My tiny Ewok

It's been two months since we lost our girl, and it's getting close to the time when I feel ready to bring another dog into our family. I needed a minute to recuperate after Lucy died - emotionally, of course, but I also needed a second to breathe, because the last few months of her life were...a lot. Besides the logistical work - vet appointments, messes to be cleaned - I worried about her all the time. I'd wake up in the middle of the night to check her breathing, or terrify myself imagining the worst when she didn't run up to greet me at the door when I came home (which, towards the end, she never did).

I was exhausted from the sheer volume of care she required - that on top of the care required by the other living things in my household - and honestly? I wanted to rest. But now my kids are starting to mention wanting another dog, and not just that: They've taken on a bunch of pet-related responsibilities (scooping the litterbox is one of them, thank Jesus) to try to convince me that they'll help out with the walking and training and such, and I want to reward their efforts.

Case of the Tuesdays over here

The way our custody schedule works, I mostly have the kids on weekdays - so when I found out I had the kids all three days this weekend, I got super excited and did the obvious thing: I overscheduled us up the wazoo. (I do this on the nights that I'm solo, too: I think, MUST DO ALL THE FUN THINGS! and end up watching half of sixteen different shows and staying up too late and feeling wildly unsatisfied about the whole event.) We had sleepovers. Korean BBQ lunches. Beach trips. Hot tub soaks. ALL THE FUN THINGS.

So: I'm exhausted. But all this activity also resulted in a bunch of interesting discoveries. Here, in no particular order, are a few of them.

Ignore the mess; focus on the handsomeness

The entire Art Class kids' clothing line at Target. My son just grew at least two inches (and gained several years, #whydoeshelooksoold), and suddenly found himself in need of an entirely new wardrobe. I've been pretty lazy about his clothing these past couple of years because he really wasn't the kind of kid who cared about what he wore, beyond being comfortable. Sweatpants and t-shirt, check. But now, for the first time in his life, he kind of...does care. (My heart.) So I wanted to get him stuff that would be comfortable, yes, but would also be in line with his style, and this collection just killed it.

Here's what I picked up:

This doesn't happen very often, but in trying to succinctly describe Sloo Moo, words fail me: I wish I could communicate the sheer wonderful insanity of this place to you directly via telepathy. Alright, let me try: Sloo Moo, a.k.a. The Slime Institute, is an experiential wonderland that defies imagination, and literally must be seen to be believed.

(Hey, that was pretty good! Also, before we get started, full disclosure: The co-founder, Karen Robinovitz, is my former manager and dear friend, but that fact is coloring what is about to be a rave review for the ages ZERO. I was so into this place that I basically sparkled my way through.)

So here's how it works: You enter Sloo Moo, roll up your sleeves, walk down a hallway festooned with slime-related facts, and then arrive in the first of many exhibits: A massive wall of slime (top photo) that attendees are encouraged to add to. Then you just start exploring, because there's awesome stuff around every corner: A glittering curtain leads into a crazy neon-lit cavern; rainbow-jacketed visitors hang out under a slime shower (!); a slingshot station lets you take slow-mo videos of yourself being slimed. There's even an ASMR room offering projections of the most chilled-out slime you've ever seen on every wall (chilled-out slime is apparently a thing).