Today seems as good a day as any to pick up pen and paper, so to speak, and begin writing again. If anything, it’s a way for my dad to keep tabs on our family, as I know he will faithfully read the blog. Hi, Dad!

Like most households in Connecticut with school-age kids, we are counting down the days until summer vacation ends and school begins. The kids seem ambivalent, and I am too. Though we are sad our time together will soon be changing and evolving, the kids are excited about new opportunities, and I am longing for us all to have a bit more routine and structure to our days.

We have had a summer full of beach days, house guests, play dates, day trips, and some travel. With so many people around and about, we’ve seldom had time to spend together, just us. So today, when we woke up and realized we had no plans, we decided to go to the zoo.

A friend at work had recommended a smaller zoo in Massachusetts, so we drove the ninety minutes or so it took to get there. We all enjoyed seeing the animals and talking about where they come from, what they eat, and the kinds of habitats in which they live. I have to admit that I was astounded at how much background knowledge the kids—the girls especially—have about some of the zoo animals, thanks to the exposure they’ve gotten from the Wild Kratts show on PBS Kids. They were telling me all about sloths when we got to the sloth exhibit, and I was like, “How do you know all this?”

From Wild Kratts, mom. Like, duh. Well, they didn’t say like, duh. But they might as well have to illustrate just how disconnected I am from the content of their weekly TV intake.

Watching the rhinos.

I delighted in really being present for once and watching the joy on the kids’ faces as they took in the sights and rode the rides. It was such a fun and easy day. It kind of makes me wish I had given in to more opportunities like this throughout the summer. And now the end is almost here.