Holy Week Is Here

 Our Holy Week is off to a great start. Featuring Bagels on the porch. 

Miss M wrote a book for us. 

We did a massive clean out of the toy cupboard and everything is nicely and neatly put away in a labeled bin. And, yep, this makes me SO happy. And for now it's been making the kids happy too because they know where their stuff is! 

The traditional second-grader's Last Supper Mural went up. 

*Not a good picture of my guy, but it's cute of the mural. 

This one is better of my guy, but you can't see the mural as well. They've been getting ready for first communion and are getting excited! 

I am excited that the Daffodils have bloomed, or almost bloomed. Spring really is here!! 

And you know what? Life is good. 

See you on the flip side of Easter my friends! May it be a blessing to you! 

Fun Family Outing

So... some friends of mine have a charity. Like a real one. They help people in the in-between place. Families in our area who don't qualify for any other type of assistance but who find themselves in some need. Maybe there's a medical issue that comes up that stretches them, or a fire. Perhaps it's a divorce or an unexpected expense that causes their life to be caught in a downward spiral. 

Well, their charity steps in to help. Maybe it's a gas gift card to help them get to medical appointments, or they cover a specific bill for a while that helps them get back on their feet. But they are a true blessing to our area and have helped people who otherwise wouldn't get assistance. 

Last night was their annual (well... they skipped last year unfortunately) fundraiser. They had a concert with Christian artist Jason Gray. And we were so blessed to be able to attend as a family. To gather with community and hear live music was... so special and not something I take for granted anymore. 

Totally worth the kids staying up late. (And there haven't been a whole lot of reasons for that to happen so it was a real treat.) Jason had a great message and story between his songs, and sure, for the kids up well past their bedtime, they were a little but dragging by the end and just wanted him to play music, but I loved every second. 

It was a good night, with good community, supporting a good cause. 

And while I sure wish it was already the weekend... I am perfectly okay finishing out today strong and heading into Holy Week on a high from a family outing. 

The Spring Break That Wasn't

 So Husband and I didn't go anywhere for Spring Break. But the kids did! They went to my parent's house for the week! 

This was honest to blog the first time Husband and I had been home alone overnight without our kids since C was born. And not going to lie... it was so nice. The kids had a blast and Husband and I got a week of date nights and going to bed super early and feeling extremely well-rested. (Not worrying about the kid's wellbeing was so freeing!) 

And the kids did so much fun stuff! And they really enjoyed being away for a week. 

They did the one-year anniversary lunch doodle. 

They liked the new pajamas that I sent up there to surprise them with. 

M loved spending time with the cat. 

And the leprechaun played all kinds of tricks on them but left plenty of fun behind too, like this ring pop.

The kids really enjoyed their St. Patrick's Day! 

They also went to the fun car wash, and while that might not sound super exciting... it was. 

Husband and I went out one night and we had dinner and we didn't look at our watches once. We didn't need to get back to a babysitter or have somewhere to be right after. We didn't need to eat quickly before the kids got too restless. It was GLORIOUS. And I took exactly NO pictures because we were in the moment. 

So... nope, we didn't travel for Spring Break. But it was still a break and all was well. 

Hello Tuesday

Well it snowed yesterday. But you know what? It was okay. Because I know it will be gone by the weekend and that makes it so much better.

Luckily I got to work right as it started sleeting and then the snow had finished by the time I was headed home so it didn't impact my drive hardly at all. 

I had a delightful weekend though with nice weather! We had the windows open and everything. The best news is that I was able to go see a show on Saturday night. I am so glad area theatres are safely reopening and that I can still review shows. 

While it's not a huge source of income for me and my family, it's still a nice thing and I was ever so happy to have it return. 

There's something about live theatre that just can't be replicated. And I love writing about it. Total win-win if I do say so myself. 

Anyway, I hope that you are having a good Tuesday however you're spending it. 

FRIDAY!

 We are happy to be observing St. Patrick's Day at school today. 

My little Leprechauns wish you a happy Friday! 

As do I! There have been some reminders lately that life is precious and like the Matt Maher song says, if you're still alive and breathing, Praise the Lord!!

So, I'll be over here in my own little corner of the world, praising the Lord and trying to live to the fullest extent I can. Enjoy your weekend. 

What's Up Wednesday

 What’s going on with us? Well funny you should ask but the answer is not a whole lot. We are in our final push towards Spring Break. Which is nice, because everyone loves Spring Break. And a little nerve wracking because last time they went home for Spring Break they never ever went back.

We are trying to stay positive as the vaccine rollout seems to be going well and our school has been in-person since September. But that nagging seed of doubt lingers on. We will cross that bridge if and when we come to it. I will say the school in general seems to be healthier this year which I don’t think is a bad thing. I do really like all the extra cleaning precautions and feel like those should definitely stick around.

This kid right here is doing exceptionally well at school. He’s been learning cursive, which has been a struggle, however. Honestly, cursive is just really difficult for left-handers. I remember just hating cursive when I was learning as well, and so we’ve been bonding over that. His spelling tests now have a few words where in order to get them correct they have to be in cursive. Every night we practice his words. He still doesn’t enjoy it, certainly not in the midst of his precious time to play, but I’ve already seen massive improvement. Practice does actually make perfect.

This kid is also pretty great. She’s gaining her confidence with reading and while I still think she’s holding out on me a little bit, I’ve seen her improve as well. Which is great. She is otherwise just a mountain of personality. I see the teenager in her already with the eye rolls, but she is still a little girl and I am so happy she is. This morning she told me she had the same brand of shoes as a friend which surprised me a bit. I had no idea she knew about brands at all. Since the only way to display personality at school is the shoes, it doesn’t surprise me that she would notice these things though.

As the daffodils are poking their stems above ground, I am starting to gain hope that the winter is maybe over. Oh, another short snow wouldn’t surprise me. But this winter about did me in. We had that big storm right after Christmas and the snow stuck around ever since because it just kept snowing and staying super cold. Which is unheard of in these parts. I mean, it was 70 degree yesterday and my front yard still has snow in it! And I didn’t do well with it this year. It was just too much for me on top of all the COVID stuff.

I got this happy little door decoration that I love so I could take down my snowman and say farewell to the winter from Hell.

Anyway, that’s what’s up over here.

Catching Some Leprechauns

 Kindergarten has been tasked with making Leprechaun traps. M came up with an idea that we thought was pretty darn cute and I think we all executed it quite well. If I do so humbly say. I don't think there is a prize for the best Leprechaun trap but I also am feeling good about winning if there was such a thing. 

Super humble mom over here. 

Anyway... if Leprechauns are attracted to shiny and sparkly and the color green... I think we've got it covered. 

The front of the Leprechaun movie theater. With a gold coin for bait obviously. 

It's a theater for Leprechauns only. So no humans allowed basically. 

There's an "emergency exit" to offer a false sense of security. It's tricky because there is no door there. 

Coming soon is "The Quiet Man" which is one of the best Irish movies as you probably know. And if you don't, go ahead and watch it this year because it's pretty darn great. 

The inside is the only part we haven't quite finished since we are waiting for the glue to dry to hold the chair in place. We will be putting Irish popcorn (popcorn and Lucky Charms) in the cup for a movie treat. There will be a loop of tape on the chair so that when the Leprechaun sits down to enjoy his snack and viewing of "Darby O'Gill and the Little People" he will get stuck and trapped. 

But humanely since it's just tape and with a snack. 

And the best part is that the whole thing cost $6 and our time and effort. Plus we got to go to the Dollar Tree. Which is always a fun adventure. So I am feeling pretty great about that too. 

If it doesn't catch a Leprechaun, at least it's cute and creative. 

Happy March!