To me November marks the end of the harvest season and the approach of winter. In other words, it’s starting to get very chilly! So, I’m grateful that there are some wonderful (and in some cases long) books coming out this month that I can curl up with and savor after a big Thanksgiving dinner.
Read the rest of the article at Chick Lit Plus.
![chick-lit-button[1]](https://thelatchkeymom.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/chick-lit-button1.jpg)
From the Latest issue of My Forsyth Magazine:
![grade_7[1]](https://thelatchkeymom.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/grade_71.jpg)
This year I have a child in seventh grade and so far, it’s been an excruciatingly frustrating experience. I’ve debated as to whether or not I could write about it, because I realize that middle school is a sensitive time in a child’s life. Yet, I’m absolutely certain he’ll never read this, because getting him to read anything on his own, other than ESPN.com , is akin to my climbing Mount Everest. I’d also love some advice, or at the very least, some commiseration.
Hunter is a smart boy, but he does have some learning issues. He has difficulty paying attention, especially to things that don’t interest him, and he struggles with reading comprehension, particularly with fiction. He can tell you what happened in a story, but it’s the why and the what-ifs that trip him up. Vocabulary is also probably another impediment. Unfortunately reading comprehension affects all subjects.
That’s the main problem I suppose, but attitude and motivation are other issues we deal with and I’m sure they’re interrelated. It’s hard for anyone to get motivated if there are many obstacles. Yes? For years Rich and I have emphasized that school is number one and this, for the time being, is his job. His future depends on it. Getting into college depends on it. To succeed in life, you must work hard…blah, blah, blah. Even I’m tired of hearing us preach. So tired. Continue reading The Trials and Tribulations of This Seventh Grade Mom
1) The television show The Good Wife. The writing is smart and suspenseful, the acting is phenomenal. The pacing is frantically fantastic. I am obsessed. I elaborated more in another post, so I won’t beat a dead horse.
2) I’ve read or listened to 17 book this month, which may be a personal record. One book really stood out from the rest of the pack – I loved The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion. It’s an amazing grief memoir that’s helped me a great deal. It’s also a National Book Award winner and I highly recommend it.
![7815[1]](https://thelatchkeymom.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/78151.jpg)
3) School! The class I’m taking on memoir writing inspires me and makes me happy.
4) Old friends. Why is it that everyday life often gets in the way of seeing old friends, friends who live less than an hour away? Sadly, it was a condolence call after Edmund’s passing that brought us together again. I love the Savas family, who we met when Rich and I first moved to Atlanta in the late ‘90s. Sybil worked with Rich, and her family was always very gracious and treated us like one of their own.
In fact, Rich and I once watched two of the big kids in the above picture for a whole weekend, as a “test run” to see if we were ready for kids. So indirectly, they’re responsible for our little Smithies. Sybil and Pete are wonderful parents who we’ve always tried to emulate. After getting reacquainted with the adults who showed up at our house a couple weeks ago, we’ll try even harder.
Continue reading 13 Things That Created Happiness in the Month of October