Writing this one in advance again! Annabel’s first all star tournament is this weekend. Her team played two games yesterday, and they have at least one today (two if they win the first game). They finished the first round of play as the top seed from their pool! I was so incredibly proud of how well the girls played, but even prouder of how they came together as a team. We had a few bumps and bruises (literally and figuratively), but the girls would rally around each other, try to cheer up whoever was down, and were just GOOD PEOPLE, which is honestly all I could ever hope for. The other three coaches on the team have much more coaching experience than I do, so I am enjoying learning from them.

The first game we played yesterday was against my friend Tara’s daughter’s team. As I’ve mentioned in the past, Tara and I grew up playing softball together. The year our all star team won the national tournament, the song “Shine” by Collective Soul was really popular. After we heard it on the radio on our way to games on different days, it became our lucky song. My mom and I went to the record store and bought the cassette single (italics to emphasize the things that no longer exist), and we listened to that song on repeat before every. single. game. that summer. I played the song as I got ready yesterday morning, and I sent Tara a text about it. This is all bringing up so many good memories, and I truly hope someday, Annabel can look back on this experience fondly.

Around The ‘Net

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~What Bullets Do To Bodies

~Daryl Bem Proved ESP Is Real. Which Means Science Is Broken.

~Yawning May Promote Social Bonding Even Between Dogs And Humans

~Why every graduation plays the same song

~‘SNL’s’ Yuuuge Year: 20 Insiders Reveal Alec Baldwin’s Future as Trump, “Spicey” Secrets and Lorne Michaels’ Election Pep Talk

~A Day In The Life Of Kim Kardashian’s Right-Hand Woman, Stephanie Shepherd

~Surfer John John Florence’s Very Wavy World

~Dutch king reveals he’s been quietly moonlighting as an airline pilot for two decades

~Hippies are the new hipsters

Gettin’ Fidgety With It

My kids have fallen victim to the fidget spinner trend. I actually think they are really cool, especially for the kids who benefit from the focusing help the spinners provide. Annabel doesn’t bring hers to school as she doesn’t “need” it to focus, and I don’t want her to be one of the kids who ruin it for the others who actually need it. I am a very fidgety person and I have a fidget cube, which has been a TREMENDOUS help for me when I’m reading long articles that require my undivided attention. I definitely recommend it to anyone who could use a little help focusing but doesn’t want a spinner – the cube fits in the palm of my hand and is super-subtle.

Pretty Things

~I did something very outside of my comfort zone and bought not one, but TWO jumpsuits (I refuse to call them rompers) to wear to the conference I attended two weeks ago. This hot pink one was very “LOOK AT ME IN MY JUMPSUIT!” but Annabel told me I looked, “like, so good” in it, and who am I to argue with that? And I didn’t even realize this black and white one was a jumpsuit until I got into the fitting room, but it was very flattering and super-comfortable. And I had gift cards! Everything is cute when you have gift cards.

The Toddler Survival Guide

Of course I’m going to have a link to preorder our book! You guys are all awesome for supporting us (and I promise you’re going to like the book, too —especially if you have a toddler) and we are so grateful! The Toddler Survival Guide is available for preorder at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Million, Indiebound, Powells, QuartoKnows, and in Canada at Indigo-Chapters. 

Happy Sunday, everyone!