Archive for January, 2018

A note from this blogger

Friday, January 26th, 2018

For more than ten years, I posted here every day or every other. Once I started blogging before Zoe was born, it quickly became part of my daily routine – and there was always so much to say or report on.

These days, not so much.

There’s still a lot I could share, but let’s be honest: Photos and stories of older kids are slightly less compelling than those of babies and preschoolers. And, importantly, there doesn’t seem to be as much time in my day for blogging anymore. The older the girls get, the busier I feel: There are days when getting the kids to/from school or other activities, making lunches and dinners, and working with them on homework – on top of working, working out, and doing stuff around the house – doesn’t leave much time for extras.

And, so, if you don’t hear from me for longer-than-normal stretches of time, don’t worry. Know that we’re all still out here, doing our thing, and that the girls are happily working on school projects or after-school activities (like running for Zoe). And know that I’ll pop by when I can – to share fun stories or photos or report on parenting and life with a preteen and a (very entertaining) almost-tween.

-M

“But you’re a boy”

Monday, January 22nd, 2018

Avery made me laugh the other night when she started talking about a boy in her class. After telling me she thought he might have a crush on her, she sprinted over to where Q was sitting and asked him, “How do you know if a boy likes you?” Q’s response (probably because he was caught off-guard) was: “I don’t know…” “But you’re a boy!” Avery replied impatiently.

-M

Little readers

Friday, January 19th, 2018

I walked into the living room to this cute scene the other afternoon. “Look, we’re reading together – you should take our picture,” Avery said to me. And so I did.

-M

Four girls and a mouse

Wednesday, January 17th, 2018

It was high drama here at the house when some field mice recently decided to take residence. (We first spotted a mouse before our Hawaii trip and  thought we had the problem  taken care of, but several others made an appearance last weekend.) We wound up sequestering one in the girls’ playroom and we decided to capture and release it; luckily good friends came over and helped us out.

I love this photo of the girls and our friends victoriously marching down our street with the mouse, which wasn’t easy to catch. What happened next was super sad (let’s just say a big crow was involved and the kids got a lesson in nature’s food chain) but they were pretty happy for awhile!

-M

Back to the track

Monday, January 15th, 2018

Dating back to when Zoe was a baby, we’ve gone to the race track to celebrate Q’s birthday. We went again last week; here are a few pics.

-M

Boys

Saturday, January 13th, 2018

Avery, at the age of eight, has made an important discovery about the opposite sex.

“You know what’s really annoying?” she asked me after school yesterday. “Boys.” And, after a pause (but without explanation), “boys this age are so immature.”

I had to smile.

-M

Landmark project

Thursday, January 11th, 2018

As mentioned earlier, Avery has been hard at work on her landmark project. (Before winter break she was assigned and asked to prepare a poster-board presentation on a San Francisco spot; hers is the Ferry Building.) She recently finished and posed proudly for her dad.

-M

Party ready

Tuesday, January 9th, 2018

Last weekend, Zoe and a few friends attended the bat mitzvah of a classmate’s sister. It’s the first of many in their future (in seventh grade there’s a bat or bar mitzvah practically every weekend), and I loved seeing them all dressed up – and looking so big.

-M

Hawaii, then & now

Sunday, January 7th, 2018

Two last things from Hawaii (I promise!): A family shot we took on another favorite spot on the island – compared to the same shot two years ago.

-M

Aloha, part V

Friday, January 5th, 2018

Our last batch of trip photos come from our last days on the Island. On Christmas Day, we hopped in the car and went on an 11-hour road trip around the island. Among our stops: a coffee farm/museum (one of the few businesses open), a black sand beach and the volcano national park. And the following day, spent at a new hotel, was all about lounging around and looking at beautiful things. (What better things to do on a vacation?)

-M

Aloha, part IV

Wednesday, January 3rd, 2018

One of our favorite spots on the Big Island — both to hang out and snorkel — is right outside the Mauni Lani Beach Club. Q and I first discovered it when we took our anniversary trip there a few years ago and were excited to show the girls the following year. And we went back again…

-M

Happy 2018!

Monday, January 1st, 2018

A quick post to say: Happy New Year! 2017 wasn’t the best year (for a variety of reasons), but here’s hoping for a happier, healthier 2018.

-M