“Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing.”
– Benjamin Franklin

We all need one. Someone that will have our back, always, whose loyalty is unwavering. A friend, a sidekick. Traditionally sidekick has a negative connotation, someone that is secondary to the hero. But what is so important about a sidekick is that they complement their hero perfectly. Yin yang, balance. If the hero is brawn the sidekick is brains, if the hero is dreamy the sidekick is reality, if the hero is brooding the sidekick is humor. We all need a sidekick, someone that will laugh at our jokes on queue but also do the exact opposite of what we think we need, balancing us perfectly.

“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.

Hot air balloons

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.

The formula of parenthood is:

T = CPV

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?