First day of school and all that

We made it through the first week! 

Miss F is now officially in kindergarten, and Maxwell is in Jr. High, and I am working five day per week for the first time in six years. 

HOLY COW!

Mark took the week off, to help us all make the transition, plus he has a million vacation days that he would otherwise just wind  up cashing in for %50 of the value.

I felt like a super terrible mother when I wasn't able to take them to school for the first day, but I reminded myself that I have been incredibly fortunate to be home with them as much as I have for so long.

Like her mother, Freyja can't resist rhinestones...

she selected this top with giant "diamonds" for the first official day of school outfit.

One of the biggest issues around our house is hair brushing.  Both kids throw fits every time we try to brush their hair, and I always suggest a haircut.  They are both in swimming lessons and fine blond hair + chlorine is a recipe for tangles.

Out of the blue last night, at 7:15pm Freyja said

"Mommy let's go to your haircutter and get a haircut!"

I was so afraid she would change her mind, I raced out of the house to try to catch Min, my hairdresser, before she closed her shop. 

She was just cleaning up, but took us anyway.

Hooray for no more tangles!

I just finished  another bullshit night in suck city  by Nick Flynn, another memoir by a damaged person writing about his/her damaged life. 


My favorite fair, my favorite topic, when they are good. 


This one is excellent. 

I have read a several books lately that felt so false, so contrived- both memoir and fiction. 

This one was the exact opposite.

This felt so authentic and real, that it made me want to talk to the author, wish he was my friend.
 
If you have ever known an addict, a drunk, anyone truly down on his luck, if someone you cared about killed himself,  then you would be able to believe this story deeply. 

So vastly different from the absurd, "a million little pieces", which I know I have dissed before, but I can't help myself.

I love that the author takes work in a homeless shelter, but is also able to have boundaries, around his own father's homelessness, mental illness and acoholism, he owns up to his own need to rescue and his desire to be rescued.

"If I went to the drowning man the drowning man would pull me under. I couldn't be his life raft."

Little Fur Family

this is such a sweet story, we love it.  I went up to wake Freyja from nap and found her wrapped in a piece of faux fur, surrounded by stuffed friends, in my bed.  

She likes to wrap up in that fur thing and pretend to be the little fur child. 

That Margaret Wise Brown was certainly a genius at figuring out what appeals to children.

I adore her run away bunny.

I love the way my red room looks when the lights are off. 
I don't love finding 100 stuffed animals crowded into my bed, but what to do? 

 My kids only like to nap in my bed.

Duh, the recipe

For Hallie

foolproof vegan cake or muffins makes 1 9x9 or 12 small muffins, or ten giant American sized muffins

• 2 cups flour (or 1 & 3/4 + 1/4 oat brand, or oatmeal)
• 1/2 cup oil
• 3/4 cup sugar (brown or white, depending on what look & flavor you are going for)
• 1 cup applesauce,  or grated carrot or grated zucchini, or mashed banana, pumpkin or squash, sweet potato or mushed up stone fruit really what ever you like)
• 1 teaspoon soda
• 1 cup mix ins like dried fruit, nuts seeds, or nothing at all
• decorate with berries, or coconut, or frosting of your choice.

This cake is very versatile, will work as a bunt, or layer.

bake at 350 or a little less, for about an hour, or until done.

I developed this recipe for the preschool, because most vegan cakes really suck and are oily and gross.  This one is FANTASTIC and good.  Tastes like real cake. My father even ate it.

variety vegan muffins

and one or maybe two heirloom tomato

the object of my affection

Kitty managed to cover herself up right above my head, on the sofa in our sunroom where I like to read.

She likes to stick her nose into my book and chew on the spine.  Not a lot of reading happens.