What We're Eating This Week 41/52

Saturday:
I had a mom's night out thing, so Ben fed the kids manwich and tater tots and carrots (blech)
Sunday:
Creamy tomato rigatoni and sausage with bread and a huge salad.
Monday:
Leftovers
Tuesday:
Grilled chicken breasts, roasted brussels sprouts with maple, hazelnuts, and bacon, stuffing (we didn't eat our chicken and stuffing last week due to scheduling concerns and a last-minute trip to Wrigley)
Wednesday:
Mid-week birthday party YAY!
Thursday:
I have big plans to go to a fancy book talk, so Ben and the kids will have leftovers (?) or deplete our stash of frozens, perhaps.
Friday:
Movie theater pizza and candy because we are seeing Goosebumps on the big screen (and Dorothy will never sleep again).

Open House

 I don't know about you, but I think that wearing pants to an elementary school open house is COMPLETELY overrated. 

I mean why would you even want to?

J/k.  All of our other kids wore pants, and we dod, too.

Few things are cuter than an elementary school open house, and this one was no exception.  Our kids were SO EXCITED to show us all of things they have been working on.  We loved it.

I think a family favorite was Cooper's (almost full after one single month of school) sketchbook.  Some of it was bright and colorful.

 And then there were pages like this:

We're off to a solid start.

Thanks to Instagram Stories, I Don't Even Have to Blog Anymore.

Dorothy finally went to the library at school, something she has been dying to do, even though we go to the library literally ALL THE DAMN TIME.  She was, like, radiantly happy when she brought her book home, and I just loved it so much.

Nailed It or Failed It: 18 for 2018 Update

-->

1. Blog everyday:  I am soooooo doing this.

2. No FB 9-5 M-F:  Believe it or not, I have gotten way better, but I definitely still fall victim to the mindless scroll.

3.  Read 100 books:  Killed it!

4.  Read Poetry: Yes!  This has really been wonderful.

5.  Table Setting: I am definitely thinking about this one, but I haven't done a lot to make it better.

6.  Book plot/writing: I SUCK and feel like a total loser here.  I didn't write over the summer and now it's October and I am still not back into the book on a regular basis.  

7.  Print Pics: You would think that I was doing great with this one, since, you know, I lost all of my pictures from 2010-2013.  But, alas.

8.  Track Spending: I finally started doing this!  It's terrible! And also really good for me! You would not believe the amount of crap I haven't bought.

9.  Post on Insta and 1SE:  Insta stories has kind of screwed this up for me. I also feel like I take fewer pictures when I am still falling into a new routine, like I am right now.  Or am I?  Like, how many weeks do I give myself a pass on writing, for example, under the guise of a new routine?

10:  Have a dinner party: FAIL.

11.  Let the kids entertain more at home:  WORKING.  ON.  IT.

12.  Write poetry: Yes!

13.  Volunteer for candidates:  Yes!

14.  Clean the closet + maintain it: Yes!

15.  Family movie night:  Since school started, this one is back and better than ever.

16.  Paint the downstairs and fix the bathroom:  NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE

17.  Harmonious mornings: Yes!  Summer was easy because we didn't have to go anywhere, but ever since school started, we have developed a really nice routine.  Mornings are a breeze basically.  Except!  I average about 11.5 minutes to get dressed for the day from shower to walking out the door.  I would probably look better if I could increase this time a smidge.

18:  More date nights:  We are knocking this one out of the park.  we still haven't had any alone date nights, but we are hanging out more with friends, which is lovely.

I am inspired by the #last90days hashtag to finish the year strong.  For me, this means working on my writing project in a consistent way.  When I make my 19 for 2019 list, I am going to be more mindful of things I probably actually don't want to do because I hate not being able to cross something off a list. That doesn't seem to be enough motivation, though, for me to actually change behavior I don't want to change.

Something I did buy: Shoes that require NO SOCKS.  I think these will get us through to Ugg season. (Have I talked about the sock issues Dorothy is having o this blog?  Or just on Fb?  No matter:  she hates socks and getting dressed has been tricky

Shoes, Cubs, and Schedule Snafus

WHY would anyone ever go to a store ever again?  I ordered Dorothy a pair of shoes on Saturday.  They showed up on Monday but were too small.  Zappos sent me a new pair (that I ordered on MONDAY NIGHT) before she got home from school on Tuesday.  And?  The whole thing was supported by completely free shipping and I had to front exactly ZERO extra dollars for the exchange. I MEAN.

In other news, Ben took Harry and Jack to Monday's Cubs game at Wrigley.  Even though the Cubs lost, these guys were big winners because they got to trade their perfectly fine seats on the terrace for THIRD ROW SEATS ON THE FIELD right behind first base thanks to an awesome stranger.

 Jack got a foul ball, and Anthony Rizzo tossed a ball to Harry, and they met really nice drunk fans who heckled all the players.  (Ben said Harry tried to get a harasser-shaming chant going for Heder (a la Melissa McCarthy in Life of the Party when she adds "and equal pay for equal work" to a drinking cheer., I like to imagine)).

 Meanwhile, I cut my day short to pick up Cooper and Dorothy and take them to the doctor for flu shots and a check up.  In a total departure from his usual lie-to-the-children-about-unpleasant-things approach to fatherhood, Ben TOLD THEM about the flu shots at Sunday dinner, and they were basically worried for like 20 hours.  But when we got to the doc, the robot receptionist had no record of our appointment,  And the flesh and blood surly receptionist whom I went to after the robot failed me was all, "Don't you remember that we called you to reschedule and you made new appointments in November?" And I looked at her and then at me in my work clothes and at my 2 scraggly kids and was like, "Clearly not."

And then!  They got to come with me to my Monday meeting.  ALWAYS SO FUN.

Ben and the boy had the best day ever, and I had the Monday-est case of the Mondays around.  The week can only get better, right? (For me-- for them it can only get worse BWAHAHAHAHA).

Weekending

Dorothy and Cooper have started a thing where they hair chalk their hair on Friday mornings, and I basically love it.

 Instagram eyebrows for sure.

 IT IS SO COLD HERE.  Like, one day it was 76 and completely gorgeous, and the next day, it's 52 and windy.  And also!  My hair is totally growing in gray.  I mean what the hell guys?

I was reading a book at baseball (MOTHER OF THE YEAR, I KNOW), and Harry and Cooper were playing with my phone, so there are a million pictures just like this one:

Usually Dorothy is right there with Snap Chat, but she was sitting under a picnic table drinking hot chocolate with 2 older girls.  For 2 hours.  It was kind of awesome.

Also Jack scored the go-ahead run by stealing home on a dropped ball and then then his team won, so that was awesome, too.

Coach Dad was really proud,  The whole thing was cute.  And then we came home to a slow-cooked dinner, and Ben and I had the kind of cool Saturday night that I bet you imagine we have watching the season premier of Blue Bloods.  God I love that show.  Although I will say, most of the amazing plot developments happen off camera between seasons, which is always confusing.

Speaking of Trader Joes, this cocoa!  YES. (Makes a great at-home mocha)

Also these crackers and this cheese (TOTALLY stocking up for Thanksgiving)

Jack studied for a math test, which was pretty cute

And he worked on a back 1.5 at dive lessons

We had a generally cozy and boring weekend.  We started with a date night with friends at a wine bar and then a tapas place and ended with a Play doh, hot chocolate and pajama day.  Pretty much perfect.

September: What I Read

Only one quarter of 2018 to go-- HOW CAN THAT BEEEEEEEE?

There are some excellent books on this list.  The top 6, for example, are super.  What are you waiting for?

13. Jell-O Girls: A Family History by Allie Rowbottom:  This book was pretty good.  But the reviews!  I think they over claim.  Not sure what's going on here, actually.  Anyone read it and have a different opinion?

12. Take Me With You by Andrea Gibson: Poetry!

11. Queen of Hearts by Kimmery Martin: Total Chick lit, elevated by all the doctor talk.  Loved it.

10. You're On an Airplane by Parker Posey:  Worth the read for the tiny little part where she talks about filming the Christopher Guest movies.  Or, you know, you could just read that part.

9. The Good Daughter by Karin Slaughter:  Like John Grisham for girls.

8. Like Brothers by Mark and Jay Duplass:  Funny.  Sweet.  Kind of weird.

7. Meaty by Samantha Irby: Now I want to read all of the things she has ever written.

6. The Dependents by Katharine Dion:  I LOVED THIS!  I also dug the Tolstoy references because she is exploring a particular unhappy family and unpacking the cultural truism that men die right after they are widowed.

5. The Destiny Thief: Essays on Writers, Writing, and Life by Richard Russo:  Bah.  Love the commencement speech.  Love "Imagining Jenny."  Hate how he lays bare the old boys' club that is writing in America even as he attempts to debunk that myth.

4. The Pisces by Melissa Broder:  SO WEIRD AND FUNNY.  I felt bad laughing at Lucy because she is seriously nuts, but wow.  Give this one a read and tell me what the hell happened, would you?

3. That Kind of Mother by Rumaan Alam:  This book is dreamy.  Like, the plot is actually really sad, but the main character is so detached from her feelings that everything feels like a dream.  She is so privileged I want to just shake her, and I think that's what the writer is going for?  Also, you know how I feel about dudes, but this is awesome.

2. Asymmetry by Lisa Halliday:  I ultimately really liked this spare little book, but I was really, really into the first story and when the perspective changed, I was sad to see it end.  I often have that problems with books that are told in disparate chunks.  I think maybe it's not my favorite style.

1. Trajectory by Richard Russo:   The first story is fantastic.  A little taste of my favorite kind of Russo-- the academic skewering kind.