Feel Good

I can count on probably two hands the number of times I've really fallen trail running (which is actually quite remarkable given that I am not exactly a non-clumsy person), and maybe half the time I've been successful at catching myself... but alas, my left hand is destroyed. Usually I'm so mortified when it does happen that I immediately jump right up and prance right along (I'd also say usually there's no audience around other than maybe some squirrels, so this is really quite unnecessary), but this HURT, and I sat there wallowing for a few minutes while my watch tried to call 911.

I used to say that running on roads was my time to zone out, and running on trails was my time to zone in and quiet my thoughts because I had to pay attention so I didn't fall off a cliff... and once again, my brain has proven that my body is not quite ready yet to let my guard down around roots and obstacles.

This week has flown by - maybe that's a good thing?!

(Worms and Watermelon cracked me up)

I realized I barely took any photos on most of the days, and the ones I did are pretty redundant... but that also matches the reality of some strings of days. Kids (my kids) thrive with routine (as do I), and it's easy to get sucked into the daily rinse-and-repeat grind, but I've been trying to also be more present and focused on the smaller, more subtle moments in between. There's a lot of societal (millenial) pressure to make 'core memories', and while I remember a lot of the larger events in my childhood, the thing that overshadows them all is an overwhelming feeling of a 'home' and safety and comfort that was produced by the little things that happened regularly. As I'm writing this, the kids are destroying the upstairs by relocating the approximately 1000 stuffies we have back and forth between their rooms and are laughing hysterically while doing so, and ultimately that's the feeling I want them to hold onto (even if it's maybe killing me that I literally just cleaned...).

Do Good

Alas while I say the week was quick, that doesn't mean stuff didn't happen... because in my typical fashion, even when things are mundane, we go big or we go home, and going big this week meant a little nighttime hangout in the ER for Miss Hailey (she's fine, we just needed to get some blood tests done after some odd stuff happening that isn't likely related but just needed checked out), and - drumroll - a weekend that I'll refer to as the time I indoctrinated my children to Taylor Swift.

(Fun fact: I overlapped in grade school with Taylor - she was two years below me, and I vividly remember her playing the Big Bad Wolf in the French play and later watching her strum her guitar to a captive audience of kindergartners in the gym in her early days of fame.)

Anyway, for whatever reason the kids' school decided to hold a 'Taylor Swift Sing-a-Long' party this weekend, and after them bringing an impersonator to school last month, BOTH kids were BEGGING me to attend. Obvi I said yes, Hailey picked out her sequin-y-est dress and sparkliest shoes, and we've been talking about it for weeks.

That's all cool and all, but THEN! Friday night two of the moms in Hailey's class swept in with some last minute tickets to a Taylor Tribute Concert nearby... and obvi I said yes to that too.

tl;dr - Hailey had the night of her little life dancing (...so much for my whole 'it's not about the core memories!!! bit above').

Charlie fell asleep.

It was actually quite impressive - this woman looked like Taylor and mimicked her almost exactly. By some magical alignment of all the things, I got to go to the opening night of the Eras way back when (eek, three years ago), and while this wasn't quite the same, it did really capture the vibe.

Charlie kept asking me where the Real Taylor Swift was, and I finally had to just tell him she was at home sleeping, and he was like 'oh, well when is this over, I want to sleep too.'

(It's actually kind of funny - Charlie has NEVER liked singing... he used to screammm when I'd try to sing to him. He begrudgingly plays the piano pretty well for being 6 because he does actually have an ear for it, but his future might be more in theater tech. Luckily Hailey continutes to indulge my renditions of Wicked, but the world is also her stage.)

They enjoyed Sunday too, and I think I have successfully produced some new Swifties and identified at least one future concert buddy.

We also dyed some Easter eggs since I'll be out of town next weekend as my own little preamble to spring break, and they enjoyed that and it's nice to finally have them be at an age where they can mostly do things like that without hawk-eye supervision.

And finally, is there ever a point in time with small children when I will be able to stop cleaning????

Don't answer that.

Look Good

The weather continues to be all over the place, but I think it might be stabilizing in spring soon? I STILL have not managed to get through my winter/summer clothes swap, so everything is a mess, and it's driving me crazy.

Some highlights this week:

• I'm liking Quince's linen selection, especially this button down and this shell.

• This Amazon dress - I have a similar-ish one from JCrew with the mixed materials, but it's salmon-y pink and way heavier. This was nice and lightweight.

• These Mary Janes from Old Navy. They're actually pretty comfortable and are nice and cheap since they're definitely more of an occasional commodity shoe.

• These jean shorts from Banana Republic. They're not usually my style, but I'm having a hard time getting onboard with jean shorts this year for some reason.

I'd say I hope this week goes a bit slower... but let's be honest, it won't. My calendar is already a sea of blue, and I've got a lot to catch up on work- and life-wise before signing off for a bit next week.