Sleep

I am convinced that getting enough sleep helps our family all get along and manage, no matter how much space we live in. I am so sleep deprived, and I know that there's no way I can catch up on sleep until next week when my classes are finished. Yet, this morning, after staying up late again to work on my website( 1:30 a.m last night and 3:45 a.m. the night before), I went back to be for another 1 1/2 hours. I'm still tired, but at least now I feel that I'm a little more able to do what I need to do, and I'll be a better driver later on today.

This will be my last post for a while. As soon as my classes are over, I'll be going into Christmas mode. I have a couple of co-op shifts to catch up on and a little more shopping to do. On Christmas eve, we're going to go to grammy's house and on the day after Christmas, we'll be driving to NW NY to see grandpa for a couple of days. My daughter is going to participate in a neighborhood recital and we'll have a little party to entertain kids and their families. It will be nice for the kids to get to know the neighbors so that they might play with them again when we return during the summer.

In January, we'll work on getting the apartment in better shape, doing things that we wanted to do in August and September, but couldn't. We need to organize my son's room and weed through books and toys. The bathroom and my daughter's room need to be painted. We may even paint my son's room. Every room in the apartment needs to be scrubbed, dusted and vacuumed. At some point we need to order new rugs for their rooms. My daughter still has the alphabet rug we bought when she was a baby. And then there are the boxes that sit in our living room. Most of it can probably be tossed. The hallway has grown into a nasty stacked-up storage space that must be sorted through. We have a lot to do, but I am pledging to get at least 7 hours of sleep each night during my break and to read at least 3 books before I return to school at the end of January. I also need to get a hair cut and see all of my doctors for check-ups. And then there's my scrapbooking project, which I haven't really worked on since July. I was current up until May 2006, and I still need to do my summer vacation album. I would like to order all the prints and get organized to finish the album at the scrapbooking weekend I plan to attend in February.

Best wishes for a Happy New Year!

To-do for school

Today, I will post the list of things that need to be done as I finish up with this semester's responsibilities.

Of course, what this means is that I have to spend a lot of time on this during the next 8 days, sitting at this desk, getting cramps in my hands and my neck and my body. Must remember to do the stretching exercises. Housework and laundry will continue to take 2nd place. My husband is complaining that he is spending too much time as a single parent. Hmmm. no comment to that -- based on my experiences over the last 9 years.

I will have to spend a lot of time getting cupcakes ready for my son's birthday. One might ask why I'm not buying the cupcakes....I make them because I have to. My son is allergic to nuts and this makes it impossible to buy pre-made cakes.

Technology of Information:
(2 more classes: 12/11 and 12/18)

1. finish website
2. finish putting together portfolio (I am afraid that there may be some issues the saving of some of the material and I hope that I won't have to go back and redo anything because it will take a lot of time)
3. do extra credit for lab #14
4. finish the blog writing
5. study for quiz #4 by reviewing flash cards for units G and H

Fundamentals of Library and Information Science:

1. (one more class: 12/13)
2. finish research paper
3. write 4 essay questions for quiz prep
4. study for last Quiz -- #3

Christmas to-do list

We still have a few more days, but I am waiting for a few packages to arrive from:

• Brookstone
• Pottery Barn
• Sierra Trading Company

We also need to wrap a bunch of things. I plan to sneak them into my mom's car when she comes over on Friday. This makes Santa's job so much easier. Usually we have to sneak all the presents into boxes and put them in the trunk of the car, with the kids watching. It's ridiculous!

Other things I still need to do:

• at co-op, buy jam for my dad and other little gifts for my mom
• buy gifts at American Girl for my daughter
• mail out about 20 family calendars to family and friends
• wrap presents and send them to my brother and my husband's sister
• prepare kid's fall photos and the karate photos of my daughter from last Spring
• frame a photo for my son's birthday -- oops (wrong to-do list)

The Mobile Office

I'm working out of my mobile office today, at Brooklyn Public Library's Central Library. Events during the week with my son's asthma led to full days of not being able to do any work on my paper, and I got behind. So, I decided that I couldn't work at home at my desk in the living room with the TV on or toys being dragged out onto the rug, sibling squabbles and the stuffy smell of the latkes we made last night. My son peeled the potatoes, my daughter grated the potatoes and the onions, they both broke the eggs and stirred. I cooked them and my husband had the delightful job of cleaning it all up.

At the library, I still notice the smell of fried potatoes and onions in the bag I brought the laptop in, and in my coat! I found a table in the art and music reference area on the 3rd floor. The last time I was up here, I was here on an emergency, probably about 5 years ago when my son was a baby and my daughter was in preschool. Her school was across the street from the library, so we were in the children's area a lot. That day, the bathrooms on the first floor were out of service, so I was sent to the 3rd floor out of desperation for a changing table, which we really needed.

So, now I'm back on the 3rd floor and a lot has changed. There's a new bathroom, and I have a new mission. I'm working on my research paper for GSLIS 701. The topic is Adult Literacy Programs in Public Libraries. I borrowed my daughter's lap top and I just think it's so amazing. There's a wireless network here, and this computer is new and fast. Now if I can only get used to the keyboard. I think I'm going to have to buy one of these!

Another amazing thing. As I was reading through my research, I heard an announcement that the friends of BPL literacy was having a bake sale here on 3rd floor. I went in and bought a cupcake and a cookbook by the Friends of Literacy group at BPL and met the woman in charge of the literacy program. This is what I'm writing my paper about. She has an office at the Park Slope branch and she invited me to stop by next week for a visit. She's there 9-5! When I got back to my table, I recognized her name in one of the books I'm reading.

The cookbook is a real bonus!

Hanukkah to-do list

We're in the middle of Hanukkah now, and most of my tasks are finished for this holiday.
I still have to do the following:

• Make sure I have enough ingredients for latkes (potato pancakes) (get sour cream).
• Make applesauce from all of the surplus apples in the fridge - use crock pot)
• Set up kids presents for each other (glove mittens).
• Make latkes on Friday.

On the first night of Hanukkah, I was at my Tuesday class, and I heard that the kids complained about receiving snow boots on the first day. Of course they wanted fun things. We have also given books, which after an initial grumble are actually very well received an appreciated. We try to give practical small gifts for this holiday, knowing that my son's birthday and Christmas are right around the corner.

My son had another doctor's appointment today and I was able to take him back to school for the afternoon. But after this morning's appointment, we also had to go to the pharmacy to pick up a prescription for an antibiotic. We had to wait a long time for it, and so we went to the nearby diner for hot chocolate. By the time we got to school it was lunch time, but my son needed another nebulizer treatment. I had to fill out paperwork that is going to take a long time to get approved before the school nurse is authorized to administer the nebulizer medicine. So, until that happens, I will need to go to the school and take care of that for Harry.

Birthday to-do list

My son is home today from school again. He must remain calm, so I'm letting him watch as much TV as he can stand. In the meantime, I'm working on Quiz preparation for my 2 classes.
I missed my co-op shift today, so I'll have to make it up in early January when I return from my mini vacation.

My life has been reduced to numerous to-do lists. Today, I'll list the things I need to do for my son's birthday next weekend:

• Make 36 cupcakes for his class for Friday 12/14. (Reserve 4 for dinner later that night when my mom will be coming over to celebrate her birthday.)
• Make 36 cupcakes for his party on Saturday 12/14. (reserve 6 for my son's actual birthday on 12/16, when his grandfather will be visiting).
• Wrap presents.
• Pick up pinata.
• Wait for hideously expensive pinata filler to arrive by UPS from from Oriental Trading Company.
• Fill pinata
• Prepare gift bags.
• Consider making bags of cookies to give away in addition to the pinata junk.
• Confirm with the families that have not yet rsvp'd.
• Give final tally to karate studio -- we're up to 16 including my son. It's exactly what I expected -- about a 50% attendance, after inviting 30 kids
• Note: most of the cupcake baking will have to take place on the evening and into the night of Thursday, 12/13 after my GSLIS 701 class.
  

Avoiding the ER

It's late, but my husband is giving my son a Xopenex treatment here in the living room as I type, to help to improve his breathing. Since the age of 5 weeks, he has struggled with asthmatic problems, but there had been a gap of over a year since the last serious incident. We spent about three hours this afternoon at the pediatrician's office and may have spent the night in the ER, but I asked if we would really be seen right away or not. Usually when I go to the ER in our neighborhood, we're there for 3 hours until we are seen by the doctor. And then sometimes it's another three hours after that before we can go home. I asked the doctor if she could make a call to the ER to help us to get in earlier, and at first she said she could do that, but she's only been at this practice for two weeks, and I wondered how she might pull off a favor like that. In the end, she gave us the prescriptions and sent us on our way with instructions to give my son a treatment by nebulizer every 3 hours and to come back to the office in the morning. No school tomorrow. I hope I can get some work done and that Doug can come home early enough so I can go to my class to hand in the paper I'm still working on.

An afternoon with my daughter

The house remained messy this afternoon and the laundry piled up while I took the afternoon to spend with my daughter. She needed new lenses in her glasses, so we went to the mall in Manhattan, and yes, such a place exists. It's convenient to the F-train, which takes us right into the building and the eye glasses shop is steps from the subway. It took longer than expected, of course, to get the lenses, but that meant that we had time to eat a late lunch and to do some shopping for much-needed clothes for my daughter. We braved the outside cold and the crowds to go to the Gap and Macy's. Macy's was the most crowded and draining, but we by chance got to see the Waterford Crystal ball that will be "dropped" at Times Square on New Year's Eve. It was brightly lit in a changing array of colors. We moved along quickly due to the crowds, but it was a bonus to see it.

We arrived at home in time to greet my daughter's best friend from school who came to our house for a sleep-over. We ordered pizza and made sundaes. My son felt a bit out of sorts because he hasn't had any sleepovers with his friends yet. And he doesn't like to be left out. But he wasn't feeling well, so he went to bed, and the girls got to watch a movie on my daughter's new laptop. It made the evening a lot more calm. Until I have finished my classes this semester, I won't be the greatest of hosts!

Countdown to the holidays, part 2

Tonight, as I was sitting down to do some studying, my husband interrupted, mentioning that I had promised to wrap presents tonight, and to go over all of the gifts we've gathered so far. I sighed and then stared at all the bags and boxes he had unearthed from our bedroom closet and under our bed. I knew that it had to be done, but it always seems like such a chore. Six years ago as we were preparing for the arrival of our son, we got all of the presents ready before Thanksgiving, just in case he was born early. Ever since, we've tried to be ready for Hanukkah a few days before. It took us a couple of hours, but we sorted out the presents for each of our kids, and wrapped all of them. We need to get a few more things for our daughter. It's always a relief to have the the presents ready before the holiday. They will be getting a lot of books this year. The kids really do enjoy the presents, and we enjoy their happy smiles.

Earlier in the week, I stopped at a local coffee shop that carries the beeswax candles that fit our Menorah, which was handcrafted by my father. The beeswax candles are the only type that fit the candle holders, which anchor the candles with spikes. Years ago, I used to buy the wax from a bee keeper and make my own. My husband and I would spend a couple of nights cutting the wax into the right size, heating the individual pieces with a hair dryer and then rolling a wick into the wax. Obviously, we haven't had time for this luxurious craft in years. When I found the $12 box of pre-made candles, I knew that my candle-making days were over, and now I buy them every year.

Tomorrow, I need to order some nut-free chocolate!

Countdown to the holidays, part 1 -- gathering presents

December is always an especially challenging month for our family. At one point, I did enjoy the holidays, but now it's just one more overwhelming thing. I try to do less each year, but it seems that the events take on a snowball effect. I think it's fun for the kids, but for my husband and me, there are so many tasks at hand and most of them have to do with gathering presents. We celebrate Hanukkah and Christmas, and my son's birthday is December 16. It's easy for his birthday to get lost in all of the other celebrations, especially if there's an overlap when Hanukkah happens on the same days as his birthday or Christmas. And for him, it's the best part of the year, but he complains because he has to wait so long to get his presents.

This year, each event can be celebrated separately. Hanukkah runs for eight days, then we'll have a 3-day break until my son's birthday party and birthday. And then 8 days until Christmas eve. Last year it all came together, with Hanukkah starting on the day of his birthday.

My husband and I started gathering presents the week before Thanksgiving, but we haven't wrapped anything yet. We are planning to get started with that tonight. Our closet is starting to bulge, and the space under our bed is filled with books. I even have a stack of books hidden on the file cabinet, in plain view in my dining room. I have the spines turned inside. The kids will get a lot of books for Hanukkah. Toys and other things for Christmas. We used to send out about 100 cards to our friends and family, but last year we couldn't keep up with it. We sent out a Kodak photo album to our friends, but later realized that many people didn't even open it up, or didn't receive it. I'm still going to try it again this year. I may just send an email note with a photo or two actually in the email.

As I'm writing this, I am suddenly interrupted by the some annoying noise from my upstairs neighbors, and I need to pause to put some music on Pandora.com. OK, I'm back and now I'm listening to a radio station featuring music by Pink and related songs.

A few nights ago when I was studying late into the night, I smelled smoke and heard a guy jabbering away on a cell phone. I couldn't figure out where it was coming from until I peaked out my front window only to find that there was a guy sitting on his window sill, smoking away. I think I startled him, but then I stormed away and went to bed. It was after 1:00 a.m. anyway.

Countdown to birthday party

I don't know how I did this, but we will be celebrating my son's birthday for about 3 days. On Friday, December 14, I will need to bring in 2 dozen cupcakes for his class to celebrate. On Saturday, December 15, we have the party at the karate studio from 2-4, and there will have to be a cake or more cupcakes. I invited 30 kids including his whole class plus a few others. So far, I've only heard from a few people, and many have declined. It's such a busy time of the year. I figured if I had at least a 50% acceptance rate, I'd have a good crowd for him. I bought a pinata, and now I have to order the treats to fill it. I will also have to provide goodie bags, which are such a waste of money. And I have no idea why I scheduled the party one day before his birthday, when I could have scheduled it on Sunday. At the time I scheduled the party, I was probably under the impression that the karate studio was closed on Sundays. So, on my son's birthday, we'll have yet another celebration, probably anticlimactic, but the presents will keep coming.

Last year, we had my son's party at the New York City Transit Museum ("subway museum"). We had the place to ourselves for about 2 hours. Instead of giving cheap, yet expensive, goodie bags, I gave each child a book about trains. I went crazy with the cake though because I found a train cake pan at Williams-Sonoma and made individual trains and cars and then decorated them all. They looked good, but I don't think that the kids actually ate them. I made chocolate and vanilla, and used various colors of icing.

This year, the kids will go crazy for the cheap treats in the pinata and maybe I'll make chocolate chip cookies and give each child 6. That would be relatively easy. Who really needs another pencil or sticker or cheap plastic toy anyway?

My Daughter's Piano Recital

I stayed overnight in New Jersey on Friday night, and on Saturday morning, my mom and I drove back to Brooklyn and arrived by about 9:45 a.m. We were just in time to clean up the apartment to prepare for my daughter's piano recital. The floors needed to be vacuumed and mopped and we needed to put away toys. The dining room was arranged with chairs in a semi circle behind the spinet piano. When we arrived, she was already dressed in her best party dress and ready to perform. The piano teacher arrived at 11:45 as arranged, but we waited for grandpa, who couldn't find a parking spot. While we waited, the piano teacher played for us. Grandpa eventually arrived and the recital began. My daughter played beautifully. Her expression was beautiful and her technique is improving. She has made great strides since her first lesson this fall. Even though we didn't have a full house, it was worth the experience to give her the motivation. We gave her the last pink rose of summer from Grammy's garden.

The Day After Thanksgiving

We celebrated Thanksgiving pretty much in the same style as we have for over fifteen years here at my mom's house in the north section of Newark. My parents have been divorced for over 12 years now, but my dad always returns for this weekend. My brother always comes in from Portsmouth, NH and my husband's parents would come over too, until last year when Doug's mom passed away. Usually there are a few guests as well. Yesterday, our group of 12 included my parents, my brother, my family, and one of my dad's voice students from Mount Scenario College, in Ladysmith, WI with his wife and her son. We had not seen them for a while so the conversation was lively as we all caught up with each other.

The menu was traditional: turkey, giblet gravy, stuffing (made with bread, butter, celery and onions, candied sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, pineapple sherbet and pie for desert.

My mom's house is impressive. Built in about 1929 before the stock market crash, it features beautiful fittings, alabaster lamps, interesting brass door knobs and leaded glass windows. It's about 3,500 square feet with: 3 bedrooms, each with their own interior bathroom (2 with shower one with a tub; panelled library filled with books; finished attic with 3 cedar storage closets; kitchen with pantry and back staircase to the second floor; full dining room with a large table; finished basement with a bar; laundry in the basement; living room with coat closet and a sun room; formal entryway; front staircase with landing; window seat and a mural on the walls and 2 half baths (for a total of 5 bathrooms). She has a beautiful garden with a fountain, many flowers, lavendar, herbs and vegetables.

The Night Before Thanksgiving

Last year, I spent 2 hours in traffic between the hours of 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. on my way to Newark to see my family. For years we've been gathering in Newark for Thanksgiving. This year, I decided to stay home on the night before Thanksgiving simply to avoid the traffic and to do a little more preparation. I spent the day writing a paper and studying, and really couldn't spare the time to pack suitcases or to cook anything. In the meantime, my mom made 2 pumpkin pies, 1 blueberry pie and a shoefly pie, plus pineapple sherbet. I really didn't miss cooking this year.

My house needs to be cleaned. I'm starting to count the dust bunnies accumulating in the hallway and in my bedroom, but the laundry is done and my husband kindly and generously folded all of it! We call him The Folder. The weekend will be full and I'll be sure to journal the hightlights in the days to come.

Corn husks

This afternoon, I noticed that my daughter needed corn husks to bring to class tomorrow. She had mentioned that she was going to make the corn husk dolls in class, but never told me about the requirement of bringing in the corn husks. I finally read the note on her homework reminder sheet. On the way home from school, I kept thinking, where in the world am I going to get corn husks in Brooklyn with less than one day's notice. But it was my lucky day. A few weeks ago, my husband bought two sets of mini dried colored corn at the green market, with dried corn husks. So, I cut off the tops and put them in her backpack.

Sometimes the number of things that are required from parents approach the ridiculous. There are many many tests and permission slips to sign, and many opportunities to donate food to parties. For example, there's a Thanksgiving feast in the classroom on Wednesday. I had to admit that I can't cook for this event. I bought a cherry pie that I might bring to Thanksgiving Dinner or I could give it to the classroom. But I also have a gallon of apple cider that will work just fine.

Not that I mind participating, but I do feel overwhelmed. I don't like it when I miss something that I was supposed to do and it affects my daughter! I need to remind her constantly to participate in reminding me!

Fantastic Day

It was a marathon day today. Staying up late meant that I needed to sleep in a bit today and got ready just in time to leave the house at 11:00. I needed to be in the city for a class at the Humanities and Social Science Library (NYPL) at 42nd Street. I really enjoyed the class and was so fortunate to have friends in town. We've known each other for about 20 years and went to a atudy abroad program in Copenhagen together in 1988.

In the meantime, my daughter carried on with her piano and karate lessons, and had a playdate with a friend. I heard that there was a leaf-hunting walk in the park.

We met on the library steps and then took a bus down 5th Avenue to the Forbes Museum where it was quiet and just the place to talk and catch up. After that we went on a search for New York Cheese cake and found it at Juniors in Grand Central Terminal. We stayed in the food court for a while and then ended up at the bar at the Cipriani.

At about 6:30 p.m., it was time to go and we made our way to the shuttle back to the west side. Two friends were heading back to their hotel for evening activities at the conference they were attending, and one friend and I were headed back to Penn Station. But I fainted on the shuttle because I wasn't feeling well. So instead of taking the train home, my friend kindly got a taxi and we make our way back to Brooklyn. My husband then took him to the LIRR station here in Brooklyn for his trip to Long Island. My kids read Sesame Street stories to me in bed.

I'm here writing and may have to go through and edit this a bit later, but it's all I can do for now. The house is a mess, especially the kitchen...due to the malfunctioning sink and dishwasher but now it's back to bed for me. I think I have a fever.

TGIF

As Fridays go, this one wasn't so bad. The afternoon was rather calm with the kids. I decided to order pizza and salad and then had time to make banana bread. I really couldn't have cooked though because our sink is clogged and the adjacent dishwasher is clogged too. My husband promised to try to fix it with a drain cleaner tomorrow, because pouring hot water down the drain did nothing. We may have to call the plumber after all, and pay an exorbitant fee for it. Hopefully it will all work out -- otherwise my take-out bills will be sky high.

I need to stay up late tonight to study for a quiz which will take place the week after Thanksgiving. Saturday will be a busy day and I will have to miss kickboxing again.

Mom, why do the towels smell like garlic?

I suppose that the long answer to why our towels smell like garlic is that the apartment is small, and even if all of the windows were open, the cooking smells would be absorbed into the towels in the bathroom, which is really only about 15 feet from the kitchen, around the corner in the hall. Also, the ventilation hood for the stove top is set up in the microwave, which is installed just above the stove top, but if you are cooking on the front burner, the aromas don't reach the fan, just behind, and cooking steam goes straight up to the ceiling.

But the short answer is that I made a delicious soup that had a lot of garlic in it.
Here's the recipe ( from A King Arthur Flour recipe booklet):

Albondigas Soup

Meatballs:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup diced onions
1/2 pound ground beef
1/2 pound ground pork
1 large egg
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon oregano

Soup:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 cups diced onions
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 cans (about 28 ounces) diced or crushed tomatoes with green chilis
(or 2 cans diced or crushed tomatoes and a separate can of green chilis)
1 8-ounce zucchini, diced
6 cups (48 ounces) chicken stock
1 bay leaf
1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt
1 cup sliced scallions (optional)
juice of 1 lime
cilantro sprigs for garnish

To make the meatballs:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• In medium saute pan, heat the olive oil and add the onions. Cook, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.
• In a mixing bowl combine the beef, pork, egg, cornmeal, cumin and oregano. Add salt and pepper to taste and stir in the 1/2 cup cooked onions.
• Mix well and form into 1-inch balls.
• Place the meatballs on a baking sheet and cook for 20-25 minutes. (Cooking the meatballs this way sets the proteins in the meat and will keep the soup from getting cloudy when it simmers.
• Remove the meatballs from the oven and set aside.

For the soup:

• In a 6-quart pan, heat the olive oil.
• Add the onions and cook, stirring iccasionally, until they become translucent and begin to pick up some color. Stir in the garlic and zucchini, and cook for 5 minutes.
• Add the tomatoes, chicken broth, bay leaf and salt, and bring to a simmer.
• Carefully drop in teh meatballs.
• Reduce the soup to a simmer and cook for 45 minutes.
• Five minutes before serving, add the scallions and lime juice.
• Taste and adjust the seasoning as desired.
• Serve with fresh cilantro on top.
• Yield 12 cups, 8 12-ounce servings.

P.S. Several of my favorite shirts smelled like garlic and onions so now I have to wash them again. Next week I'm making beef stew. Does that mean I have to encase my clothes in plastic?

On November 13th...

It's November 14th, and this should have been posted yesterday. However, it was a half-day for the kids, plus parent-teacher conference meetings in the afternoon. Plus I had class in the evening, which meant that I had to drop off the kids at their grandpa's house and then my husband had to pick them up after work. Grandpa drove them all home after dinner.


Anyway, here's the Odd Couple reference upon which I based this blog:

"On November 13th, Felix Unger was asked to remove himself from his place of residence. That request came from his wife. Deep down, he knew she was right, but he also knew that someday he would return to her. With nowhere else to go, he appeared at the home of his childhood friend, Oscar Madison. Sometime earlier, Madison's wife had thrown him out, requesting that he never return. Can two divorced men share an apartment without driving each other crazy?"

I'm Felix, and I live with three Oscars.

Blissfully quiet

Everyone is out of the house right now and it's quiet. While my daughter attended Sunday school, my husband took my son to his first basketball clinic. In the meantime, I've ignored the mess in the kitchen so that I could do some prep work on my website assignment. I think that I now have enough material for a good start. I still have many hours of quiz prep to do, so that will have to take place this afternoon and this evening. The kids are off from school today and Tuesday afternoon, so most of my work has to get done today. I will probably take them on a field trip to a science or children's museum, depending on what's open.

I was going to make a special soup this afternoon, but I forgot to buy the main ingredient so I'll have to do that tomorrow afternoon. I haven't touched the laundry, but at least the apartment is still relatively clean.

They will be home any minute clamoring for lunch and then my daughter is having two friends over for a playdate from 2-5. Hopefully, my son and husband can go back out for a while to the park. The leaves are gorgeous right now, and I can see a few trees with striking reddish leaves.