Saturday Morning Dispatch No.9
A rainbow mix tape, early bird dinners, and Norwegian winter wisdom.
Hello, hello! The rainbow birthday party is happening this weekend, so I’m working on little projects for that, including my favorite chocolate cake and also…
I made you a mix tape.
It’s not really for the party, I was just inspired to put together some colorful songs for you to share with your kiddos. It’s actually a 10-song playlist on Spotify, but if I had the means and a time machine, it would be a mix tape with Mrs. Grossman’s stickers on it because that’s my love language. But this is 2024, so click this link to listen, and know that it was made with love.
Can we talk about purple songs? “Purple Rain” and “Purple Haze” are iconic, I get it, but not the vibe here. So I spent approximately a thousand hours trying to find the right purple song for this playlist, and what I’ve learned is that purple songs are serving up some serious angst. Either that or straight up sex and drugs. “What about Purple People Eater?!” you might be saying, but do me a favor: Listen to that song one time, and tell me if you want to listen to it again.
Quote of the Day
“If I don’t have red I use blue.” —Pablo Picasso
Early bird special.
Afternoons in our house used to go like this: Kids are starving after school, kids eat all the snacks, kids don’t eat dinner when it’s served at a normal time, mommy pulls out her hair and gnashes her teeth and vows never to cook again.
Then, in what I can only describe as a flash of genius, it occurred to me that I am the grown-up and I get to decide when we have dinner. So I thought I’d do a little experiment: I put out a plate of veggies and dip for when the kids walk in the door. I finish up whatever needs finishing up for the dinner. I serve the dinner at about 3:45 or 4:00. And guess what? The kids EAT THE DINNER.
People, dinner is the new after-school snack.
“But aren’t they hungry by bedtime?” Well, yeah. That’s what dessert is for. So when Ryan gets home he makes a smoothie for them, and all is well.
I know that sitting down for a family dinner is important, consistency and connection and all that. But for us right now, doing early dinner offers both of those things, along with more calm and less stress for our entire afternoon/evening, which makes it a no-brainer.
If you try the early bird special with your small humans let me know how it goes. Or is there another area of your life where you broke the rules and tried something new because you had nothing to lose and it was a huge success? Share!
Friluftsliv it up!
Uuuuuuuuuugh. January is making my grouchy, y’all.
Then there are my spicy deluxe joy nuggets, those small humans who I share my life with, and who begged me to stop the car so they could run out onto the frozen lake between our house and the grocery store.
And because I try to say yes to my kids when I can, and also there were guys ice fishing out there so it seemed probably safe, we went for it. It wasn’t long, and it was drizzling the whole time, but it was the best part of my day, and I’m tucking it away like Frederick with his colors.
It was also a good reminder that, in addition to my doctor-recommended sun lamp, being outside in winter is a good way to get through the gray. The Norwegians agree, and I feel like they know what they’re talking about.
Norway has a concept called friluftsliv, which translates roughly to “open air life.” …“the way Norwegians are brought up with the strong cultural tradition of friluftsliv is key to understanding our (generally quite positive) mind-set.” This means dressing for the weather — from woolen socks and leggings to safety-focused reflective strips on your jacket — and getting outside.
…it’s simple: “Put enough clothes on so that you won’t become wet or freeze, and go out! Go to the nearest spot around you that you like: in a park, at the harbor, along a river through the city, in the woods, on a rooftop where you get a good view. Take it in! Feel the temperature, the wind, the air. Smell! See! And, importantly, bring hot coffee in your thermos.”
from “What Scandinavians Can Teach Us About Embracing Winter” The New York Times
I reeeeeally like being inside, but this is feeling like a mental health necessity. I’ll report back.
Now I’m off to binge watch the new season of Queer Eye. I hope you have a wonderful weekend full of sunshine and I’ll see you next week.
Love,
Kathryn
Love this and picturing you all having fun on the frozen lake. YES to early bird dinner for kids! When my girls were young I’d give them their after school snack in the car on the way to gymnastics or art class. Then as soon as we’d get home it was dinner time, which was 5:30. And bedtime was 7:30 (we’d eat once the girls were in bed). We didn’;t start family dinner time together until they were in middle school, when they could stay up later and our dinner time adjusted to 7 PM. Summer time was fluid, no time schedules. I so remember Mrs. grossman’s amazing stickers! Hugs to all of you...and your mom!