Warning: Parts of this post will be braggy about the awesomeness that is Ella. If you don't want to read it, wait a few days and another post will be up)
Dear Ella,
You are almost 9 (9!!). I've gotta admit...I'm pretty darn stoked about what you've become despite having me as a parent. Sometimes I look at the other mommies and think "Yeah, this one's mine. Good luck with yours!" *snicker, snicker* Just kidding, I don't really think that! (psst! yes, I do)
You have such a kind and beautiful spirit that amazes me. There is a patience with Luke that is astounding (as his mother, I can acknowledge that your patience with him is truly remarkable). You only put him in a headlock and punch him sometimes which I consider to be a win. See also below.
You always have the correct answer when I ask you if it's better to be pretty on the inside or on the outside. You're that kid that stuffs 3 pairs of gloves in your pockets when you leave the house so you can distribute them to friends who forgot them at recess. When doing your dog walking, you always have a treat or two (or thirty) for the 4-legged friend.
You both work hard
and play hard (see also below). You have at least 4 books that you're reading at any given time (one from the school library, the classroom library, your school book club, and one from my library). I tried to ask you once if you wanted me to stop bringing you one from my library but you looked at me like I was an alien. I assumed that was a no. Your teacher gives you harder math than the other kids in your class to challenge you but you thwart her attempts at a challenge by whizzing thru the homework sheets she gives you in two seconds flat. You're in a book club at school for advanced readers because you really, really like to read. The book club makes you delve into the pieces of the book like character development, plot development, and new words. This fall, you really enjoyed soccer and gave a great effort despite the fact that you really, really run like a girl. Your cheeks were always flushed with effort and you really wanted to win (Team Orange Crush rules!!) which was a first for you in athletics.
You recently heard the news that Santa is *cough cough* less than real. You took it fairly well (some crying but not outright bawling) and I introduced you to the idea of a bubble bath and candles while eating ice cream straight from the carton in the bathtub. (Yes, Jeanne, it was Graeter's mint chocolate chip) Who says I can't teach adequate coping skills?
You're not afraid of anything and love to try new things (given that you feel like you have enough information to consider the probability of injury, enjoyment, and reward). You've always been my tough-as-nails kid though I think most people would not give you credit for it because you can be quiet and observant rather than loud and impulsive. People expect you to be shy and timid but that could not be any less what you are.
Recently, you've been saving your own money by working hard to buy something. This is the first thing you've ever really worked toward. I can't wait to watch you achieve your goal.
In short, you're pretty damn awesome.
XOXO,
Your Mom
(and let the hashtags roll...
#superstar #kick ass #my kid #genius #athletics #academia #no Santa #nature vs nurture #killer instinct #inner beauty #go ella)
This is my first reading of a Gillian Flynn novel. She has several books out with her current read being a popular book club selection (Gone Girl). Sharp Objects is about a newspaper reporter from Chicago that goes back to her small hometown to investigate a series of murders. Let's just say she's not the most sane of narrators and neither is the dysfunctional family you meet along the way. Think the Waltons meet Dexter. Recommended for those want to jerk themselves awake, touch their teeth, and smell your drink to make sure someone didn't slip you a mickey. (Read the book, you'll get it)
Hey, look! It's the chick from The Office! Here's the chronicle of her life so far. I would say it's not as entertaining as Tina Fey's book, Bossypants, but better than Judge Judy's Beauty Fades, Dumb Is Forever. I enjoyed the perspective she provided as an Indian American growing up around the same time period I did. It reinforced to me that the more people are different, the more they are the same. Recommended for those who want to read another autobiography of someone then think "I could write this stuff about my youth but then who would read it besides my mom?"
I gotta admit. I kinda skimmed this one and only read the parts I found interesting. In a nutshell, there's a lot to be learned from stiffs but beware that there is an unglamorous side to having research done on you. Like the part where they use a table saw to slice your head from your neck then gently peel your face skin away from the rest of your lump to get at the meat of your noggin . You also might have your soulless shell tossed into materials like compost to see how fast you decay when exposed to certain types of bugs and what not. Recommended for those who think CSI crime scenes are for wusses. 
This book was really bad. It tried too hard and felt like a lame combination of a better written book, Mortified, and those horrible Sex and the City movies (you know, the one where they painfully went to Abu Dhabi, rode camels, and complained about Big yet again). I didn't bother to finish it so I would recommend it for no one but my neighbor who can't remember my name.
