don't tell mom, the babysitter's dad

Today I leave for Michigan for a long weekend, leaving Hal for the very first time, alone with the kids. Single dad for three-nights on his own, a first for him. I've been slightly nervous for the past week - putting out clothes for Fable to wear and filling the freezer with easy-to-heat meals, organizing and shopping and showing Hal which milk Fable prefers and how much to fill her bottle when, and how to make "salty eggs" for Archer and tricks to get Archer to go on evening dog walks.

And he's like, "yes dear. It's under control. I got it. Don't worry about me. Whatever."

And I'm like, "yes but, I know you do, but sometimes...."

Because as most (all?) of you know, co-parenting is a thousand times easier than parenting solo (Single parents? You are my heroes.) especially if you're not used to solo-parenting. (Hal has never gone anywhere alone with the kids, for instance. This scares me a little bit as he plans to do ADVENTURES ALL OVER LOS ANGELES! WAHOO!

Last night, as I was trying to figure out what the hell to pack for snow when I own no practical clothes packing the last of my things, Hal told me he was actually really excited to be alone with the kids for a few days.

"It's going to be an adventure," he said. "We'll all sleep in the big bed and we'll cuddle and watch movies and go to the park and we'll draw pictures and we'll paint paintings and we'll go to the Zoo and the farmer's market and we'll save the world and cure AIDS and build a hovercraft and bond."

Indeed.

tic tac toe...

xo, xo

So maybe they won't eat amazingly well for a few days and I'll come home to a messy house full of processed foods, Fable drinking from the toilet and Archer with a head full of dreadlocks. At least I'll know they had fun. Hal obviously doesn't need me to show him how to do that.

GGC

She be Bump'n

The days after the goose-egg incident Fable (who is fourteen-months today!!) rocks a bruise and a smile

...The thing about standing babes when they're not quite used to standing? They go bonk. Like, BONK. And then you pick them off the floor and they're screaming and OH GOD! Here it comes. HERE IT COMES! HER BRAIN IS HATCHING A GOOSE-EGG, NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!...

And you can almost see the bump appear and then grow in slow motion like some sort of Chia Injury. Ch-ch-ch-CHIA! And it grows and grows until finally it stops growing and you're horified on one hand but on the other (once she stops crying and you know for certain she isn't going to die from brain injury) that the bump is kind of a little bit hilarious. Sad and awful but also a wee smidge funny.

More, here.

...at Hamilton Children's Garden, Encinitas.

GGC

(four versions of) 22/100

My "most-played" tracks on Itunes are all Yann Tiersen. His are the songs I've been (mostly) writing to for the last eight years and this song (from Amelie) was the song that first introduced me to his music. I was living in London at the time and took a bus straight from the movie theatre to the record store to buy the soundtrack (and anything Yann Tiersen I could get my ears on.) It was love.

This week I thought I'd feature some lovely amateur versions of "La Valse d'amelie Poulain" featuring boys, girls and their accordions. All different. All the same. All seemingly connected, regardless of identity, nationality or otherwise.

What a gift a song be:

22. Yann Tiersen : La Valse D'amelie Poulain

GGC