This Digest comes during my week-long blogging break, so I hope you understand why I’m not allowing comments. As it’s also Thanksgiving week in the US, I’ll be spending my time with my family and away from this blog and email as much as possible.
The past 9 weeks have been full of changes and reflection. I posted 17 book reviews and was delighted to host my first author, Jeremy P. Boggess, and his nonfiction book Taking Action for a Better Tomorrow. I’ve also been baking up a storm. In addition to writing down 5 ratio recipes, I baked muffins, quick bread, and custard using their respective ratios and learned how to make a gluten-free chocolate cake and eggless pumpkin quick bread. I also made my first pie in about 15 years.
But, mostly, most of my thoughts have revolved around motherhood. I’ve been sharing my journey to motherhood and, over the past 9 weeks, I’ve shared my miscarriage and how I learned I was pregnant with my son. It was sometimes hard to write about the darkness of those days, but they’re a part of why I am the mother I am today. In August, my son started Kindergarten, which hasn’t been easy. For now, I like his school, but they could definitely do better. In September, I was faced with my first dilemma of whether to introduce my Chinese culture to my young children. It was simple, really, but my own upbringing came crashing back down on me. In October, our first fires broke out. At one point I felt surrounded by flames even though my home was never in any real danger. Fire just scares me.
A lovely mom blog I follow, Mum Life Stories, posted the story of another mom, a mom who was a workaholic and missed her children’s childhoods. As a stay-at-home mom who always craved more, it really spoke to my heart. It also made me think of my role as a stay-at-home mom. I realized following my mom’s example, wonderful though she is, wasn’t healthy for me, and I realized I needed a new balance between blogging and living. And right after that one, I was forced to do so much more living and very little blogging, but it couldn’t have been healthier for me as a person.
Oh, and then there’s National Novel Writing Month. I’m not an official participant, but I, before becoming ill, had been determined to do it my way. I’ve been posting my Beauty and the Beast inspired story Queen of the Garden of Girls every Wednesday, but it is still unfinished, so that’s what I’ve been writing.
Take a look at my Finding Magic in Motherhood posts
Part 4: The Timing Had to be Perfect|Part 5: The Miscarriage|Part 6: The Story of a Lamp|Part 7: I Should Have Known Something Was Going On|Part 8: The Fears, the Symptoms, the Uncertainties|Part 9: The Moment of Truth
Check out the 17 books I reviewed
A Hero Born|The Bone Ships|The Dragon’s Banker|The Last Stand|Across the Fourwinds|The Library of the Unwritten|Dominion of the Star|The Throne of the Five Winds|Sacred Bride|Beside Herself|The God Queen|The Poison Garden|Freefall: A Divine Comedy|The Unexpected Past of Miss Jane Austen|Killer Domes and the Chosen One|The Impossible Contract|The Cosmic Misfortunes of the Furious Ginger
Catch up on Queen of the Garden of Girls
Part 6|Part 7|Part 8|Part 9|Part 10|Part 11|Part 12|Part 13|Part 14
Look back at the Stories and Writing Related Posts I’ve Enjoyed from the Blogging Community
Enjoy my adventures in ratio baking and try a ratio recipe
Adventures in Ratio Baking: Bread|Baking Gluten-Free Cakes|Custard|Time for Muffins|Apple Pie Time
Knock You Over the Head with Lemon Cupcakes|Funfetti Cake|Black Forest Inspired Cake|Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake|Pumpkin Quick Bread
Favorite Posts from the Bloggers I Follow
I usually have a nice long section highlighting some of the posts I’ve loved over the past 6 weeks (9 weeks in this case), but most of them can be found above under the Stories and Writing Related Posts section. Instead I’ll list some of the posts I enjoyed that did not fall neatly into one of those categories.
I Didn’t Want to Be a Mother from (you guessed it) I Didn’t Want to Be a Mother – it’s not just this post, but almost every post from this lovely lady that resonates with me
Fragile Beautiful from Brooke Cutler – I cried when I read this. That’s how deeply it spoke to my soul. Thank you, Brooke. Holding Space is another one that made me sob.
On Not Getting the Job (A.K.A. Why It was Clearly for the Best, Part 1) from Becoming Mother – a good reminder that things happen because they need to
Is texting students a good idea? from Write Side of the Road – I just can’t believe there are schools out there who think it’s a good idea
5 Ways to Help Kids with Confidence and Body Image from Housewife Hustle – such an important thing for kids to learn, especially in an increasingly visual dominated world
Nanowrimo Bujo: My Novel Bullet Journal from Erica Rue – whether it’s for NaNo or not, this is such a great idea, and I don’t even like bullet journals. I love this!
Who needs headphone? from Stay Positive it’s Autism – as someone who used to work with children with autism, I can’t help but see parents of children with special needs as heroes, and this mom is no exception.
Thanks for reading! I’ll be back Monday, December 2nd.
For other Digests, stop by here.
The Lily Cafe 