Thoughts on another rainy day

• We're having split pea soup for supper. I've never made split pea soup before. I'm not entirely sure I've ever consumed split pea soup before. My only association with it is the split pea fog from Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs. It sounds like rainy day food to me. We're using a recipe from Let's Stay In, which suggests pairing the soup with toasted, buttered raisin bread and cheddar cheese. (?) Apparently it's a Scandinavian thing. I know better than to doubt Ashley, so the raisin bread is out and ready for toasting. It's just weird enough that the kids will probably love it.
• Yesterday was a puzzle day. I did a T-Rex floor puzzle with Felix and it was the most exciting thing ever. He jumped all around the floor with excitement, practicing his new, most favorite word, "maybe." As in, "Mebeeeeee, dis piece go...wight...HERE!" And, no matter if it did or not, he'd jump to a new place and shout, "mebeeeeee, dis piece go...wight...HERE!!!!" Each piece's placement was met with utter joy, "Dere it go! We did it!" I also did the same T-Rex puzzle later in the day with Owen, as well as our 100 piece solar system puzzle. He took great delight in waiting for nighttime to watch it glow in the dark. It was pretty cool. My dad loves doing puzzles and I have fond memories of Christmas vacations with a big 1,500 landscape. It was a cozy way to spend time together off and on throughout the school break.
• I've just started Dave Itzkoff's biography on Robin Williams and it's fascinating. I find Itzkoff's starting perceptions of Williams similar to my own, which makes his analysis and opinions (when he deviates from fact) easy to follow. I'm reminded, as I am every time I read of aspiring artists, of the struggle and absolute devotion to craft necessary to rise above the poverty and rejection. Unfortunately, in Robin's case there was also a lot of cocaine throughout that struggle...it's challenging to read a book that you know will end unsatisfactorily. (It also makes me want to rewatch Hook and Good Will Hunting.)
• James is doing fantastic work with his Saxon math this year. I'm watching him work through a comprehensive review of line segments, thermometer readings, number patterns, word problems, basic geometry, dollars and cents, addition, subtraction, and multiplication. He's fallen in love with math this year, which is a bit surprising considering his natural penchant for words and language. I love it!
• Holiday baking will be here before you know it. Chill your cookie dough to mature the flavors and prevent excessive spreading. If the finished cookies are too puffy for your liking after baking, give them a solid rap or two on a hard surface immediately after removing from oven. You'll get those beautiful cracks on the surface while avoiding a pancake situation.

:)