#17 Holes

Our family plays a movie quote game, when a certain situation calls for a quote from a movie we'll say it, sometimes we acknowledge that we got the quote by just carrying on the conversation from the movie.  Occasionally we read books that have this same affect, "Holes" is one of them.

Here are some of our favorite lines:

"The first hole is the hardest." (you can replace hole with any task that the kids don't want to do, "the first dish is the hardest", "the first bathroom is the hardest")

"The second hole is the hardest." (see the parenthetical note on the first quote)

"The third hole is the hardest."

I suppose you could say "The nth hole is the hardest", but eventually you can't keep going because at some point it starts getting easier, maybe.

"No-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather."

And we also talk up how wonderful onions are, and how much we miss Texas.

I love that my family reads books together.

#16 Peter Pan

I love visiting Neverland.  Neverland is summer.  The innocent play, the lack of responsibilities, sleeping outside, and of course adventures with pirates.  I don't wish to be young forever, but showing up in Neverland occasionally, preferably not for spring cleaning, wouldn't be all that bad either.

And sometimes it nice to remember that some of us would choose to grow up, if given the choice because there are wonderful things about being a grown up as well.

It was refreshing and fun to listen to this with my kids.  It comes highly recommended for those long trips where you wish that you could find some fairy dust, think happy thoughts stretch out your arms and fly instead of sitting on a crammed commercial jet.

#15 Quiet

Personally tests have always confused me. Frequently my answers depend on my mood, or I want to answer more than one way, but can't. I had the same sort of experience reading "Quiet", I felt torn. The chapters about introverts were relevant, I kept thinking, "hey, that's me", but surprisingly, the chapters on extroversion were relevant to me too. So I guess that's it, I'm an Ambivert. I need the time to sit and think, but I also need time with people. It's an interesting balancing act that makes me feel like I'm trying to fool my other side.

Reading "Quiet" allowed me to reflect on my introverted side, a side that I tend not to give enough attention to.  The thing is that the need to interact with people, in fact that's one reason in the end that I decided on teaching instead of pursuing research.  Professors spend way too much time for my taste cloistered in their offices.  That's not a bad thing, but it wouldn't be good for my psyche.  I need human interaction.

Reading "Quiet" has helped me to see that understanding what I need and setting boundaries so I can get it is okay.  I don't have to cater to my extrovert side all of the time.  I don't have to be an introvert to love science.  I can spend time fostering friendships and sitting quietly with my own thoughts.  I can accept the fact that being a mother to demanding children is draining for me and that its okay to take time out.

I also noticed that I was buying into the extrovert ideal, getting annoyed with my kids when they won't talk to someone.  I've quit trying to make my kids branch out a little, except in situations where they need to develop skills in talking to others, like ordering food and speaking up when they need to before I read "Quiet", but now I feel clearer about why I need to let go.  I try to explain social niceties, but still allow room for them to make their own decisions in interactions.  Sometimes it is hard because I think my kids are perceived as snobby, when they are really just shy.  They are going to have to learn how to navigate those waters by themselves.

I really liked "Quiet".  It was good to take some time to reflect on my personality and figure somethings out.  I highly recommend it, especially to those of you that are introverts, it's a breath of fresh air.