Winter Musings

My kids enjoy razzing me for the many times I dream up “family time.”

For example, a few months back, I decided we were going to work out together a few times a week. I made a workout of the day on a white board and forced everyone to work out together. Want to know how many times we worked out as a family?

One time. Classic.

So, a few mornings back I woke up at 4 am as one does when you are a woman in her 40’s. I began thinking about how I only have a couple more years with my two youngest kids at home. What can I still teach them, how can I squeeze in all the information and warnings and love and fun and stories and joy and hugs.

And on and on. Yikes.

This time is never good for my brain, no mom brain is rational during middle of night musings. I then began to dissect when it was, all my kids stopped loving to read. Because as kids, all three loved to read. I personally blame covid. Learning on a screen, learning at home, stuck. I have had to get over the sad fact that all my kids stopped reading.

READING, one of the things in life that brings me great joy. I am literally writing books, but they want nothing to do with reading. Ugh. So sad.

Anyway, do you know where I am going with this? Another brilliant family time!

Silent reading evenings. (Insert great excitement here!)

Not every night, obviously. That is only in my dreams. But it’s winter. We are stuck at home more, its dark at 4:45 pm. Who wouldn’t want to cuddle on the couch with dogs and books and my family? Dreams coming true.

So, at 5am I made a list of books they might love and I logged onto my library website and put them all on hold. (See below for what we are reading)

Then I told myself now you can go to sleep.

So funny, right.

What the family is currently reading…

The Boys of Riverside by Thomas Fuller

The Small and the Mighty by Sharon McMahon

Revenge of the Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell

The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley (Review on this here.)

The Good Girls Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson

When I say we are reading these books, I mean I hope.

I Just finished The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley. I loved it!

I posted a little review on the book here.

Other winter musings with the family…

I want to tell you about a fun game that our whole family loves and we can squeeze in a quick game or two before they venture off to work, or friends or homework. It’s called SKYJO.

Have you played it? It’s so fun. I first heard about it from one of my favorite influencers. NestingwithGrace.com

I immediately bought it on Amazon a couple years ago. And it is so perfect for after dinner, just a few more minutes together. We laugh and get annoyed with each other. Someone might get mad, someone sings too much, and someone tries to cheat.

We have a grand ole time.

I hope you are all surviving and enjoying your winter. We have had lots of snow in our neck of the woods.

I am just positive one of these days my kids will ask me for a good book to read. I can’t wait!