“She wasn’t doing a thing that I could see, except standing there leaning on the balcony railing, holding the universe together.”
J.D. Salinger, A Girl I Knew
Holding my universe together…
“She wasn’t doing a thing that I could see, except standing there leaning on the balcony railing, holding the universe together.”
J.D. Salinger, A Girl I Knew
Holding my universe together…
Our trip to Sonoma earlier this year has had the unfortunate effect of turning “winery” into a bad word. So the word was not uttered when we decided to enjoy a picnic on a beautiful Saturday afternoon.
Tigger: Come on, Rabbit. Let’s you and me bounce, huh?
Rabbit: Good heavens! M-m-m-me bounce?
Tigger: Why, certainly! And look, you’ve got the feet for it.
Rabbit: I have?
Tigger: Sure! Come on, try it! It makes ya feel just grrreat!
Summer is not complete without a visit to the National Zoo. No pandas or cougars were to be seen but the gorillas put on a great show, thumping their chests and eating kale.

Our preschool, LANK, has a wonderful art summer camp called Gallery LANK. This year’s theme was Art in Motion. Penny, our docent, greeted us at the door and led us on a tour as she highlighted her work.
This was our first year fully participating on the Pinecrest swim team with Lucas swimming in the 8 and under group and Penny and Oliver swimming in the Pee Wees program. We started the season unsure if Lucas could even swim a full 25 meters and ended with him learning all strokes and even winning a heat! The best win was having one child fully independent in the swimming pool.
The Lollipop Meet is a non-competitive swim meet dedicated to just the 8 and unders, including the Pee Wees. Every swimmer receives a lollipop after each event.
Penny did free stroke, back stroke and kickboard relay.
C = child’s reaction to sibling snatching or sibling teasing, non-serious injury, or not getting the right color plate or whatever it is he/she must have at that exact moment
P = your mood
V = a variable to capture all variables such as the weather, traffic, the passive aggressive remark your neighbor, boss, or mother-in-law said that morning
T = your tantrum. You will start with words, maybe even some profanity because honestly the child will not comprehend anything you are saying, that will be spoken with increasing volume which will devolve into hand gestures, vein popping, foot stamping and door slamming. You will blame all external factors (V) that has led to this moment, blame your husband and his role in raising this hell-spawn child, attempt to comprehend why a child cannot comprehend, curse your child because at this point he/she is no longer a child but an adult with purposeful intentions, then berate yourself for cursing your child and being a terrible parent.
Strength and severity of T will vary. Who says math is an exact science?
Left
She was only three months old and we decided to do a stay-cation at The W Hotel in Washington, DC. We rushed to the hotel to get there in time for her feeding but our room wasn’t ready. The hotel staff set me up in a conference room so I could nurse in private, Lucas loved spinning in the chairs. Pushing around the heaviest double stroller we explored the American History Museum and Natural History Museum and lunched at KAZ Sushi Bistro. After a long day Lucas enjoyed a bomb pop while we raced back to the hotel in the pouring rain.
Right
To celebrate the 4th we decided to do a stay-cation at The W Hotel. No strollers this time around and everything we needed fit nicely into one bag including three blankets, pink doggy and turtle. We weaved in and out of under trees attempting to avoid the rain while we made our way to BLT Steak for dinner. On the 4th we watched the parade and explored the Folklife Festival. Our day didn’t end until 11pm after the fireworks were finished.