Two weeks ago I announced that I’m moving my weekly newsletter to Fridays! Then I skipped a week… and now we’re back and there’s a lot to share!

First and most importantly… @AverageParentProblems was nominated for a Shorty Award in the parenting category! This is actually a pretty big deal. Other nominees include Michelle Obama, Will Smith and Arianna Grande. Don’t worry, they aren’t nominated in my category. PHEW. Although, maybe I could win against Arianna Grande in the parenting category? Probably not. Anyway. If I have made you laugh at least once this year, can you please vote for me? And then vote for me again once a day from now until February 21st? At least you, Mom? THANK YOU!!!

In other major Mommy Shorts news, I finally revealed why my home renovation has been taking so damn long. It’s because we’re putting a pool on the balcony! No, it’s because of a much less fun reason. If you are looking for an update to that story, I don’t really have one as of yet. Last week, after my post, Home Polish sent many of you a message indicating that they are coming up with solutions for the Wiles family. After reading that (thanks to all who sent to me over DM), I sent them an email naming three possible solutions that we would find acceptable, including sending a different contractor to fix and finish the work at their cost. Keep in mind a few of the issues (specifically the chevron bathroom) have already been fixed and addressed with a new contractor separate from Home Polish on our own dime. We heard back from them over the weekend, which sounded like while they disagree with how I depicted them, they are interested in making it right. I emailed them back on Tuesday, saying that I stand by what I posted, but I am also interested in them coming back to fix it and giving this story a happy ending. I gave them a few dates to come to my apartment to assess the work. I am still waiting to hear back.

Moving on…

Did you see Mazzy doing the floss with a dance crew in Times Square? If you’ve been following my blog since Mazzy was a baby, this is a must see!

Did you hear about the new travel series I’m planning? I want to feature other mom bloggers/writers/photographers who would like to share their family friendly guides to their home cities. Their favorite restaurant, the playground your kids shouldn’t miss, the most insta-worthy mural, the most delicious doughnut shop, etc. Along with photos, of course. If you want to help me put together a really good list, tag your favorite Instagram moms (in the US and abroad) under this pic. Or, if this is something you would be interested in, tell me that too!

On the blog, I posted about Mazzy and Harlow’s evolving color preferences, gave an excellent list of children’s books with diverse main characters, shared expert tips on how to help your child navigate negative friendships, and made our return to YouTube with the Club Cracker Challenge. But the most popular post was definitely the one about your child’s favorite Forest Friends (think Sylvanian Family and Calico Crittters) engaging in sex, drugs and debauchery that would even make those inappropriate elves blush. You sick f*ckers.

Best moment last week was Mazzy and Harlow’s school dance. I have no good pictures of it because it was dark, there were children everywhere and nobody stopped moving. But it occurred to me that elementary school is the perfect time to have a school dance. No one has any “dances are lame” feelings and EVERYBODY DANCES. To prep for Mazzy and Harlow’s school dance, each grade (k-5) was taught a different dance in PE (choreographed by the older grades) and then the grades take turns performing their dance on stage. When it was Mazzy and Harlow’s respective turns, they both made sure they were front and center and I could not have been more thrilled to watch my kids give the moves their all, in front of all their peers, with no self consciousness whatsoever, thinking this was all part of the coolest display ever.

The world would be a better place if everyone danced like elementary school kids.

Have a great weekend!