friday photos

We've been lacking in photos lately, in part because I managed to lose our camera. ... You know what, I'd feel better if I phrased that in the passive: our camera is lost. 

The Zen approach often works well in cases of missing, non-critical items. Wait patiently, and the item will soon turn up while you are doing something totally unrelated. Unfortunately, it's been over a week and no camera sightings.

Luckily, I have this great series of photos from our trip to Wisconsin a few weeks back. Who do you think is the older cousin here?

Maybe Genghis and I will practice singing Jack Johnson's "The Sharing Song" this afternoon.

it's finals week

You know how most college students go crazy at the library during finals week, cramming for exams, writing papers in their own blood, cursing all group projects ever created?

That was never me.

I either had professors who gave finals during the last week of class, so they could have more vacation time, or I had done well enough during the semester that I didn't need to do very well on finals. (Or the reason could simply be that I was an English major.)

Anyway, finals week were the best. Because I didn't have any classes to go to, I had just enough on my plate to keep from going bored, and I could usually talk people into participate in fun alternatives to studying in order to stay sane.

For the last month, I feel like I have been making up for all of those lovely finals weeks.

I am not in any classes. But every deadline in existence has been on my calendar. Along with doctor's appointments, house-hunting, Major Financial Decisions, exercise goals, birthdays, vacations (ack - did that just make my to-do list? something is amiss). I feel like my body is breathing but my brain is not.

I think I'm going through a grown-up growth spurt. Terribly busy and totally unexciting.

Does that mean I can eat that last brownie to make me feel better?

toddler activities - home on a hot day

Before it was a billion degrees (and don't even make me go to the heat index), I got the great idea to scrub the walls of my screened-in porch. This wasn't totally crazy. They do get pretty dirty with wind and rain coming through.

The job took a while, but to my delight that Genghis was incredibly helpful. He industriously used the squirt bottle to wet the walls and even tried his hand and wiping them down. In fact, he stayed out cleaning the walls for about 30 minutes after I had finished. Although evidence suggests that a good portion of that time he was squirting the water directly into his mouth. (We'll stick with water or water/vinegar cleaners for now).

Playing with the water bottle is on my checklist for hot afternoons at home.

Another idea for hot days inside? Flashlights in the closet. If you have a walk-in closet, laundry room, or dark room, take the kids in and turn on some flashlights. Genghis was really pleased that we had a regular flashlight that gave off yellow-orange light and an LED-light that was more blue. A twist on this would be to rubber band a piece of tissue paper over the light for different colors.

We also like ending every day with Otter Pops (pre-bath).

friday photos, with a long preface

Where does the time go?

Actually, I can tell you exactly where.
- A week of strep throat
- A week of vacation
- An increasing stack of work assignments
- A faster-than-expected job search for Abe that leaves us making a decision about graduation, employment and cross-country moves by next week
- An adorable but biologically needy 4 month old
- An adorable but psychologically exhausting 2 year old


All of the non-essentials have been totally neglected, this blog included. (Baking cookies and making smoothies on a regular basis, by the way, is definitely an essential.)

It was eye-opening, really, to realize that the world basically keeps moving along just as it did before, without me blogging about it. Who knew? Of course, this realization tempted me to never click the "new post" button on this blog again. Maybe not open my Google Reader. Maybe even delete my Facebook account! (confession: I go on Facebook approximately once a month.)

But then I remembered that I just got my first smartphone, so I'm stuck with social media for the time being. (another confession: when I had my flip phone, I slept with it by my bedside as an alarm clock. I haven't yet slept with my smartphone by my bedside. It's unnerving to have something that intelligent right by me while I sleep blissfully unaware. No offense, Abe.)

And so, after that meta-analysis, on to some popcorn photos.

These are a few shots from a trip to Wisconsin with lots of family. Here Genghis prepares for the merry-go-round at Green Bay's Bay Beach amusement park.

The fearless gunner.

 Serious play at the Green Bay Children's Museum.

Xena leaning back to watch the mounted T.V. at Zesty's lunch stop.

And that's it for today. Maybe not the best capture of all the fun and excitement around here, but it's something.