it's like they know us

Does anyone follow "It's Like They Know Us" on Tumblr? It cracks me up. I mean, what are these people thinking? Do they really think these photos remind us of our own lives?

I saw the ad below in a magazine the other day and thought of It's Like They Know Us. So I added my own caption.

WomenIRL

Is anyone else following Real Simple's WomenIRL on Instagram? I love Real Simple, but I think this is the best thing they've done for me yet. The Instagram feed is full of women in real life (just like it sounds): messy houses, kids doing crazy things, and - my favorite -  hilarious Pinterest fails. It has made me laugh so hard I cried. But I also find it so comforting to know that I'm not the only one whose life sometimes feels like a total farce / funny farm / runaway train (there are so many good descriptors, it's hard to pick just one).

made with love

I hope everyone had a great Valentine's Day!

We made valentines for the grandparents this year. I cut out some paper hearts and let my son go crazy with paint and glitter. We put paint on the hearts and then folded them closed to see what happened. "Let's see what happens" turned out to be the theme of this project: my son kept adding to his creations long after I would have considered them done. He poured on glitter and then folded the hearts again. He poked the paint with his fingers. He smeared the paint with a paintbrush. He was really engaged and focused for quite a long time. I liked watching his creative process.

Part of which involved painting his own hand:

It cracked us up.

Hand: finished product.

 

At one point, he inadvertently laid a paper towel on top of his watercolor paints, which caused the colors to bleed through and make this awesome rainbow. So we painted paper towels for a while, too.

 



Valentines: finished product.

the conversationalist

My son has recently developed an interest in making conversation with people he doesn't know. When we go on hikes, he wants to say something to everyone we pass on the trail. I've been impressed with his ability to start and carry on these conversations. He usually starts with a good opening line - here are some examples:

 

To anyone: "I was a policeman for Halloween."

 

To an older couple on a hike: "Did you have surgery?"

 

To a man walking his dog on our street: "Where do you live?"

 

To a family on a hike: "Do you know what you would like for lunch today?" (Then proceeded to prepare pretend lunch for them.)

 

To a little boy on the playground: "I'm wearing cowboy boots."

 

To a friend over dinner: "Did you take a nap today?"

I could learn a lot from him!

my weekend alone

I mentioned that my husband was planning a father-son trip. Well, it happened! They headed out for two nights and I stayed home. All. By. Myself. Here's how it went.

Thursday: After work, I went to a friend's house and played with her super-cute, super-smiley baby while we chatted. Then I went home and heated up my dinner. My husband and son called, and I chatted with them on the phone for a few minutes. Missed them. Ate dinner while watching a movie (!). After dinner, wished they were here, although did enjoy watching a whole movie in one evening. The house was so quiet and dark. Snuggled with my husband's pillow when I went to sleep at 9:30 pm.

Friday: Woke up at 4:45 am (have been doing this all week, no need to stop now, says my body). Got up at 5:15 am. Took sheets off all the beds and started a load of laundry. Collected the trash. Dark outside. So quiet in the house, no one to talk to. Really missing the guys. At 5:30 am, made myself lie on the couch and read this book I've been totally obsessed with. Found myself listening for sounds of my son waking up and joining me. We usually read together in the early morning. At 6:30 am, finished last page of book. Still dark outside. Wondered what I was going to do all day.

Made and ate breakfast. More laundry. Spent an hour (an hour!) looking through this new cookbook that I borrowed from the library and made grocery list. Got groceries. Got text from hubby that I could watch as many episodes of Burn Notice as I wanted without him. (You can probably guess how the rest of the day went.) Did take a few breaks from watching to play piano, download photos from camera, and work on anniversary gift for hubby. Didn't leave the house again, but did have the windows open for fresh air. Tried to nap to make up for early morning start, but was unsuccessful as apparently hadn't expended enough calories.

Found myself relaxing more as the day progressed. Even found myself completely filled with happiness at one point as I was eating an apple, watching Burn Notice, and feeling nice breeze/hearing outdoor noises through screen door.

Saturday: woke up at 5:00 am. Got up at 6:00. Not impressed with ability to sleep in. Today felt like more free time than I needed. Missed the guys quite a bit. Rattled around the house. Did more laundry, read, and met a neighbor to play piano duets. After lunch, hopped in the car and met up with the guys. It was so great to see them! Hugs and kisses galore.

Overall thoughts: It was so wonderful to have this time for myself. I am hugely thankful to my husband for organizing it. While I didn't catch up on sleep as much as I had hoped, I did many things that I can't usually spend much time on. I slowed down my pace a little. And I was completely ready to see my hubby and son again - and return to real life - by the end. Mission accomplished.

teepee

We made a teepee a few weekends ago using some bamboo poles that have been in our garage since our wedding and some bed sheets that our washing machine ate and that I now use as a drop cloth for kids' art activities. And lots and lots of tape.

My son didn't really want his picture taken...

...but he grudgingly obliged once I crawled into the teepee with him.

It was cozy! Surprisingly warm and so nice with the soft light shining through the sheets. I liked lying down and looking up at the inside of the teepee.