Have a happy weekend

The birds are singing, the sky is bright, the sun is shining, and I'm feeling alright (Pete the Cat).  It's a sunny summer Friday and we've reached the end of a hectic and emotional week.  Thousands came out to honor fallen local police officer Scott Patrick as he was eulogized and laid to rest on Wednesday.  The tributes and outpouring of support for Scott Patrick and his family, as well as appreciation for all local law enforcement officers, have been inspiring and remind us how fortunate we are to have such very good people in our communities.

Have a great weekend, and have some fun -- we intend to!  Here are some lighthearted posts from around the web:

Underwater wedding at the Mall of America.

Beautiful Cortona and an Italian outlet mall.

Grab a pack of breath mints and then head to the garlic festival in Hutchinson.  Garlic ice cream!

The man behind the Pharrell hat.   And why clogs will change your life.

Design ideas for small bathrooms.

Worldwide compilation of "Happy" by Pharrell Williams:

Table lamp

Face mugs

Happy Shirts tees

Have a wonderful holiday weekend

I am very proud that my grandfathers, my father, several of my uncles, and now my cousin have all served in our nation's military.  On this Memorial Day weekend, please remember to keep the families who have lost loved ones while serving our country in your thoughts.

Enjoy the long weekend!

Patio season in Minnesota!  Here's where you can find a table.

A lovely read about springtime in Paris, ahhhhhh.

20 pairs of seriously wearable summer sunglasses.

Coming in September: Target's latest designer collaborator is Joseph Altuzarra.

Well, I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder with this one.

This week's top 10 Minnesota music videos.

Five iconic toys born in Minnesota.

Firstborns

Hey Firstborns, do you think you're smarter than your younger siblings?  Well of course you do.  But now there's a study that suggests this might actually be the case.  Birth order is an interesting topic and one that we explored this morning at ECFE (Early Childhood Family Education) class.  Personality traits have long been attributed to one's age rank in the family unit:

"The eldest child is programmed for excellence and achievement, the middle child is raised to be understanding and conciliatory and the baby seeks attention."

The author of the birth order/intelligence study found that firstborns are 16 percent more likely to pursue higher education compared to younger siblings.  She attributed this outcome in part to the aspirational personality trait of firstborns, as well as the fact that parents tend to devote more time and energy to firstborn children.

But fret not, younger siblings.  There are lots of successful middle children and babies of the family willing to prove this theory wrong.

Riloh: Mommy, will you paint my name?  Now will you paint Daphne's name? 
(Stepped away, back a minute later.)  Ahhh, sisterly love.

The Civic-minded Preschooler

This week Riloh and I boarded a school bus with some teachers, kids and parents from her preschool class to visit our state capitol for a rally in support of early childhood education.  It was a great morning; the highlight for Riloh of course was the bus ride.  But it also got me thinking about how to teach young kids about civic engagement.  I found this list Top Five: Political Books for Kids by New York Magazine that's a fun variety of reads.  It's not exactly a list of books about how a bill becomes a law, but what three year old really cares about that?  Turns out #2 on the list The Peace Book is already a favorite in our house.  We love Todd Parr books!  And the awesome Red Balloon Bookshop keeps them in stock.