- We just started reading Little House in the Big Woods (confession: I was a LOYAL Little House on the Prairie TV show watcher, but I never read the books. Even though I had the whole series on my shelf my entire childhood. For what it’s worth, I’m now reading the actual books that were once on my childhood bookshelf to my daughter now. Complete with some drawings and designs my tween self made inside the covers that my daughter thinks are hilarious – she still doesn’t comprehend that I was young once) and wasnt’ I surprised to find the entire first chapter about butchering various animals in preparation for the upcoming winter. My girl asked ‘is the whole book going to be about killing animals?’ Did anyone know that little kids used to play with the pig bladder LIKE A BALLOON after slaughtering? I’m thinking I’m okay with missing out on that experience.
- Also on the Little House subject: I would survive all of 2 days as a pioneer.
- Speaking of surviving, I just finished Wild by C. Strayed. I would survive less than 2 days on a solo backpacking trip.
- My little guy is really into World Records lately. Each time he does something new, he asks ‘is this a world record?’ Like the other day when he pulled his shirt up over his eyes and walked around and said ‘I’m walking with my eyes covered up. Is this a world record?’ Or when he said from the backseat “I just cracked a pistachio shell with my hands. Is that a world record?’
- We saw a 17 year old uber-talented musician (Ruby Jane) in concert this past weekend and have been listening to her CD a lot lately. I would survive all of 2 hours as a career musician, especially as a teenager. Check her out if you need some new music in your life.
- I asked my little guy if he wanted to try soccer this season, as he has yet to play on an organized sports team. His answer: “I don’t think so because I get really angry when people try to take away my soccer ball.”
- The husband and I watched Pitch Perfect this weekend. I pretty much loved it. It was much funnier than expected and I have a giant crush on Skylar Astin, even though I could probably be his mother. I already had a girl-crush on Anna Kendrick and this movie only strengthened it. Oddly, both the husband and I have heard several of the songs from the movie on different radio stations in the last few days. I sent him a text yesterday saying that the movie soundtrack was radio stalking me. I mean, honestly, in one 30 minute car ride it’s a bit odd to hear Don’t You (Forget About Me), Just The Way You Are, Price Tag and The Sign. Stalking me, I tell you.
- Kinda like when you learn a new word and then you hear it frequently and you wonder if people were always saying that word and you were just clueless. Does that happen to anyone else?
Love your “little bits” Michelle. Thanks for the smile to start my day!
i used to love the little house books growing up. when i got into cooking, i was really grossed out by raw meat but it didn’t bother me as a kid. weird! though i never wanted to play with a ‘balloon’…
I was so obsessed with the Little House Books. And you know how I feel about wild.
I used to love Little House! My sisters and I played Little House games all the time – I was Laura by virtue of being the middle sister.
Never read the books, but I did read The Wilder Life (I think that’s what it was called) about a woman who was obsessed with the history. Pretty interesting.
I really wanted to hike the AT when I was just out of college. It never happened, and I don’t regret it, but I do wish I’d done at least some of it. I am too big a sissy now!
Great post! I LOVED the Little House books when I was a girl — never did get into the TV show, though!
My fiancee and I joke we were born 150 years too late!
I think I would make a great pioneer.
The way I see it- the used all of the parts- right down the the bladder and tail
Oh I agree – the animals weren’t wasted at all. I’m just thinking I’m glad a pig’s bladder isn’t my ball.
We are loving the books and I wish I had read them earlier in my life. Better late than never. We got Season 1 of the show from the library this week and I’m nervously hoping she likes it as much I remember liking it.
I was (am?) completely obsessed with all things Little House. I watched the show religiously, devoured the books (which I still have too), pretended to be Laura Ingalls when I played with my friends and I seriously wanted to live during the pioneer days. I still do in fact! The whole butchering of animals is tough to picture, but knowing that they did it for pure survival and that they used the entire animal makes it easier to take.
I loved ‘Wild’ but I too don’t think I would survive that trip solo. No way.
I put Pitch Perfect on our Netflix list before it was even released and cannot wait to see it! Hopefully I will get to soon because I am pretty sure I am going to love it.
Thanks for mentioning Ruby Jane–she is amazing and I love that kind of music. Holy wow, she’s really only 17? Amazing.
My kids LOVE world records and have every world record book from the past ten years at least. We can rarely get through a single conversation without some detail about a related world record getting thrown in. It’s awesome.
We are going to start season 1 of the show this weekend – I haven’t watched it in, oh, DECADES, so I’m wondering what I’ll think of it now. I used to pretend to be her too! Reading the book and seeing how isolated they were early in her childhood is making me think I would be a better pioneer if I was closer to the town, like I remember their life on the show taking place.
I actually have no issue with butchering animals as a matter of survival. I’m pretty sure there weren’t too many vegetarian pioneers in the midwest…. The way I see it, the animals lived their natural life before being quickly killed which is a world different from today’s practice of animals living in horrid conditions, bred to be unnatural (and miserable) and quite often very sick for a short time and then being inhumanely slaughtered.
Please tell me you what you think of Pitch Perfect. But be warned their songs will stay in your head for a good week. Even my husband said that.
I just finished watching Pitch Perfect and it was pure awesomeness. Loved every second of it! And yes, the songs will be in my head for days to come but that’s okay. I think I have a new favorite Pandora station! (I also now need to watch The Breakfast Club.)