Aroma therapy

Ava: "I love the smell of this place." Spoken like true urban kids. Trying out the new Westlake Park play structure.

What Saturdays are for

Lovely Saturday: final school visit for Ava, errands, and leisurely afternoon of story time, trains, and dress up.
I'm so accustomed to being on the run on weekends that I feel guilty sometimes when I let go of the schedule or the "should dos'" and just enjoy being with everyone without a task list.
Turns out when I do, the kids enjoy it too. Must remember to do this actively instead of by default. This article backs up my thinking: The Benefits of Family Downtime. Now go forth and do nothing!

Preschool guest

Day off to hang with my favorite girl and her class: read books, oversaw a craft involving ironing crayon shavings between waxed paper, playtime at the park and lunch. 

So cool to see Ava with her kiddie peeps. And one made me a picture! Just like when I was in news: my fan base seems to be girls 5-12 y.o.

Livestream of #sotu from http://m.whitehouse.gov/live is 15 seconds ahead of broadcast TV. Internet wins once again.

Me, telling bedtime stories in the dark: "Dylan: what did you think of the Goldilocks story?" Ava, from her bed: "Well, it made me bored."