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Hi friends,

 

Last week, I went to Cairo for the first time with a group of my colleagues. It was my first trip after I had Basil and my first night away from him.

 

I switched him to formula for the first time since his birth to cover those four days and three nights. As I write this, I’m doing something called Power Pumping to get my milk supply back on track. During the trip, I continued pumping twice a day, but the milk production decreased every day. I also forgot one piece that made one of the double pumps useless.

 

Nevertheless, the trip was a much-needed getaway that I immensely enjoyed; uninterrupted sleep was a bonus I had not expected to enjoy that much.

 

Of course, I visited one of the many museums of Cairo, not the most recently opened one, though, and I did the classic visit to the pyramids, “hantour” and everything. I got an excellent tip from my sister to wear a bright color, like she did, which makes the photos pop, and that’s what happened; see the image below.

 

I kept asking people around about my name, as I was named after an Egyptian TV series from the 80s. However, one person answered with the answer I knew: it’s a Parisian name meaning ‘paradise’. The others did not know, and one told me a Pharoe story that did not make sense to Google. ِA cool thing: I found a school called Albardes on the way back from Giza.

 

The view of the Nile from my room was something to remember.

 

The visits to pharmacies to get the very cheap medicine and skin care products was not fun but worth it.

 

Cairo, I am definitely coming back.

 

(That was the quickest update I could write without putting this off or skip sharing it altogether)

I can’t believe kids finish 6th and 3rd grade this week. They are going to a few weeks of summer camp later this month. As usual, June is the transitional month leading up to a crazy, fun July. I will commit to my routines for four more weeks before taking my summer break. 

I hope you have great Adha holiday, Eid Mubarak!

Snapshot from my week: A jump in front of one of the legendary Giza Pyramids

Here is your weekly dose of The Sunday Spark ⚡️a newsletter listing 3 sparks that I thought were worth starting your week with:

 

1. ⏰ How to stop being late

Don't do just one more thing. Spot-on advice by Laura Vanderkam, whose work influenced how I manage my time. Her book 168 Hours helped me start planning in weekly blocks and realize that I have more time than I think. That book, by the way, is now celebrating its 15th anniversary!

2.🎵 Do you love kids' movie songs as much as I do?

They motivate me and lift my spirits; no baggage, just good memories with my kids. I love that so much. These days, I have Mufasa: The Lion King songs stuck in my head like an earworm. My favorite is I Always Wanted a Brother.I also love Moana’s songs, especially those from Part 1, and there’s one in Part 2 that my kids and I keep replaying. The songs from Wish are brilliant too. One of them, Knowing What I Know Now, could apply to the most important issue of the day.

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3. 💬 A creativity reminder:

"I get several forms of the question, “What good is making art in times like these?”

 

 

 

And, really, that’s all, sometimes, you have to do: just show up" 

― Austin Kleon