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!

seven quick takes friday - 10-4-13

*1*

i’ve been facebook free for a week now.  i’m feeling a little out of it, but i think i like not knowing every little detail of what’s happening in other people’s lives.  i actually have to talk to people now to find out what’s going on with them.  *gasp!*

*2*

one down, nine to go!  is it too early to start feeling like the worst end of school year mom ever in october?  don’t get me wrong, school has been going great for the girls.  i can already tell they’re learning a lot and i love hearing about the new friends they are making.  but i’m already struggling with reading logs and for the next 55 days we need to check off if they’ve done at least 20 minutes of physical activity a day (hopefully that should be a given, but still).  add to that packing lunches, figuring out how to gracefully bow out of three million different fundraisers, reviewing homework (that i don’t even always understand) and keeping track of extracurriculars and it’s no wonder i’m already counting down to Christmas break.  80 days folks!

*3*

i hate saying “no”.  i just realized that’s why i dread my job on most days.  i have to say “no” quite a bit.  it makes me sad.  i want to say “yes”.  i want my students to get what they want.  but unfortunately they always want to go against rules and policy, so i have to say no.  it’s my job.  and it’s no fun.  thankfully yesterday i was able to do more positive things at work and it made me feel a lot better.  balances out all of the “no” days.

i can't even say no to these!

 

*4*

i’ve read two and a half books this week.  Eleanor and Park (loved it!). Wife 22 (loved it!).  and i’m halfway through Gathering Blue (so far it’s so-so).  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*

lil’ sis turns 6 this month.  i’m not going to lie, this makes me sad.  but she’s so excited it’s her birthday month.  i hope we make it a super fun one for her.

birthday girl!

 

*6*

i’m so sick of being sick.  my sinuses freaked out the minute ragweed season began.  and a few weeks later i came down with a sinus infection that two 2 courses of antibiotics, a course of some sort of steroid, and now ongoing allergy medicine and flonase to fight it off.  sort of.  i’m still coughing and occasionally congested.  i hope this doesn’t last much longer.

*7*

because i always feel crummy in the fall (see above), it’s become an annual tradition for me to start considering drastic changes to my eating habits.  i’m sure they contribute somewhat to how i feel.  i do know diet coke isn’t good for me, and think that could be a good starting point, but i just can’t live without it.  so right now i would like to challenge myself to drinking more water this month.  ’m not ready to give up diet coke (i didn’t drink it for 9 months last year and missed it the entire time) but i think by drinking more water i’ll be more hydrated and will thus feel better.  and i’ve heard lots of water is good for people with sinus problems.  we’ll see about that…!

why can't diet coke be good for you?!?!

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

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!