Sweetness.

There's something comforting about the knowledge that a tiny piece of cake with a generous dollop of icing brings so much unadulterated joy. 

It also brought me a heck of a lot of giggles as I took these photos. Whoever said sugar is bad needs some perspective.

Yes, it was lovely, but I was pretty grateful when the cloying effect of all that sweetness finally hit. Haven didn't even finish her cake and Sonja didn't even ask for another cupcake. 

Then there was just the stickiness.

Spontaneous and drop-of-the-hat.

Dance classes are great. Ballet, jazz, you name it. Can't deny the value and sheer loveliness of getting your kids into a dance class where they can learn and express themselves at the same time.

But spontaneous, drop-of-the-hat dancing is beyond measure. 

We happened upon an open-air concert at Beacon Hill Park yesterday and the kids took off their shoes and hats and just danced and ran and squealed. All of a sudden there were two shows for the people on the benches (including several folks bussed in from a retirement home); the very talented players on stage and two small girls who left a trail of smiles wherever they ran, hopped and twirled.

At one point I turned to look for something in my bag and when I looked up, I saw they had climbed up on one of the benches where they sat quietly, listening to the music. When I walked up and started taking their picture, I noticed several senior citizens in the crowd looking over and smiling at us. The girls looked so cute with their little feet dangling in the warm summer air.

Spontaneous and drop-of-the-hat ...because you couldn't ever plan this stuff.

Magic Mud.

Sonja and Haven, meet Magic Mud. 


Magic Mud is cornstarch and water and a little bit of food colouring. It's not quite a liquid, not quite a solid; it's a wet powder that never really dissolves and the consistency is goopy, drippy and totally mesmerizing.


It was also every-freaking-where, so luckily it washes off easily. Other than hosing off the deck, the clean-up was fairly painless. A successful (and inexpensive!) messy time that I'm sure we'll repeat very soon.