Early February

I read this recently on Instagram and it made me feel like writing and sharing more again.  I've been feeling like coming back to this space lately, so I'm jumping back in. I miss the practice of daily writing and remembering these days.

 I often wonder what on earth my kids will ever do with all of these photos some day.  Will they be so ubiquitous that they won't even look? There are SO MANY and it just reminds me that photography is really just a therapeutic practice for me.  Sure, I get a cute photo here and there, but what it really does is make me feel like I'm doing something to manage these feelings of watching them grow at lightning speed.

Making me happy right now:
Bullet Journaling
The app 1 Second Everyday, here's our 2016 in 1-second clips.
1 Year Old Antics. This is the story of our days right now.
Waking up early because I'm going to bed so early and using the early time for some quiet.
Lavender Bubble Baths
This Circle of Friends leave-in conditioner. We got it for the tea tree during a lice scare and we've kept it around since because it works so well and smells so good.




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From Fall

I'm dying to start decorating for Christmas, but it's happening after Thanksgiving for the most part. (I've snuck a few things out here and there.) It might sound goofy, but it finally occurred to me this year that my excitement to decorate inside for the holidays coincides exactly with when the last of the fall colors disappear.  As son as it's just about barren outside, I want to decorate inside and make it cozy and add reds and greens for more color.

Also, Instagram has sort of become a mini blog for me and I'm trying to decide if I like that or not.  I want to write more now that I have the mental space, just can't decide where that needs to be.  I've been finally picking up my real camera again and that feels really good.  The only problem is that the big kids are so set against being in photos. So if it seems like I'm favoring the little one in photos, you are correct. He can't protest yet and we spend 24/7 together:)

Back to School

I texted (that's a verb now, right?) this photo to my husband and a friend this morning. It doesn't look like much. But do you know what it means? I PUT DISHES AWAY BEFORE 9AM!! This is unheard of. We don't have a dishwasher, so 97% of the time, if you walk into our house there will be clean dishes drying next to the sink, likely last night's dinner dishes. Because I want them to really get dry before I put them away:)

I am so.darn.glad to have two kids at school every day. We still have half-day kindergarten around here, so it means that I have 3 hours every single morning to actually do things. HALLELUJAH! How's your back-to-school going??

Oh, I did also take pics of my kids on the first day of school. It was over a week ago, but I'm still sharing. I'll share here for posterity, I need to get better at doing that for myself because I otherwise remember absolutely nothing! Kindergarten and 2nd Grade. So crazy!

Around Here

I've astonished myself today with the most amazing feat: I've managed to wear jeans instead of yoga pants for most of the day! (Which is more than I can say for the better part of the last week when we've been stuck at home wither sick or because of snow and cold!) So that's my big accomplishment for the week. Here are some more of the current happenings...

Reading:  

• Tsh Oxenreider's Notes From a Blue Bike - Can't wait to share more thoughts on this one soon!
• Kristen Kalp's Go Your Own Way - If you have your own business or have any inkling of owning a business, you NEED to check this out.  The "price" is a donation to Flying Kites Global, an orphanage in Kenya and Kristen is on a 10-Day quest to raise $10,000 for them! 
• Katy and the Big Snow - over and over and over...
• Fix, Freeze, Feast - Freezer meals are saving my sanity right now. Big time! 
• A Camera, Two Kids and a Camel - National Geographic's Annie Griffiths Belt's story of the past 30 years of her work and personal life and how the lines have blurred for her. 
• All-of-a-Kind Family - Mia totally wants to be a part of this family with all of those sisters! 

Listening:  The Frozen Soundtrack. Over and over and over. 

Loving: Christine Chitnis's photos from her recent  family trip to India, What Should a 4-Year-Old Know,  Quick Breads to eat with dinner, this Black Bean and Sweet Potato that is AMAZING and surprising, quilts all piled up, hot chocolate or tea,  this week's episode of The Mindy Project, lemon curd in the microwave, our rainbow of blue green and pink eggs, getting rid of more stuff (toys are next on the chopping block again!), her excitement over dance class, his excitement over Pajama Day at school, the thought of a weekend with free time to get some stuff done without kids after a week of constant togetherness!   

Today

::It only took him 6 months, but he finally held a chicken. He even caught her himself, ever so gently. And spoke sweetly into her ear telling her it was ok and that he wouldn't hurt her.

::I told Mia we were going to run to the store quickly before we took her to school to get more tissues and a chicken to roast for dinner and she gasped and said, "Don't tell The Girls we're eating chicken!!"  

::Homemade play dough when we realized that we're completely out. 

::We read Thanksgiving books that we snagged when we were at the library last week, knowing they'd all be gone by later in the month.  Fancy Nancy: Our Thanksgiving Banquet, Arthur's Thanksgiving, The Squirrel's Thanksgiving (this was my favorite of the bunch,) This is the Feast, Mousekin's Thanksgiving. Plus more On the Banks of Plum Creek, because she cannot get enough.

::Please tell me that reading this doesn't make you want to snuggle up with a good book under your flannel covers?? So cozy! 

::Laughing at, loving and totally relating to both of these: Top 7 Ways You're Wasting Time on the Internet and Instaguilt

"And really, the problem isn't that I'm obsessed with seeing pictures of impeccably dressed women at fancy book club outings, the problem is that I want to check out--because life is hard, kids are hard, social outings can be awfully awkward." -cjane

::An early dismissal and the start of the weekend for Mia, Nick and I since they're both off from school tomorrow with a lazy, quiet afternoon that we all needed. 

::A rotisserie chicken and baked potatoes and frozen green beans, the last from our garden already.   

Day 25: From Yesterday

I make these plans in my head that on days that Nick doesn't have school, we're going to stay home all day.  I think I'll actually accomplish things at home like cleaning window sills and organizing kitchen drawers and the list of 50 little things and stack of papers that I regularly just avoid.  And then the day happens and I plan to only drive back and forth to school and we're eating breakfast and my mom calls and reminds me that I'm driving her to the airport and I decide that "while we're in that direction..." we should stop at that one farm stand and at the store for mealworm treats and grit and oyster shells for the chickens... 

We made it home by lunchtime and I did manage to completely clear and clean one section of the kitchen counters and shelves, not a small feat. Throw in a few tantrums over car doors not closing and not being able to play outside for 5 more minutes and we topped it off with grilled cheese and tomato soup for dinner and called it a day.  It's so crazy how a completely clear counter and opening a drawer to it being organized can make you feel so insanely accomplished.   

I'm spending 31 days writing and sharing a series about Documenting Your Everyday this month.

 Click here to see all of the posts as they're added and follow along.