Quick Takes Friday (# ?)

Is it already Friday again? Really?

1. Since I didn't share it before, here are my funny kids.

Buddy (5 yo) asked if he could help carry in groceries. I said I didn't know, because most of the bags were pretty heavy. "Relax, Mom. I've got big muscles," he says.

Monster, when discussing potty training: "I'll learn to use the potty in a little bit; in five minutes."

Needless to say, five minutes have come and gone repeatedly with no signs of the above statement being true.

2. Husband is at the doctor this morning, likely with strep throat. He gets it several times a year and pretty much diagnoses himself. Thankfully he catches it early and he should feel better by Sunday. And I'll do my best to patient with him in his illness. I guess this will set him back in our training.

3. My girls are going to a birthday party tomorrow. It is going to feature the dance team from a local high school! I don't know if there is a family connection, or if this is some fundraising thing the dance team does, or what. I'll be curious to hear what happens. There is also a sleepover, but we are the kind of parents that don't let our kids sleep over with families we don't know. My girls seemed okay with that, since they will still get to do the makeovers and stuff. I asked what kind of present they thought they wanted to get the birthday girl, and their first two answers were something High School Musical or Bratz. I'm not really opposed to HSM, although we don't watch it here, but I am opposed to Bratz and told them so. I'm encouraging them to think in the direction of art supplies or maybe a bead kit or something like that. Am I crazy?

4. The training program calls for a five mile run this weekend! Yikes! I am still fighting that mile two wall where I give in and walk a lap. It is so frustrating. I have got to just tell myself that walking is not an option, because I know once I get past it I will be fine. This training program has been great for me in terms of addressing my weaknesses and building up my strength, physically and mentally.

5. I mentioned being ready to wean Butterfly in another post. I'm totally on the fence about it. I go back and forth day-to-day, depending on my mood and her cooperativeness. She is not a snuggly baby at all, so nursing is the only real cuddle time I get with her. But at the same time, I'm starting to feel a little burned out about being the only one who can meet her needs. Of course she eats baby food and Husband can give her that, but during the day he is not home. I have started giving her milk already in a cup and she seems to love it and we have had no adverse reactions. But then I feel selfish for wanting to quit. And when I'm actually nursing her I usually enjoy it. And it doesn't take very long anymore. So I will probably keep it up for one more month and then wean her after her birthday. Which could be interesting, because when she wants to nurse she literally tries to jump out of Husband's arms to get to me. She might not be on board with my plan.

6. I'm going back to work! Okay, only sort of going back to work. I'm going to tutor two student-athlestes in freshman composition once a week. For one hour. Even though I get paid, after taxes it will be about enough to buy one Chick-fil-a chicken sandwich a week. But, it is something that is not related to the kids and that I enjoy doing. And I feel less bad about bugging people for free tickets to basketball games if I'm actually working there again.

7. Monster is in that phase where he really likes one book and wants me to read it many times a day. I don't mind that so much, but the book is pretty dull. I am excited that he is finally really loving books. I suppose I could encourage him to choose more interesting books. For now, Thomas and the School Trip will have to do. In fact, he's begging me to read it to him right now, so off I go to do my motherly duty.

Go see Jen for more quick takes.

Just Another Ice Storm Blog

I'm sure I'm not the only one posting about being iced in today. Those of us in Texas are obligated to share our inability to handle these inclement conditions with all of you seasoned northerners. We have a layer of ice everywhere. School was canceled yesterday in anticipation of the ice storm apparently, because it just kind of drizzled all day and didn't freeze until the evening.

I surrendered my reluctance to let the kids make a mess and let them paint yesterday. The girls spent three hours entertaining themselves and the mess was actually pretty minimal, so I learned my lesson there. I need to let go of my issues. Then I let the kids make a tent in their room and that kept them busy for another hour or so I think. By then Husband was home and I could turn to him for relief.

We went to bed with no news on school closing, but expecting at least a delay this morning. Sure enough, when I was up at 5:00 a.m. nursing Butterfly (really ready to wean her I think) and turned on the TV I see that school is closed again. And I'm actually quite glad because my car needs gas and I would have had to fill up before picking up today and it is way too cold to do that. Now I can make ask Husband to do it for me tonight or tomorrow. He's home until at least noon, although he does have to work some. Which means my computer time is going to be limited. I suppose I could use the opportunity to be productive.

Yeah, right.

On this chilly day I'm going to bake some muffins, drink hot tea (no coffee!) and basically try to stay sane. And dream of the days when shorts and flip-flops (but not frumpy ones) are once again my staples.

What I Learned This Week

The always fabulous Jo-Lynne is hosting a new weekly carnival. She wants us to share what we have learned in the past week. It can be serious, or not. Today mine definitely falls in the not category, but it is something I am excited to share.

This may come as a shock, but I am not all that crafty. I know--you are stunned. Also shocking, I love to buy things for Butterfly. The surprises just keep coming, don't they?

I have this friend that is like Martha Stewart, only pretty and sweet and kind and awesome. If she wasn't so humble and gracious I would have to hate her. But that is impossible to do.

Anyway.

She knows I love bows for Butterfly and she knows how to make them! So instead of spending five to six dollars for one bow, she wanted me to learn to make them myself for about a dollar each. So she and her family came to our house Saturday night for dinner and some craftiness. Her husband was surprised I didn't know how to do this until I reminded him I read Sports Illustrated more often than Family Fun.

After the table was cleared and the husbands were placed in charge of the kids we got to work. My friend had no idea what she was in for, working with me. I'm a remedial crafter. So she quickly and expertly made a bow and then spent the next half hour trying to get me to make the first couple of loops. Eventually I managed to make one bow that was not hideous. I even let Butterfly wear it to church.

Yesterday I decided to tackle the bows again. I had ribbon to make several for my baby girl, and I'm going to be making some more for friends. And you can see in the picture below how my efforts progressed, the black bow on top was the first one I did last night and the aqua bow was my closing effort. I really learned how to do it! Yea!

People are Nice

Aimee saved the day and gave me an award all at once! I was going to resort to sharing funny things my boys said last week, but now I can feel good about myself and spread some love. Thanks Aimee!

This award is officially called The Love Ya Award, and here's why:

"These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be
friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when
the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated.
Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight
bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into
the body of their award.”

So I totally hate choosing because I always feel like I'm hurting someone's feelings. But I also really like to follow the rules. So here goes.

Elaine at the Miss-Elaineous Life

El-e-e at Hello, Self

My IRL friend at One Juice Box at a Time

Another IRL friend at Just Call Me Mommy

Darcie at Such the Spot

And I'm stopping at five for now, because the others I would add have private blogs or are already quite popular, and I feel like the spirit of this award is to highlight some lesser-known bloggers.

I'm such a rebel.

And don't be surprised if a funny kids saying post pops up this week.

Quick Takes

It is Friday! Yea!


1. I've been adding music to my iPod for running. And let's just say I have gone outside my comfort zone. There is more hip-hop on it than I have ever owned in my life. Well, okay, I've never owned any, so it would only take one song to make that previous statement true. Anyway, when I listen to it I feel like a poser, but the beats are great for running. And whenever possible I get the clean version of a song, because I am old and detest swearing in my music. Also, Butterfly likes to rock to the beat too. She does a cute little bounce when she hears music.

2. Husband and kids are campaigning for cats. I have had a policy of no pets until everyone in the house could handle bathroom issues on their own. But they are wearing me down. I've seen my kids play with cats at my brother-in-law's house. And they love dogs, but we are not getting a dog. I hesitate to get cats though because my brother and some good friends are highly allergic. While they are not here all that often I still wouldn't want them to be uncomfortable while visiting. We won't get any cats until we can put a cat door in our garage door so the litter and food can stay out there. Because the last thing I need is to keep a baby away from cat litter and cat food.

3. The no-new clothes pledge is going to be a challenge. We are having beautiful spring-like weather and my one pair of shorts that I like and that actually fit are already getting too big. I have skirts to wear though. And I am definitely on the lookout for what I might be interested in purchasing post-race.

4. Today is my day off from training and I am so glad! This whole exercising 6 out of 7 days gets a girl down. I just like the idea of not having to be anywhere today. Squeezing in workouts among the other chores/errands can be tricky. I also have to get to the gym in the hours that childcare is available. As the length of the weekday runs increases this could become a challenge.

5. Okay, I just said I don't have to be anywhere today, but that is not entirely true. We need a few grocery items and I'm actually looking forward to this errand. Why? Because a new Kroger opens today super close to my house. The only inconvenience is having to make a left turn out of my neighborhood to get there. But I don't care because I can still avoid the area of town that is constantly under construction. And this store is not across the street from Target so there is less temptation there too. And I do realize how dorky I am to be excited about a grocery store.

6. There are five piles of laundry waiting to be folded in my living room. The kids sorted it last night and now I need to fold it. I can almost guarantee that won't happen until late afternoon. I hate this chore and tend to put it off. I also never hang the stuff up in the boys' room and inevitably end up washing stuff that does not get worn because it finds its way to the floor and then the laundry basket.

7. Tomorrow a friend is going to show me how to make bows for Butterfly. I am tired of spending five or six dollars for a bow when I know I can make them for less than two dollars a bow. I went to the fabric store yesterday to buy ribbon. There was some cute ribbion that I wanted to buy, but couldn't think of anything that Butterfly had to wear with it, and the whole money saving plan would not work if I bought clothes to match the bows. Also, tons of pretty fabrics. I could imagine a new duvet in my room, and lots of handbags. If I knew how to sew a thing.

For more quick takes, go see Jen!

I Know Better

Aaauugghh! I'm so frustrated at myself. Here I go again with the exercise talk. Feel free to skip it if you are tired of hearing about it.

All this week I have done something that drives me crazy, but I do it anyway. Each run this week has been at least three miles. We did our first longer run this past Sunday at the park. It was a four mile run. I ran the first two miles and then walked a bit. Then I ran again. Then I walked again. I figure I ran 3.5 miles out of the 4 total miles. And then on Tuesday I actually only did 2.5 miles because I wanted to rush home to catch the inauguration. And at mile 2 I once again succumbed and walked a lap. And today right at the mile two mark I walked a lap. The thing is, I know that if I would push through that one hard lap it would get easier. The two mile point is my weakness, but also the point of success if I can get through it. I have run five miles without walking before! What is wrong with me? I even gear myself up to push through, but I am just not winning that battle this week.

Oh well, there's always next week.

For a funnier, much shorter take on the training process, go read Husband's blog. He makes me laugh and at the same time makes me proud.

Thoughts a Day Later

Here I am, making my contribution to the inauguration talk. I don't usually talk politics on the blog because that is just now what I'm about. I think a lot of my beliefs come through in what I write and in my family life. But I do feel led to share a little bit about my thoughts and feelings yesterday.

Initially I was not planning on watching much of the events. I was tired of hearing about it already. I especially was tired of the talk about what Michelle Obama would wear, what kind of dog the family would get, and so on. I'm ready for the work to start.

Yet, I found myself drawn to the TV. I was watching the big names arrive. I watched the outgoing officials leave the White House with the incoming officials. As I watched that, I realized that I did want to see the actual oath and the speech to follow. I also realized I had a very small window to get my workout in. Barack Obama inspired me to run! And run fast! I raced to the gym and pounded out 2.5 miles before hurrying home to catch the rest of the ceremony.

As I was running and then watching the ceremony, I'll admit to being very moved. Not so much because of who was taking office (I don't think anyone would be surprised to know he was not my choice), but at the act itself. What a message we send to the world, especially those who want to prey on our divisions and weaknesses, that we can peacefully change the hands of power. Our outgoing leader rode in the same car as the incoming leader! We may have differing politics, but we are not enemies. One person's rise to power does not threaten the rest of us (except the unborn, more on that in a bit). So this peaceful transition of power was one that moved me.

I am hopeful that this man will truly move our nation to work together. To say to each other that while we may not agree on everything, we can find ways to serve those among us together. All of those people who were there, moved by this moment in history, should return home and take his message of hope to heart (do you think he reads my blog?).

Okay, so it is not all sunshine and roses for me. For one thing, as the day went on and I turned off the TV, many of the feelings faded. I realized that I let myself get caught up in a moment, and once that moment had passed, reality returned. So much of the attention and praise for Obama seems to be superficial and unsubstantitive. Is he so popular just because he is NOT Bush? How many people are on the Obama train with no idea of where it is really going? I'm not saying this is the case for everyone, but I suspect that there are some among his supporters who may not know what they are really supporting.

So today the work begins. And one of his first agenda items is to revoke the "Gag Rule" and release funding to international groups that promote abortions. My tax money will be given to agencies that have no regard for life. And I fear a man who has such callous disregard for the most helpless in our world. If an imperfect child in the womb is not worth caring for, what about the child hurt in an accident and made imperfect in the eyes of the world? What about the elderly who can no longer care for themselves? Is their worth diminished because they are not as capable as they once were? It may seem like a stretch, but value for life cannot be applied in only some cases. If we are going to be a country that looks beyond race, religion, and gender then we must also be a country that values every person among us, no matter how helpless.

It was an interesting day and there is a lot to come in the next four years. I suspect that President Obama has a new appreciation for the job of President Bush. I know that he now realizes how much he and the rest of us never knew about what influenced every decision the President must make. I will pray for him, I will pray for our country, and I will not let hope fade.

Bag Lady

Beth over at Total Mom Haircut posted about a bag she bought. And she didn't share a picture! So after much internet harassment she caved and posted a picture. And it is a cute bag. All that harassment gave her an idea. Or a punishment, depending on your perspective. She asked all of us to show off our bags and tell any stories that may be related. She said we could not go and get the cute little purse that we never use and pretend that is our regular handbag. But I really do use a couple of cute little purses on a regular basis. Anyway, here are my bags and any stories they might have.

First you get to see my current diaper bag/purse. I have linked to this bag before. I bought it when Butterfly was born because I did not want to carry the boring black diaper bag from the hospital. I did not want a diaper bag from the big box store that eight million other moms would be carrying. I wanted something unique and cute and not so diaper bag-ish. So I bought this bag from Pink Lemonade Boutique. And I love it. It holds what I need with room to spare most of the time.



I also have a large navy blue tote from Target. No picture is available at this time, unfortunately. It is quite big, almost too big, and too unstructured. I carry it when I have to carry extra baby things and need the space. I thought I would really enjoy it, but it turns out I need more structured bags. Husband especially hates this one, because it is so big and obnoxious.

Next I have a cute little black leather purse with some flowers. I bought this purse a few years ago and I still use it. I am not the kind of girl who carries around a ton of stuff, so little works for me. I carry this when I am not toting kid stuff. And I really have used this in the last week, so I think it is fair game for Beth's meme.



And finally there is my brown purse. I bought this one for a trip to Chicago when I knew I would not have to carry one diaper or wipe with me for the entire weekend. And is there anything better in a mom's life than two days with no kid detritus in her handbag? It is hard to tell in the picture, but this purse has a bit of shine on it.


Oh yeah, we're supposed to share how much we spent on our favorite bag. The most expensive bag I own is the diaper bag and it was a whopping $32.00. What can I say? I've got good taste on a budget.

And since we're talking about purses, I'll go ahead and talk about wallets too. My wallet is on the verge of having a hole in it. And I want a new one. And once again I want to forgo the big box store options and get something one-of-a-kind. So I'm thinking something like this or this, if I can convince husband to let me buy a wallet that costs more than the bag it will go in.

So there you have it. My bag story. At least for now.

And eventually I will write something that is not carnival or meme-related. Or I will at least try.

Because I'm a Good Sport

Elaine tagged me for this meme, and since I want to be nice I went along with it. Here are the rules:

1) Take a picture of yourself right NOW!

2) DON'T change your clothes; DON'T fix your hair... Just take a picture.

3) Post that picture with NO editing.

4) Post these instructions with your picture.

5) Tag 10 people to do this..

Here's my picture. Taken around 11:00 p.m. on Saturday night, after a day of running around. I'm sorry in advance.

I should also note that I couldn't have edited this picture if I wanted to because I have no idea how to do that. I don't even know if I have software that does that.

I will not tag ten people because my brain is melting due to all the exercise. I will tag El-e-e, Aimee, and Jo-Lynne.

You're welcome.

Quick Takes

It is Friday again! Where did the week go? I'm not even sure I have seven things to share, but I shall do my best.

1. We saw Gran Torino this week. It is excellent! There are many movies out that I would love to see, but this one was the one that just made me curious. It is well-made with a very serious theme, but also some very funny moments. If you are trying to choose a movie to see, give this one serious consideration.

2. Only week one in the training (sorry for going on about this) and I'm already tired of it. Well, just tired of having to be at the gym so much. There is only one day of rest on the schedule and that was Wednesday for me due to our other commitments. The good news is that I only need to run two miles today, which will be less than 30 minutes.

3. Husband goes back to work Tuesday! Boo! Well, yea for a job, but I am realizing just how spoiled I have become having him at home. We are all going to be exhausted next week, as we all adjust to a new routine. I'm definitely expecting some growing pains for all of us.

4. First basketball games are tomorrow. The three big kids are playing and I am prepared for some entertainment. Buddy and IndieGirl are on different teams in the same division because I registered Buddy separately and didn't even think to ask if they would be on the same team. So they have two games against each other, and all of their other games will be going on at the same time. Princess plays with third graders, but she doesn't seem to mind. IndieGirl is the only girl in her division, but of course doesn't let that slow her down. I'm a little worried about how Butterfly will do in a gym for two hours with no room for getting down and crawling around.

5. Does anyone else do this? I make a cup of coffee and only drink half of it, on a regular basis. I never finish a cup but I always make a full cup. I have the option of making a smaller cup, so why don't I? Just one of thoese weird quirks.

6. I'm trying to drink less soda by not having it in the house. Towards the end of last year I was keeping Coke Zero around, and even though it is no calories, it is not good for me. So we are not keeping soda in the house anymore, but I'm still finding ways to drink it. Drinking less, but still not doing as good a job as I need to be doing.

7. Oh, I have a project I'm working on. My mom gave us a really neat decorative plate with all the kids names on it that matches our decor. I'm going to order another wooden sign and then choose some pictures to print in black and white and hang it all in our entryway. I'm ready for it to look like we live here, and are staying here, six years later. I'll post pictures when I finally get it done, but it will be a while because we can only afford to do a little at a time.

Go see Jen for more quick takes!

This Could Get Ugly

I did some thinking today on the treadmill (because what else am I going to do?). Today was a hard day in the training program and I'm only on week one! But I made it harder on myself because I did a one hour kickboxing class and ran three miles. As I was running I was thinking about adding in some additional goals or rewards for myself. My biggest motivator is the feeling I know I'll have when I am done--that I did something I once thought impossible. But I need more than that to keep me going.

You all know I love clothes. Yesterday I mentioned I love Boden clothes. So I decided (well, I need to talk to Husband first) that my reward at the end of these twelve weeks will be some new clothes. AND, I'm not going to buy any clothes for myself in the meantime. I have a tendency to pick up a t-shirt here, a skirt there, and so on. Nothing too expensive, but nothing I really need either, a lot of times. I figure (hope!) that I'll be down in size again by April and will need some new clothes anyway. And maybe they will be on sale! So I'm just going to make do with what I have until then.

What might I want? Well, let me just show you.

This dress was the first thing to catch my eye in the Boden catalog. Purple is my favorite color, but the green might work better on me.

This t-shirt is simple but cute. This top is fun.

I love the colors in this skirt.

And if I was really going to blow a budget, I would buy this coat, in green.

There are some great pants too.

So there you have it. A little bit of fashion indulgence to help get me moving on those days when I want to be a lazy slug.

The One With the Letters

The lovely Aimee tagged me for a meme, just in time since I had nothing else to post. I'm calling it the Scattergories meme. She gave me a letter and I have to list 10 things I like that start with that letter.

1. Baseball. Especially Rangers baseball, even though they break my heart on a regular basis. Pitchers and catchers report on Valentine's Day!

2. Babies. Surely you saw that one coming.

3. Blank note cards. I have mentioned my love for stationery many times on this blog and it continues to grow.

4. Boden clothing. I can afford precisely none of it (well, maybe on sale) but a girl can always dream.

5. Books! How did they fall to number five on my list? I can never have too many books.

6. Bibles. Well, the Bible. There's some good stuff in there.

7. Blogs. Hello, obvious. I like reading blogs and I like having my own. Who knew I would stick with it for over two years? And that some people would actually read it?

8. Bowling. I really do love to go bowling. I wish it wasn't so gosh darn expensive.

9. Butterfinger candy bars. Crispity-crunchity, peanut-buttery, goodness.

10. Boots. My Michelle D boots specifically. Love them so much I have them in black and brown and feel like hot stuff when wearing them.

If you want to play along, leave a comment with your favorite 'B' thing and I'll give you a letter.

I Would Have Missed

It would be accurate to say that Butterfly was a surprise to our family. Our plans at the time were not so expansive as to include a fifth child. But I'm so glad our plans were scrapped.

I would have missed her tiny finger rubbing my fingernail as she nurses. Her little pink finger gliding over my slippery nail. The lightest touch, so soft as to not be felt at all, but a touch nonetheless.

I would have missed her reaching out her hand, pointing her finger, and exclaiming "Da" upon seeing her Daddy.

I would have missed her nose crinkling up when she is especially happy. Her whole face contracts so that all you see is her big smile and tiny, crinkly nose.

I would have missed a little brother becoming a big brother, and falling head-over-heels for his baby sister.

I would have missed an oldest child discovering the joys of caring for a baby, and perhaps feeling the first tugs of a vocation to motherhood.

I would have missed the confidence of being a fifth-time mother and the freedom in knowing that she loves me anyway, regardless of my mistakes.

I would have missed this:

"For I know well the plans I have in mind for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare, not for woe! plans to give you a future full of hope." Jeremiah 29:11

One Step at a Time

Training time is officially here. The half-marathon I plan to run is twelve weeks away. My training program starts today. I had planned to start last week, and just do week one twice. But I found myself sleeping on the days I should have been in class, just trying to recover the round of sickness that had me up several nights in a row. Butterfly is still not sleeping as well as she did before being sick, but I have no time for excuses now.

The thought of running 13.1 miles seems very intimidating right now. That is two hours of running people! But I don't have to run that distance tomorrow. I just have to run three miles tomorrow, and that is very manageable. I will build up my endurance, making progress a little bit at a time. I will change the way I eat and drink in preparation for the race. A little bit at a time. I'm not going to make radical changes all at once, because I know that won't work for me. And if I think too much about the final goal, I get overwhelmed. So I'm just focusing on this week.

The same points apply to other aspects of my life. There are many changes I want, and more importantly, need to make for my family and myself. Things that taken all at once would seem daunting and impossible. I don't want to set myself up for any more failure or disappointment than I have to. I won't set out to do everything perfectly all at once. Instead, I will think about one or two things I can do right now to get us back on course and moving in a Godly direction again.

Husband has a job! Yea! Now our lives will be reordered once again. I have become rather fond of having him around during the day, and not just because it meant running errands with no kids and not having to do the school pickup routine as often. I feel like we rediscovered each other in some ways. But next week life goes back to the normal routine of Husband at work during the day. Things will get crazy busy and it will be my task to make our home a peaceful refuge for all of us. So many of those changes I need to make will be focused on our home life, at least to start. I can't wait to see what happens as we move forward.

Quick Takes Friday

Once again I'm using the 7 Quick Takes as a fall back for posting one coherent blog entry.

1. I got a haircut today! Yea! I had purposely scheduled this appointment later than usual since my last cut, hoping we would have a clearer picture on the job front (more on that in a bit). So I was going crazy with my shaggy hair. I like it short and neat. I wasn't sure how I was going to get it cut, but then I had a dream about it last night where I told my stylist exactly what I wanted. And that is what I told her when I got there. Light and lighter on the color and short and shorter on the cut. So it looks a lot like my profile picture, but lighter, and less layered-looking in the front.

2. Butterfly is proving to be very challenging lately. She was sick last week and all I could do was nurse her, she couldn't keep food down. So she got used to nursing very frequently and during the night. She has since recovered and is eating food again, but not sleeping all night. It doesn't help that she has been working on six teeth during this time. Two came in, four to go. We are struggling around here.

3. I posted Wednesday about being committed to working out, but have only made it to the gym once this week. I have missed both of my classes, which is very unusual for me, but those were my best opportunities to get some extra sleep. Training for the half-marathon starts for real next week and I know it will be tough at first.

4. I abandoned my quest for pants, for now. I tried on at least 30 pair last week and did not find any I wanted to buy. So I got some shorts for working out, and some weights for the house, to supplement my gym workouts.

5. My new favorite sandwich: Toasted wheat, guacamole, baby spinach, pepper jack cheese and turkey. Delicious. And I figure not terrible for me, although a little fatty with the guacamole and cheese.

6. Husband and I have a date tomorrow! Woohoo! We're going to have dinner and go to the Mean Green basketball game. Hopefully they will win. They have been struggling lately, and I need one of my teams to win at some point.

7. Husband is on the verge of accepting a job! It is not a perfect set-up, but it is a good one. It is sales with a marketing company. He'll be working on some specific things, that I'm too tired and lazy to explain here. I'm excited for him, but bummed that he won't be around during the day anymore.

Visit Jen for more quick takes.

Running Wild

That could potentially describe what my day will be like, but this is not about my crazy day.

I feel pretty committed to my workout regimen. I don't think I'm in danger of falling off the wagon of exercise any time soon. I even made it to the gym yesterday afternoon even though I really wanted to take a nap. If I don't get moving a few times a week I start to feel lazy and uncomfortable.

But, I know I will have my setbacks. There will be days when I feel no desire to move. I will get discouraged. That's where Running Wild comes in. Created one morning based on some Twitter conversations, Running Wild is a place for anyone to go to get encouragement in their efforts. I didn't have a part in starting the blog, but I know I'm going to be checking in on a regular basis. We all need a little help to get going sometimes.

"I dare you to move. I dare you to pick yourself up off the floor." Switchfoot

A Letter

Dear Target People:

I am writing to beg your help in my family's efforts to live on a budget. I have a baby girl. She is sweet and cute and fun. She was much welcomed and we were very excited that she arrived on the scene last February.

You may be wondering what this baby girl has to do with your store and our budget. I'm getting there.

I don't know who is in charge of choosing what clothes you will stock in your baby section. I don't know who chooses patterns and designs. If I did, I would contact them personally. You see, I would tell them that I love, love, love the things they are choosing to make available for purchase. And that is precisely the problem. My baby girl will be one in a couple of months (which is hard to believe) and I have not even glanced at baby clothes at any other store. I can't. My mind is filled with the cute items you stock.

Some would say I should just stop shopping at Target. An interesting idea, but not likely to happen. There are a few things at your store that I can't get anywhere else, at least not for the same price. And I could just look at each visit as an opportunity to exercise will power and conquer my shopping impulses. But that is getting more difficult with each visit.

So, here is my plea to you. Could you please just start stocking plain, ordinary, not-fun clothes? Perhaps lots of solid colored onesies and pants with no cute patterns. So no more of this, or this, or this. And all of the other adorable things in your store.

Thanks for your time.

A Mom trying to be responsible



Confession: We do have the second linked item, in one size. I won't lie--I'm tempted to go buy it in every size so Butterfly can wear it indefinitely. I'm crazy like that.

Worst. Trip. Ever.

We spent the weekend with my parents in my hometown. My grandmother had flown in from California, and the weekend was the one time my siblings and my family would all be in the same place with her. I posted last Wednesday about the onset of a stomach virus in Princess, and how that made our New Year's Eve a bummer.

I wish that was the end of the sickness and the disappointment. But it was only the beginning.

Hindsight is, of course, 20/20. I wish it was more helpful than that. Princess was better by late Wednesday evening. She was able to keep down water and crackers, and by Thursday morning was back to regular health. The same was not true for Butterfly. She threw up in her crib on Wednesday afternoon. Thank God she did not choke on it, because we did not know she had done it until the woke up from her nap later. Anyway, Butterfly continued to be lethargic and fussy, but she did keep down breastmilk. She had a horrendous dirty diaper, in her carseat this time, around midnight, but we thought she was on the mend. So at midnight on New Year's Eve, we had two kids who had thrown up at least once. By 2:30 a.m. Thursday, we were up to three kids. IndieGirl vomited once, then fell asleep, and woke up feeling great on Thursday and never looked back. Thursday morning we noted signs of improvement in Butterfly, although she was still reluctant to eat crackers. We made the terrible decision to try yogurt, since it had been 24 hours since the last vomiting episode. She happily ate it and was playing for a while. I nursed her, and then was preparing to put her down for a nap. And she promptly emptied her stomach all over me and our couch. Of course we were not in a towel zone. A towel zone is our puking station. I lay out towels and any sick kid has to lay on those and use one as a blanket, to make clean up easier. I washed a lot of towels last week.

We were still trying to decide what to do about going home for the weekend. We decided we would see how Thursday night and Friday morning played out. We realized that Butterfly was fine as long as she only nursed, no baby food. Thank God we are still nursing, so that I didn't have to worry about dehydration. Friday morning came and we decided to go ahead and pack up. At this point, Husband and I and the boys had all been spared the sickness. Our thought was that with 48+ hours of exposure and no sickness, we were in the clear because the onset had occurred with regularity every 12 hours for the girls. And oh, how we were mistaken.

Friday afternoon was quite nice. We arrived at my parents house and the kids went to playing right away. I went to the grocery store with my mom and we had pizza for dinner. And I might not eat pizza again for a month. Monster started complaining of a tummy ache 8:30 and we promptly arranged a towel zone for him. And that was a good idea, because he was the sickest of them all shortly after. Oh my word, I was not prepared for such sickness. Another night on the couch awaited me. So during that night Monster could not keep water down and Buddy decided to get in on the act too. He was a sympathetic puker, but was better by Saturday morning. The same was not true of Monster.

Husband was very ill during the night as well. Since I was focused on the kids he did not get very much attention. Good thing he is a grownup.

We spent Saturday monitoring Monster's condition. He was finally able to keep water down after about 4:30 a.m., so we let him have a few crackers around mid-morning. He kept those until early afternoon, when they vacated his body. By 6:00 he had not moved from his towel zone on the floor and could not stay awake, but could not sleep peacefully either. So after a call to the pediatrician, we took him to the ER for dehydration. After a six-hour stay, a CT scan to rule out appendicitis, two bags of fluid and some anti-nausea medication, we were sent home. Monster did toss his cookies one more time in the ER, but after some fluid and phenargen we were allowed to go. With the medication Monster slept peacefully for the first time in 24 hours. And I finally slept in a bed. Husband and I enjoyed sleeping in Sunday, since the girls were with my Mom and Grandma at a hotel and Butterfly was in a sleepy mood too. We ate lunch with the family (Monster stayed home with my BIL) and stayed for the afternoon, giving Husband time to fully recover and making sure Monster was good to go. He was very sleepy, but was drinking water and eating Cheerios. He made the trip home with no problems, but once again lost his lunch when we walked in the door. We're glad it was not in the car. I gave him more anti-nausea medicine, he slept through the night, and now hopefully we are on the road to recovery.

Stomach bugs suck. Somehow I have been spared being sick, and I hope that my grandmother stays well. Mom and Dad got sick too. I bet they were glad to see us go. Our family was due for a round of fun with the bug, since we have been spared many times in the past. Today will be spent trying to get back to normal before school starts tomorrow. I have washed more towels in the last five days than I normally wash in weeks. My hands should be bleeding from dry skin with how much washing they have endured. But all is well, again, or so we hope.

And we will just assume that the start of 2009 is not an indicator of things to come.

Planned for You

"For I know well the plans I have in mind for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare, not for woe! plans to give you a future full of hope. When you call me, when you go to pray to me, I will listen to you. When you look for me, you will find me. Yes, when you seek me with all your heart, you will find me with you, says the Lord. and I will change your lot . . ." Jeremiah 29: 11-14

While many things about this year remain uncertain, I have hope and confidence in the Lord. He knows where He is leading my family and me. Two years ago at a retreat I received a verse that was intended just for me. It said "eye has not seen . . . what God has prepared for those who love him." At the time, I didn't know what it might mean. When I became pregnant with Butterfly a couple of months later, I thought that is what it was all about. But now I think it will always refer to something in my life. God's plans for us are hard to see, hard to understand at times, but we can rest in the knowledge that they are His plans and therefore perfect.

I'm excited about this new year and what it might bring for our family. Husband still does not have a full-time job, but we have been blessed by the kindness of others and with part-time work, so that we have not even felt the crunch. There are some exciting opportunities on the horizon, things that could make for a hard year for our family, but with a payoff that we can't even imagine right now.

I may have ended 2008 on a downer, with some whining. But I'm starting 2009 with renewed faith and hope. God's plans for us are perfect, and even more importantly, His love is perfect and unending. What else do we need?