seven quick takes friday - 10-11-13

*1*

last saturday i thought it would be fun to take the girls to a pumpkin patch.  the weather was beautiful and i knew it would be a great time to get out my real camera and take some pretty fall photos.  well, the minute we got to the pumpkin patch it started POURING!  we still tried to enjoy as much as we could, venturing into a scary funhouse, visiting the petting zoo and eating cotton candy.  but there was no hayride, no corn maze and of course no pumpkins to bring home.  instead we stopped at home depot on the way home from church on sunday and picked up two pumpkins for $4.00 each. 

I have more festive fall activities planned for this weekend.  I sure hope the weather cooperates this time around!

 

*2*

I'm starting to run regularly again.  I really love how I feel after I run, but it is so hard getting started in the mornings.  to help motivate me, I'm working towards #48milesinoctober with Marta - you can find her on instagram @hausofgirls_fitfamily.

*3*

Still Facebook free.  I'm loving all of the time I have now that I don't spend so much time mindlessly reading people's status updates online.  and after two weeks I'm starting to miss it less.

*4*

I finished Gathering Blue  this week and started attachments: a novel. both are ok, but not great.  i’ll write more about these books when i join modern mrs. darcy for twitterature later this month.  oh, and these links are not affiliate links because i cannot figure out how to do that :)

*5*

this past week I made yummy apple streudel muffins and  crockpot chicken and dumplings thanks to allrecipies.  I always forget how much I love to bake and cook until I try out new recipes.  to keep the ball rolling I just picked up two Pioneer Woman cookbooks from the library.  I cannot wait to try some of those recipes!

*6*

Hubby's coaching for our high school's football team this year.  high school instead of college so now the games are on Friday nights instead of Saturdays.  big sis dances on Friday nights, so we get to the games late, but we are trying to make it to as many home games as possible.  we were there this past Friday and saw them win 38-0.  woo-hoo!

*7*

we had our first family pet death this past Saturday.  back in march we won two goldfish at a carnival (named Goldie and Locks).  the girls were so excited as I've always told them they could have fish but never followed through.  finally, I had no choice but to go out and buy an aquarium.  unfortunately Saturday morning we woke up to discover Locks laying still at the bottom of the aquarium.  it was a sad day for us.  at first Goldie was pretty sad, but she seems to be doing ok now.  I think she actually enjoys having the whole place to herself :)

and that's all for today.  happy friday!  and for more quick takes, please go over to conversion diary!

a thursday with thoughts

it's my second full week of work since june.  it's tough.  but it's a sign of things to come.

school starts in less than two weeks.  dance in three.  high school football is underway.  yes folks, fall is almost here.

for some reason, last year, i had a hard time with fall (and the winter and spring that followed).  i'm working really hard on getting a good start this year and not letting the end of summer get me down.  we have a lot to look forward at our home this year.

hubby has returned to high school football and it looks like it is going to be an amazing season.

big sis is in her last year of elementary school.  it sounds like she's getting to compete in 4 dances this year in her dance company (last year she did 3), which is what she was hoping for.  she's getting taller and smarter and more grown up every day.  it's hard to believe.

and lil' sis is starting kindergarten.  yes, i now have two kids in school full time.  life is really going to get busy now!  she's also starting a dance program where she'll get to do a lot more.  she's really excited about that and asks every day when her classes will start.  this year will be full of firsts for her.  riding the bus, buying lunches at school, learning to read.  i cannot wait!

as for me, nothing has changed personally, but i will get to enjoy the changes my family members are experiencing.  i'm working out faithfully, reading a lot and dreaming.  mostly, this year, i just want to enjoy each day as it comes.

so my promise to myself is not to stress.  everything will turn out the way it was meant to.  i need to breathe every day.  take time to enjoy the girls.  support my husband and his new football team.  find as much time as possible for fun.

i have a feeling it's going to be a great school year!

disconnect

yesterday i ran to panera for lunch to grab my favorite strawberry poppyseed chicken salad.  as soon as i got on the road i realized i had left my phone on my desk.  gasp!  but then...

freedom!

sad, isn't it.  i felt a little lost and nervous at first without my phone.  even if it was only for a quick 20 minute jaunt away from the office.  but what if there was an emergency?  what would i do while i waited for my order?  could i live without my phone for 20 minutes.

crazy!  thankfully those wacky thoughts only lasted a few minutes.  and then i felt relieved.  and excited.  no temptation to check my email or facebook feed.  no way to take a quick picture of my panera bag to instagram to everyone.  i could only enjoy the moment that i was in.  and focus on what was around me.  or think my own thoughts.  i even had to listen to the radio, ads and all.

i loved it.

and i realized i need to do that more often.

so last night i took the girls for a walk to a local ice cream place.  it's a half hour each way.  i had my phone with me for safety reasons, but it was at the bottom of my purse.  i didn't check it at all during the entire hour and a half we were out.  and i resisted the temptation to get on facebook to thank someone who had stopped to let us cross a busy road.

being in the moment with my daughters who are growing up oh so fast was so much better than taking pictures of us to share with the whole world right away.  being able to talk to them without worrying about things happening at work was refreshing.  showing them that mommy could step away from the phone was priceless.

and it will happen more often.

i realize i have done what i said i'd never do. i've become addicted to a phone.  that stops now.  no checking it at every stoplight on my way to and from work.  no using it when i'm with the kids.  no checking email while i'm making dinner.

i think getting stepping away from the phone is going to be life changing!

halfway

it's hard to believe, but our summer is halfway over.  i've already received backpack catalogs from pottery barn kids and noticed that the school supply section is ready to go at target.  how did this happen?!?!?

i'm officially on a mission to make the most of the next 6 weeks before school starts. it sure helps that we'll start off with a trip to the ocean. following that we plan to see the lion king musical, visit the american girl store, and spend lots of time in the pool.  unfortunately big sis came down with swimmer's ear so the past week and a half has been "pool-free" except for lil' sis's swim lessons.

before swimmer's ear

my goal for the kids is to do a minimum of one "special" thing a week.  to get the most out of our swim passes, i'd like to see us go to the pool at least 7 more times before school starts.  and the rest of the time?  we'll just chill at home, summer style with no worries about homework or crazy busy schedules.

personally, i'd like to read a lot more.  and relax a lot more.  but i should also try to get some projects done around the house before the school year madness begins.

6 weeks.  42 days.  i am going to make the most of each and everyone.  beginning with pedicures tonight!

how about you?  how are you making the most out of the second half of summer?

change of scenery

i need variety to stay sane. the funny thing is i always let myself get stuck in ruts and often avoid seeking out new experiences. thankfully, the other day, an event i had to take big sis to allowed me to enjoy a change of scenery for the evening.

we were in a city about a half hour away. one we've never been to before. because of the timing of the event, it did't make sense to drive home after dropping big sis off. so i took advantage of our situation and went exploring with lil' sis. we went to an ice cream stand like i remember from when i was a child. family owned. homemade ice cream. lots of fun, unique treats that you don’t see at chains like dairy queen or cold stone. and the best part, they had picnic tables and a playground in a field behind the stand. we sat at a table in the sun and enjoyed our ice cream before lil’ sis spent some time climbing around.

when we tired of that we visited the city’s park. while similar to the parks near us, this park also had a large lake. we watched families fishing, ducks and geese guarding their babies, and women getting in their daily walk. she tried out all of the slides on the playground (there were 6) and decided the giant “tube slide” was the best. she must have went down that one 20 times.

finally, we stopped in at the local library. what a beautiful library. it looked much more like a barnes and noble than a library. lil' sis quickly found the children’s section and set off to play while I enjoyed a giant comfy chair.

while we were actually out and about for less than 2 hours, we had such a great time. made me wonder why we don’t do this more often. there are so many wonderful cities in our areas, all with their own hidden gems. it was refreshing to go somewhere new and unfamiliar. honestly, it was almost like being on vacation, even though we were less than an hour from home. i made up my mind last night that we need to plan more adventures like this. find out what is special about nearby cities and go there. i cannot wait to see what we find when we seek a change of scenery!

white space

last night big sis was supposed to have a dance event, but it was cancelled due to incoming storms.  we ended up with a big white space on our calendar and boy was it heavenly!  i love white spaces.  i think the main reason i invested a million dollars into a pottery barn white board calendar was so i could see the giant white spaces on the calendar each week.

of course, as the girls get older, i fear the white spaces will get fewer, but i will try my hardest to prevent that.  white spaces bring me joy.  they bring relief, laughter, relaxation and happiness.  last night's white space resulted in lingering over dinner having a great conversation about i forget what.  and then, me and the girls cuddled up on a corner of the couch watching so you think you can dance.  as a mom of two dancing princesses, this was heaven!

as we went to bed last night, i could tell the white space was used wisely and i cannot wait for the next day in our week that involves no plans!