Hellooooooo new week.  It’s my first full week at my new job – I started this past Thursday and spent the first two days meeting a million different people and watching hours of training videos – and I’m hoping to feel a little more settled by this time next week.  It was a nice, laid-back weekend, so that should set me up for a good first week of work.  On Saturday, we got in a short hike at a local botanical preserve.  I wanted to check out a new state park that Governor Northam just opened, but we got too late of a start – maybe next weekend?  The rest of Saturday, we spent bumming around town and visiting the playgrounds in our puffer coats; the chill has set in and it definitely feels like November in the wind.  On Sunday, Steve took Nugget to the zoo while Peanut and I had a play date at her BFF’s condo.  I have no idea what the girls did, but BFF’s mom and I had a good chat and catch up session.  We discussed Harry and Meghan’s baby and rated all of the younger royals’ fashion sense, so basically we were productive.  Sunday afternoon was spent at the library, naturally, and I’m pleased to report that I took home more books for the kids than for me.  Look at me, I’m growing.

Reading.  It was a verrrrrrry busy reading week for me.  From Monday through Wednesday, I was enjoying three days of “funemployment” – that golden period when you’ve left a job and have another one lined up but it’s not quite time to start yet.  I’d have loved to have a full week, but three days seemed like all I was going to be able to swing, so I decided to take that and be grateful.  Monday and Tuesday were full days of torrential downpours, so consequently they were full days of reading.  From Sunday through Tuesday, I finished three books – I Should Have Honor: A Memoir of Hope and Pride in Pakistan; The Shooting Party (which inspired Julian Fellowes to write “Gosford Park” and “Downton Abbey”); and Everything’s Trash, But It’s Okay.  My pace slowed down after that, with chaperoning a field trip on Wednesday, then squeezing in a solo hike, and then adjusting to a new office life starting on Thursday – but I still managed to churn through The House By the Lake: One House, Five Families, and a Hundred Years of German History; My So-Called Bollywood Life; and half of Four Seasons in Rome.  Not a bad showing for a week, wouldn’t you agree?

Watching.  My usual – very, very little.  Election returns on Tuesday night, and one episode each of The Great British Baking Show (caramel week!) and The Good Place.  The election returns were super stressful and I ended up turning them off at 9:00 and going to bed early.  I woke up at 1:00 a.m. (Nugget had a bad dream and wanted cuddles) and checked my phone, only to discover that the election went a lot better than I had thought when I crawled dejectedly under the covers just a few hours before.  Hurray for the blue wave!  It’ll be nice to finally have some checks and balances again.

Listening.  Just hopping around from podcast to podcast.  I was in a bookish mood at the beginning of the week and caught up on some reading podcast episodes, then switched back to Speak Up for Blue over the weekend.  Peanut and I listened to a couple of episodes about saving whales on our way back from her play date – she told me “I like learning new things, Mommy,” and my heart exploded.

Making.  Meh, not much.  A big batch of cooked greens for the week, and the beginnings of a Christmas list for the kiddos – that’s about it.  Have you ever tried to make a Christmas list while one of your kids perches on your lap?  Nugget wants EVERYTHING on Amazon’s Preschool gift list.  Thanks for that, Jeff Bezos.

Blogging.  We are going to be extra outdoorsy this week.  On Wednesday, I’m catching up on Twelve Months of Trails with a recap of September’s hike – only two months late, no biggie.  And on Friday, I’m sharing the travel guide I wish I’d had when planning an Adirondack vacation with shorties.  Check in with me then!

Loving.  Peanut’s class is in the middle of a unit on Colonial history – hence our trip to a Colonial farm on Wednesday – and she is having the best time learning about life in Colonial Virginia.  I’ve always been a big history nerd, so I am super excited that she’s interested in it too.  Maybe a trip to Colonial Williamsburg is in the offing?  She’s at a really fun age right now and I’ve been able to share some of my interests and my favorite books with her.  I’ve been waiting for this for a long time, and I’m so jazzed that we still have so much fun and bonding ahead of us.

Asking.  What are you reading this week?