Monday, February 9, 2009

it was dark & rainy this morning when I started writing, but it is sunny (70s) this afternoon and we have the windows open. Makes you northerners want to come visit, doesn’t it? Hurry up before it gets HOT!

we have a lot to do today – better make this a quick post. We had two sickie bears last week so much of what was mentioned last week is still on my plate this week.

our cozy little home. Sometimes I dream about a house with a playroom & bigger bedrooms & a neighborhood with a nice park & pool, and someday I will probably have all that. But for now, this is enough house to clean and enough house to keep us all cozy & comfortable.

Violet is learning to play independently (as independently as one can be with two older sisters anxious to provide you with an unending supply of toys). She is happy for longer & longer stretches lying on a blanket on the floor watching the girls whirl by. Molly has two loves these days – building towers with Duplo blocks & reading books on her own. Both are super sweet to watch. Olivia continues to be fascinated with letters and is humoring me a bit with a few Spanish words & sounds, too.

Still need to make a meal calendar for this week, but I expect we’ll see the swiss steak that never got made last week and maybe some of Monica’s meatballs. I need to get a good list going of our favorites so that I can just glance through and pick a few things each week. I also need to re-order the deep freeze in the garage which is stocked completely full of meat from home (thanks Grandma & Grandpa A) as well as the last Costco purchases so I know what I have and can rotate through somewhat orderly. I’ve also been thinking of getting the Cooking Light 5 Ingredients, 15 Minutes cookbook. A few friends that have tried it just rave about its simplicity & flavors – and they’re healthy meals to boot!

jeans that my sister loaned me, a blue t-shirt, & NEW shoes! I am a huge Merrell fan. My last pair lasted me about five or six years and were the most comfortable pair of shoes I’ve ever had. The girls are also wearing their new shoes – Superballs from Stride Rite. Livy even got tennis shoes with laces – she looks so grown up!!

We didn’t make much progress on Violet’s birth announcements last week, so I am going to kick it into high gear in the hopes of getting them out this week . . .

to focus on the 5 basic things I must do to be a healthy person in order that I might serve my family better – pray, shower, eat, exercise, & sleep. I found it quite challenging to make the 10:30 bedtime last week. Will try harder this week to make it a reality. Also switching things up & showering at night to make it one less thing to accomplish in the morning. Bonus – my hair actually looks better the next day than when it’s washed in the morning!

I have been reading a few parenting magazines & other super light reading lately. I really enjoy my Faith & Family Magazine. Also, check out my shared items in the right sidebar for some interesting articles from the Times (see doesn’t that make me sound sophisticated? It’s not just mommy blogs!).

for a lighthearted, happy Valentine’s week. We have no big plans for Saturday, but I’m hoping to come up with little warm fuzzy ways to enjoy the holiday. A few weeks ago Amazon had a special on the entire series of Everybody Loves Raymond. We decided to get that for our gift to one another and have been enjoying watching the early, early episodes. I just love the simple humor and I’m a huge Patricia Heaton fan – she’s a spokeswoman for Feminists for Life!

Sleeping Beauty – as a special treat, the big girls are watching Sleeping Beauty while Violet naps so I can finish getting some packages ready for the post office and finish this post!

there is still laundry to be done, toys to be sorted, dusting that is long overdue . . . we had two girls sick last week so not much housekeeping got done. However, we did spend a good chunk of the day Saturday on the garage and JR did an amazing job sorting through all the junk and clearing a huge space for projects & play.

my new minivan. I don’t know how I survived without it!

As usual, Livy will go to preschool Tuesday & Thursday morning. I have a pre-assessment at the Fitness Center Tuesday morning to get a record of where I’m starting from. I decided to go ahead and do the 14-week program they are offering with exercise & diet components. They will be meeting twice a week, but the director is really good about being flexible with me coming when I can (and participating from home when I can’t). Friday morning is the bilingual playgroup – I always take a wait & see attitude with this one because I never know what Fridays are going to be like. The only plan we have for the weekend is Mass on Sunday.

Girls at Play