habit, and I think I may have found a non-seasonal replacement – white chocolate mocha. SO GOOD. Plus, I have this ground white chocolate that we use for the spiked white hot chocolate on Christmas Eve, so I think this would be easy to recreate at home!
6. I am absolutely enthralled with the royal family drama; give me alllllll the stories. I can’t wait for The Crown to catch up this story 😂
7. Good tips that I desperately need >> How to Read More Books If You’re a Busy Mom
8. Speaking of reading, do any of you use Audible? Or a similar app for listening to audio books? Thoughts? As someone who has always felt the need to feel a book in my hands, read the words and turn the pages, I am balking at the idea. BUT, it might be a good way to fill the time spent doing things like driving, folding laundry, etc.
9. Dear Pinterest, I hear you have developed a “smart” feed. Why, then, do I keep seeing mostly keto and low carb recipes?? Please recalibrate.
10. TGIF! We saw some snowflakes yesterday!
I use the Libby app all the time for audio and digital books. It’s easy get books downloaded from the app to my kindle. It’s great and free!
If you have a library card then you can download the Overdrive app. I have used it for years and it is free. I just love it so much.
Overdrive from my local library is great for audiobooks. I usually request a bunch so I always have one to listen to. I listen on my commute and when I’m cooking or doing tasks around the house.
My son fell on a slide at preschool when he was 4 and fractured both front teeth at the bone. They had to be extracted. Our dentist said they would take longer since it was a trauma; one came in at 5.5 and the other at 6.5, so not too bad. He also split his chin on a cruise going down a slide, needless to say, I’m that overcautious mom on the playground that everyone rolls their eyes at!
Mochas sound delish. Around Christmas I tried a cold foam Irish cream cold brew and it was Amazing! I’m glad it is seasonal!
when my kids were young, I thought that audiobooks in the car would be a great option since I had so little t8me to read books. However, I discovered that I could be easily distracted from the book while driving and found it very hard to go back and find my place. If you’re reading a book and get distracted, you’re still right where you stopped. I found it frustrating and decided to go back to the book. I found that I preferred listing to NPR because, as someone else mentioned, it wasn’t as important if you lost your place.
One way to think about if it would work for you is if you are an auditory person – you learn and assimilate information by listening. I happen to be a visual learner, so I don’t necessarily retain information I hear unless it’s written down or is repeated several times.
Hi Michelle, I love listening to audiobooks when I’m driving or doing housework. I used to check out boatloads of audio CDs from my local library. Now, ike many other readers, I download them (via the library app Hoopla) and listen on my phone. I hope you do check it out, and find some books you enjoy!
My daughter also lost a front bottom tooth when she was only 1.5 due to falling on a stool and the tooth breaking in half straight to the root. It takes a bit of time but eventually we don’t even notice it now.
Such a sweet picture of Isabelle. She looks like an angelic doll with such beautiful perfect skin. Happy birthday to Joseph. Amazing I can remember when he was born…still cant wait to see menu and cake. And yes..amazing picture of furry looking up at snowflakes. Be still my heart😊
Royals schmoyals lol..ick to their drama.
I prefer reading books that I can hold in my hand and I love reading at night just before going to sleep. It’s part of my “sleep hygiene” and has been since I was a child. I don’t have 3 young children though! I think I would be too distracted listening to books while driving…it might put me to sleep or while doing other things. I sort of liked the link to habits that will change your life but I wonder why everything has to be so glad-oriented! I am a type A but not in my personal life. I also thought the point about having a meat free dinner once a week could definitely be upped to at least 3 times. And why not consider going vegetarian and limiting the animal abuse that goes on behind the scenes. And the health benefits. I’ve recently become aware at the age of 66. Who says you can’t teach a old dog new tricks?
I love audiobooks, especially for books set in different countries so the accents and pronunciations are correct. I use both Audible and Libby. I also like to listen to nonfiction, as opposed to reading it sometimes. The narrator absolutely makes the book too! The first book I listened to was Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell. The narrator was fantastic and it totally sold me on audiobooks.
Be careful with the white chocolate mochas. I had one every day for several months and gained 10 pounds!! It’s like drinking a hot milkshake.
My thought exactly. One DC a day is probably not as harmful as the white chocolate mocha. I prefer Coke Zero. And water is supposed to be the best for us but I’m not a great water drinker.
I’m a huge audiobook fan and subscribe to several podcasts. There is a podcast for virtually any interest! Some short, some longer. I found the ones that update every day or few days too hard to keep up but the ones that add episodes once a week or so are just right.
Started audiobooks with the Harry Potter series and was hooked for life. Some narrators are better than others so you have to give it a shot, but Jim Dale reading the HP books is a great way to start out. I listen while driving, doing chores or exercising. I can finish an audiobook before my hubby is done with the hard copy. There’s no way I can read as much as I listen.
Try a library free download or books on CD before you commit to an Audible subscription. I keep my subscription on Inactive Basic which is just $9.95 per year – so I don’t use the “credits” like many people do. If I can’t find a freebie through the library, then I can buy it at Audible at the member price, usually 2-3 times a year. The downloads are the easiest, but sometimes for the newest books I can’t wait, and I get the book on CD through the library. There’s a clunky way to load the discs one by one and then I store the audiobook in iTunes until I’m ready to listen.
I haven’t tried audio books, but remember the joy when I actually had time (and energy ) to read for pleasure after my kids were born. It will happen sooner than you think. Totally agree with you about Pinterest. I preferred the old way when there were ‘channels’. I could look at something totally different if I was in the mood. Now if I look at something different, Pinterest knows that that’s all I want to see! (eye roll)
Happy Birthday to Joseph! My birthday is also on Sunday. I can empathize with him and his tooth issues.
I rent audio books from my library using the Hoopla app. I tried another app (Overdrive) that I personally did not like as much. The only negative to Hoopla and going through your library is they don’t always have the newer audio books available yet. I have been told that you can pay a nominal non-resident fee and get library cards for additional cities/counties which opens up the selection. I have a friend that did that but I haven’t gotten around to it yet. I do sometimes buy audio books for book club but I try to do so sparingly since they are so expensive.
Another Audible fan here. Podcast Serial was the gateway for me. My bff called me to tell me her house had never been so clean- she could not stop listening to the podcast. I gave it a whirl, and have not looked back. AirPods in, or speaker in the car. The narrators are amazing on audible. In some cases, they are famous actors, or the author themselves (Sissy Spaceck narrated To Kill a Mockingbird; Trevor Noah narrates his memoir “Born a Crime ”).
I think you can listen to your first audible book for free if someone sends you a link. Find a friend who listens and start with one Audio book. You’ll Be glad you did.
I was always the exact same way about books – I love reading, and particularly love real, paper books. HOWEVER, a few years back I started listening to audiobooks while I drive and clean, and I confess I loooooove it. That said, the narrator makes all the difference – a bad narrator can make an excellent book terrible, and a great narrator can make a lousy book entertaining. The good thing is, if you find yourself absolutely unable to endure a particular audiobook, Audible is GREAT about letting you return it, even months down the road, for a refund.
Who doesn’t enjoy being read to? Once you start, you’re going to find lots of times to read that you you had previously wasted.
I’m a librarian at a public library. Almost all public libraries have free e-book and audio book downloads through apps such as Overdrive and Hoopla. While you may have to wait for new books due to publisher restrictions (they want to make money after all) there is usually a large enough selection that you will find something that you like. Many of our parents download juvenile audio books – the kids love them!
I second using Overdrive or Hoopla through your library. There’s a app for your phone or table, you can build a reading list and if an item isn’t immediately available for download, you will be notified by email.
Happy Birthday Joseph!!!
Hi, Michelle! I enjoy listening to books and podcasts while I do household chores and sometimes drive. A great way to listen to books for free is your local library. With a library card, you can check out audiobooks and ebooks for free
I’m queasy reading about Dominics tooth! Glad it turned out ok. Never a dull moment at your house! Feedback on audio books – I can’t do it. A moment of distraction or my mind wanders and I’ve missed the story. Put it down for a few days and can’t remember what was happening. I have found podcasts meet the bill better. I don’t feel bad if I miss a bit because I get distracted. I don’t feel like I have to listen to every episode of any podcast. I listen to many authors on Just The Right Book or Terry Gross’ program. I listen to some programs that are strictly entertaining – Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me or Car Talk. There’s a lot more and it’s a pretty broad mix. Generally when I’m doing chores around the house or running errands in the car my phone playing a podcast.
You can totally have peppermint mochas all year round, they just aren’t on the featured menu. We like adding their hazelnut syrup to mochas too. That being said, there was a k-cup peppermint mocha that we found at target a month ago and it was pretty good too. Not sure if it’ll be an all year round flavor of k-cup or just Christmas.
I am a passionate lover of real books, but I share the same limited time issue so I have given audio books a try and I am mind-blown. Amazing how they are so well written that I don’t get distracted, and I get to read while I cook or make laundry. Awesome!
A little FYI as a long term Starbucks partner. We’ve offered peppermint syrup year around for years. We only have the chocolate curls that go on top during the holidays. Peppermint White Chocolate is also a popular choice. Another FYI, even long term Starbucks patrons don’t even realize we have it all year. Have a great weekend!
I love my Audible subscription. I read a lot, but I use Audible to listen to more intense books (mysteries, best sellers, non-fiction), especially at work or when I’m by myself in the car. Also, my son had a concussion three years ago when he was 12, leaving him with some difficulty in discerning important parts in paragraphs, so I let him download books he is reading in his pre-AP English classes so he can listen as he reads.
I love the pictures of your kids. Enjoy them. They grow up so quickly. My boys are 13 & 15, but it seems like only yesterday when they were 3 & 5.
I use Audible, but I much prefer getting free audiobooks through my library! I have Overdrive/Libby and Hoopla through my libraries. Some people love Scribd or Libro.fm but I haven’t tried those. I use all the tips in that article (especially helpful – wireless earbuds and listening on 2x speed) and I read 210 books last year as a working mom of two toddlers!
I’m a HUGE audio book fan-some are better than the hard books because the narrator brings so much to life! I also use my library for audio books-download the app and listen on my phone in the car-it’s amazing how much you can listen to just doing errands. BUT-I do not have children that need interacting with when they are in the car.
I can download books through my town library