Happy new week, friends!  According to local friends, we are in the middle of a heat wave here.  Part of me totally believes it – the thermometer in my car registered 111* when I started running my errands, and only got down to 105* by the time I’d finished trundling to the library, gas station, natural foods store and liquor store.  But part of me just feels like this is run-of-the-mill July in Virginia.  I don’t know – either way, it’s hot.  We’ve been beating the heat with plenty of pool time and ice cream, and the kids don’t hate it.

On Saturday morning, we hosted a toddler friend for a play date – mainly so that I could pass off hand-me-downs to her mom (a former work colleague and current fellow steering committee member for our professional community), who is expecting.  It also gave me the chance to mess around in the kitchen and whip up an elaborate brunch, which my kids didn’t appreciate, but my friend’s two-year-old did.  They left when it was time for the wee one’s nap, and we headed to the pool.  Sunday found us at the pool again, and around that, just hanging out at home (in the air conditioning!) and running the aforementioned errands.  Ended the weekend on the couch with Ayesha at Last.  All pretty simple stuff, and refreshing before a busy week.

Reading.  Had a very slow reading week – even slower than usual.  On top of continued commuting woes without public transit, I had to work every night this week – even Friday.  Every day I steamed through my to-do list in the office, determined to come home and enjoy a nice long evening curled up on the couch with Mrs. Dalloway, and every night I found myself hunched over my laptop, churning out more work.  It wasn’t my craziest workweek ever, but it was definitely a big billing week.  I needed it, because this coming week I have three days when I’ll be in a non-billable training program.  But it definitely made for a miserable week last week.  I finally finished Mrs. Dalloway on Friday night, after wrapping up work, and turned to Ayesha at Last, which I have out from the library and which I’m really enjoying.  The library stack more than doubled over the weekend; I’m up to eight books checked out again (will I never learn?) so I have my reading mapped out for the next few weeks… or months.

Watching.  Again, no screens this week, unless you count the screen of my work laptop.  But good watching this weekend – I watched the kids do coordinated jumps and somersaults in the pool.  Man, I love summer.

Listening.  Podcasts, podcasts, podcasts!  You’d think that with driving to work all summer, I’d have made a dent in my podcatcher, but – nope.  I also listened to a little Decemberists, requested by Nugget.  YES!

Making.  Lots of yummy food this week.  I made a huge batch of goulash (my version, with kale, gardein meatless ground instead of ground turkey, and whole wheat pasta, wasn’t quite as popular as Nana’s – but the kids still ate it and we have lots of leftovers for the week) and, more exciting, a fun farmers’ market brunch for our Saturday play date.  I made three-layer vegetable quiche in a homemade sourdough pastry crust, and peach-walnut coffee cake.  The peaches, tomatoes, and eggplants I used were from the farmers’ market; the pastry crust was whipped up with my discard sourdough, and the herbs for the quiche were plucked straight from my container garden.  It was all delicious.

Moving.  Hand-in-hand with a busy workweek goes a slow workout week.  I only managed one run – ugh.  I definitely get a workout tossing the kids around in the pool, but I’m itching for more activity this week.  We’ll see if I actually get it – I’m predicting another hectic week on the work and parenting front.

Blogging.  I know I’ve been flaking a lot on you lately, promising posts and then not delivering.  I’m sorry!  Vacation re-entry has definitely been challenging this time around, as I came back to a mountain of work.  (What I wouldn’t give to still be kayaking…)  With this bizarre summer schedule I’m keeping, I don’t know if it’s going to get any better, but this week – at least – I can promise you that I will deliver.  I’ve got a Classics Club book review on Wednesday – making progress! – and the first PNW recap, for real this time, on Friday.  They’re written and scheduled and they will post, and you can take that to the bank!

Loving.  Probably premature to declare this, but I think I might have a new favorite milk!  I’ve been intrigued by Ripple, which is a high-calcium and high-nutrition dairy alternative made with pea protein.  I picked up some of the unsweetened original flavor at the natural foods store, and it’s really creamy and tastes pretty good.  And then – hashtag shopping while thirsty in the middle of a heat wave – I also tossed a small bottle of the chocolate milk into my cart and chugged it on the way home, and – oh. my. word.  12 grams of protein, and just so yummy and rich.  It’s definitely not an everyday kind of thing, but for an occasional treat, yes please.  (Now, if only Ripple would make a Greek yogurt that tastes as rich as Fage…)

Asking.  What are you reading this week?