Summer 2022, Week 7

The kids didn’t have any camps this week—- which was good because it was otherwise jammed with fun friends and family activities.

The girls and I went downtown to the National Theatre with a gaggle of friends to see the musical Six. It is super high-energy fun, fun, fun. The tragic bios of Henry' the VIIIs six wives are converted into something surprising, entertaining, and (even if it were just for a moment) thought-provoking.

The next night we met up with the Camarotes in Baltimore for the baptism of our sweet niece and nephew. I was honored to be Hamilton’s godmother. The deacon performing the service was just wonderful and engaging. He invited Baya and Linc to help out with the service- they were delighted to have a role. It was such a beautiful evening celebrating family and faith.

Last but definitely not least, the kids got a kids-only pool party with Aunt Anna immediately followed by an epic sleepover with tractor races at Grandma and Opa’s farm.

Here’s the Week 7 highlight reel. Hope you like it!

Wonder what we’ll do to top this next week???

Summer 2022, Week 6

Week 6 didn’t disappoint. Two-thirds of our kids went to skateboard camp with 5 of their friends from the neighborhood. It made for an epic carpool! Reviews were mixed. It was a great camp but apparently makes for a long week when you decide you don’t like skateboarding 20 minutes into Day 1. Sigh.

The delight of my week was a coffee date with the kids and my cousin and all-around awesome person Kenny Flanagan. He was in town from Mississippi doing what groups of rural county supervisors do in DC— shake hands and plead your case for two new roads and an airport.

We laughed and talked about family, dogs, his ideas for improving the game of soccer, and his candy distribution strategy when riding on the firetruck as Santa. He has “Magic Hands!”

We also talked about his seething hatred of Auburn football. The funny coincidence was after we parted and got back in traffic, we were RIGHT behind someone with Auburn plates. Too funny.

Marin had several soccer games this week— including 1 in torrential downpour, 1 under a rainbow, and her first in a big high school stadium. Oh and 1 had a truck selling beer. What?! So, of course, when in Rome…

Here’s our highlight video for the week.

That’s all for now! See you next week!

Summer 2022, Week 5

Week 5 means we’re half way through summer. So only 328 weeks to go. Kidding. We’re at the point when time is speeding up.

We kicked-off the week with another pool party at Aunt Anna’s. We then hosted a “chopped”-style cooking challenge with friends. Then we ended on a spendy shopping trip to Urban Outfitters just in time for the New Kids on the Block concert downtown. (Luckily we had help with hair and makeup from Baya.)

How’d we end up at the Mix Tape Tour concert featuring all the 90s favorites? Well, we got tickets last minute courtesy of Aunt Molly and Uncle Mike. The huge surprise was getting invited into their friend’s fancy suite with catered food, a full bar, and sparkly clean, convenient bathroom. Not exactly a normal concert experience for Marin- a first-timer! It’d be like getting bumped up to first class on your first-ever plane ride. It’s going to be hard to top this!

Also in the Week 5 mix where a bunch of sports and camps. For example, Linc finished up 3 “totally epic” weeks of travel day camp. Each day they get on a little bus and go to some super fun, interesting activity— water park, laser tag, the aquarium, etc. The final week was an outdoor adventure camp with a ropes course, fishing, paddling, outdoor survival skills (for 8-year-olds!?), and hiking. You can imagine which activity got his only ‘not fun’ rating.

Our video highlights are below. Thanks for watching!

PS- Regular blog readers might like to know that Brian’s photography skills have NOT improved. I mean, seriously. We’re supposed to be the focus of this picture, right? Why did he need to get the open utility room door and trash can!!!???

Summer 2022, Week 3

For the uninitiated, Boba tea (or bubble tea) is creamy or fruity, very sweet tea with chewy balls at the bottom. If you’re trying it for the first time, I’d highly recommend:

• Studying the menu for at least a week ahead of time. Then plan on ordering whatever the very cute but apathetic teenage cashier with extravagantly long lashes suggests. Don’t rely on your own knowledge of what you like. You don’t know.

• Then, specify your sweetness level. 0, 10, 30, 50, or 70%???!!! Huh? I’m not even a dentist and this seems like a bad idea.

• Most importantly, know that boba tea is a cool kid thing. Act annoyed when drinking it so you don’t mess up the “ass-thet-ic.” What, huh? Those words don’t even make sense.

Before I paid $17 to learn the lessons above, we had had a crazy week. It started with dropping the girls off at camp. We then celebrated the 4th with our dear friends and neighbors. Unfortunately, it was also our turn for Covid. Ugh.

We’re all better now, have our girls back and are looking forward to week 4! Thanks for watching our video!

Building the Butterfly Fence

An a desperate attempt to urge spring along, Baya and I decorated the back fence today with hundreds of beautiful, fluttering butterflies!

To start, we bough a couple hundred colored butterflies from… where else… Amazon. They’re a light but pretty sturdy plastic. We’d planned to glue them but realized very quickly that that wasn’t going to work.

We tried a couple different types of glue… including hot glue which required a sprint from the porch where the gun was plugged in. It tried WAY too quickly.

No problem!

We took a break for a quick trip to Michaels for a new staple gun. (We have one but, alas, no staples.) Once we had the right tools, the project progressed pretty quickly.

Baya placed every single one of these butterflies. I was just there to help out.

We were pretty pleased with how this came out! We don’t know how long they’ll last. We’re hoping until mid-June when we’ll switch. We’re already cooking up a plan for what’s next!

Winding back July

Here’s what will hopefully be the second in three-part series of “round ups” this summer. (I hate publicly committing to future writing that may or may not happen but that’s my goal.) You can find June’s here.

July’s routine was all about work, workouts, kid drop-offs, and day camps. All good stuff. However, there were a couple special things highlighted below.

Getting Organized

Kicking off the month, we were visited by a professional organizer, y’all!

This angel of bins, labels, and “like with like" helped us rein in the growing chaos in the kids’ playroom and bedroom. The issue was that they weren’t fully using the toys and clothes they have because they couldn’t see or find anything but what was on the surface. More importantly (and who are we kidding?), the mess was stressing me out. So something had to change.

In a couple “before” pictures below, you can see how their stuff was stuffed. Everywhere.

Just when I hit a breaking point, I found out a friend and colleague helps people get organized on the side. And, she’s amazing at it. Here’s how she worked…

After some preliminary discussion and sharing of pictures and goals, we decided she would come to our house two days in a row. Day 1 would be dedicated to the purge. Day 2 was putting the stuff we were keeping into its new home- with all its friends.

She started with a very short, interactive “lesson” for the kids on how to think about using a space, the benefits of being able to find the stuff you want, and how to think about organizing it all. She had them at, “use this sharpie to write on the wall (on paper).” We then dove into the grouping, sorting, and purging. Some went to the trash, the rest to a curbside give-a-way with one big thrift store drop off.

On Day 2, we put it all back together. A couple of things that were great about this for me…

• Having another adult with both the process and the willingness to roll-up her sleeves was super helpful. She’s kind, not judge-y at all, and great with kids. These qualities were just a bonus. I loved the results so much I would have taken a surly grouch. Please direct message me if you’d like an introduction.

• It’s also helpful to have the time block set aside. This project was something I’d previously tried to tackle a bit at a time with no real progress.

• Having a couple of new things- some new rugs, pillows, a throw, and bins just made the end result all the more satisfying. More stuff!!!

Ahhhhh…..

Lighting Up the Neighborhood

We celebrated the 4th with friends and illegal fireworks. What’s considered tame just about everywhere else is off limits here in Falls Church. Taking a calculated risk, Brian and Linc hit up the stand in our neighboring county (.4 miles away). We then pooled our stuff with our friends for a decent show.

Opening Up Shop

Next up, Baya opened an Etsy shop called, The Brightest Night. She makes really lovely, beaded bracelets inspired by the dragons in her favorite book series, Wings of Fire. I’ve been so impressed with her diligence and craftsmanship. The shop is open for business. And be on the look out for a more formal launch soon!

Fixing Food & Friends

Of course, last but not least… we’ve spent lots of time cooking, baking, smoking meat (Brian), catching lightening bugs, playing soccer in the rain, floating at the pool, and just hanging out with friends. Bring it, August!

Our garden is thriving this year thanks to more planning and attention and doubling the depth of our beds. Thanks Mom and Dad!!!

Winding back June

We closed out June all snuggled in our bed. As the kids red or watched their iPads, I wound back the month in my mind. Since school let out on the 10th, we’ve covered some ground— and still have so much summer left to go. Here’s a snapshot working back in time…

We went to the movies. Actually, we went twice— seeing the animated Spirit and In the Heights (just Marin and I with our dear friend and neighbor.) Both times we were nearly the only ones in the theatre. It was nice to sit in the dark with a humongous bucket of popcorn— which is really the only reason to go to the movies these days.

I did my first open water swim practice with Wave One at National Harbor. My first triathlon in nearly 20 years is coming up in 3 weeks. Hoping to avoid some of the inevitable panic during the swim, I figured some practice out of the pool in something chilly, brackish, murky and wave-y might help. Putting the weirdness of swimming in a public place where nearly everyone else is walking around fully clothed eating ice cream aside, this was a really great experience— the friendly group, calm, sparkly water with plenty of space was just awesome. Though I still I suspect all of this is just leading to me eventually being eaten by a shark (more on that phobia in a future post.)

Last week, the girls went to sleepaway camp for the first time at Camp Varsity in Madison, VA. They loved, loved, loved it. This baby step towards greater independence benefitted for all of us. While they were singing, hiking, and enjoying late-night “cabin talk,” Linc fully embraced his temporary status as an “only.” He enjoyed take-out, pool playdates, and having his grandparents and cousins all to himself at the annual River Bash. Brian and I got two date nights in a row which was pretty great too.

Before camp drop-off, we went cherry picking. This is one of those experiences with kids that never quite lives up to my imagination. It was HOT, a bit buggy, and uphill both ways through tall grass. It seemed like a good idea to get the big bucket. It wasn’t. We were all into it just long enough to cover the bottom with cherries. So it wasn’t long before I was yelling, “Just keep picking!!!” And all that annoyance was BEFORE I realized the pain in the ass it would be to pit them all. Ugh. What seemed like a quick, fun activity turned into a week-long project. The best thing that came out of this was these cherry bars. They were so good it was almost worth it. The other plus is that we have enough in the freezer to perfect our Luxardo maraschino recipe to keep us going with Old Fashions all winter.

The biggie this month was our trip to Ocean City, MD to visit the beach and Aunt Anna and cousin Jake. As a bonus, we got some chilly lunch and playtime in with Kelly and Ric’s Cambridge cousins.

As many of you know, Brian and I are not laying on the beach people. I hate sand, sand, and sun in anything but small quantities. Somehow we got three who LOVE the buckets, waves, shells, boogie boards, wet towels, snacks, and running back and forth to the water. Marin is like her Mom Mom T and could jump the waves for hours.

Brian spends his time grumbling about how different (subpar) the Maryland beaches are compared to New Jersey. He was part delighted and disgusted when the lifeguards actually called a meeting to warn about the riptide. Apparently, that would NEVER happen at the Jersey Shore. Here are just a few of the highlights from that trip.

Lastly, a couple of random highlights…

• Enjoying the most delicious mixed grill BBQ put on by our friends (including an actual Brazilian)— with marshmallows!

• Lots and lots of great food between our garden and nights out

• Backyard bubbles with neighbors, and, of course

• Plenty of screen time

San Fran, Yosemite, San Fran: Spring Break 2021

For spring break, we went to San Francisco, Yosemite National Park, then back to San Francisco again. The trip was bookended to allow for the logistics- long driving and flying times. Here are all those hours and miles condensed down to a quick 2 minute video.

In summary, it was great. I know I say that a lot but it’s true! Here were some of my highlights…

• The change from gray, chilly East Coast scenery to (unseasonable) 60-degree temps and bright blue skies. Both places were simply gorgeous and so refreshing.

• Getting back to Yosemite. It’s one of my most favorite places on the planet. It’s just spectacular- from the perspective-setting feeling of walking through the valley between massive, ancient rock walls, the bubbling of the Merced River, gushing falls, and grand views, just all of it.

• Walks and hikes with the kids with minimal complaining. I don’t want to jinx us, but we seemed to have turned a corner on enjoying outdoor experiences.

Catching up with my dear college friend Erin for pizza and wine on our last night.

• Going through the tank tunnels at the aquarium. It was such a simple, cool design to walk under the fish.

• Eating nearly all the groceries we bought- with no extra emergency stops for stuff we forgot. We’re getting good at planning meals to fix and eat where we’re staying. I only brought home a ½ jar of peanut butter and a box of mac and cheese. (Yes, this is a highlight because of how much I hate throwing away food.)

• The kids really got into the history on Alcatraz. The listened to every word of the audio tour— taking special interest in the escape attempts then sharing their ideas about how they would have done it. Baya takes after both my grandmothers and literally reads every pamphlet and every sign. It’s both great and incredibly tedious.

• Then there are all the little things I try to remember but know I’ll forget— like listening to the kids’ inside jokes with each other and made-up games. They really get along so well- except when they don’t. But through this pandemic we’re all getting better at figuring out the right carrots and sticks that make long days together in close quarters a little more manageable.

Eat, Run, Play & Repeat

Whoever “they” are say most New Year’s Resolutions fall away after the second week in February. I’m beating that average.

One of my vaguer goals for 2021 was to write more on the blog. I’d decided to half-ass it even more than normal by posting bulleted lists with a couple of pictures. After all, the intent behind the blog is to provide evidence to my future self and kids that we did some stuff. This was my attempt to lower the bar basically to the ground. As a master listed, I figured this shouldn’t be too hard.

Well. I’m at exactly zero posts for January.

And that’s fine. Sort of.

These posts aren’t due to anyone else- which is precisely the problem. I deliver on anything with someone else expecting it on the other end. This is not that. So many of my ideas get stowed in a black hole of a bucket called “maybe someday.”

I rationalize not writing by reciting my wishful thinking that I should be able to write as fast as I can type (I would have crushed in the secretarial pool.) Because writing feels slow, it also feels indulgent- an emotion that’s hard to add to the pile of other stuff I already feel guilty about.

So here I am on a quiet, snowy morning. All the “have to dos” are pretty much done so, here I go restarting my resolution to write bullet-y, picture-y posts on the blog.

And what exactly did January 2021 look like ‘round here? I’ll say upfront that this is just the easy, light kid stuff. Streaming through the minds of all the adults involved were the politics and attacks on the Capitol, a hope-filled inauguration, and the ongoing mess of school reopening (or not, as is the case.)

We started with a big barn bang. We took a family horseback riding lesson at @TalbotRun in Mount Airy. It’s one a handful of activities that everyone enjoys equally. We left chatty, laughing, and smelling like horseshit. Joy, joy, joy.

We ate well. One of my goals for the year is to get the kids cooking more and expanding their tastes beyond syrup and anything in nugget form. My sister and her husband gave us a gift certificate to a super fancy restaurant in DC with this gorgeous winterized outdoor patio. The food was just amazing. Linc had a Sprite. Meanwhile, we sampled all the major meal delivery services- Home Chef, Blue Apron, and Hello Fresh. All were great. We have one more to try before deciding if we’ll keep this going.

Brian and I continued our training programs for the 50K trail ultra in March. Running and thinking about running now occupies the few brain cells leftover after kids, work, and what’s for dinner. Last week, I did my first marathon-distance training run—which just surprised me for reasons I might write down at some point. The key takeaway is that it feels good to do something you never thought you could or would—even if your legs feel like concrete pilings afterwards.

We celebrated Marin’s 10th birthday on January 24th. We were so fortunate to have use of a good friend’s spacious and comfy ski house at Deep Creek. Conditions were great. Like horseback riding, everyone loves skiing. This eliminates the need for Brian or me to cajole or bribe them into participating- so it’s more fun for all. The girls skied their first black diamond. Baya is an exceptional and fearless skier. What makes it (secretly) fun for us is seeing how much she enjoys being better than her siblings in this one sport.

And lastly- the hair ordeal of 2021. After several days of hot tubbing and hot shotting around the slopes, Baya developed a knot that felt (no kidding) like a dead squirrel attached to her head. It started below her right ear curved around her neck. After a lot of trying and tears, we took her to the Hair Cuttery. They were AMAZING- so patient and kind. What started as a job for one woman, turned into 3. They worked and worked on her for about an hour and finally were able to comb and cut most of it out. We all resolved to really, really this time be good about brushing and braiding each day. I see another trip back for a serious trim in our near future.

Anyway, that’s all for now. I hope to see me back here some time before 4th of July!

Alaska Day 11: "It couldn't be funner"

You know when you think something is going to fun but than it’s, like, even better than you imagined? That was our ATV tour outside of Denali.

We had two vehicles- a 2-seater and a 3-seater. So, obviously we needed the kids to divvy themselves up. I was SURE I was going to lose this popularity contest. So, I was glad and relieved when someone (Linc) chose to ride with me.

After a brief review of the rules and an even briefer lesson on how the ATV worked, we were asked to drive a short test path. Make it through and you’re good to go. If not, well…

So in the way that she does, Marin says, “Mom, please don’t mess this up.” With that little pep talk, Linc and I were off down the 25 foot course. I’m happy to report I got a big thumbs up from the manager.

As we started down the trail, I’d offer to Linc, “bump coming” “ooh, bump ahead” “bumpity bump” before realizing the entire thing was bumps and I should just save my breath. A couple minutes later I asked him, if it was too bumpy. Linc says, “It’s bumpy but it couldn’t be funner.”

And then we saw a bull moose. Linc squealed. His whole little body seemed to be bursting with excitement.

It just got better from there. It was crazy terrain.

We stopped 4 or 5 times for a break and to take in the view. The guides- a couple from San Diego- were just sweet and encouraging and had a ton of information on the history of the land, plants, animals, and rocks.

I would have never really thought to do this, but it was a ridiculously good time. Much joy all around.

After that, we got Subway. So there was more happiest for the kids who were tired of eating PB&J and granola bars.

We then started the 4-hour drive back to Anchorage and did something so totally normal—placed a Papa Johns pizza order on the app. More delight from the backseat.

Once here in town, we checked into our final AirBnB- a funky but charming mid-century modern place right on the water. We explored a bit and played on the playground before watching more Alone and getting to bed.

Things I want to remember:

• Driving the riverbed in the ATV with the kids beaming

• More silliness with the “Wolf King” making an appearance in the backseat during the long drive

• Running through the house that felt like a mansion compared to our last hotel room