One. We survived camping with a 5-year-old, a 3-year-old, and a 1-year-old! We even enjoyed it! As far as I'm concerned, camping with dozens of extended family members who make all the meals, entertain your children, and are thrilled to carry your angry baby in their arms when she screams is the only way to go.



Two. I started doing the Jillian Michaels "Thirty-Day Shred" exercise video, in an attempt to curb the regrettable piling on of pounds that has occurred since I returned from Grenada. Now, I think of myself as somewhat fit. I ran thirteen stinkin' miles at one time, people. But this video? So killer! I did Level One yesterday morning and I'm still hurting. I'm planning on Level Two tonight (do I know how to have fun on a Friday night, or what?). Eventually, I will do Level Three. I will.

Three. My husband has been gone on a lot of business trips lately. This is good because it means his company is making money. This is bad because I have a heck of a hard time making myself go to bed at night. I plan all these projects to keep me busy while he's gone--quilt-making, novel-writing, recipe-trying. And then I get the kids in bed and am so completely wiped out that I sit around wasting my time on the Internet, and then at 9 or 10 I drink a diet soda and decide to finally get something done, and then go to bed at midnight or later. And then the baby wakes up at 6 a.m. Repeat for two or three or five days and you have one tired mommy. Apparently without a spouse around to make me stick to my bedtime I morph into my daughter, who always wants to stay up just *little bit* later, please...

Four. I really liked Michelle's post at Scribbit on how parenting your youngest is different than parenting your oldest. My youngest is only 1, but already Eric and I think we let her get away with so much more than we did with Beth. And I can already imagine some of the other situations she describes popping up.

Five. I am the only one who is sad that she no longer has a reason to go school shopping? For herself, that is. I'd like some new shoes and a new winter coat and a lot of fresh, empty notebooks and nicely-sharpened pencils.



Six. I loved The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie. Arnold Spirit is funny, fascinating, and brave. He's the anti-hero kind of teenager you'd like to imagine yourself as having been: the brilliant underdog outsider, proving himself to the world.

Seven. Check out this Name Anagram Generator, which doesn't just spit out a list of words, but chooses the funniest anagram your name can possibly make. (Thanks, Emily, for the link). Me? One error-free juiciness. Indeed.

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