Sethe and her daughter Denver live a lonely life, haunted by Sethe’s dead baby’s ghost. But then two people join their family. One is a fellow runaway slave, and the other is a mysterious woman named Beloved. This is a haunting story of recovery.

Spoilers abound below.

These questions are adapted from Susan Bauer’s Well-Educated Mind, Chapter 5.

✏️Is this Novel a fable or a chronicle?

This story is somewhere between a chronicle and a fable. It takes place in our universe, but has supernatural elements.

🖍️How does the writer show us reality (if chronicle)?

This book had mostly psychological rather than physical details to show reality. The emotional torture of Sethe’s memories, and the fear of loss with Denver.

🖍️What is the intent of the world (if fantastic)?

When answering this question, I’m supposed to think about whether the fantastic elements are allegory or speculation. Now, I know it has to be allegorical, if one of those, but I don’t understand what the allegory is if there is one. One of the overarching themes is the dehumanization of African American people both as slaves and as free people. Another theme is the relationship between a mother and her children in African American culture of the time. And the ghost, which is the fantastic element, is part of both of those themes. The murder of Sethe’s baby is both dehumanizing and horrifically humanizing at the same time. Sethe feels it is her motherly duty to save the baby from slavery. The ghost is a reminder to Sethe of this moment, as well as the horror of slavery and what she was trying to save Beloved from.

🖍️Is the novel primarily realistic with a few fantastic elements?

Yes

✏️What does the central character want? What is standing in their way? What strategy do they pursue to overcome this block?

Sethe, the central character, wants to love her children with every fiber of her being. But she can’t do this for Beloved, who is violently taken away – until she comes back to claim more love than is healthy for Sethe to give. She can’t do this for Denver, because Sethe is distracted by the ghost as well as by Paul D (i.e. her past). She can’t with her boys, because they ran away. She was unable to overcome this block – the ghost took all she had.

✏️Who is telling this story?

The story is narrated by an omniscient storyteller which mainly focuses on the actions and thoughts of Sethe and Paul D, but also on Denver, Beloved, and a bit character to a lesser extent.

✏️Where is the story set? How does this setting convey the character’s relationship to the world?

The story is set almost entirely in Sethe’s house, with some references to the place she was a slave and very few references to other places. This accentuates the loneliness and isolation of Sethe and Denver.

✏️What style does the writer employ?

Beloved is poetic in style, despite technically being prose. It’s full of symbols and lyricism. Words are beautifully chosen for meaning and sound.

✏️What are the images, metaphors, and allegory?

I already discussed what allegory I could see. As for images, mother’s milk repeatedly shows up, meaning mother’s love.

✏️Do you sympathize with the characters? Which ones and why?

I have a strong sympathy for Sethe and Denver. Obviously, I don’t know what it feels like to escape slavery, but I can visualize the horrors at some level. I also don’t understand what it feels like to grow up alone with a murderer for a mom, but I feel bad about how her life was lived.

✏️Does the writer’s technique give you a clue as to her take on the human condition?

It definitely gives an idea on her feelings about slavery and how an escaped slave would feel about white people.

✏️Is the novel self-reflective?

Yes, in the sense that it connects her to her slave ancestors.

✏️Did the author’s time affect her?

Yes. Books written about the evils of slavery are much different that those written around the time of abolition. For instance, it is easier for a person of slave ancestry to write a book, both because of education opportunities and because of the audience reception.

✏️Is there an argument in this book? Do I agree?

I don’t really think so.

News

Saturday

On Saturday I worked for a while. Then I was supposed to go to Feed My Starving Children with M11, but I was super tired, and it turned out that M11 wanted to go with his dad anyway. I dealt with some slight jealosy that he didn’t want to go with me, but mostly I was relieved.

After FMSC, M11, Aaron, and I watched a few episodes of Good Omens Season 2.

Sunday

Sunday started with taking my dad to Mass for the first time in a long time. J19 walked around looking for applications to jobs in the area – which kind of suggests he plans on staying longer than just the weekend. I’d rather he didn’t stay longer, as he’s already drunk half a bottle of our Fireball, forcing us to hide our alcohol in our room. Plus, IL4 will want to go in his room since all his toys are in there. But I also don’t want to kick J19 out because he’s been combo couch surfing and sleeping on the streets for over a year.

I decided to ask on the Facebook page for my suburb where was a good place to apply, and mentioned that he was walking around looking for one. Most people answered helpfully, but one said he was lying if he said he was walking around looking for applications because they’re all online. I told her politely that he wasn’t lying, he just didn’t know what he was doing. A couple people came on and said the commenter should be nice. She came back and apologized if she was wrong about the paper applications. I answered that I wouldn’t let her narrow and negative assumption cheapen his attempts at getting on his feet, but if she’s sorry, she should be more cautious about what she says in the future. Then I got scolded for not accepting her apology, even though she didn’t actually apologize for accusing him of lying. People on the internet!

Later, I took J19 to Urgent Care for a non-urgent matter. But he had been planning on walking 4 miles to a bus stop and taking a 2 hour bus ride  to the ER downtown for this non-urgent matter.

Afterwards, D13, M11, IL4, Aaron and I carved pumpkins. J19 was excited to do so, too, but then wandered off and didn’t carve his. His loss. 🤷‍♀️

We watched some Grey’s Anatomy, and then I went to bed early because I’d had a headache all day.

Monday

Monday started with breakfast with IL4 and dad as well as a trip to the pet store. I got IL4 a cat toy to call his own since D13 has claimed the two cat toys Polyphemus came with and only lets IL4 play with them under her watchful eye.

After dropping IL4 off at school, I took M11 to the dentist to get his cavity filled. He says he’ll brush his teeth from now on. That resolution probably didn’t even last till that evening, but it was nice to hear.

After dropping D13 off at dress rehearsal, I took IL4 to his first swim lesson in the big pool. He was reluctant to get in the big pool – not sure why, since he’ll get in a pool with me or Aaron – but maybe because he’s with a few other students and one teacher?

Tuesday

Tuesday IL4 had an appointment with his GI specialist. Aaron joined me, because he (like me) was getting frustrated by mixed messages. The specialist said that the tortuous intestines weren’t a permanent problem, that they’d hopefully clear up when he stopped withholding. So psychology was what we should focus on now (besides the regular cleanings, which will also hopefully be unnecessary when he stops withholding).

D13 also had an appointment later in the day. Then D13 and M11 had dress rehearsal in the evening.

Wednesday

Wednesday I got a bunch of cleaning done because an appointment was cancelled in the morning. In the afternoon, IL4 had feeding therapy. He was absolutely refusing to go in to the office – he threw a temper tantrum on the sidewalk outside – but I told him he didn’t have to eat any of the food in the lunch box, and he grudgingly went in. He sure didn’t eat anything from the lunch box.

I then took a nice walk and brought D13 to rehearsal. Aaron took M11 and IL4 to get their hair cut, and now they both look handsome and sophisticated.

Thursday

Thursday I worked most if the day. In the evening D13 and M11 had rehearsal. It was the last rehearsal before the play. But D13’s knee buckled and she fell and is now in pain.

Friday

Friday after work I took IL4 to speech therapy while Aaron took D13 to urgent care for her knee. IL4 didn’t want to go to speech therapy and threw a massive temper tantrum. I managed to pull the kicking and screaming child into the atrium between outside door and inside door. Is that a thing in warm places? Places have a heated atrium area so that cold air doesn’t blow into the office whenever the outside door is open? Anyway, I got him in the atrium because neither of us was dressed for 35F degree weather. Then I tried to talk sense into him as he rushed me trying to get out the door. Finally, I let him exit.

He continued his temper tantrum outside, now running around in tight circles on the sidewalk. Finally, the receptionist walked out and asked if I wanted her to go get the therapist. She did, and Jill, the therapist, calmed him down by saying they could go to the OT gym.

D13’s visit yielded more action than I expected, too. I figured she’d be glanced at and sent away with RICE (rest, ice, compression, elevation) instructions. Maybe an X-ray. Well, they did the X-ray, and decided there was some “fluid in the knee” (no, I wasn’t there to ask what that means). So then they needed an MRI, but our insurance needed to pre-authorize that so it’s not scheduled yet. She’s proud of her crutches though.

In the late afternoon, IL4 had a trunk or treat at his daycare, which he really loved despite the cold. He loved handing out the candy just as much as getting it.

In the evening, D13 had her first performance. (M11 is “part time,” so he’s only in half the performances. His first is tomorrow afternoon.) They had to make some minor changes to her on-stage time so that she didn’t have as much walking. She took not being in the combat scene pretty well. She had been really excited about the combat.

Week’s Photos

Letters Written

• 1 letter Virginia
• 2 letters Maine
• 1 letter Pennsylvania

Reading to myself

• Beloved, by Toni Morrison
• School of Fear, Gitty Daneshvari
• Great Mythologies of the World, by various professors
• How to Read the Bible, by James Kugel
• Uncle Tom’s Cabin, by Harriet Beecher Stowe
• Bible

Reading to IL4

• Inspector Flytrap, by Tom Angleberger
• The Candy Caper, by Tom Watson

D13 reading

• Throne of Glass, by Sarah J Maas

Media Completed

Sethe and her daughter Denver live a lonely life, haunted by Sethe’s dead baby’s ghost. But then two people join their family. One is a fellow runaway slave, and the other is a mysterious woman named Beloved. This is a haunting story of recovery.

Theo is afraid of dying. Lulu is afraid of confined spaces. Garrison is afraid of bodies of water. Madeline is afraid of bugs. They meet at the School of Fear, taught by an eccentric recluse. This book was both cute and funny. I loved it, though I found the basic idea (not the details) of the ending predictable.

Some major shark jumping in this season, and it’s only season 2.

When Mollie must find out the number of Skittles in Principal Shelton’s candy jar, her friends Simon and Rosie help her come up with a plan to help her count them. This is a cute little chapter book about embracing your differences and being you.

Weight Loss

I’ve plateaued two months in a row, so I need to add something to my weight loss efforts. I’m going to start counting calories again. I will continue to increase my weekly step goal (I’m currently pulling off 40k per week, and am trying to increase by 5k per month.) I will also add in a 15 minute body weight exercise daily. My bariatric physical therapist said I needed 30 minutes two times daily, but I didn’t try very hard at the time because I couldn’t move from 0 to 60 overnight, and she made me feel guilty about only moving up to 60 minutes 3 times a week. Anyway, (I’m apparently still bitter about her motivation-shaming.) Anyway, I thought 15 minutes daily for a month would be a good start.

News

Saturday

Saturday was fun. After D13 got her COVID shot, we all went to a fall festival for the day. It was a lot more expensive than the last time we went, and I blew my entire fun budget on it. It’ll take months to save up that much money again. Regardless, the kids had a blast. There was a gigantic potato sack slide, camel rides, a corn pit, a corn maze, a zipline, pumpkin cannons, and a bouncy house.

After all that, Aaron, dad, IL4 and I had dinner out.

Sunday

Sunday after work I took IL4 and to a McDonald’s Playplace for a playdate with his friend L4. M11 came along because he’s grounded and he had been busy reading all day. He wanted a change of scenery.

I really like L4’s mom. She isn’t head of the PTO, cub scout master, girl scout leader, perfectly -clean-homed mom. She’s real.

The playdate ended abruptly when IL4 pooped himself. And I had wipes and a change of shirts, but not pants and underwear because I’d used my spare on another day and forgot to replace them. So he went home commando in wet pants. 🤦‍♀️

That evening, I read to M11 and D13, and then I read to IL4.

Monday

Monday morning I had to scrape the frost off the car windows. Yuck. I took D13 to her appointment, and then took IL4 to get a scan of his gut to check for anatomical abnormality. They said they didn’t see anything obvious at a quick glance, but the final results were not immediately released. In the evening, I read to D13 and then to IL4.

Tuesday

Tuesday was awful. I had to leave work an hour early to go to a 6 hour training. It was pure listening, with 2 5 minute breaks and no lunch break. In case you don’t know, I have ADHD. By 3.5 hours in, I was literally shaking with the effort of listening. I had to take my highest dose of anxiety meds to try to allieve the shaking, but it didn’t help.

By the time I got home, my brain was fried. But the M11 was crying because of an unresolved argument about whose turn it was on the TV. I just needed a break, but IL4 wanted to bake a cake with 2 pieces of bread, an apple, some peanut butter, and the ketchup. He wouldn’t take no for an answer, so I hid in the bathroom and tried not to cry while Aaron took over.

In the evening, I read to D13, and then started reading to IL4 before petering out and taking a nap before leaving for work at 9:30.

Wednesday

Wednesday I went to Perkins with my dad, and then to the mall. He bought shoes and a Nook (the Barnes and Noble tablet). He wants to read books again, but his eyesight isn’t good enough for normal print.

The results to IL4’s scan came back. It said there were no anatomical abnormalities, but that his tortuous intestines explained the fecal loading, and that he had mild fecal loading at the time of the scan. So, I guess that at least suggests that the GI specialist isn’t full of poop, even if IL4 is. (Both Aaron and I were seperately wondering whether the GI specialist didn’t know what she was talking about, but I had already convinced myself that she probably did. Aaron needed some reassurance, though.)

Thursday

Thursday I took M11 to his dietician. She set his goal weight (he needs to gain 5 pounds). Then I just did my own thing for the rest of the day – and by that I mean I went through my to-do list to my heart’s content, not being interrupted by other people wanting me to do stuff. It was glorious. I went out to lunch with Aaron, and dad took us out to dinner while D13 was at rehearsal.

Friday

Friday, I took M11 to Historic Fort Snelling. He really loved all the history. I hadn’t known Dred Scott lived at Fort Snelling, so there were some things I learned too.

D13 went to see her mom in the evening. While M11 was at rehearsal, my nephew J19 came over. He is currently homeless, and is going to stay at our house a couple of days. We all had a lovely dinner once M11 was back.

Week’s Photos

Reading to myself

• Beloved, by Toni Morrison
• How to Read the Bible, by James Kugel
• Bible
• Great Courses: St Augustine’s Confessions, by William R Cook and Ronald B Herzman
• Eye of the World, by Robert Jordon
• Run, Hide, Repeat, by Pauline Dakin
• Great Courses St Augustine’s Confessions, by William R Cook and Ronald B Herzman
• Great Mythologies of the World, by Various Professors

Reading to IL4

• Sydney and Taylor Explore the Whole Wide World, by Jacqueline Davies
• Inspector Flytrap, by Tom Angleberger
• The Invisible Fran, by Jim Benton

M10 reading

• The Keeper of Night, by Kylie Lee Baker (I’m reading this to him)
• A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking, by T Kingfisher
• Zombies vs Unicorns by Holly Black and Justine Larbalestier (I’m listening with him)

D13 reading

• The Akhenaten Adventure, by P B Kerr
• Exile, by Shannon Messenger (I’m reading this to her)

Media Completed

Sydney and Taylor decide to go on an expedition but find that it’s hard being out in the wild. This was a cute early chapter book with wonderful pictures.

Franny wants badly for her friends to be mad scientists, too. But they aren’t cooperating. Definitely a cute addition to the series.

News

Saturday

Saturday was a fun day. After some errands in the morning, I played D&D for 4 hours (though it was all role-playing, no combat…poor Aaron). After that, Aaron and I went out for my birthday gift: Mexican food and a comedy club.

Sunday

Sunday I worked, then we all went out to dinner.

Monday

Monday I took D13 to her weekly appointment, and then took dad to his neurology appointment. The ER doctor had made it sound like they’d found something bad on his CT scan when he fell back in August. They told us to make a neurologist appointment ASAP. The first one wasn’t available till October. But the neurologist poo-poohed the whole finding, using more words than necessary, and off we went.

Aaron spent the morning trimming willows near a lake for his work’s service day.

I had a really proud moment for IL4 that evening. The family does “most and least heinous parts of the day” at dinner, and IL4 participated for the first time ever. Apparently “the tree” was the most heinous and school was the least heinous. I wonder what happened with a tree, though.

In the evening when I was reading to IL4, I told him what a nice bonding experience reading together was, and that I wished the older kids wanted me to read to them. They heard – and now I need to find time to read to the older kids. Not that I mind reading to them – that part is fun – but when?

Tuesday

Tuesday after work, I took a 3 hour walk with dad. I pushed him pretty hard, but he made it. Then I took D13 to an appointment. In the evening, my friend Liz came over and we watched a couple episodes of Doctor Who. Finally, I read to D13 and then to IL4. I was interrupted half-way through the book by a call from dad, who’d missed the last bus home. Luckily, he was only 10 minutes away, so I was able to hop in the car and fetch him before work started again.

Wednesday

Wednesday after work, I went to my second job, then to have dinner with a former client. Afterwards, I read to M11 (D13 listened in, too).

Thursday

Thursday after working two jobs, I drove D13 to rehearsal (combat training started!) and watched Supernatural with Aaron.

Friday

Friday, I took IL4 to speech therapy. We had been going to have bacon and pancakes afterwards, but he fell asleep in the car on the way home, so I sat in the car with him for a couple of hours. Then, we went to feeding therapy.

M11 had rehearsal in the evening, and D13, IL4, Aaron and I watched some X-Files. When M11 came home, we all watched an episode of Umbrella Academy. Then I read to D13, then to IL4.

Letters Written

• 1 letter Massachusetts
• 1 letter Maryland
• 1 letter Texas

Reading to myself

• Beloved, by Toni Morrison
• Run, Hide, Repeat, by Laura Dakin
• Bible
• St Augustine’s Confessions by William R Cook and Ronald B Herzman
• Mahabharata
• Dragons and Marshmallows, by Asia Citro
• Great Mythologies of the World

Reading to IL4

• Warm Hearts Day, by Rebecca Elliot
• Super Rabbit All-Stars, by Thomas Flintham
• Dark Shadows, by Doreen Cronin
• Super Rabbit Boy’s Time-Jump, by Thomas Flintham
• Bad Guys in Alien vs Bad Guys, by Aaron Blabey
• Clash of the Cackling Cougars, by David Bowles

M10 reading

• Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking, by T Kingfisher
• Dragonwatch, by Brandon Mull (read to him by me)

D13 reading

• The Book Eaters, by Sunyi Dean
• Exile, by Shannon Messenger (read to her by me)

Media Completed

We saw Jason Banks at Rick Bronson House of Comedy. He was pretty good. He showed a Tiktok video at the end which was funnier than the rest, so I’m guessing he’s better at Tiktok than standup. But his stand-up was pretty good all the same.

Eva celebrates Warm Heats Day with her city of owls and a few other animals. Cute.

The feisty little chicks are at it again – this time while visiting family on a farm. When their jelly beans go missing, they are up for adventure. This may be my favorite one so far.

Zoey discovers that magical creatures exist, and that she needs to help take care of them when they’re sick. Cute story. Didn’t read it to IL4 – it was a little too advanced for that. I’d say it was 3rd grade level.

In this hilarious continuation, the Bad Guys are fighting a nasty alien who’s trying to take over the world. Very fun.

Malia, Ivan, and Dante are out skiing when, once again, they are transported to 13th street. This time, they have to deal with cougars who tell dad jokes. This book was cute, like the first two. Its focus was to thicken the plot.

News

Saturday

Saturday, I meant to take D13 to our local amusement park, but after driving out there, we discovered that our passes didn’t work on Saturdays. Probably for the best, because my sleeping disorder was acting up, and I desperately needed a nap.

Later, Aaron and I went out to dinner and axe throwing with a friend. Followed by a couple episodes of X-Files with D13.

Sunday

Sunday I worked in the morning, and then we had family day. M11 chose Super Mario Game of Life (which, despite its name has no resemblance to the Game of Life except the appearance of the spinner). Then we watched a couple episodes of Psych.

Monday

Monday was one of those days for me where everything felt bigger and badder than it was. It started well enough with an IEP meeting for D13. We decided to leave things the way they are for now. Then I took M11 to his eating disorder doctor (with IL4 tagging along). M11 was a champ at getting his blood drawn!

But that’s when the dark cloud descended on my mood. I took M11 to his dentist appointment (with IL4 tagging along). M11 had one cavity, one crater that would soon be a cavity, and apparently looked like he never brushed his teeth. When asked, he claimed to brush his teeth when I tell him to, but I only manage that somewhere between 50-75% of the time. The rest of that time, he sneaks downstairs while I’m distracted by IL4, and I don’t find it easy to leave IL4 during bedtime routine, so I can’t follow M11 and tell him to brush.

Telling him to brush is a 15-20 minute process in which he doesn’t move for at least 5 minutes, finally enters the bathroom upon repeated frustrated prompting, uses the toilet and tiptoes out pretending he’s “forgotten,” reenters the bathroom IF I catch him, noisily plays with any tub toy IL4’s left lying around, then finally (ineffectively apparently) brushes his teeth.

So you can understand my frustration to hear about the state of his mouth. With all the effort I put in to get him to stand in the bathroom with his toothbrush motor running, I’m no longer sure that noise means he’s brushing. The tech told me to watch him brush his teeth and re-teach him. But what good is that, if the problem is that he’s not actually brushing?

Anyway, this issue, which should have been moderately frustrating, was infuriating in my darkened mood. I scolded him long and harsh. Then I dropped him off at school, dropped IL4 off at school, and went to the clinic to get my blood drawn.

That gave me a good while to stew in my shame and become equally infuriated at myself as I was with M11. Upon arriving home, I decided to calm myself with a relaxing bath. I spent the entire bath making phone calls, sending emails, and generally trying to figure out what IL4’s GI specialist is telling me to do.

Because, oh-did-I-mention, IL4 has fecal loading again? Does that mean he’s impacted again, you ask? Or is fecal loading the predecessor of impaction? Darned if I know. All I know (after a bit of listening and relistening to a voicemail from the nurse and sending emails to the doctor) is that I need to cleanse his colon with 4 caps of Miralax a day for 1-2 days  every 3-4 weeks, give him a stool to prop up his legs while pooping (IF I can get him to sit on the toilet to poop – something I’ve accomplished a grand total of 3 times in the last year because he’s afraid to poop), and the doctor will refer me to a poop psychologist and order a GI image because this may be an anatomical problem.

I emerged from the bath less infuriated and more confused. M11 returned from school shortly afterwards, and I bit down my nasty mood to apologize for being so hard on him earlier. He asked me, quite seriously, “when do you mean? …. oh, that! That wasn’t that bad.” (Yes it was. But whatever.)

The day went downhill from there, as everyone kept talking to me. It was terrible.

Tuesday

Tuesday was a lovely day. Aaron took the day off so we could spend it together. We ran to Target, went out to lunch, and watched an episode of Supernatural. Dad got his covid shot, then the whole family went out to eat.

Wednesday

Wednesday was my birthday, but we did all the celebrations on Tuesday. After work in the morning, I went to a wellness visit with my doctor, followed by a walk to the store to buy a few items. Then I took D13 to her dentist appointment (her teeth look good), followed by some yardwork. I was using shears to trim a bush down to a more reasonable height when I cut right through the flesh on my pinky finger. Oops. It was mildly deep, but could be contained with some neosporin and a bandaid.

In the evening, IL4 had a “family night” at his preschool, but he fell asleep immediately before it. So we left him at home, and Aaron and I popped by to talk with his teacher. He has a bag in which he’s supposed to put an item beginning with “A.” All we could think of (that wasn’t food) was some tiny axolotls that M11 happened to have for a previous project. Apparently his teacher doesn’t know what an axolotl is, though, and who knows if the other kids know what one is, but IL4 knows.

Thursday

Thursday was pretty relaxed. After work I went to my second job. And then I took D13 to her play rehearsal.

Friday

Friday after speech therapy, I did what will apparently be one of many bowel cleanouts for IL4. I also watched “Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead” with D13 and M11.

Week’s Photos

Letters Written

• 1 letter Washington
• 1 letter Morocco
• 1 letter Massachusetts

Reading to myself

• Akata Witch, by Nnedi Okorafor
• The Cat Who Could Read Backwards, by Lillian Jackson Braun
• Great Mythologies of the World, by Various Professors
• How to Read the Bible, by James Kugel

Reading to IL4

• Super Rabbit Boy vs Super Rabbit Boss, by Thomas Flintham
• Super King Viking Land, by Thoms Flintham
• Henry Heckelbeck Spells Trouble, by Wanda Coven

M10 reading

• A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking, by T Kingfisher

D13 reading

• Book Eaters, Sunyi Dean

Aaron reading

• Burning Gods, by R F Kuang

Media Completed

Henry is in trouble again when the school has a spelling bee. He gets out of trouble in his own magical way. This is a cute read and my son seemed to enjoy it.

This is still a good show, but there were some really bad decisions (and unlike the characters) made in the last few episodes.

Sunny is an albino free agent – a Nigerian witch who grew up with the lambs (non-magical people). She is convinced she must stop an oncoming apocalypse.

This is an excellent follow-up to Akata Witch. In fact, I liked it even more than the first book, because I’m a sucker for action.

This is a 1991 movie about 5 kids who learn a valuable lesson when they try to make it on their own after their babysitter dies. It was hilarious to see pre-X-Files David Duchovny. The movie seriously lacked verisimilitude, but it was amusing.

Games Played

News

Saturday

Saturday was a relaxing day. Aaron and I played D&D for a good chunk of it. I also signed up for a play-by-post campaign and was going through the information before starting playing. In the evening, Aaron, dad, and I watched The Witches of Eastwick and then a Trevor Noah stand-up comedy show.

Sunday

Sunday I worked for several hours, Aaron made chili, and then we watched Grey’s Anatomy as a family.

Monday

Monday went well. It started off with a trip to IL4’s new dentist. He has had a lot of trouble with our family dentist in the past, so I thought I’d try a pediatric dentist. It was a success! He was shy to get on the chair, but because they had it lying down with a TV on the ceiling, it didn’t look (to him) as if he were going to get “a shot” (as he calls getting his blood drawn).

After that, I took D13 to her appointment. At least I thought I had. But really, I took her out of class and to the clinic, where she went in while I ran to McDonald’s quickly with IL4. But apparently there was no appointment, so when I arrived back 15 minutes later, she ran out to the car to tell me. Oh well. 🤷‍♀️

After dropping IL4 off at preschool, dad and I ran some errands. Then I cooked some au gratin potatoes (which turned out delicious, but next time I’ll double the amount of sauce. D13 wouldn’t eat them because they “taste like potatoes,” and obviously M11 and IL4 didn’t even put try them. I tried to explain that french fries taste of potato, too, but apparently fries are “seasoned.” (Does she mean the overwhelming salt taste of fast food fries, because there was seasoning on my au gratin potatoes?)

Tuesday

Tuesday after work in the morning, I went to get new tires (mine were dangerously bald). I went to Perkins with dad, and then took him to a doctor’s appointment. M11 worked on his 3 missing assignments, and had very little time for fun in the evening. ☹️ I wish I could help him be better at completing them in class. This is likely his ADHD.

Wednesday

Wednesday I worked all day because no one had appointments. Then we ordered pizza and watched Grey’s Anatomy as a family.

Thursday

Thursday I worked all day. Then D13 had her first play rehearsal. IL4 had a 1.5 hour temper tantrum. He wanted Mob Pets (a Minecraft mod) on his phone, and that wasn’t happening.

Friday

Friday was calm. There were no appointments, but it was pouring rain, so we couldn’t go to the park. At the end of the day, M11 went to rehearsal. Aaron, D13, and I watched Coming to America, then D13 and I watched an episode of His Dark Materials.

Week’s Photos

Letters Written

• 1 letter Maine
• 1 letter Michigan

Reading to myself

• Akata Warrior by Nnedi Okorafor
• The Cat Who Could Read Backwards, by Lilian Jackson Braun
• Run, Hid, Repeat, by Pauline Dakin
• How to Read the Bible, by James Kugel
• Bible
• St Augustine’s Confessions (Great Courses), by William R Cook and Ronald B Herzman
• Mahabharata

Reading to IL4

• Monsters in the Dark, by Zana Davidson
• Super Cheat Codes and Secret Modes, by Thomas Flintham
• NoGame Over, Super Rabbit Boy, by Thomas Flintham

D13 reading

• Maleficent Seven by Cameron Johnston

Media Completed

Alexandria, Jane, and Sukie are bored of life. Then comes Daryl, who livens up their lives with a bit of magical seduction. However, things quickly turn dark. I’m not sure what to make of this movie. It was certainly quite strange. Pretty naughty. I bet the book would make more sense.

A good deal of these jokes were pandemic-related.

Billy is afraid of the dark. But then he finds out monsters are real. This was a cute story with great colorful pictures.

When Poppy becomes a pirate dog, she really wants to find a boat that fits her new status. Cute, but nothing amazing.

I just realized belatedly that we finished Series 6 of Doctor Who. I liked the River Song plot, but was starting to get tired of the Ponds by the end of it. I liked them at first, but I guess they became too much.

This movie is just as hilarious now as it was in the ’90s.

Weight Loss

X – 45 (no weight loss this month ☹️)

News

Saturday

Saturday Aaron, IL4, and I rested after the long few days in the hospital. I got a few tasks done around the house, but mainly relaxed. I watched Baby Mama with D13 and Aaron joined us for Always Be My Maybe.

Sunday

Sunday was a fun family day. After I got home from work, we played charades (which is something IL4 can do) and then watched Grey’s Anatomy.

Monday

Monday D13 had an appointment. I ran some errands with dad. I forgot to send IL4’s backpack to school, but he assures me that he still loves me.

Tuesday

On Tuesday, D13 had an appointment, and then I got my oil changed.

Wednesday

Wednesday I managed to squeeze in an appointment for M11 after work AND a day-job shift on the same day. That’s a rare squeeze. And much needed money after missing 3 nights of work due to dad’s ER visit and IL4’s hospital stay.

On a low note, D13’s cold got worse, and she asked to be tested for COVID. I dug around the closet and found a lone COVID test hanging around. It came up positive. 🤦‍♀️ If people would just stop testing, fewer would come up positive, right? 😝

Thursday

Thursday I took D13 to get a COVID test at a clinic because I was a little skeptical of her at home results. Good thing I did, because it was negative.

Friday

Friday M11 was home sick. I had cancelled all of IL4’s appointments because they were both ones where he couldn’t wear a mask, and I thought both D13 and M11 had COVID. In the evening, Aaron, dad, and I watched Curse of Bridge Hollow.

Week’s Photos

Letters Written

• 1 letter Virginia

Reading to myself

• Emperor of Nihon-Ja, by John Flanagan
• Mahabharata
• Great Mythologies of the World, by Various Professors
• Run, Hide, Repeat, by Pauline Dakin

Reading to IL4

• Super Rabbit Boy Blasts Off!, by Thomas Flintham
• Super Rabbit Boy’s Time Jump, by Thomas Flintham
• Super Fly Rise of the Evil Army, by Todd H Doodler

M10 reading

• A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking, by Ursula Vernon

D13 reading

• The Maleficent Seven, by Cameron Johnston

Aaron reading

• Mort, by Terry Pratchett

Media Completed

Kate really wants a baby. When she finds out her uterus isn’t suited to implantation, she decides to use a surrogate. However, the woman who carries her baby is her polar opposite. This was a silly movie, but had several funny moments. I was displeased at a scene with alcohol in retrospect, and I think it should have been either different or left out, because in hindsight it wasn’t very funny.

Sasha and Marcus were best friends as kids, each holding a secret crush for the other. But they have a falling out when they’re 18, and don’t talk for 15 years. When they meet again, sparks fly. This was a very cute and fairly funny movie that has a priceless cameo appearance of a famous actor.

This is the final book in The Ranger’s Apprentice, a middle grade book in a realistic but fictional middle-ages world. It was a good series, though I think a little too long for the overall plot. They were a series of mostly disconnected stories (there were a couple that were direct continuations of the previous book). I’m glad I read the series, and am glad I reached the final book. There is a spin-off series that I don’t intend on reading.

In this final book of the Super Fly series, Crazy Cockroach makes another attempt to take over the world. This time, he uses a mind-controlling juice. Super Fly, Fantastic Flea, and Fly Girl have difficulty solving this riddle. Like the other books in the series, it was cute and funny. Written to be read by a second grader, but enjoyed by my preschooler.

When 14-year-old Sydney’s family moves to a sleepy little town, she and her Halloween-hating dad have to fight off a bunch of possessed decorations. Cute family movie that worked for entertainment in a pinch.

Games Played

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Saturday

Saturday was fun. Aaron and I played D&D. We managed to un-undead one of our party members, disperse a couple of water elementals, and sail to a new city. Then Aaron and I had a date at a cute little tavern within walking distance. Dad and D13 sat and watched Season 2 of Stranger Things. (Dad’s apparently quite the binge-watcher. Who knew?)

Sunday

Sunday was an easy day. Aaron picked up M11 from his mom’s. IL4 was asleep, so didn’t go to swim lessons. When I got home from work, the family watched Grey’s Anatomy.

Monday

Monday was an uneventful but productive day. D13 had an appointment and I completed some housework once I dropped her back off at school.

Tuesday

Tuesday I took D13 to a specialist for her worrisome health problem, and they told us it was nothing to worry about. Yay! In the evening, my friend Liz came over and we cross-stitched and watched Doctor Who. I didn’t get a lot of cross-stitch done, as IL4 was working on a craft project and repeatedly asked for my help.

Wednesday

Wednesday I took IL4 to the hospital for his scheduled admission. It was a long day. Even though we arrived at 10am, there were just a bunch of putzy things to do before treatment started at 3pm. They inserted a tube up IL4’s nose to drip some very concentrated miralax down his throat.  They expected him to poop, but, alas, when I left at 8pm, there was still no sign of breaking the seal. Aaron was with him overnight.

Thursday

Thursday, I came directly to the hospital from work. There was some hope that he might get released that day, but his bowels disagreed. It was a long day.

Friday

Friday, IL4 was released! His gut is (in theory) clear! Now we just need to keep it clear. We all went out to dinner to celebrate. D13 and M11 picked up their scripts. D13 has two lines and M11 has three.

Week’s Photos

Letters Written

• 1 letter Maine
• 1 letter Washington
• 1 letter Maryland
• 1 letter Pennsylvania
• 1 letter Texas

Reading to myself

• Emperor of Nihon-Ja, by John Flannagan
• Sapiens, by Yuval Noah Harari
• The Hangman’s Daughter, by Oliver Potzsch

Reading to IL4

• Unicorn and Yeti: Together!, by Heather Ayris Burnell
• Robo-Rabbit Boy Go!, by Thomas Flintham
• Super Rabbit Boy Powers Up, by Thomas Flintham
• Super Rabbit Racers!, by Thomas Flintham

D13 reading

• The Maleficent Seven, by Cameron Johnston

Aaron reading

• Mort, by Terry Pratchett

Media Completed

My displeasure with this book began on page 49 of the paperback, when I read this quote:

When agriculture and industry came along people could increasingly rely on the skills of others for survival, and new ‘niches for imbeciles’ were opened up. You could survive and pass your unremarkable genes to the next generation by working as a water carrier or assembly-line worker.

I know that’s not quite social Darwinism (it’s close), but it’s elitist BS that I find incredibly offensive. Then I began to absorb the fact that this was an historian writing a book on a subject outside his speciality (evolutionary biology). He makes many bold assertions, none of which are backed up with citations or even by uncited fact-claims. Just this is how it was. I don’t want to pollute my brain with potentially false assertions when I’m not educated enough to recognize truth from falsehood in this subject. On top of all that, I was getting the impression that he had a hefty “humans will destroy the earth and then go into an early, dreary extinction” agenda.