1.  Here we go, the last Friday before classes start again. Jesus take the wheel.

2.  This has been our set-alarms-to-get-used-to-the-morning-routine week and IT SUCKS.

3.  Not just for the kids either.

4.  Don’t get me wrong, they despise getting up before 8am, but this new schedule is kicking my ass.

5.  You know how some folks are the early to bed, early to rise type? Well, nobody’s ever accused me of that.

6.  I’m more of an appreciate-the-quiet-of-midnight, sleep-in-past-nine sort of gal so falling into the teen sleep/wake routine came easy.

7.  Switching back to up-in-time-for-school mode? Not so much.

8.  Coffee is my friend.

9.  As I write this the kitty is curled up in her own little spa across the room.

10.  She perches in strange places. This week it was on a heating pad left on the floor. Weird.

11.  Then one of the kids thought to turn it on low and that was that, Mia was o-u-t.

12.  Ever seen a kitty drunk on sunbeams? That’s our cat now, rain or shine.

13.  It’s a good life.

14.  Speaking of good life, we had baby back ribs this week.

15.  They’re so bad for me but they taste soooooo good.

16.  Took kiddo #1 to get his license on Wednesday. I have some feelings about that.

17.  I’ve seen moms on social media posting videos of the first time their kids drove off on their own and I cannot imagine how they got through filming it.

18.  Seriously, we were back home that morning when the kids decided to go for a drive – just for a second it flashed through my head that I was supposed to go capture this momentous occasion. For posterity and all.

19.  No video, it doesn’t count, amiright?

20.  So that thought lasted 0.002 seconds before I realized there was no way in hell I could go stand in my driveway.

21.  Not unless I wanted the neighbors to see me cry big blubbery tears as our kid drove off into the world by his own damn self.

22.  Yeah. I stayed where I was. Seemed like the safest bet.

23.  Last weekend I made this Cherry Tomato Salad. We didn’t have anything going on but we had some cherry tomatoes withering away because they never made it onto a salad plus a few cucumbers that needed a home.

24.  I tend to be a recipe follower but I pretty much threw this one out the window. I chopped up that cucumber to go with the tomatoes and didn’t have fresh herbs so I sprinkled some in from the spice cabinet instead…

25.  Whatever, it was pretty. And delicious. Highly recommend.

26.  Tomorrow I’m gonna try making my own garlic butter. I have high hopes.

27.  They’d be even higher if I could slather it on bread like everybody else.

28.  Gluten insensitivity. Boo.

29.  While I cook I’ve started listening to this new podcast called Nice White Parents.

30.  Its description reads “If you want to understand what’s wrong with our public schools, you have to look at what is arguably the most powerful force in shaping them: white parents.”

31.  The first episode looked at what happened when white parents flooded a Brooklyn middle school with their students. It’s worth checking out.

32.  I’ve also started reading I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness. It’s off to an interesting start. I’ll keep you posted.

33.  How many of you have Black author books you purchased over the summer still sitting on the shelf?

34.  I’ve got several in the queue – I’ve been terrible about reading lately but I’m looking to do better now that the kids are back in school. Anyone else want to join in?

35.  Accountability. The grownup’s word for peer pressure.

36.  I’ll take all the help I can get. Even if it’s in the form of avoiding public shame.

37.  In case you’re wondering how the couch to 5k thing is going…it’s going. Some weeks have been a little iffy but we’re at a pretty high compliance rate overall.

38.  Do I love it? Nope. Has it helped me trim down any? Also nope. I’m trying to keep my focus on that overall health thing.

39.  What I will say is this: that freaking program is a labor of love on my part. The girl needed a running partner so I got on board.

40.  Am I the next Flo Jo? Nah, but with any luck I’ll be able to climb stairs without gasping for air in my fifties so I guess that’s something.