Monday, Monday, Monday – it’s here again.  This Monday starts a fresh new fiscal year for me – it’s been a long, exhausting and stressful road, but it’s done and now we’re on to a new year and back to zero on the billable hours clock.  Unlike many of my colleagues, I didn’t have to work through the weekend to meet my hours requirement – I hit it last week.  So I got to soak up the first gloriously sunny weekend we’ve had in what feels like eons.  On Saturday, we were planning a trip to the farmers’ market and then a hike at Mount Vernon, but we were so slow to get going that it ended up a one-or-the-other situation, and we decided on the hike.  And a nice one it was, if a bit muddy.  The rest of the day was spent hanging around the house.  I made a quick run to the natural foods store for some fresh produce and specialty ingredients that I can’t get through Amazon Fresh (which Steve is still using despite my constant complaints about it), and spent the rest of the afternoon hanging out on the back patio while Nugget dug in the sandbox and Peanut took pictures of my dying tomato plants with her pink camera.  We walked out to our favorite neighborhood pizza joint and hit the waterfront park in the evening, and other than the lack of ice cream (too full) it was perfect.  Sunday was, if possible, even more chill.  I did a little bit of work, but spent the rest of the day bumming around the house with the kids.  There was more sandbox time in the morning and random stories and playing all afternoon.  Somewhere in there I polished off two books, too, about which more below.  In general, it was just a nice, laid-back, do-nothing weekend.  I get down on those sometimes because I want to go out and have adventures, but sometimes I need to cave to the rest of the family and just be lazy.  So that’s what I did.  But I hope next weekend is as beautiful, because my fall agenda isn’t going to adventure itself.

Reading.  Last week was such a slow Monday through Friday on the reading front that I was beginning to wonder if I was in a slump and didn’t know it.  I was just more interested in podcasts than in books on my commute, and kept getting sucked into mindless scrolling after the kids went to bed.  So it took me the entire workweek to finish The Fortnight in September, even though it was an absolute joy to read.  I know!  What is the matter with me?  Whatever it is, I guess it’s fixed (fingers crossed) because I slammed two books in two days over the weekend – started Astrophysics for People in a Hurry on Friday night after finishing Fortnight, and finished it on Saturday evening.  I’m pleased to report that I understood two whole sentences in it!  Between Saturday night and Sunday afternoon, I read Class Mom, the October selection for my book club.  I’ll say more in my September reading recap, but – meh.  Finally, ended Sunday night curled up on the couch with The Reluctant Fundamentalist, which has been on my to-read list for years.  I’m just getting into it, but so far, so good.

Watching.  An actual, honest-to-goodness, MOVIE THEATER movie!  Steve and I lined up a babysitter for Friday evening – our beloved former nanny, Kelly – and went to see Crazy Rich Asians.  I’ve been dying to see the movie ever since I read the book, and it didn’t disappoint.  Steve had no idea what to expect, as he hadn’t read the book and was completely unfamiliar with the plot.  After the movie, he said he liked the shots of the Singapore skyline and all the fancy cars.  Hopefully he enjoyed more about the movie than that!  (I think he did.  Peik-Lin cracked him up.)  As for me, I loved every minute.  The cast was perfect and it was such a fun depiction of a book I really enjoyed.

Listening.  All week, all I have listened to is back episodes of Speak Up for Blue.  If you’re not listening, and you’re at all interested in environmental issues – and particularly ocean conservation – give it a try!  I really like the focus on sustainable living.  It’s easy to get down about all the damage human beings have done to the planet, but Speak Up for Blue is relentlessly positive and encouraging.

Making.  It’s homemade soup season!  On Sunday I whipped up a delicious squash and chard puree using veggies from the farmers’ market and the natural foods grocery, and it’s filling without being too heavy – perfect for the summer to fall transition.  I love having a big container full of homemade soup in the fridge to start the week.

Loving.  Last week I found a new-to-me blog, Going Zero Waste, and I can’t get enough of it.  It’s full of great ideas, practical tips and encouragement on how to live a greener, more sustainable life, with a special focus on reducing plastic consumption – something that I have been bugging Steve about for ages.  I’ve been clicking through the archives, working my way through lots of fantastic back content, and I love it.  As I said above, it’s easy to feel depressed and hopeless about the direction we’ve taken the planet, but I’m encouraged by listening to and reading the words of people like Kathryn and Andrew.  I’ve quietly tried to live as planet-friendly a life as I can for many years, and it’s been a lot of fun to have some new ideas to peruse.  (Also, I realized that although green and sustainable living is a passion of mine, I write very little about it.  Any interest here?)

Blogging.  Going to be a fun week!  On Wednesday I have my fall list coming to you, and let’s hope I have more success than I did with the summer list.  And on Friday, I’m recapping my August hike – parents’ day out in the Adirondacks!  Check in with me then.

Asking.  What are you reading?