{On the Range} is my weekly series where I discuss what we’re doing, reading, and eating. It’s a little bit 52 project and other photo projects, and a little bit {Did you Read?} and {In the Ranger Kitchen}
 |
| “A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2013.” |
Vivi: Moments after this photo was taken of her at a friend’s birthday party, she began quickly grabbing as many chocolate seashells as she could before I could stop her. Then moments after that, we were waiting for my friend to find a knife to cut the cake, and child was so excited she began grabbing at the icing until I just reached across the table, grabbed a foot of the turtle, and slammed it on her plate. Pull up a chair, there are many more parenting tips to be found here.
Charlie: Easter Sunday, post outdoor playing. You needn’t adjust your screen, as it is in fact dirt all over her face. Again, I’m here with parenting tips whenever you seek them.
On the RangeMarch 26 – April 1, 2013
Milestones
- Charlotte will now eat a quarter of a turkey sandwich, hence the title above. Previously I referred to her status as “negative turkey eating,” rather than neutral, because she would ask for a turkey sandwich and then refuse it. Harrumph.
- Vivi is trying to figure out how she can politely rebuff the attempts of a boy in her class to kiss her. Reader, it seems early to begin the cleaning of the shotgun in front of boys, so I’m willing to chalk this situation up to a rogue child who is in touch with his feelings. Luckily the girls are convinced boys have cooties. Do you have thoughts on this matter?
- Charlie continues to excel at her swim class. She now is willing to paddle around the pool with both arms and legs, a floatie strapped to her chest. I think I am only one or two classes away from not having to get into the pool at all with her. Praiseallujah!
My week…
- Easter snuck up on me this year, y’all, and I didn’t do half the stuff I had planned, like cute little pastel sugar cookies. Maybe I’ll do them next week and call them spring cookies.
- There is a new store in our town that buys, sells, and trades antiques and common household goods. While I am not usually at risk for purchasing items at stores, this one is different. It reminds me of our little town auction in the UK, with some real gems like antique furniture, but also with other odds and ends like a desk fan from the ’50s or a chick feeder that uses a screwed-in upside-down Ball jar. Good stuff! I plan to ransack our basement for treasures I can trade.
- A lady at the gym left her giant cell phone in my coat pocket, then managed to sound ticked off at ME that I had driven off unknowingly with it. The most comical part of this story is the portion during which her cell phone began to ring loudly as I was driving to the library. I for one am glad I was the only adult in the car to witness that spectacle as I tried to figure out what was happening.
Media
- Cicadas are coming! It made me feel much better that, although a colony only comes out every 17 years, there are multiple colonies. When I heard this news, I was seriously questioning whether it was possible that the last colony was in the US 17 years ago, so I was happy to hear that more than one colony comes around.
- A contest-winner on McSweeney’s is writing about traveling little league baseball in Cobb County, Georgia. Having grown up a county over from Cobb, it’s fun for me to witness her suburban escapades.
Meals
- Nate made this fantastic Korean soup a few days ago. It was simultaneously one of the spiciest, most delicious, and most complex of dishes I’ve ever eaten. I might cook more often, but between the two of us, Nate is the gourmand. He appreciates good food and is willing to try ANYTHING he’s been told is edible, and he has an admirable attention to recipe details. When he puts his mind to cooking, the results are often better than I’ve had in restaurants.
