Everyday Life and Menu Plan (5.1.17)

The highlight of the week was for sure the kid's school carnival, and I only got pics of the them in this adorable Waldo cutout because I hardly saw them the whole night. They went running around with their friends and I spent my time volunteering at the cake walk, which was NUTS. People take their cake walks seriously, y'all.  

Saturday we hit up a favorite bookstore for Independent Bookstore Day and Seattle Bookstore Day. I am overflowing with books that need to be read, so we bought the kids some books.

Cardboard looks really cool, it's by the same author as one of my son's other favorites: Ghostopolis. My daughter already burned through CatStronauts and wants to read it with me, which I'm looking forward to! I even scored a free book after she spun the prize wheel at the checkout. Nothing appealed to her on the designated shelf, and since she couldn't decide, I swooped in and grabbed a copy of Defy the Stars which has been high on my TBR list.

Sunday's flag football was thankfully rain-free and my kiddo had a great game with two touchdowns and a catch for 2 points. He was awarded game MVP by the coach and got a sweet medal.

This week is ALLLL about the kids upcoming birthdays! I can't believe I'll soon have a seven year old and a TEN year old...

• Monday - Pizza
• Tuesday - Szechuan Green Beans and Ground Turkey (from The Lemon Bowl)
• Wednesday - Barbecue Chicken Sandwiches with Slaw (crock pot recipe from Family Fresh Meals)
• Thursday - Angel Hair Pomodoro (simple recipe similar to ours from The Spruce)
• Friday - Brown Rice Burrito Bowls with Grilled Chicken and fixins
• Saturday - taking the kids out for birthday dinner celebration!
• Sunday - Pot Roast with Mashed Potatoes (this Allrecipes version with cream of mushroom soup is simple and DELICIOUS)

As always, I'm linking up with Org Junkie, and now Beth Fish Reads weekend cooking - be sure to check out all the great weekly food inspiration!

The Last Neanderthal by Claire Cameron (NetGalley Review)

The Last Neanderthal by Claire Cameron
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company (April 25, 2017)
Description from the publisher:

40,000 years in the past, the last family of Neanderthals roams the earth. After a crushingly hard winter, their numbers are low, but Girl, the oldest daughter, is just coming of age and her family is determined to travel to the annual meeting place and find her a mate.

But the unforgiving landscape takes its toll, and Girl is left alone to care for Runt, a foundling of unknown origin. As Girl and Runt face the coming winter storms, Girl realizes she has one final chance to save her people, even if it means sacrificing part of herself.

In the modern day, archaeologist Rosamund Gale works well into her pregnancy, racing to excavate newly found Neanderthal artifacts before her baby comes. Linked across the ages by the shared experience of early motherhood, both stories examine the often taboo corners of women's lives. 

I do love a good dual timeline narrative, and the subject matter of this book felt different from the usual in the genre. I wasn't sure if the Neanderthal's story, given she has a vocabulary of less than half a dozen words, would make for riveting material. However, the author assuaged all of my doubts with such a strong voice for Girl, who is clearly the protagonist of this novel. 
Going into it, I thought I'd be more compelled by the modern day heroine, Dr. Gale. Yet, I found myself riveted by the everyday life of survival for Girl and her family, and wanting to hurry through the present day struggles of Dr. Gale. In any other novel, her story would be fraught with tension; but set against the backdrop of the literal life and death struggles of her Neanderthal counterpart, the money and job woes paled in comparison. 
Dr. Gale seems to serve as model for what we have lost versus the things we have gained in modern society. Cameron also deftly addresses how women's roles have changed in modern times, and there is a lot to unpack on feminism, family and what makes us human.
Additionally, the story made me more curious about the things that I might have missed in science class and the more recent studies on the intelligence Neanderthals. All around fascinating stuff that I would otherwise not have sought to learn more about - a sign of a really good book, methinks. Many thanks to Little, Brown and Company for an advance copy for my review!

Everyday Life and Menu Plan (4.24.17)

I had quite the fun and JAM PACKED week, but now this introvert is TIRED. Don't get me wrong, I am not shy and I love to socialize - but it drains me! By Saturday night I was in my sweats with a celebratory glass of bubbly.

Let's back up... It was an eventful week at school with some PTA meetings (one ending with booze and another involving coffee the following day) and fundraising activities for my older kid's outdoor education camp coming up next year, in addition to the usual weekly volunteering in the kids classes.

This was also Tenacious Ten week! Thanks to all who used my discount code and I hope you had as much fun as I did. 

Also tiring: waking up super early on a Saturday morning with the setup crew, but worth it - long story short: I am OVER THE MOON about being able to run consistently again after finally shaking my stubborn case of plantar fasciitis. I will do a write up soon about the treatment that finally worked, for all my fellow PF sufferers. 
And, last but not least, it was my son's first weekend of flag football. I am hoping that next week I am not sitting outside for two hours in a deluge...

My daughter, bless her, took it in stride and the kids had fun, which is what matters.

This week:

• Monday - Pizza
• Tuesday - Chicken and Veggie Stir Fry with Trader Joe's Red Curry Sauce
• Wednesday - Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup (an old Rachael Ray recipe)
• Thursday - Spinach Lasagna (Chowhound recipe leftovers from the freezer)
• Friday - Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos (moved this yummy Our Best Bites recipe back from last Friday because my husband had to work late!)
• Saturday - Appetizer Night (I still have some Salami Stacks in the freezer from the holidays and figured it was time to eat them up, along with some apps and cheeses from Trader Joe's)
• Sunday - Chicken BLT Chopped Salad with Fresh Lemon Garlic Dressing

As always, I'm linking up with Org Junkie, and now Beth Fish Reads weekend cooking - be sure to check out all the great weekly food inspiration!

April Book Haul

I am OVERWHELMED with book options this month! The stack from the library is pretty darn awesome, I got THREE books with some credits at Book of the Month, a new ARC I'm OVER THE MOON about, and I decided to get back on the audiobook train thanks to a recommendation from Tara and the fact that Lincoln in the Bardo is narrated by ALL THE AWESOME ACTORS.

 I had been looking forward to Susan Meissner's latest - A Bridge Across the Ocean, as I THOROUGHLY enjoyed A Fall of Marigolds, and didn't realize it was being released in paperback. I got lucky and found it on my library's choice reads shelf and can renew it with impunity for three months! The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas is everywhere I look and I'm super pumped to delve into the hype. Dumplin' by Julie Murphy, another YA, has been out for awhile. My interest was piqued when I heard that Disney is producing the film version with Jennifer Aniston as the mother. Perfect Little World by Kevin Wilson was a prior Book of the Month pick that I passed on, but decided to pick up from the library and am REALLY enjoying right now! Many of my Goodreads friends have raved about The Nix by Nathan Hill, so I picked it up - which was rather difficult, as it's a good 600+ pages. I might just wait for the digital copy to come in (I put holds on both for most books to see which comes in first). 

For my April Book of the Month I chose Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann. I never got around to The Lost City of Z, and this (true) story of the crimes against Osage Indian Nation sounded even more compelling. I added Exit West by Mohsin Hamid and finally came around to steeling myself for When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi.

SQUEEE! Young Jane Young is the upcoming novel from Gabrielle Zevin, the writer of one my all time favorite books The Storied Life of AJ Fikry, and I got the ARC this week!

Other Digital Books in the Queue:
The Last Neanderthal by Claire Cameron (NetGalley ARC I just finished and it was GOOD!)
Sympathy by Olivia Sudjic
On Turpentine Lane by Elinor Lipman
Victoria by Daisy Goodwin
I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh
Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough
All Our Wrong Todays by Elan Mastai
Tiny Little Thing and A Hundred Summers by Beatriz Williams
Church of Marvels by Leslie Parry
The Fifth Season by NK Jemisin

Audiobooks in the Queue:
The Rules Do Not Apply: A Memoir Ariel Levy
Lincoln in the Bardo: A Novel by George Saunders

As always, I am open to commentary and suggestions!

Everyday Life and Menu Plan 4.17.17

This was a nice week of getting back into the swing of things after spring break and my husband and I kicked off the weekend with a lovely brunch at The Commons on Good Friday. He had the day off work, but the kids had school - yay! Getting a warm cinnamon roll as an appetizer is required.

We don't really celebrate Easter, but we are big on traditions, especially pagan ones that involve decorated trees or bunnies that deliver presents! So after a little egg hunt around the house and baskets filled with candy and toys, we headed out to the zoo to take advantage of the lovely weather.

Also, the Grilled Chimichurri Chicken and Avocado Salad from Cafe Delites from last week's menu was DELICIOUS. We'll definitely add it to our rotation of salads, I added feta cheese and maybe will add some artichokes or roasted red pepper next time.

This week:

• Monday - Pizza
• Tuesday - Roasted Chicken and Veggies with Pita, Hummus and Tzatziki from Trader Joe's (recipe from Gimme Delicious is similar to ours, but I'd add fresh garlic and parsley)
• Wednesday - Pesto Pasta with Sun Dried Tomatoes and Roasted Asparagus (this recipe from Damn Delicious is always in rotation)
• Thursday - Green Machine Sandwiches with Turkey in the Panini Press (from Shutterbean)
• Friday - Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos (a favorite from Our Best Bites)
• Saturday - Korean Short Ribs in the Crock Pot, Roasted Broccoli and Mashed Potatoes (easy and delicious recipe from Food.com)
• Sunday - Barbecue Bacon Ranch Chopped Salad (from Foodie with Family)

As always, I'm linking up with Org Junkie, and now Beth Fish Reads weekend cooking - be sure to check out all the great weekly food inspiration!