Marches, Monsteras, Movies, Mom Time

My parents picked up the girls for an overnight stay on Friday. I was done with work very early (a rare treat), went to the gym, picked up potstickers from Wonton King, and watched TV while sipping a light margarita and brainstorming my new project. A most excellent evening.

Saturday morning was an awesome workout with Courtney - 50 minutes of tabata. As I drove from Creve Coeur to the Central West End, my route took me through a part of St Louis I had not seen before (Page Avenue east of 170). I happened upon a march and as I was slowly driving by, I spotted a little girl on her grandfather's shoulders - and I recognized her as my friend's daughter! Only in STL can you be in an unfamiliar part of town and see a four year old that you know!

Brunch with Jenny at Cafe Osage...

... and plants plants plants in adjoining Bowood Farms. I bought this gorgeous monstera, ceramic pot, and some heavy-duty plastic saucers (so much sturdier and better looking than the flimsy plastic ones I have - my pots are on carpet and I have nightmares about moving the plant to reveal a sodden ring of mold).

At 3:15 my parents picked Luke and me up and we drove to Lafayette Square to have the girls' hair cut by Kellee. Once again --> hysterics with at-home hair brushing. In chair --> perfectly still. Kellee, you're magic!

We were too early for dinner at 1111 Mississippi and Texas Roadhouse was too busy so we ended up at O'Charley's for a bite. And malts at Steak and Shake proceeded by the ritual painstaking straw opening upon which Josie insists: I DO IT MYSELF.





Luke has started making the most delicious, low carb breakfast: cut-up sausage patties folded into soft curds of scrambled eggs made with plenty of cheese, often topped by a squeeze of these delicious creamy hot sauces. Here C cuts up the sausage with her surprisingly sharp child's knife.

We walked to a matinee of Beauty and the Beast; we watched the animated version the night before in the hopes the girls would be very familiar with the story and music. Usually they don't pay attention to live action movies. Well, they paid perfect attention and loved it.

I DISLIKED IT VERY MUCH. I thought Emma Watson was humorless, emotionless (no fear, no wonder, no rapture, no  nothing), and a barely so-so singer (they should have had Audra McDonald sing everything). I've never seen any of the Harry Potter movies or read the books so I don't have any of that other-franchise baggage: still thought she was terrible.

Instead of remaining faithful to the source material with the addition of throwaway lines to add a whisp of backstory, modernity, feminism, whatever, I would have preferred a movie that went in an entirely different direction. Actually, I would have liked a movie entirely about Audra McDonald and Stanley Tucci's characters, who had more frisson and chemistry as pieces of furniture than Emma Watson and Cousin Matthew at any moment in the movie.