Tuesday Musings

• I continue to find it fascinating that my kids only ask theological questions while we are in the car… What is heaven like? Will we ever be as old as God since we will live forever in heaven? Will there be food there? What does it look like? How come Satan didn’t want to stay in heaven? Will it be hot or cold in heaven? How can we live forever? What happens if I do something bad? Why did Jesus have to die on the cross? The questions are endless and I do my best to answer them but almost NEVER do they ask them once we are home. It’s like the minivan is their stage for grilling their mom about religion.
• They also talk about farting and underwear to make each other laugh so there’s that.
• We did ArtPrize with and without kids… I much preferred touring downtown with just my husband and not having to clothesline Jack by pulling on the hood of his sweatshirt to keep him from knocking down an art piece or crawling under the ropes that keep people back from the artwork (I saw in the news that someone else’s child broke a sculpture that was on a bench… that totally could have been us. In the article, it was funny how the security guy at the venue basically blamed the mom for this happening; clearly someone who didn’t have kids himself, or had the rare breed of child who behaves perfectly in public and doesn’t try and approach the pretty, breakable artwork that was not roped off and seated on a BENCH in a public space).
• This past weekend was pretty sweet… one of those weekends I always envisioned having when I was a grown up. Friday afternoon Liam had a friend over, then a sitter came and I went out with my college friends. Saturday I went to a thing at church, then got to go have lunch BY MYSELF at Panera with my music and a book, came home and sent Simon off to rugby in Detroit while Liam had another play date with his BFF. We went to a local farm stand for donuts and apple cider slushies (seriously so good), let the kids play and then drove the BFF back home and was invited in for drinks and delicious food which helped pass the evening so wonderfully. Sunday was church, Sunday school, homemade roasted butternut squash soup, a nap on the couch, Simon played outside with the kids and I made applesauce and then the hubs and I watched the premiere of Homeland. I could not ask for more (other than someone to clean my kitchen).
• I accidentally caught part of an episode of Blacklist and I might like it… the jury is still out on that one.
• Love The Voice and much appreciate not being bombarded with Christina’s cleavage during the early rounds – I’m sure it will make an appearance later but I might be back to liking her again so I could be inclined to forgive it. [Hilariously I was using my voice recognition for text my friend Stef about it and said, “And I think she’s being less bitchy this year.” And my phone changed it to “b*****” – totally got censored by my own conservative phone.]
• The Today Show had a segment called Fact or Fiction today where Matt Lauer presented two stories and you had to determine which was real… sadly one about Extreme Ironing (like with the household tool) was true. It is a thing.
• Simon’s going to Iowa this weekend for a football game with my dad, brother and nephew… here’s hoping this coming weekend is still as good as the last one. I am not real hopeful. There’s a 50/50 chance one of my kids will puke while he is gone. The first three times Simon was gone after Liam was born, the kid threw up each time, no lie. And one time I fell down the stairs (unrelated to the puking), bad things happen with my dearest is away is what I’m saying.
• I get unreasonably mad at the local weather people when they tell me humid weather is on the way. I hate humidity (dear children, in this case, it’s okay to use the word hate. We are allowed to say we hate humidity and robbers).
• You really have to love meteorology to want to become a weather person.
• Just got an email from a retailer advertising mesh yoga leggings… um, no. That seems ill-advised.
• After reading an article in Costco’s Connection magazine (of all places), I really want to read Malcolm Gladwell’s new book, “David and Goliath.”

In David and Goliath, Malcolm Gladwell challenges how we think about obstacles and disadvantages, offering a new interpretation of what it means to be discriminated against, or cope with a disability, or lose a parent, or attend a mediocre school, or suffer from any number of other apparent setbacks.

• My kids are OBSESSED with Pokemon. Liam got a Pokemon-branded binder for his birthday and Jack has been carrying around his cards in his hand or a plastic box so yesterday I bought him a 3-ring diner and card-holder pages so he has his very own binder. Last night he slept with it, pulling it up under his cheek and stroking it lovingly. Cute and disturbing.
• I’m going to print a Pokemon picture to stick in the front of the binder – we’ll see who is the fun parent then!