Outside My Window: This was taken several days ago but the mood of the picture still mostly applies, except, except guys – the SUN is out. The other day it was almost 40 degrees. I wore a light jacket to work the other day. I’m trying not to get in over my head and start digging out bikinis because it’s still for sure January and you know actual factual Spring is still a long ways off. But I’ll take it.

I Am Thinking: about all the things. About hopes for upcoming vacations, about laundry I should be folding but am not folding because *yawn*, about what to make the kids for lunch and whether to go pick up some groceries or put it off until tomorrow. I’m thinking about the projects I need to work on and the things that need to be cleaned, about the various interactions at work yesterday and the things I will need to do this week. All the things.

I Am Reading: Dad is Fat by Jim Gaffigan at night before bed. I love his sense of humor and a funny book all about parenting is right up my alley, really. I think celeb memoirs written by comics might be my new favorite genre. I also really appreciate the short short chapters style because I feel more accomplished when I bust through 5 chapters or more in a night even if that only means like 15 pages or so. It’s much more satisfying than barely making it through one chapter of a meatier book. Also I think I tend to end up reading more this way because “just one more chapter” isn’t a big commitment.

I Just Watched: Boyhood which just won a Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture among other awards. The hype about Boyhood is that it was shot on and off over the course of twelve years, showing the story of Mason Jr.’s life from age 6 to 18. This was not a fast paced movie, nor a short one – it was almost 3 hours long. It was a kind of quiet movie that doesn’t have one big plot so much as a long, leisurely foray through all the small and large things that happen as you grow up with a few over arching themes to be sure. My husband watched it on and off while watching The Walking Dead on his phone – he liked what he saw but couldn’t keep interested enough to just sit and watch it. I actually really liked it, but I can understand not being in the mood to take on a movie like that. You definitely need to go in with patience and an avid interest in the movie and its characters. I thought the cast did an excellent job and I’m still just fascinated that the whole cast took twelve years together to create this and finished.

I Am Hearing: children digging noisily through a box of LEGOS, looking for just the right piece and chattering with each other about the things they are going to create. #bliss

Weekend Wrap Up: This weekend my husband took apart part of my dash board and replaced some of the lights which had burnt out on most of the buttons. He took the lights to Auto Zone and was told “Oh the only place you’ll be able to find those is from the dealer” so instead of doing that we went to Radio Shack (amazingly still in business) and bought and sautered and wired and created his own using electrical engineering, sorcery and gumption. The end result: more lights! Yay! This weekend also involved working, shopping, not getting a new car stereo, strength training, being in pain from strength training, strength training some more and a bottle of wine.

Plans For The Week: Parent teacher conferences at 1, working a bunch and Team Trivia on Wednesday night. MM is finishing up his Pinewood Derby car for the race on Saturday and Emily has a field trip at the Children’s Museum on Thursday.

Picture Thoughts: 

The cold never bothered her anyway.