Five Things for Friday 8/26/22

1. Am  I the only one who vividly remembers this scene from the 1987 Overboard movie? They're making her work like a, well, a not rich woman. She comes in the house and sits in the chair going ba-ba-ba-ba-ba while the kids throw grapes at her. (Hope that video works!) My mind felt almost that numb by the time I got home from work yesterday. LOL
2. Summer is rapidly coming to an end. We had school stuff for the high schooler this week, and our elementary school meet and greet is next week. Our public schools here don't go back til the Tuesday after Labor Day, so just one more full week off.
3. Maggie and I are so excited to go see Heathers the Musical this weekend! She'll probably already know all the songs, but I've been trying to review them via Spotify before the show. Maybe we should watch the movie again to prep?
4. I found another fun playlist on Spotify as well - Sirius had some classical pop covers for a bit, and it finally occurred to me to search Bridgerton on Spotify. So fun!!
5. My real motivation for finally posting a Five Things post was to catch up on my book reviews before another whole month has passed! Obviously I finished The Seamstress of New Orleans (4 out of 5 stars) by Diane C. McPhail, and The Witches of Moonshyne Manor (5 out of 5 stars) by Bianca Marais and reviewed them here at my blog, but also Finding Edward (4 out of 5 stars) by Sheila Murray, and Devil's Chew Toy (4 out of 5 stars, with a signed copy giveaway ending 8/30/22) by Rob Osler.

Five Things for Friday 8/5/22

1. Wow. What a couple of weeks. My last Five Things Friday didn't end so well, as I took a tumble in the street and earned myself an overnight in the ICU and five stitches. I'll count the fact that I made it to 50-years-old before getting any unscheduled stitches lucky, right?
2. 
   All's well that ends well, right? I didn't miss any work, and I'm back to doing my best at juggling work for 40 hours a week while struggling desperately to meet the kids needs, at least most of the time. My sanity is definitely still questionable. 
3. The job is still peachy. My whole department got job band and title promotions this week - woo-hoo! And our pay adjustments hit last month. Reviews are in the next couple weeks, but I don't think mid-year reviews really 'do' anything. Looking forward to the newly calculated bonuses that came along with the pay adjustments, but that windfall isn't until next spring.
4. All work and no play makes me...well, me, I suppose! Hahahaha... I am taking a couple days off later this month for family trips to Kings Island and Cedar Point. We do Cedar Point just about every year, but this will be the first trip to Kings Island for the kids, and my first trip since I was little. Any tips?
5. And the whole reason I was so determined to get this post up was to give my book summary for July :) Since my last post, reviews have been published for The Hemlock Cure (4 out of 5 stars, with a giveaway ending 8/8/22) by Joanne Burn, and Our Little World (4 out of 5 stars, with a giveaway ending 8/11/22) by Karen Winn. For the month of July, I finished four books total. I think I'm a bit behind for my Goodreads goal of 80 books for the year, but I just keep reading when I have a chance :)

Five Things for Friday 7/22/22

1. 

   Yes, I know the logo is upside down....

    We're home again, home again, jiggity jog. It was amazing to see that many baton twirlers in one place. The AYOP (America's Youth on Parade) competition takes up the Arena, the Fieldhouse, the auxiliary gyms, and the pit at Notre Dame for the week. The competition is actually still going on, with events we aren't participating in taking place through the rest of today! We learned a lot, and Maggie gave some of the best performances her coach and I have ever seen her do. She earned a medal for her model competition (one third of the pageant she qualified for).
2. Unfortunately, the woman who helps by cleaning our house every couple weeks was exposed to COVID, so the kids and I are using our extra time at home to work on making the house presentable before we have company this weekend. Ugh! And because it's me running this show instead of the nice cleaning lady, we're getting all the clutter out of the way too. If you were thinking of dropping by today, don't, unless you want to be put to work. LOL
3. This seven-days-in-a-row off of work is pretty cool. I worked on Monday, since we never planned on leaving town before Tuesday. Next Monday is my regular day off, so I won't be back to work until Tuesday! Yay! I am planning to attend the company picnic this afternoon though. It's at a pretty cool bar that's actually really close to where I live. So I can stop by, get some free appetizers and drinks, hopefully win an awesome raffle prize, and enjoy a break from getting ready for the rest of my weekend.
4. Tomorrow is my baby girl's 15th birthday! I keep accidentally saying she's turning 14. Whoops! She is so inspirational. Her confidence and poise are already at a level I could only dream of, even in the midst of teenage BS. We're having family over for a taco bar, and leaving her evening free for whatever she wants to do :) 
5. In bookland, I did not take nearly as much time to read at competition as I thought I would. It was very crowded, so we didn't bring our changing tent or chairs. I spent most of my time counting down to her next event, and trying to just keep track of both kids. I'm still mid-way through both of the books I mentioned last week. Hahahaha.. I did have a few earlier reviews post though - check out my thoughts on One Day in June (3 stars out of 5, with an amazing story, and a giveaway open through 7/24/22) by Sam Martin, and Assassin's Lullaby (3 out of 5 stars, with a giveaway open through 7/25/22) by Mark Rubinstein.

Five Things for Friday 7/15/22

1.  What. A. Week. I was able to work my regular four 10-hour-day schedule this week, which makes my weekend before fabulous, but a pretty intense work week. And then I even had a few activities after work this week. I'm definitely planning on a good night's sleep tonight!
2. Tuesday we got to go to the Hub with Yelp to learn about curling! Curling was neat, and I learned that I am definitely still not an athlete. LOL It did get me even more excited for my work picnic next week, which is at a different Hub location. They've got a pretty fun venue going.
3. So I was 'volun-told' to present to our leadership team yesterday. They'd traveled in from all over the country, and I got to give them a quick overview of what our team does (complaint response). It was interesting. I don't know a lot about who is who, since I've worked at home for most of my time with the company. And while I haven't done much speaking to crowds in a while, talking to these seven dressed-up people about something I know how to do pretty well (my job) brought back the same sense of accomplishment as doing my presentations from my 20+ years of doing direct sales. As bad as people talk about direct sales, I really learned how to present myself and read a crowd. Other people were more nervous about the whole situation, but I don't really get to nervous to talk about something I am confident about.
4. The crazy part of the month is kicking off for me and the kids. Next week we go to Maggie's national baton twirling competition - AYOP at Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana. And then we get home in time to host her birthday party and then start hosting our two guests who are camp counselors for Young Americans! So much fun in so little time!
5. In book-land, my review for We Lie Here (3 stars) by Rachel Howzell Hall went live yesterday at Books I Think You Should Read. I'm partway done with two more (one kindle, one print book, as usual) and hoping to finish at least three or four books this month. Hopefully sitting and waiting for competitions should give me a lil time to read.

Five Things for Friday 7/1/22

1. I can hardly believe it's JULY! I literally just tried to convince someone we've been back in office for six weeks...since coming back the first of May. Yeah. I really thought it was mid-June yesterday. It isn't.
2. Ya'll got big plans for the 4th? My daughter picked up some odd jobs in the neighborhood, so I think she and I will stay home, while hubs and our son head up north for a day or two. I'm definitely a homebody, so no complaints here :) My biggest holiday bonus is the fact that I get paid for Monday (obvs) when I usually don't work. So I only have to work 8-hour days next Tues - Fri (I usually do 10 hour days). Yay for getting home extra early in the summertime!
3. Work is SO busy, but we finally have a whole team hired! The last person starts the middle of July, so we'll actually be full-force in a few months. And in the meantime, the newbies share a bit more of the load all the time :)
4. I think I may use some of my alone-ish time this weekend to pick up a few of the random piles that have accumulated in the home office. Who knows what treasures I may find?!?
5. In book-land, this week saw my review for Mud Lilies (5 out of 5 stars, with a giveaway through 7/5/22) by Indra Ramayan, and Scout's Honor (a high 3 out of 5 stars) by Lily Anderson. Here are all five of the books I finished in June:

Five Things for Friday 6/24/22

1. 
   Welcome to another Friday! While part of me feels like summer is speeding by, another part of me is wondering why it has been this week  f o r e v e r. Enjoy one of my favorite comics/memes/why-do-we-need-labels as a tribute to one of my books finished this month :D
2. Super excited to have Monday off. I was originally going to be taking Jack to his fabulous ninja camp, but they might not have enough kids to run it next week. So I'd have to sleep in. Hmm.... And I definitely get lunch in-person with my book club that is usually zoom - so a solid YAY there!
3. My kids are so excited for the new Minions movie coming out next week! I think it sounds cool too, but they're more likely to find a ride and go see it while I'm working. Which is fine. I'm so tired after long days at work, I'd probably doze anyway. LOL
4. Who else has big plans still left for summer? Maggie and I have a mega-baton competition, and both kids have one of our favorite summer camps - that's half of my July! Mostly I think I like summer for not having to worry about cold and bad roads...
5. I did finish two book reviews up on the blog this week - check out what I thought of Keanu Reeves: Most Triumphant (2 out of 5 stars) by Alex Pappademas, and The Stranger Beside Me: The Ted Bundy Story (5 out of 5 stars) by Ann Rule.
   
   

Five Things for Friday 6/3/22

1.  So I'd like to say that going in to the office Monday - Friday is getting easier as I get used to it (we've now been going a whole month! This will be our fifth week finishing.). But maybe I'm just lowering my standards as fast as possible. Luckily I like my job, because I spend my time at home realizing what I'm messing up and missing out on.
2. Thank goodness the school year is almost over. It's been a real roller-coaster lately. Each day seems to have more than its share of good news...and bad news.. Another school shooting last week has really tried the nerves of a lot of our local kids. See, we're in the community that is very near a community with a previous school shooting. And apparently proximity does make a difference. I think we all hold our breath for a minute when we hear any sirens, like we did that day as three counties worth of emergency vehicles rushed to the scene. Every drill, false alarm, or baseless threat starts the trauma experience all over. I wish I could say it will be easier after a summer off, but I know it won't.
3. Did I say this week has been a roller-coaster? Last Saturday Maggie earned her spot to compete in America's Youth on Parade - the NATIONAL baton twirling competition! We've booked our accommodations and she's working hard to schedule extra practices around theatre commitments, driver's education, and wanting to take some hard-earned down time now that high school classes are wrapping up.
4. I also finally got the last of my flowers last weekend (just kidding, I'm sure I'll get more!). Last weekend I planted some pretties in the pots on our back deck. Now every day's to-do list includes watering the flowers in the front garden area and the back deck. But I love it. I'm also so excited to see and smell our healthy lilac hedgerow that was so carefully watered last year to make sure it grew in strong as brand new plants. Success!
5. My other priorities also haven't left as much time for reading! See the three books below that I finished for May, and their reviews posted within the last couple of weeks too: Strangers We Know  (4 out of 5 stars) by Elle Marr, Breach (4 out of 5 stars, with a giveaway ending 6/8/22) by Kelly Sokol, and The Bangalore Detectives Club (4 out of 5 stars, with a giveaway ending 6/9/22) by Harini Nagendra. At least the little time I've had to spend has been enjoying good books!

Five Things for Friday - 5/20/22

 

1. Finally! Some [more] summer-ish weather! I received a few hanging baskets for mothers' day, and then went and grabbed a couple to fill my last couple of hooks. Sitting out on my front porch, with my flowers, and birds, and warmth, while reading a book and enjoying a refreshing drink - my version of heaven!
2. Tomorrow Maggie and I have our last scheduled baton competition for a bit. It's the closest one to us (less than an hour drive!), so we don't have to get up as early, and some family may stop by to watch her perform. Should be a fun day.
3. Work is still...work. Luckily I like my commuter car (our new Mustang Mach-e), and I do enjoy what I do (researching and writing). Our team is still down four people (scheduled to start June 6, but not fully trained for a couple months, at least), so there's plenty of work. But now that we're not working-from-home, I don't do nearly as much overtime. I go in a half hour or so earlier than required, but I'm out the second we're allowed to punch out so I can get home to the kids and the rest of my daily tasks. 
4. I'm still so torn on a summer vacation.  I really, really want to go somewhere cool-ish and have a great time with my family, but I footed most of the bill last time and don't want to spend that much again right now. Also, I'm really, really worried about driving in the snow, or having sick kids next fall/winter and want to save my paid time off. Ugh. I sure did like working from home...
5. On the book front, I've got a few reviews published that haven't been shared here yet. Check out what I thought of: Scarlet Carnation (4 out of 5 stars) by Laila Ibrahim, and Mallory's Manly Methods (4 out of 5 stars) by Thomas Keech.

Five Things for Friday - 5/6/22

1. Well,  one week done (or at least committed to, since I'm at least on my way to the office by the time you read this...). Five days -in-a-row - of eight hours each day - yes, in-a-row. It all seems excessive, honestly. I'm glad I really enjoy driving my car, but I am missing the extra time I now spend commuting. Oh, and I haven't made dinner  all week. I need to get more of a rhythm going, for sure.
2. Last night our family went to my daughter's high school for their spring musical. They put on "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee." It was such a funny show! My daughter was part of the make-up (and hair) crew on this one. The show was well-done and hilarious. Kudos to the Lake Orion High School theatre troupe for another fabulous production :)
3. This weekend has us back to the old baton competition grind. It's a long day for sure, but always fun (in its way). Maggie and I will be taking the big blue truck, since the boys have stuff to do closer to home, and we won't have enough charge to make it there and back. An already long day does not need an extra hour finding a charger somewhere...
4. In the interest of someone around here cooking dinner a couple nights a week, I've reactivated our subscription to Home Chef - three meals ready to make shipped to us on Tuesday of each week. Yay! Use my referral link for a new account and we'll both get a discount :)
5. And the books (of course!). This week featured a review (and giveaway through 5/11/22!) of One of Us is Dead (3 out of 5 stars) by Jeneva Rose. Here's all the books I finished in April. Goodreads says I'm ahead of my goal to read 80 books this year, so I'm pleased with myself. LOL

Five Things for Friday - 4/29/22

1. My last week working remotely :( Wow. After 14+ years of not having a full-time job, I started my fabulous job as a regulatory complaint specialist on February 1, 2021. After one day in the office to pick up my computer, I've worked from home since then. Starting Monday, we're all back to the office. I'd be lying if I didn't say I'm really worried about my household continuing to function with me gone for around 45 hours every week. Ugh.
2. In brighter news, the family and I went to see the Blue Man Group at the Fox Theatre in Detroit last Friday. We LOVED it! It was a great show for the whole family, and we all had different favorite parts. It was admittedly a little loud at the beginning for my son who isn't fond of loud noises, but even he liked it by the end. We won the tickets more than two years ago - it was great to finally get out and see the show!
3. Speaking of dear son, Jack was SO excited to do his first front-flip, unassisted, in gymnastics class this week. Now he is up in all our business trying to get each one of us to go to the gymnastics school during open gym so he can show us (I'm the only one to have seen it live, so far).
4. Last (except for books), but not least, Maggie is so bummed that the high school's spring musical performances have been rescheduled from this weekend to next weekend. They've been  working on the show since January (she is on the make-up crew), but at least two of the cast members (out of nine) have COVID. Hopefully everyone is up for it next weekend, but Maggie has baton competition, so she'll only be able to make it to two of the five performances.
5. I finally finished some books (or more aptly, got reviews done) this week. My review for The Devil's Whispers (3 out of 5 stars, with a giveaway through 5/2/22) by Lucas Hault is up, as well as The Hangman's Daughter (4 out of 5 stars) by Oliver Pötzsch, and We Wrote in Symbols (3 out of 5 stars) edited by Selma Dabbagh.

Five Things for Friday - 4/8/22

1. After thinking it was Friday for like half the week, I totally forgot to prepare this post for the real Friday.  
2. So both the kids and I had eye exams this week... Come to find out, Jack is quite nearsighted, Maggie has astigmatism, and I am continuing to age. LOL All three of us ordered new glasses (new for them, just a new prescription for me). So next week should be really fun when their glasses arrive (my progressives may take another week...). I'm excited especially for Jack to see the board at school without squinting...
3. I'm in the final month of working-from-home countdown :( We return to office starting May 2, and there was a few minutes of conversation about staying remote just for Mondays and Fridays, but no definite answer has been provided yet... fingers crossed! It would help GREATLY to stay closer to where my kids are a couple more days a week. 
4. And our WEIRD discovery this week? Maggie has almost worn through the big ole rubber caps on the ends of her baton, so we wanted to order more before competition next month. Coach went to order today, and they're SOLD OUT on her regular order sites (more than one!). What possible reason is there for a sudden run on baton twirling equipment in adult sizes?? (your baton is as long as your armpit to your fingertips, and it's the long sizes that are sold out...)
5. Book reviews published this week for The Damage Done (4 out of 5 stars, with a giveaway ending 4/11/22) by Michael Landweber, Teach Me Tonight (4 out of 5 stars, based in Michigan, with a giveaway ending 4/12/22) by Susan Coventry, and That Summer (5 out of 5 stars) by Jennifer Weiner.

Five Things for Friday - 4/1/22

1. Seriously? It feels like an April Fools' joke that it can even be April already.  
2. The kids and I have had a crazy busy spring break week! I didn't take Monday or Tuesday off, and work is crazy busy. Wednesday I slept in a bit later than my regular work schedule, and the kids and I headed to the Detroit Science Center, Hopcat for lunch, a to-go order of Bon Bon Bons for later, and then our local Target to check out the new Kirby balls. 
3. Thursday we went to Ann Arbor, for our Yelpy perk of trying Cinnaholic, checking out a fabulous comic store and a couple other fun shops downtown, and then trying to catch up on the insane leftover situation in our fridge by having dinner at home.
4. Today is Jack's half-birthday, so he gets to have his hair dyed BLUE again! He did it last year, but it didn't last long since we waited til summer and he spent most days in the neighbor's pool. Later on, hubby is going to join us for a trip to Frankenmuth for a family-style linner (late lunch/early dinner) at Zehnders. He wanted to do dinner, but the kids want to do the open gym starting around 7pm. We'll make it work :)
5. This week saw book reviews go up for A Forgery of Roses (the second book I've read by Jessica S. Olson, with 3 out of 5 stars) and The Sign for Home (by Blair Fell, 5 out of 5 stars). Here are all the books I read in March:

Five Things for Friday - 3/18/22

1. If I time things between my last Five Things post and now, what a week! Last Friday night was taking Jack and Maggie to jump at the local gymnastics park. They have a 'Friday Night FlipOut' where the kids can jump and have pizza and gatorade for dinner for $20. Jack especially has been  really loving it, and he starts gymnastics classes next week!
2. On Saturday, the fam and I headed to Ford Field in Detroit where we had tickets for Supercross motorcycle racing. I was reviewing it for the blog - check it out! Events are always fun, I think. 
3. 
   On Sunday, we headed in the opposite direction to the beautiful Temple Theatre in Saginaw to see Dog Man: The Musical. Jack and I have been waiting since March 2020 to see this one. We were originally going to see it in Ann Arbor until the world shut down. If your kids are a little bit older, they may not know Dog Man, but the series is by the same author as Captain Underpants. Kids books nowadays, amiright??
4. And then Monday - Friday returned. Work, wordle, read, and sleep. Maybe even eat a little in between. My daughter's high school has had lots of events put on by their leadership committee this week while they raise funds for US soldiers overseas (I think?). She and I attended an amusing talent show on Wednesday night, and then last night they had a hypnotist do a show (that I think they have every year). Both events were pretty amusing. 
5. What, me? Read? Hahahaha... This week reviews have been posted for Finding Grace (4 out of 5 stars, with a GIVEAWAY that ends 3/23/22) by Gary Lee Miller, Accidental Magic (4 out of 5 stars) by Iris Beaglehole, Mall Out of Luck (3 out of 5 stars) by Sarah Robinson, and Wish Me Home (3 out of 5 stars) by Kay Bratt. 
   
   

Five Things for Friday - 3/11/22

1.  Snow again? Umm... no one cleared this with me.
2. As I'm probably mentioned, my department for work is counting down to a May 2 return-to-office. Yesterday my boss's boss popped in to our daily zoom meeting with some potentially good news about our schedule then. Nothing definite yet, but please keep your fingers crossed...
3. We've got a super-fun weekend planned! The three who enjoy it are going skiing tomorrow, then tomorrow night we have tickets to Super Cross in Detroit, and Sunday we've finally got tickets to Dog Man: The Musical. Jack and I originally planned to skip school for a Dog Man Musical show in March or April 2020. Yeah, ya know how that went. He's been asking since then, and we're finally going to see the show on Sunday!
4. Counting down the days to Spring Break! I'm taking three days off work that week, so the kids and I can embark on some local-ish adventures ;)
5. While I've finished a few more books, I didn't get any reviews published. :O Watch this spot - I think I've got three to review on my blog, plus one I know is going up on Books I Think You Should Read next week. 

Five Things for Friday - 3/4/22

1. This weather is torturing me! I want the warm to STAY.
2. On Tuesday, my daughter was in a baton twirling duet that performed at the Freshman Boys' basketball game at her high school. They did a great job, and most importantly, had a lot of fun. I also liked bringing my son along to watch non-professionals play basketball. She won't be twirling at a basketball again this season, but I keep meaning to find out when there's another game for my son and I to go watch.
3. Anybody else hooked on Wordle? While I've tried a bunch of the other mentioned daily games, I've only stuck with Wordle and Quordle. 
4. Looking forward to Super Cross next weekend, and the thawing of the snow to be permanent-ish for the summer so I'll start confidently making plans again :)
5. This week saw publication of my review for The Duchess Countess (3 out of 5 stars from me, with a giveaway through 3/6/22) by Catherine Ostler, Karitas Untitled (5 out of 5 stars, with a giveaway ending 3/7/22) by Kristín Marja Baldursdóttir, and Homegoing (5 out of 5 stars) by Yaa Gyasi.

February's total books read came to six. I finished nine total in February 2021 and February 2020, just for comparison.

Five Things for Friday - 2/11/22

1. 
   This week's big excitement was yesterday - a  call-back for my daughter for the school's musical! Of course that still doesn't guarantee a part (we'll find out the cast list tonight), but she was pleasantly surprised to be one of only two freshman on the call-back list of 18 performers. I believe the cast is around 25 people.
2. We also made our first road-trip with the electric car last weekend for a baton competition. It didn't go quite as planned, but we made it - LOL. Lessons learned, and all's well that ends well, right?
3. I hate the changing weather! It somehow always sneaks up on me too. I get awful headaches, but just a few times a year, and they sneak up on me. With different symptoms too, so I don't remember what's causing it and what to do about it until it's too late. I think this one is finally breaking up, but I lost chunks from the middle of my week. Hopefully not anything important ;)
4. Hubs wanted to know what we're doing for our anniversary next week. Sometimes I wonder if he's paying attention - we're attending the middle school play that our daughter is assistant director for. It's MmmBeth - a parody of the Scottish play. I'm looking forward to it.
5. And bookishly, my review for The Missing Treasures of Amy Ashton (3 out of 5 stars, with a giveaway through Feb 15, 2022) by Eleanor Ray is up, as well as Getting Clean with Stevie Green (4 out of 5 stars) by Swan Huntley, and The Four Winds (5 out of 5 stars) by Kristin Hannah.  

Five Things for Friday: 2/4/22

1. What a week! They called for the storm of the century...at least we got two snow days out of it. Although a lot of district got today off (we didn't). I'm trying to set aside the knowledge that some of the districts I have to drive through tonight are closed today for crappy roads. Ugh.
2. Our third baton competition of the season is tomorrow! Maggie and I booked a room, so at least I can drive down there in light. We'll leave tonight right after work to enjoy a leisurely dinner and charge the car near the competition, so tomorrow when it's done we can head home ASAP.
3. We've almost made it to Disney on Ice!!! The Detroit-area show is February 17 - 22, 2022. It always brings back memories of my ice skating days, and gets Maggie asking for more lessons again. Such talented performers and a guaranteed fun show.
4. Next week will be a sort-of calm before the storm (for me!). Maggie is the assistant director of our middle school's play (as a high school freshman!). Next week she has auditions for the high school musical, then the week after that are the two productions of the middle school play. Whew! Of course rehearsals for the high school musical will start ASAP after auditions. She sure did appreciate sleeping in the last two days with our snow days! ;)
5. I've got a few book reviews published this week. On my blog, I reviewed A Lullaby for Witches (4 out of 5 stars) by Hester Fox, and read The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake (4 out of 5 stars) by Aimee Bender for my 12 Challenge. I also reviewed The Final Six (3 out of 5 stars) by Alexandra Monir, Circus of Wonders (4 out of 5 stars, with a giveaway through 2/9/22!) by Elizabeth MacNeal, and Ship of Blood (4 out of 5 stars, with a giveaway through 2/10/22!) by Charles Oldham over on Books I Think You Should Read. 

         Also, to sum up the month of January - I finished 10 books. Not too shabby!

Five Things for Friday: 1/21/22

1. I keep meaning to take pictures. I want a picture on this post, but ya'll are stuck with random googled Friday images til I remember to document something from my regular week. LOL
2. Jack took his first D&D class via Outschool this week. If you have kids and don't know about Outschool yet, you should. All the classes are with teachers, via zoom. Maggie used to take her voice lessons through Outschool. Jack has taken FNAF social classes, drawing classes, and even an emotional management class (helping little kids deal with big feelings). Now he's started learning about D&D, and tomorrow he takes a class to create his character!
3. The school year is apparently half over with now (for our district, anyway). The high school had finals for the first semester yesterday and today, and Monday Maggie starts her new classes for second semester. She's super excited to be taking Technical Theater. They learn more about costuming, sets, lighting, and other behind-the-scenes activities involved with productions.
4. Apologies to my neighbors. Last night as Maggie and I got home with the pizza, she was on a phone call, so we quietly tiptoed inside to eat. Which means this morning I rattled the large, empty, frozen trash and recycling bins into the garage. At 6:25am.
5. Last weekend gave me lots of reading time, now to share the reviews as they post :) Before I even dove into all my new reading, I shared my review of Just Get Home (4 out of 5 stars). I finished Just One Damned Thing After Another (3 out of 5 stars) for my book club on Monday.

Five Things for Friday

1. Ugh. Rough morning. Yesterday we originally had dentist appointments scheduled, but when half the family didn't feel good for the whole beginning of the week, I didn't want the poor hygienist digging around in COVID mouths, so I canceled. But I didn't cancel my two hours off work. And then somehow I convinced myself as I left yesterday, that I was going into a three-day weekend. And I am. After today.
2. So when oldest made it to school for a half-day, she told everyone she'd decided the next day she'd be staying home. Her reasoning? "Meh. My mom and I are all out of f*%#s." Yeah. She is not even kidding. Her frustration is all the kids who don't wear masks, or wear them incorrectly. Our district does have a mask mandate, but there isn't much sense when no one enforces it. That said, our county has also stopped contact tracing, and our high school of more than 2,000 kids announced just 16 cases of COVID yesterday. Yeah. I'm pretty sure my daughter could name more than 16 kids she personally knows at the school who currently say they have COVID. Methinks a few have gone unreported.
3. I know I save my #5 for books, but my Yelp book club is finally starting - yay!! I was doing that social anxiety thing when I hadn't heard yet...I was sure they started but purposely excluded me. Because my brain hates me.
4. We got to see the screening for Hotel Transylvania: Transformia on Wednesday before it's available to everyone else today. It was a fun evening. My son and I went and got popcorn from the theater to enjoy with the show in our family room. The movie was about as expected. I'd say 3/5 stars. The beginning was better than the ending, and the actual ending felt like they ran out of time and had to finish it on an all-night bender for production the next day. As sequels so, it wasn't bad. Check out your chance for other movie premieres and other freebies at Yes/No Detroit Deals + More on Facebook.
5. Books! This week saw publication of my reviews for Treachery Times Two by Robert McCaw (4 out of 5 stars, with a giveaway still running til 1/16/22), Daughters of the Lake (4 out of 5 stars), and Inhuman Trafficking (5 out of 5 stars, with a giveaway running til 1/17/22). Treachery Times Two and Daughters of the Lake were read in 2021 for me, and Inhuman Trafficking was one of my first reads for 2022. 

Five Things for Friday

 

Yeah! C'mon 2022 - it wouldn't take much for you to exceed the past couple years...

Anyway, while my 2022 goals post isn't done yet, part of it is making these Friday posts. I've decided this is where I'll share not only my week, but my book reviews published, and new books received. No point in lying, books are kind of a big deal for me. My ten-year-old still doesn't believe me. He asks regularly, "What's your favorite thing to do when you're bored?" I always tell him it's reading, but he still keeps asking. Anyway, without further ado, here's my first week of 2022!

1. I honestly barely made it til midnight last Friday before escaping to my bed. I'd gotten my COVID booster shot mid-day on Thursday, which was not doing my desire to stay awake any favors. That said, I'm grateful I didn't have noticeable side effects, and I've now done my part to protect myself, my family, and my community. So, starting the year off right :)
2. Totally appreciated that hubs and I still had Monday off work for the holiday weekend. The kids were back to school, so hubs and I washed the new car (we took delivery on our new Ford Mach-E on Friday!) and headed to Fogo de Chao for lunch. I was able to go twice around their grand opening, with Yelp, and then a group of bloggers, but this was his first trip. Totally delicious - yay, meat sweats!
3. Gosh. Then I went back to work. Which also isn't terrible. Our numbers are finally manageable (for seriously like the first time since I started in February - crazy!!) and I get a lot of satisfaction from my work. So, yay again.
4. The kids are taking today off of school. Because, COVID Omicron is crazy, school shootings are horribly stressful for months afterwards, and I just can't argue anymore. Stay home. I'm over it. I always say five days in a row of requirements is excessive. Truth.
5. Books! Since my final Show Us Your Books post, my blog published my last three reviews of the 2021, for A Beautiful Blue Death, To Love and To Loathe, and The Social Graces.  Books I Think You Should Read also posted my review for All I Want. There are still two more reviews to come for books I read in 2021, but at least one of them still isn't published, so patience and all that, right? I'm also super excited that I was approved to read Keanu Reeves: Most Triumphant, which doesn't publish til April. There's a few 'stars' that there isn't gossip and slander about, who make you feel better about the whole world, amiright? So excited to read this book as soon as I can fit it in. 

So how's your 2022 going? I would say it can't get much worse, but enough of tempting fate, yeah?