I kid you not...I've been reading The Paying Guests and Bad Feminist for three weeks or so, and they deserve so much more of my time and attention. Both are simply amazing. I have about 70 pages of The Paying Guests left to read and about 100 of Bad Feminist. Maybe this weekend. Famous last words.
And since we're getting real, and I believe in divulging the good, bad and ugly of it all...my child has been a nut lately! Not all the time, but he had a particularly bad behavior day at school this past week...to the point that he was sent home for behaving negatively. As you can imagine, as a working mom with lots of appointments, and as a human with a big guilt-meter, it was a very sad day for me. I felt like it was all my fault (even though it's not). We spent the day at home getting a tiny tongue-taste of something like homeschooling so he wouldn't think he could act afool and just come home and live it up. We did work, we colored, we read books, we had autonomy time. He worked hard. We were both exhausted.
On top of all that, I am SUPER enjoying writing for other venues. It's just a new challenge. A new stress, too, though. And to top it all off I'm overwhelmed by my TBR, but more on that to come.
In short, ALL THE THINGS. I'm sure some of you can relate right about now.
Let's drink wine, shall we?
Yes please! I'm all for the wine drinking...although maybe not this second since it's nine in the morning.
ReplyDeleteHang in there Andi, small boys are crazy people. Mine threw an epic temper tantrum at church the other week because he wanted to finish his movie instead of head home. I could have become one with the wall in that moment....
More wine! It's 5:00 somewhere, right? :)
DeleteSmall boys are crazy people. I had a good heart-to-heart with one of the teachers whose class he's moved up and out of and she urged me not t o become overwhelmed or to give up. Maturity takes time, and he's always had to catch up just a bit to classmates who find it easier to sit still and listen. We'll see!
I hear it with the ponderings on how many times is it possible to slump in a year. Sorry to hear about The Boy. - I know I'm my own ball of guilt and stress from The Girl and what we refer to as poopmaggedon (I'll leave it at that) with the pre-school - point is, I relate and empathize.
ReplyDeleteI'm reading this a 0900... too early for wine? :D
Thanks, doll. Little people always keep us on our toes, yes?
DeleteMy 13-year-old has literally been throwing himself on the floor in tantrums lately (except they're pouting tantrums, instead of screaming tantrums). God. Yes, wine. Please.
ReplyDeleteI think 2013 was one big reading slump for me. It happens. Sometimes I realize I just need to not read for awhile...
Oh no! The teen years already scare me and we're still pretty far from that! And I've more or less just given in to the fact that reading will happen when its meant to happen. I'll try a book here and there til something sticks.
DeleteI had a slump earlier this year. I was still reading but I wasn't enjoying much of it. I finally set everything aside and picked books I wanted to read instead of books I felt I should read.
ReplyDeleteDo you have the time to observe Greyson at school? Maybe they're not doing enough to keep him engaged.
That's kind of where I am. I'm reading, but I don't really care if I'm reading. I think I'm gonna take a "tasting menu" of books off my shelves to see what sticks.
DeleteAnd I haven't been able to observe him yet because of the set up, but I do have some inclination that he's not engaged enough. For instance, in the mornings, when the kids sign in for the day (practice writing their names), they have 10 minutes. It takes him 1 minute to write his name, so that's 9 more to get in trouble. lol
I think with everything that is going on, the not least being your son, you shouldn't beat yourself up about being in a reading slump. It happens.Looking at your list on the right, I see you've read 55 books this year. That's 55 more than many people have read this year, I'll tell you that, lady. And about 11 more than me :). Good luck with your son -- as for the wine, naturally I'll drink to that, no matter what time of day it is. It's the weekend. Enjoy it.
ReplyDeleteNot beating myself up so much as just not feeling like myself lately. Not just because of the lack of books, though that is a downer. Cheers! :D
DeleteI have, thankfully, not had much in the way of slumps this year, but I didn't do so well for the past several years, so I feel I finally have gotten a good year in. Sorry to hear about the bad behavior day. It's not the same, but the 5yo girl I look after sometimes has been going through some herself. She spit on a girl in Kindergarten the other day because "she doesn't like people who wear glasses", which isn't even true since she loves several ppl who do. But her parents are getting separated so she's taking it out on the other kids since she can't on her parents. I get her and she throws crying screaming tantrums over doing 5 minutes of homework (which consists of writing her name and 1 letter and 1 number 5 times each, all she could do already so nothing new) and she refuses to eat lunch and it's a mess! I love kids, but these are the days that remind me why I love them but do not have my own. I can send them home! :)
ReplyDeleteThat's awesome! I'm glad your slumps are not as plentiful as my own. These kids. Developmental stages and mental development stages make me nuts. I feel for the little girl you're describing having to deal with divorce at such a young age.
DeleteWine? Hell, yeah.
ReplyDeleteSorry. I really did read the entire post, but wine?? I can't seem to get past the mention of adult beverages.
LOL, I'll take that. I try to focus on the wine part myself.
Deleteaw hugs~hope you get past your reading slump soon!
ReplyDeleteThank youuu! I hope so, too.
DeleteSounds like you need some graphic novels.
ReplyDeleteSo true! I have two issues of Lumberjanes on my Nook.
DeleteWine, please!
ReplyDeleteI've been having a good reading month, but only because we moved and it's been particularly hard to meet people since I'm working at home. So instead of grabbing drinks with coworkers, I'm reading. I do love working from home, but I miss those connections!
I'm sorry it's been stressful lately, which is leading to your reading slump! I don't believe in beating yourself up over not reading, but I know it makes you feel like you're not yourself. I hope things get easier soon!
I'm sorry you're so isolated! I hope you can get out more soon (if you want to!), but enjoy the reading time while you can. I totally took the summer for granted. lol And you nailed it with not feeling like myself.
DeleteOh yes, let's drink some wine! I'm sorry there's been all kinds of stuff keeping you from reading. I feel the same way lately. Hope this week will be a bit more calm and hope the reading slump ends soon!
ReplyDeleteMore wine! Right here! Here's hoping we both get back to reading soon!
DeleteHope the wine helped. The offspring, they drive one to drink!!!! May this be a much better week for your son.
ReplyDeleteI do want to hear your thoughts on The Paying Guests . . .
I'm writing my Paying Guests review right now! There is much to say! Thank you, Leila!
DeleteIt's so hard to break out of the slump, but such a good feeling when you finally do! And, the review that comes for the book that gets you out of it! I always feel like there is so much going on in life this time of year that it's hard to focus on the blog...
ReplyDeleteYES! I can't wait for the wonderful feeling of breaking out of the slump. Something to look forward to! :D
DeleteI've been doing the fits and starts too. And my review books have even been good and I still don't get straight through. I think the classic Chunkster at the end of my summer killed it for me here recently. Long book, summer ending, school starting = a mess. Lol. If I loved close, I'd be there drinking wine with you for sure...and I don't even like wine ;)
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ReplyDeleteAnd even technology is giving me a hard time...
DeleteOh mom guilt, the minute the doc hands you the kid it starts. I hope you can find something to keep Grayson challenged. Mine do that too and get restless/chatty when they don't have anything to keep them busy. Good luck with the slump, looks like you have more important things to focus on. I go through slumps too though usually its a blogging slump rather than a reading slump. I have to read before bed, can't sleep if I don't.
ReplyDeleteGod love little boys. They will melt your heart one minute and break it the next. No one can make you hurt more than your kids - the guilt, the sadness for you, the sadness for them, and, let's be honest, the frustration. Stick with the tough stuff; I wish I would have been better at it. My kids are great adults and we love each other to pieces now, but I know I didn't do them any favors being soft.
ReplyDeleteI'm still blog slumping super hard. Can we all just get on with our regular happy reading/blogging lives, please? It seems like everyone's in a slumpfest lately!
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