Things to Do - Grateful List (October & November 2017)

I binge-watched a lot of TV/movies while editing this fall. And even though work was crazy - we still found time to do some awesome things . . .

MOVIES/TV/MUSIC

* Watching the Meyerowitz Stories (Netflix).
* Watching 12 Years a Slave (Amazon).
* Watching Mindhunter, season 1 (Netflix).
* Watching the Mother Project (Amazon).
* Watching Stranger Things, season 2 (Amazon).
* Watching Beatrice at Dinner (Amazon).
* Watching Lady Bird (in theaters).

* Reading the Idiot (sort of a quirky read, but I really loved this book).
* Re-reading (and still loving) Alice Munro's Lives of Girls and Women.

PLACES

* Apple picking at Stribling Orchard (it was crazy crowded, but once we found a good place to hang out we had a blast).

EVENTS/EXHIBITS

* The War on Drugs with Colleen at the Anthem.
* The Head and the Heart at the Anthem for date night.
* Luna at the Black Cat with Colleen (so so cool to see one of my favorite bands ever live in a small intimate venue!).
* Angus and Julia Stone at the 9:30 club for date night (plus drinks at the Gibson afterwards!).
* Kingdom of Colors at Artechouse (loved this exhibit).
* Vermeer at the National Gallery of Art.

FOOD

* F making pie (such good pie) and apple cake with apples from the orchard.
* F and Dan doing all most all of the cooking this fall.

ETC.

* My first double wedding (two weddings in two days - super happy with how both turned out).
* F's annual birthday Barnes and Noble shopping spree.
* Volunteering as a crossing guard with T in the morning (now there's a 4 way stop sign, so we retired).
* F winning an award (outstanding delegate) at her first model UN conference.
* T's paintball birthday party (6 months late, but at least we did it); P's Sherlock Holmes Escape Room birthday party (on time this year!).
* Another great Halloween - starting with a happy our at our neighbors' house. The kids this year were: P - a 1980s girl (with 3 of her friends); F - a zombie scarecrow; T - a scary guy with a mask and a chainsaw.
* T surprising me with breakfast in bed (just because).
* F always organizing all our ipad apps (so many folders and categories).
* P's soccer team winning divisional finals (plus P scored a wicked goal).
* Family debates over who won the game of Life - F - "I worked my way up and changed my life"; me - "I retired way before any of you."; Dan - "I changed careers three times and still came out okay at the end."; T - "I'm a rich doctor with six kids and a mansion, I won guys. I obviously won."; P - "Isn't this game over yet? I just want to go to bed."
* Straight As for both girls and honor roll for T (so proud of all of them, especially since they never seem to do any homework).
* Thanksgiving dinner at Dan's brother's house (so good!).

OVERNIGHTS and MINI-VACATIONS

* Storm King, NY (esp. wave hill) in the height of fall with my best friend and her family.
* Camping at Shenandoah River State Park (love this place).
* Renting a cabin in Floyd, VA for two nights. The stars at night were amazing, as were the dogs running through the fields, smores, and a lazy afternoon of HGTV (plus seeing Northam posters throughout southern VA).
* Camping the weekend before Thanksgiving at Sky Meadows State Park, VA (esp. the owls at night and walking with Parker in the dark/dusk to the campground - it's a one mile hike in).

Things to Do - Grateful List (July/September 2017)

Now that it's almost October I'm finally posting first day of school photos. 6th grade, 5th grade, and 3rd grade - and the years keep flying by.

MOVIES/TV/READING

* Watching the Founder
* Watching Meat Eater with Dan (and falling in love with Barb)
* Watching Spiderman Homecoming with the kids
* Watching Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead with the kids
* Watching National Lampoons Vacation (the 2015 version) on the plane - I know the reviews said it was terrible, but I couldn't stop laughing
* Watching the Incredible Jessica Jones on Netflix
* Watching Wind River
* Watching a Bigger Splash
* Watching PBS's Vietnam documentary series
* Binge-watching Insecure (my new favorite show!!)
* Reading May We Be Forgiven (A.M. Homes)
* Reading Exit West
* Listening to Mogul, the podcast
* I still can't stop singing Body Like a Backroad (it's been on repeat for a couple of months now).
* Listening to this playlist (esp. that new St. Vincent song)
* Listening to the War on Drug's new album

PLACES/EVENTS

* Universoul Circus at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival
* The National Geographic Museum's Explorers Exhibit
* Claude Moore Colonial Farm's summer market fair on a not-very-hot afternoon
* Predator for family movie night on Columbia Pike
* Peak bloom at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens
* Afternoons at the apartment pool
* Taking the kids to see the King and I at the Kennedy Center
* Two weeks of Apple Camp
* Reston Watermine's lazy river on a hot July day
* A great day with friends at DC's off-the-beaten path museums - The Mansion on O Street & The American Indian Museum
* A lovely morning at the Adventure Park in Sandy Spring the week before school started (and T saying, "I'm having so much fun, I don't even miss my friends." Fun with me! Fun with me!)
* A great hike in Potomac Overlook Park the week before school started
* Walking the Tidal Basin with P and Laney on a beautiful Sunday
* Attending Aasif Mandvi's stand-up show at the Cinema Drafthouse
* Depeche Mode with Colleen at the Verizon Center (and closing out Fidos)

FOOD

* Tomatoes from Dan's garden
* F making Dan two incredible birthday cakes
* Subscribing to Plated - now F makes dinner two nights a week!
* Tortas Y Tacos on Columbia Pike (such good food!)
* Subscribing to Shaker and Spoon's cocktail club

ETC.

* F loving her first overnight summer camp (at UVA) - 10 days!
* The neighbors' 4th of July BBQ cookout and watching the fireworks from Columbia Pike
* A super close family game of Settlers of Catan (sometimes this game can linger forever, but this time we all were within winning distance of each other)
* A week without kids (their grandparents took them to Smith Mountain Lake)
* Dinner out with Kim, who was in town from Saudi Arabia (so many fascinating stories)
* Dan to the kids at bedtime, "Of course I love you, but right now I just need you to go away."
* School starting and having the house to myself all day! (plus returning to morning dog walks and Orange Theory)
* F making it to the third round of soccer try-outs (and then realizing she didn't want to play)
* Dan killing his first deer of the season (and making amazing venison dinners).
* Partying until 4:30 am on Columbia Pike with friends (including Don't Stop Believing karaoke at LA Bar and Grill)
* Two great back to school/Labor Day parties
* Friday margaritas at Jenny's house
* After a 90 degree beginning of fall - finally cooler temps at the very end of September

ONE & TWO NIGHT TRIPS

* Our first family overnight backpacking trip (Shenandoah National Park - Big Run Loop and Big Run Portal)

Things to Do - Grateful List (May/June 2017)

MOVIES, TV, READING
* Watching Guardians of the Galaxy 2 for family date night (so good!)
* Watching Wonder Woman with my mom and the kids
* Watching Girls, Season 6 (especially episode 3)
* Watching Shameless, Season 7 (this is BY FAR the best show on TV).
* Watching Neighbors 2 (which was shockingly funny)
* Watching Manchester by the Sea
* Reading Rich and Pretty
* Reading Anything is Possible

PLACES & EVENTS
* A not-very-hot Sunday at Claude Moore Colonial Farm's market fair
* Artomatic with P on a rainy Sunday
* Artechouse's XYZT exhibit with my mom and the kids
* Attending Wilco at Wolf Trap for date night
* Last minute Nats tickets from a client (thank you!!)

STUFF
* Trunk Club (esp. Derek Brandt, my stylist)

ETC.
* Cooler temps in May (after a really hot April)
* Jim and Val in town from Indonesia
* T's May 9th grateful list: (1) that my mom didn't break her foot [I thought I did]; (2) that Coco is not dead yet [she's getting old]; (3) my family; (4) nerf guns
* Straight As for P and F (T doesn't receive grades yet)
* The grade school spring concert - F's flute solo ("I am sixteen going on seventeen") and F's performances in bucket drummers, music makers, and cello. P's music makers and flute performances.
* F scored one of two goals to win her team's soccer game
* Dan and P repainting the kitchen
* A week of wine nights and happy hours
* T and his friends fort building and nerf gunning for HOURS after school
* "Isla what makes you so awesome?" "Well, a beautiful day with beautiful dresses and being nice to animals all the time."
* F and her friends STILL singing Hamilton all morning (actually, I'm pretty over it, but it's probably better than other music 5th graders would love)
* P and my mom playing Scrabble all the time
* An afternoon off school - Shake Shack and Ice Cream Jubilee
* F rocking out her piano recital
* P's comment on T's birthday - "I was 8 once. Nobody cared."
* T's love of his new bow
* 9 kids of all ages playing sardines together on an early release day (they were hiding everywhere)
* P to T, "Adults usually swear when they drink, haven't you learned anything from watching our parents."
* T receiving the good citizenship award (only two kids in each classroom are recipients)
* Our 4th annual summer solstice/last day of school block party

ONE & TWO NIGHT TRIPS
* Great Wolf Lodge and Yorktown/Jamestowne with P's 4th grade class
* Camping in Arlington's Outdoor Lab with F's fifth grade class
* Camping in Shenandoah River State Park (F reading, T attending the fire, P exploring) and the smell of honeysuckle everywhere
* Josh Ritter's concert at Longwood Gardens for Father's Day (we took the whole family) & T belting out the lyrics to "Getting Ready to Get Down"
* One night at Great Wolf Lodge (T and his friends loved playing hide and seek in the hotel room's xx cabin)

VACATION - Our annual Memorial week beach house in Nags Head, NC (8 families, 36 people)
* "Darcy, your room looks like your car." - Isla
* Perfect weather and conversations
* Sleeping 10 hours a night (I'm getting old)
* Margaritas with beer
* T and F rocking out the lip sync contest

Things to Do - Grateful List (March/April 2017)

Isn't it crazy how March feels as it it was so so long ago?

ARTS
* Family bookclub reading - A Young People's History of the United States (P kept saying, "this book is so biased. not everything in american history is bad."), We Should All Be Feminists, and A Feminist Manifesto in 15 Suggestions. (If you can't tell, I picked this month's books)
* Reading The Mothers
* Reading A Separation
* Watching the Detour with Dan (hilarious!)
* Watching Unreal, Season 2 (trashy tv, but still fun)
* Listening to the Head and the Heart's Signs of Light album
* Listening to S Town (podcast)
* Listening to This American Life's podcasts on (1) Ask A Grown Up and (2) In Defense of Ignorance
* Attending the middle school's production of Legally Blond
* Attending Ragtime with the girls at Ford's Theater
* Attending Fun House at National Theater (Dan hated it, I loved it).
* Fawning over the work of Eugene Richards

PLACES
* Slow flow Wednesday night yoga at Journey Yoga
* Omescape DC and a night out in Adams Morgan with friends (this was my first escape room experience and I loved it)
* Taking the girls and their friends on a DC-mural photoshoot (Yards Park, the graffiti church, and Union Market)
* The perfect family date night - dinner at Atilas then Drunk History before bed
* Easter baseball as a family (the Nationals won!)

PLACES (Vacation)
* A fantastic girls' weekend in Charleston, SC (mead tasting, lunch at Husk, shopping, dinner out, etc.)
* A weekend in NYC with Dan (Sunset Boulevard & the Comet of 1812 on Broadway and the Whitney Biennelle with Jenny)
* Kayla Coleman's fantastic photography workshop (Castle Hayne, NC)
* A relaxing few days in Sandbridge, VA with friends - sunset on the beach, easter egg hunts, walking through the backbit, and after dinner jam sessions

FOOD
* Roasted shisato peppers
* F making tahini blondies (from the Molly on the Range cookbook)
* Lunch at Jaleo with Sushant (a college friend who I haven't seen since graduation)

STUFF
* My new mugs from Society 6

ETC.
* F's love of math dice (she joined the team and competed)
* P and F's basketball team both made it to the second round of playoffs
* Constant nerf wars in the cut through
* Our first (and only) snow day of the year
* F was elected as a class representative to go to a conference and give a talk on her grade school's recycling program
* F IS NOW TALLER THAN ME!
* 70 degree days
* Same basic spring wonders each year - open windows and waking up to birds singing, lilacs, peonies, family dog walks at dusk
* A spontaneous afternoon of drinking with the neighbors on a rainy Saturday

Things to Do - Grateful List (January & February 2017)

ARTS
* Watching Hidden Figures (SO GOOD!!!)
* Watching American Honey (best cinematography ever)
* Watching Casablanca for family movie night
* Watching Girls, Season 5
* Watching the Goldbergs as a family
* Watching Captain Fantastic (MY NEW FAVORITE MOVIE!!!) - we loved it so much that after Dan and I saw it, we watched it again with the kids
* Reading Homegoing
* Reading My Name is Lucy Barton
* Reading Walk Through Walls
* Reading A Gentleman in Moscow
* Reading Patience
* Listening to Ryan Adams, Prisoner
* Listening to Vagabon, Infinite Worlds
* Listening to Thomas Dolby's Astronauts and Heretics for the first time since high school

FOOD
* My family birthday dinner at Texas Jacks BBQ
* Making beesting cake (recipe here) (our favorite guilty pleasure)
* Dinner at Espita Mezcaleria with Shannon

PLACES
* Family hiking off the GW Parkway (Fort Macy)
* The Shirlington & Scott Street dog parks with Isla
* The Women's March (T - "If I don't go to the march, can I still be a feminist?")
* The Hirshhorn's Kusama Infinity Mirrors exhibit - I took all the kids separately, which was awesome because I got to spend time alone with all three of them
* Family hiking in Prince William Forest Park (and P saying, "wow, this is surprisingly fun", after complaining the whole care ride there about how boring hiking is)

STUFF
* Uberpool (I wasn't sure what category this went in), but it's cheaper than parking downtown. And still super fast. I never want to drive anymore.
* Molly Flangan's Real Still Life photography class through the Define school (one of the best online classes I've ever taken).

ETC.
* Starting off the year at candlelight yoga and then purchasing an unlimited yoga pass at Journey Yoga - going three to four times a week feels fantastic
* Wins (and baskets) for both girls during basketball's opening weekend
* Board game nights!! - lots of Splendor, some Settlers of Catan
* Reuniting with Greg Koorey for dinner and board games!
* My birthday donuts and homemade card from T
* Cole to one of the sixth graders - "Darcy is always taking photos, it's easier to ignore it than it is to complain about it. Seriously, it's every day. If you try to fight it you'll lose." Yay, I'm a winner!!
* Super warm January and February days (70 degrees and higher)
* Dan teaching P poker (she loves it!)
* A great basketball season for both girls (both their teams made it to the second round of play-offs)
* Both girls' acting in the school play, "Harmony High" (F was Junior and P said "Sodium!")
* T and most/all the boys in the neighborhood (grades 2 through 6) staging constant nerf wars (really, that's all they do)
* Late night phone calls with my best friend (thank you Jenny!!)

Things to Do - Grateful List (December 2016)

This photo is like an optical illusion, can you find the 7th kid? (I didn't use photoshop).

Happy Friday everyone!!

ARTS
* Watching La La Land in the theater as a family (F loved it; whereas T yelled during the credits "that was the most boringest movie ever!"
* Watching Rogue 1 in the theater as a family (F and I fell asleep; whereas T loved it! P, as always, was neutral)
* T reading Captain Underpants on the couch all afternoon
* Watching Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Season 1 (I love this show!!)
* Watching Better Things, Season 1
* Attending Second City at the Arlington Drafthouse with friends and neighbors
* Watching an all day Project Runway marathon with P and F
* Reading Jerusalem (so good!!)

FOOD
* Dan grew a lemon (on the lemon tree!)
* TJ's ugly sweater cookie kit
* Georgetown Glow and dinner at Farmer, Fishers, and Bakers

PLACES
* Taking 7 cool kids to the Hirschhorn's Ragnar Kjartansson exhibit
* A day to myself at Spaworld
* Visiting the African-American History Museum (an excellent addition to the National Mall)
* Date night with Dan - Jaleo and a Capitals game

STUFF
* The fujifilm instax mini camera (love all the snapshots!)
* The Oregon Trail and Love Letter for family game night

ETC.
* Isla (age 4) - "How do you write T's name, I'm trying to make a love card for him?"; "Now can you write, 'Isla loves T'"?
* F volunteering to clean our bathrooms
* Straight As for both girls
* The girls' excitement over their basketball teams
* F and P's winter concert (F on cello and flute; P on flute)
* A great night of neighborhood Christmas parties
* Neighborhood solstice mom/kid happy hour (which was fun despite the kids breaking our TV)
* Playing Agricola at Christmas

Things to Do - Grateful List (October/November 2016)

October & November sort of flew by - between the new preschool job, the weddings, and the family photo shoots I never quite caught up.

But still, we managed to spend one night camping, which was awesome. And yes, that's my child with the axe, as we continue to push the limits of free range parenting (nobody was injured!).

HAPPY WEEKEND EVERYONE!!

ARTS (lots of editing = lots of binge TV watching)
* Watching Goonies at the Arlington Cinema Drafthouse
* Reading The Nest
* Binge-watching 6 seasons of Shameless (US version), I'm totally in love with this show.
* Attending Signature Theater's production of Freaky Friday, the musical with P and F
* Watching Arrival with the kids (I cried and cried).
* Watching Odd Mom Out, Seasons 1 and 2

PLACES
* Driving out to Blue Hill Farm with the kids (so so pretty there).
* Camping with friends at Prince William Forest Park (this place is close and awesome, I can't wait to go back)
* Spending Thanksgiving morning in the newly renovated Eastern Wing of the National Gallery of Art (I especially loved the Photography Reinvented exhibit).

FOOD
* P's birthday dinner at Fugo De Chao
* Hazel with my favorite bloggers

STUFF
* Trunk Club (SO MUCH BETTER than Stitch Fix).

ETC.
* Dan planning a scavenger hunt for F's 11th birthday party (the kids loved it!)
* Sweatshirt weather
* My new job (working on Mondays and Tuesdays at a preschool)
* My new website design (so much better!)
* T's 6 rules of awesomeness
(1) Try to do the splits "Ouch!!"
(2) Always carry an extra weapon
(3) Look cool
(4) Look swag
(5) Learn how to ride a bike
(6) Go to the shooting range
* F - "Mom, you're not fat, you're perfect for a mom. You have three kids - you stress eat."
* T's "bike gang" riding to school every morning
* F's first soccer goal
* Monday Halloween - a cat burglar, a spy, and Ms. Peregrine (plus pizza at a neighbors' house before trick or treating and helping Jenny with the keg because adults need to trick or treat too)
* 5 weekends in a row photographing weddings (SO MUCH LOVE!)
* Obsessive Halloween candy sorting
* "Mom, it's only 4 years, America can survive this." - P
* Playing pie face at Shannon's b-day party
* Decorating our Christmas tree
* T and his friends wearing Santa and Elf hats to school

Things to Do - Grateful List (September 2016)

HAPPY FRIDAY EVERYONE!! I love hanging out with this super-fun, dog-loving, preschooler on weekday afternoons.

Have a great weekend and don't forget to check out this week's awesome on 5 Hours 'Til Bedtime!

ARTS
* Watching The Big Short (Netflix streaming).
* Watching Shameless, Season 1 (Netflix streaming). How have I never heard of this show? It's awesome.
* Watching Dirty Rotten Scoundrels for family movie night.
* Watching Wiener, the movie (fascinating).
* Reading Waiting.
* Reading Cities I've Never Lived In (I loved this).


FOOD
* The new ramen place (Boru) on Columbia Pike.
* Trader Joe's tumeric/ginger tea.
* Cava with Amanda.
* Dan making fantastic dinners on weeknights.

PLACES
* A gorgeous afternoon at the Maryland Renaissance Festival.
* Taking the kids to see Raina Telgemeier at the National Book Festival.
* Attending the YanFam Way Photography workshop.

STUFF
* Ben Sasso's new lightroom presets (SO. MUCH. WONDERFULNESS.).

ETC.
* A much-needed last minute happy hour at Kelly's house before school started.
* Two more end of summer happy hours - Hector and Janise's BBQ and Jenny's "the pool is closing" party.
* F making me lunch for my first day of work (strawberry, cucumber, edamame salad).
* T and Cole after the storm, "we're collecting water." Me - "Why?". They both look at me like I'm crazy and say, "Because it's WATER!"
* The annual 6th street block party.
* T riding his bike everywhere and singing "you see me rolling!"
* My new job! (working at a preschool on Mondays and Tuesdays).
* After a long, hard course of chemo, my friend's husband just learned he is in remission (YAY!).
* Ending the month with a 2 am moms' wine night.

Things to Do - Grateful List (August 2016)

Happy Friday everyone!! Just when this week was going great, I realized that my ENTIRE BLOGROLL DISAPPEARED. WTF? So I'm trying to rebuild, but be patient as it will take awhile (probably a LONG while). Though maybe it's a good thing, sort of like cleaning house.

Anyways, I hope everyone has a great weekend. It seems odd to post about August at the end of September, but life moves so quickly these days.

I took the image above in my office, which gets the best light. I love when I come into the room and see the kids staring out the window.

Don't forget to check out this week's awesome on 5 Hours 'Til Bedtime!

GRATEFUL LIST - AUGUST 2016

ARTS
* Watching Bad Moms with some of the best moms I know (I loved this movie!!)
* Watching Stranger Things on Netflix (so addictive!!)
* Watching Kubo and the Three Strings
* Watching the Night of on HBO
* Attending Cirque De Soleil's Kurios with F and P

FOOD
* F constantly cooking us yummy food from the Forest Feast for Kids
* Deep fried oreos at the county fair

PLACES
* Camping at River Run campground for Dan's birthday
* Taking the kids to Water Country USA the week before school started (it was empty)

ETC.
* A much needed dinner playdate at Julia's house
* Our lazy weekend at home - T walking the dogs, F cooking, P making videos, and all the kids building a spaceship in our basement
* Dan's parents watching the kids for a week (thank you!)

VACTION (Roadtrip 2016)

Day 23 - Denver

* Ghostbusters with all the kids (yay Bechtel test winners!)
* Used book store shopping

Day 24 - Denver - Indian Peaks Wilderness

* Hiking to Mitchell Lake
* Asparagus, pesto, doodle pasta at Carolyn's house (so so good!)
* Sunset over the mountains on Carolyn's back deck

Day 25 - Denver - Waterworld

* Journey to the Center of the Earth with the kids (my favorite water ride ever)
* Closing out Waterworld
* The 4 girls all bonding while moms and sons went on waterslides together
* T and Scott playing imaginary games for hours
* The girls performing Hamilton for us

Day 26 - Denver - drive to Lone Tree

* Another morning at the used bookstore
* Quiet time at Allie's
* Magic Mushroom's feta pizza
* A 72 degree overcast day after weeks of heat

Day 27 - Denver - Art museum

* Women of Abstract Expressionism & Why We Dance at the Denver Art Museum
* Drinks with Allison until midnight (while watching the opening ceremony of the Olympics)

Day 28 - Denver to Salina, KS

* P on Denver, "it was like a whole week of sleepovers, which, is my jam."
* Castlewood Canyon's waterfall
* The girls researching feminist t-shirts online
* An easy (but boring) 6 hour drive
* The Olympics!!

Day 29 - Salina, KS to Great Wolf Lodge, KS

* Waterslides plus a huge room = happiness
* Simone Biles' floor routine
* GWL serves beer!

Day 30 - GWL to St. Louis, MO

* A nice big airbnb with plenty of space to introvert
* the crazy cheapness of Aldi
* A relaxed night of sangria and Olympics with my mom and her friend, Jan
* Much needed new clothes for the kids from grandma

Day 31 - St. Louis - Art Museum

* Ameircan Innovators at the St. Louis art museum (we also loved the contemporary art section)
* Laumeier sculpture park at dusk
* Staying up late to watch the US women's gymnastic team win the all around gold

Day 32 - St. Louis - City Museum

* 5 hours in City Museum and we could have stayed longer. This place was AMAZING!!

Day 33 - St. Louis, MO to Columbus, OH

* Arriving at Aunt Ann's to pizza and wine (plus a puppy for T to play with)
* Great conversation after a LONG day in the car

Day 34 - Columbus, OH to HOME!!!

* Visiting great grandma in her nursing home
* Arriving home to a fantastic homemade dinner (thank you Dan!!) and happy hour at our friends house (so much fun!!)

Things to Do - Grateful List (July 2016)

Wow, July seems forever ago. Summer is so short and crazy long at the same time. I'm exhausted. But there's only one more week of summer vacation to go!

We're restarting our collaborative blog, 5 Hours Til' Bedtime with a new format! Check it out here!

Have a great weekend everyone!!

ARTS
* ET in the neighbors' back yard
* Listening to Bob Dylan's latest album, Fallen Angels
* Watching OJ - Made in America
* Attending Bob Dylan and Mavis Staples with our friends at Wolf Trap
* Attending Icebergs and the Dollhouse exhibit at the Building Museum
* Reading Emma Cline's The Girls

FOOD
* Pepita Cantina for a moms' night

STUFF
* My new Oontz bluetooth speaker (perfect for vacation)

PLACES
* A not-too-hot morning at the zoo (esp. the Washed Ashore sculptures - so cool!)

ETC.
* Dori's BBQ for the weekend of the 4th
* Hosting a sleepover the night before we left for vacation and the kids staging a Hunger Games contest between boys and girls (all the weapons were placed on the sidewalk and everyone only had a few seconds to grab one).
* Playing Pandemic (F and I are somewhat addicted).

VACATION (Road trip)

Day 1 - Arlington to Asheville
* P - "I feel like we're driving through broccoli."
* Cucumber vodka drinks at dinner
* All three kids getting along

Day 2 - Asheville
* The Hop ice cream
* The Biltmore's gardens
* Dinner at Tupelo Honey
* "I think all these grilled cheeses are horrible, I guess I'm to used to Virginia grilled cheese, which is always good." - T

Day 3 - Asheville to Nashville
* Riding a boat through an underground lake at the Lost Sea Adventure
* Watching Say Anything with the kids (it was on cable)
* A rental apartment with guitars!

Day 4 - Nashville
* The best puppet show I've ever seen (at the Country Music Hall of Fame)
* Recording songs and the kids' excitement over Taylor Swift memorabilia (the Country Music Hall of Fame)
* Floating in the pool while the kids all played TOGETHER for 2 hours
* Dinner at Rosepepper Cantina and conversations about the kids when they were toddlers

Day 5 - Nashville to Memphis
* Crepes at the Red Bicycle
* Our cool, bohemian airbnb
* Farmers market arugula for dinner (yum)
* DOWNTIME!!

Day 6 - Graceland
* F playing Elvis records all afternoon
* The Jungle Room
* Dan arrives!!!

Day 7 - The Civil Rights Museum/Little Rock/drive to Arkadelphia
* The awesome dance with T
* Little Rock's riverfront park
* Tabouli at the riverfront market

Day 8 - Arkadelphia to Oklahoma City
* Tubing in Arkadelphia
* T, during the 6 hour drive - "I'm so bored I'm making up terrible Christmas carols."

Day 9 - OKC
* A lazy morning reading books in the backyard while Dan grocery shopped
* An afternoon to myself shopping and yoga (Yogalab!!) followed by the kids and Dan making me dinner (so yummy!)

Day 10 - OKC - Palo Duro Canyon, Texas
* The Chihuly exhibit at the Oklahoma City Art Museum
* Hiking, Ogosporting, and Kan Jamming at our cabin
* T flying his new airplane everywhere (best $5 we've ever spent, you can buy them here)
* Star gazing
* Roadrunners!!

Day 11 - Palo Duro to Alberquerque
* DJing while dan drove
* Tinkertown!! (esp. the kids' fortunes - P = movie star, F = dishwasher, T = school teacher)
* The clouds on 1-40W (like the sky was attacking us)

Day 12 - Albuquerque to Santa Fe
* Hiking Rinconada Trail in Petroglyph National Park (it was crazy hot, but pretty)
* Our most gorgeous airbnb ever
* Rum and coke by the pool

Day 13 - Santa Fe
* Horseback riding in Santa Fe National Forest
* A lazy afternoon by the pool

Day 14 - Santa Fe
* MeowWolf
* The hammock
* Allie and her three (crazy) sons visiting for the day

Day 15 - 24 Hour Rafting Trip on the Rio Grande
* Pre rafting drinks at Blue Heron Brewery
* "The rating unicorns"
* Brandon, our guide, who made a wonderful dinner for us!
* Hiking with P on the trail across from our campsite
* T - "I think the mellow forward seems to be what our family is good at."
* Dan and T fishing together at the campsite (they were both so happy)

Day 16 - New Mexico to Durango, CO
* The most gorgeous drive ever!
* Working together as a family in the rapids
* A fantastic breakfast (thanks Brandon!) at our campsite

Day 17 - Durango
* Hiking the CO trail with Allie and her kids
* Yoga Durango's 4:30 class!
* The kids all playing Coup together while the adults drank wine on the porch outside

Day 18 - Durango
* Hiking Animas Mountain - yes it was hot and the kids complained constantly and we kept getting lost, but at least we're teaching them grit
* A final, mellow night at the house

Day 19 - Durango to Mesa Verde
* Dan saw a bobcat while fishing outside Durango
* Durango's fish hatchery
* Campsites with shade
* Camping Kan Jam
* Grilled chicken on Allison's camp stove
* Sunset from the Knife's Edge trail (so pretty!)
* Friendly deer outside the restrooms

Day 20 - Mesa Verde
* Our Cliff Palace and Balcony house tours
* Walking with P around the campground at night
* THE STARS!!!!

Day 21 - Mesa Verde to Broomfield, CO
* Arriving at Sarah and Lyle's house to an awesome bbq with our friends (thank you!!)
* A gorgeous drive and watching thunderstorms in the mountains

Day 22 - Broomfield
* Drinks on Carolyn's porch after the pool
* All my friends kids bonding with my kids
* The girls making a movie of Sleeping Beauty with Sophia (the queen wanted to steal Sleeping Beauty's smarts)

Things to Do - Grateful List (June 2016) & Cherish This Day

HAPPY WEEKEND EVERYONE!! Don't forget to check out this week's awesome on Cherish This Day!

ARTS
* Watching Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory for family movie night (Dan had never seen it)
* Watching Bloodline, Season 2 (so addictive!)
* Watching UnReal
* Attending the Cure concert at Merriweather (the parking situation was a nightmare, but the 3 hour show was pretty incredible)
* Attending Lord Heron and Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats for date night at Wolftrap (plus there was a rainbow!)
* Attending Paul Simon for date night at Wolftrap
* Attending the Awesome workshop!!
* P loving the Ms. Marvel comics

FOOD
* Lunch with Linda at Le Pain Quotidien
* A weeknight Chipotle picnic at Hains Point as a family
* Lemonade with fresh mint
* Moms' lunch at Tupelo Honey for the last week of school
* Ending the month having dinner at Chaplins with Shannon and Amy

STUFF
* My new running shoes

PLACES
* A lazy, much-needed, beach day at Flag Ponds (Lusby, MD)
* Late afternoons at the pool (the kids swim, while I read/sleep in the shade)

ETC.
* After a very rainy May a month of sunshine!
* 5 awesome family photoshoots!
* Jenny, Paras, and the kids visiting (though I wish they'd stayed longer)
* The girls playing their last soccer games on adjacent fields (we sat in the middle and watched both games, how awesome is that?) and both teams won.
* T - "Mom likes to plan vacations but she does't really like to plan anything else." (so true)
* T surprising us all by cleaning the bathroom
* Dan planning T's birthday sleepover while I was out of town
* Fireflies!!
* T's new mohawk
* The girls watching Brainpops on their school iPads because there's no TV on weekdays during the school year (now they know a little bit about a lot of random stuff)
* Dinner with Jim and Val before they leave again (having friends in the foreign service is hard - so many goodbyes!)
* Driving to the pool with a giant unicorn on top of our car (the kids thought it was awesome), I bought the unicorn on amazon and didn't realize how big it was
* Playing spoons with T (this is his new favorite game)
* Our annual last-day-of-school solstice party (bigger than ever)

Things to Do - Cherish This Day & Grateful List (May 2016)

As I've mentioned previously, May really wasn't a great month (SO. MUCH. RAIN.). But there were a few highlights . . .

Have a great weekend (we still have ONE MORE WEEK left of school) and don't forget to check out this week's awesome on Cherish This Day!

ARTS
* Watching The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Season 2 on Netflix.
* Attending Collected Stories (the play) with Lola at Four Mile Run theater
* Attending Edward Sharpe's concert at Wolftrap with Colleen
* Attending Josh Ritter's concert in Charlottesville with Dan
* Reading Doris Lessing's The Golden Notebook

FOOD
* Dan buying me Sugar Shack donuts and tons of Honest Tea for Mothers' Day

PLACES
* F's fourth grade trip to Williamsburg, even in the rainy, cold we still had a (somewhat) good time.

STUFF
* Clean Reserve Discovery Layering set (fragrance kit)
* My new (much needed) red Hunter boots
* My new Boden dress
* CC Cream/Foundation from Mary Kay

ETC.
* Coming home to Liz's happy hour after three hours standing in the rain at Colonial Williamsburg
* Three great report cards (straight As for P and F; T doesn't receive grades yet but had wonderful comments)
* Lots of OT, kickboxing, and yoga
* Shine workshop with Cathi at Journey Yoga
* F's spring concert (she participated in: chorus, music makers, bucket brigade, and the flute)
* T and his friends making the fort into a police station - complete with a kitchen, jail, and shooting range
* A gorgeous outdoor moms' wine night at Megan's in-between rain storms
* Second shooting a wedding with Brandon Hunter
* P - "I don't understand how T's a leader among his group of friends. Who would want to follow T?"

VACATION (Our 4th annual trip to the Outer Banks, NC for the week after Memorial Day)
* Date night in Charlottesville on the way to Nags Head (my in-laws watched the kids) - Josh Ritter in concert and sangria outside!
* Gorgeous weather on days 1 and 2, even though storms were all around us (they just skipped over Nags Head)
* T FINALLY loving the pool (and never wanting to get out)
* "The world needs ditch diggers too" - wow can our boys make a major hole
* Chris's mixtape
* Playing in the waves with the kids
* Janet's sangria on the beach
* Watching Isla and Luke's best friendship (the youngest kids need to stick together)
* Dan finally realizing that Happy is a great dog

Things to Do - Grateful List (April 2016)

May has been so rainy and cold that it seems impossible to believe that April was gorgeous (so. so. long ago.). Oh well, have a great weekend everyone! I love this photo of my favorite 4 year old tomboy rocking her short hair and flying a helicopter. Sometimes you have to hang out with a preschooler to remember how ridiculous gender stereotypes really are.

Happy Friday everyone! Don't forget to check out this week's awesome on Cherish This Day!


ARTS
* Reading Doris Lessing's The Fifth Child
* Reading Marilyn French's The Women's Room
* Reading Edna O'Brien's The Country Girls Trilogy
* Listening to Nina Simone
* Attending Father John Misty's concert with Colleen
* Watching Malcom in the Middle as a family (esp. season 7, episode 1 - the burning man episode, now the kids really want to go!!)

FOOD
* Tail Up Goat with Shannon
* Making bee sting cake
* Gwyneth's new cookbook - It's All Easy - esp. almond citrus overnight oats and cauliflower tabouli

PLACES
* Parents' night out on Columbia Pike during this crazy early spring
* Sunday morning family dog walks on the trail next to Longbranch
* A gorgeous Monday (school holiday) at Flag Ponds Nature Park with friends
* Learning about turtle rescues at Long Branch Nature Center with Isla

ETC.
* Orange Theory three times a week and running with Kelly
* Cleaning out our old books (finally!)
* My new office!
* F writing a novel/short story about four friends
* P to T, "You'll never go first, I called dibs on everything on the day I was born."
* The kids' excitement over making Musicly videos with their friends (though I know I'll tire of it soon)
* Dinner club at Kelly's (steaks on the grill)

VACATION (weekend in Chicago with Dan)
* Drinks and dinner on Friday and Saturday night with high school friends
* Van Gogh's bedrooms at the Art Institute with my mom (though I'm still not sure why we waited in line to see three virtually identical paintings next to each other on a wall)
* Watching Naked and Afraid marathons in the hotel room while Dan worked (he had a big trial that week)

THE KIDS' LISTS:

F - a nice house to live in and food to eat, my family, that everything is so great

P - fantasy and comic books, chocolate, Coco and Happy, a lot of stuff that I don't want to tell you, playgrounds, hugs

T - soccer practice, my teachers, that grandma visited, craft projects with grandma, that you're back home from Chicago, that an author came to my school and gave me a book, swim lessons, Happy, Coco, family night, that today was a half day

Things to Do - Grateful List (March 2016) & Cherish This Day

Based on this list, I watched an inordinate amount of TV in March. So it goes. Some months are just like that (I guess). Happy Friday everyone! Don't forget to check out this week's awesome on Cherish This Day!

ARTS
* Watching The Heavy Water War (Netflix)
* Watching 30 Degrees in February (Netflix)
* Watching the IMAX National Parks movie at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History
* Watching Love (TV show) (Netflix)
* Watching Togetherness (TV show) (HBO/Amazon). Is anyone else watching this? I can't stop binging.
* Watching Naked & Afraid (TV show). We don't have cable, so I "discovered" this at our hotel in Williamsburg and now I'm obsessed.
* Taking Roxanne Bryan's Color Theory Class through Bloom Forum (so good!)
* Reading Annie Leibovitz's At Work
* Reading Kate Atkinson's A God in Ruins

FOOD
* Walking to Le Pain Quotidien with Trina on a gorgeous 75 degree day.

PLACES
* Orange Theory two days a week (love that place).
* A warm (and sunny) St. Patty's day Happy Hour at P. Brennans (remember how two years ago St. Patrick's day was a snow day?)
* The 4D movie at Ripley's Believe it or Not Museum (Williamsburg, VA)
* Our staycation spring break
M - Dog Park (Arlington, VA)
T - National Gallery of Art (Washington D.C.)
W - Calvert Cliffs (Lusby, MD)
Thurs - Busch Gardens (Williamsburg, VA)
F - Ripley's Believe It or Not museum (Williamsburg, VA)
* Hiking Potomac Overlook with Dan's family on Easter (Arlington, VA)

STUFF
* My new office, which my amazing husband IKEAed and painted

ETC.
* Drinks on the porch! (loving these 75 degree days)
* 10 kid capture the flag games in our yard on half days (girls vs. boys)
* P scoring lots of goals this indoor soccer season
* Our three "rules": (1) No TV on weeknights; (2) Never under any circumstances knock a picture frame off a wall; and (3) You must learn all the words to Paul Simon's Graceland
* Walking the dogs with Isla
* T and Cole designing a Leprechaun trap (and spending hours with it).
* "My mom might be TOO free-range" - P to her friend
* "Running" with Kelly
* P's new "book", "Sibling Wars"
* T on the Presidential candidates "I don't like any of them. Hillary seems mean. Trump is a big jerk. And the old guys wants us to share all our stuff and sometimes I don't want to share."
* Ending the month drinking with Allegra on her new back porch

THE KIDS' LISTS:

F - A nice house to live in and food to eat, my family, Happy and Coco, my friends

P - Snuggles, cuddles, my friends, lots of stuff, watching Once Upon a Time

T - That I have a camera, that tomorrow's a half day, my bed, playing Monopoly, family movie night, reading books before bed, Cole coming over

Things to Do - Grateful List (February 2016) & Cherish This Day

February is always such a long hard month (despite the fact that it doesn't have many days), but we made it through, with some help from the neighborhood's newest donut shop. So so good. Have a great weekend everyone!

And don't forget to check out this week's awesome on Cherish This Day!

ARTS
* Watching Better Call Saul, Season 1 on Netflix (love!!)
* Watching Mozart in the Jungle, Season 2 on Amazon Prime
* Reading Joshua Ferris's short story, the Breeze (in The Best American Short Stories 2014)
* Attending Oliverio (kids' play) at the Kennedy Center
* Attending Josh Ritter's concert at the 9:30 club
* My new photography books - Mary Ellen Mark on the Portrait and the Moment: The Photography Workshop Series, Annie Leibovitz at Work, Picture Perfect Posing: Practicing the Art of Posing for Photographers and Models (Voices That Matter)
* P reading my old Sassy magazines

FOOD
* Hi-chew candy (F's friend introduced us and now we're all addicted)
* Restaurant week at Fiola Mare (so. so. good), thank you Ann!
* Hosting the first dinner club for parents of older kids (though this time we will avoid the after party!)
* Sugar Shack Donuts opens in our 'hood (prepare for massive weight gain).

PLACES
* An uncrowded day at the National Zoo, esp. hanging with the orangutan and reptiles
* Melt - a 2 hour Yin Friday at Journey Yoga (so relaxing!)
* Orange Theory Fitness (so so wonderful)

STUFF
* The boys' shopping cart fort-making kit.
* My new plaid v-neck shirt (which makes me feel happy).

ETC.
* This conversation: P - "I'm saving up for a new iphone."; F - "I'm saving up for a TV in our room."; T -"I'm saving up to become a unicorn."
* Our neighbor calling T "old school" because he doesn't like video games and wants to play outside all the time.
* Friends over for the Superbowl (no, I didn't actually watch the game)
* F & T building an obstacle course on our front lawn
* Kickboxing with Jessie 2-3 times a week
* Fitbit challenges in the heart of winter (forced me outside).
* An adorable first birthday cake smash photo shoot
* F, on choreographing We Haz Jazz, "mom, just to warn you, this play is totally random. It has no real plot, sort of like Ghostbusters."
* T's Valentines Day cards, which all said something along the lines of "I like you because you're funny" or "you always make me laugh."
* F performing in the school play while wearing her "This Is What a Feminist Looks Like" shirt (they had to wear something black)
* P - "I've learned that asking people if they're cranky doesn't really work - it just makes cranky people more cranky."
* As always, neighborhood wine nights and happy hours
* Straight As for P and F (T doesn't receive grades yet)

Things to Do - Grateful List (January 2016)

For the most part, January was somewhat uneventful, with the exception of two big events - (1) the great blizzard and (2) my 40th birthday.

Dan planned this hysterically fun "frat" party for the occasion, with beer pong, flip cup, jello shots, and a house full of good friends. To make it even more special, FIVE of my best friends drove/flew in from throughout the country to celebrate with me. Do you know how amazing it feels to have so many people you love all in one space for the night? Plus between the free t-shirts and random dance music, we stayed up until 3:30 in the morning. Maybe 40 really is the new 20.

ARTS
* The Peanuts movie at Arlington Drafthouse on New Years Day.
* Watching How to Make a Murderer (Netflix streaming)
* Listening to the Beatles on Spotify
* Reading the The Neopolitan novels
* Watching Overboard and Tootsie with the kids

FOOD
* Dan's brisket (recipe from Food52 Genius Recipes: 100 Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook)
* Rose's Luxury for my birthday dinner
* Kapnos for my birthday lunch

STUFF
* My amazing globe (my friend Janeese purchased a globe for my birthday and then everybody signed it at my party). One of my favorite gifts ever.

ETC.
* In one week, I was able to talk to a South African about growing up listening to Rodriguez's music (made famous in Searching for Sugarman) and a Chilean about teenage life in Chile during the NO campaign (which brought down a dictator), making me realize that I have the coolest/most diverse group of friends and I'm so lucky to know each and every one of them.
* My amazing 40th birthday party and a weekend with my best friends!
* T and his friends making our basement into a pirate ship (it was too cold for the outside fort)
* Three neighborhood happy hours during the great blizzard of 2016
* Playing Lost Cities as a family night after night.
* "Now can you start teaching me important stuff - like how to work the dishwasher?" - T
* My kids overcoming blizzard boredom on their own - T making weapons, F trying out science experiments, and P drawing unicorns

THE KIDS' LISTS

F - A nice house to live in and food to eat, that everything is so great, my family

P - snugglefests, reading the Princess Bride with you at night, happy hour, sleepovers, snow

T - Playing 3 rounds of Lost Cities, reading the Bobsey Twins, a nice house to live in and food to eat, building a snow fort, Cole's birthday party, Kung Fu Panda 3, our weapons cache

Things to Do - Grateful List (December 2015) & Cherish This Day

HAPPY FRIDAY EVERYONE!! Doesn't January seem so mellow all of a sudden? And cold. The photo above is from our trip to the Cloisters in NYC (one of the coolest places I've ever visited). I'll have more photos up on Monday. In the meantime, have a fantastic weekend and don't forget to check out this week's awesome on Cherish This Day!

ARTS
* Reading My Brilliant Friend: Neapolitan Novels, Book One (so. so. good)
* Reading Early Warning
* Reading The Princess Bride to the girls at night
* Listening to Leon Bridge's album Coming Home
* Watching Pixels for family movie night
* Watching Brooklyn, the movie
* Attending Bright Star at the Kennedy Center (so catchy for a musical!)
* Attending the Renwick's Wonder exhibit
* Attending Second City at the Arlington Drafthouse with half our neighborhood (I love where we live)

FOOD
* Bayou Bakery's turmeric tea and biscuit sandwiches
* The new Chipolte on Columbia Pike
* Dan's Xmas Eve and Xmas feasts
* Everyday Detox tea
* Texas Jack's BBQ (so. so. good)

STUFF
* Our new Amazon Echo
* Playing Monopoly Here and Now World Edition Board Game (so much shorter/better than "real" Monopoly)
* Playing Lanterns The Harvest Festival Board Game
* Playing Splendor Board Game
* Playing Tokaido Board Game (I went a little crazy with new board games this month)
* Sephora's overnight face masks
* My Christmas coupon book from F

VACATION [4 days in NYC before Xmas]
* Visiting Grounds for Sculpture in New Jersey on our way to NYC
* Pizza and wine at Jenny's house
* Dinner at the Foragers' Table on the solstice
* The Cloisters (seriously, this place is so so cool)
* The kids always calling it the "great" M&M store (possibly T's favorite place in the world; I do not understand how this can be)
* We finally rode the subway!
* Attending Something Rotten on Broadway (the kids laughed and laughed)
* Audio tours at the Met (we could have stayed all day)

ETC.
* T's cardboard box town
* Straight As for both girls and straight Ps for T (1st graders don't receive A,B,C letter grades)
* Errands, workouts, and relaxation
* Dan Xmas lighting the outside of our house
* Hosting our first game night and playing Celebrity
* Decorating the tree with the kids (they get so into it)
* T and his friends wearing Santa hats everywhere
* F donating her hair to locks of love and three great short haircuts for F, P, and me from Sharon (seriously, best hairdresser ever)
* T and his friends' new fort on the side of our house (they have a blast out there)
* The kids' responses to the new Star Wars movie: F - "Mom, it passed the Bechdel test! It passed!"; T - "Mom, everyone in that movie was so old. Like, really really old."; P - "It was good, I guess."
* Xmas with my mom and our close friends and our vodka induced dance party
* F, P, and T all buying each other (thoughtful) gifts
* T constantly reading books to my mom
* F making everyone eggs
* T - "My new years resolution is to get more candy and an ipod."
* Our 4 house progressive party to ring in the 2016

THE KIDS' LISTS

F - a nice house to live in and food to eat, my family, the Broadway play, Xmas

P - seeing the new Star Wars movie with dad on opening night, Xmas, snuggles, dogs, reading the Princess Bride together, NYE

T - that tomorrow school is out, that I can read Elephant and Piggie by myself, Star Wars, reading Grandma T books, my fort

Things to Do - Grateful List (November 2015) & Cherish This Day

Happy Friday everyone, don't forget to check out this week's awesome on Cherish This Day.

ARTS
* Reading Americanah
* Reading Some Luck
* Watching What Happened Miss Simone?
* Watching Project Runway, Season 14 (Ashely and Kelly!)
* Watching Master of None (esp. episode 9)
* Watching Girls Season 4 (esp. episode 5)
* Listening to Angus and Julia Stone
* Listening to Spotify's discover weekly playlists
* Attending the play Sorry [Apple Family Circus] at Studio Theater for date night
* P binge-reading the Sisters Grimm series
* T's excitement about meeting Laurie Keller and the Arnie the Doughnut series

PLACES
* Hiking/walking Belle Isla (Richmond, VA) the day after Thanksgiving

FOOD
* Rose's Luxury for Shannon's birthday (possibly the best dinner I've ever eaten)
* Best Bun's monkey bread
* Steak with chimichuri sauce, brussels sprouts with bacon, and roasted red potatoes with thyme

ETC.
* 70 degree days
* F winning her election for school historian
* Rainy, lazy Saturdays
* Making it through two weekends in a row of sleepover birthday parties
* Neighborhood glow in the dark kickball
* Mini-law school reunion dinner at our house with Jim, Val, and Melissa
* T's cardboard box/fort/dungeon/battleship
* The Thanksgiving kids' spa
* Family Trivial Pursuit on Thanksgiving
* 9 family photo shoots (all with awesome families!)

THE KIDS' LISTS:

F - Mysterious Benedict Society, Garfield comics, Happy & Coco, T's reading, books, P's birthday, snow, hot chocolate, sledding [note - we haven't had any of these yet], Thanksgiving

P - candy, cupcakes, ponies, Sisters Grimm, my birthday, Veterans Day, books, school, playdates, sleepovers, my imagination, my popple from Netflix, my Minion, Thanksgiving with my cousins, snuggles, hugs, reading the Magician's Nephew

T - P's birthday, kickball, that we went to the zoo, Veteran's Day, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, watching Once Upon a Time, an amazing family, building my box fort with P, Thanksgiving with my cousins and grandparents

Things to Do - Grateful List (October 2015) & Cherish This Day

Just a few photos from our trip to Manassas Battlefield Park. Now that the weather has become colder, I like to remember October days so warm that the kids complained about the heat.

Happy Weekend everyone! Don't forget to click on over and see this week's awesomeness on Cherish This Day.

ARTS
* Listening to the Essential Van Morison on rainy days
* Watching Iris (Netflix streaming)
* Watching the Martian in 3D as a family (so good!)
* Attending Josh Ritter's concert at Lincoln Theater for date night (totally obsessed with his new song, "Getting Ready to Get Down")
* Attending Ester Bubley's exhibit at the National Museum of Women and the Arts
* Attending Synetic Theater's production of Alice and Wonderland with the girls
* Reading My Documents (esp. Memories of a Personal Computer)
* Reading Mislaid
* Watching Goosebumps at the theater for F's birthday party/sleepover
* Watching Trainwreck at the Arlington Cinema Drafthouse for datenight
* Watching the Bourne Identiy for family movie night and T saying "I would go with him too. I like to live on the edge." (though really this was more of a WTF moment)
* Reading Elizabeth Bishop's travel poem

PLACES
* Manassas Battlefield Park on Columbus Day (Cox Farms was too crowded)
* Claude Moore's Colonial Market fair as a family
* Mom's weekend in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware
* An empty Tuesday at Cox Farms

FOOD
* Tupelo Honey for Liz's b-day (so good)!
* Trader Joe's Harvest Blend herbal tea
* Taylor Gourmet's fall salads
* Apple cake (recipe from Date Night In)

STUFF
* My new Sabah shoes
* My new Mahabis slipper/shoes

ETC.
* T's reading recovery program (T has fallen a bit behind on reading so every morning he goes to school half an hour early to work one-on-one with a reading specialist, and we're amazed at how much progress he's made).
* Isla hugs at pick up & feeding the turtles with Isla at Longbranch Nature Center (I babysit a toddler for a few hours a week and she's so much fun!)
* T constantly saying, "If anyone needs me I'll be in the front yard." (What does he do there for hours a day?)
* T reading us books every night
* F's birthday shopping spree at Barnes and Noble
* A great family game of Settlers of Catan after a miserable Columbus Day weekend
* F's love of safety patrol
* An old man, a cowgirl, and a fortune teller for Halloween
* SO MUCH WORK - a wedding, a baby, an engagement, headshots, and five family photoshoots
* T, when he sees anyone resting on a bed, yelling "snugglefest!" and attacking
* Dan killed two deer this season. According to Dan, "nothing makes me feel better than when the butcher asks if I'm picking up or dropping off and I reply 'both'".

THE KIDS' LISTS:

F - theater club, Garfield comics, Ramona Quimbly, fuzzy robes, laughing about my posed smile, Happy when she's Happy, dinner at my cousins' house

P - my Minion, playdates, sleepovers, my teacher, a bunch of stuff, sports, socializing

T - game day at school, playdates with Graham and Ian, playing tennis with dad, watching westerns with dad, Cox farms

Things to Do - Grateful List (September 2015)

Sometimes you take your kids to an amazing all day music festival on the National Mall and all they want to do is read books and dig in the dirt. Oh well, we try to be cool parents, but some weeks are easier than others (plus kids were free and we didn't feel like paying a babysitter). Sometimes they danced. Really. I just forgot to photograph that.

HAPPY FRIDAY EVERYONE!!

ARTS
* Watching the League, Season 6 (Netflix streaming). Still my favorite show on television and my favorite sitcom of all time.
* Watching Narcos, Season 1 (Netflix streaming). Prepare to binge watch.
* Watching Force Majure (Netflix streaming)
* Watching Miss Representation with the kids (Netflix streaming). F wants to change the world now more than ever.
* Listening to Houndmouth
* Listening to Ryan Adams, 1989
* Listening to Chvurches, Every Open Eye
* Listening to my Sangria at Soccer Practice mix
* Attending Women Eating Salad Alone at Wooly Mammoth with Allegra, with drinks afterwards at Rasika
* Going to American Moments: Photographs from the Collection at the Philips' Collection
* Attending the Landmark Music Festival as a family (so much good music!)
* Reading Kate Atkinson's Life After Life


PLACES
* The Smithsonian American History Museum's new Innovations wing (so. much. fun.)
* Empty pools at the end of summer
* A family Saturday dog walk by Longbranch Nature Center (still love this place)
* Zipling and sliding at the National Cathedral's Beauvoir playground
* Journey Yoga's new Wednesday yin class (so. relaxing.)
* MD Renaissance Festival
* A day at the zoo (esp. the small mammal house) with Isla
* Attending Wanderlust (5K-yoga festival) with Ann
* The playground with T and the dogs after dark on a moonless night (T was a secret ninja)


FOOD
* The last meal salad from The Sprouted Kitchen Bowl and Spoon: Simple and Inspired Whole Foods Recipes to Savor and Share (pretty much the best salad ever).


STUFF
* My new camera bag. I've been looking for a camera bag that also makes a great purse, this works as either or both.

ETC.
* Jim and Val are back!
* Our labor day happy hour/party
* The fact that almost all the children in our neighborhood know all the lyrics to Journey's "Don't Stop Believing" (how did this happen? It wasn't through me)
* Movie night and drinks at the neighbor's after the back to school picnic
* Drinks with Lola
* Working out again with Myra (my personal trainer) after a 3 month break
* Wine night makeovers
* Neighborhood kids stopping by and teaching T how to skateboard
* Photographing a gorgeous Rust Manor wedding
* Watson visiting with his girlfriend and making us dinner
* T's friend - "do your sisters really think they can run faster than us?" T - "Not only can they run faster, they are stronger than us too. You can't beat them up, trust me, I've tried."

THE KIDS' LISTS:

F - A nice house to live in and food to eat, my family, that everything is so great, Happy & Coco, books

P - My family, Calvin and Hobbes, school, Laney, soccer, my teacher, playdates and sleepovers, that Halloween is coming

T - my family, school, Mateo coming in the morning, helping you with your photoshoot [at Rust Manor], working with Ms. C, my nunchucks, Halloween, my playdate with Julia, skateboarding with Cole and Jack, going to the music festival