Eureka!
Sometimes the simplest things make life so much easier.
Isabella hates, hates, hates having her face and hands wiped. But after one of her meals she needs it so that she doesn’t leave food smears everywhere. It’s a battle I absolutely hate fighting with her as she wails and screams and thrashes and I try to hold her down and swipe at her face with a damp cloth. And I inevitably miss something because she’s thrashing so much I can’t see what she’s doing.
But today I realized that if I make it a game she’s more than happy to have me wipe her off. So I wipe mama’s nose and then Bella’s nose, mama’s cheek and then Bella’s cheek, mama’s forehead and then Bella’s forehead. I’ve already been playing the game of pointing to my nose and then her nose, calling them by name. She loves hearing me say the names of the parts of her face and she loves being like me. I can’t believe I didn’t think of this sooner. It’s going to make mealtime so much easier.
I also discovered that she doesn’t mind being spoon fed quite so much if she has a bread crust in her hand and gnaws on it between spoonfuls and if I give her a bite of a different food with every spoon. So first a bite of chicken, then cereal, then vegetables. Lunch became much less of a battle once I figured out that trick!
The Count of Monte Cristo is AWESOME. Dumas wrote it as one of those newspaper serials, which means he had to keep you coming back for more. There isn’t a whole lot of “scene-setting” either—he jumps right in to the story.
I’m a snob about the unabridged versions, too.
“Father Barry”: DaVinci Code is my fault. I read it before reading the anti-DVC books when the movie was coming out. I was leading a panel at my parish.
I also have a book on Catholicism by Jimmy Swaggart and the Book of Mormon (both from college classes and kept as conversation pieces). You can’t judge a man solely by what sits on his shelf.
Father Barry,
I did read The Da Vinci Code when it was first published. Had never heard of Dan Brown, didn’t know anything about the contraversy. One of my roommates had it and left it in the bathroom and I picked it up and read it in about a day. Didn’t enjoy it much, but that was back when I was less informed about faith stuff and reading quite a bit of trash so while lots of stuff seemed “off” I didn’t pay much attention. Just read for the plot, such as it was. Now I really wouldn’t touch it with a ten foot pole. It was a bit of a quandry when Dom had to pay money for the book so he could lead the talk. Sadly all the library copies were out and there was a waiting list. Now I don’t believe in burning books or throwing them away, but don’t feel I could in good conscience pass it on to anyone else. So there it sits. Will probably get tossed when we move, though.
My sister’s been urging me to read Life of Pi, too. It’s on my list.
Heather,
I believe I saw that you posted about The Count of Monte Cristo recently. Now I know I’m going to have to go find a copy soon. I bought one a while back and didn’t look closely enough. Got it home, saw it was abridged, and took it right back to the store.
I thought briefly about marking recommend/not recommend on the books, but it was late and they were already pretty marked up. Maybe later…
This looks like great fun. Glancing over the list quickly, I see only a handful of books I’ve read that you have not read. (Please read Life of Pi as soon as possible. It’s got a confusing ending, and you’re 2-for-2 on those for me…)
The number of books you’ve read that I’ve never opened is a bit more than a handful, though the Harry Potters help that out a bit.
And I particularly enjoy the fact that The DaViC is on your bookshelf, and that you won’t touch it with a 10 foot pole.
(Makes me wonder how it got there, though.)
Dom: I can’t judge a man by the books on his shelf? Darn. Making snap judgments is what I do best. Now I’ll have to start all over.
I figured there was a perfectly rational explanation. And this one is more than rational; it’s commendable. (I had a number of arguments with some friends of mine as to whether or not “push-back” was a legitimate reason to read the book or watch the film. I think it is.)
I’ve got The Book of Mormon on my shelf, as well. Right next to the Koran (which I get as part of a discussion group). And, or course, my Bible.
In fact, there was an amusing incident with a couple of Mormon missionaries that came by my house for a couple visits. They wanted to give me a Book of Mormon, but I explained that I already had one. Showed them my bookshelf, where it sat – right next to my Koran. Their reaction was priceless. (I’m mean-spirited that way.)
But I don’t have a Swaggart book. Hah.
Melanie:
I want to see the “recommended/not recommended.” When you get a chance, perhaps.
And do you know where Darwin Catholic got that list? I’m curious as to its composition. Is it a list from some publication? A “best seller” list? Something else entirely?
I never let the Mormon missionaries get far enough that they’re asking to give me a book. I hate talking to strangers at the door so almost everyone gets a polite “Not interested, thank you very much.” I let Dom handle answering the door if he’s home. But I would have liked to see their faces. I always have dreams of having snappy comebacks for people in such situations. But the reality is I’m much too shy to carry on my half of the conversation off with anything like grace and style.
Knowing someone’s interested in recommended/not recommended might give me a little push.
And do you know where Darwin Catholic got that list? I’m curious as to its composition.
I wondered the same thing.
I followed the link the Darwin’s provided and it took me to another blog “Sphere of Influence” but she doesn’t say where she got the list, just that it’s a meme. It is a rather odd little assortment of books. Sounds to me like someone’s personal list.
There has never been anything snappy, graceful or stylish in my conversations with our Mormon visitors. And we’ve never come particularly close to changing each other’s minds. But I do feel like I have a better understanding of their position now. (Felt a bit science-fictiony once we actually got down to the details, but I’m glad I went through it all.)
I just realized I haven’t even finished half the books on that list. Depressing. So many books, so little time.
I noticed two books dealing with time travel on the list; “Outlander” by Diana Gabaldon, and “The Time Traveller’s Wife” by Audrey Neffenegger. I enjoyed both of these, I find time travel fascinating (as a literary device; I wouldn’t really want to do it!). Another interesting book with this theme is “The Doomsday Book” by Connie Willis.
I enjoyed both of them immensely as well. The Outlander series is one of my favorites and I’ve read most of the books several times. I’ve read The Time Traveller’s Wife twice, in fact I borrowed it from my mom and Christmas and just finished the re-read last month.
I know I read the Doomsday book a while back and I remember enjoying it as well. I may have to go back and read it again.
I agree, it is a fascinating device. (Though I also wouldn’t want to do it. Not so much for the hot baths and the sanitation in the past.)
And it creates some great speculative theological questions. Like Claire’s conundrum about her two husbands. Is she committing adultery when she marries Jamie? (Incidentally, one of the best scenes in fiction ever is when she has the conversation with the monk about God’s presence in the Eucharist during adoration. I totally didn’t expect that in a romance novel!)
And in TTTW I keep wondering about the two wedding ceremonies. If they hadn’t had the second, would it have been a valid marriage or would they have been committing adultery? I know there isn’t really any concern in the novel about marital fidelity, but it makes me wonder.
I keep thinking about writing a post about these questions. I guess I sorta just did!
Don’t forget S.M. Stirling’s “Island in the Sea of Time.” That’s another really good time travel book that makes you think.
I’ve heard that “Island in the Sea of Time” is good. I’ll have to see if our library has it.
It’s been awhile since I read “Outlander” so I went back and re-read the scene with the conversation about Eucharistic Adoration. It is very moving, and explains it about as well as anything I’ve read. Coincidentally, I have an evangelical Protestant co-worker who thinks we do Perpetual Adoration to keep people from robbing money out of the candle box. (Wouldn’t locking the church be easier??) This gives me some ideas to explain it to him a little better.
About the two wedding ceremonies, the first one pretty much took place under duress, so would it have been valid?