Happy

More words when I have time. But aren’t we a pair? (Actually, we’re a quartet, but somebody has to hold the camera, and somebody has to mug like a 4 year old….)

I had such plans for today

I had such plans for today.  It’s right there on my calendar:  zoo, aquarium, and/or Target.  We were going to finish off my list of things to do and have a wonderful morning or afternoon out as a family.

But instead I caught a cold (at the pediatrician’s office! Unfair!), Widget slept all afternoon, and Little Bear’s been up all night for the past few nights protesting a diet change.  So we cuddled up in jammies and napped off and on all day, alternating sleep with quiet games in the playroom.  Eventually, I fell asleep again putting Widget down for his afternoon nap (the post-chemo meds make me soooooo drowsy, but they work wonders on the aches and bone pain that I’ve been having).  I woke up just as the last rays of light were leaving his window, heading for the West and leaving us in the quiet darkness of a fall evening.

We pulled ourselves up, went downstairs to join Daddy and Little Bear, and had a nice family dinner together.  A relaxing warm bath and stories for everyone capped off the evening, and the boys were read/lullabied/cuddled to sleep.

Hey.  It turned out to be a pretty good day after all. 

New Books!

I haven’t been writing much this week (No NaNoWriMo for me after all, although I’d love to do it), but I have been reading as I put my baby to sleep each night.

I’ve enjoyed reading novels again.  What with all the illness and babies and such around here, it’s been awhile since I’ve really gotten in some good reads.  But this has been nice.  MotherTalk and The Parent Bloggers Network have sponsored some great books in the last few weeks, and I’ve posted my reactions to them over on Review Planet, my sister site:

• The Daring Book for Girls, by Andi Buchannan and Miriam Peskowitz;
• Dangerous Admissions, by Jane O’Conner;
• The Right Words at the Right Time, volume 2, by Marlo Thomas;
• Matrimony, by Joshua Henkin;
• You Look Nice Today: A Novel, by Stanley Bing; and 
• The Other Mother, by Gwendolen Gross (coming soon)

In fact, I’m giving some of them away — if you’re local and you’d like to borrow or keep The Right Words at the Right Time, Matrimony, or The Other Mother, just leave a comment on those posts and I’ll drop ’em off at your house or bring them to a DC Metro Moms Blog playdate soon.  They’re all brand new for 2007 and only read once!

P.S. There’s also a post about Edible Arrangements, my new favorite alternative to sending flowers.  They have some beautiful Thanksgiving arrangements that will make your mouth water….

I knew I liked her

Speaker Nancy Pelosi, that is.  Check it out.  Her very own blog post on keeping our kids safe from toxic toys. 

Let’s help her out, by adding our names to the Moms Rising petition to tell Congress “We demand safe, lead-free toys for children. Congress must strengthen the agencies responsible for protecting kids from toxic products and remove the bureaucrats who are standing in the way.”  I just did.  If you’re a U.S. resident, maybe you’d like to sign it too.  Moms standing together for the kids.

I like the sound of that.

P.S. Know who else I like?  Lynn of Organic Mania.  She had an awesome post last month about Cheap Plastic Toys — a major concern in terms of safety AND environmental concerns.  Cool.