A few good gems

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I'm happy to see this weekend arrive, even more than usual. Since we rent our house here, we have inspections one or two times a year by the property management company, which is typical procedure here. We just finished ours yesterday and I feel both (1) relieved that I don't have to be under that microscope again for a while (plus no one will miss my accompanying dictator mom behavior either, I'm sure) but (2) I'm also hoping to put our house under a glass dome to preserve its current (very temporary) spotless state (so dictator mom is actually still in full force, mwa haha).  In any event, we've all done our Saturday chores early this week so we're taking tomorrow off.

"The Sari" by Karin Jurick. I posted another of her paintings this week with The Tango post. I think the juxtaposition of the art and the spectating people in her Museum Patrons series is whimsical and terrific. 

"The Sari" by Karin Jurick. I posted another of her paintings this week with The Tango post. I think the juxtaposition of the art and the spectating people in her Museum Patrons series is whimsical and terrific. 

As we head to the weekend, here are a few good gems from the internet we wanted to share with you this week:


What I instagrammed vs. what was really happening made me laugh.
 

Guess what?! Parenting a teenager is stressful. (But knowing we're not alone helps.)
 

Interesting research about playing games + some good game picks for your family. We're going to add at least two of these to our games closet.
 

10 tips for a foreign exchange student--great advice from a former exchange student. Pass it along if you know someone leaving soon.
 

Great way to frame art--I've been waiting for someone to do this exact thing! (I'm crossing my fingers they figure out a way ship to me. If you want, click here and we both get $20 off of our next frame.)
 

Billy Collins's tip for good writing: Dare to be clear. I'll be clear: I'll take Mr. Collins's writing advice any day.
 

30 of the best parents in literature. Yes! Atticus. The Murrys. The Cuthberts. All of them.

Focus: an app to block out distractions. Maddy just used this (or one like it) while she finished up her big Extended Essay for her IB program. Might be worth considering as your big kids head back to school...

Love people, not pleasure. Amen. And a fascinating read.
 

In 1997 4.8 million pieces of Legos fell into the sea off the coast of Cornwall in 1997 and they are still washing onto the beaches of the world today.

Silliest thing of the week: selfie toast (via Swiss Miss)
 

Clueless person of the week: this spectator at the Tour de France (thanks, Jennie)