It’s Friday again, and as you can see from this week’s posts I’m kinda sorta totally obsessed with reading.  I can’t wait to crank up the AC (no more sharing the avocado colored box fan for this blogger!) And get back to my book, ideally with a big vodka lemonade.  Loved these posts from some of our friends in the blogosphere this week.

If we’re actually asked back to my father’s house next year, we’ll have Stacie to thank.

These reuseable tumblers from Jonathan Adler that Onehungrymama blogged about are TOO cute!  We’re descending upon my dad and step mom for an entire week this August (they’re super nice and they have an awesome pool).  Maybe these would dull the pain of our presence?

Can this cute picture of my baby be found in a photo album?  No, it can not.

I also love the idea of these “once a year photo books” from Laikonik that designmom blogged about.  I don’t know about you, but I’ve finally accepted that my grand plans for keeping meticulous photo albums of June’s babyhood is just not going to happen.  Once a year?  Now maybe that’s something I can manage.

Picturesque death trap at Victorian Gardens

And for all you New Yorkers out there. . . Melisa of Shinybrite has convinced me that I HAVE TO GO to Victorian Gardens in Central Park.  I’m terrified of most carnival rides – even the rides for little kids, but seriously, I should get over that right?

I recently promised @betterwaymoms a summer reading list.  But I have to admit, I kind of panicked after I said I’d pass along a few recommendations.  I used to pride myself on being able to recommend a good book, but since becoming a mom I hardly have time to keep up with my reality shows my less the latest fiction.  I used to actually love my subway ride to work, because it gave me half an hour twice a day to do nothing but enjoy whatever book I happened to be reading.  I had lunch in midtown with a colleague/friend the other day and he was all “hey, thanks for coming out from Brooklyn” and I was like “um, I’M READING FLOWERS IN THE ATTIC.  I’m more than happy to spend some time on the Q train.”  That book is so addictive I would have been willing to have lunch in Baltimore.  Anyway, making this list made me realize how much I miss reading with regularity.  I’m going to make a vow to look at this list the next time I lay down on the sofa and turn on a rerun of the office.

And hey, I’m always up for a good recommendation, so please let me know if you’ve read something great lately, or if there is a book we should be reviewing for ad hoc MOM.

If You Want to be Totally Sucked in to a Crazy Absorbing Story

American Wife By Curtis Sittenfeld

Belong To Me By Marisa De Los Santos

The Whole World Over By Julia Glass

The Outside World By Tova Mirvis

Best Friends By Martha Moody

If You Need to be Reminded that Motherhood IS Hard and You’re Not Alone

The Ten Year Nap By Meg Wolitzer

Goodnight Noone By Jennifer Weiner

Any Of Catherine Center’s Novels

I Don’t Know How She Does It By Allison Pearson

 If You’re in the Mood For Something With a Touch of Creepy/Gothic

The Secret History By Donna Tartt

Case Histories By Kate Atkinson (And Bonus, It’s The First In A Trilogy!)

The Lake Of Dead Languages By Carol Goodman

If You Want to be Reminded of Your Youth

Eating Chinese Food Naked By Mei Ng

The Last Of Her Kind By Sigrid Nunez

Summer Sisters By Judy Blume

Commencement By J. Courtney Sullivan

If You Want to Read Something Really Dignified and Beautiful

Breakable You By Brian Morton

A Big Storm Knocked It Over By Laurie Colwin

The Marriage Bed By Regina Mcbride

Dear Mrs. Lindbergh By Kathleen Hughes

Single Wife By Nina Soloman

Sister By A. Manette Ansay

Morningside Heights By Cheryl Mendelsohn

And if You Want to Laugh Your Ass Off

Playing House By Patricia Pearson

Then We Came To The End By Joshua Ferris

Bridget Jones’s Diary By Helen Fielding

Until I was nearly 30 years old, the word “appetizer” was equated with anything deep-fried that was served in a basket.  It wasn’t until I moved to New York City that I became acquainted with “the first course.”  But things are different for June – she’s already been out for sushi, has an affinity for goat cheese and is super particular about where we get her bagels.  Before you hate me for having a non-picky eater, please remember the great  chicken finger strike of 2010.  My point is, June is exposed to a lot of stuff at a very early age, simply because she’s growing up in New York City.  For instance, last week June and her BFF Pierce had their first meals at Aquagrill in Soho.  How old was I first ate at Aquagrill?  Probably 27, and I was only eating there because a publisher was paying for it (ah, those were the days!).

The fine people of Stop & Shop, Sorrento & President Cheese graciously invited Tonya and I for lunch to learn how to entice our spawn to eat fish from chef Jeremy Marshall, and I’m not talking about the kind that come in the shape of a cracker.

THE FIRST COURSE:

Crostini of Sorrento Fresh Mozzarella With Truffle Spinach and Wild Mushrooms over Rocket Arugula with Aged Balsamic Vinegar and a Side of Catching Your Child Before She Runs Out Onto the Street

 Chef Marshall demonstrated a few things about sautéing mushrooms and passed around a bottle of truffle oil, which I must admit I was tempted to stuff in my diaper bag – I mean, it smelled really good.  I was desperately trying to pay attention, as it’s not often that an honest to god chef is teaching you how to cook something, but I confess I was distracted.  June was out of site at the kid’s table, and she had discovered that the front of the restaurant was TOTALLY OPEN and she could simply walk out onto the street.  The kindly publicity assistant was alerted to my child’s wandering ways – but seriously, June is stealth.  I was envisioning June walking out onto Spring Street, hoping into a taxi and that would be the end of it.  Thankfully June wandered over to my table and decided to help herself to a fist full of crackers.  Relief.

 THE ENTRÉE:

Sautéed Wild Pacific Shrimp with President Feta Cheese Gnocchi Parisienne Zucchini and Roasted Plum Tomatoes in a Fresh Basil Sauce accompanied by an episode or two of Curious George

Again, I love to cook and love eating even more – so I could not have felt like a bigger jack ass then when I had to turn on an episode of Curious George to keep June amused while Chef Marshall showed us how to make gnocchi.  (Seriously, I could never do it. . he made it look so easy.)  I mean, the publicity people totally planned it to be a mom lunch and they said I could bring her – but I was wondering, is this the end of our invitations to events?  Are we permanently banned???  June did watch her show long enough for me to learn a few things from the chef:

• You should not be afraid of a smoking pan.  A good tip.  I was terrified of smoking pans until that moment.

• You can cut shrimp in half the long way to add more bites of shrimp to a pasta dish.  Genius!

• Seriously, don’t even think about making gnocchi with cold potatoes.  Just don’t do it.

June also enjoyed her buttery pasta long enough for me to eat my lunch.  It was awesome, I cleaned my plate and would have finished Tonya’s but that would have been tacky and I was already afraid we’d never be asked back.  Anyway, it was incredibly delicious and I do hope to try to make it myself someday.

I also learned that Stop & Shop carries loads of local produce and doesn’t sell any unsustainable fish.  Admirable!!  And hey, they aren’t afraid to invite a pair of rambunctious two year olds to a nice restaurant either!

If any of you want to try to make any of this (there was also an awesome dessert), email me at paula@adhocmom.com.  The chef said we could pass along the recipes to our readers.  Chef Marshall and the staff at Aquagrill get loads of points for not hating me when my kid dumped seltzer on the floor, totally on purpose by the way. .  and for being super gracious all around.  I’ll definitely be back, but don’t worry, next time I’ll get a sitter.

As moms, we all know that each day brings along with it a fresh new batch of joys or problems.  Maybe you’ll get to spend ten precious minutes coloring before running off to daycare, or maybe you’ll spend half an hour running around your apartment desperately trying to convince a juice drenched toddler that it would be advisable to change.  Whatever happens, you’ll end the day begging your husband to mix you up a stiff martini or you’ll be delightfully surprised to find you have a few spare minutes to catch up on your emails.  So that Laura Munson begins her book describing herself as “strangely serene” after a day that included being told by her husband that he “isn’t sure that he loves her anymore” before running off to the town dump and not coming back is not only impressive, but intriguing as hell.  I mean really?  I would have been systematically going through my address book searching for anyone who might have had recent dental surgery and therefore spare meds.  But Laura Munson?  She got down to business, didn’t waste a second on self-pity and decided that she didn’t particularly buy this nonsense.  Rock on sister!

Without further ado, here are three reasons why you should read THIS IS NOT THE STORY YOU THINK IT IS: A Season of Unlikely Happiness by Laura Munson

REASON #1

The writing is beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.  It’s the kind of book where you stop and think, “hey, I never thought of that!” or “Now that I think about it, why exactly haven’t I gone back to France??” and you bust out your Oprah-style highlighter pen with the built-in post-its.  THIS IS NOT THE STORY YOU THINK IT IS covers desires, disappointments, expectations and is full of insight.  I thought this passage was particularly awesome and is worth sharing: 

“What a waste:  all those years of wanting. . . of suffering from not having – for something that feels so natural.  As natural and uncomplicated as waking up in your own bed in your own room in your own house, before thoughts come in.  All the trouble begins when we open our eyes and start thinking.  Wanting things.  Thinking about the shape of our day and the people in it.  And if we’ve really got it bad, the trouble begins with our eyes still shut tight.” 

Should familiar anyone?  Yeah, I thought so. . 

REASON #2

Laura wisely names her evil alter-ego who pops up on occasion and threatens to endanger her commitment to happiness and non-suffering “Shelia.”  I just loved that.  I have an evil voice in my head too – don’t we all?  We do right?  Mine seems like a Barbara or maybe a Crystal.  I am so taking Laura’s advice and telling Crystal to stick it the next time she’s all “who are you to pay someone to clean your house?”  Up yours Crystal!”

REASON #3

This is a book about fighting for what you love – and I’m not just talking about the husband here, though he’s certainly a big part of it.  I was so on board with this book and Laura’s mission, because I fell in love with the life she had created.  This is a woman who moved TO RURAL MONTANA PEOPLE.  She built a home, grew a garden, raised her kids while writing her novels during naps (I was fortunate enough to ask her about this, she’s a total ad hoc MOM), baked muffins, made friends – and learned to drive a god damn horse trailer.  She created a family, a home, and a world for her children to thrive in.  No way was she letting her husband – in the throws of a depression, something any of us could go through at anytime, mess with that.

Definitely go out and get this book!  Also, you can read more from Laura on her blog http://lauramunson.wordpress.com/.

Check it out:

Finding a PPD Support Group