I come from a family with a history of diabetes, heart issues, high blood pressure, and, you know, stuff like that. I've been watching my parents, aunts/uncles, and my husband's parents enter their late 50s and into their early 70s.

It ain't looking good.

Pretty much everyone has bee diagnosed with pre-diabetes or actual type 2 diabetes. Those who have managed to reverse the pre-diabetes still have high blood pressure and the looming threat of diabetes waiting.

Another one that ended up being a book I skimmed through. Turns out that I do not actually WANT to sell crafts. I just want to do/make stuff and take prettier pictures of it!

That's not a bad thing to learn about myself. I did appreciate the sections on taking photos and branding.

The book goes into some details on the various social media platforms -- made me almost want to go spend more time on them.

Since we're homeschooling over the summer, I've been reading quite a bit about the subject. I, personally, enjoyed this one family's account of WHY they decided to homeschool. It's probably because it is so close to what I'm dealing with right now.

Ultimately I am still on the fence about homeschooling.

​Actually, if I'm being really honest, I'm a little pissed that I feel like I have to homeschool. The whole recurring implication that my kid is less than average and needs to be pushing harder/faster is nearly enraging. My kids is successfully doing stuff at the end of Kindergarten that I didn't even learn until second grade! Kid's obviously not stupid. And I turned out fine (thank you very much).

But homeschooling is about way more than simply reading books. To do it, I actually have to work with my kids and help them learn. Let's be honest, this aspect is harder.

​And then there's this book, How To Write a Low Cost/No Cost Curriculum. By chapter 4 in this beauty I was ready to throw in the towel and give up on homeschooling forever (despite the teachers telling me my kiddos need it over the summer to keep up).

The last book I'm reading about homeschooling, at least for May, is Don't Waste Your Time Homeschooling.

Don't let the title deceive you, this is a pro-homeschooling book. It contains little bits of wisdom from a homeschooling mom of 3 over the course of 20 years.

Did you know that roughly 4% of the USA school age kids are actively being homeschooled? As with everything, there's good and bad about homeschooling. In this book, there's a certain amount of grace in understanding and recognizing that

A) homeschooling isn't for everyone
B) the trials of homeschooling are real
C) homeschooling can still be a wonderful process.

Another Junie B. Jones book -- this one about Halloween. Junie B. is scared of Halloween because she knows the TRUTH about it. Bats in your hair truths!
The real truth is that my kids enjoy these books. We laugh at quite a few of the scenes and talk about Junie B.'s misbehavior. Our favorite scene was when Junie B. taped a peanut into her stuffed elephant's trunk. That got several snickers. I was glad there was an image to go along with it.
Oh, and in case you didn't know, cows aren't afraid of anything. Junie B. says so.

Pretty sure we read this one last month. It is a family favorite. My toddler (age 2) is proud because every time Duck or Goose says, "No," she can call out the answer. Actually, my 6-year-old fights for that honor too. I make them take turns.
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So, yep, a family favorite. And I've got them saying, "The what?" with real emphasis!

I'm not sure why we were hitting Halloween themed books. It was a definite trend though, despite Easter being a more "timely" topic. But, obviously, my kids were into Halloween books this month.
This is just fun for my youngest, age 2, to point out things. We seek more things than what is suggested. I ask for things of a certain color. Or I'll ask them to count the number of something.
​It's very much along the lines of what I do with the next book...

Yes, i love Little Critter books by Mercer Mayer. Right now this one (and the next 2) are favorites because the phrases are simpler. My 6-year-old feels brave enough to try reading -- which makes me quite happy.

As for the book, well, Little Critter thought being sick was fun... until he had to go to the doctor and stay in bed instead of play with his friends!

Another Little Critter book... I think we have over a dozen (at least) and I keep buying more. These books came as a packaged deal at Costco. There were 5 or 6 of them cellophaned together. All of them are listed as "My First I Can Read" books, so the sentences are simple.
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​This particular book is about the Critter Club organizing a pet adoption party.

The last of the Little Critter books for this month. Looks like Littler Critter's Dad got a boat.
(Personal note: I wonder what Mama Critter thought of that?)
Dad and Little Critter fix it up and take it out for a fishing trip. They should've just stayed home.
Seriously.
It's a hilariously BAD fishing trip. Even the fish laugh at them.

Yes, I am growing bored with this one -- that's why I'm putting it last! It is requested almost daily though. I'm making the best of it that I can with some extras.
Extras like:

• Find the sad pumpkin
• How many hearts are there?
• What are the names of the birds?
• Which toy do you like most?

You know, anything to break up the monotony of reading the same book so frequently.

Personal note: I've met Sean Platt, the author of Writer Dad and I like him. He's fairly hilarious and extremely motivational.

That said, Writer Dad was a bit of a surprise since it gives so much information about Sean's personal history -- history I didn't know. I always end up feeling like I'm peeking into a person's life too much with these sorts of books.

As for the book itself, man, left me feeling like I was on easy street! Some good ideas for balancing work and life while struggling to make money to afford life. If you are a parent facing the challenges of writing while caring for your family, this is a heartening read.

April had a lot of craft development reading and this was one of my favorites. It is sweet and extremely direct / to the point while still providing solid information. Added bonus: I understood the information and can apply it to my writing (that does not always happen for me).

If you're writing stories, I highly recommend this book. I'm using the concepts in it to develop several series and expect those series to be much stronger on the story side.

Note: the link for this is to Amazon but you can get a copy of the book for free on K.M. Weiland for signing up to her newsletter.

Midnight in Austenland by Shannon Hale is the follow-up to her hilarious contemporary romance, Austenland. I wanted to love it.

I started out loving it...

Then I went on vacation. I didn't take it with me because I did not want to carry one more thing in my carry-on bag. I wish I had purchased the e-book, but, alas, at that particular moment in time, I had a hardback version from the library. It became "one more thing" and I left it behind on the kitchen counter.

When I returned, I'd lost all interest in finishing it... Well, that's not totally true. I read the first 10 chapters and the last 2 chapters before going on vacation. I know how it ends. I just don't know the middle part of it -- the how it happens to get to the end.

If I were more curious or had more free time, I would finish it. Midnight in Austenland simply did not hold my attention like the first book did.