Well, here we go ’round the mulberry bush – again.  It’s Monday.  Who else is not ready?  We had a really nice weekend – the perfect combination of low-key hanging out time and a fun adventure, but it was just too short.  Even though last week was a short workweek, I ended it really exhausted.  I was sick with a head cold and stomach upset, which happened to hit on the day I had an Important Meeting, I was swamped with work, and I was working late and stressing out most nights.  So the two lovely days this weekend were much needed, but I could use another one.  Fortunately, the week ahead is going to be a fun one for me – but more on that another time.  Anyway!  On Saturday, we had plans to hang out with Zan after her hair appointment.  So the kids and I spent the morning chilling on the patio – gardening, FaceTiming Nana to wish her a happy birthday, kicking the soccer ball around, reading (me) and digging in the sandbox (them) while we waited for her to arrive.  Once she got to the house we all walked over to the playground together, and then while the kids had lunch I drove her home, then stopped by my office, which I sort of regretted, because it’s right near the Caps’ rink and the whole neighborhood was swarming with people getting hype for Game 3 of the Stanley Cup finals – #ALLCAPS – so finding parking was an almost impossible task.  I considered giving it up and just going home, but there were some notes in my office that I really needed.  On Sunday, we had an extra special adventure planned – a trip to the National Aquarium in Baltimore.  My high school BFF bought us gift tickets for Christmas and we had been saving the trip for a rainy day, which Sunday really, really, really was.  (We couldn’t figure out how to redeem the gift tickets until after we had thrown up our hands and purchased some, so we will be going back – no complaints here!)  The aquarium was a lot of fun.  They had a huge coral reef right in the middle, which was gorgeous.  And there were puffins, lots of turtles and rays, and a bunch of sharks.  The kids had the best time and we are already plotting our return trip.  We were home by lunch and the rest of Sunday was chill – I worked (using the notes that I had to fight all that traffic to get on Saturday) and read, Steve played a game with friends, Peanut practiced her writing, and Nugget took a lovely snooze.  And now it’s time to do it all again – but lucky me, I have a few days out of the office this week, including a trip to Richmond on Wednesday to be officially sworn into the Virginia Bar – wahoo!  Wish me luck.

Reading.  Bit of a slow week.  I was dividing my reading time between fun (Scenes of Clerical Life, by George Eliot – I’ve read Middlemarch twice but never attempted anything else of hers) and educational (The Explosive Child – always looking to add to my parenting skills toolbox).  I’m also continuing my journey through the back issues of Slightly Foxed and enjoying myself immensely.  Issue four (winter 2004) features some great essays, including Penelope Lively on Arctic nature writing, so obviously a winner.

Watching.  The best thing I watched was Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals – we are #ALLCAPS in this house!  (Sorry, Adam.)  There were some great goals and saves – it was a fun watch.  For some reason (as I told Zan) I thought that the series was over and I’d missed the chance to watch any games, so I was very happy to find that’s not the case.  While my first allegiance is to the Sabres, of course, they’re a bunch of sad sacks lately and the Capitals have been my second-favorite (i.e. root-for-them-against-everyone-but-the-Sabres) team since I first moved here in 2003, so this is all very exciting.

Listening.  Lots of podcasts this week.  I tend to swing back and forth between book podcasts and parenting podcasts, and this week was more on the parenting end of the spectrum.  I listened to Crunchy Cocktail Hour on “what kind of a crunchy mom are you?” (scrunchy-leaning-crunchy, for anyone who is curious) and “healthy home remedies” (ordered activated charcoal off Amazon before the episode was even over), and The Mom Hour on kids’ summer clothes and gear (y’all, I feel so seen and I also need one of those mesh bags).

Laughing.  Kids say the darndest things.  This weekend, Nugget licked my face – yeah, he’s a face-licker, we’re working on it – and then said “My tongue is pretty funny, don’t ya think, Mom?”  Also, he learned to make flatulence noises with his mouth.  (I try not to be gender normative, but he is ALL boy.)

Blogging.  I have a bookish week coming up for you – jumping on the “blog name in books” bandwagon on Wednesday, and a new edition of Lit Bits on Friday.  Check back with me then!

Loving.  We have the best neighbors.  We live in a row house and on one side we have a sweet elderly lady, and on the other side, a couple that the kids are absolutely obsessed with – especially the wife.  They are always watching out the window for her and shouting when they see her.  The neighbors love the kids too and tolerate them playing on their patio and wandering in and out of their house – and they even went out and bought flowers to plant in our yard with the kids.  I have been ridiculously lucky with neighbors for pretty much all of my adult life, but our current neighbors are particularly sweet.

Asking.  How was your weekend?  What are you reading this week?