Much to the surprise of others, my much-beloved 3-year old Basset Hound, Claire, is really quite the “bad” dog. Why? She still acts like a pup because we haven’t taken the time to train her like a big girl. Tori, her older sister, is very well trained and extremely well mannered in the house. Why? Because we took the time to train her. For the last month, we’ve been training Claire how to behave off-leash inside the house. Other than a once-a-day cat chase, 2 attempted trash-bin break-ins, and a once-a-night attempt to sleep on the back-room couch, she’s actually doing quite well. She is a people dog and likes to follow one of us around at all times. We just haven’t trusted the girl enough because of her immediate Indy-500 Lap that she does around the house (3 times to be exact) once we let her in <picture cats jumping up onto furniture in every direction>. But, once the Indy-500 Independence Lap is done, and the 3 aforementioned bad habits, she’s rather good. So… we decided to keep her off leash and continue to train her.
 

This leads me to the twins. Why is there no “Big Girl Training Guide” for them? It appears to be trial by fire for one of my girls and the other… well, just a limit pusher with me. No, they don’t do laps around the house, but they certainly don’t seem to naturally adapt to big-girl ways. So… is it boot camp, soft love, or a mix of both? For a long time, I blamed myself for not being a good enough mother to them, much like I would blame a poorly behaved dog’s owner. However, I can’t seem to help my circumstances of being a single mom who HAS TO work to support them. Oh, if only there was such thing as a professional stay-at-home blogger that made enough money to support my household. And, perhaps there are those lucky chosen ones. However, after two years, my blog doesn’t have the type of traffic to bring in the advertisers who would support writing as a full-time career. I must work outside the home. I have to trust my girls to make the right decisions. But, they need that guidance and training to make better decisions and to act like ladies <as opposed to mindless, hormone-crazed goofballs>. Lastly, I must tell you that if I hear any of the following words out of their mouths again in the next 12 months, a soaking wet NERF ball will meet with their body:
 

“Whatever!”
 

“Yeah-Yeah-Yeah!”
 

“Make Me!”
 

“It’s her fault!”
 

“I don’t care what you say, I’m going anyway.”
 

“Brat!” <one saying about the other>
 

My big girl training is much more complex. I don’t do a very good job taking care of myself. Everything and everyone else seems to come first. I don’t eat well, do not exercise well, and am not very nice to myself on most days. I DO the Indy-500 laps, commenting about how filthy the house is and cleaning it up the entire time. I grumble and resent my financial situation often, instead of being thankful for the fact that I am employed. I don’t exercise enough although I TOTALLY need to. The fat around my middle is expanding at an exponential rate. I finally quit smoking, but now find that I am sneaking them when I am stressed <and, I dream of a martini to accompany it>. I haven’t dated in 4 years and I did try eHarmony.com and Chemistry.com. No takers. Big Girl Training is complex with me because I know what to do, but am often unwilling to do it. That’s why it’s complex. I believe that I need to focus on all the things I learned and start doing them and not thinking about doing them.
 

Overall, Big Girl Training is always something that never goes out of style…. Whether it be “Big Girl Panties,” “Big Girl Shoes,” “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” or “Now, be a Big Girl,” we all need to read the guide and get the training.
 

I only have one question.
 

Why don’t boys have to?
 

Books I Read This Week
 

Muffins & Mayhem: Recipes for a Happy & Disorderly Life
 

Author: Suzanne Beecher
 

Website: www.DearReader.com
 

Pages: 256 Hardcover
 

Publisher: Touchstone/Simon & Schuster
 

Type: Memoir with Recipes
 

Publish Date: June 1, 2010
 

Publisher’s Summary:
 

“Suzanne Beecher’s happy, loving voice has brought more than 350,000 people to her online book club at DearReader.com, where her daily column offers her candid, thought-provoking reflections on life, inspiring countless readers to look at their “ordinary” lives in a new way. By turns funny and poignant, Suzanne is the reassuring friend across the kitchen table with a refreshing, jaunty attitude about life, even in the face of whatever difficulties it may bring.
 

Suzanne has had her own share of troubles to overcome. Left home alone at an early age, she struggled with difficult and distant parents, dealt with heartbreak, became a hard-working single mom, and overcame two substance addictions and a physical impairment. But along the way, she found comfort in baking and sharing food with her friends and family. She learned to take the good with the bad, and her life is now inspiring proof that faith and persistence are the keys to success.”
 

ANM’s Thoughts:
 

There were some parts of this book that I enjoyed more than others. I can say the same thing for the recipes that I encountered along the way. Some sounded delicious and some I entirely skipped over. It’s true to say that she did encounter obstacles in finding happiness. She was one of the lucky ones who married a man who absolutely adores and cherishes her. Suzanne gets that “happily ever after” story for this lifetime and she deserves it.
 

I enjoyed her quirky, fun voice in telling her tale. I felt for her when she shared about some of her parental issues. Overall, where I started to lose my connection with the author was about ¾ of the way through the book. It seemed that the story seemed to jump around a bit for me a while before that and during this time. That’s not to say that I didn’t enjoy it, it’s just to mention that she lost my attention.
 

She’s a delightful gal… give the book a shot. It just might be the one for you.
 

Books I Am Currently Reading
 

Current Book Giveaway
  

Broken: A Love Story by Lisa Jones
 

Three copies are up for grabs! See this post for more information! Rated 9.5 by ANM!
 

TV Mania
 

This has got to be the worst season of The Bachelorette EVER! Yet, I’m dying to see who she picked… if either of them. You’ve got to hand it to the producers; they’ve actually done a decent job of keeping blogging sources quiet on this one.
 

Does anybody have any favorites on America’s Got Talent so far? 

The Rest
 

Next week, I’m working and then have soccer coach camp. So… I will not be writing my typical Sunday Salon post and most likely will be missing my weekly book review. Thanks for stopping by today. I’ve been lurking about the blogosphere reading your blogs on my lunch hour at work, but haven’t been leaving messages. Your blogs are looking great and it’s great to hear about what you’re up to. Alyce: I love the pics of the boys! Kathy: Your trip pics were cool. Anyway, stay “cool” in this heat and have a great week!
 

I’ve recently crossed paths with a beautiful and brave soul.  She’s taken chances that have led her to be able to live a life that fills her spirit.  At the same time, she is passionately saving lives.  She is not a doctor, not a nurse, but definitely is a healer.  Through knowing her briefly, I have taken a closer look at how far I’m willing to go to chase my own dream.

My new friend Miki has trusted her faith and has dared to live her dream. But, her dream isn’t the typical one… being a movie star, a prize-winning author, nor a famous politician. Rather, her dream was to save animals. Not just the little ones that most of us try to do via adoption, but the big ones too. Miki and her husband Clayton dreamt of rescuing draft horses. As she shares on her website:

“This dream of ours was kept in our prayers for many years. We always knew however, that one-day, when the time is right, we would move and make this dream of ours come true. And that indeed happened. In March of 2006, we moved to a ranch in Murrieta, California. It is a beautiful property surrounded by nature with a lot of flat space for the horses to roam around and be happy. A place were a horse can be a horse…”

Miki’s dream had a greater vision than just giving a sanctuary to horses who no longer served the use their owner intended. Rather, there is a large number of horses that were being bred to produce Premarin. The hormones excreted from pregnant mares were largely used in the production of this menapause pill in the early 1990′s and 2000′s. For the foals of these mistreated mares who were not sold at auction nor retained for the purpose of continued breeding for the collection of the hormones, they were sold to slaughter houses for meat distribution. If you click over to this page on the Gentle Giant Sanctuary Website, you can read much more about this industry. It seems that the practice is slowing due to lawsuits which ensued 2005+ due to side effects of Premarin. However, there are still many baby foals (mainly, from what I’ve read, up in Canada), who need adoption.

Miki and Clayton adopted the most gorgeous babies… (Click on the horse and read their story)

TESS

WILLOW

EMMA

OLIVER

ELLIOT

After you read these tender stories, you just can’t help but to smile and be proud of Miki and Clayton for living their dream. You can see on their website that they are a normal couple, living just outside a normal urban area… but, they are living their dream.

I got so inspired that I asked some friends of mine who run local stables if they had anything that they could donate on Miki’s wishlist. They told me they’d check and gave me a lead on a sale. But, what inspired me was just the pure fact that, despite this scary economy, money being tight, not knowing how you will support 5 very large horses (don’t get me started on the rest of her menagerie), they just prayed about it for a very long time. After a while, their dreams were realized. All they had to do was do the footwork and keep the faith. To me… that is so brave and so trusting.

I am sometimes so trapped in fear of losing what I have, focused on work and putting forethought into what I need to manage next for our livelihood, that I forget to dream. I think often tell myself that the dreams that I have will “happen someday.” But someday won’t come if I don’t believe enough in myself and in my faith that God will provide when I honor him and when I care for the earth and its many beautiful creations, large and small.

Rather than reading about my thoughts on books today.. what’s cool on TV.. the radical sunburn I got at soccer camp.. and my typical rantings on the Sunday Salon post, can you just take a minute and think about your dream? What is it that you really want to do? How do you get there? Remind yourself not to put off until tomorrow what you can do today, as cliche as it may sound. And, pray to your God & don’t be afraid to ask how to accomplish your dream and fill your spirit.

I’m also putting a “pretty-please” call out to all dreamers, horse fanatics, animal lovers, and book-bloggers who follow my blog, to donate $1 to the Gentle Giants Sanctuary. The link to the PayPal donate button is here at the bottom left corner of the page.

Now you may recall that I recently gave a 9.5 rating on a wonderful story about horses by Lisa Jones entitled Broken: A Love Story. I am so completely thrilled to tell you that she was generous enough to donate 3 copies of her amazing story to A Novel Menagerie Readers. I am so unbelievably excited!

For a refresher on my review of this story about redemption and the power of love, please click HERE and read all about this amazing book.

To enter the contest, you must be located in either the United States or Canada. For one entry, simply leave a comment below and tell me about the animal that most changed your life. For two entries, please leave two comments (the one above) and the second telling me that you have either twittered about the contest, posted about the contest on your site, or posted about it on Facebook. For 4 entries, tell others about the Gentle Giant Sanctuary on Twitter, Facebook, or your blog. FOR 5 (YES, COUNT ‘EM 5) entries, please donate $1 or more to the Gentle Giant Sanctuary and email me about it at anovelmenagerie@aol.com or you may leave a comment about it below. Since I have 3 copies to give away, there are many chances to win!!!!!

CONTEST ENDS AUGUST 31ST, 2010

I hope that, just for today, you took that minute to think about your dream(s) and encourage others who live theirs.

God Bless!

As always, my thanks to all of you for reading not only this post, but the others as well. Your readership means the world to me! AND, your comments are invaluable to me!

Summer is in full swing and the twins are officially “bored already, MOM~!!” 

Go fly a kite.

Go catch a bug.

Go climb a tree

Play cards.

Please just stop fighting and driving me crazy.  Yeah, like that would ever happen in a million years.  NOT!

Well, this afternoon they are at a church event and perhaps God can whip their little tushies into shape. 

It’s a thought.

Me?

Working to put milk in the fridge and am struggling to find anything about my job that gives me an ounce of pride in my work or that I’m contributing to a team who wants me there.  I’ve asked God to scrub me back to a smooth flat rock so that I can build right back up again.  I think he’s pretty cool about that stuff as long as I put the work in.  So, I am.

Between work, kids and home, I’ve become a bit of a hermit.  I don’t feel motivated to hit the beach, hike, bicycle, go to the park.  But, in a couple of weeks, I’m going to “coach training camp” where they will teach me how to officially coach a team of  twelve 14-year old girls.  That, I am looking forward to.

My sissie and I went to an Angels Game and had the best seats ever… like one row away from the 1st base line.  The Angels were playing the Colorado Rockies… some of them boys are very cute… yes-er-ree!  Here’s a pic where a jammed a camera in our face:

So, my sister is really nice to my badly behaved children.  It is our family ritual for girls to wait until they are 13 to get their ears pierced.  So, my sissie went along and we did the mall ear piercing thing.  It was kinda funny… here are these 5’6″ & 127lb girls afraid of actually getting it done.  Can you believe it?  After they suffered through the horror of it, we got the fun mall pictures taken of the 4 of us afterwards:

So…  summer is moving along and I’m just so glad to be spending it with my Sissie and her family.  Her 3 kids and husband are awesome and I always feel at home when I’m with her.  I have also recently started a reconciliation with my mother.  We have been estranged for years.  We’ve spent considerable time together over the past few weeks and it’s nice to see it going in a positive direction.  It’s been many years since I’ve had a mom… it has felt rather good to start feeling like I have one back. 

Now… if only she could turn the twins into angels… then, life would be golden!

This Week’s Reads

This week, I reviewed

and

Now, I loved Broken: A Love Story so much that I wrote the author.    I asked her about doing a givaway of her amazing story to my readers and fellow book bloggers.  She agreed!  So, I will posting a contest with a recap of her terrific book this week. 

I also downloaded Kathy Griffin’s Bestselling memoir Official Book Club Selection onto my Kindle and read it this week.  I LOVE LOVE LOVE her show on Bravo, My Life on the D-List.  Her mother Maggie is my absolute favorite on the show!  I absolutely loved reading the book.  It starts with her childhood, walks the reader through her climb up the ladder to stardom, and brings us to her current day situation.  Personally, I don’t think she gets to keep herself on the D-List status with sold out live comedy shows, a NY Times Best-Seller, and a double emmy winner. 

This memoir was heartfelt and hilarious.  I looked forwad to picking up every day.  Love her or leave her, after reading her book you would still find a woman of determination and strength who never gave up on her  goals and was always held true to her beliefs.  I LOVED LOVED LOVED the book and recommend it to all Kathy Griffin fans.

One of my favorite episodes of her show is the one where she hangs out with Paris Hilton.  Check out this pic:

(not too shabby for 48!)  My favorite character on her show is her beloved mother, Maggie.  She’s recently come out with a book of her own entitled Tip It!  That’s a sure Kindle download for me!  Personally, this book is my kind of dish and I’m giving it a rating of:

Contests

As mentioned above, I wil be hosting a multiple book give away of Broken: A Love Story.  Details will be published this week.

The winner forJune’s giveaway of Jen Lancaster’s Pretty in Plaid goes to Cassandra at Words on Paper.  Congratulations!

On TV 

The Bachelorette

I  am so completely sickened by this entire season that I can’t even complete my full course of recaps.   This is so unlike me.. nothing usually gives me more joy.  But the corny, staged antics of this season are making me sick.  The tabloids have reported that she ends up alone, found a new boyfriend whom she has already broken up with   Disgusting.  The entire thing.

I will, however, share with you, the shows that have caught my eye this summer:

 * Whale Wars

* Living With The Sextuplets

* America’s Got Talent

* So You Think You Can Dance

* Housewives of New Jersey

* Wipeout

* Kathy Griffin: Life On The D-List

* True Beauty  

The Rest… 

I’ve began mediating as a source of stess relief.  Any tips out there?    I’m only seeming to get 2 books read per week now as apposed to 4-5 that I was pulling last year… so I’m a little sad about that.     Too broke to go on vacation, but have the beach next door… so I should take advantage of that. 

As always, my thanks to all of you for reading not only this post, but the others as well.   Your readership means the world to me!  AND, your comments are invaluable to me!

Arriving back up from the depths of beyond, I surface to share with you two books that I’ve recently read… very different… yet, both about love.

Love is a funny thing.  It’s been written about since the beginning of time and yet it is still the most inexplicable yet crucial part of human existence.  It makes me wonder what a world would be like without it.  Could there be a world without it?

Love comes in and out of your life in odd ways.  It can cut you to the core of your soul and carry you to the highest elevation.  It tethers you and defines you and teaches you to grow.  It consumes you and redeems you, but it can also hold you captive.  It seems that a man or woman’s true beauty and accomplishment derives from how you grow through life and how love teaches you those crucial lessons, the ones that your soul requires to flourish.

I recently read a memoir by Lisa Jones entitled Broken: A Love Story – A Woman’s Journey Toward Redemption on the Wind River Indian Reservation (Scribner, Trade Paperback, May 18th, 2010, ISBN 9781416579076, 288 pages, $10.20 at Amazon.com).   This was a moving recital of her journey to a life she never expected; one filled with such spiritualness, love, and friendship.  

Lisa thought she was in love with her boyfriend at the time she traveled to Wyoming to interview a notorious  horse whisperer, Stanford Addison, a Northern Arapaho.  The special thing about Stanford was that he was a quadriplegic.  Not only was he known for his gift with horses, but it had been said that he had cured people with everything from cancer to bipolar disorder.

During her many visits to Stanford’s home, she grew to become a part of his inner circle and developed a strong bond with Stanford.  Their friendship started Lisa on a journey of self-discovery that opened up her heart and helped her see so many truths about life.

“In Standford Addison’s kitchen, I quit worrying.  As I listened to the stories of my new, interesting, worthy friend, my own twists of fate stated looking a lot less like doom and more like The Way Things Are.  Here, outside the bubble of good foturne that constituted material reality for most people of my age, class and race, I could actually learn something useful.  This Arapaho man and his friend the cowboy had suffered more than anyone I had ever met.  They’d endured physical pain I could only imagine.  They had fucked up extravagantly when they were young, gotten hurt, then suicidal, but now they were kind and wise because all their misfortune had pried them away from serving their egos above all else.  They had spun the worst kind of misfortune into something reverant and beautiful and real.  They showed me the rock-bottom truth so often obscured from the white middle class.  Life doesn’t do a damn thing you think it will do.”

Lisa eventually found that love and peace that she had been searching for.  It wasn’t pain free and there was certainly a price to be paid, but it was the sweetest of all for what she received from it.  Lisa shares in the book that Stanford says:

“Life isn’t about happiness.  Good times are followed by bad times; bad times are followed by good.  Life isn’t about staying clear of pain.  Life is about finding your center, even when things are so painful you want to run like hell in the opposite direction.”

I know what it feels like to want to run in that opposite direction.  For me, it is love that tethers me back to my center… which is my home and my family and the hope that one day I will understand the meaning of my life. 

This book gave me a lot to think about and I always looked forward to picking it up.  I grew to feel a deep attachement for the characters in this book and now subscribe to Lisa’s blog.  Her website has  terrific links with photographs and videos which bring the reader even closer to Stanford’s home and beloved existence.

I HIGHLY recommend that you take a few minutes and watch this video in which Lisa reads from parts of her book to a montage of photographs of the amazing Stanford Addison and his ranch in Wyoming.  It  shows, in such a small glimpse, how beautiful this story really is.

Veering off into a TOTALLY different direction,  I read another memoir about love… Hollywood style.   I have been a follower (does that mean I’m a fan?) of Tori Spelling since my teen years.  OK, this in part due to watching Beverly Hills 90210, the real one, not this attempted remake.  Over the years, I have read and reviewed her two prior memoirs an in addition to watching her television reality series with her husband Dean McDermott and their family.  She’s a bit of an odd little duckie.   At times I find her completely off her rocker and wonder how anybody could be so nuts.  Then, at other times, I see her as a working mom, just like me, facing obstacles that a lot of working moms do.  Only, hers are only more complex due to the stigma attached to her fame.

I imagine growing up the way that she did.  How do you move from that type of uber-wealth, fortune and fame to being cast out of a will and making a new life for your self from the ground up?  In this 3rd installment, uncharted terriTori, (Simon & Schuster, June 2010, ISBN 9781439187715, 214 pages Hardcover, $14.46 at Amazon.com).  She shares in this memoir what has transpired in the last year or so since Mommywood.   In her words, she attempts to disspell the rumors or tabloid attacks that her marriage is heading towards divorce.  I believe that Tori takes a look at herself and sees that she is trying to achieve too much in too little amount of time.  Like many mothers, she has taken her focus off of her marriage and redirected it towards the children.  The romance that once was her fairytale, her everything seems now to have slid into 2nd seat.

Coupling the marital issues, Tori  is still navigating her way back to redemption with her family.  She longs for a relationship with her mother, perhaps not the one that she once had, but one that a grown woman needs.  This gradual reconnection is shared in this book as Tori describes her return to the Spelling Mansion for the annual Christmas Party.

In addition to her multiple businesses (children’s clothing line, jewelry line, authoring memoirs and childrens books, the reality shows, acting), Tori tries to take on the role of perfect mother.  She involves herself with the childrens’ school activities and overly commits herself to holiday food contributions.. to which she thinks thay must be amazing, hand made, clever, and healthy.   She takes on the scrutiny of the other mothers for celebrity status and has to work twice as hard to prove that she’s just a regular mom like the rest of us.    On top of all this, she takes her family and friend on a road trip to redecorate her best friend’s home as a surprise.

Now, I don’t know if she’s wearing an invisible cape or has a lot of help… but, if that were me, I’d be exhausted.  And, I’m afraid (and, solely in my opinion), that type of exhaustion leads to ill health.  Tori writes about her trips to the hospital (swine flu, stomach issues, etc.).    Her weight is well below healthy standards as she attempts to hold onto 103 pounds.  Frankly, I hope that she will be willing to give up some of her committments and slow down her pace.  She discusses considering this in the book, however dismisses the thought almost as quickly as it arises.  With such beautiful children and a husband who appears to really love her, I hope she finds that center.   For some reason, I fear she still has a long way to go before love will take her there. 

So, for mommies who love stories about raising kids, juggling life, and finding stolen moments with your husbands, this book is a delightful summer dish.  For Tori fans, it’s a not-to-miss installment, although much of the content was duplicated in her television series. 

Disclosure: I am an Amazon.com Affiliate. There are links within this post that take you directly over to the Amazon.com website. You are under no obligation to purchase either of the two books or any items listed in this article. I purchased one of the books reviewed herein and the other one was provided to me by the author.