What We're Into--Spring 2018 Edition
Hi friends! It's been a LONG time since this page has seen any activity. I so wish I could figure out how to write more, but I'm just not sure how to make that happen in this season with little people still around a LOT. And I feel as if I've kind of hit that end of school year exhausted slump that I've heard other moms talk about. I have zero motivation to pack lunches, make well rounded dinners that I know people are just going to complain about, or fill out all the reading logs. I'm not sure if I'm excited for summer (that is a LOT of hours to fill and a lot of heat to hide from) but I suppose the change in routine will be nice. I used to write these little monthly recap lists of recommendations regularly, partly to share with others things I've been loving and partly because it's kind of a fun record to have to look back on and see what we were into in a given season. I thought that while my kiddos were entertained with a Redbox movie I'd pop on here and share a few of the books, podcasts, TV shows and other things that I've enjoyed this spring. So without further ado here are some of my favorite things for this first quarter of 2018.
Books: Of course I'm starting here--where else would I start! I said goodbye to social media for Lent this year and was absolutely amazed at how much more I read as a result of that. I read a lot to begin with but without the temptation of non-stop scrolling I doubled my reading, averaging almost 2 books a week during those 6 weeks. Now that Lent is over and social media is "allowed" again I've seen that number dwindle greatly--a fascinating and terrifying look at how addicting scrolling can be! I have more thoughts on that I'll share in a different blog post someday. I read a variety of books this spring, but I read a few that felt especially important and weighty given some of our nation's current events so those are the books I wanted to mention first. I think the two books I've read so far in 2018 that I wish everyone would pick up at some point are Braving the Wilderness by Brene Brown and The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. I actually ended up reading them almost simultaneously since I usually have one fiction and one non-fiction book going at the same time and these two together were a powerful pairing. For those who aren't familiar with Brene Brown's work, she is a research professor at the University of Houston who specializes in vulnerability, shame, authenticity and courage. I'd never read her work before I picked this one up because honestly I thought it was going to read more like a psychology text book. I couldn't have been more wrong. Brown is a storyteller and her work is full of powerful stories of people she's met through her research in these areas. Braving the Wilderness is all about how to engage in relationships with others who disagree with us, how to have difficult conversations, how to stay true to our own beliefs while at the same time putting a relationship above an issue when we find ourselves disagreeing with someone in our very polarized world. My husband is now listening to the audio version of this book and I think he was skeptical that he'd enjoy this at first. The other day he came home though and said "that Brene Brown book is incredible, the stuff she has to say, she's amazing!" The part that stayed with me the most is actually her brief discussion on why the Black Lives Matter movement is so important in our world, which is not something I'd spent much time thinking about. It was the perfect segue into reading The Hate U Give, which is being called the "Black Lives Matters" novel. I wish everyone would read this book, especially folks like myself who grew up in a mostly white suburban neighborhood. This book kind of wrecked me. But in a good way. I'll warn you, it's language isn't the cleanest, so just know that going in, but I think entering into this young adult novel about a young black teen who is shot and killed while being pulled over at a traffic stop and the fall out from that event across numerous lives was such a powerful story.
Listening: Podcasts are always a regular part of my life and have been for a few years now--I almost always have one on if my kids are happily entertained with something on their own. This spring I think Jen Hatmaker has done an exceptional job with her new series on her For the Love podcast--For the Love of Exploring our Faith. Her guests have been so thought provoking and have been part of so many amazing organizations and faith-work I feel like I've learned something new each week. Listen to her episode with Lisa Sharon Harper called "Never Leave the Gospel Behind."
After hearing numerous people recommend it, I started listening to the 44 episode podcast series Blue Babies Pink by Brett Trap. About halfway through I downloaded it for my husband said "please listen to this." He was skeptical that it was for him. It's Brett's story, told in 44 episodes that are about 10 minutes each, of growing up the son of a well known southern baptist minister in small town Alabama and his coming to realize later in his late teens/early 20s that he's gay. It's his story of grappling with why God would ever make him this way, the shame and fear that crippled him as he spent about a decade not telling a soul except therapists what he was hiding and what it was like for him to finally start sharing this part of him with his community. I promised Charles listening would be worthwhile and after a few days he came home and said "wow. I am so glad you made me check this out. I'm learning a lot about empathy and what it means to hear someone's story as I listen." It's worth the journey, friends, I promise.
Watching: We are always looking to find a fun show both Charles and I enjoy to watch together in the evening and since we often have different tastes that isn't always easy! But this spring we've enjoyed a few shows together we'd both recommend! We got sucked into The Good Place on Netflix and watched season 1, both really enjoying it, and then we tried out David Letterman's new show on Netflix "My Next Guest Needs No Introduction." We have both really enjoyed the 5 episodes that have been released so far as Dave seeks to do an hour long interview with someone he simply says he finds fascinating. His guests have been incredibly diverse but we've learned something from and enjoyed each episode. He's talked with President Obama, Malala, George Clooney, Jay-Z, and Tina Fey and we've enjoyed each one--again just hearing people's stories, people whose lives have been so different than our own--has helped us have better conversations about polarizing issues and current events.
Kid Stuff: I've started a new Instagram series if you follow me over there, sharing our kid's favorite books--especially as we head into summer if you need a good children's book to request from your local library I've got you covered! These titles are all kid-tested and have won spots in mommy's heart for their beauty!
Otherwise as we head into summer we are all loving more time at the beach, gardening, squirt guns and popcicles. So many popcicles. Happy May everyone!
