Skipping Town

I don’t want to forget what the kids read in summer 2022. They kept track in an Excel doc. Posting this list in 2023, as an archive. Here’s the full list: Greta’s Summer Reading 2022 (and beyond--this list goes through October 2022) The Summer of bad ideas Blended A long walk to water Julie and the Wolves Force of Fire Star of a Mohawk The Lonely Heart of Maybelle Lane Every last drop Amal Unbound {property of the rebel librain Dreadwhether and sunrise Aru Shah and the necter of imortality The lion on Mars Ivy Aberdeen's letter to the world Sweep Rise of the school for good and evil The cursed carnival Magnus Chase and the sword sword of summer The Mysterious Disappearance of Aidan S. Magnus Chase and the hammer of thor  Magnus Chase and the ship of the dead Tuck Everlasting The whiz mob and the grenadine kid Greenglass house Ghost of Greenglass House Little Women Sky Song  9 from the nine worlds The 47 people you will meet in middle school the thing about jellyfish secret of the n

Friday, August 26 The second day of school seemed to go well. Greta was enthusiastic again, and Lucia came home with fewer complaints. It was very hot out, so we invited our friends to join us for dinner and an evening swim at the club. It was a nice way to end the week. Saturday, August 27 Andrew spent the day white-water rafting in Ohiopyle with some friends. In the morning, the girls and I went to a bunch of yard sales. Greta found a set of runes, and Lucia found a few rings and enamel pins, among other things. I found an Ikea doll bed for Nutmeg, which of course she has no interest in. She doesn't seem to realize that she's supposed to lie down and sleep on the bed so I can take a cute picture of her for Instagram. In the afternoon, Lucia was sulky. Greta and I walked to Starbucks for cold drinks. She talked about runes the entire way there and back. Andrew, meanwhile, had a scary experience on the river, when his raft flipped over. He hurt his knee pretty badly and is now

First day of school. The girls were excited / nervous. They both got up earlier than usual to get ready. Lucia wanted extra time to blow dry her hair and put on her makeup (clear mascara and lip gloss so far; I've promised her soft-black mascara on our next Target run). Soon enough, they were off. Andrew and I dropped them off and then went to the parent coffee at school; always happy to mingle at school in person.  Then--a quiet house. I don't start tutoring at Pitt till next week, so I gave myself a day to just decompress from the summer and unwind. I journaled, listened to an audio book, and sewed two lined zippered pouches and a small reversible tote bag. Andrew and I put together a newly delivered table for the Long Room--the final piece. Now all that remains is figuring out what to hang on the walls. The house is looking very very nice. Much more finished--all except the kitchen/family room, of course. But that's all to come. Or not! Maybe we'll just wait to do an

Today was the last day of summer. The kids were, still, at loose ends. I had a routine doctor's appointment this morning and then Andrew, Greta, and I went to school for her "Take a Peek" morning, where she got to go to her classroom, put her things in her locker, and talk to her teacher. She's very excited to get started. Lucia is excited and nervous.  I had a tennis lesson, and then all four of us went to the pool for lunch. The kids were at loose ends there too. It's just time for school to start. We came home and Lucia finished her summer Spanish reading and got her school supplies packed up. I vaccuumed Greta's room, which had many bun-fur tumbleweeds blowing around--Nutmeg is still dramatically molting. Then Lucia had cross-country practice. And that was the day. This summer seemed long, which I guess is okay, and we're only now really feeling that loose-ends, need-structure listlessness. We had our month in New Hampshire, and our week in Cape May. W

Thursday, August 18 I went out to lunch with Beth. The girls had their first piano lessons in a long while. Greta had a cross-country fun run to start the Lower School season. Then Andrew went to a baseball game with Nate. Friday, August 19 I had a computer person come over to try to revamp my computer to make it run faster. Later, the four of us went to the club to swim and have dinner. The girls ate with a big group of their friends. Andrew and I had mozzarella sticks and fries and gin & tonics before our actual dinner--perfection. Saturday, August 20 Today was the Prestia family reunion at cousins' beautiful house in Clairton, where they've just put in a glamorous pool and patio complex. It was a lot of fun. Lucia and Greta played with their small cousins in the pool. Mom was able to come despite having had shoulder surgery on Thursday; Molly was unable to come because Luca was exposed to covid.  Sunday, August 21 We had big plans for a nice bike ride and lunch, but a hu

Monday, August 15 I took the kids to DSW this morning to buy sneakers for school. They hate everything, so shopping is kind of a pain right now. But we did find them shoes in the end. Then we went to Target, where they each selected a Mini Brands for finishing up one of their punchcards. (The punchcard rewards, which I'd planned to be $5, expanded over the summer to be $5 OR a new book OR a Mini Brands.)  We had a little adventure in the afternoon, when I invited Lucia to squeeze into the laundry closet on the second floor to try to see behind the machines and tell us if they were actually plugged in. We have a stacked washer/dryer on the second floor but only the dryer works, and the whole thing is just completely jerry-rigged and nonfunctional. Lucia is the only one of us small enough to actually get in there and see what's going on. End result: the dryer isn't vented, there's no drain for the washer, and we're going to move both machines to the basement and retur

Friday, August 12 Drove back home from Cville, after a morning of piano, calligraphy, and Balderdash. It was also Nutmeg's third birthday! Her first birthday with us. We gave her two bags of treats and a new tri-entry tunnel. Saturday, August 13 The girls and I went to a book sale in the morning, at a church near our house. We went to this same sale last year, and we had good luck again. Then I had a tennis lesson, and in the afternoon Greta had a friend over and we all went up to the pool. Later, the girls and I walked to town to have dinner at Taiwanese Bistro Cafe 33, where we sat outside. Sunday, August 14 Watered plants, did laundry, vacuumed, cleaned up. Both girls went to a birthday party at Urban Air in Cranberry (it was for one of Lucia's friends, but siblings were also invited). Another parent drove them, and I drove five girls home. We watched Cheaper by the Dozen tonight. It feels like summer is speeding to a close...Trying to fit in lots of things the next two week

Andrew went to FL for a long weekend to care for his dad so the girls and I and Farrah decamped today for an overnight in Connellsville. We also brought a surprise guest: Nutmeg! Though I'd sworn off bringing her here for overnight stays, thanks to the last time when she a) escaped the guest room in the middle of the night and b) refused to be put back into her carrier for 45 minutes when it was time to go, I didn't want to leave her for a whole day and night. So here she is. So far she's been a model houseguest.  We arrived around 3 today and played Pictionary and Balderdash. The girls each had a calligraphy lesson with Dad, practiced piano with Mom, Greta picked cherry tomatoes with Mom, Lucia started making her own dictionary with made-up words (inspired by Balderdash), there was Wordle and Ruzzle with Dad, Mom made baked ziti for dinner, and we watched Luck while I worked on some plastic canvas. A great Cville day.

A nice day mostly at home. I got up early, did Duolingo and had coffee, and then drove over to the new Whole Foods for its grand opening. They were giving away tote bags and coupons to the first 400 people. It was a madhouse, but my coupon was worth $5 and the tote bag I got is super cute. I bought a goat cheese (free with the coupon) and left.  The girls and I did some painting today, following the instructions from some 5 Minute Crafts videos Lucia found on Pinterest. Not surprisingly, they were not the most successful experiments. I did make one that turned out well--a wave textured with a toothbrush. Later, while they played Roblox, I started sewing up a new reversible tote bag with fabric I bought in New Hampshire. Then Greta had a tennis lesson, and Lucia and I played Azul and Quirkle. Andrew had a tennis lesson after Greta, and while he was there we went to the pool. It was a very mild night but the pool was very heated, and the kids swam for a long time. They love when they hav

We've had a relaxing few days back at home. Our house always welcomes us so wonderfully--mostly because I nearly kill myself cleaning and tidying before we go away for a trip. It's such a huge pain but always so worth it. Farrah was overjoyed to see us. Nutmeg was reserved and suspicious, but by later in the evening she was actually binkying! Like binkying from a dead stop. So cute. She was happy. I rehired our pet sitter for our Labor Day trip to NYC. These are among the final days of summer. On Sunday, Lucia went shopping in Shadyside with a handful of friends, then went to the pool with them. Greta went to a friend's house and then they, too, walked to the pool. Andrew and I met both children later at the pool and took them home. Yesterday, I weeded the front yard, ran errands, and tried to get back to zero with the house. Today it was gloomy so we just hung out at home (and Lucia had a tennis lesson). Both girls are hard at work sorting through last year's school pa

Wednesday, August 3 I'd promised the girls a shopping morning, so after breakfast they and I and Mom and Dad drove into town to go into some shops. I bought a hat and a sweatshirt; the girls bought a handful of Good Luck Minis (an annual tradition) and sweatshirts; Lucia bought a keychain; Greta bought a hat; Mom bought a hat and a sweatshirt; and even Dad bought a hat. Successful.  After that it was more beach for most of us, though Luca and Molly weren't feeling well so it was a smaller beach group. For dinner we went to the Rusty Nail, where we sat at an outdoor picnic table. Greta and I rode our bikes there--we both had a real biking obsession this trip. After dinner, we walked down to Cove Beach to watch the sunset. Then Greta and I biked home. Thursday, August 4 Cove Beach again, and more pool. Andrew was feeling his best yet so he went to the farmer's market for fruit and corn and then grilled hot dogs and hamburgers for dinner. Afterward, we went to Sunset Beach to

Saturday, July 30 Our drive to Cape May wasn't easy. Andrew was still exhausted from covid, so I drove, and we all masked for the whole drive. We chose an isolation room for him in the beach house and spent as much time as we could outside. This was easy, since our rental has a pool and is walking distance from the beach. We ordered pizzas from Blue Moon, walked down to look at the beach, and swam.  Sunday, July 31 First full beach day. Andrew tested positive in the morning, and tried to rest as much as he could during the day; he was still very fatigued. The rest of us spent most of the day at the beach and then came home and swam in the pool. We walked into town for Kohr's custard in the evening. Monday, August 1 Molly and I and the kids went for a bike ride around the neighborhood in the morning, then played Telestrations with Mom and Dad. We went to the beach after lunch. Andrew texted good news while we were there: he tested negative! He came to the beach for a little whil