Today is...

*The day I got back in the swing of things after being in the city for the past three days for a fantastic speech therapy conference. I loved being surrounded by an inspirational teacher and wonderful classmates but it sure was nice to be home. Commuting into the city is not my cup of tea...

*A day to learn about play. The girls are huge pretend players which leaves one room messier than the one before. I love it philosophically but struggle sometimes with the chaos. I walked into a a room tonight and said something about the mess under my breath. Katherine looked very insulted and said, "I did not make a mess. Would you like to come to my store." What in my eyes was a mess, in her mind was her very own store front. Hopefully I will remember to see the fun in all the clutter.

*A day for cooking. As I was preparing dinner, Katherine asked if she could cook with me. Often, she is quite helpful. Peeling carrots is her speciality. Tonight though, she had a creative masterpiece in mind- cheese with butter melted together in the microwave. She stood staring at the buttons for a bit before asking me where the "Butter Button" was. When I looked confused, she said, "Like the popcorn button." Too bad the makers of the microwave did not see the need for a button pre-set to the temperature and time needed to melt cheese together with butter.

Today is...

*One of those fall days that makes fall my favorite season. It even smelled pretty.

*A session with one of my speech therapy clients where I saw truly noticeable improvement. What a thrill that is...

*A perfect play date for me and Katherine. A mom that I got along with, a girl who loves playing with dolls and even enjoyed running around the house naked for awhile. If truth be told, Katherine would be naked all day long... it appears her new little friend would happily live on a nudist colony with her.

*A day when two husbands were gone for dinner and two moms banded together to feed five children breakfast for dinner. A bit nutty but a bit fun too.

Today is...

*The second WE Series of the season. A wonderful writer, Tina Kelly from the NY Times spoke to our group about poetry, journalism and a hyperlocal blog for the NY Times.

*Katherine's first ear infection of the season. I had really hoped that this would be the year her eustachian tubes had finally matured enough to avoid a winter full of trips to the pediatrician. Not yet, I guess.

*A great quote from Katherine: As we were riding home this afternoon, Katherine began composing a song in the back seat. Here are the lyrics: "It's a wonderful day. Let go of me. I want to run in the sunshine."

Television

Caroline and Katherine watch very little tv. It's just one of my things... Somehow, though, this summer, our tv watching got way out of control. The girls were watching tons of tv. When school started I put the brakes back on. One program during the week and two on weekends. They fought us for a few days but settled quite quickly back into our old routine.

The other night, Caroline reminded me of why I limit tv. After dinner, she realized she hadn't watched her program yet. She had been headed outside to play when she made this realization. You could see the wheels turning in head as she struggled with what to do. A moment later, looking over her shoulder on the way to the swings, she said, "There is more to life than tv."

Right she is...