Thursday Thoughts!

There were a few "lamb" days mixed in but I am going on record for saying that March was much more like a "lion." And that's okay. It made it seem more "Lenty." Suffering through the weather and all that. It's just been so rainy here. Luckily, when we were in Minnesota we got M a raincoat and we ordered C one.

Small vent: There are 5 Hy-Vees (grocery store) within our city limits. Hy-Vee has just expanded into the Twin Cities market and oh. my. gosh. they make ours look like garbage. They are the NICEST stores. And they have a clothing boutique with super cute things (M's raincoat) and like a mini Ulta all in the same building. I got some soap and I am loving it. The bath bombs were great and if I had a decent sized bathtub, I would have stocked up! It was unreal how nice this store was.

The clothes area. (Little Girl section.)

Bath bombs in the grocery store!

It definitely makes me want to move (and I can still use my fuel saver!) but also makes me sad for those who will get used to the fancy then head on down to Iowa and get super disappointed by the "old school Hy-Vee."

Anyway, this morning M and I went to "The Red Store" (Target) and we found rain boots to go with the coats. Because, everyone knows from Peppa Pig "If you want to jump in muddy puddles, you must wear your boots!" Only in our case we'll go with rain puddles over muddy ones. I can't wait for C to come home so they can play!

Last night C got to go to the museum with Husband. C earned it by eating his dinner on Tuesday. M did not eat her dinner (not even one bite) so she did not get to go. So we had a girl's night. She took a long shower and then got out for a while to let the water heater catch up so she could take a bath. Then after she was in her jammies, she sat in my lap and we watched Minnie Mouse and read some stories. It was precious. And she smelled so good. Sometimes I am just overwhelmed by how much I love my kids. That was definitely one of those moments.

So those are the little tidbits of the last few days. Not a whole lot to report but life is pretty normal and pretty good. :) I hope your Thursday is a little less rainy than mine but wonderful all the same!

The Conclusion of Spring Break

Today we are back to a normal day. It's our first truly "normal" day since March 9 so that seems crazy. But its nice. C went to school. M and I skipped music class and opted for going to the gas station and doing some laundry. All the real exciting things right?

The tail end of our Spring Break was great too. We spent Thursday morning cleaning the house and then after the mail was delivered we got in the car and headed to Minnesota. Apparently so did a great number of bloggers because the Midwest Catholic Women's Blogger Conference was this weekend too. (I did not know this fact.) And it wouldn't have mattered because we were in town to visit my parents.

Well, no. That is not entirely true. The real purpose of the trip was to go visit my brother at college! We have been trying to get the kids there for a while and last Friday was the day we made it happen. We were running out of chances since he graduates in May! (Seriously, how is that even remotely possible?!)

Anyway, Thursday we went to Minnesota. Friday we went further north into Minnesota to visit my brother. It was wonderful. He toured the kids around and they felt very important to be big college kids. C was especially excited to go visit the Abbey and University Church, which he calls "the bee house." Because he's seen pictures and it looks like this:

From the inside. Not my picture.

From the outside. Not my picture.

From the inside again. My picture. 

We were going to go see the shrine of the martyr-saint Peregrine (not the famous one!) but the lights were off and we couldn't find a switch. Nor could we figure out how to make the motion lights turn on. So... we know he was in the dark room and that was still kind of cool but we didn't see him. We also went to see the famous bible. The new exhibit doesn't open until the fall but it was beautiful and very impressive. 

College was very fun! I was only disappointed we didn't see any of the monks. But that is okay. On the drive back to my parent's house we stopped in to visit my grandpa. He turned 86 last Monday. The kids were ASLEEP when we got there so Husband stayed in the car with them while I popped in for a quick 25 minute visit. Both kids were still sleeping when we did get eventually get back so I am glad I didn't wake them. 

The rest of the weekend was pretty low-key for a visit and we spent the day driving back yesterday. We were all thrilled that we spent Wednesday night and Thursday morning really cleaning because it was so nice coming home to all the clean! We also came back to our first daffodil having bloomed. 

We have some more getting ready to bloom as you can see which I am looking forward to! So that was the tail end of our spring break and I enjoyed it very much. I am excited for the normal week we have ahead of us. It's supposed to be a mostly rainy week here which means that it isn't quite the lamb exit I was hoping for from March but I can handle it. We will probably have to mow the lawn this weekend which is about three weeks early! 

Spring Break So Far

Hello friends! How has your week been? Our has been pretty swell so far, I love a good Spring Break! Which to be fair, has mostly consisted of a whole lotta nothing. Reason number 634 that I would be a terrible home schooler.

The big happening on Monday was that we went to the grocery store. BIG mistake on my part. The kids were fine but there were SO MANY people out and about. I usually do my shopping right after school drop off so like 8:30. Both my grocery stores and Target are practically empty at that point. So imagine my shock when it was wall to wall people in the afternoon. Oh well. We also got to play outside for a good long time because it was so nice out!

Yesterday nothing really happened that was interesting, we played outside but that's about it actually. So today I decided to really pack in the fun! We played Candyland while sitting on the Candyland towel. You haven't lived until you play Candyland with a bossy 2-year-old and a really really excited 4-year-old. C won and M just wanted to draw purples.

Then later, the kids helped me make their lunch. It was PB&J so I am not completely crazy. C did the peanut butter and M did the jelly. Everyone got to count out the blueberries, raspberries and strawberries. So that was fun. After rest we played Play-Doh for a long time and then, and I am not even sure how I got talked into this, we made Ninja Turtle cookies. C got a box of Ninja Turtle cookie mix for Christmas from my FIL and his wife.

The mix turns green when you stir. Magical. And after you roll out the balls and smush them down you get to put the edible masks/mouths on them. Super fun. The kids LOVED them. The whole experience was exciting. But they are pretty much tasteless and I can't get past the fact that they're green. 

But there is. Our Spring Break up until now. And you know what? I am loving it! 

A Perfect PBS Day!

Another year has passed. Want to know how I know? Because last March I had a St. Patrick's Day post directly followed by an Imagination Station post. Well friends, it's time for this year's Imagination Station post.

Our local PBS Station has this totally free event in March. And it was yesterday! They do ticket the event so that only 200 people can come in for both the morning and afternoon session. I didn't get our tickets until late so we did the afternoon session, from noon to 2:00. It was slightly more chill than last year, so that was good! It helps that I knew what to expect and had studied the map so I knew where to go.

This year we split our group up. C does not like costumed characters and he is quite clear and adamant about that fact. We had scoped out all the rooms and activities that wouldn't have characters and made sure to go to those. So I hung out with C.

We went to the Wild Kratz room first where they had a guy from our local nature center talk about box turtles, fox snakes, American kestrels and great-horned owls. He brought out each animals and spoke about them. It was very cool and my animal lover really enjoyed it. C went to Splash and Bubbles to make a stained glass fish and get a temporary tattoo. Then we went on to Sid the Science Kid and did some science experiments. (They were not as cool as I was maybe expecting but that's okay, C liked it.) We snuck into the Curious George room and nabbed the craft to take home. George was in there so we just got out of there real quick.

In the Martha Speaks room there were therapy dogs. We went in but it was REALLY hot in the room for some reason and since we had just spent a week with dogs it wasn't a exciting to him. So we went to Super Why and colored a mask and played the word bucket throw before he was scheduled to appear. We got a crown from the Princess Presto room. Then we went to Peg + Cat for some of the activities.

M had a very different experience at the Imagination Station. She was on a mission to meet all the characters and they met them all except the Jet, Set, Go! guy. (And we don't even watch that show so I don't know his name.) The first priority was to meet Daniel Tiger. After that she met Clifford and got Clifford ears, which was one of the only activities she did! She also got a crown, a temporary fish tattoo and did some of the Peg + Cat activities. She stopped off to sing a song about bubbles with Mr. Steve.  She met Whyatt, Princess Presto, George, Daniel, Clifford, Nature Cat, Peg and we waved to Cat in the hallway, so not a true meet and greet but pretty close.

All in all it was a great family event and was so much fun to spend time with our family. Afterwords we went out for a late lunch/early dinner at Outback Steakhouse. Outback is one of my favorites and it did not disappoint. It was a perfect day!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Here's the scoop. It's St. Patrick's Day. I know, I am just as surprised as you that we are halfway through March. Today is the first day of C's spring break already! Spring break!

Yesterday M wore her new Lularoe outfit. It is definitely still big but I was really worried she'd just outgrow a size 2 right away. (She's in 3T shirts and 2T pants these days.) She really liked it!

It was Gable the dog's birthday yesterday, he turned 12. Which is pretty old in the dog world I think. Google tells me quick that the average lifespan for a yellow lab is 10-14 years so yeah, he is right in there. We got a text message from his mom and dad that he usually gets a Dairy Queen cone for his birthday and we were happy to celebrate with him! 

Dog sitting has been swell but we are all ready to head home tonight! (Which truthfully is cheating a little bit because the humans don't come back until tomorrow, but we are bringing the kids home and splitting up for the night.) 

The Leprechaun visited C's classroom yesterday! It was so much fun he wanted the leprechaun to visit us again... quick trip to Walgreen's saved the day with a bag of chocolate coins and a Tsum Tsum for each kid. It made the morning extra fun besides just the Lucky Charms.

C got to accompany M and I to art class today and he thought that was pretty good. We made some ADORABLE crafts that I am not showing you because they are in the car and I just don't want to bring them in for a picture. I did however take a picture of our thematic lunch. Lucky you! 

Shamrock pancakes, green applesauce and key lime pie yogurt. (That I did not dye green but it has green packaging so that's something right?!) 

I hope however you are celebrating the day, it is enjoyable and full of fun! Happy weekend!! 

Happy Pi Day!

Hello Friends!

Just checking in with you on this bright (and pretty darn cold considering it was in the 70s not that long ago) Tuesday. Because it is always cold the day after a snow.

So it did snow. And we did not have a 2 hour late start or a snow day which to be honest surprised me just a little bit. Every other single snow we've had this season has been on a weekend or non-school day. Seriously. And we really just haven't had much snow this year at all. (Not complaining about that mind you.) So to have a big snow on the day after daylight savings, right during rush hour on a day you are statistically more likely to be in a car accident anyway, well I was expecting a 2 hour delay. Think of the children! (And also the elementary kids start school at zero dark hour and no one has shoveled by that point. I sure hadn't!)

But whatever. Husband shoveled at the dog's house. C went to school. I shoveled at our house. And, honest to blog, I did the most "good enough" shovel of my life. Is my sidewalk shoveled enough so that the city can't get mad and pedestrians are safe? Yep? Good enough! Considering it is going to be in the 40s and rainy Thursday and in the 50s the whole weekend, I just couldn't summon the effort to do a great job!

I let the dogs and the kids play in the snow yesterday. Get one more use out of the snow pants and boots for the season. They had fun romping together.

In case you are at all curious how the "should we get a dog" thing is playing out, it's exactly as I would have guessed. C would LOVE a dog and he has been about as helpful as a 4-year-old can get. Making sure they have water and food and playing with them etc. But... I just am a cat person. Dogs are swell for the short term but they're SO needy. And Husband is allergic to cats so... we will remain a pet free house and occasionally dog sit. 

We made a super fancy, frozen and ready-to-bake, from the school pie sale blueberry pie for pi day. It will be dessert tonight for people who eat their dinner. Which means there's a good chance Husband and I will be the only ones eating this pie. Somebody tell me it's totally normal for kids to just not eat some days! 

Anyway, Happy Pi Day! I hope you get a slice of the pie of your choice! 

QT: The Fastest

1. I am coughing a lot less today! I may actually get well sooner than later.

2. I have to use a quick take to remind you all that:

1. It is Spring Forward this weekend. 
2. And that sucks. 

3. It is supposed to S.N.O.W. on Monday and I am just going to be over here in a serious case of denial because I am just unwilling to have to shovel two driveways. 

4. We are watching a house and some dogs for the next week. It's going well but we've only been in charge for about 12 hours. This is me seeing if getting a dog would be a dumb idea. I'm going to go ahead right now and say yes, but only because I just kinda only tolerate dogs. Like, they're fine in theory, but in practice, I just don't really want one. 

5. The love of my life had a business trip in Chicago last night. (Thankfully just one night!) And he brought me back a Portillo's chocolate cake. Happy weekend to me. Yes, I shared! But goodness it is delicious. I am SO glad we didn't give up chocolate this Lent. 

6. I don't know how you feel about Tangled but we LOVE it! So we are pretty excited about Tangled Ever After! We only watched half of it because it started at 7:00. M put herself to bed and C got so tired that at 7:30 he asked if he could watch the rest tomorrow. :) We are excited for the show! 

7. And... that's about what I know! 

Thursday!

It's Thursday. That totally boggles my mind.

I am finally coming out of the grossness I succumbed to last Friday afternoon. I don't know if was actual flu or just the heaviest cold (in my queenly terms) I have ever experienced but it was not fun. It still isn't. I am at the hacking up a lung stage where since it is productive I shouldn't try and stop it but it really hurts!

Let's see here, I don't have too much to report.

On Monday I went out for dinner with my friend to celebrate her birthday. It was pretty good though it was VERY windy. Which then later (after I was home) turned into a severe thunderstorm/tornado warning. It was terribly dreadful to wake my kids up at 10:30 to sit in the basement. But, no damage and then everyone slept really well.

On Tuesday we had friends who would be driving through, and they stopped in and brought us dinner. What a wonderful night that was. It was so thoughtful of them to bring us dinner and nice to visit. I recently read an article that parents need to demonstrate adult friendships for their children to set a good example and so it was excellent to have an opportunity present itself so easily.

My friend who lives in Italy (oh that sounds so glamorous even though it's really kinda not because... the Air Force.) had an Usborne party, and we like books so I ordered a few. One of the things we got was the Animal Doodle Cards.

They are these great wipe clean cards and they are actually pretty fun, even for me! They have Travel Doodles and then a 100 Things to Do cards as well. I got this idea from the consultant of the party but I am a big fan. I just took a hole punch and got some binder rings so now they are even better for travel, because any parent knows that box would have been worthless in a few weeks. 

I made two rings because this isn't my first parenting rodeo. 

And that's about the excitement going on here. So... not much. :) 

March: The first three days.

Well March is here and man has it come in like a lion. Weather wise, Tuesday into Wednesday we had some severe thunderstorms and hail. (Pea to dime sized and no damage.)

The angry weather brought the cold back in, which honestly is to be expected because we were getting a little too lucky to be back in spring coats already. I got myself up for the 6:30 Mass because if I didn't go then, it wasn't going to happen. I know it's not a Holy day of obligation (which is why I flew solo) but I needed to start my Lent out right.

I don't think my ashes fit on this guide very well... but they were dark. And after much googling the night before, they didn't last long. I didn't wake up to take a shower before Mass but apparently it isn't a problem to wash them off earlier than before you go to sleep so there you go. 

The highlight of Wednesday for my guy was going to his friend Carter's birthday party at Monkey Joe's. It was so precious to watch him play with his friends and interact with the group. The sweetest sweet hearts! 

Yesterday was a normal day for us, which was nice. It was still cold but that's okay, there's a thaw on the horizon! 

But today is another story, C woke up with a fever. And he was upset that he wasn't feeling well but also just as upset that he was going to miss the 100 Day party at school today! Poor dude, it was really heartbreaking as a parent. 

M has been waking up at 5:00 every day for the past few weeks and then running amok which is terrible. She was supposed to have art class today but obviously we couldn't go. We spent the first bit of the morning watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse in our room. 

I hope we can kick the virus or whatever is ailing him, we don't have any major plans this weekend but it would sure be better to be healthy! 

So that is what the first few lion-y days of March have looked like. Have an excellent weekend friends!