Friday Reflections

Friday Reflections is all about reflecting on the week by observing our senses.  My hope is that this will be a gentle, easy way to tune into how we are doing and what we are experiencing weekly when journaling in general can feel so daunting.

Now, for this week’s Friday Reflections (with each sense as your inspiration, consider how experiencing it impacted your week).

Here is my sensory round-up for this week:     

tasting ::  tomato pie baked from scratch for us by our sweet neighbor (yes, we are totally keeping her), tomatillo chicken with plantain hash, pork shoulder with mashed butternut squash, Israeli cous cous, mint chocolate chip cookies, curry chicken salad with grapes

hearing :: the undulating electric soundtrack of the cicadas as summer nights turn dusky.  Sometimes the sound is so guttural and epic, I think they might be screaming.  Also: this TED talk entitled Love, No Matter What  from Andrew Solomon.  If you care about love and loving- not just romantically but as a friend, citizen, and especially as a parent, you should stop right now and listen to it.       

smelling ::  chlorine and/or lake water on Happy’s skin as we cuddle in the hammock after dinner and pool/lake time but before bath to read and read and read books.  Some of our favorites right now?  Always, Plant a Kiss, Peace, Baby, The Paperboy, I Can Be Anything    

seeing ::  scores of amazing women from our little town come together to celebrate my mother-in-law’s birthday, two cousins overjoyed at stopping for Dairy Queen, progress as we transition in the morning (preparing for the day) and at night (preparing for bedtime) after Happy and I made charts that guide him through the day.  On one side are our morning steps, on the other side are our evening steps.  I put a ribbon on it to hang from the closet door and there is a clothes pin that he moves from step to step as he completes them.  Things are going so easier and faster for all of us now.

feeling ::  in shock that my last week of summer is upon me.  How did that happen?  Also, sad that Happy has loose teeth.  Saying goodbye to baby teeth means that we OFFICIALLY cross over into big boyhood, and that is so, so bittersweet.  Related:  the idea of loose teeth also totally skeeves me out.  When we became parents, BF and I made a deal that he would cover blood and I would cover vomit. He’s had it easy peasy because the kid has bled (in copious amounts) once and yet has the world’s easiest gag reflex that I don’t even flinch anymore when he throws up a few times a month.  So, I told BF this past week that while loose teeth were not indicated on our pre-parental contract, I am yielding them to him officially now that they are an issue.  Are we the only crazy parents who had this type of pre-parental agreement?

wishing/hoping :: that there is some wonderful, savory, inspiring or lovely moment next week that puts a wonderful exclamation point on the end of summer!

What about you?  What were your sensational experiences this week?  Please share!

This post was inspired by Teacher Goes Back to School who was inspired by Pink of Perfection’s Five Sense Friday.