I can tell the kids are growing, and not just because I have to keep buying bigger sizes of clothes. At the park yesterday, S can finally do the zip line by himself - he can reach the bar, swing himself across, and land. He was thrilled, and zipped back and forth almost the whole time we were there. G can do the fireman pole herself (along with all sorts of other feats - huge jumps, balancing, somersaults, etc.)
We had a nice family weekend - watched Wall-E for the first time for movie night, all went to S's first Tball game Saturday morning, had a fun time at the park Saturday afternoon, and another park outing Sunday night after dinner. I made a chocolate cream pie for the first time, and it was good enough to eat - now to figure out what to do with the 3/4 of the pie remaining!
Last year's hostas (in the side yard) don't seem to be making it - I guess the slugs got the best of them - but the 5 of the 6 peonies we planted are making a reappearance. We have a long list of yard work ahead of us - we never seem caught up on it, but J thinks this will be our year.
My other accomplishment is that I finally read a novel again, which is great, except the book was a real disappointment. Also, I read this article yesterday(thanks Dad for the link) from the NYT about one American expat's experience and thoughts on the Dutch economic and social systems, especially in comparison to the US system. It was a thought-provoking piece, largely because it refutes some of the typical stereotypes about European welfare states and socialism. One of the most interesting points was the idea that the social welfare system is not based on political ideology but rather religious values (especially caring for the poor) and a tradition of cooperation (arising out of collective land reclamation.) A worthy thought to contemplate in our anti-"socialist" country.
No comments:
Post a Comment