Here's what we've been up to.

Saturday N had his first ever cross country meet. It seemed to be a sort of dry run for the rest of the season: no discernable announcements, no time keeping that I could see, no awards, once the race was over everyone just went straight to the snack bar for penny candy. There were kids from maybe half a dozen schools, all in their gym uniforms, we could see them in clusters here and there doing stretches and squats together. Meanwhile the gym teacher from my kids' school unexpectedly not there so one of the moms had to buzz around with the clipboard, numbers were pinned and switched and repinned willy-nilly, and N's leg of the relay changed several times until suddenly someone at the starting line pointed to him and said "GO!". One very small girl was really cooking, and after her leg was done she went back to take her teammate's hand and try physically dragging her along faster.

Speaking as someone with a deep personal antipathy towards all athletic activity, I liked that it felt decidedly casual. N plays hockey at home and we'd kind of stalled on transitioning into the next level because our town is known for having an exceptionally toxic hockey parent culture, which in New England is really saying something. We're here to have fun! Well, I'm not but at least some people should be! And while I won't be heartbroken if N decides his cross country days are over and we can free up some weekends, I know I'll probably end up meeting more people through the school stuff like this than any other activity I'd find on my own steam.

Sunday

Museum of Science and Industry. Most of it is free except for special exhibits and Power Up, the room where you can play with 150 different video game consoles, which we did not see but had to make a solemn promise we would go back to before we leave. If you are interested in textile manufacturing there is some neat stuff, and if you are not there is a place to play with blocks when you give up asking your mom if she's done reading about bobbins.

We also had tea at Cloud23, a gift from my brother. The kids got some electric blue drink garnished with a hank of cotton candy and based on their reaction they will look back on it as the highlight of this year if not their lives. The little sandwiches and cakes didn't look like a ton of food when they brought it out but we all slowed down surprisingly quickly. I had to make a slight modifcation to my usual eating order from least-to-most-preferred to make sure I had room for the scone, the highlight!

Thursday We had dinner for T’s birthday at a Thai restaurant.  The owner’s son, who was probably around 7, spent the evening in a nest of cushions with his tablet under the counter while his mom cooked and his sister waited tables. I didn't see him under there until a small arm emerged to discard an empty package of cookies. B is still adusting to his new nap-free day and spent most of the meal asleep in my lap. We are probably going to be at this restaurant semi-regularly over the next year, so maybe I can work up to asking if we can just stow him in the nest.