Update on life

Well hey there, long time, no blog. No reason, just busy with life – same old, same old. Thought I’d take a minute to get you caught up with what’s been going on, I’ll try to make it as interesting as possible because it’s not really very interesting at all.

• Despite my original impression, I am hooked on Orphan Black and have been watching it as often as I can to get caught up. I just finished season one and will go on to season two this week. I think it’s so fascinating because one actress plays multiple clones who are all VERY different and she does it wonderfully.
• The World Cup is currently going strong which furthers the soccer watching in my household by about tenfold. I accidentally said to another parent at daycare this morning when he was lamenting Australia’s loss for my husband, “Well, it’s just soccer.” The look on his face clearly indicated that I might as well have spit on his baby… his calling it “football” should have warned me off of sharing that sentiment out loud.
• Liam went to camp for the first time by himself – just two nights – and he loved it, at least I think he said because he said he did one time and then didn’t want to share anything else about the weekend. It was fun, he wants to go back and that is all he has to say about it. For a kid who talks nonstop, he is very closed off when it comes about talking about anything that happens directly to him.
• We are about 50% done with putting a playground thing in the backyard. Simon had to build a frame that we could get filled with dirt and woodchips for the play equipment to go on top of, next comes the actual dirt and woodchips and then he has to build the equipment… can’t wait for the kids to actually use it, also because it means we can both park in our garage again. Our kids were disappointed to see that Costco didn’t ship us an entirely built play structure, a detail I’m sure the FedEx Freight guy actually appreciated.
• I’m hooked on a new smoothie concoction: ice, 1/2-3/4 c. skim milk, 1/4 c. vanilla greek yogurt, 1 packet instant oatmeal (I use Better Oats Maple and Brown Sugar), 1/2 banana, 2 TB. peanut butter (I use the powdered PB2 = all the protein and flavor and WAY less calories), a shake or two of cinnamon. Blend and enjoy.
• Also hooked on a new-to-me local restaurant: Gita Pita. All fresh-made ingredients and hands-down the best falafel I’ve ever tasted since the first time I had it in Denver back in 1999.
• Jack finally let me trim up his hair last night after denying us access for the last month – I love that he loves his hair longer and it mostly doesn’t bother me, but it was so long and straight that when he was swimming last week, he couldn’t see every time he came out of the water. Cute but too long.
• I planted a bunch of perennials in the back yard last month… sadly rabbits ate most of them so I transplanted the rest, bought new plants for the front that are drought-, deer- AND rabbit-resistant and sprayed everything with Liquid Fence which smells (literally) like poop. So far, so good.
• I’m also patting myself on the back for my prolific mint growth, until I remember that mint is pretty much the easiest thing in the world to grow so if my basil and tomatoes make it then I can congratulate myself. Verdict is still out.
• I spend way too much time Googling gardening topics.
• I also spend way too much time looking up results for #pacificcresttrail or #pct on Instagram… after reading Wild for book club I was interested in seeing the current reality of hikers on the Trail – though not at all inspired to try the trek myself. I prefer to keep my toenails on my feel, thankyouverymuch.
• Our summer weekends have been pretty great so far… but anything’s an improvement from last summer when we were selling our house, packing everything up and moving. It’s nice to enjoy spending time together and with friends and family without having deadlines looming. I will take more of this, please.
• We made a summer bucket list yesterday – Liam asked to include visiting the moon and Legoland California so I had to limit items to Michigan, though I relented on them being entirely summer-related when I allowed “Making peppermint patties” to be added to the list – who am I to deny him that joy?
• Only two more months of daycare which makes me excited to not be spending the money and sad that an era is coming to a close. Jack will be starting kindergarten in the fall… mah baaaybbbeeeee.
• Taekwondo is still going strong. The boys love it and I enjoy chatting with the neighbors during class so it’s a win-win!
• I chalk-painted my first thing this past week and I kind of love it. Now I’m looking at all the furniture in my house and trying to envision it painted a different color. Funsies.
• We dog-sat for friends a few weekends ago which further cemented in my mind that I want a second dog – sadly Simon doesn’t share my sentiments. I had hoped to win him over but he cannot be swayed.
• Two out-of-town college friends and their families were here this past weekend so we girls and our fams all got together. Jonna is now from WAY out of town in South Africa and Pauline is more near being from near Boston. It was lovely to hang out with them and stay up chatting until 2 in the morning on Friday night (Saturday morning?). I really am so blessed to call them friends and wish we could all see each other way more often but we make the most of it when we can – even with 17 children between us we can still catch up!
• The frogs have taken over again – tiny little things hopping all over our lawn, driveway and mainly the pond across the street. The kids love it and I have to just get over the creepiness of knowing I’m stepping on them when I walk on the pathways over there. Clearly 100s of them don’t make it (if not 1000s) since come fall, seeing a grown up frog is a rather rare occasion.

Work is good. The boys are good. Simon and I are good. For now, we’ll take it. Something will come along soon enough and change things up… for now, peace and calm (in the midst of the tantrums, deadlines and periodic bouts of bad attitudes by everyone involved).