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5 on a Friday

Happy Friday! It’s been nice to settle back into normal rhythms after traveling last week. It was a great trip, but it’s nice to be back in our own space and our usual routine. Some things on my mind this week:

1. M played her first board game, Monkey Around! We are definitely a board game family, and it’s exciting to see our youngest start to participate in this family tradition. Joel, A, and I also spent a lot of time playing the game Magical Athletes, which is extremely silly and fun to play with kids and grown-ups.The tagline to the game is "a party game of pure racing chaos," which basically sums up the experience.

2. I finished the book Wreck, which made me laugh out loud a lot. I was reading the book while giving M a bath, and she would laugh really hard with me and then look up like, why are we laughing? I think there was something poignant for me about reading a novel that centered on a woman’s relationships with her adult children. It’s a stage of life that seems far away, but reading about it made me appreciate being in a stage of life where both my kids are at home and time with them is abundant. In a week with lots of teething and sibling squabbles, this was a welcome perspective.


3. Joel and I started watching The Diplomat this week and are obsessed. We intended to watch it when it came out, and then got sidetracked rewatching episodes of The Americans, another Keri Russell classic and my favorite TV show. It’s fun to watch a new show together that feels dramatic and campy.

4. M and I often go hiking with friends on Thursday, but this week was a bit of a fail as the trail was closed due to construction delays and the nature center next to it was also unexpectedly closed. We ended up at the park down the street where there were so many birds, it was warm and sunny, and it made me feel very happy to live where I live. I busted out the Merlin app to identify the birds, which always gives me a scavenger hunt feeling. Below is a picture of the Toyon plant, which is native to San Diego. It’s also called a Christmas Holly because of the red berries that emerge around Christmastime.
5. SHU recently shared the Pitchfork Top 100 playlist on Apple Music, and it’s been fun to listen to. My older daughter is usually very opinionated about music picks and wants everyone to get a turn, but she got into listening to what the best songs of the year were and found some new favorites. We added a few to our December family playlist.

How was your week? What media are you enjoying lately?

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