Lisa Bonny

📘 THE OTHER SIDE OF DISAPPEARING by Kate Clayborne 📘 For fans of *'Georgie, All Along' *romance with depth *road trip romance *forced proximity romance *sorta spicy/sorta nicey SYNOPSIS: Jess has always kept her life - and her sister, Tegan's - very private. She's raised her sister ever since their mom walked out with a con man, and she's done a darn good, job of keeping her safe. But when Tegan decides she wants answers about their mom, Jess finds herself and her sister on an unexpected road trip with a podcaster and an ex-football star-turned-producer. Adam may the person to break down Jess' defenses, if that's even possible anymore. MY THOUGHTS: I first encountered Kate Clayborne last year when I read Georgie, All Along, which I adored. So when I saw she had a new novel coming out, it was immediately on my list. You guys. She managed to write a love story, featuring true crime (not murder) and podcasts and complicated family relationships - all things I love in a book. I love the unique premise of this book and the way Clayborne always adds depth to the typical romance novel. If you like romance but also crave some depth, some familial drama/bonds, etc, then this is one you should for sure pick up. You can find all my book reviews + links to the books in my 'BOOKS 2024' highlight in my bio!

Just a reminder that you can expect your spouse to contribute equally to holiday prep and celebration, even if that's not the traditional way you or they grew up. I shopped for basket and egg items, because I LIKE SHOPPING. That is one of my favorite parts of the holiday, and he doesn't love it, so that works for us. He helped me fill eggs. He got up in the early, early morning to hide eggs with me (but ended up having to stay inside and watch the kids' monitors, because the oldest was trying to get up 😅). I thawed the breakfast pastry overnight, and he baked it in the morning. He grilled steak for lunch. I made Easter dinner. He took the kids outside to play while I napped. I cleaned up dishes. He'll put all the eggs away for next year, because matching the halves up is not my favorite 🤣 He communicated and arranged what we were bringing to my in-laws' Easter, and I added it to the Aldi pick up order. Was it always this way? No. I don't think he even knew HOW to get involved with any of the holiday prep or celebration. But now he knows what happens, he knows what can be done, and we share the burden and the joy of it all. I'm sure it's not perfect,  but it works for us. If you did it all by yourself this year and have a partner who didn't help much, I see you. I also see an opening for you to gently start a conversation about how it could look different next year. It all starts with an honest conversation. ❤️

🫶 8 years 🫶 Always grateful I get to do life with this man. #anniversary #happyanniversary #marriedlife

6 Books on My April TBR List (some new, some not): JUST FOR THE SUMMER by Abby Jimenez (romance)(releases April 2nd) GRANITE HARBOR by Peter Nichols (detective crime drama)(releases April 30th) OLD FLAMES AND NEW FORTUNES by Sarah Hogle (contemporary witchy romance)(releases April 2nd) PALACES FOR THE PEOPLE by Eric Klinenberg (nonfiction)(from 2018 - it's our book club pick this month) THE LIBRARY PF BORROWED HEARTS by Lucy Gilmore (contemporary fiction)(releases April 30th) THE UNFORTUNATE SIDE EFFECTS OF HEARTBREAK AND MAGIC by Breanne Randall (contemporary witchy romance)(from 2023) I feel like that's a solid variety to aim for this month - there are so many books coming out that I want to read! Are you looking forward to any of these?

🐣 3 SUPER SIMPLE Easter Activities to Do This Weekend 🐣 If the weather gets crummy, or your kids are bored, or you're with family and the kids are wild and you just need some chill, here are 3 low prep activities for you. PYSANKY-STYLE EGG DRAWING On YouTube, search for the book 'P. Zonka Lay's an Egg.' After you watch the book, have kids draw an egg shape on paper and use 4 lines of their choice - straight, zigzag, wavy, etc - to divide the egg. Then fill in the sections with designs. We colored purs with gel crayons, but you could use marker, colored pencil, watercolor, whatever you've got on hand. JELLY BEAN SORTING You can search for a free template for sorting jelly beans or freehand your own. For our kindergartener, I provided a blank one and he had to figure out the colors. For the 2 1/2 year old, I made a color-coded one. The little just sorted, and the older sorted, tallied and graphed. And they both ate 😅 RUBBER EGG EXPERIMENT Fill a jar with vinegar. Add an egg or two (we tried a white and brown egg) and put a lid on to contain the vinegar smell. Let sit for a few days and check on it. When the vinegar has completely dissolved the calcium carbonate in the shell, you'll have a rubber egg. You can use a flashlight to see the egg, and you can gently bounce it. Find 'Spacegal' on Tiktok and there's a video of her seeing how high she can bounce a rubber egg before it breaks. Happy Easter to those who celebrate! And happy Friday to everyone! What are your weekend plans? #easterideas #easterfun #easteractivities #eastercrafts #kidscrafts #kidsactivities #kidsscience #scienceexperimentsforkids #scienceforkids #artforkids #artprojectsforkids

3 New Releases Worth Reading All three of these books released on Tues, Mar 26th so I figured I'd just share them all at once. HOW TO SOLVE YOUR OWN MURDER by Kristin Perrin - a cozy English mystery. In 1965, Francis Adams is told by a fortune teller that she will murdered. Sixty years later, the prediction beomes truth, and she is found deceased. Now her great-niece Annie finds herself responsible for solving the murder. OFF THE AIR by Christina Estes - the first mystery in a new series starring Jolene, news reporter/crime solving detective. When a local radio show host dies in the middle of a broadcast, the case points to poisoned cookies. But who and why? I mean, there are numerous reasons people disliked the radio host, but who disliked him enough to off him? THE LOVE REMEDY by Elizabeth Everett - the first novel in this new cozy romance series. Lucinda, an apothecary in the Victorian era, finds her secret recipe for a salve missing, and she knows a rival apothecary has stolen it (and he pretended to love her as well, so she's all the more angry). She hired Thorne, a street fighter-turned-detective, to help her, but she also finds herself falling in love. Can the stoic grump of a man find room in his hardened heart to love her as well? All three of these books are just easy reads - perfect to add to your list as summer approaches. None are literary genius or life-changing, but they're all entertaining. I most enjoyed How to Solve Your Own Murder, but the other two were pleasant reads too. SAVE this post (make yourself a folder titled TBR list to save all the book recs to!). Thanks to @netgalley for the advanced copies of each of these!

But, now, really slow down and read that: It take courage to say yes to play and rest in a culture where exhaustion is seen as a status symbol. (Brene Brown) It's so true. It feels like a bold statement to say "I'm going to choose rest and fun over hustling and society's definition of success." Truthfully, this is one of our BIG reasons for homeschooling. We've got a lot of reasons - some big, some small - but this is a BIG BIG one. Homeschooling means we don't do the morning school rush. The kids wake up when their bodies tell them to, and they play for a while before we start school. It means we don't fill our days to the brim, running from school to activity to activity. We eat lunch as a family, we rest in the afternoon, and we choose a couple of activities each week to add to our schedule. It means that when we sit down to do schoolwork - or stand up, whatever the case may be - my child is usually focused and a hard worker, because he has had time to feel ready to work AND take care of his own needs first. It means that my kids are learning that you don't have to sit at a desk for 40 hours a week - in school or at work - to be at your most productive. You don't have to negate rest to join the rat race. You don't have to join the rat race at all. My hope is that the boys learn how to use slow living through homeschooling to prepare them for how to be productive adults. Giving yourself ample time for rest and play is actually ESSENTIAL for success (ie success without burnout) and I don't take for granted that I'm teaching them something at a youn gage that most people don't learn until much, much later. . . . . Want more encouragement ofr your homeschool days? I'd love for you to follow along here.

One of my 'now that I'm 35' goals is to start taking better care of my skin. I've never had a great skincare routine,  and I'm at the age where I'm going to regret that. Luckily, @fountsociety set me up with their new line of clean skincare sourced ethically and sustainably through suppliers who utilize fair trade practices + local when possible. Fount Society is made by my favorite people over at Cozy Earth. Plus the body butter was an #oprahsfavoritethings so you know it's good. Do yourself a favor and take car of your skin. And maybe give Fount Society a try for yourself. (Use code LISABONNY20 to save 20% when you do try )

This may be my favorite Easter egg filler I've ever done 🤩 We got just a tiiiny bit of candy, and the rest of the eggs are filled with PUZZLE PIECES 🧩 Waaayyy back near Christmas time, @Slumberkins sent us this cute affirmation puzzle, and I knew immediately I was saving it for Easter. I put 2-4 pieces in each egg, and added a couple jelly beans or a quarter here and there. That's it. I'll leave the box on the table with the carton from the Easter eggs they dye, so they can understand they're going to find all the pieces to the puzzle on their egg hunt. I am in love with this idea, because: - I'm not buying a ton of candy - I'm not putting silly little toys in the eggs that'll never get played with again - a puzzle will get played with again and again - puzzles are affordable. If you don't want to spend much, you can head to the dollar store or thrift store and get one for just a dollar or two 🙌🏻 We live in a world of excess, and I love holidays. I want my kids to have ALLLLL the fun and experiences, but I often regret how much stuff we accumulate when doing it. Being able to let them hunt for eggs - which is their favorite activity everrrr - while only adding a single puzzle that fits in a single box is a win-win for everyone. (If you grab this Slumberkins puzzle, make sure to use code LISA10 for new-customer savings!) Have you filled Easter eggs for your house yet?

📍 Reasons to Visit Wildlife Prairie Park in Hanna City IL (near Peoria) ✔️ They are a nonprofit, which means they are not making a profit off the animals there. ✔️ You can easily spend a whole day there, between the animals + train + animal feedings + indoor Ed center + 3 playgrounds + 40ft giant slide ✔️ Wanna stay overnight? They have fun airbnbs, including caboose cars and grain bins to stay in! If you live within a couple hours of Illinois, or you're passing through, Wildlife Prairie Park is such a fun stop! I loved it when I was a kid, and now my kids love it too ❤️

Spring and Easter make me crave alllllll the bright colors, and the @lovevery Analyst kit has so many bright, beautiful colors in it 🤩 I'm adding the book about fractions (because Lawson is OBSESSED with every Lovevery book) + the fraction cups and the color puzzle to Lawson's Easter basket for a beautiful pop of color 🌈 Do you have Easter baskets ready yet (if you celebrate)? #loveverytoys #loveverygiftedme #loveverygift #loveveryhomeschool #loveverytoddler #loveveryplaykit #montessoritoddler #montessoritoys #brightcolors #easterbasketideas #easterbasketstuffers #easterideas