Today was braces day for lovely Miss M. I picked her up early from her gig as a junior counselor for a camp here in town and luckily, unlike Sam's fiasco, we knew this was the big day. Here's the before and after, via phone camera:

She chose Olive Garden for the celebratory meal, where she practiced chewing pizza (no crusts) and flashing her glittering smile. Later we picked up mac & cheese and potatoes to mash and watermelon and ice cream, special floss and extra Advil. I think she is definitely rocking the sparklemouth (although a bit sore). 

I'm excited to be heading to Washington, DC today for my Zero to Three scientific and fellowship meetings. And--lucky me!--Miss Maddy is there on her 8th grade trip this week, too. It will be fun to keep my eye out for her while we're both there--my own little Where's Waldo game. If only Maddy were wearing a red-and-white striped shirt and hat. I guess I'll just have to look for a blob of 14-year-olds with wicked cool accents.

Last week I hauled my grand-scale suitcase all around Utah. (And paid to check it on the plane. Urgh...I strongly dislike that. Yet another reason for train travel). In my defense...I have no defense.  I overpacked and filled it with books and extras on the way home. Anyhow, this trip I'm all about carry-on luggage, no fees, and streamlined packing choices.

Inspired by this Mighty Girl post (so impressive!) I took a little trip to the Container Store for see-through pouches and itty bitty plastic bottles for my liquids. (I'm so impressionable, remember?) 

So now, a little obsessed, I'm trolling for travel tips. When you pack a suitcase, do you have a thing you do? Do you fold or roll the clothes? Check or carry on? Enlighten me.

This text message from Maddy made me laugh and wins the prize for the most random text of the month. She was doing homework one afternoon when I was in New York and she texted this:

Hey mom what is the value of x when y=0?? and what is the value of y when x=0?

Umm?  Hmmm. I wished I could have given an easy answer. My hazy memory of algebra suggests that certain are needed in cases like this--pesky things like an equation and variables.  Context.

I love that she thought I'd know this--as though I am a Mommy Magic 8 Ball. Underneath the amusement I identify with that desire to survey everyone else when faced with impossible-seeming questions.

Love that girl. And, by the way, she figured it out on her own after all.

Also, I just found this picture on my phone, taken last summer, evidence of how very much kids change in just a handful of months. She looks so young here!

Some of us are seeing the new year in with a bang

or at least a fancy party/ball...

^loving & sisterly after some get-ready friction about borrowing things and who's taller

Warm soup and a rousing game of monopoly by the fire for the rest of  us.

(Sam: "Mom, do we have to go in to Boston tonight?  I'd rather just stay here with you and dad.")

Sold!

Sam wanted to be something cool--this year he was going to his first school Halloween dance.  He considered going as a color (blue--inspired by Matt's Blue Man Group last year?) but never really settled on anything despite long brainstorm sessions.  Then on Thursday night when I went in to say good night he had his whole costume assembled and lying on his floor, including the FBI i.d. and earpiece.  With no help whatsoever! Awesome. 

Lauren's friend Lucy is a ballerina so she brought over her tutus and they put together a good/evil ballerina duo for consecutive dances last weekend.  (This weekend Lauren went with her old queen costume from a couple of years ago for party-going on Halloween.)

Maddy and friends wanted to dress up in a theme together and decided on Snap, Crackle, and Pop of Rice Krispy fame (Maddy's coat and hat are from Target and will be well used long after Halloween).

We just squeaked in a pumpkin carving session on Halloween at 4 p.m. before everyone dispersed for trick-or-treating & celebrating with their own groups of friends.

We did a row of orange illuminarias leading up to our house but it was so windy that they were blown out and knocked over by 6 (plus it was freakily warm: 69 degrees). Some of my favorite trick-or-treater costumes this year: the Empire State Building (stacked boxes...so clever), a neon sign, the Constitution, and two little witches in a cardboard car.  Failing grade to the teenage "golfer" (wearing a golf shirt and glove).

Finally, a note:

Dear Teen Girl Trick-or-treaters, In my opinion, you must choose between sk@nky and candy.  If you are old enough to wear a sk@nky costume, you are too old to trick-or-treat with the little kids.  If you want candy, please cover up and be a sweet witch, not a sexy one.

Thank you,

The reluctant candy-givers at no. 22.