It does not seem like Wednesday.
I am back at work, sifting through lab results which have accumulated since last Wednesday at 5 pm — the last time I cleaned out my inbox. On the plus side, I am caught up on RX refills / patient questions (I always do those first). I hope to get the results to zero by the time I leave today — which might require a slightly later end time, but it’s not a ‘simultaneous kid activities in opposite directions’ night, so that’s ok.
Since I last posted, we hosted a Yom Kippur breakfast (held at dinnertime, technically you are ‘breaking a fast’ from the day prior – but in our immediate family, we don’t actually fast). I would love to share pix but certain kids did not approve them so you will have to imagine. It was fun though 🙂 In addition to his parents, Josh’s 102-year-old great-aunt was there too (they picked her up!) and OMG is she an inspiration! She walks (using a walker, but still!!!!) and seems crystal clear in her thinking/memory. Totally amazing. She still plays mahjong and canasta too. And she seemed really happy to attend. It really made the event more special.
Then yesterday I gave a presentation (on planning and my nested goals system! Sort of a mini-BLPA) at the corporate headquarters of a financial firm in downtown Miami. It went really well, I think! BUT I was totally exhausted / drained afterwards (not a surprise – giving a talk is stressful + effortful even if it is fun!). That said . . . the podcast must go on, so I recorded an episode and 2 ads and then drove the kids around all night (orthodontist, soccer, gymnastics pickup). If I start sounding martyr-ish, I can remember that just last week I got to stay solo in a luxury hotel in Boston for 2 nights with no real parenting responsibilities, so I guess it’s really good to take those breaks sometimes!
Podcast Ep: 10 Things to Tell You: Moms and the Mental Load. I was into this one! I thought the guest did a nice job addressing this topic in a non-heavy-handed way.
Grateful: That my interval run this morning felt great! ALSO that Josh finally finished the Q4 call schedule for his group. NOW I CAN PLAN THINGS.
Reading: Tom Lake by Ann Patchett. I just LOVE her writing style. Wow. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book by her I didn’t like.
Listening: Still Olivia Rodrigo. A loves her too; some of the lyrics are definitely not kid appropriate but we are still playing the songs in the car so I *really* hope G understands that “F*** it, it’s fine” is not playground language . . . (I told her many times it was only okay if she was singing along in our car or home, that’s it). OH!! She is touring in MIA in March – totally going with one or more kids.
Planning to bake: I saw this pumpkin cookie recipe on Janae‘s blog and was like YES, I AM MAKING THESE. I think this will be a perfect welcome to October. (Which is this weekend, by the way!)
Podcast APPEARANCE: Stephanie of alitlife.com invited me to be on her podcast, and she was the nicest host! You can hear our conversation here.
17 Comments
Tom Lake was a shocking DNF for me because I *adored* The Dutch Home. Maybe I should try again. Wrong place, wrong time? I just finished Hello Beautiful a little over a week ago and loved that and it really reminded me of The Dutch House!
I like Oliva Rodrigo but my kids are too old to not understand the lyrics and there is just so much swearing in them *sigh*. I listen to the radio edited ones sometimes, but it’s never the same. But she does make such catchy songs. My kids both love deja vu (and so do I!).
And I feel like such an outlier for not liking hello beautiful. I felt tortured by it!!!
Same! I gave up on Hello beautiful and I really, really tried. Also love Ann’s Patchett style of prose- I wish I could be like that with words.
Dutch house is on my tbr list. People seem to have great things to say about it. Currently reading Bunny, which is readable but not high art or anything. Love that you got to see your 102yo relative. Luca has a 100 yo great aunt who still runs the family business and is sharp as a tack. Such an inspiration!
I loved the Dutch house!!!
I love Ann Patchett. She went to college in my town and she sometimes makes references to it. But un Tom Lake she actually cameoed my daughter’s sleepaway camp!!! My daughter got a kick out of that.
My 7 yo has started saying “What the…?” He doesn’t actually say F#$% but I still don’t love how it sounds. We’re working on it.
…heck!” That’s another option! “What a heck!” Is the phrase both our boys adopted around age 3 from a much beloved babysitter…I offer in case it’s helpful to imagine the response being quite innocent 😉
I loved Tom Lake but it seems hit or miss for others? Some were bogged down by the Our Town references. I had never read/seen that play so didn’t let that bother me. It did make me want to read Our Town which is saying a lot because I am never drawn to read plays! I am going to Kentucky for work next month and will fly into Nashville since the client is in southern KY. I was delighted to find out that I will have enough time (most likely) to swing by Parnassus before heading to the airport for my flight home!! I adore Ann Patchett. I also love that she is very good friends with Kate DiCamillo who is an amazing kids book author. My 5yo and I are starting to read “Because of Winn Dixie.” We love her Mercy Watson books – if you haven’t read them, I bet G would love them! They have lots of illustrations!
Well our almost-3yo has learned the word “Damn*t.” I am not super thrilled about this because I do not want him to be the kid teaching others a swear word at daycare. So I try to be very neutral when he uses it. But he must know it’s not a good word because he will sometimes repeatedly say it, probably to get a rise out of me. Our 5 yo also uses the word.
Presenting to a group is EXHAUSTING! I bet you did an awesome job, though! You were speaking tio my kind of people since it was a financial firm! 😉
was totally your kind of people!!! They have a women’s group (though some men came!) and it was done live but also as a webinar to other offices. Feel free to get your firm to bring me on and I can visit 🙂
Oh Lisa!! Going to Parnassus is a life goal of mine! Enjoy!!
I love everything I’ve read by Ann Patchett but I have to say that Tom Lake didn’t quite land for me like the others have. Still worth reading though–I always feel like most of my favorite authors have one or two books that I don’t like as much. Olivia Rodrigo is performing in our city on my daughter’s 10th birthday in March and we just got tix! She is SO excited and I think it is helping dull the pain of the fact that we did NOT get Taylor Swift tix (and I’m not willing to pay resale price particularly not for a ten year old haha).
Ooh, looking forward to checking out that mental load podcast. I feel like I think about mental load A LOT and it is an area I often feel is a bit misunderstood by people in my life.
That sounds like a lot of action right on the heels of travel! I know it was a quick trip, but still. I usually always end up diving headfirst back into Life after any travel, inevitably, and it does seem to kind of put a little damper on the zen feeling I maybe achieved while actually “on” vacation… oh well, I guess!
Ooh that podcast rec sounds interesting! Listening to you on Get Lit(erase) now 🙂
THOSE COOKIES! I’m going to make them today as a treat for getting two cavities filled. A VERY IRONIC TREAT.
hahahahahahah ironic but delicious.
Kae mentioned the podcast episode on her blog today and it sounds really great. I was having thoughts along those lines this morning, but not as coherent (as it was 5 am and I was packing my daughter’s lunch… my husband waltzed out the door to go to the gym, ha, and I realized he has no idea how much actually goes into running a household.)
I saw that pumpkin cookie recipe on Janae’s blog too! I realized I haven’t baked ANY fall cookies yet- must be rectified this weekend.
I’m so surprised that some people aren’t loving Tom Lake as it is, without a doubt, my absolute favorite Ann Patchett book—by a long run. I will say that I largely listened to the audiobook which is read by MERYL STREEP and frankly, say no more. But I had also listened to Tom Hanks read me the Dutch House and I strongly preferred this. Tom Lake is making my best of the year list for sure, and like another reader, I requested Our Town (the play) from the library as I can’t wait to see how themes from that are (likely) reflected in this book as well.
It reminded me in feel & atmosphere a bit of Lucy By the Sea by Elizabeth Strout, which I also adored. (If you have not read that, you really should start with Oh, William! Which is good, but not as good, and then proceed to Lucy By the Sea.) loved!