After 6+ months of not using the library, I have 10 (mostly children's) books checked out of our library and 9 on my hold list.
I've accepted an opportunity to serve (in a small, one-time-only administrative task) at church.
I made a meal plan last week, and stuck to it!
Once last week and once this week there has been a brief moment of NO dirty dishes and NO piles of laundry!!
I've run errands (in actual stores, not just online ordering) two weeks in a row ... with a toddler in tow!
I actually mailed a couple birthday gifts and purchased a shower gift (which I plan to wrap and actually deliver).
I've bought greeting cards for some upcoming occasions.
We are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel of the intense first year of Little Miss's life (combined with a 3 yr old big brother who felt his displacement severely, and, on the heels of that, started a 65 mile one-way commute 3 days/week). Life will return to somewhat normal, I think. :)
Thursday, April 12, 2018
Wednesday, April 11, 2018
Restaurant bag
We have boxes and boxes of crayons (both gifts and ones I picked up during back-to-school sales). Plus we've collected dozens over the past few years from restaurants.
But Little Guy really doesn't like to color. So last summer I started carrying a mini-container of PlayDoh in my purse. It was really helpful in countless restaurants.
As Little Guy grows, I've changed my bag of tricks, and currently try to remember to take his BoogieBoard e-writer and container of WikkiStix. [For Christmas I specifically asked for activities he can do in his car seat, which conveniently enough also work for restaurants or any place where we have to wait.]
I found this idea on Pinterest for a Restaurant Kit. But so far I just throw an activity or two into Little Miss's diaper bag. (My purse is too small. I've learned in this stage of life that it's best to use a small cross-body purse with valuables, Epipen and inhaler, so it's always on me & I don't lose it.)
Do you use a restaurant kit? What do you include in it? What kind of container do you use?
But Little Guy really doesn't like to color. So last summer I started carrying a mini-container of PlayDoh in my purse. It was really helpful in countless restaurants.
As Little Guy grows, I've changed my bag of tricks, and currently try to remember to take his BoogieBoard e-writer and container of WikkiStix. [For Christmas I specifically asked for activities he can do in his car seat, which conveniently enough also work for restaurants or any place where we have to wait.]
I found this idea on Pinterest for a Restaurant Kit. But so far I just throw an activity or two into Little Miss's diaper bag. (My purse is too small. I've learned in this stage of life that it's best to use a small cross-body purse with valuables, Epipen and inhaler, so it's always on me & I don't lose it.)
Do you use a restaurant kit? What do you include in it? What kind of container do you use?
Saturday, April 7, 2018
Tea as a mom
Tea and I go way back, but being a mom has changed our relationship. I received this lovely mug when I became a mom. And being a mom changed the way we vacation.
The summer LG was a year and a half, I started slipping away to a coffee shop every morning we were on vacation. Of course, I order tea, not coffee. And this shop serves The. Most. Amazing. Tea! I look forward to summer every year, so I can drink it! Although they sell packages of some of their teas in the shop, they do not sell my favorite.
Fast forward to Black Friday 2017, and I looked up the company that sells the tea... and bought myself a little pre-Christmas gift of 1/4 pound of my flavor (on sale + free shipping).
This morning I dumped the last little bit of tea leaves (mostly crumbled) into my special tea cup with a strainer (a gift I received upon LG's birth!).
It was a rough mom morning. I savored every sip of my last taste of this tea til summer ... and then I refilled the cup, not once, but twice! Two more months, Lord willing, and I'll be sipping it in my favorite coffee shop in the world, lost in my own little world, with my Bible, a book, a pen, and a journal ... and probably a delicious oatmeal bake also! Mmmmm!
The summer LG was a year and a half, I started slipping away to a coffee shop every morning we were on vacation. Of course, I order tea, not coffee. And this shop serves The. Most. Amazing. Tea! I look forward to summer every year, so I can drink it! Although they sell packages of some of their teas in the shop, they do not sell my favorite.
Fast forward to Black Friday 2017, and I looked up the company that sells the tea... and bought myself a little pre-Christmas gift of 1/4 pound of my flavor (on sale + free shipping).
This morning I dumped the last little bit of tea leaves (mostly crumbled) into my special tea cup with a strainer (a gift I received upon LG's birth!).
It was a rough mom morning. I savored every sip of my last taste of this tea til summer ... and then I refilled the cup, not once, but twice! Two more months, Lord willing, and I'll be sipping it in my favorite coffee shop in the world, lost in my own little world, with my Bible, a book, a pen, and a journal ... and probably a delicious oatmeal bake also! Mmmmm!
Friday, April 6, 2018
The Ride
After the morning hustle to get a 4 year old and 1 year old (not to mention their mom!) out of bed, dressed, semi-fed, in the car, and buckled, we set out at 7.30 (7.15 on mornings my friend has Bible study)!
Pull out of our little U-shaped street onto the backroad to "town." Pass out gum, adjust the speaker to the backseat, and choose a selection from Audible. It might be Little House, or One Morning in Maine, or Blueberries for Sal, or Paddington, or Aesop's Fables.
If I remember to declare, "Mommy's music until the stop sign," then I can get two good soul-strengthening songs out of Christian radio, that lead to literally hours of meditating throughout the day.
The first five miles are unmarked with no shoulder. Not necessarily a two-way, one-lane road like in many neighborhoods in Japan, but definitely a bit narrow. Drive 55, and the people behind you will try to pass you, which is a harrowing experience!
The first 14 miles are basically straight and level. At 7.30 AM, I've discovered that, after the first 5 miles, it's like a freeway full of commuters to "the city." 55 is merely a suggestion; 64 is often the speed of traffic, and then there are the outliers who go even faster.
Little Miss is happy as a lark. With a Taggie animal or two, and a blanket or fabric book, she is comfy and cozy, singing along to the music or pointing out the window. Now that she can hold her own bottle, midway I ask Little Guy to pass a bottle to her.
Little Guy points out, "No train today. Maybe tomorrow," as we approach the tracks. While we do a little jog to get onto the interstate, he asks, "Where does that road go?" "Where does that road go?" and "Where does that road go?"
Once we are on the interstate, he points out any pig trucks or car transporters that we see, declaring each to be "my favorite!!"
If we arrive before my friend who takes him the rest of the way, we read a book or "have conversation."
[I wonder what others think when they see a minivan pull into the gas station parking lot next to another minivan, and one mom unbuckle her 4-year-old and buckle him in the other van, before both vans drive off. Or when they see the reverse. Or when they see that same action repeated morning and afternoon 3 days a week. Rain, snow, sleet, or hail ... and almost always in windy conditions!]
Then Little Miss and I repeat the trip in reverse. 8:15 - 8:30 AM is too early for commuters to be returning from the "big city," so we rarely see any cars on the last 14 mile stretch.
Another hour and 15 minutes or so in her carseat... Ready to do it all over again in 4 or 5 hours?
Home! And time for second breakfast! :)
Pull out of our little U-shaped street onto the backroad to "town." Pass out gum, adjust the speaker to the backseat, and choose a selection from Audible. It might be Little House, or One Morning in Maine, or Blueberries for Sal, or Paddington, or Aesop's Fables.
If I remember to declare, "Mommy's music until the stop sign," then I can get two good soul-strengthening songs out of Christian radio, that lead to literally hours of meditating throughout the day.
The first five miles are unmarked with no shoulder. Not necessarily a two-way, one-lane road like in many neighborhoods in Japan, but definitely a bit narrow. Drive 55, and the people behind you will try to pass you, which is a harrowing experience!
The first 14 miles are basically straight and level. At 7.30 AM, I've discovered that, after the first 5 miles, it's like a freeway full of commuters to "the city." 55 is merely a suggestion; 64 is often the speed of traffic, and then there are the outliers who go even faster.
Little Miss is happy as a lark. With a Taggie animal or two, and a blanket or fabric book, she is comfy and cozy, singing along to the music or pointing out the window. Now that she can hold her own bottle, midway I ask Little Guy to pass a bottle to her.
Little Guy points out, "No train today. Maybe tomorrow," as we approach the tracks. While we do a little jog to get onto the interstate, he asks, "Where does that road go?" "Where does that road go?" and "Where does that road go?"
Once we are on the interstate, he points out any pig trucks or car transporters that we see, declaring each to be "my favorite!!"
If we arrive before my friend who takes him the rest of the way, we read a book or "have conversation."
[I wonder what others think when they see a minivan pull into the gas station parking lot next to another minivan, and one mom unbuckle her 4-year-old and buckle him in the other van, before both vans drive off. Or when they see the reverse. Or when they see that same action repeated morning and afternoon 3 days a week. Rain, snow, sleet, or hail ... and almost always in windy conditions!]
Then Little Miss and I repeat the trip in reverse. 8:15 - 8:30 AM is too early for commuters to be returning from the "big city," so we rarely see any cars on the last 14 mile stretch.
Another hour and 15 minutes or so in her carseat... Ready to do it all over again in 4 or 5 hours?
Home! And time for second breakfast! :)
Wednesday, April 4, 2018
Spring?!?
Apparently, when I washed and put away Little Guy's snowsuit the last week of March, I was too optimistic!
But my snowman shower curtain is still matching the seasons, even though it's still hanging on the shower in early April!
Getting ready for school the first week of April, I told LG, "Better wear your winter coat, buddy. It's cold outside." When he asked if it were going to warm up, honestly, I didn't know how to answer that. Maybe in June??? ;)
But my snowman shower curtain is still matching the seasons, even though it's still hanging on the shower in early April!
Getting ready for school the first week of April, I told LG, "Better wear your winter coat, buddy. It's cold outside." When he asked if it were going to warm up, honestly, I didn't know how to answer that. Maybe in June??? ;)
Tuesday, April 3, 2018
Spring break
We had a hard time adjusting to the lack of routine at the beginning of spring break ... and we'll probably have a hard time adjusting to having a routine again when spring break is over ... but we've enjoyed it!
I made a list of six Easter activities we could do, plus an Easter egg hunt (which I put in parentheses, because I wasn't excited about taking two children, and it turns out it was cold and windy and damp).
We did three of the six activities. :)
We colored Easter eggs (not very exciting).
We made resurrection rolls (or "the-tomb-is-empty rolls," as LG called them). That was a BIG hit!!
And we read Easter books. A. Lot!
The Berenstain Bears & the Easter Story was a favorite. It tells the Easter story, bookended by discussions about Easter candy. (That's a little cross-cultural for us, because candy is, rather unintentionally, not part of our Easter celebration.)
The Parable of the Lily was on constant repeat in the "Will you read to me, Mommy?" list.
And The Bible for Me, Easter version was the absolute favorite. "Will you read the cross part, Mommy? I like the cross part." He was very impressed by the crown of thorns.
My next book to add to our circulation is "The Thorn Bush."
How was your spring break? or Easter?
I made a list of six Easter activities we could do, plus an Easter egg hunt (which I put in parentheses, because I wasn't excited about taking two children, and it turns out it was cold and windy and damp).
We did three of the six activities. :)
We colored Easter eggs (not very exciting).
We made resurrection rolls (or "the-tomb-is-empty rolls," as LG called them). That was a BIG hit!!
And we read Easter books. A. Lot!
The Berenstain Bears & the Easter Story was a favorite. It tells the Easter story, bookended by discussions about Easter candy. (That's a little cross-cultural for us, because candy is, rather unintentionally, not part of our Easter celebration.)
The Parable of the Lily was on constant repeat in the "Will you read to me, Mommy?" list.
And The Bible for Me, Easter version was the absolute favorite. "Will you read the cross part, Mommy? I like the cross part." He was very impressed by the crown of thorns.
My next book to add to our circulation is "The Thorn Bush."
How was your spring break? or Easter?
Monday, April 2, 2018
1000 Gifts, Vol. 5, #67
661. a pre-planting getaway
662. sans children
663. to a place we'd never been (the place was to have been a surprise ... except for the google ads that kept popping up on my computer screen (!) (and the phone call from the B&B owner to clarify a few things)
664. that feeling when you drop the children off and get in the car
665. amazing lunch at a tearoom in an old building overlooking the mighty Mississippi, including sights of barge traffic
666. the pie!!!! (3-5" tall, DENSE chocolate silk; couldn't even eat half of it)
667. B&B in a historic mansion ... with a 24-hour chocolate buffet (fancy way of saying they leave lots of bowls of chocolates sitting on the buffet at all times, but still - Mmm!)
668. hours and hours stretching before us
669. hours and hours to catch up on sleep ... on a gray, drizzly day
670. in a really cozy bed with featherbed below and nice down comforter on top - zzzzz!
662. sans children
663. to a place we'd never been (the place was to have been a surprise ... except for the google ads that kept popping up on my computer screen (!) (and the phone call from the B&B owner to clarify a few things)
664. that feeling when you drop the children off and get in the car
665. amazing lunch at a tearoom in an old building overlooking the mighty Mississippi, including sights of barge traffic
666. the pie!!!! (3-5" tall, DENSE chocolate silk; couldn't even eat half of it)
667. B&B in a historic mansion ... with a 24-hour chocolate buffet (fancy way of saying they leave lots of bowls of chocolates sitting on the buffet at all times, but still - Mmm!)
668. hours and hours stretching before us
669. hours and hours to catch up on sleep ... on a gray, drizzly day
670. in a really cozy bed with featherbed below and nice down comforter on top - zzzzz!
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