More stuff about nothing...

It's Monday and I need a new resolution.  Perhaps, next week I will choose 2 for today I am not ready to consider one.  I am in resolution rut and need time to pray and meditate on my new resolution that has NOTHING TO DO WITH CLEANING MY HOUSE!  I need to go back to my inspirations, the articles I read that inspired me to do many things.  But not today.  Today I will be taking care of business.  So much laundry to fold.  So many blogs to read.  So much kitchen to clean up.  I'd like nothing better than to curl up and finish my book and start another.  But I have responsibilities that are never, ever, neverever ending.  Or so it seems today... enough blah, just thought I'd let you know about my thoughts on this week's resolution.

On a completely different note:  I want to give the Readers Digest condensed version of my 30 Day Fitness Challenge. 

• Down 6 lbs.
• Waist:  1.5 inches smaller
• Hips:  1.5 inches smaller
• Energy:  high
• Doing another 30 days! 
• Finally figured out how to post my Fitness Challenge Blog on my Blog homepage to make for an easy link.

Happy Monday!

So many things to tell you...

that I have no idea where to start.  How about a plug for a hotel.  The boys swim team stayed there on Friday night and the hotel staff were wonderful to them!  And the place was SUPER clean with comfy beds... and that's saying something because I rarely sleep well in hotels.  So if you know me and are ever headed north of where I live about 90 minutes, give me a shout and I'll send you the recommendation.  It was really awesome.  It is a Doubletree, so they put fresh cookies in the oven for our boys when we arrived and then delivered the cookies to the boys out on the patio around the fire pits where they were hanging out and bonding.  Saturday morning breakfast wasn't supposed to open until 7 and we had to leave by 7.  Could we at least get some cereal, fruit, toast?  Oh no, they called in their staff 30 minutes early to make a full breakfast buffet for the boys including an omelet station, eggs, sausage, bacon, biscuits, sausage gravy, muffins, make your own yogurt station... AMAZING! 

While we're on the subject of the swim trip (I really should be folding laundry right now, so this is it for tonight!), we had a great weekend!   Fast swims!  State qualifying swims!  2 first place trophys for one young man that had had an awful week!  And no late night wandering about the hotel or beyond by the boys.  I know.  I taped them in their rooms.  I walked the halls and checked up on them twice before going to sleep and then got up early and checked again.  I mean, they are good kids.  And they did want to swim well.  But ya never know!  And I took WORK OUT CLOTHES with me and actually WORKED OUT!  Twice.  After curfew and then again in the morning before we left.  Those of you that know me should really pick your jaw up off the ground.  I liked it.  I had to take different shoes and clothes.  I packed really light, too, so the fact that I added those things was quite surprising.  In fact, I was so preoccupied with packing the work out clothes that I forgot to pack things like deodorant and a comb.

Laundry is calling my name!  I hope you had a wonderful weekend!  hugs!

Prom

I mentioned that I volunteered at Prom last weekend.  I think it is truly an honor that the administration allows parents to help out at such a special event.  And since I don't have girls, it fills something in me to see the young ladies I know so dressed up.  I worked the ticket table at the front.  I worked with two other moms I've known for years.  They both have 2 boys the same ages as Teen Boy and College Boy.  So they like to see the girls too!  One glaring difference, their sons both took dates while mine was at home doing...

Oh the dresses... BRIGHT BRIGHT colors this year.  One young lady had on what I called the Sleeping Beauty dress... it was like the dress-making fairies couldn't decide on blue or pink.  One VERY popular style was what we at the door dubbed "the mullet" dress.  SHORT and tight in the front and LONG and flowy the back.  So I tried googling images so I could find one to show you... a gazillion prom dresses and none in the style we'd seen so many girls wearing!  2 years ago I worked the coat check with these same 2 moms.  That was the year that one young lady wanted to coat check her boobies.  Seriously, she held them out to me to check and I went to get her bag for her to put them in.  Apparently, once she started dancing and sweating a bit, they began to shift.  We had a field day with that story that night!  Heck, we're still enjoying it!

I was trying to think about what we'd be chuckling about from this Prom in two years.  We did love the look on one administrator's face when one young lady came in wearing (almost) a short lacy strapless scrap of fabric that looked like it would shred in a strong wind.  We died laughing at the administrator's face, but then had to control ourselves as the scantily dressed young lady and her date approached our table.  The Mullet Dress (one of the first girls I knew and I told her to try to pull it down in front!).The group of guys (not from our school) all in white with sherbet colored vests (they had dates with young ladies from our school).  Or the young lady who asked a professional hockey player to be his date (if he'd seen her dressed up at Prom, he'd have been rethinking that decision!).  But I think what's we'll remember most is the Prom King; he is a special need young man at our school and the kids launched a campaign to elect him King.  He was so proud... I'll bet he still hasn't taken the crown off.   I guess for me, not having anyone in attendance, my favorite moment was when the young woman that College Boy is VERY good friends with came in (with a group of friends) and she let me take her picture and text it to him.  His response:  WOW.  Loved it.

I love the fact that unlike when I went to Prom (a million years ago), if you didn't have a date, you didn't go.  The students at our high school enjoyed coming in a group either paired up or not!  Kudos to them.  If prom has come and gone, than graduation is right around the corner... and then I'll have a Senior.  Again.  Time is just slipping away...

Book Number 18... staying ahead of the weeks so far

Janet Evanovich... Two for the Dough.  Not sure I liked it as much as One for the Money, but I am definitely interested in reading the next one in the series.  And was up in the wee hours so that I could finish it! 

Week 17: Clean the Bedding...

This will be another thing to add to the chart when I get around to making the chart.  Clean the bedding.  Wash that comforter and the blankets.  Wash the pillows.  Flip the mattress.  Replace flannel sheets with regular sheets for the rest of the Spring.  Might it still snow?  Sure.  But that is what winter jammies are for!  I've already started in my room... replaced the sheets and laundered the blanket/comforter.   Didn't do the pillows, but there is still time left in the day!  Next up... some kid's room.  Probably the room of the kid home sick today.  And, no, when I spring cleaned the rooms dusting and vacuuming and throwing out stuff and clearing out other stuff, I didn't do the beds. In the immortal words of Ria's girl:  "Uh, Sorry!"  (gotta picture a cutie-patootie 2.5 yr old with the attitude and head toss of a teenager!).

Happy Monday!

Busy, Busy, Busy

I feel like I've been ignoring my friends (and my soul) as it has been days since I blogged.  And it drives me crazy when days go by and my favorite bloggers are busy and I want to know where they are and what they are doing and why they haven't made time for me...

Well, I finished putting the laundry room back together... but still have to finish the basement.  I am assistant coaching baseball and games have now started.  LRHB hit a triple, only to be tagged out on a fly ball.  Then he hit a GRAND SLAM home run.  He IS a rock star!  I volunteered at Prom this weekend.  Teen boy didn't go, but I helped out anyway.  Late night.  Visited with neighbors at our monthly dinner club.  Since May is so busy, I may not get to see some of these folks until June, so it was nice to enjoy the lovely weather and sit outside and eat yummy Hawaiian BBQ'd themed food.  Today I oversaw the homework and enjoyed a novel and napped a bit.  I did interval training on the treadmill yesterday and boy was I sore today!  I was also sore yesterday before that perhaps due to biking at a ridiculously fast rate Friday night trying to go the distance in less time.  Aches and pains.  Not keeping me from hitting the gym tomorrow.  Also, since LRHB had no school Friday, we made the rounds going to the Arbonne Fairy's house (check progress here:   http://thirtydaystoahealthierme.blogspot.com/ ) (I don't know how The Adventures of an Air Force wife Aimee does the here and have it link right to where she wants without including the link, but maybe she'll teach me one day)  and (remember, recapping Friday) to the park with sweet LM and her crew.  We (Moms) were going to walk, but there was this kid there just watching our kids and he creeped us out so we stopped walking and sat and watched him watching our kids for the next 2 hours until he finally left.  He never approached them, but he hung out on the play equipment near them.  creepy.  What should we have done?  He didn't DO anything, he just put our mommy radar on defcon FREAKED.  I also made HUGE efforts to get the laundry folded and put away and house in order before the start of a working full-time week! 

I hope you had a wonderful weekend!

GIRLFRIENDS... GOTTA HAVE EM

Seriously... girlfriends are the secret to a happy person, I honestly believe that!  I had to go out and make new friends after the LRHB arrived.  I mean, I needed some friends that had had kids in this century.  And I am so glad I did because now I have even more wonderful ladies surrounding me and many (not all) of them were with me last night.   I admit (although Jovial K you didn't hear it from me) that we never rolled a die, but we laughed and shared and giggled and commiserated and ate. Oh did we eat.  And laugh.  It makes me smile and it makes up for the short sleep night because the happy vibes just keep on playing in my mind today!

I had to bring a dessert.  I mean, I signed up to bring a dessert.  I had a choice.  (It was on the list, right?  inside joke).  And I have this dessert that is always a hit that has chocolate chip cookie dough crust, pb mixed with powdered sugar layer and melted chocolate on top.  I mean YUM!  Of course while baking the crust I got sidetracked and it over-cooked.  Fortunately, cookie mixes were one of the items we made at last month's cooking extravaganza so I was able to pull that out and try again.  I thought seriously about changing, but I had already bragged on my dish and someone had told me it sounded so yummy to them.  Just TELL ME you made a peanutbutterychocolate dessert already!  I mean, I can flex, go with the flow, change plans... So we had more than one peanutbutterychocolate dessert and I had none of mine and two pieces of hers. Seriously!  It had oats in it and lately oatmeal has been calling my name!  Of course, no one complained about having so very many desserts!

Today has been busy, but I just wanted to stop by and share that time spent with girlfriends laughing is time that rejuvenates and keeps on renewing the spirit in the days that follow... get out and spend time with your girlfriends today!  Happy Thursday!

And the day rolls on...

Am I avoiding other things that need to be done?  Yes. Mostly because they make noise and I have a sweet angel sleeping in my great room.  But I wanted to say a few things...

I battle depression.  A condition I have passed along to Teen Boy and that we've been battling together for the last 6 weeks.  He is in such a better place now, but I still carry the guilt that I didn't recognize the symptoms for what they were and not teenager-itis.  I know I need to let that go and I am hoping through writing, I will learn to let that go.  I felt like I'd been keeping a secret from you and I needed to get to a place where I could share.  I think that is some of what yesterday's black mood was about.  I don't enjoy a dark mood, but I took the opportunity to share with Teen Boy that most days are just fabulous.  But a dark day comes around every once in a while... the key is to get up the next day and plug forward in a better place. 

Happy place #1:  Today, my angels and I headed out on a walk to have lunch in the lunch room at LRHB's school.  So great!  He was really excited to see us.  Of course, I am still getting back into the swing of going places with a diaper-wearing child.  And I didn't bring a diaper bag... I brought a cooler full of lunch food!  And she had a poopy.  So I cleaned her up in the bathroom and thought, we'll just go without a diaper.  Which worked until right after lunch.  Thankfully, all of the LRHB's classmates had gone and it was just me and the angels!  And it was just a little.  I loaded her back in the wagon and off we set for home!  Late for preschool, don't bring a diaper bag when I go out, good golly I am lousy at some of my job.  I am not lousy at lovin' the small people and snuggling up for story time or teaching how to count spaces on a board game board.

Happy place #2:  College Boy landed the second part-time job that he wanted and it will have more hours than he thought!  Yes, that happened yesterday, but I forgot to celebrate!

Happy place #3:  I have lost 7.1 pounds in the last 19 days.  I feel good! 

Happy place #4:  I am going out tomorrow night to play with friends!

Happy Tuesday

Week 16: Clean the Laundry Room

So I went into the laundry room last night and discovered water all over the floor.  That was just the way to cap off the day.  I had been postponing the Laundry room clean-out until I could have some teen or college boy help.  Nope, looks like I'm on my own.  So I am changing this week and gonna get back in there this morning and clean it up.  It actually looks like teen boy may have overloaded the washer with towels.  And the filter (that I found last night) had a penny stuck in it and it's not that big so I'm secretly hoping it is one of those two things.  HOWEVER, I discovered that the dryer vent was not securely attached to the back of the dryer resulting in copious amounts of dust under the washer, dryer, along the back of the walls behind them... Happy Tuesday!

I Cannot Believe It Is Week 16

Seriously, I've been doing this for 15 WEEKS!  Well on my way to accomplishing my New Year's Resolution to do 52 resolutions in 52 weeks!  I am in a "mood" today.  Melancholy, I guess you'd say.  Or now that I looked that up I am thinking that reflective might be a better word.  For several reasons...
1)  I read a blog that my cousin the CEO writes and I learned a lot about his college experiences that I didn't know.  We both went off to college just a year apart and that was kinda when we lost touch...me in my world and he and his world and yet I wish I'd been there for him more.  Of course, that was before the world of email and FB.  And today, we've exchanged a few emails and each time I think of his blog, I get teary.  And his really kind words, too, today have made me teary.  Especially about something mean that was said to me 6 months ago.  Which also makes me happy/sad if ya know what I mean.
2)  I had a get together with a friend that I hadn't seen since January.  I kinda dropped off the face of the earth (or out of her world at least) and had received a couple of texts that in my world I hadn't replied to because it wasn't good in the moment and then I forgot.  Until last week when her text brought it to my attention that I had fallen far, far away and needed to connect.  I shared some stuff (that I haven't shared here) and we recalled some other sad stuff that happened to a mutual friend.  Don't get me wrong, it was SO GREAT to see her, but we talked about some heavy stuff. 
3) I read an emotional poem/post on FB this morning that started my day off in my teary mood.  It was a great read, really, but it reminded me of how each day is a struggle for some people while the rest of us march around a bitch'n and a moan'n about some really petty stuff.
4)  And I have another friend who is really on my mind because her husband was diagnosed with Cancer, but we don't have a plan yet.  She's already had 2 Cancer scares this year so it seems unfair (yeah, yeah, life ain't fair) that they are going through this again this year that we are only HOW many months into?
5) I have another friend that just found out her high schooler may have a drug problem and is really struggling how to deal with it and doesn't know who she can trust to be non-judgemental and doesn't know what steps to take to help them and is really overwhelmed. 
6)  Today was the first week I was scheduled to volunteer in my son's class that I had to find a replacement for because I am working full-time now.  That really sucks for me.  I love my time in his classroom and I don't get to do it for the rest of the year and that really makes me sad.  I hope he knows how much I love him and how much I miss not being there with him.
7)  Last Monday was our last bible study and I am sad knowing that it will be September before this wonderful group of ladies will be together again.  We are doing a summer "study", but we don't meet for 6 more weeks.

Okay, so that is what got me on this reflective path... now I am going to use my POWERS for good, not any more boo-hoo-hoo blah blah blah. 

1)  In January, I resolved to Eat Breakfast, Take Control of Finances, Take Back My House 1 Room at a Time, Reconnect and Create Systems to Improve Your Life.  I eat breakfast daily now.  I can only think of twice I've missed.  I have made some great steps in the finance department and it remains a work in progress.  I continue to try to clean out one drawer, one closet, one toy bin, at least one, each week.  I think last week it was cleaning out my old tool box and moving the tools to my new tool box (thanks mommy and daddy!).   Reconnect... I mailed gifts to two of my oldest and dearest friends (for no reason), a birthday card to my niece (late) and SIL (early) and a 1st Communion gift (early), last Friday.  And that long missing friend have resolved not to wait another 3 months to see each other!  Systems... the shredder in the box and the stuff that needs to be shredded is a system that is working.  Now, when kids leave lights on in their rooms, they shred for me.  But that box never seems to get gone.  Getting the mail, weekly keep-up cleaning in the baths, not really working.  Exercising when I have time and not at a set time, working (a non-system if you will).  It wasn't the best resolution.  I'd have been better off resolving to get the mail which is what I need to get done, but don't.  Goes back to what I said about having less specific goals to meet the needs of the masses.  My 52 Weeks.  MY 52 Resolutions. 
2)  In February, it was Healthy Eating & Exercising, Get the Taxes Done, Prepare for Lent, and Finishing Tasks.  Not only did I recommit to exercising through my injury, but I continue to eat healthier... check out my other blog to see how that's going:  http://thirtydaystoahealthierme.blogspot.com/
I got the taxes done.  Let's get them submitted this week!  I am happy with the journey my family took through Lent and I am committed to carrying through that devotion to faith through the rest of the year.  Finishing Tasks.  Yes, I finished those tasks.  But I need a SYSTEM to stay on top of it regularly.  But (trying for positive here) I did clean up after the last 3 parties that evening, not leaving work for the next day. 
3)  In March, my resolutions were to Clean Out the Cars, Choose a Good Book to Read, Take Inventory of Your Health and Spring Clean the Kids Bedrooms.  Okay, so only one car actually got vacuumed.  But the food boxes got restocked and the junk got taken out.  College Boy made a stab at a Spring Break read, LRHB read the whole series, finishing this weekend, Teen Boy read stuff, but is still working on the book we chose, I read books but not the one I picked out and LRHB and I did read Stuart Little and watch the movie together.  I also have started a spreadsheet of the books I've read this year and which ones I still want to get to (and added another one yesterday!).  I am taking my multi-vitamin daily.  And I started a 30 Day Fitness Challenge (read my blog!)   http://thirtydaystoahealthierme.blogspot.com/.  I was doing better on the calcium, so I am going to change that up, too.  Kids bedrooms, done.  One kid got his closet done, one didn't.  Close.

So I am going to wrap up, in a better spot than where I started, and go get my LRHB. 
Week 16:  Make a Household Chart - things that need to get done - and post it and use it.

I've been adding Labels

God Bless, Teen boy and his patience with his mother... he taught me how to add LABELS to my blogs.  Want to remember what I've read (really what motivated me to add the labels)?  Click on the books label and all of the blogs with books will come up in a list.  I think it is cool and handy.  So, I've now gone through and added labels to all of the blogs.  Hopefully, someone other than me will find it helpful!  Happy Sunday!

Book 17 - Hero at Large

Janet Evanovich.  Romance.  Sweet.  Predictable.  Entertaining.  Brainless.  Satisfying escape.  Recommended for rainy days, crappy weeks, beach time. 

Basement goals... almost done!

On Tuesday, I gathered up my cleaning supplies and IPOD shuffle and headed to the Man Cave, our basement.  I swifted, swept and mopped the entire hardwood floor area.  I cleaned baseboards (I know, you hate me!), cleaned & polished the banisters, and dusted.  I vacuumed and cleaned up toys, not in that order.  I started in the bathroom (yeah, that's right, I never did it last week) and dusted in the College Boy's room.  I stripped his bed and I am now doing the laundry today.  Then I'll finish the bath and vacuum his room and BE DONE!  It's all about not playing stupid computer games and making the most of your time!  Happy Thursday!

And the week goes on...

So, I may (or may not) have mentioned that back in January I started working part-time.  I am doing some home day care.  Most people groan when they hear that so much so that I dread saying it.  But I do say it with enthusiasm and I tell people that it is the job that I was born to do.  When the little one falls asleep in my arms, I feel like I've died and gone to heaven.  And I have a new little boy to teach games to and read to in the early afternoon so I miss my LRHB's baby days, a little less.  What people should know about me is that I'd have filled the gap from the first 2 to the last if I could have.  But God wants me to love many other children on my life journey.  That's my story and I'm stickin to it.  It's a funny story how we ended up where we are because my friend (let's call her The Angels' Mom) called for advice on how to turn down an interview and I was sad.  I thought she was calling to ask about me watching her kiddos.  But I took a giant leap of Faith and told her that.  And that's how this came about.  A story with a happy ending.

About a month later, she was approached about covering a maternity leave in the spring.  We discussed it at our house, she discussed it at her house and we all came to the place that we'd give it the old college try.  I was supposed to start next week.  I should have known that this baby would come early.  But when I got the phone call from The Angels' Mom last Monday (and she asked if I was sitting down and I said no time to sit, just give it to me) telling me that the baby was on its way and we were starting full-time the next day, I had a bit of a panic moment of all the things I'd planned to do during the next two weeks.  The Lord saw fit to give me a Snow Day the next day to get organized (and we all know that I didn't use it that way AT ALL!), but last Wednesday we started full steam ahead.  I think one of the reason that this is such a good fit is the give-n-take relationship The Angels' Mom and I have.  We're both flexible and have such a huge respect for the other (well, that's how I FEEL, I think that's how she feels).  Anyhow, she was also able to give me 2 days off this week to finish up commitments and a half day last Friday (to get College Boy), but now I think the breaks are over and we're on until school gets out.  And I am really at peace with it; it just feels right.  I was headed somewhere with this... where, where, where?

I remember... it has to do with enjoying the moments with our kids.  IF I had known that I was going to start working almost immediately following Spring Break, my break would have been very different.  I'd have shopped and cleaned more and played less.  I AM SO GLAD I DIDN'T KNOW!  We all needed that play time and I appreciate that we had it.  The following blog made me remember my Spring Break fondly, not with the panic that I had last Monday:  http://powerofmoms.com/2012/04/your-children-want-you/.  Following the call (while embedded in the panic) I headed to the gym where I pedaled that bike like the devil himself was chasing me and sweet LM got a good chuckle out of me and talked me down (thank you so much for that!  I am sure I never said it!).  But yesterday, my last "free day", instead of finishing the cleaning, I headed to the baseball batting cages to pitch to LRHB.  I enjoyed the moment and he enjoyed me being me (even if that meant I forgot to pick up Teen Boy and his friend after swimming!).  And isn't that what it's all about?  Happy Wednesday!

Love In a Nutshell -book #16

What a fun Easter Weekend read!  A little mystery, a little romance and a lot of entertainment, for me!  I'm actually trying to figure out when in the last week I had time to read... it's been busy.  But I digress... It is a Janet Evanovich & Dorien Kelly novel, Love in a Nutshell which gets it title from a summer home.  That doesn't give anything away about the book, but it does help clarify the title which was quite confusing to me!  If you read this book, I'd be curious to know if you figured it out... I didn't!  I did have it narrowed down to 2, but really wasn't even sure my gut was right about that.  Enjoy!

Week 15: Spring Clean the rest of the Downstairs

Spring is in the air and as I was working on the bedroom and the bath downstairs (rather as I thought about working on them), I knew the job would only be half-done if I didn't finish the rec room and kitchen downstairs so this week, I am finishing our finished basement.  It's mostly my husband's area, so I'll have to be careful when it comes to the cleaning out of cabinets and such, but then hopefully I'll get that area on a regular rotation so I am not fearful about sending my LRHB down to play in bare feet (that he'll come back with black-bottomed feet).

I must say as I've picked up blogging a second site, and reading several sites now, I am not nearly as productive as I used to be.  Now, I've only another 18 days or so to go on the other site and then I'll probably kiss it farewell.  And I've actually got the blog reading down to a system, I just need to read and move along on my day.  As I open my top bathroom drawer (you remember that one, the one I swept all the stuff into so that I could finish cleaning my bathroom how long ago), I think to myself, I really need to clean that out.  Maybe next week.  I also know I have slipped a bit back into the habit of playing computer games.  That too needs to take a hike.  But I continue to work-out and I am back on dry land activities... I've been biking and I am quite enjoying it.  I have a 5 minute mile down flat (considering that I think it was more like an 8 minute mile when I started a few weeks back, I am pretty proud) and I really enjoy my "work-out" time.  Breakfast is a steady daily habit and I feel so much better than back in January.  So, if you are along this journey with me, I hope you'll take a moment to recall where you were in January and what growth you've made along the way.  I am shooting for a more organized me now that I am a bit healthier with my diet and my exercising.  Happy Monday!

24)  LRHB and I went online and read the scripture and looked a the pictures from Shower of Roses:  Our 4th Annual Holy Thursday Tea (http://showerofroses.blogspot.com/2012/04/our-4th-annual-lenten-tea-on-holy.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+blogspot%2FeojD+%28Shower+of+Roses%29).  I explained that people celebrate Easter in many different ways and that this was one way.  I think he was interested and yet perplexed that people celebrate things like Holy Thursday.

25, 26, 27, 28)  The guys and I made Resurection Cookies.  If you know what it is, skip ahead while I explain for the rest of the crowd.  Using scripture to accompany the recipe, we make cookies while Christ is crucified and put into the cave (the oven).  Then we have to wait for the next day to open the oven, and discover that the cookies are empty, just like Jesus' cave.  I must say I did something wrong cause our cookies, not so empty.  Of course LRHB doesn't know it because one quick move from mom and it WAS empty. 

29-40)  As I looked back across our Lenten Journey, I discovered that unlike in the last week, when two or more of us had been walking together (reading together, praying together), I'd only counted it as one step when (like Palm Sunday) we all took that step.  So going back through the entries of our journey that I had posted, I discovered that I had missed 11 steps, bringing us to 40.  Now some of you might feel like I am trying to justify not doing more during Lent.  However, I would like to say that it seems pretty divine that I got to exactly 40 when going back through.  At dinner we recapped a bit of our Journey.  Teen Boy and I didn't learn the Apostles Creed, but I did learn/memorize Genesis and the Lord has put a different burden on TB right now to contend with, so it's okay that he didn't get there.    LRHB did master the Our Father.  College Boy not only gave up dessert in the dining hall, but pizza, hamburgers and quesidillas, too.  These were the foods he'd been sustaining himself with so far this year and felt that during Lent he would learn to make different, healthier choices.  And in his sacrifice, he felt better.  I hope that your family has enjoyed a holy journey to Easter.  Every family must make a choice for their own family about what a Lenten Journey should look like.  I am happy with our family's committment to Lent this year and I am hoping that it will sustain us through the rest of the Easter Season and in fact that we are committed to more prayer throughout the year.  Happy Easter.

He is Risen! Hallelujah!

Hallelujah and Happy Easter!  We had a wonderful weekend.  It was full of swimming yesterday and being together today!  Interspersed with the Easter fun of coloring eggs and finding eggs, we cooked our meal together.  After a wonderful dinner, we played games together.  We squeezed in homework and I ran back and forth up the highway to bring home College Boy and deliver him back to school.  The guys had friend time.  So many things a bubbling in my head at this late hour with an early morning to come.  I am going to post about our other Lenten steps and my weekly resolution tomorrow along with another book review.  But for now, my bed is a-calling my name.  Blessings to you and yours!

The Easter Bunny is comin! The Easter Bunny is comin!

That's me doing my Paul Revere impression.  And like Paul, that phrase has me filled with panic.  I had NOTHING since I gave LRHB his Easter Bunny story early.  Nothing for any of us.  Unless you count the snickers eggs I bought the other day.  Ooops.  I forgot I bought them and LRHB helped me put the groceries away.  Why'd ya buy those, mom?  Uh, hmm, uh, for Justin to take back to school.  Yeah, that's what I bought them for!  Well, NOW that's what is going to happen with them.  So yesterday I hit some book stores and the mall and feel better equipped.  It might be a bit of a shock for them cause I bought all religious stuff.  I've been reading some blogs, some Catholic mom blogs and it seems like I should have been filling the basket each year with something other than the last season of Star Wars:  The Clone Wars on DVD.  So I bought a bunch of religious books and such.  Then today, I went out and bought some other fun things.  It just occurred to me that my older boys know I blog and I have no idea if they read it regularly or not so I better just shut my trap.   But I will say that I felt that the baskets weren't that great so I got something fun for each one.  But I am short on the eating treats and need to get that tomorrow.  It is slowly coming together.  Holy Thursday blessings for one and all.

Book 15 - "Got Girlfriends?"

Do you have girlfriends that have been the "fabric of your life"? (I appear to me in a commercial mood this morning, bygones).  I do.  I have friends that date back to high school.  Not much before that for a couple reasons.  First, I moved the summer between 7th grade and 8th grade.  Those were the days before the Internet so to keep in touch you needed parents that supported keeping in touch or excellent skills and dedication in letter writing.  Now, for a while I had the latter, but really if you don't have the former, you're toast.  It took awhile in those awkward preteen years for me to find a way to fit in.  I was still kinda a kid, but kinda a tween.  And finally I made some friends... however, my freshmen year those friends were not so much into school so I joined that mentality.  Until my parents grounded me for 10 weeks.  Once, I cleaned 4 bathrooms and my mother called to get my grades so that I could join my friends, that I felt I was losing, on a Friday night.  But they weren't really my friends and as I watched them experiment with stealing alcohol from one girl's parents, I figured it out.  I met some other kids and by my sophomore year I was in with the Girls.  MY GIRLS.  And we've stayed in touch and had reunions and would come running (to the best of our financial ability)if the other(s) needed us.  In fact I had a text from one of them Saturday night... she was jamming to Whitney Houston and thought of me.  Yes, texting and Facebook and email has allowed us to keep in touch.  One of them has parents that live about 3 hours from me.  I am blessed that they come visit every summer and we drop everything to dash up to the mountains and meet them for dinner at Jo Mamma's.  Gotta love a place named Jo Mamma's.

The Girls from Ames is "A story of women and a forty-year friendship".  By high school, the Ames Girls or Sh** Sisters (read the book, you'll find out) were a group although some have been together since elementary school.  Some called them a clique.  But they were so much more or they wouldn't have endured the time, distance and tragedy that they have.  I found myself remembering stories of my group.  And wishing that we had a reunion planned.  Maybe I'll send out a message and see what we can come up with to be together.  Eating raw cookie dough and drinking red wine.  Past and present melded together.  Read it and reconnect with your "girls".

SNOW DAY

So its been a long day and in theory I should just wait until tomorrow to post, but tomorrow will come with its own challenges so... here we go.

Today Teen Boy had a 5 am swim practice.  I was up at 3.  Not just because I was afraid I'd sleep through my alarm, but because of the hurricane force winds blowing my little house to pieces.  Well, fortunately it wasn't my house, just our outside toy storage unit.  Door blew off, stuff started to blow out, then it blew over preventing anything else from blowing out.  I considered going out and "fixing it" in the blowing snow,  but I decided it had fixed itself and went back to the warm bed.  Tick, tick, tick. blow, blow blow.  Finally, the alarm went off, not really waking me as I was awake.  I was waiting for the text saying it would be a 2 hour delay meaning NO PRACTICE.  I did get a text... it was from the local news about a house fire.  REALLY?!  REALLY?! IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT?  IT WASN'T SPREADING, THEY WEREN'T EVACUATING PEOPLE!   Contemplating complaining about it.  Anyhow, the text came... not the district, but another swim mom.  Now Teen Boy is up and I'm on the computer and FINALLY we get the news that it is a 2 hour delay.  Send out email.  Send out text.  Go back to bed.  Finally fall asleep.  WHAT?!  It is 7 am and LRHB is EXTREMELY upset about the toy storage unit in the back yard.  He wants me to go out and fix it.  I assure him that it hasn't changed since 3 when it happened (without opening my eyes) and invite him to crawl in bed since we now don't have school... not sure when I learned that.  No.  I peek open an eye and discover he is dressed.  "No, honey, no kids are coming, no school.  Climb in bed with me and I'll order you a PAY movie".  Seriously, at 7 am I ordered him "Hop" and he watched it.  At some point he fed himself a granola bar.  Right before ordering the movie, I clicked for Bedtime Stories to tape (dating myself) record on some other channel.  So when one finished, he got up and ate another granola bar and played.  Then he came back in yammering about something.  "Dude, Mommy was up for like 2 hours in the middle of the night and she is still tired... how about another movie?"  Yes, I am awful.  But he really likes Bedtime Stories and I doze as he laughs and laughs.  Finally, I emerge from a sleep state and decide I am hungry.  Mmmm, Mini-Saltines for breakfast, in bed.  I am sure I will find the crumbs when I climb back into bed tonight.  Seemed like a good idea at the time.  Worse, I am afraid that Hero Daddy will find them too since LRHB was in his side of the bed also eating mini-saltines.  I must say, if you've not tried them, they are ridiculously addicting!

Once the next movie finished, I dominated LRHB in Risk and Jukem, took him to the batting cage and we went online to look at the Worldbook Online Kids site and the interactive maps so he could see where his grandparents are currently.  I've mixed up 3 cakes to cook tomorrow as I am having the swim team here for dinner.  I've also made (from scratch) red pasta sauce for dinner tomorrow (Pepperoni Spaghetti) and ran to the grocery store.  We had soup for dinner (perfect on a freezing day) and baked cookies.  LRHB and Teen Boy watched "Hop" after dinner while I went and biked 10 miles at the gym.  Looking around, I need to clean up, run the dishwasher and finish the last chapter of my book (I did get some reading time in).  But I want everyone to know that I did not spend the Snow Day (in April, no less) working on this week's resolution.  I hope everyone had a Happy, Snowy and Cold Tuesday!

WEEK 14 AND A WRAP UP OF WEEKS 11/13

I finished shortly before 9 last night, but both kids rooms were spring cleaned... drawers cleaned out, room dusted, stuff cleared off dressers and thrown or put away, vacuumed, the whole works.  We'd already done clothes for LRHB and Teen Boy is stagnant in growth so no need to go through his clothes.  It feels good to have that done!

Week 11 was read a good book.  Well, College Boy was on his way until his text books for the next semester came along with a read about medical school.  He poured over that med school advice book so I consider that a good read.  Teen Boy read stuff, but not the books we had set out, although he is halfway through one of them (that his Gramma asked him to read a year ago! so that he could advise her on age appropriateness).  LRHB was reading the Henry & Mudge series.  Did you know there are 28 books in that series?  He read 22 of them!  So proud!  Together we read Stuart Little and yesterday morning we curled up under the blanket on the couch and watched the movie.  Then we chatted about the similarities and differences.  Love those moments!  I had books that are due back to the library so I am almost done with The Girls from Ames.  Wish I could remember how I stumbled across this fantastic tale!  And of course I read The Journal of Best Practices.

And having made it 14 weeks into this journey, I've discovered a couple things... I love blogging.  I am becoming more productive.  And on the weeks that I give vague goals to help many of you to come along with me, I don't always get done what I want.  But the weeks that I am very specific (last week Spring Cleaning was broad but for me it was do the 2 bedrooms), I get my true goals accomplished so some weeks I will be continuing to go broad and narrow down for myself while other weeks I will be very specific. 

Week 14:  Spring Clean the bathroom and bedroom in the basement.  Happy Monday

18)  A Rosary.  No laps.
19)  Palm Sunday Mass
20)  Palm Sunday Mass
21)  Palm Sunday Mass

Now the last 3 may seem like cheap steps, but consider this:  we've not been to church during Lent.  We've been sick several weeks, someone has been sick.  But at some point, someone could have, should have gone.  And we didn't.  So these were important steps for us as we begin Holy Week.

22)  LRHB has sucessfully learned the Our Father Prayer.  We are so proud of him!
23)  We read Easter Bunny's Amazing Day, which tells the story of the "Easter Bunny" for children of all ages as it is connected to Jesus' death.  Beautiful pictures by LRHB's friend's uncle!