I took this picture of Jackson last night at dinner and it’s an instant favorite for me. We were in a restaurant and the sun was in his eyes, so I handed him my sunglasses, which might look better on him than on me, and I whipped out my camera to take a picture and he shot me this look, which sums up this period in his life pretty succinctly. You can almost hear him say, “Whatever, Mom, just take the picture.” At the tail end of first grade, just before his seventh summer, betraying a hint of the teenager he’ll become (sooner than I’m probably ready for): he’s not such a little boy anymore. And don’t even get me started on Joanie who turns three in a few weeks, though I swear she was a newborn only recently.
Weekends, of course, still very much revolve around them (as they should), and this one won’t be any different. Tonight Jackson has a friend sleeping over — one of his oldest friends, whom he met when he was just a few weeks old. Her mother and I have remained close all these years, and, lucky for us, our kids are among each other’s favorite people. We’ve been joking for a long time that they’ll be each other’s prom dates one day, and who knows — it might just happen!
Not sure exactly what else the weekend will bring, but it will probably involve some bike-riding, berry-eating, game-playing, drink-making, and maybe some grilling. Hope you all have a good one, too! What are you up to?
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JD June 2, 2018, 8:17 am
My husbands pool league plays their final tournament today. He won last night. Woohoo for him. He will be busy with that today. I sometimes go but it’s a bit boring for me and this could last all day so he will be doing that on his own. Good for him to have fun time without me anyway.
I am going to think of something new and yummy to make for dinner tonight. If it doesn’t get too hot, we should get rain today, maybe Italian, since I won’t mind being in front of the hot stove as much. I’ve been doing quick meals this week to limit my time standing in front of that heat box when it’s already so warm.
That will be followed by some me time, maybe a Dateline binge and face and hair mask and a nap.
Maybe later we will go down to the little bar for a few drinks and to see the few people I know. Our town is actually a village and is very small so the little bars tend to be the meeting places. We can walk to them which is nice. Restaurants close pretty early so it’s really the only thing to do, but I could use some adults and a cocktail after this week.
JD June 2, 2018, 8:27 am
Oh and I meant to say how much Jackson looks like you! That pic is adorable.
Kate June 2, 2018, 11:22 am
We’re living in this house of curiosities now. It’s a home my parents bought in the 90s in Cambridge for basically nothing in today’s housing market, and then because of how Cambridge is, it’s now ridiculous. An agent advised them not to sell, but they wanted to move to a place with a pool and stuff, so they’re now in a high rise downtown and we’re in this joint that, although not my childhood home, is the place my parents lived the longest, and my mom is trolling me with some of the whacked shit she left in cupboards and drawers. Such as the skeleton key to the back door of my actual childhood home, or gnomes from the 1940s, or avocado green Tupperware.
JD June 2, 2018, 11:38 am
OH yes on the avocado green tupperware. That is a gem.
Kate June 2, 2018, 11:53 am
Did your mom have it too?
ktfran June 2, 2018, 11:56 am
We had the orange Tupperware, but I def remember the green. We did have some avocado green and white glass mixing bowls.
JD June 2, 2018, 11:55 am
I know my grandma did. For some reason I cannot remember my moms tupperware setup back in the day. I think everyone mostly uses those disposable (reusable but disposable) ones these days. Far less Tupperware related stress involved in them for sure.
Kate June 2, 2018, 12:14 pm
She only has the flour and sugar canisters left. The rest got lost or thrown away. I remember messing around in the sandbox with it.
Lucidity June 3, 2018, 11:39 am
Gnomes! Oh I’m jealous. I’ve wanted a garden gnome since I first saw the movie Amelie, but my husband thinks they’re creepy. Sighhhhh.
Kate June 3, 2018, 12:32 pm
Don’t be jealous, they are a string of light-up pinecone gnomes with little creepy faces, and the whole thing is so old it would probably burn the house down. I snuck it in a box with a lamp she wanted, so now she has her gnomes back.
I DO have a garden gnome. My ex-bf came over once and snuck it in my bathroom when I wasn’t paying attention. He put it on the window sill in the shower so that the next time I went to shower I was like “what on EARTH?!” It had a little beer stein too, with a creepy note in it.
JD June 2, 2018, 12:59 pm
I just witnessed my teenager make a chicken and ranch dressing sandwich. I’d been wondering why the dressing kept running out so fast. Teenagers are weird.
Ange June 3, 2018, 1:08 am
A guy decided to stop in the middle of the road and reverse into my brand new car that I have had for all of three weeks so that’s how my weekend has gone ?
JD June 3, 2018, 9:51 am
Nooo. Lawyer up. He’s going to try to mess with you. So sorry to hear that.
Ange June 3, 2018, 6:44 pm
Nah it’s fine I have a dash cam so he had no choice but to admit liability immediately. Even then lawyering up kind of isn’t the immediate response over here ? There would have been many, many other steps and recourses to take before it got to that point.
JD June 3, 2018, 6:47 pm
I had someone do it to me then I got the ticket and had to fight it. Hence my instinct to say that. People intentionally will do it because front end damage you are automatically at fault. It’s a scam they do. Grrr. Awesome you had the cam!
Heck the guy who rear ended me even claimed it was my fault!!! My fault he was texting.
Ange June 3, 2018, 6:58 pm
Oh man that sucks. We didn’t get the police involved (you don’t necessarily have to unless there are injuries) so no issues there.
alafair June 4, 2018, 1:16 am
@JD – Same thing happened to my best friend recently. He was inside the house, parked in his driveway and the neighbor backed into his car. Even after being told there was video of the accident from the security cameras the neighbor insisted B hit him. B ended up having to have a lawyer provide the footage to the cops and insurance companies in order to make it go away without being labelled at fault. Needless to say things are a bit tense in his neighborhood now.
Ange June 4, 2018, 3:29 am
Wow really? I just sent the footage to my insurance company myself, done and dusted.
JD June 4, 2018, 7:06 am
I believe you don’t have to call the cops with no injury here either. Back up guy was accusing me, refusing to give his info and drunk so obviously I did. Rear end guy who also accused me I was injured so again called. Still fighting with an attorney over the rear end guy as thanks to him my insurance went sky high. Stupid CA doesn’t matter whose at fault your rates go up. ?
Skyblossom June 4, 2018, 10:17 am
We have a dash cam in every car and I’m glad to have them. So far the only accident was us hitting a deer so clearly we were at fault even though the deer run out in front of us.
Ange June 4, 2018, 6:25 pm
That’s so lame. I hold rating one for life so even if I have an accident that’s my fault I just pay the excess but my rates stay the same.
Juliecatharine June 3, 2018, 10:05 am
Boo! That sucks Ange. I’m sorry about your car but glad you’re ok!
Ange June 3, 2018, 6:45 pm
Thanks. For a little car it took the impact really well. He had a massive one tonne ute and it didn’t have a scratch on it of course.