—Here’s a video of Elias using the driveway as a ramp for his trike and then cheering for himself. Here’s a video of Isobel making a basket with an old package of Cheetos leftover from last Halloween. Here’s a video of Elias slam dunking a basket ball and then getting hit in the head by a package of really old Cheetos.
–The painting you see in the photo above was done by my amazing and incredibly talented Aunt Trisha. She’s an amazing human being and I’m so honored to have this in my home.
–We finally got rid of the crib! We are cosleepers and although we used the crib for a few months with Isobel, we defaulted back to the bed. We didn’t even use it once for Elias, so it became a space where I tossed items heading for donation. It is a beautiful crib and in perfect condition, so I was very glad to pass it on to our friends Josh and Allison and their sweet baby Kaylee. It feels good to have that space in the nursery back, and we can finally focus on putting together a big kid room for Elias.
–While at a restaurant I saw an elderly man using a really awesome gold cane. I thought about shouting WHERE DID YOU GET THAT AWESOME CANE?! but I thought it might be terrifying for him to have a lady shouting at him about his pimp stick, so I didn’t.
–Sometimes when driving I’ll see people walking and reflexively think, “UGH, they must be in so much pain right now,” and then I realize they aren’t. That’s just me. The cane helps, though. I’m so grateful for it.
–Elias still gets very upset whenever I wear a sweater. He tries to peel it off me while screaming NO! NO! NO! OFF! I still have no idea why. If this keeps up it’s going to be a long winter.
–The other day Angela and I were talking about how we both cry easily and how that’s actually a good thing. Studies have shown that crying releases stress hormones from the body and is a healthy coping mechanism. While reading about this I also found out that screaming is a great way to deal with stress in an emergency, because after a good scream your body is better able to think clearly during an adrenaline rush. So, Ang and I decided, science has proven that the best way to go through life is screaming and crying.
–After seeing all the cool Shopkins toys her cousin Victoria got for her birthday, Isobel begged for some of her own. I had already told her earlier that if she read one of the chapter books I selected I’d buy her something. She always insisted that they were too big for her, and I’d been trying to convince her that they were broken down in chapters, and if we read a chapter a night, that Shopkins toy she had her eye on would be hers. That party really motivated her, because when we got home she read the whole book aloud to Anthony and we ended up heading to Toys R Us that night for her prize. She was so happy she sang in the car all the way to Modesto and all the way back.
–I’ve had a change of heart about Shopkins. Do you know what’s great about them? They are small. You can own five hundred Shopkins and they’d all probably fit in one of Isobel’s purses. If she had five hundred Barbies or whatever, an accidental avalanche of them could knock out a cat. Sure, it’s weird that my kid is playing with a miniature blow drier with a face, but even I have to admit some of the fruit and dessert ones are cute.
–We met up with our BFFs Justin and Kingston at the college again for another Pokemon hunt but the kids decided it was much more fun to let adults stalk the Pokemon while they rolled down some the gently landscaped hills on campus. Isobel was tumbling down a gentle slope when Kingston shouted “YOU ARE MY BEST FRIEND AND I AM NOT GOING TO LET YOU DIE!” and then flung himself down after.
–I got very excited about a tea towel recently. It belongs to my aunt and was vintage deadstock with the most adorable pink and red strawberries hand-printed on the linen. My cousin Liz and I gushed about it and then we noticed both our daughters looking at us, their faces featuring both confusion and pity at the same time. “Wait until you get older,” my cousin said, “This is the kind of thing you’ll get excited about!”
–Isobel was asked to share her favorite song in class and this is it.
Snapshot 08.17.16. Isobel has provided for our retirement on Mars Colony.
This man photographs Maine Coon cats and makes them look like majestic mythical beasts. Don’t give yourself so much credit, sweetheart. They make themselves look magical; you are just lucky enough to be in their presence.
Each time I thought this had reached peak insufferable, it got worse. It’s kind of a work of art? This Victorian couple cracks me up. The entitlement! The insufferableness! The pretentiousness! It’s sad because if they wanted to do their thing and LARP Victorian times as their life I’d think it’s kind of fun and awesome for them. But they are real pricks about it and lack the nuanced understanding of why they are being problematic and making public asses of themselves. I read the first article really wanting to like them. Now I read them with my mouth agape. I agree with Margaret: it’s art at this point.
Here’s the church, here’s the steeple, open the doors…
IKEA is a great place to get ideas for baby names
Pleasure to meet you. The name’s…
When ur soft but someone hurts ur friends
Dying over this sign at a hotel being rebuilt here in Winnipeg.
i did it. i found the worst business idea on the internet.
I cannot express how much I love the way Lego’s designers handled birds
*record scratch* *freeze frame* Yup, that’s me. You’re probably wondering how I got here.
leaving the house on a bad mental health day like
don’t ever bounce on my head, or the head of my son, or the head of his son, ever again
So I went hiking today and I thought that this bear died for a second the noise this guy makes when he thought the bear dies kills me
When you love coffee so much you become it
When you can’t get out of your spandex and you realize this is your life now.
This is the ideal male body. You may not like it, but this is what peak performance looks like.
Britney? Haven’t heard that name in years.
science helped this dog see again
Gene Wilder took his last breath, holding his family’s hands, listening to Ella Fitzgerald sing “Over the Rainbow.” There will never be another like him.
I love hoaxes and this is maybe about a hoax, so I loved it. This was a fun read! Also that guy is so full of bullshit.
The new MacGyver poster looks like what every Trump voter thinks they’d do in a terrorist attack.
When you take a selfie with your besties to make your other friends jealous.
In case you haven’t seen the most dramatic sneeze ever.
Man tries to rob store with sword; finds clerk also has sword. Finally, the news isn’t all depressing.
In case you want to follow some shark friends
Short but sweet Mission Impossible review.
Does eating more salt prevent migraines? Sweet Jesus, I hope so. Via Kind Of Broken: Living With Dysautonomia, Myasthenia, and Chronic Illness
Proxima B: Closest Earth-Like Planet Discovery in Pictures. Such incredibly exciting news!! When it comes to descriptions of space, I always need lots of photos to grasp things like scale and location.
Dog elected for third term as mayor of Minnesota town. Also? Mayor of my heart.
Ian McKellan refused a $1.5 million offer to officiate Sean Parker’s wedding dressed as Gandalf.
Meet ‘The Largest Cat In NYC,’ A 4-Foot Maine Coon Named Samson.
Not a Drill: SETI is investigating a possible extraterrestrial signal from deep space. Let’s not get too excited but !!!!!!!!!!
“Southern Louisiana is drowning again. No one seems to care.” And Here’s how to help Louisiana’s flood victims.
Bacon & Mushroom Chicken Pot Pie. The weather hasn’t really cooled down yet, but as soon as it does, I’m making this.
Thrift Store Gore: The Golden Ass. That time I found a Golden Ass while thrifting.