Hi hi hi! It's Thursday, but it feels like Wednesday, and short weeks are the best, aren't they? Paradoxically enough, it's almost like you need them to recover from a long weekend, right? Anyway, I thought I'd do a quick post sort of along the lines of "Is She Still Doing That?" and also with some thoughts about the rest of the year.

Remember this, from back when we first painted this wall? Well, if you've ever wondered if we still use this wall, I'm here to assure you that we do. We really, really do. In fact, I would recommend this project probably over any of the other DIYs I've shared. It's funny, but almost immediately upon creating it, we all became dependent on it. It was so handy to be able to talk about upcoming events while referencing a giant calendar, and so easy for people to add events to the calendar and be sure that they were going to be seen.

After using and loving this wall for 18 months, we have made a couple small changes. First, we realized that it would be so handy to be able to see more than one month at a time. We love having the huge calendar, but it turns out life happens in increments that exceed 31 days. So I bought two way, way reduced calendars from Paper Source and replaced the clipboards that used to hang here. Now we can add events that are upcoming and reference the calendar for holidays and such. Plus, these little calendars are so cute, and they tell you what produce is in season, which is cool for Lou.

Of course if DIY isn't your thing, there are lots of available ready-made options. My sister-in-law uses something similar to these decals (I've also seen them at Target) to map out the week for her twin girls. She put them in the mudroom, which is super-smart, because you can look at the day and figure out which gear needs to accompany which kid where.

But I have to say that this particular DIY project was so easy; it required painting a wall with chalkboard paint and making a calendar. You can read all about it here, and how the hardest part for me, as usual, was the math. Darn math. Doing it yourself lets you decide how big; if you happen to have a whole wall in a mudroom or something similar, you can use it! Lou loves loves loves redecorating the bottom portion every month, and I've learned to hang an apron handy to avoid too much chalk overspray on her clothes.

But I'm telling you, if you have a calendar everyone can see, you'll be shocked at how quickly it becomes an integral part of your family meetings and workings. When I'm late to change the calendar by a day or two, planning conversations just dribble into silence as Bret, my sister Alex and I stare at now-outdated calendar in confusion.

Speaking of my sister Alex: She departed our apartment, where she's been staying for the last several months, and headed to Europe to travel around for a year. I'm super sad she's gone, and I'm adjusting to not having an extra set of hands and eyes around. I am also using her departure to spur my mid-year's resolution: to stay in better touch with my friends and family. We're all so far-flung, and it really can be tough to dig up the time to set up Skype or make an actual voice call or send an email longer than a Facebook post. But it's on my agenda for the rest of the year (and, hopefully, the rest of our lives). If you have any tips or tricks for staying in touch with folks, do tell. I'd love to hear them. I'd also love to hear if you have a family calendar, where it is, and if you depend on it the way we do. Thanks for reading, and I'll see you tomorrow!