Reading Romeo & Juliet with Kids

I have been wanting to read (and talk about) more Shakespeare ever since I read Hamnet a couple of years ago. So when my book club decided to start the year off with Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet, I was thrilled. We thought it might be fun to read a play in 2023, so when we learned Romeo & Juliet was coming to the local theater in early March, it seemed like a sign. The night after book club, I told my kids I was going to see Romeo & Juliet with my book club friends; they asked if they could come along. What started as Ladies Night Out quickly became Mom and Kids' Night Out, and I couldn’t be more excited about it. I love when we find ways for adult book club to be something the kids can be a part of too.

I try to read at least one Shakespeare story with my kids each year. Although I still feel intimidated by Shakespearean English, my kids really adore the stories. We haven’t attempted to read it in play form yet, but I think we may attempt it with Romeo & Juliet. I put together a list of resources for my book club and thought I’d share it here on the blog too.

If you want to be brave with us and read Romeo & Juliet with your kids, here are some of my favorite resources:

When introducing Shakespeare for the first time, I found it really helpful to read a book about Shakespeare in general before diving into the poetry & stories he wrote. If your kids (or you) don’t know anything about Shakespeare, William Shakespeare & The Globe is a fantastic picture book biography.

Bruce Coville has an entire series of Shakespeare picture books. They use the original language to tell the story, so it's a great way to introduce Shakespearean English. The artwork is gorgeous as well, so it makes for a great cozy read by the fire. Sometimes libraries will have them, or you can buy a pretty inexpensive copy of Romeo & Juliet here.

A Stage Full of Shakespeare has a bunch of stories in narrative form. I picked this up at Costco on a whim last year and the girls adore it.

Tales from Shakespeare by Tina Packer is another beautiful compilation book of stories. I learned about this one through our A Gentle Feast curriculum. The girls love the artwork and the way the stories are written..

Beautiful Stories from Shakespeare by Edith Nesbit is also a compilation, with language that is somewhere between modern and Shakespearean. Nesbit wrote several other favorite children’s books, including Five Children and It, The Enchanted Castle, and The Railway Children.

If you want to read Romeo & Juliet in play form, but want plain English, No Fear Shakespeare is a great way to begin. This is the one I’m going to try to read with my kids.

For the Graphic Novel lovers, this graphic novel by No Fear Shakespeare gets great reviews.

As does this one by Gareth Hinds. I love the diversity of characters in the artwork.

This graphic novel includes the original text of the play for those who want to dive in to Shakespearean English but need a few pictures to help them along the way.

Also—who knew there were so many graphic novels for Romeo & Juliet?!

If your kids get all about Shakespeare and want to read more on their own, my oldest loved The Shakespeare Stealer. It has more to do with Hamlet than Romeo & Juliet, but it’s a very fun novel about what life might have been like when Shakespeare (and his actors) were alive.

And also, this podcast from Sarah Mackenzie is really great (and not just for homeschoolers!) She makes reading Shakespeare sound so much fun!

Have you read Shakespeare with your kids? Have you read it on your own? I’d love to hear about your love (or hate) for Shakespeare!

This post includes affiliate links.

Ten Best Things About 2022

Last year, I claimed DEEP as my word of intention for 2022. While the year was true to that word in a lot of ways, if I had to sum up 2022 in one word, it would be TRANSITION. We tackled several different transitions this year: getting a pet, exploring school options, embracing my call to write, just to name a few. Of course, those are the transitions we chose—the world threw us several others to tackle as well. Here’s a look at what I think are the ten best things about 2022.

1—Bringing Home the Puppy

The puppy was the hardest transition of our year. There were times when I thought bringing home a puppy was the biggest mistake we had ever made. There was even a moment when I wasn’t sure my marriage would survive the puppy. I had no idea raising a puppy would be harder than raising a child, but in so many ways it is. That being said, once D found the right training program for this little stuffed animal of ours, we turned a new corner. Leonardo ‘dawg Vinci Rowe is the very best thing that has happened to our little family of four.

2—The World Mostly Went Back to Normal

2022 began with retreats being cancelled, masks still required, and all of us wondering if life would ever return to the way it once was. But, by August, the four of us had all had Covid, we left home without masks, and we had calendars that were more full than we knew how to handle. David has even gone back to the office—on the train—several times a month. For better or worse, the world is back in full force. It’s been hard at times, but it also feels really good to be in person for meetings, go to yoga twice a week, occasionally eat out at restaurants, and not worry about whether or not I have a mask in the car before I walk out the front door.

3—Reaffirming Our Commitment to Homeschool

In April of last year, we thought the girls would be attending a hybrid school beginning in the Fall. Just a few weeks before classes were to begin, the school closed. We were heartbroken. And shellshocked. All of the hours I spent researching options seemed like nothing but a waste of time. I pivoted and replanned our school year, and it’s been a fantastic experience for all of us. We’ve found a few ways for the girls to regularly connect with other kids and teachers outside the home, they’ve gotten over their desire to “go to school”, and I realized it is possible to balance homeschooling and writing at the same time.

4—The Kids Went to Camp Gramma

Until 2022, my kids have never slept away from home without me. This summer, they stayed an entire week with my parents. One kid was even sick the whole time she was there. They had a blast anyway, they had endless playdates with cousins, they kayaked in the local lake, and learned that Gramma and Grandpa are even cooler than Mom and Dad. We’re hoping to make it an annual event.

5—I Claimed My Calling as Writer

Twelve years ago, I dreamed of this day. So many great things happened for my writing life in 2022. I took three overnight trips alone, where I had a chance to sleep in, breathe deep, and think deep thoughts without getting interrupted. I started getting paid to write, from two external publications and also through Substack. I began the early stages of writing a book. Those early stages have looked like a ton of drafting, reading old material, typing old journals, and a lot of random musings. It took me all year, but I think I finally have a good idea about the narrative direction I want to take. But perhaps most importantly, 2023 was the year I actually called myself a Writer on all those forms you have to fill out asking what your occupation is. There’s no going back now.

6—My Breast Exams Came Back Clear

After some weird discharge out of my right breast, I saw a breast specialist this year. After a mammogram, several exams, and even an MRI, I received confirmation that there’s nothing to be concerned about. My doctors have been incredible at taking me seriously and listening to my fears. Because of my family history with breast cancer, I’ve been moved to the “higher-risk” category so they can keep a closer eye on me. Early prevention is key, and I’m so grateful to have an excellent team of doctors in my court.

7—My Book Club

I’ve written about my book club before. 2023 was the first year since 2019 that we met without interruption. It is the very best part of every single month. They challenge me to read books I wouldn’t otherwise read. They open my mind to perspectives I wouldn’t otherwise have. We share food together. We drink wine, cocktails, and tea together. And through conversation about books and life in general, we share life together. Everyone needs a book club like mine.

8—I Began Tracking my Menstrual Cycle

This may be the single most life-changing thing that happened last year. Well, next to the dog. Since coming off of birth control after the birth of my second child, I have tried to get better in tune with my body. I’ve been reading about creativity and the menstrual cycle for several years now, so when I discovered Nicole Gulotta’s Writing Cycle e-course, I eagerly jumped all in. By paying attention to the time of month, I learned how my energy shifts and changes throughout the month. When I take the time to plan at the beginning of my cycle, and give myself the grace to go where the energy is, I feel less scattered and more creative as the month goes on.

9—I Ran a 5K!

Last year, I shared a little about how I wanted to be a runner. I continued my training, at what felt like a snail’s pace throughout the winter. When I learned my mom would be visiting in June, I asked if she wanted to run a 5K with me. When she said yes, I knew I was locked in and couldn’t get out of it. She was in far better shape than I, but she pushed me to do it. She ran beside me every step of the way. When my calf felt like it was locking up, she slowed down with me and walked a bit. And when we crossed over that finish line, I felt like I could tackle anything. I injured my calf during that run, and haven’t gotten back out on the trail ever since, but I will forever remember the day I ran a 5K with my mom as being one of the very best days of my life.

10—I Didn’t Give Up

In the 42 years that I’ve lived on this earth, discipline has always been my weakness. When things got hard or frustrating, I tended to walk away and started something new instead. 2022 taught me that while sometimes walking away is the best thing we can do, often we need to dig our heels in and keep on keeping on. Even when it feels harder than we can bear. Through schedule changes, injured body parts, more sickness than we’ve had in many years, too many rejections to count, and edits that brought me to tears, I didn’t give up. I kept running. I kept writing. I kept homeschooling. I called doctors. I argued for better care. I called on people to help when I needed it. I demanded time for myself. I dug my heels in.

Where We Read This Month: December 2022

While November brought the change of weather, December brought Winter in full force. This was a month of reading under blankets by the fire.

I had aspirations to start the month off with a week or two of regular lessons. We started a new book for Geography: Seabird by Holland C. Holling.

It wasn’t long before I abandoned my lesson plans and decided we would just sit on the couch and read Christmas books all month instead.

We read in the morning, snuggled under blankets and the pup.

We read in the afternoon, when the sun set at 4:10pm. Sometimes it was hard to choose what book to read from the massive stack on the coffee table.

When the temperature was -6° outside and 54° inside the house when they woke up, they read by the fireplace. Apparently the dog bed makes a great reading seat.

Leo climbed onto my lap when I sat down to read my book club book.

Every. Single. Time.

I think he might have been upset that I took his favorite reading spot.

We celebrated his first birthday this month. In the ten months that he’s lived with us, he’s decided being on the couch when he read is his very favorite place to be.

He really loved listening to A Christmas Carol while I worked on crocheting a scarf.

Sometimes I read the latest Jodi Picoult on the couch in the afternoon when everyone else was busy with something else.

Once, I got caught reading while grinding coffee in my pajamas.

Two days before Christmas we had a terrible wind and rainstorm that kept us inside all day. Leo and I took the opportunity to start a new book.

Three days later, I was still reading the same book. Leo was still laying in basically the same spot.

Christmas came and went. Our book choices shifted from Christmas tales to memoir and biography.

We mostly spent the month right here in the living room. Books in hand and dog never out of sight.

But I did get to spend quite a few hours at the end of the year reading in the local library while the youngest was at gymnastics.

And tonight, as the world ushers in the new year, I’m snuggled into bed nice and tight with a cup of tea and Book of the Month and Goodreads best book of the year.

The Best Books I Read This Year [2022]

It’s time for my annual roundup of books! I didn’t read a lot of nonfiction or poetry this year, but I had a fantastic fiction year. I rounded up my top ten, but I’m also including some Honorable Mention, because I don’t want them to go unnoticed. Did you read any of these? What were your favorites from 2022?

My Favorite Classic

Kristin Lavransdatter by Sigrid Undset was the very best book I read this year. I started it at the end of January, with a reading plan that took me through the year. Over 1100 pages, it felt like a beast, but once I started reading I couldn’t put it down. I finished it by the end of March. If you read any book in the new year, I beg you to try this one. It made me think about marriage, motherhood, repentance, and forgiveness. I want to re-read it in 2023.

My Favorite Novel About Motherhood

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus is a close second to Kristin Lavransdatter. I thought it would be a fluffy read when I first heard about it, but it may have been the most thought-provoking book I read all year. The main character, Elizabeth Zott, is a scientist in the 1960s and she finds herself on a cooking show. After reading it, I feel like Elizabeth is a dear friend, and I wish I could invite her over for a playdate.

My Favorite Book About the Power of Words

The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams is another book I want to read over and over again. I knew when I chose it I would be reading a fantastic story of the history behind the Oxford Dictionary. What I didn’t expect was the way it told the story of women during the early 1900s; how often words pertaining to women were intentionally left out of the dictionary. It is a fascinating read.

The Book that Made Me Most Angry

The Moor’s Account by Laila Lalami had been on my shelf since it first came out several years ago, but I kept putting it off. I knew it would make me angry and sad. With masterful writing, it tells the account of a person sold into slavery by his family in the 16th century, to an explorer of the new world. It is a piece of history we should all dive a little bit deeper into learning about.

The Book I Couldn’t Put Down

I chose The Attic Child by Lola Jaye from Book of the Month in September because the title reminded me of Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews, which brought me back to my high school years. The Attic Child has nothing to do with Flowers of the Attic, except that there are children and attics involved. It was heart-wrenching and also so incredibly beautiful.

The Book Everyone Should Read

Take My Hand by Dolen Perkins-Valdez is another book that had been on my shelf for months, but it took me a while to be ready to think about abortion after the overturning of Roe v. Wade. I wish I could buy a thousand copies of this and hand it out to everyone I know. It raises so many ethical questions about the medical field and government, as well as shining a spotlight on the history of women’s rights and racial equality. It should be required reading everywhere.

My Favorite Young Adult Novel

Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley taught me so much about holistic medicine, indigenous people, and the discipline it takes to be a runner. I read this at the same time I was reading Braiding Sweetgrass, and they complimented each other so well.

My Favorite Book About Marriage

Joy in the Morning by Betty Smith was first book I read in 2022 was and it was a terrific way to begin my reading year. [Smith also wrote A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, which I read (and loved) for the first time last year.] Joy in the Morning is an enchanting story about a newlywed couple in the 1920s, the struggles they face, and the way they support each other’s dreams throughout their life together. It’s a fun book and an easy read. I highly recommend it.

My Favorite Poetry Compilation

I started reading The Long Devotion: Poets Writing Motherhood edited by Emily Perez and Nancy Reddy sometime in April, but it took me until August to really finish reading it. It hit really close to home and stirred up a lot of emotions I didn’t really want to handle this Spring and Summer. But once I finished it, it met me right where I was, in all of my confusion and despair and wonder if I could really mother and homeschool and write all at the same time. I highly recommend it for anyone wondering how to balance mothering and creating. Or really just motherhood in general.

My Favorite Re-Read

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern was a reread for me this year and I have to say it blew me away this time around. I missed so much the first time I read it. A fantasy about an other-worldly library and the intersection between story and reality, it’s a book that you really have to savor. This is one of those books I loved for the journey it took me on, with every single page.

Honorable Mention:

Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier was another re-read for me this year and still stands in my mind as one of the best books to read in October. A little bit spooky, a little bit creepy, and a lot of beautiful prose.

The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd was a fabulous book all about maps and the death of a librarian. I devoured this book in less than 48 hours. I simply could not put it down.

Joan: A Novel of Joan of Arc by Katherine J. Chen was probably the most creative historical fiction book I read this year. We studied Joan of Arc in history during the winter so I was thrilled when this book came out.

Of course I have to include Chanel Cleeton’s latest novel Our Last Days in Barcelona. Following the story of Isabel and Beatriz from When We Left Cuba, it’s another fascinating look at international politics in the 1960s.

Perhaps the most surprising enjoyable read of the year for me was Emily St John Mandel’s new book, Sea of Tranquility. I thought it was her best written book yet, and really loved the way she explored time travel.

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Where We Read This Month: November 2022

The blog has been a quiet place this month. I went on retreat to work on a book idea, I’ve been working on launching Insider News over at Substack, and this week, I’ve been trying to lean into the slowness that Advent has to offer. When I started pulling photos together for this post, I noticed how November is the month where we really begin to see the season shift from Fall to Winter.

Early November had moments of reading outside in tank tops and bare feet.

We had to pick up a very large stack of books (aka the entire Poppy series) from the library on the way to gymnastics one day. The sunshine was warm, but the wind requested sweatpants.

Sometimes I’d kick them outside to play so I could read The Starless Sea for book club in peace.

We finished reading D’Aulaire’s George Washington while standing on our heads. Well, she stood on her head. I sat upright.

She took her history book (America Is Born) to the sunroom couch, apple in hand, to read about the Stamp Act and the early days of the American Revolution.

I started John Irving’s latest book, which is more than 900 pages. I affectionately call it a doorstop, and although I’m taking a break from it over the holidays, I will hop right back into it in the new year.

Reading Harry Potter next to the puppy has become a favorite pastime.

As has reading Critter Club in the dog pen.

Sometimes we read recipe cards on the floor while in fancy dress up clothes.

And sometimes they read wherever they land when I’m out of town.

They finished up Story Thieves for bedtime reading while I was on retreat.

While they read at home, I did a lot of airport reading when I flew home standby. Paris Daillencourt was an excellent traveling companion.

The morning after I got home, the weather had chilled enough that we needed a morning fire.

I’m still not sure why she loves reading upside down, but I guess it doesn’t matter how she reads, as long as she’s reading, right?

You better believe I read this beauty from cover to cover the second it arrived on my doorstep.

We read on trains.

And in the theater, waiting on SIX to begin.

Sometimes the puppy got to snuggle next to me on the couch.

When he was being mischievous, he got stuck in his pen.

And eventually he decided if he’s going to be part of our family, he should probably learn how to read.

By the end of the month, we’ve packed away our tank tops and have nestled in for a long winter of reading buried under our thickest down comforters.

Where did you read this month?

A Magic Carpet Ride [The Darling Files 002]

Two years ago I splurged on an Electric Blanket at the LLBean Outlet in Freeport, Maine. We were there for a late August camping trip and stopped at the store on the drive home. Perusing through the clearance section, I noticed a vinyl zippered blanket bag shoved behind a stack of beach towels. When I pulled it out, I saw it was the very same blanket I had been eyeing for months—at a discount. 

Once I got home, I shoved it in the back of my closet behind piles of sweaters and long underwear. It wasn’t until November that I remembered I had it—right about the time I climbed into bed and felt frosty cold sheets on my bare toes. Thrilled to have my own personal heater, I dug the blanket out of the closet, smiling at the sound of the zipper opening and imagining the warmth the blanket would bring. The wrapper fell to the floor and I lifted the blanket up to my cheek; it felt like pressing my face against a bunny’s fur. 

I enthusiastically unfolded my new blanket, plugged it into the socket beside my nightstand, and threw it over the down duvet before climbing back into bed. I nestled deep under the blankets and reached over to grab one of the many books next to me on the floor—A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. Now that I was cozy and warm, it was time to experience what life was like in a New York tenement house in the early 1900s.

Some stories are passed down and told to us so many times it seems like we remember them ourselves. Sometimes the memories and the stories collide and we aren’t sure the difference between the two. My first reading story is one such memory; I’m not sure I actually remember it, but it was shared with me so many times it feels like I do.

I was three, or maybe four, and I was sitting on top of my Grandma’s kitchen table with a book in my hands; stuffed animals spread all around me in our daily circle story time. I opened the book, smiled, and began to read.

Katie the kitten, a small tiger cat, asleep in the hall, curled up in a hat. 

My mom, who had just gotten off work, walked in the door just as I turned the page and read the next one. 

Just watch her jump up on her chair // To snap at a fly that is buzzing up there!

“Mom!” she quietly said to my Grandma, so as to not disturb my story time; “Did you see this? She’s reading!” 

My Grandma, having seen me do this multiple days in a row, giggled and grinned a playful grin. “Yes, she knows that book backward and forward. She’ll ‘read’ it to you if you ask.” My Grandma was mostly a hands-off grandparent; she read books to me, but she wasn’t one to sit on the floor and play games. She allowed me to do my own thing. She continued with her chores while I played, peeking in at me from time to time. Stuffed animal story time was one of my favorite games. She knew I wasn’t reading. I had the book memorized. I knew when to turn the page and when to pause for punctuation, as if I were reading it straight off the page, but my mom didn’t know Grandma read me this book hundreds of times. To my mom, it looked like I was reading, fluently.

Katie the Kitten was a launching point for the presence of books in my life. I read voraciously; my nose in a book at every meal. Books became my best friends, taking me out of the world around me and into a world where every character trusted me enough to share their story. I wanted to know how other people lived. I wanted hope that life could be better, if only circumstances were different. I longed for something bigger than the double-wide trailer I grew up in. The library answered my call.

As a tween, I would stay in my room for hours, curled under a blanket reading a book. Like Bastion in The Never-Ending Story, I’d grab a sandwich from the kitchen, a Coke from the refrigerator, and retreat to my bedroom, where I would pull an old tattered quilt over my head, and travel to whatever land was in my current book of choice. We didn’t have much, but through reading, I was the richest girl in the world. 

Reading became the way I learned about life beyond my own. Through stories I learned about babysitting (The Babysitters Club), about puberty (Are You There God, It’s Me Margaret?), how to stand up to a bully (How to Eat Fried Worms), how to deal with an annoying little sister (Beezus and Ramona), how to escape from Nazis (Number the Stars), how to live through my parents’ divorce (Dear Mr. Henshaw), and how to relate to other kids in school (Wayside School is Falling Down), just to name a few.

Beyond wanting to get lost in stories, I also craved facts. Discovering encyclopedias in the elementary school library convinced me the answer to any question can be found in a book. You want to know about butterflies? Find a science book. You want to know how caterpillars feel when becoming butterflies? There’s a book for that too—Hope for the Flowers—but beware, all caterpillars don’t feel the same thing, so you may have to expand your mind just a bit.

Through reading, I fell in love with the written word, and from a very young age I began to write. I wrote my first book in second grade in a school assignment to introduce myself to the class. As I got older, I filled journals with poems written wrestling with my distraught relationship with my dad. When I didn’t know how to tell my mom what I was going through, I’d write her a letter instead. The written word—both those I read and those I wrote—helped me make sense of the world.

Reading and writing have always been about both comforting my soul and challenging my mind. Books can become comforting blankets that take cold realities of life away and bring warm hope for better days ahead. Sometimes the book we escape to isn’t always a happy place, but books give us a safe way to enter an unknown land. They invite us to live a life unlike our own. They expand our perspectives and open our hearts. It’s possible a book can tear us apart when we begin to understand that other people have it worse off than we do. 

Reading is like taking a magic blanket ride all over the earth, allowing us to travel to places we’ve never been, to see things we’ve never seen, to experience things we can never otherwise experience. 

I’ve been inside a concentration camp during World War II. I traveled underground to escape Nazis in Hungary. I woke up and forgot everything about the last 20 years. I went in search of myself in Italy, India, and Indonesia. And then I found the guts to leave my own husband too. I’ve lived on death row. Fought for my life. Died. Traveled to London during the plague and tried to steal Shakespeare’s plays. I’ve had sex on the beach in Nantucket with the leader of a boy band, fought warlords in Havana, and escaped on a train to Key West. 

I watched a grandmother be shot on the side of the road, traveled back in time over and over again on the day JFK was shot, and meandered through a dismal earth after civilization was destroyed. I’ve explored the world throughout the years, but I’ve only begun to scrape the surface of where I’d like to go.

I keep a running list of books I want to read and anytime I find one at a thrift store or on sale, I splurge and add it to my bookshelf. I may not read it right away, but I know one day I’ll be glad I have it. A few days after I dug my electric blanket out of the closet, I finished A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. I walked to the line of bookshelves in my home office and stared at the shelves. The Night Watchman seemed to call my name; it was time to travel to rural North Dakota in 1953.

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This is the second post in The Darling Files, a project initiated by my friends Rachel Nevergall and Callie Feyen. You can read more about The Darling Files from Rachel here and from Callie here.

You can read more of The Darling Files here.

Where We Read This Month: October 2022

Creeping in at the last minute this month to share with you another glimpse of where (and what) we’ve been reading lately. I love pulling all of these together because it really shows the variety of books we’re reading—and just how cozy our reading life really is, especially as the weather starts to turn.

I don’t get to do a lot of bedtime reading with the youngest anymore because of her gymnastics schedule, so this was a real treat. She finished up the Wings of Fire series and I started (and quickly abandoned) The Lady of the Rivers. I wanted to read the entire Plantagenet and Tudor Series to go along with our British History studies, but I just can’t get into Gregory’s writing style.

Our basement does triple duty as home office, spare bedroom, and library. I have no idea what she’s reading here - we have hundreds of books on the shelf downstairs, and they are always taking every single one of them off the shelf.

October has been the most beautiful month of the year. The weather has just been glorious, and we’ve been soaking up as much time outside as we can. The girls worked on reading every book in the Betsy Tacy series. A finished them. E decided to hold off on the last three until she’s a little bit older.

I did my very best to work my way through a huge stack of books about the Salem Witch Trial, but I was pretty much unsuccessful. I didn’t find many that I liked, but this Young Adult Novel was a creative modern day spin on the witch trials.

Sometimes on her gymnastics off days, I can convince her to go swimming with me at the YMCA. She of course found the shelf of books hidden in the cafe before we left.

Her favorite place to read lately is with Leo in her lap. The Secret Garden was her first Literature book this year and she declared it “one of the best books I’ve ever read.” She’s reading the copy my Aunt Paula got me when I was her age. There’s something special about your daughter reading your beloved book from childhood.

Doesn’t everyone bring their current read to the hair salon and read while you wait?

When the oldest was in a 30-minute dance lesson, I speed-read Rebecca, making it through 200 pages on the day of book club (because of course I procrastinated.) I felt like a rockstar.

Disclaimer: I had read it once before, so it was really just a refresher read. I don’t normally read that fast, nor do I recommend it. This is a beautiful book. One of my favorites. The audio version is superb!

Dog. Couch. Betsy Tacy Book. Are you sensing a pattern here?

My youngest got sick, again, for what felt like the hundredth time this year. It was actually the 8th time in 12 months, but who’s counting? I had zero brainspace for any book with hard language or deep messages, so I went all in to pleasure reading with Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake. AND I AM SO GLAD I DID. I honestly was surprised how much I loved this book. Rosaline Palmer is a single mother who goes on a reality baking show and there’s baking, and romance, and motherhood, and I LOVED EVERY SINGLE MINUTE OF IT. The second book in the series, Paris Daillencourt Is About to Crumble comes out tomorrow and I absolutely cannot wait to read it.

When she felt better, she decided the dog pen was the best place to read a book she found in our Little Free Library about a dog.

And when I had the brainspace, I finally picked up Take My Hand from my backlog of Book of the Month books. If you read my newsletter this month, you know I think this one is a must read.

Haven’t read my newsletter? You should go do that.

I took them to the library one day and they came back with a ton of Critter Club books. “Remember when you wouldn’t let me buy these?” they said. Yes, kid. I remember. But hey, if I can read (and love) Rosaline Palmer, I guess I can let them read (and love) Critter Club. Our reading life is all about balance.

I leave in 10 days for a Writing Retreat, and am doing all I can to finish this assigned reading before I get on the plane. So far, Cassandra at the Wedding is very good, but because I want to write every other paragraph in my commonplace book, it’s taking me a very long time to read. I am also very much enjoying the beautiful cover.

They’d read at every meal if I let them. Instead I let them read at the counter for breakfast and at the table for lunch, but I make them leave their books in the other room when we have dinner. I’m pretty sure one is reading If the Magic Fits and the other is reading One Jar of Magic, but they read books so quickly I can hardly keep up. I bought them each a copy of My Reading Adventures: A Book Journal for Kids so I have a better idea of just how many books they are reading each year.

And that’s a wrap on October! Where are you reading this month?

Delicata Squash, Pinto Bean & Spinach Enchiladas

It is no secret that I love Mexican food. As a young adult, my friends would take me to La Parilla to celebrate every year around the sun. For almost every birthday meal, I request a Taco Bar. When I am in a cooking rut, Mexican is the first thing that comes to mind. Tacos, quesadillas, nachos or enchiladas are always a safe meal in the Rowe house. I often joke that I could eat Mexican flavors for every meal and not grow tired of it. Only I don’t think I’m joking—I actually think it’s true!

When I shared my favorite taco recipes, I referred to sweet potato and black bean enchiladas and gave you a vague idea on how to make them. Last week, after my youngest had been sick on again and off again for a week, I turned to this favorite comfort food—only this time instead of sweet potatoes I used delicata squash, instead of black beans I used pinto, and I threw some spinach in for good measure. I was thrilled to discover winter squash could get crispy the way sweet potatoes do. Because I don’t typically buy enchilada sauce at the store, I made my own. With just a few pantry ingredients, you can make it in the time it takes to roast your squash.

If you have a winter squash and are unsure what to do with it, I encourage you to give these enchiladas a try. You can also use sweet potatoes if that’s what you have on hand. No pinto beans? Use black beans. Or white beans. No spinach? Use arugula or swiss chard. Or leave it out altogether. I’m sharing a recipe to give you courage and confidence, but feel free to use what you have friends, it will all work out!

Note: This makes a huge pan of enchiladas. You can half the recipe or you can do what I do - bake half now and freeze half for later. It freezes well and is such a welcome discovery in the freezer when you come home from a long day and don’t know what to make for dinner.

Delicata Squash, Spinach, & Pinto Bean Enchiladas

Ingredients

For the Enchilada Sauce

1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 cup taco seasoning of your choice
2 tsp sugar
2 pint jars of roasted tomato puree from your summer stash (or a 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes)
1 1/2 cups water (2 cups if using canned tomatoes)
2 Tbsp olive oil

For the Enchiladas:

1 delicata squash, peeled & chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
1-2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp taco seasoning of your choice
3 cups cooked pinto beans (or 2 cans), drained and rinsed
3 oz spinach, cut into thin ribbons
3 cups shredded cheese (Monterrey Jack, Colby Jack, cheddar or a mix of any will do)
16-20 tortilla shells (we use flour, but you can use corn - you just may need more than 16)
1 batch Enchilada sauce

Instructions

For the Enchilada Sauce

1. Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat.

2. When it starts to sizzle, add chopped onion. Cook for five minutes or until soft.

3. Add garlic, taco seasoning, and sugar. Cook 1-2 minutes longer until the spices smell heavenly.

4. Add tomato puree and sugar. Bring to a boil.

5. Turn the heat down to low and simmer 10-15 minutes, or until it begins to thicken. Taste and add salt or red pepper flakes to taste.

6. Turn the heat off and pour the sauce into a blender or food processor. You can also use an immersion blender, but your sauce might be a little chunky.

For the Enchiladas

1. Preheat oven to 450° (425° if using a convection oven).

2. On a sheet pan, mix delicata squash pieces with olive oil and taco seasoning. Roast for 20-25 minutes, until crisp around the edges, mixing once halfway through. When done, take out of the oven and let it cool slightly on the pan.

3. Turn oven down to 350°.

4. Get two 9x13 inch casserole dishes out of your cabinet. If you’re going to freeze one, now is a good time to line it with a double layer of foil. Once you freeze it, you can lift the foil out and not need a disposable pan. Or, you can use a disposable pan. Use what you have, remember?

5. When your squash is cool enough to handle, pour it into a large bowl with the beans, spinach, and 2 cups cheese. Mix gently with your hands or a wooden spoon.

6. Pour 1 cup enchilada sauce in the bottom of each casserole dish, spreading it to cover the bottom of the pan.

7. Put a small handful of filling in the center of a tortilla, fold in the edges, and roll gently. Place each enchilada in the pan. Repeat until your pans are full and your filling is gone.

8. Pour 1-2 cups enchilada sauce over the top of each pan, covering each enchilada. How much sauce you use really depends on how saucy you like your enchiladas. If you have any leftover sauce, you can save it for chilaquiles for brunch the next day.

9. Cover each pan with 1/2 cup shredded cheese.

10. If you’re feeding a crowd, go ahead and bake both pans at 350° for 25-30 minutes, or until warm and bubbly. If you like your cheese brown, you can turn the broiler on for 3-5 minutes, or just leave the whole pan in the oven 10-15 minutes longer.

11. If you’re saving half, you can pop it in the freezer just like that. When it’s completely frozen (I leave it in the freezer overnight), gently pull on the foil and viola - you have a disposable pan! Cover with another layer of foil (or two - you want it airtight). It will keep in your freezer for 3-5 months. When you’re ready to reheat, pull it out and put it back in your casserole pan. Bake, covered, in a 350° oven for 30 minutes, then remove the cover and bake for another 10-15 minutes, or until warm and bubbly. Your future self will thank you.

How to Prepare For Your First Mammogram [The Darling Files 001]

1. Go to your physical appointment. “Now that you’re forty,” your doctor says, “let’s get you scheduled for a mammogram.” It’s okay to laugh at her choice of words. Let’s. She won’t go with you and hold your hand when your boobs are smashed. 
   

2. When you get home, put the referral in your box of important papers. Immediately write “make mammogram appointment” on your to-do list. Then ignore it. Pretend you are too busy to pick up the phone. If you avoid it, it might go away. [But probably not]. Repeat this once a week. For three weeks. At least.
   

3. Text a friend. Ask her to check in to make sure you’ve made the appointment. When she texts you at 9am the next day, promise her you’ll make the call before dinner.
   

4. Dig through several piles of important papers to find the referral. Type in the number as your heart races. There’s no reason to be afraid.
   
   You are put on hold and now have a decision to make: hang up and try again later? Or wait? Once you’ve hung up the phone you likely won’t call again. So you wait, hoping someone answers before a child [or husband] needs you.
   
   You hear the same recording over and over again. When it finally rings, your heart skips a beat. A brute woman answers. Don’t let it jar you. The first available appointment at the office by your house is two months from now. You don’t want to wait that long. Tell her you are willing to drive twenty minutes for the one in two weeks. Get it over with. 
   

5. Fill out the screening questionnaire. The first part is easy. Height. Weight. How many pregnancies have you had? The next question gets tricky. Who in your family has now, or has ever, had cancer? Race through the Maternal side. You’ve known these answers for years. Your mom’s battling cancer. Your Grandpa died of lung cancer.
   
   You’ll get to the Paternal side and realize you don’t know. You vaguely remember your grandmother had cancer, but you haven’t spoken to that side of the family in years. Send a text to the only number you have on your dad’s side. An aunt. 
   
   When she replies, sit down. Your Granny died of recurrent breast cancer when she was sixty, first diagnosed in her early-fifties. Two great aunts also battled it. And several cousins. 
   
   You feel like someone has punched you in the gut. 
   

6. Search Doctor Google for “breast cancer risk factors.” Mayo Clinic has a great list [and is a reliable source]. Out of fourteen factors listed, check six. Be glad you made the appointment. Wipe the tears gushing down your face.
   

7. On Mammogram Day, wear your sexiest black underwear [aka superhero cape]. The lace makes you feel invincible. If they find an evil villain, you’ll be confident it will be one you can fight.

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This post is inspired by The Darling Files: a new project started by my friends Rachel Nevergall and Callie Feyen. You can read more about The Darling Files from Rachel here and from Callie here.

Read more of my Darling Files here.

Ten Things Saving My Life Right Now: Fall 2022

What’s Saving My Life Right Now?

It’s a question that floats through the internet several times a year. A question that helps ground me and helps me put a little perspective around what’s happening in our life (especially when things are feeling a little too hectic.) This weekend, inspired by latest episode of The Next Right Thing, I sat down and made my own list of what’s saving my life right now.

1—Fall in New England

When we first moved to New England, it was Summer that had me smitten; but the longer we live here, the more I fall in love with Fall. Fall in New England is more vibrant than I ever remember fall being in the south. I suspect it’s all the maple trees—the sugar maples really know how to show off.

The colors are just starting to change, but they always take my breath away. Here’s a close up of that beautiful tree:

In a week or so it will look as though it’s on fire.

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2—The Farm

Every Friday, I get in my car and drive 40 miles to Springdell Farm to pick up our farm share for the week. It seems like a long drive, but every time I pull in the drive, I find a smile on my face. Farmer Jamie grows the best food we’ve ever eaten, but my love for Springdell is about more than just the food. The farm feels like home. I love talking to the men and women that work on the farm, hearing their stories and sharing recipes. They know I use every scrap of food I can and that I appreciate every single minute of their hard work. And I never leave without feeling loved and cared for.

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3—Laughing at mistakes

I was ecstatic to make the first pumpkin pie of the season with our super sweet honeynut squash a few weeks ago. It was so late by the time I made it, that we had to save it for breakfast the next morning. My kids were giddy to find pumpkin pie on their breakfast plate. Until they took the first bite.

I knew right away something was off, but it took me a few bites to realize that I forgot the sugar. Oops. I could have gotten mad at myself. Someone could have cried that their breakfast was ruined. But thankfully, we just started laughing out loud. “Well, if there’s no sugar, that means Leo can eat it, right?” one of the kids said. So the dog got the first pumpkin pie of the season, and I made the youngest help me with the second (so as to not forget the sugar once again.)

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4—Soup

My youngest has gymnastics three nights a week this year right during the dinner hour, so we’re eating a lot of dinners on the go. As soon as the weather turned cool, I swapped my salad for soups and am loving the variety filling my thermos each night. We’ve had Taco Soup, Minestrone Soup, Corn Chowder, Snowcap Bean & Sweet Potato Soup, and tomorrow we’ll have Broccoli Cheese Soup. There once was a time when I hated soup, but now it is a true life-saving grace.

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5—Nail Polish

Painting my nails is one of my favorite ways to make time stop for an hour or so each week. When my nails are wet, I have an excuse to not do what someone asks of me. It’s my self-care secret weapon. About four times a year, I splurge on a new color. It’s always seasonal, and it’s almost always Essie. This weekend, David picked up the new Fall 2022 color “Off the Grid” and I am already in love. It reminds me a little of mud, which I know sounds weird, but is really the very best Fall color.

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6—Yoga twice a week at the YMCA

Because my youngest goes to gymnastics 20+ minutes from our house, I try to stay in the area until she’s done rather than drive back and forth from our house. When I discovered the YMCA near her gym had yoga twice a week, I was thrilled. The classes I’ve been going to are slow and meditative, and I’m noticing a huge shift in not only my physical ability, but my mental health as well.

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7—Hot Tea

The cooler weather brings a shift from iced cold brew coffee to endless cups of hot tea. I’ve been making a huge pot of hot tea each morning and sipping on it as the day goes by. I find making tea to be a more sensual experience than coffee—the smells are so different, depending on what type of tea is in your mug. I am loving anything with cinnamon right now.

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8—Clever Fox Planner

I discovered Clever Fox Planners this year and it has been life changing. I know you’re probably thinking “but that planner is empty - how is it doing you any good?” This picture is from last week, when I neglected to do any goal setting until Thursday. But I usually do it on Sundays, and when I do, my week feels so productive. I love the chance to separate my writing to-dos from my personal ones, and I really like sitting down to think about how to balance all of the important things in my life each week. At the end of every week, there’s a wrap sheet, where I can reflect on what went well and what didn’t go so well. When I don’t do my weekly planning, I feel like I’m running around like a chicken with my head cut off. Sitting down to make a plan for the week helps me prioritize, and helps me juggle all the balls just a tiny bit better.

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9—Leonardo Dawg Vinci Rowe (aka Leo)

There was a time a couple of months ago when I thought getting the puppy was the biggest mistake we have ever made. When we got back from our hectic summer, his constant neediness caused a lot of strife in family relationships. None of us really knew what we were getting into when we got a brand new puppy. Like my children, he needs a lot of attention. Also like my children, he needs to use his brain a lot. And—also like my children (when they were younger)—he throws tantrums when he has to be away from his people. Unfortunately, unlike with my children, the world is not setup for you to take your puppy wherever you go.

So when we were all at our wit’s end (aka I told David something had to change), he found an online training program and began Homeschooling the Dog. And in the last 6 weeks, this dog has become the puppy we all wanted from the very beginning. But I don’t think it’s all because the puppy is different. I think the training program has changed all of us. We are better puppy parents (the kids too) when we realize he’s just a puppy and puppies have needs. The puppy, like our children, needs boundaries. The puppy, like our children, needs to be told what to do. The puppy, like our children, is so much better behaved when his brain has been exercised just as much as his body.

There’s probably a deeper essay here just waiting to be written, but today I’m simply giving thanks for this adorable little pup of ours.

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10—Audiobooks

Between driving to gymnastics, taking the girls to their nature class, and driving to the farm, I’m spending quite a few hours in the car each week. My Audible App is getting used like never before. We’re listening to The Vanderbeekers Make A Wish on the way to gymnastics, The Chronicles of Narnia on the way to nature class, and I’m alternating between The Odyssey and Come As You Are when I’m in the car alone. If I can’t sit on the couch and read, at least I can listen to someone reading to me.

Now it’s your turn. Tell me in the comments below: what’s saving your life right now?

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