TMI Mom: Oversharing My Life by Local Blogger Releases April 1

Oversharing My Life is a collection of humorous essays about parenting, marriage and life in general. It’s the first in a series of four books which, Heather Davis overshares and gives her readers way too much information about her life. Information that her mother is probably even shaking her head over.

I "met" Heather last summer when she submitted a guest post for The RHOK. I didn't know then that I was in the presence of such a famous writer. A writer who really knows how to put a pen and paper to all life's experiences and isn't afraid to share. Someone that I can learn from. I have since learned that we know mutual people and places. Small world. But, that is Oklahoma for you. I love our state.

Would you ever share openly about things you have done on the toilet? Admit that you are obsessed with toilet paper? Share that your husband brought you home a copy of Playboy? Tell everyone that you pee in the shower to save time? Oh, these are only a few of the overshared examples in the book. If you want the full story of the things above and even juicier stories than these you will have to get your very own copy of the book released on April 1, 2013. Available at Amazon.

Here is the review that I gave on Amazon and Goodreads: 

"WARNING!!! If you read in your marital bed and plan to stay in that marital bed, do NOT read this book in that bed. I laughed/giggled so hard page after page that it interrupted my sleeping husband. He told me that his pillow was not for wiping tears of laughter and if I wanted to giggle to go to another room. The laughter wasn't just at the author, but with the author. Stories and adventures that all of mothers and wives can relate too. Excellent read!!!"

About the Author:

Heather Davis has a finely-tuned snarky side which she uses on a daily basis to save her sanity. She is married to a very patient husband, and together they have two very entertaining daughters. Oversharing My Life, a collection of humorous essays, is her debut book. She and her family live in Bartlesville, OK, where she chronicles her life at Minivan-Momma.com.

Please be sure to follow Heather's adventures on Facebook and Twitter and of course her blog Minivan-Momma.com! You will learn that Heather has a very colorful resume and has also appeared on the Dr. Oz show.

Isn't it just awesome that a local Oklahoma blogger/teacher/mother/wife is published? Be sure to get Heather's book and drop by to say Hi!

♥Mrs. Hart♥

Tick Tock - The Time Keeper Book Review

I've been reading The Time Keeper by Mitch Albom along with a few friends and today is my final Time Keeper post.  

No matter how you are with your time, I feel like you could gain perspective by reading this story.  You may or may not identify with Dor, Victor or Sarah.  The important thing is that you reflect on how you spend your time and who you spend it with.

If you don't stop and evaluate how you spend your time every once in a while, then shame on you.  

My thoughts -

• The story's ending was a stretch of imagination, but I liked it.  
• The characters in the novel show how much we can impact those around us and how enriched our lives are when we prioritize the right relationships.  
• As a Christian, I love that God was truly at the center of the story.
• It was fun to think of a "Father Time" and what role he could play in our lives.
• I wish anyone with suicidal thoughts would read this book - especially teenagers.
• I would love to hear what a teenager thinks of this book.  In fact, I just might loan it to one and ask her to read it and share her thoughts.  Do you have to live more of life to understand the concepts here?

My Favorite Quotes - 

• Dor to Sarah (p. 195) - "Time is not something you give back.  The very next moment may be an answer to your prayer.  To deny that is to deny the most important part of your future."
• Dor to Victor (p. 206) - "There is a reason God limits our days... To make each one precious."
• Dor to Victor (p. 208) - "When you are measuring life, you are not living it."

My Question for you - 

Even if you haven't read the novel you can answer this one.  Was there ever a time in your life that you thought you weren't making a difference but were later told your actions were significant to another?

If you read the novel, how has it impacted your use of time?

I would love to hear your thoughts!

~ Mrs. Priss

Reflecting on my use of time like...

Tick, Tock - The Time Keeper, Part Two

Bookcover from www.amazon.com 

If you are just joining in and have no idea what we are doing, you can catch up here, then here.
We have read to chapter 21, but I am getting impatient.  Let's just finish the book before my next post.  Okay with you?  Then it is settled.  
We will have our final book posting on October 9th and wrap it up.
Questions: 

1. Can you identify with any of the characters and their personalities?
2. What is your current attitude about time? In other words, if Dor was listening to your thoughts on time, what would he hear?
3. Share a quote or thought that impacted you while reading this portion of the book.
4. Anything else you want to say?

First, I'm going to say that I love this book in part just because it is different.  Sometimes I feel like I am reading the same storyline in a different book.  That happens when you favor a particular genre or author.  I'm not a fan of rotating characters in a book, but he seems to be making it work and I can see the necessity of it in telling the story.
I'm not going to provide a synopsis of the book this time because I want you to read the story!
1. I'm having a hard time identifying with the characters, personally.  I can see glimpses of myself in most of them, but not enough to feel mirrored.  If I had to pick one, I would say I am a bit like Dor in that I miss the miracles of daily life in pursuit of my goals.  I hope I don't get stuck in a cave for thousands of years for that.
2. Time.  OH BOY.  Let's just say my whole entire family laughs when they talk about me and my calendar.  Everything I do in life is future oriented.  Days are mapped out to the point of insanity.  I have a lot to do and I will feel like a failure if I don't get it all done.  In my pursuit of making a difference and covering all of the bases, I wear myself out but I am very efficient with my time.  I don't understand how anyone can sit without doing anything and not feel an overwhelming sense of guilt.  Even when we watch television I am folding the laundry.  Anyone else have this problem?
3.  I love quotes.  

• On page 46, the old man said, "Man rarely knows his own power."  This made me think of the movie Pay It Forward.  What we do, whether positive or negative, has an impact on others.  We are all connected.  If you haven't seen that movie, go rent it.  Rent it now.
• On page 47, the old man tells Dor, "The length of your days does not belong to you."  I'm anxious to see what direction we are headed with this one.  Your thoughts?  From a spiritual aspect, my days should belong to God as I follow His will for my life.
• On page 52, it tells Victor's story of childhood heartbreak.  His motto in life comes from tragedy - "holding on to things 'will only break your heart.'"  This explains Victor's struggle with emotions and attachments.  Do you sometimes put barriers up when you don't really need them?  I know I do.  When your heart gets broken, it is hard to open up and trust again.  Do you put yourself out there?

I have no #4 for you today.  I am looking forward to hearing your thoughts and insights!

If you like the book, don't forget to tell your friends to read it together with us!  They can still post on our last installment coming up on October 9th!

~ Mrs. Priss

Enjoying a good book like...

Tick, Tock - The Time Keeper, Part One

Time's Up! Did you buy the book?

Bookcover from Amazon.com

If you didn't, I want you to know it is not to late.  It will take approximately 1 minute to read the first two chapters with us and you will be caught up! It was really hard for me to stop at Chapter Two.  Did you stop?  Did you keep reading? The first thing I noticed about this book was the dedication.  He dedicated the book to his wife who "makes every minute of life worthwhile."  How sweet is that? I wondered what other husband's might say to their wives if they dedicated a book to them.   Are you ready for this?

• "To my wife, for always being there and keeping us in line - keep living the life, babe!" (Mr. Sinclair)
• "I dedicate this book to my wife who has been a great wife to me and a wonderful mom to my two amazing children! My life would be empty without her!" (Mr. Hart)
• "To my wife: the hook that secures the bungee cord called our life." (Mr. Priss)

Since this book is about time, I decided to give you an official definition of the word time.  When I tried to define it on my own, I was stumped.  Think about it.  How would you define it?  The Macmillan Dictionary says that time is "a particular moment during a day, measured on a clock."  If you want to delve even further into the concept, I enjoyed reading about it on Wikipedia. This story begins with an introduction of main characters.  A girl needs more time in order to look her ideal best for a date.  A man finds out he is dying and wants to know how much time he has left.  We see the importance of time from different perspectives.  Hearing about the dying man might make us scoff at the girl's ridiculous pleas for more time so she can tone her arms or buy better clothing, but we know we have all been there.  How many times have we placed importance on gaining more time for things that do not hold long term significance? We also meet Dor (the future Father Time), Alli and Nim.  They are childhood friends playing outdoors.  Dor is notably different from the others.  He is fascinated with numbers and is the first on Earth to attempt counting and use numbers. Not that my Michael is Father Time, but it made me think of him and his early fascination with numbers and letters.  He, too, thinks differently from others.  My favorite quote in the first eight pages is this: "One different child can change the world."   I'm counting on it, but that's another story.  Hopefully, different in his case is a good thing. The author brings up a thought-provoking comment -  "Try to imagine a life without timekeeping." Can you imagine it? I live by my calendar.  Do you?   The closest I can get to imagining a life without timekeeping is to think of our family's beach trips.  On the days reserved for just playing on the beach, we have no specific time set to do anything.  We get to just... be.  If we are hungry, we eat.  If we are tired, we rest.  If we are warm, we get in the water.   But, even then, we are aware of time. This quote really brings the point home. Clocks slay time... time is dead as long as it is being clicked off by little wheels; only when the clock stops does time come to life. ~ William Faulkner
Online Book Club Participation Guide:

• Leave a comment on our Facebook page or here on this post about the book, your thoughts, etc.
• Questions will be available each week to help prompt your comments, but you are not limited to these topics.
• If you have a blog and want to participate through your own posts, please leave your post address in the comments section with your comment.
• If you are going to read ahead (our pace may be killing you), please stop and take notes.  We will read about 50 pages at a time.  This is a bit of a snail's pace for me, but I don't want to lose any of you in the process.  Thoughts?
• Keep all comments positive.  We don't bicker with each other, do we ladies?
• Read!

Next Step: Read to Chapter 20 (page 56) by September 26th.

Today's Questions:

1. Can you imagine a day without keeping time?
2. What do you hope to gain from reading this book?
3. Does the setting of this book entice you to read more?

I look forward to hearing your comments!

Mrs. Priss
Ironically, giving you a time limit on this book like...

The RHOK Reads!

It has been a while since I have been excited about a quality book.  You know what I mean -- a book with substance, one that will make you a better person for reading it.  Believe me when I say that I enjoyed the Twilight series just as much as the next girl, but I love a book that makes me reflect on my life and want to be a better person for reading it.
Reading a Mitch Albom book always achieves this goal.
I've been doing some thinking about how I use my time.  It is our most valuable resource!  Sometimes I think I need to volunteer more, sometimes I feel like I need to volunteer less.  Am I spending time on things that truly matter?

Book cover picture stolen from Amazon.com

Today, Mitch Albom's new book The Time Keeper comes out.  It will be a bit pricier because it is new, but I'm hoping some of you will be willing to jump in and read it with me anyway.  Personally, I will be buying the hardcover edition instead of the e-book on this one.  I think it will be one I want my kids to read someday.
From the website: In Mitch Albom's newest work of fiction, the inventor of the world's first clock is punished for trying to measure God's greatest gift. He is banished to a cave for centuries and forced to listen to the voices of all who come after him seeking more days, more years. Eventually, with his soul nearly broken, Father Time is granted his freedom, along with a magical hourglass and a mission: a chance to redeem himself by teaching two earthly people the true meaning of time. He returns to our world-now dominated by the hour-counting he so innocently began-and commences a journey with two unlikely partners: one a teenage girl who is about to give up on life, the other a wealthy old businessman who wants to live forever. To save himself, he must save them both. And stop the world to do so. Told in Albom's signature spare, evocative prose, this remarkably original tale will inspire readers everywhere to reconsider their own notions of time, how they spend it and how precious it truly is.  
My question for you is this.
WHO IS IN? Who wants to read this book with me?
If I get some RHOK readers to participate then I will be posting about it this month. I won't know if you are reading along with me unless you comment.  To get this thing going, please leave a comment at the end of this post or on our Facebook page.

If you are joining me, please get the book a.s.a.p. and read the first couple of chapters by Thursday, September 13th if you can.  Participants can either keep to commenting on the post that day (or under the post on the Facebook page) or may choose to post about it on their own blog and give us a link to their post.  If you post about it, I promise to get over there and comment on it.  I'm a giver like that.

I'm really hoping some of you will read along with me.

Anyone?

Anyone?

Bueller?

Bueller??

Mrs. Priss

Reading every night until my eyes won't stay open like...

What Are You Reading This Summer?

Last August we welcomed my friend Michelle as The RHOK's first guest post writer. If you don't remember this post, Too Far South, then you absolutely must read it again or go read it for the first time! You will be ROTFPYP! (that's "peeing your pants", for those of us who have those issues) Before I go any further with this post, I am going to reintroduce Michelle.

Michelle Stinson Ross, an authentic Real Housewife of Oklahoma, but now a transplanted, homeschooling Real Housewife of Palm Beach.  She was born in Montana, but don't hold that against her.  Her parents are third generation Okies, & brought her back to Oklahoma to raise her as fast as they could.  She grew up in Lone Grove, OK and actually went to school for a few years with The RHOK's own Mrs. Hart.  She and her husband, who is from Healdton, OK (gasp), have three divas-in-training.  They moved to South Florida in December of 2002.  Michelle's hobbies include the occasional interior re-do, blogging, an uncontrollable Twitter addiction, and writing her first novel.  She's always been a bit of a drama queen, so no doubt the first book will not be her last.


And now, with extreme happiness for my friend, I bring to you her first book, a pirate novella,  Revenge of the Siren Song, published on November 20, 2010.

Here is a brief excerpt to draw you in: 

"She closed her eyes and drew another deep breath. She did not move or speak to stop him. He trailed his fingertips lightly up her hand, across her wrist, and all the way up her arm. She did not move, but sat there very still, eyes closed, taking in every slight sensation. He stood up and walked around the back of her dining chair, making certain not to break the physical contact he had established. Drawing his fingertips up her shoulder and onto her neck, he began to stroke and massage the tight little muscles he found there. Her warm sweet scent lingered around her like the heat of a candle flame. One deep breath of her stirred his desire for more than just a chaste gentle touch. With both hands resting on her shoulders, he bent down to her and kissed the base of her neck. A soft sigh escaped her. He trailed kisses and nibbles up the column of her neck into her hairline and then back down the to the other shoulder. As a measure of tension left her body, her head lolled forward and to one side. She was becoming warm clay to be molded in his hands."

Now, just so you know I am a very diverse reader, my current read is Karen Kingsbury's Divine and my next read will be Mary Higgins Clark's, I'll Walk Alone. I think I RHOK the Housewife reading material quite well! Enough of me pleading my reading pleasures to you, m'kay.

In the above excerpt, the "she" is Grace and the "he" is Liam. Both Pirate ship captains. But for once the pirate woman is large and in charge! They must join forces in order to continue their piracy upon the Caribbean, and pirates just don't do that! Definitely a Summer must read! I didn't put it down one time during my road trip home from my parents. I have already asked begged Michelle for a sequel. If you like unexpected twists and turns in a romance, and interested in pirate adventure, you will not put this book down. This is how I imagine the story of Elizabeth Swann in Pirates of the Caribbean had she become the lone captain of her own ship! 

You  can purchase your copy of Revenge of the Siren Song at Amazon, Smashwords or Lulu. The electronic copies are only $2.99 and the paperback copies are as low as $12.99.

Make sure you give some congratulatory love to "authentic" RHOK Michelle at one of the following places and if you do get a chance this Summer to read Revenge of the Siren Song, leave a review! 

What are you reading this summer?

michellestinstonross.wordpress.com

sunshinekeywest.wordpress.com

@MStinsonRoss on Twitter

facebook.com/keywestsunshinegirl

♥Mrs. Hart♥

Reading along this Summer on my Kindle like