Lice, Ice, Bitches & Barf (LIBB)

Random small pleasures I want to remember: Every summer I strive to cook more and try new recipes. The first I tried was this delicious recipe for low-carb deconstructed cabbage rolls. The second was over easy eggs on sautéed asparagus with herby goat cheese. Also delicious. I went for another long walk (I'm trying to do this daily, even without the dog who's on vacation at my moms'.) And found this beauty: J has really been into reading and writing lately. She'd reading at about a 4th grade level and more interested in writing her own stories. I think her 1st grade teacher's journal and creative writing assignments helped inspire that. So she started this fun written exchange with me.

This weekend we just reorganized to free up some dedicated space for our daughters’ art and Lego projects. I hoped to find a single, clear answer but in the end it took a couple of steps. First I set aside all the stuff they’ve hardly played with in a year. I gave it a hard evaluation and if it had potential I saved it. If they were not likely to use it, I donated it. Then I sorted the toys into categories and found logical homes for the categories. Board and card games moved to the entertainment center in the living room. Puzzles moved to a book shelf. Ponies, dolls, their brushes, etc moved to a bin. The bins that are stored in the living room are black and woven for a bit of sophistication. The ones in the play area are clear and more utilitarian but they aren’t as visible to the rest of the house. Finally I carved out space for the art supply cart and Lego kits to be housed close to the art desk. The whole time I was sorting things to throw, donate, or reunite with the rest of a se...

After a few months of wanting to be healthier and making some modest progress, I made a lot of progress today. I ran 3 miles on the treadmill at a much faster pace, including 7mph sprints, then did 20min of strength training. I want to try to run faster and do more run/strength combos. Breakfast was a delicious bowl of cauliflower rice, black beans, tomatoes, guacamole, salsa and over easy eggs, eaten al fresco in the driveway because K wanted to play outside. I relented because kid + fresh air= happy disposition and also I can capitalize on the flexibility I have in the summer. I grit my teeth when people ask if I’m “done” with work or have the summer “off.” I try to smile and reiterate the flexibility. I invested some time in exploring coding resources and pivoting from a tenure track job to one that leverages a PhD in an alternate way. I read about yet another college eliminating French. Both RU and college-level French teaching are sinking fast and I want to use my next year...