May: the first half

As usual, I was a tiny bit overcommitted during the first half of May because of MIT's end of the semester, Teacher Appreciation Day (TAD), and Nikita's birthday. But everything turned out well. I had a wonderful time catching up with former students at the Biology dinner for seniors, and TAD went smoothly in my absence because I designated tasks. Nikita's birthday was easier than Ivan's because he wanted to eat take-out pizza and to attend toy presentations at MIT (yes, there is such a class!). So, I only had to assemble his Boston Cream Pie in the middle of the night. 

Frankly, I am amazed that Igor and I survived this semester without forgetting the boys at school, but one morning, Igor drove away with my bags to get work done on the car. Luckily, a fellow mom drove me to the garage.

My schedule was especially tight year because we scheduled a trip to Hawaii (next post) between my spring semester and writing conference. Indeed, I was flying to Savannah the day after we got back from Hawaii. So, as I wrapped up my classes, I also worked on my conference presentation and finished up a gift for my boss who retired this year. I was thrown for a loop, however, when Ivan's teachers scheduled a parents breakfast the morning I was leaving for Savannah - which meant I (as class mom) had to come up with a farewell gift for the teachers! Luckily, I learned about the event the week before we left for Hawaii, and I was able to get the students to help me craft something (results in the June post).

Despite everything, I had a little time to relax and be grateful. I enjoyed watching "Star Wars II" with my boys on Mother's Day, introducing "Singing in the Rain" to Ivan, and discovering the new incarnations of Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey Jr, Benedict Cumberbatch). Ivan not only avoided going to the ER (not for lack of trying: he landed on his head on the radiator, and landed on his crotch while trying to balance on the bed rail) but also had his first cavity-free visit at the dentist. I started taking the boys to the library in the middle of the week, and had a wonderful bookclub meeting: the conversation ranged from high school to birth stories, and was partially fueled by my espresso version of Katherine Hepburn's brownies. Finally, when I start burning out, I just have to rewatch Stephen Colbert's interview of Maurice Sendak (parts 1, 2, and outtakes) or look at this photo:

Credit: simplythebestman.com