The baby sleeps for hours in the jogger

Running makes me feel great, be healthier and have more energy.  Why oh why is it so hard to make myself do it when it is so obviously the answer to almost all my problems?  Anyone?

Halloween and Claudia turned 3

 A pirate, a vampire bat and a cat set out with their grandmother to go trick or treating.

 Who doesn't love a marching band?

The trading--"Claudia that's really good.  It's chocolate with rice crispies in it.  You'll want to keep that."  Thank goodness for big brothers.

My my where does the time go?

Mammals learn

Al is fond of telling me this on occasions when I repeat the same stupid thing I've done before (usually involves late night sewing and broken sewing machine needles).  This is the result of another high-stakes baking episode.  I don't know why I keep doing this to myself, except that perhaps this mammal is hoping to learn to bake rather than learning to go to Metropolitan Bakery to buy cupcakes for Penelope's birthday party that is really the labor day block party in our alley ('Look how many people came to wish you happy birthday honey--people you don't even know!').

Suffice it to say that the 'Boston Cream Pie' Cupcakes in Martha Stewart's cupcake cookbook looked a little different...

Tuesday morning

3 kids dressed, fed, brushed and dropped off in 3 different locations (check).
2 lunches made and delivered with correct children to correct location (check)
1 emergency lunch made and delivered late to 1 child (check)
1 baby neither brushed nor fed nor dressed until 10:30, after all of the above had occurred (thank you mellow Adrian)
1 cat found (thank you to all the friends, neighbors and strangers who helped us find him)
2 hours until kid pick-ups start...
School year '11-'12...bring it on!

Have you seen this cat?

If you have seen him around West Philly, please let me know via the comments.  His name is Hickory and Diego is really missing him

Upstate

A much-needed break from Philadelphia summer weather.  An hour spent in the Lincoln tunnel on the way up, and it was still worth the trip.

I was just introduced to this website
www.unhappyhipsters.com. Midcentury modern is definitely not my thing and I feel sort of the same way about Dwell magazine as I did about the popular kids in high school--so a little spoofing at their expense pleases me.

Heard the first cicadas today. Their rattling and buzzing is the perfect soundtrack to these sweaty summer in Philadelphia days. 90 degrees with less humidity felt positively comfortable today...