Around Here...
For someone who doesn't like to be busy (me) there certainly is a lot of action going on (here)! School is in full swing and we are being pulled in several directions. Our elementary school is wonderful because it offers lots of after-school activities: book clubs, Spanish club, science club, sports club, etc. Well, when you have three kids, guess what? Someone is attending something every day after school. Which is a good thing. My kids get an extra hour of enrichment with their friends. If I could freeze time right now I would. Having Carver, Lily, and Z at the same place at the same time all day is a huge blessing. Volunteering is a breeze because I can see all of them in one day and really get some quality time in their classrooms.

Zinabu started chess club this week. Is he a nerd, or what? There are about 20 kids who meet after school and play chess together with the 2nd grade teacher. Zinabu doesn't know all the rules yet but he loves the game. Zinabu is also a perfectonist, which is making kindergarten more of a struggle for him than it should be. Every once in a while--should his crayon stray outside the lines--he has a meltdown. This is a characteristic that I absolutely cannot relate to. Perfectionism is so not me. At all. I'm the lady that sets the bar low. So if you have a perfectionist kiddo I'd love to hear what you do to comfort them when they flip out over the little things.

Carver chose a new instrument to try this year. The French Horn! Other than the occasional giggles when it sounds like someone with bad indigestion, he's having a great time learning a brass instrument.

Lily is Lily. Steady and predictable and perfect at school and a wee bit more emotional at home. Ahem. On the bright side, she pushes me to be a better mom. Right? RIGHT? Someone tell me that's the bright side.

As for me, I discovered something amazing (thanks to the marvelous invention of cable TV that we now have). The Barefoot Contessa. I've caught her show a couple of times, and I have to say she inspires me to cook. Something about the fact that she's so laid back... and her recipes are incredibly yummy but don't look very hard to make. Case in point: beef stew. Gah! I was salivating all over my lap. Maybe it's the fact that her kitchen looks like mine, so I can imagine myself making all her delightful recipes. Kinda like putting on a new pair of running shoes makes you feel you can run faster??? Maybe it's the fact that she's so calm and simple, it doesn't look like she's cooking anything too difficult. But for someone that gets so tired of coming up with breakfast, lunch, and dinner every single day, I think I love her.

David just returned from a fast weekend in Minnesota visiting his mom, brother, and aunt. He had a wonderful visit and dutifully found Minnesota Vikings shirts for all the kids. We are awash in purple.

And other than the fact that I am now on a quest for the perfect pair of red heels (see previous post), all is well.