Afternoons full of homework and our new couch (yes, finally, a much needed new couch. Unfortunately, fear of Coco ruining yet another expensive piece of furniture keeps me in a constant state of anxiety).
A self portrait that really summarizes my life.
Curious little brothers . . .
Crazy second graders . . .
And a little boy surrounded by awesome females.
Backyard playdates - full of fake guns, pogo sticks . . .
And bug hunts.
Drinks on the porch with good friends.
And light saber nights.
A family photo (i.e. evidence that I really need a hair cut).
Lazy weekends at the playground . .
And naps on the couch with grandma . . .
While T attempts to learn some history . . .
And I read my book . . .
And grandma wakes to help T learn.
The kids started a business. And made $8 for the animal shelter, mostly donations, but two people signed up for dog walking, which (if you're 9) counts as success.
Sometimes my children all get along, though an ipad is often involved.
These two crack me up. They spend 90% of their time together bickering. The other 10%, however, is completely adorable.
We're working on redecorating the girls' room (hopefully I'll have some photos soon). On the upside, they love it. On the downside, F barely comes downstairs anymore.
And at night, we walk the dogs. Stopping along the way at the little library and the neighbor's swing.
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So that's our life lately (minus the hours and hours of soccer games and practice), now what has everyone else been up to?
during the long drive
- the recipes are super easy and the kids (so far) have loved them all (even ones I would have bet money on them hating). Plus, I keep returning to Gwyneth's cookbook - 
. 
- I didn't love this book, the main characters were likable enough (a Mexican couple who moves to America in order to find better schooling for their recently-disabled teenage daughter), but they didn't have much depth, nor did anyone else in the book - as if the world was simply divided into "good" people and "bad" people; although the novel is marketed for adults, it read like a young adult novel. 
- SO FUNNY. At times I laughed out loud. Life through the perspective of a classroom pet. A man who accidentally pickles himself in the late 1800s and thus is forced to endure modern society (i.e Rip Van Winkle meets 2014). Though beware these stories definitely have an edge to them - is the author laughing at us or with us?
- I didn't finish this book, despite finding it well written. The plot centers around the friendship of two girls in their mid-twenties. And reading it made me realize how very very far I am from my mid-twenties. So I stopped reading. When I feel a need to get back in touch with the younger generation, I'll watch a few episodes of HBO's Girls and call it a day.
- READ THIS BOOK. Of all the books listed, The Reluctant Fundamentalist is BY FAR my favorite. In a Pakistani cafe, a local man decides to tell his story to an American tourist. This is the whole plot. But why is the American there? And why does the Pakistani feel a need to listen to him? As day turns to night, everything starts to seem sinister. Or does it? Or should it? I COULD NOT PUT THIS NOVEL DOWN. 
- I'm a fan of Margaret Atwood, so I assumed I'd like this book. But it wasn't one of my favorites (I much prefer the Blind Assassin). Atwood based this novel on the true story of Grace Marks, a house maid in the late 1800s who killed her employer and his mistress. Atwood succeeds in making Marks a sympathetic character (Grace's backstory was my favorite part of the novel), but a lot of the story still seems unfinished somehow. As if Atwood herself couldn't decide on the guilt or innocence of the character she created. 
- Fifty artists (all very different). Fifty interviews. Lots of project ideas. I'm slowly making my way through it all, but so far, this is a great book to pick up when you're feeling "stuck".
