I am reading the Twilight series.  Sigh.  It’s been almost two weeks and I’m halfway through the fourth (and last) book in the series, Breaking Dawn.

Thank goodness!

I always get like this if I’m reading something good.  It’s all consuming.  I can’t seem to get on with my normal life until I’m done.

Then, I go into ‘book mourning’.  It’s forever until I find something something to read again that even remotely appeals to me because I feel it just won’t measure up to what I’ve just read.

The first book I remember this happening with was Anne Rice’s The Witching Hour.  It took me a little while to get into that book, but after I did, I just couldn’t stop.  I was in graduate school and would stay up nearly all night reading, forcing my eyes open.  I got very little sleep.

So, I’m guessing I will either finish Breaking Dawn either tonight or tomorrow.

Thank goodness.  Then I can get back to normal and stop thinking of everything in terms of vampires.  Good grief.  Great series though…highly recommend in.

This weekend….the movie!  Although I’m pretty sure that Edward in the movie will not measure up to the Edward in my head.  The one in my head is pretty damn hot.

Do you have a fave book or books that you consumed with similar voracity?

This past weekend we had my youngest son’s first birthday party.  We went out for ice cream on his actual birthday, then had a party on the weekend.  As always with my family, the party was complete mayhem and I was glad it when it was over.

The cake turned out great though!  I was so happy with it.  It was blue and white in the shape of a #1.  So sweet!

I still have my oldest son’s party to get through in a month.  It will be the first party where we invite friends from his pre-school.  It will be complete chaos I’m sure.  And, we are having it at home.  Not sure if that is a wise choice, but I don’t want to change the date if it rains or transport the cake that I plan to make, so we will just hope for the best.

Not sure where everyone is going to eat cake, but I will deal with that later.  Maybe I can borrow a picnic table or something.

We are going to a cabin in a couple of weeks for a friend’s daughter’s 7th birthday.  My friend gave her the choice of gifts or doing something.  She chose doing something without a 2nd thought.  So, they rented a cabin that has 3 bedrooms and sent out an open invitation to others to ether stay in one of the 2 extra bedrooms, get their own cabin or tent camp, or just visit for the day, since it’s a National Park.

I think this is a SUCH a great idea and am definitely going to start doing this as my boys get older.  I love the idea of teaching them to recognize that experiences with friends and family are more valuable that stuff and that there is often a trade off.

We are having a ‘no presents’ party anyway for the friends.   Big D will get enough from family to warrant anything else from others.   That’s a hard one for me though since he loves giving gifts.  I sort of feel like I’m depriving his friends of giving him something if they want to, but I would really love it if they just made him a card we could keep in his scrapbook.  Maybe I will mention that on the invitation in a cute poem or something.

Is there something special or a tradition that you do for birthdays with your kids?

Things I am thinking about:

• I need to go to bed so I can read more of Twilight.  I’ve only read two chapters, yet I’ve been thinking about Edward Cullen all day.  I have a feeling this is going to be the beginning of a book obsession.

• I hope the new 50mm lens for my camera that I impulsively ordered today comes before Little C’s birthday this weekend.  I am freaking that he is ONE on Friday and feel the need to capture every smile, cry, laugh, dance….how is he one already, I ask you???

• Should we try for a third baby?  My mind, tolerance level, desire to have more of so many things (time…for me, my husband, my current children, my friends, learning, reading, travel, etc) are all telling me NO!  Yet, I still keep thinking about it.  This, from a person who had no intention of having three children and who has boxes of baby clothes packed in boxes ready to be sent off to friends.  Sigh.

• I really need to use that i-tunes voucher that I was given for Christmas 2 years ago.

• I should also attempt to figure out how to work an mp3 player, among other things.  I’ve turned into my Mother.  I could never understand, when growing up, how she couldn’t program the VCR.  Now I get it.  I married a person in IT, therefore I don’t need to know that stuff.  So, I don’t.

• I also need to fold the laundry that has been sitting in baskets in my living room for days now.  Ridiculous.

• I’m nervous about making my first ‘shaped’ cake.  I fully intend to make some icing tomorrow night to practice decorating.  Yum.  I also fully intend to eat some of said icing.

• If you haven’t tried Trader Joe’s Simpler Times beer, it is pretty damn good.  And, it’s high alcohol.  For $3.99 a six pack, that is NOT BAD!

• If you are in Australia and just read that last statement and are now bitching about the fact that alcohol is so f@#%ing expensive there, I feel ya.  It’s ridiculous.

• Now I really am going to bed.  Edward awaits.