Winning

"I love you."

"I love you more."

"No, I love you more."

"No, you don't. I love you more."

"No, that's impossible. Not possible. I love you more."

An often-heard argument in our house. Everyone wins.

How to Make White Chocolate Banana Bread

Step 1: Be receptive to almost-teenage daughter's upset feelings before 9 am on a Sunday.

Step 2: Get surprisingly emotional over never-known about family artifacts by 9:30 am on a Sunday.

Step 3: Face the usual Sunday drudgery of laundry, dishes, emails I can't answer and pestering Max to do his long-term homework assignments, plus the unusual added dimensions of packing to go away, putting away the air mattress, the fact that I skipped blogging yesterday, still lingering feelings over politics and always over Hamilton.

Step 4: Decide to bake white chocolate chip banana bread. Because the bananas aren't going to get eaten in that state, and there are leftover white chocolate chips from some other failed baking attempt and you need something good and positive to come out of this morning.

No Place for Hate

Here's the Massachusetts State House. Isn't she lovely?

I spent about 30 minutes there on the front steps today, during my lunch break, asking that our governor, Charlie Baker, speak out against the appointment of Steve Bannon and other frightening (thus far) men to senior positions in the new administration, and to guarantee that our state is a safe haven for all. I wrote a letter, which the protest leader is gathering with others and submitting to the governor's office, but I emailed mine in too.

I stood in the sun and chanted, "no place for hate, no time to wait" and "speak up, Charlie!" and "love trumps hate" with a group of a hundred or so strangers. Passersby joined us, stopped and wrote a quick letter, or honked their horns in solidarity. Two duck boats of tourists drove by, and I hoped they were all from red states, and they saw us spreading support for others.

And for the first time since November 8, I felt a little better.

This Girl

I forgot to blog yesterday, despite thinking of it several times, but this one distracted me with various middle school things. I totally enjoyed watching her and so many of her friends in "Law and Order: Fairy Tale Unit." And this kid, this Pig #1 pictured below? Not quite as innocent as she seems.

She's almost 13, you guys. THIRTEEN. How did we get here already? Wasn't she just dancing around her bedroom yesterday?

I look at these photos now, and they barely capture all that she is. I'm so lucky.

Blogging From My Car

Well, I've made it to the half-way point of NaBloPoMo, annual torture device where I post here every day, and I'm still at it. Only a few people who started with me have made it to this point (hi, Melisa, Jen and Vikki), but I know they've all been checking in and encouraging each other, and I'm on my own island over here, so in fairly proud of myself. Anyway, tonight I'm writing from my car, in between a quick trip to Wegman's and picking up both of the kids from their schools.

It's show week here, meaning Hannah's fall play, "Law and Order: Fairy Tale Unit" is this Thursday and Friday evenings, and she's had extra late rehearsals this week. She's playing Pig #1, as in "The Three Pigs," and has been remarkably chill about this production. Her costume was sourced from my closet, since it's all "street clothes with accents of fairy tale" and her pig is a bit of a tough guy, so she's borrowing a pale pink shirt and leather jacket of mine. And my black "biker" boots, which she seemingly took from me last year. She's only in two scenes, and she's been trying to set expectations on the low side, but I know I'm still going to love it. I can't get enough of my girl, on stage or off. But I think she's just looking forward to the next show, "Zombie Prom." Yes, that's a real thing. G-d help us all.

Max is taking an improv class after school once a week, but I think he misses being in a show. He's been pondering time and the meaning of life lately. I'm really not kidding about that. This morning he asked me, "if all my days are basically the same, what's the point of all this?" I pointed out that there are exceptional days, like when you go on a Disney cruise, but yea, life is repetitive. I don't think he appreciated my answer. I think he's a little bored with his life right now, solidly in the middle of the elementary school years. I need to find him some excitement.

Then again, I could use some excitement too. Of the non-Donald Trump variety, that is.

Oh, and I cooked again today. My eyes were bigger than my appetite though. I always take too much pasta.

Pasta with turkey meat sauce and lemon-pepper spinach

Uncommon Goods is Uncommonly Great (Sponsored Post)

Wearing my favorite necklace from UncommonGoods.com at Boston's Lawn on D

This post is sponsored by Uncommon Goods, but all opinions are my own.

I know it's only November 15, but based on the number of catalogs crossing our threshold in each day's mail, the holidays are coming and it's time to shop. Typically, most catalogs I get go straight into the recycle bin without much of a glance, but I always make time to look through the catalog from Uncommon Goods, and to peruse the unique gift guides on UncommonGoods.com.

Uncommon Goods is a company focused on sustainability in all that they do. They believe in creating a positive work environment, with health care benefits for most and fair wages for all, and are committed to treating their employees with dignity and respect. Their products are often handmade, recycled or organic too. The Tagua bib necklace I'm wearing in the photo above, which I've had for years and still never fails to earn me a compliment, is made from the Tagua seed out of Colombia. I bought it for myself for Mother's Day years ago, and it remains one of my go-to pieces.

I've also bought many gifts for family from Uncommon Goods, and they are getting ready for the holiday season with their really helpful gift guides. You can see the UncommmonGoods gift suggestions for women and UncommonGoods gift suggestions for men at these links. I've found their products to be well-made and reliable, and sometimes, simply fun. Enjoy and happy shopping!

What's for Dinner?

A consequence of the fact that Marc is pursuing a certification in sacred music while still working full-time this year has been that I've been trying to help with dinners more around the house. This feels monumental for me, as while I've always attested that I *can* cook, but I do not enjoy cooking.

Raw meat is so, so gross. Especially if the bones are still in it.

No, I'm not a vegetarian, I'd just prefer to not be the one involved with dealing with it.

But now that we're past the craziness of the Jewish holidays and life has settled into a bit more of a routine, I've been helping plan more meals, doing the shopping and the cooking. And I have to admit, it's not as awful as I have always maintained that it is.

(I still haven't dealt with any raw meat with bones though.)

So tonight I picked up Max from aftercare and Hannah from play rehearsal and then cooked dinner when we got home, and cleaned up some simultaneously. It wasn't complicated, frozen tilapia filets with a separate sauce, and asparagus with Parmesan cheese. But everyone ate it, and liked it, it was fairly healthy and it didn't take forever and I survived cooking it and no one got food poisoning. And since we switched our roles, Marc handled the rest of clean up.

I still won't claim that I enjoy cooking - not by any means - but it's getting a little better.