Five Question Friday

Another week has gone by without a post, but it's been one of those weeks where there is something going on every night so I'm giving myself a pass. Play long with Mama M's blog hop here.








1. How often do you shave your legs in the winter?

When I don't have a huge belly to reach around it's nearly as often as I do in the summer. However, the giant "obstacle" definitely lessens my motivation to do any bending, especially in a slippery place with a sharp object in hand.

2. Valentine's Day cards for your spouse: funny or romantic?

Neither. I'm probably going to step on some toes here, but I think cards are a waste of money and Valentine's day is the worst time to celebrate love. It just feels so obligatory, which automatically rips all the romance out. I like flowers and chocolates as much as the next gal, but I like them 10 times more on days that aren't in the middle of February.

3. What are you most looking forward to about spring?

This year? Our new babe. Seriously. Can't. Wait. Other years? Not needing to bundle up the kids every time we open the door.

4. What's your favorite way to pamper yourself?

I love going to the salon to get my hair done. It's a rare occurrence (probably too rare, I hate to admit), but when I go I get a cut and highlights which gives me time to sit under the warm dryer and read a book or magazine - a luxury I rarely take time for.

5. Does your tax return go into savings or do you spend it instantly?

Tax return? We're almost always in the opposite camp. In principal I'm glad we're not lending money to the government interest fee. In reality, I really don't like writing a check (or rather, that Sean has to write a check) in April.

Five Question Friday

Time once again for Mama M's blog hop.

1. What have you done recently that you are proud of?

Every year I say I'm going to read my Bible more and then I up the anti and "commit" to a read-the-Bible-in-a-year plan. And every year I fail in mid-January because I'm much too far behind to continue. This year I started listening to the Bible on my way to work and I am happy to say that I have stayed on track and once was even ahead of schedule. I know I'm not retaining as much because I'm not actually reading the text, but I found something that works with the stage of life I'm in so I'll take what I can get.

2. What is your favorite way to work out? Or if you don't workout, what are you wanting to try?

Before I had kids I really liked to run (much to my surprise). Since then, however, I appreciate any workout that has little time commitment and big impact. The only thing I've found like this is Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred. It's fast (25 minutes including a warm up and cool down) and has quick results.

3. If you knew your best friend was cheating on a spouse would you tell?

Um...yea.

4. If you could afford a live-in maid or nanny, would you have one?

I wouldn't want someone to live with us, but I would love love love a regular housekeeper. Cleaning the house is one of my least favorite things to do. If I didn't have to clean another toilet or scrub another floor I wouldn't complain.

5. Do you stress out about birthdays (specifically the age) or do you enjoy them?

I don't stress out as much as I used to. I think it's because once I hit 30, I stopped keeping track of how old I actually am.

Five Question Friday

I'm back with Five Question Friday because, well, I can't seem to post anything else. It's not because I don't want to. Or even that I'm all out of ideas. It's just that, well, I don't like to put up a blog post without a picture and I'm REALLY slow at editing photos because I've only watched one tutorial on my new Lightroom software and it was on importing photos. Not really helpful with the whole editing part. Anyway, for now I'll just join Mama M in her blog hop. Hopefully you will too.

1. Do you swim in the winter?

In the frozen lakes? Um...no. Though I guess I don't really swim in the lakes when they're not frozen either.

2. Do you love or hate winter?

I tolerate winter. I like it before Christmas and until about mid-January then I'm just ready to be done with the snow and cold. Despite our lack of a white Christmas, I'm really really enjoying this winter and hoping this balmy weather continues for a few more months.

3. Do you put makeup/actual clothes on when you know you're going to be home all day with just family?

Most days I do. It puts me in the right frame of mind and is a signal to my body that I actually need to be productive, not just sit around on the couch all day.

4. How old were you when you had your first alcoholic beverage?

Not 21. Shame on me.

5. How many ill calls in a 12 month period do you think are acceptable?

Depends on which 12 months it is. Some years are better than others. As an employee of a company with an "unlimited" sick day policy, I really appreciate the flexibility to take sick days when I need them. I think an employee's accountability is to their quality of work, not the number of hours he/she is in the office.

When You're At The Cabin

In light of our recent cooler (read freezing cold!!) weather, I decided to reminisce about the beautiful summer days we had not long ago. Or maybe I'm just really really behind on blogging...maybe.

At the end of August we had the privilege of spending a delightful day with part of our church family at one of their cabins (aside: I spent 5 minutes trying to figure out the grammatically correct way of saying the last part of that sentence and couldn't do it so you'll have to a) pretend it's correct or b) give me an English lesson).

When you're 2 and you go to the cabin you must must must spend a good share of the day on the trampoline.

You must also spend a great deal of time driving the Gators,



With or without



your brother.

When you're at the cabin with children of every age from 0 to 8, driving Gators is not age dependent. And everyone needs a turn (or two or three).

(I simultaneously love and fear the next two pictures).

When you're a girl at the cabin and you're seen in a "car" with a boy, you might get a little embarrassed. And when it's the girl's parents that see you, you might want to assure them that you'll take good care of their daughter.

And when you resign yourself to being captured on film, you must make sure your hair looks good.

While at the cabin, you must also spend time enjoying God's creation with your spouse.

You might be content to enjoy the "waters teeming with living creatures" from afar. Or you might be anxious to jump right in. You might also want some skiing lessons once you're in there with the living creatures.

 

When you're at the cabin, you might want fewer lessons and more action.

Depending on who you are, you might want more action than others. Apparently speed isn't enough for some people. Some people need waves too. If the lake happens to be calm, you may have to make your own waves.

But this is what could happen when you make your own waves.

You might terrify some children.

Luckily said children weren't too traumatized to get back on the horse...er, hot dog.

When you're a baby at the cabin, you spend a lot of time sitting on laps looking adorable.

Sometimes when you're at the cabin just admiring God's creation from afar, you need to get a little closer (but not so close that you're actually in the waters teeming with living creatures).

Bye, Jeff!

After an exciting morning at the cabin, you'll probably need to rest in the hammock with your brothers. You might be lucky enough to have lots and lots of brothers around.

After your rest you'll be ready for a Northwoods Picnic.

After you gather nine friends to track the animal that took your picnic, that is.

And you'll probably be glad your brought along a brave friend to actually get your picnic back from said animal.

Mmm...rewarding. Thanks brave friend and gracious hostess.

After a long day at the cabin you'll probably be very tired.

So tired that you're perfectly content to just sit on the couch with eight friends.

So tired that you fall asleep in the car five minutes after leaving the cabin. Which may or may not have been the goal of the incredibly generous, loving, fabulous host and hostess.

Birthday Season

At our house, fall doesn't just bring cooler weather, falling leaves, trips to the apple orchard (can't wait for this!) and a not-so-bountiful harvest of pumpkins and squash. It also brings birthday season. Nearly every month between September and January holds a birthday celebration. Sean starts us out on September 6th, followed by Wesley on November 6th and Jack on December 6th. Scary, I know. Elise rounds out our season with her birthday a month later on January 3rd. She broke our "6th" trend (though Sean is convinced she also would have arrived on the 6th if I'd just been patient, but our baby girl was already 5 days late and I felt like I'd been pregnant for 2 years so when the doctor offered to induce me on the 3rd I just couldn't turn him down).

With all of the busy-ness that came along with the changes in September, we opted for a low key birthday celebration for Sean. We made our own pizzas and the kids helped me bake a birthday cake.

Then Wes helped his daddy blow out the candles.

He's such a big helper!

I know I'm a couple weeks late, but...

Happy birthday to the best husband and dad God could have chosen for us. We love you very much!

Changes

To say this week brought a lot of changes for our family would be an understatement. Between coordinating transportation, making lunches every night, filling out (and returning!) forms and doing homework, we were a busy group.

The biggest change was for our boys. Jack started his first day of kindergarten on Monday. I don't think he could have been more excited. I don't think I could have been more sad. I just kept thinking about how by the end of the week I'd be sending him off to college. Needless to say, the end of the week came and he's still living at home with us, but I'm sure it won't be long. Anyway...after a few sibling photos, a few tears and a few more reminders from Mom, the bus showed up to take Jack to school.

Aside: Jack is going to a charter school that has two campuses. We drive him to the upper campus and he takes a shuttle to the lower campus. In our grown-up minds, of course we know that a shuttle is just a bus of some kind. In his 5-year-old mind, a shuttle belongs in outerspace. Imagine his surprise and excitement when he found out that he did, in fact, get to ride the big yellow school bus.

He got on the bus, found a seat and drove away. That was it. It all happened really fast. 

Upon his return from school I asked how his first day of kindergarten was. "Fantastic!," was his enthusiastic reply.

Then it was Wesley's turn for his first day of preschool. (It was really bright that day). 

 

The first thing we did was meet Wesley's teachers, Mrs. Kathy and Mrs. Holly. Then it was time for Wes to explore the classroom while I filled out more paperwork (will it ever end?!).

 

Although Wes tends to be a little more adventurous than Jack, he also tends to cry a little more. So, despite him reassuring me over and over that he would just "make up some new fwends" at preschool (because Jack wouldn't be there), I wasn't sure what to expect from our second son. I was delightfully surprised to discover that he didn't really need me. Okay, so maybe I wasn't delighted. I might have been just a little sad that he demonstrated such independence at the tender age of 3. And I might have had to fight back a few tears when I left him in a room full of strangers so I could go to the parent orientation meeting and he simply waved goodbye. Sniff. Sniff.

 
 

Through all of this, our baby girl experienced some change too. Three days each week (when Wes is in preschool), she has the run of the house and the undivided attention of whichever adult happens to be in it. A few times she's wondered "Where's Jack & Wes?" When she's reminded that they're at school she simply responds, "Oh, dat's wight," and continues on with whatever she's doing. I don't think she's going to mind the change.

Five Question Friday

It's time again for Mama M's blog hop. Play along. It's fun!

1. Shoes in the house - yay or nay?

Most of the time I don't like shoes in the house, but the more kids we have and the more "one last things" I have to run in the house for, the more often I find myself traipsing through the house in my flip flops.

2. What do you call them- flip flops, slippers, thongs, etc?

Um...never heard them called "slippers." To avoid all confusion, we just go with "flip flop" at our house.

3. What song are you almost embarrassed to admit you know all the lyrics to?

Hmm...It's a toss up between Baby Got Back and Ice Ice Baby. I remember actually writing down all the lyrics to Baby Got Back as I hit rewind over and over and over again on the tape player. Oh, to have that kind of time again. Don't worry, I'd use it more productively than I did when I was 13.

4. What is the best quality to have in a friend?

Unconditional love - it means you can be yourself and say what's on your mind.

5. Do you know what you want for Christmas?

I know what I want for the next twelve Christmases. My lucky husband is never at a loss for things to put under the tree for me.