Book Worm

I have blogged in the past about the books I've read each year. I'm ashamed to admit that in 2015 I only read eleven books and listened to one audio book.

I started keeping track of my reading in 2010, the year Emma was born. That year I read eight books, which isn't so bad for having a newborn. In 2011 I read THIRTY books! I'm not sure how I accomplished such a feat, but I've never been able to read that many again. Each year I read less and less, and I it makes me sad. 

My lack of reading is probably due to the increased number of children I care for on a daily basis. I have also lost the luxury time that used to come when my kids napped. Now, I have no alone time. Ever. I also have very little free time in general. I think I have more friends and social interactions, so that's a plus, but I miss being alone (or with a pet or two) on the couch in a quiet room, sucked into a good book. 

Here are the books I read in 2015. I enjoyed them all. 

• The Tao of Pooh - Hoff (Fun book. I'd like to read more about Taoism.)
• Chances Are - Abramson 
• Hatchet - Paulson 
• The Hundred Foot Journey - Morais 
• The Mistress's Daughter - Homes 
• Still Alice - Genova 
• Ticker - Mantchev (My first ever steam punk novel. That was fun!) 
• Between Shades of Gray - Septys 
•  The Princess Bride - Goldman 
• How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk - Faber & Mazlish
• Cinder - Meyer (This was my first Audio Book, and it's the first in a series. I need to listen to the next two...) 
• Mormon Enigma: Emma Hale Smith - Newel & Avery (I only read about half of this one before it was due back to the library!)

Sadly, I'm STILL in the middle of a great book that I borrowed from a friend a few months ago. It is called Spindle's End by Robin McKinley. I need to finish it!!!!! 

This year, in addition to blogging more, I'm hoping to read more books. I'm in a book group, so I have one book a month already planned, but I'd like to read even more. 

What books have you read lately that you really loved?

Back In The Saddle?

It has been an obscenely long time since I last posted. I'm not sure why that is exactly, but it happened. I miss writing. I miss creating. I have found that more and more of my free time is spent sucked into the content of the Internet through the screen of my phone. I love my smart, smart phone, but I miss writing. We'll see if I can change my ways.

As 2015 comes to an end, maybe I should fill you in on life here in my world this year...

My last post was written nearly a year and a half ago. We weaned Emma off of her meds. The process was slow and annoying as I said it would be. Finally, on November 18, 2014, she got her last Enbrel injection. The girl stayed off meds for nearly SIX MONTHS before the evil beast arthritis resurfaced in her left ankle and right knee as usual, with some finger involvement as the weeks passed. We restarted weekly Enbrel injections on June 1, 2015. She received near immediate relief and is still getting her weekly shot with no active arthritis at present. She started Kindergarten at the end of August, which she loves. She is not only growing, but flourishing, and it is beautiful.

Sir Liam is nearly three and a half years old and he has perfected the art of trying my patience. He is also skilled at selective listening, accidentally banging his head into everything, and eating most non-dessert foods incredibly slowly. His blue eyes still light up my world, and his budding sense of humor is quite entertaining. He is healthy, happy, ridiculous, and quite pleased to be sleeping on the top bunk in a twin-size bed.

Me?
I've spent a lot of time in the past year figuring out more about me. It's been really wonderful. I've allowed myself to question everything, to look at the wide world around me, to evaluate the depths of my own spirit, and to break free of a paradigm that I have outgrown. For several years, I attempted to confine my mind, heart, and feisty spirit into a box that doesn't come in my size. Many of those years were wonderful and uplifting, but I have found greater truth and beauty here, where fewer chains bind me. It has been a difficult, yet freeing journey.

My incredible husband and I have grown closer together in the past year. We don't know why, we can't really put words to explain what has changed, but our love is stronger than it used to be, our communication is improved, and our life is happy.

As we move past the holiday madness and enter 2016 full of expectations and the thrill of starting fresh, I hope you are happy too. I hope you take time to do something you love, to kiss someone you love, to sing songs that you love. Take a moment to smile for me, because that is what this beautiful life is all about.

Here's to a New Year!

Round 2: Wean!

(You have to read the title in the style of the Street Fighter arcade games. Only we aren't fighting, we're weaning.)

A year ago tomorrow, Emma restarted her Enbrel after a brief, but glorious, eight weeks of being med-free and arthritis-free. Her wonder drug has helped us to enjoy this past year with no active arthritis. Now, we are once again in the process of weaning off the medication.

This is a stressful time for me. Yes, I want to get our kid off of a heavy-duty med with unforeseen future side-effects, but when a medication keeps the arthritis under control so beautifully, I fear life without it. Yes, I hate that I have to give my daughter a weekly injection, but she takes it gracefully, tolerates it beautifully, and it gets the job done. Without our Enbrel, I will become freakishly vigilant and begin checking her joints each day and watching her like a hawk for signs of stiffness each morning.

This time is different than when we weaned last year. We're doing it much more conservatively so the process will take longer. That annoys me. Let's just stop the meds and see if the arthritis comes back already! No? No. 

This time is also different because I'm even more of a hippie than I was last year. Now Miss Emma applies frankincense essential oil to the bottoms of her feet twice daily. Frankincense is awesome because it is a powerful anti-inflammatory and has many healing properties. I'm hoping it does the trick when the Enbrel is out of her system. Maybe this time we will have more than eight weeks of unmedicated remission.

Fingers Crossed.