beautiful banana baby bean

One of my previous students from the high school (now married and living in the States) sent this to me of her newborn son.

"Sure, I look like a banana.....who cares? 

It's comfy and I sleep like a...well...like a baby."

Weekend Reading

Not sure where you live, but the weekend forecast around here is sunny and 70s which equals beach and a book... and not just any book. Sometimes Tolstoy or Proust can be a bit heavy for a beach retreat, you know? My solution: revert back to your childhood days where "Choose Your Own Adventure" was the biggest rage. Emma Campbell Webster has recaptured the page-turning excitement in this "grown-up" version. The main character is Elizabeth Bennet--but you are by no means stuck in a Mr. Darcy world. I have taken many quick adventures with this book and so far have managed to *gasp* marry Mr. Collins, spend a spooky weekend in Northanger Abbey, take a trip with Jane to Bath, all the while collecting (or losing!) Confidence and Intelligence points. It's silly, clever, and simple.

If you have a baby banana attached to your hip (as I currently do) then you know that your beach bag will be overflowing with so much equipment it seems as though you packed for an army and not a tiny little being. Stuff a board book into any pocket left--it will be very useful when trying to coax your child to sit still under an umbrella for snacktime. A lasting favorite in our collection is Rod Campbell's Dear Zoo. Nothing makes the little ones happier than a lift-the-flap book full of animals. Spoiler Alert: the book ends with a puppy being the perfect pet, which of course is every child's dream, right?

Perfect hot weather snack? Frozen chocolate covered bananas. Add some sprinkles or nuts for pizzaz. Find out how to make them here.