You know how when you get out of the habit of something, it’s really hard to get back into it? That’s me and blogging right now. I think it’s partly the double whammy of summer break and being between freelance jobs — the kids are doing so many different activities that my schedule just revolves around them. Not that I’m complaining! We’ve actually had a lot of fun this summer going on trips, swimming, going to carnivals, etc. They’re at a great age right now where they get along well and play great together, so we’ve really been enjoying ourselves.

Around The ‘Net

~Inside China’s Dystopian Dreams: A.I., Shame and Lots of Cameras

~A bride gave bone marrow to save a stranger’s baby. The child lived — and was her flower girl.

~Stateless and Poor, Some Boys in Thai Cave Had Already Beaten Long Odds

~‘Still Can’t Believe It Worked’: The Story of the Thailand Cave Rescue

~First new steps for Syrian girl who used tin cans for legs

~The Trans Man Whose Pioneering Surgery Was A State Secret For Decades

~The world’s presidents and prime ministers can’t ignore the case for investing more in little kids

~Strange Stories of Extraordinary Brains—and What We Can Learn From Them

~The Rise and Fall of the Family-Vacation Road Trip

~America’s mysterious concrete arrows

~Woman survives 7 days after SUV plunges off cliff in Big Sur

~Can emotion-regulating tech translate across cultures?

~Missing Oregon Woman Found Alive After Car Plunges Off Big Sur Cliff

~It’s Harder Than It Looks to Write Clearly

~A global etiquette guide to standing in line

~I Used Apple’s New Controls to Limit a Teenager’s iPhone Time (and It Worked!)

~Memes around the world: The world’s biggest meme is the word “meme” itself

The Positive Powers of Peer Pressure

James has decided he hates EVERYTHING lately. He even told me he HATES chocolate (I rolled my eyes really hard at that one). So when we went out to sushi with my in-laws, I didn’t expect him to eat anything besides chicken (unless he decided he hated chicken). However, James idolizes my nephews Spencer and Danny, and when he saw them eating sushi, he decided that HE was going to eat it, too. And not only did he eat it, but he liked it! I need my nephews to be around at every meal going forward.

Save Save Save

I’m going to do ALL of my back-to-school shopping this week thanks to Prime Day and the Nordstrom Sale. Amazon has already released some Prime Day items, even though the sale doesn’t officially start until tomorrow. I’ll be snapping up school supplies for the kids on Amazon and new shoes for them at Nordstrom. And okay, I’ll get new shoes for ME at Nordstrom, too. Also hoping to pick up some jeans for Annie and myself!

Happy Sunday, everyone!