The Art of Visiting Washington DC

Part of my summer's design is planning road trips with my kids.    This year we found ourselves in Washington D.C. 

10 REALIZATIONS AFTER A WHIRLWIND TRIP TO WASHINGTON D.C.

1.  Everyone in Washington D.C. thinks they are super important, so expect lots of tinted windows.

2.  The Capitol tour is worth the hassle of emailing your representative. 

• This was a quite a process for me.  First I emailed my representative and got tickets.  Then I changed my travel dates.  Oops -  I was told there were no tickets for my new dates.  So I sulked.  And then moved on.  Out of nowhere I got an email with tickets!  Government in action.

THEN

NOW

3.  It is possible to get star struck by a politician (as opposed to sickened or disillusioned).  

• I walked by John Lewis who was sitting outside the Capitol on a rascal scooter.  I wanted to tell him how my students LOVE his graphic novels about the Civil Rights movements, but I was too shy.  

4.  The  United States Mint's machinery looks like it was last updated in 1972.

• I was surprised to see that money was shrink wrapped into currency bricks.  I would never want to work there. 

See what I mean?

5.  Allow at least a half a day to wander around the National Portrait Gallery. 

• We had a time crunch by the time we got to the Portrait Gallery.  So we jogged through it on a scavenger hunt to find the Obama's official portraits.  NOTE:  Remember all the controversy surrounding Obama's unconventional portrait?  Have people forgotten about Bill Clinton's portrait??!  It was crazy and I felt the spirit of Jerry Garcia shine through it. 

6.  Anyone who thinks war is a good idea should visit the Vietnam War Memorial.

• We visited the War Memorial shortly after Father's Day.  Many people had left letters for their dads at the wall.  The letters and photos were heartbreaking.

Holy cow, Batman!  Look at those cranky kids!

7.  The Batmobile, currently parked in the lobby of the Museum of American History, will lift the spirits of weary, hangry children.

8.  Expect traffic jams due to protests, motorcades of "very important people with tinted windows," and lots of cars.  
Many times walking was faster than calling a Lyft.  

Watching people study here is magical.  How do I get a library card?

9.  The Library of Congress will take your breath away, even if you aren't a reading specialist.  (If you are a reading specialist, you may want to pack your inhaler.

• If you happen to be leaving the Library of Congress during a downpour, here is a helpful hint - The numerous gift stores do not sell rain ponchos and their umbrellas are too boring to spend 15 dollars on.  Just get wet.

10.  The pandas at the National Zoo are totes adorbs AND hilarious.  

• Did you know they eat bamboo for up to 12 hours a day?  That is 28 pounds of bamboo.  

Prairie Eydie

The Art of Designing Your Summer - Again

Every May I spend some time designing my summer.  When I say every May, I mean the last three Mays.  (Here is the link if you would like to read about how I designed the summer of 2017 - The Art of Designing Your Summer 2017)

Top Reasons Why You Should Design Your Summer

You can put an end to the August freak out

• We have all been there.  It is August 23 at 11:33 and you are wearing pajamas streaked with Cheeto dust.  You have perfected the art of sleeping in.  Your main activity is watching Nailed It after your daily Starbucks visit.  You are wondering where the last 9 weeks went.      

This is textual evidence as to why I dislike Amy.  Who says stuff like this?

You can read more.

• The first summer I read the Harry Potter series and finally figured out what all the fuss was about.  The second summer I reread Anne of Green Gables.  Like Anne, I started day dreaming more and renaming streets around my house.  The Street of the Never Ending Hosta Beds.  The Street of Teens Driving Over the Speed Limit.  This summer I will be rereading the Little Women series.  (WARNING.  Possible spoilers ahead.  But in my defense, Little Women was written 149 years ago)  Will I still cry when Beth dies? Will I still despise Amy?  Will Jo still be my hero?  

Isn't Kelly Rae's studio DELICIOUS???  Please note that "delicious" is not a word that I just throw around.

You can learn new things.

• This summer, for the first time, I am signing up for an on-line art course.  I am taking a Kelly Rae Roberts class on mixed media.  Finally, I am going to start adding paint to my artwork with the virtual guidance of an artist I admire.  

You can teach someone something (and maybe make your life easier in the process).

• Like many moms, I am sick of cooking for my three children.  They always want to know what is for dinner and what they should eat for snack and on and on and on.  This summer I am teaching each kid how to make three meals on their own.  If all goes well, they will competently make one dinner a week during the school year.
• My youngest is an expert flipper (literally & figuratively), so she has already learned how to make pancakes and quesadillas.  The long suffering middle child is learning how to make eggs to order.  His specialty is breakfast sandwiches.  (English muffin, cooked to order egg, bacon, and avocado)   The oldest is a teenager and only graces the kitchen when he is hungry.  I am still working up the energy and patience necessary to teach him because he doesn't want to learn anything about cooking.  His first lesson will be  "How to Cook a Frozen Pizza.  It is a skill that will serve him well. 

You can improve your home.

• Since I am not handy with a drill, home improvements usually involve me painting something.  Helpful hint:  Use lots and lots of painter's tape if you are a messy.  This summer I am going to paint my kitchen and the front steps.  The sooner I do this the sooner I can stop thinking, "Gee.  The kitchen sure would look better if I paint it.  Blech.  The front steps sure are chipped up."    

By designing your summer, you can also improve your health, social life, and lack-of-yoga.  Let me know what you come up with.

Prairie Eydie

The Art of Examining Your Envy

I recently listened to the Happier with Gretchen Rubin podcast (Episode 6).   In the podcast, Gretchen asked her listeners to ponder the following, uncomfortable, question - Whom do you envy?  

I grew up thinking envy was a sin - I vaguely remember something about not envying your neighbor's wife.  My neighbor, Audrey, lives alone and sometimes I wish my three kids would move in with her.  If that happened, I would definitely not envy Audrey.  I see my other neighbor twice a year.  In Spring he makes a frantic attempt to weed his hosta beds and in Summer he works on his deck for an afternoon.  I have my own hosta collection and deck, so no envy there.  

It turns out the envy can help you know yourself better.  Envy means someone has something you wish you could have.  Envy shines a spotlight on something missing from your own life.  So, figure out who you envy and work to bring what they have into your life.  

I decided to look where envy abounds - Facebook. Where everyone is more talented, more photogenic, more traveled, more popular and more loved than you are.  

Some "Facebook Envies" were easy to bring into my life.  Like my friend who has beautiful skin and hair. Rather than being mad at her for being gorgeous, I asked her what skin care products she used. She happily listed off all of her potions and even forwarded me the links on Amazon.  I used every one of my friend's suggestions and threw my old lotions, cleansers, and toners away. Friends have noticed my skin looking better and I have passed the list on to them.   (Dear reader, you may think I am shallow for envying beautiful skin.  Truth be told, I am shallow about my skin. But I recently turned 50 and need to avoid a wrinkle induced nervous breakdown so I can continue to raise my kids.)

I also have a friend who posts weekly pics of what appeared to be fun Family Game Nights.  GASP.  Her kids were enthusiastically high fiving each other.  No one was throwing game pieces and no Monopoly boards were in sight.  What parent wouldn't be envious of a game night that actually looked fun?  I asked my friend which games she would recommend and quickly ordered them.  She also said sugary foods would perk up the most sullen of teens.  I took her tip and added root beer floats to game night.  Playing games with the kids is now more tolerable thanks to a fresh selection of games and extra calories.  No more headaches or temper tantrums from this Mama.

Many of my friends are successful writers.  Though happy for their accomplishments, I was also envious.  Truthfully, there was no reason in the world why I should be a successful writer because my writing goal, at the time, was to write a daily sentence in my journal.  One sentence.  Every day.  

I have had this book for 25 ISH years.  My grandma recommended that I buy it.  My copy is autographed, coffee stained, swollen with water damage, and possibly sprouting some dangerous black mold.  This book always gets me writing again,.  Thank you Natalie Goldberg!

I needed to up my writing game. Once again I dragged out Natalie Goldberg's book Wild Minds and started moving my hand across the page - every day.   I didn't need to query my writer friends about how they achieved success. I knew the answer. They keep their butts in their chairs and write, not letting themselves get distracted with planting fairy gardens and organizing spices in shoe racks.  

My life got better after shining a spotlight on people I envy.  I was able to improve my skin's hydration, enjoy family game night, and start writing again.  Whom do you envy?

Prairie Eydie

It is just amazing what can be done with shoe storage!