Team Mitchell & Crew

One of the best things I have started doing lately for myself is reading. I am surprised by how much i find myself getting lost in some of the books I have and also at how proud of myself I am for slowing down long enough to read a little. It has helped me relax, learn a little bit more and try something different.

With that, I also went out on a limb and joined a book club at school. There are about 13 people that I work with that are all lovers of reading and started a group after school once a month just after the holidays ended. Now, the first month...I didn't finish the book in time (apparently I didn't read the rules, so my homework wasn't done.) But I have kept up every other month. In fact, I've even gotten ahead when I can get a hold of the ext title that we are going into next. We rotate the hosting / food responsibilities throughout the group, so there is really no cost involved and it has let me get to know even more people that I teach beside everyday. Reading really is the age / gender neutralizer since several of these ladies are older than I am and I am the only one with a young child still in the house. Several girls are right out of school and some others are grandmothers.

My latest book is John Grisham's The Appeal. I've heard the ending is iffy...but it's it really well written when it comes to teaching you about the dirt and corruption of politics. Books that intrigue my curiosities about things I am apparently super naive in are the books I like the best. (i.e. Latest topics read: dirty politics, sex scandals, Coming of age in the Amish Community, Fundamentalist Mormon Brainwashing (Escape by C. Jessup...super! super! book), Lobotomies, Immigration pre-Depression era, Geishas, Life in Poverty) I'm telling you...I am WAY more naive than I thought, so non-fiction about stuff that is "surreal" to me, keeps me locked and focused.

I'm passing this love to Lainie, which is good too! Recently, she received the book Pinkalicious as a gift. In the book, the little girl turns pink from eating to many pink frosted cupcakes. Here's what my first day of Spring Break held.....baking and frosting pink cupcakes and dressing up in pink clothes to take photos. Lainie wants to send it to the author of the book and I think that is a super idea! Enjoy the photo!! We had a blast!!

PS - Brewtus licked several of the cupcakes clean as I turned around, so apparently he liked them too!