We've Moved!

Thanks for those of you who have been following Craving Cursive while I work out what I want this blog to be. I've moved it to www.cravingcursive.com. Please see my new posts there and thanks for visiting!

Ballet-Themed Birthday Party

I can't believe that my baby, Lily, turned four this month. She's such a fun kid, with a sassy little streak that keeps me on my toes. She wanted to have a birthday party this year, so we opted to keep it small and have just a few of her girlfriends over on a Saturday afternoon.

Since the girls are so into ballet, and all take dance together, we went with a ballet-themed party. These sweeties came in the gear of their choice, whether that was their ballet practice clothes or full-out recital costumes from last year. They looked so adorable.

We played freeze dance, practiced our ballet positions with the help of this ballet card game, worked on some ballet-themed arts and crafts, and of course, indulged in some snacks and cupcakes. I think Lily had a great time. Happy birthday, big girl!

Rainbow Cookbooks

I love to cook, but even more, I love paging through my cookbooks. I've looked at some so many times the pages are ripping out. Before kids I cooked a lot. I remember reading a new Giada or Barefoot Contessa book, planning which recipes I would make that week. This is how I learned to cook, testing out so many different recipes during those days.

I have my little collection in the corner of our kitchen. The other day I glanced at it and saw all the beautiful cover colors. Cookbooks often come in bright, amazing colors like fuchsia and teal and orange. After looking at these books sitting in the corner, I walked over and almost frantically started reordering them in rainbow colors. I took a step back and was in awe of what a difference this made in my kitchen. So beautiful!! As my friend Jeremy commented on Instagram, "Oooh! Rainbow books!!!" Exactly, Jeremy. So there you have it. Rainbow + Cookbooks = Happy.

I Found the Library

I feel like such a goof right now. For years, I’ve been complaining that writing at home is too hard because of all the distractions. So I’d often go to a coffee shop, which really sucked because of all the distractions. And there I’ve been since I stopped working five years ago, going through phases of writing at home or a coffee shop, depending on which distractions bothered me more at the time.

Then recently there was a certain book I wanted to read, and in my quest to avoid the lure of Amazon because my husband says I spend money like a drunken sailor, I decided to go to the library. I turned to the left, toward the quiet, grown-up people, the side I always avoid since I’m with my loud children who don’ t understand what whispering really means. Especially when they are crying. It’s hard to whisper cry. And there they were – all the large, empty tables with great lighting and wonderful outlets. The people working on their laptops or reading a book, not distracted by the violent sound of the cappuccino maker or the ding of the dry laundry that should really be folded before school pick up.

The library isn’t perfect by any means. But it’s quiet and it’s free and it has books. I feel silly for not thinking of it sooner. Regardless, I found a new place to go, a new place to write. For now, it’s working for me.

Wish me luck that I get something done. Where do you go to work, read or create?

Writing Letters to Summer Camp

When I was a kid, I went to Birch Trail Camp for Girls eight weeks a summer for seven years up in Hayward, Wis. Recently, one of my cabin mates posted a picture of us on Facebook. Names and memories poured over the thread, with these lovely women recounting songs and chants that we used to practically say in our sleep. Discussion of a reunion sparked, along with many of my old friends saying they plan to send their daughters to Birch Trail someday.

One of the best parts of going to camp is getting letters from family and friends. Gabe Chernov, the director at Birch Trail, recently posted a video on You Tube with tips on writing your kids letters at camp, including how often to write and what to write so they see how interested you are in what they are doing without making them homesick or sad. With many friends who have kids just starting overnight camp, and many who may someday, I thought I'd share this video that has a ton of helpful tips.

Will your kids be campers someday? We are going to Birch Trail for family camp next week and I can't wait!

A Book Club that Survives the Busy Years

I’ve been in a book club for 11 years. While a few moved away or dropped off, most of the players have stayed the same since we started it in our mid 20s. Throughout these years, we’ve all been through a lot, celebrating marriages, babies, new jobs and promotions, but also comforting each other after death, divorce and a myriad of other personal struggles.

Our book club has read a lot some years and not so much other years. We used to have lengthy debates about the books hitting heated topics like politics and religion, but these were soon replaced by comparing notes on sleep training and bad bosses, and now discussions about our kids’ school and career plans.

In order for our book club to survive some of the busiest years of our lives with our kids and jobs, it needed to evolve. Based on this experience, I’ve put together some tips for keeping a book club alive:

Mix up the frequency – When you have a busy schedule due to kids and work, meeting every month doesn’t always work. The past two years of our book club we’ve started meeting every other month. Not only does this give you more time to read, it also ensures more of the group will try to make it to each ‘meeting’ since they occur less often.

Change the time/place - If you’ve always met the last Thursday of the month, check in every once in a while to make sure this day is still working for everyone. Also if you’ve been hosting at people’s homes, take a year to meet at restaurants or bars. When you work long hours it can be tough to pull off hosting duties or if you have three kids who will be wakened by a lively discussion, it can be best to stay out of the house.

Create a no pressure atmosphere – We all join book clubs because we like to read and want to read. But sometimes, life is simply too busy to get the chance to read. The last thing anyone needs is to feel bad or guilty about that. There’s still a lot the group can talk about related to the book without giving the ending away. If you’re the leader, think about the book’s themes that can be discussed by those who either read or not. As one of my friends said at the last book club who has a huge job and three little kids, “I love that this is a no pressure book club. That’s all I can handle right now.” Sometimes you’re in a reading groove and sometimes you’re not – but you should always feel welcome at your book club.

Don’t even pick a book! – For those crazy years when everyone is just doing their best to keep afloat, forgo the book altogether. My book club had a year when we just chose articles or short stories and talked about those. And these were some of the best conversations! Or, just get together, catch up and don’t sweat it. Once things calm down for everyone, you can revive the group’s book selections.

For me, even if I'm really busy, I love keeping the book club going. Sometimes I find the time to read even when I thought I couldn't, brainstorming titles keeps me updated on current books, and when we do talk about a book, I love hearing what others think. Based on our history, I know we have years of reading and discussions to come, so I'm glad we've been able to maintain it over these crazy years. Discussion or not, it's great getting together regularly and that may not have happened if it wasn't a regularly scheduled "book club." We've built some amazing friendships for more than a decade as a result of keeping it going.

I’d love to hear any other tips you have for staying in a book club even when your plate is full!

Are Books Here to Stay?

As I've mentioned, I'm a big fan of real books, and it seems independent bookstores, along with book sales, have seen a recent revival. This NPR story, "The Technology Of Books Has Changed, But Bookstores Are Hanging On," discusses the resurgence, crediting the benefits of printed books over digital. I agreed with so many points made in this story, especially how it really feels you can absorb more when reading a printed book. I also loved another comment, that they "just look better." It's true. Overall, it seems really positive that booksellers are starting to embrace what they describe as a book's "bookiness." Bookiness is good.

The one thing that made me really sad when I listened to this was how frequently I buy books from Amazon. Shame.

Thanks for passing this on, Allison!

Photo by Natalia Romay