Oh my goodness, these last two weeks were nuuuuuuts. Our trip home from New York City was delayed because James got sick and wasn’t allowed to fly (he was having some breathing issues, the doctors suspect he has asthma so we are now getting that investigated). When we finally got home we had to quickly jump back into real life because school was starting! We now have a fourth-grader and a first-grader. How on earth did that happen? How is Annie already an upper-grader? How is James already going to school all day? I didn’t give either of them permission to get so old. Although, it sure is nice to have a regular routine again. AND, as a work-from-home-parent, my daily productivity quadrupled with them out of the house! Still…my babies…they’re growing too fast.

Around The ‘Net

~The 1619 Project

~Amazon Has Ceded Control of Its Site. The Result: Thousands of Banned, Unsafe or Mislabeled Products

~Climate change could melt decades worth of human waste at Denali National Park in Alaska

~Their mothers chose donor sperm. The doctors used their own.

~Why some doctors purposely misdiagnose patients

~Crazy New Trend Alert: Poisoning Your Son’s Wife

~What It’s Like to Have Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory

~A giant pumice stone floating in the Pacific could help heal Australia’s Great Barrier Reef

~At 19 hours, it’s the world’s longest flight. But how will the human body cope?

~First Titanic dives in 14 years reveal how the ocean floor is swallowing up the shipwreck

~‘Blink once if you can hear me’: A brain-injured man’s remarkable awakening

~What Makes People Charismatic, and How You Can Be, Too

~The American dream is alive in Canada, fading in America

~2009 MTV VMAs Oral History: Kanye West Interrupts Taylor Swift’s Moment

~Someone left old TVs outside 50 homes in Virginia while wearing a TV on his head. No one knows why.

~‘You’re the guy with the ball to the crotch’: The inside story behind the funniest baseball card ever made

VSCO Girl

Taking Annie back-to-school shopping this year was a trip. Everything she wanted to buy was straight out of the 80s. She wanted scrunchies, overalls (but only one side fastened), crocs, puka shell necklaces, friendship bracelets, oversized shirts…I swear, I felt like I was shopping for myself in fourth grade. Apparently, this all now part of a trend called “VSCO,” (pronounced viss-co) and Annie is all about it. I like to occasionally torture her with pictures of myself at her age wearing almost identical clothing, LOL. At least this is a fairly wholesome trend…I really hope grunge doesn’t come back because I cannot live through dirty hair and Baja hoodies again (even though those ponchos were super comfortable!).

Fun Finds

~After a lot of back-and-forth, Annie finally decided on this cool striped backpack. “It’s very VSCO, mom.” Okay. So long, unicorns.
~I’ve heard AMAZING things about this “Zombie” face mask, so I finally got it. I’ve used it once and my skin felt great! I’m looking forward to seeing how the results add up over several uses. I will report back!
~Annie also picked out these classic Vans for her new shoes, and says they’re “the most comfortable shoe she’s ever owned.” Now, anyone who has actually owned Vans knows that while they do eventually become incredibly comfortable, they’re absolutely brutal on your feet while you break them in. But these shoes didn’t leave a single red mark on her feet or heels, so perhaps she found a magical pair.

Happy Sunday, everyone!