Random Friday Randomness

I have a long list of things I want to accomplish this weekend and posting here isn't one of them. Unfortunately, the long list begins with doing the dishes, finishing work emails and then running and I'm just not ready to get started on that. So, here I am.

Here's some randomness for you...

Tessa has discovered Nutella again. Lately, she's been making a graham cracker sandwich out of it. My personal favorite was the Ritz cracker/Nutella sandwiches. You're welcome.

I had my second failed shopping trip to the mall today. The first time I had Tessa and was getting out of the car to walk in and realized I FORGOT MY WALLET!!! Ugh. It takes about 30 minutes to get there so didn't want to go back and get it and then come back again. Today, I forgot what it was like to take a whiny 4 year old shopping. Next time, I will go WITHOUT my kids but WITH my wallet.

I noticed this week that the close parking spots at the gym are always taken. Not judging as I do the same but it does seem ironic. Maybe it's that everyone is so anxious to get in and workout that they don't want to waste a second?

Girls had a little role reversal in school this week. Tessa, our social butterfly and the one who struggles with the chit-chat,  had two days on "Green" which is good and two days on "Blue" which means she did something especially well on those days and got to move her clip up instead of down. Josie, our perpetually well behaved child, came home with a mark on her behavior card for... get this... doing cartwheels in the picture line.

Speaking of pictures, today was picture day at school. Remember the black combs we used to get? I don't think they do that anymore. The girls did come home the day before picture day with blue rubber bracelets reminding them of picture day the next day.

Jack started preschool this week. This kid always cracks me up. I have about 25 photos from a 3 minute photo shoot on my phone. He will NOT look at the camera!

Yesterday was red day for Jack. I've heard more stories of his first preschool year than I did in a whole year of preschool for the girls. He's having a blast!

When shopping for a backpack, I was so excited to show him the Spiderman backpacks at Kohl's. I specifically made a special trip out there so he could pick it out. He went with a Minion instead. I have no idea why. It's bigger than him!

I've had to wake him up every day this week for one reason or another. Today, it all caught up to him.

That's it for now. Time to the tackle the dishes and the rest of the list!

And you thought you'd seen random...

More random thoughts today. With the pace of life right now, I think (and now post) just in very short snippets.

We left the garage door open last night. We also forgot to put out trash the night before last. We also had a full trash can in the garage and two bags that didn't fit in the can so were on the floor. We also had a cat or coon destroy those two bags of trash last night.

Adding to the fun of the morning, Jack wet the bed.

After watching this video that hit the viral scene today of a kid at a talent show, I am now listening to all five Michael Jackson songs on my phone - PYT, Billie Jean, The Way You Make Me Feel, and the Man in the Mirror. And now, later in this post, I am listening to the Michael Jackson Pandora Station.

I had to change my pants after getting half way to my first meeting this morning because there were pen marks all over it. More pen marks after I changed. It kept happening until around 1:30 when I realizes an ink pen had poked through a bag and was writing on my clothes every time I carried it.

My car also just stopped driving today. About 1/2 mile from the house, it just stopped accelerating. I managed to coast into the subdivision and then couldn't get up the ever so slight hill and had to park it there. It did work in reverse though and Tom managed to drive it backward and into our driveway. Tessa actually came up with the idea at the same time as Tom. My little creative thinkers! (And yes, I had plenty of gas... we're thinking transmission... fun!)

I think it's funny that sometimes the things that bug us the most are things other people admire. Case in point... Yesterday, someone commented on my bangs and how they always just looked great and swooped to the side. My bangs are my least favorite part of my hair and I feel like I never get them "right" - mainly that I can't get them to swoop right. Here's a pic of me in Jack's Spiderman sunglasses that I wore around all day and kept forgetting to take off in public. See the bangs? These wouldn't be my favorite but maybe I'm too hard on myself... :)

I managed to lose Tom's brand new GPS watch. We found it in a stack of his workout shirts. At least I had the right idea. I did manage to organize two drawers and clean the rest of the house while searching for it. Now, if we could just find his key fob for the gym.

Speaking of the gym... we joined Hancock Wellness last week on Monday. I'm super excited about it and really like how it works which is really for another post. I've been there every day this week - Monday through Thursday - doing everything from running to yoga to weights. (It helps that the kids beg to go to the kids area.) And, I ran on Sunday. That's five days in a row. Tomorrow I rest.

I ran a 7:42 mile on the treadmill today. Someday, I'd like to break 7:00. I'm not sure I ever did that in middle school/high school track, although 6:56 does stick in my head for some reason. Why not in my 30's?

Tom and I had our 14 year anniversary this week. We've officially owned our own business together more than half of our marriage. That would be two partnerships that are tough and even tougher when added together. I think we've done a pretty darned good job. We celebrated with tacos. :) The biggest difference I've noticed between us and other couples? We have never sat at a table in a restaurant and not had something to talk about even though we share an office the size of a large bathroom and see each other all the time.

We honored our Veteran's at our local Veteran's Memorial as part of our Rotary meeting today. This is one of my favorite meetings of the year. The man playing Taps on the bugle was fantastic. It reminded me of Girl Scout Camp.

I realized today that our kids will be able to say that three out of four grandfathers served in WWII. And, the fourth wanted to serve but couldn't due to medical issues. I'm sure that has to be rare and I also know it's something of which to be very proud. This is my dad's dad, Grandpa Chuck who was in the Army.

I'm so much happier when I have a clean house. And, a clean car helps too. Cleaning the house sure shook me out of my funk tonight. I always read those little, cute quotes about how when you die, you'll wish you hadn't spent as much time cleaning, etc. etc. However, if a clean house = a happy mama, just clean. Your kids will thank you for your mental sanity. If not now, it will come later when they become parents and they finally get it.

Four more days of school. And, they can't come soon enough.

Told you it was random. It's been a long, eventful day and now, it's time for a late dinner.

Random Thoughts & Photo Dump

Man, it's been a while. I blame the never ending winter. Who gets snow the week of Easter?!?! Especially, when Easter falls mid-April?!?!

Enough of that...

Random thoughts on this random Thursday...

The girls like stealing my phone and doctoring photos with A Beautiful Mess. They're pretty cute and sweet on their brother.

Jack is also a fan of stealing my phone. Usually for Subway Surfer but this time I got him to take a selfie.

Josie is such a reader just like I was. Now, I tend to get stuck playing mindless games on phone like 2048. Every once in a while, I force myself to read instead. I love curling up on our sectional in the hearth room and reading. Josie apparently does too.

She picked out a real winner at the library last week - an Italian Dictionary. 

I was in a goofy mood this morning on my way into work. I like those moods. They don't come around often and they don't tend to stick around either, especially on office days. I probably should have gone and done something creative but instead I sat at my desk and filled out condo questionnaires and other random paperwork.

We checked out an architectural salvage company this weekend. Wow was this place cool. Tons of neat stuff for a home. And, a Spiderman statue. Too bad it was sold.

I'm feeling very (very) iffy about the upcoming Indy Mini. I was sick last week with a cold and didn't run at all. Now, I can't keep up a good pace and everything hurts from my knees down. I haven't been very consistent with my mileage this cycle and I think it's catching up to me.

Also, I've given myself a pass on one part of my running goal this year. My thought was that if I hit under 1:50 in a half, I would train for another marathon. I decided this week that I may be sabotaging myself with hitting that time because I really don't want to train for another marathon. So, new goal... if I can hit a sub-1:50, I can quit running. (I'm in a "I hate running" season right now. It will pass.)

The "Marathon Man" we saw during the October race reached his goal of running the most marathons in one year. I can't remember how many but it was a lot. I'll bet his knees hurt worse than mine.

I'm signing Jack up for preschool which makes me tear up a bit. He saw the brochure and thought it was hilarious that Santa comes to preschool.

I decided on Friday that I wanted to make bows for the girls to match their soccer uniforms. I got this one done - beginner's luck because now I can't seem to make any more without really screwing it up.

We "planted" a "garden" this year. Use of the double quotes is needed because it was a little more like sticking seeds randomly into some dirt. Our plot is where an old, dead pine tree used to be. I used a yard rake to churn it up a bit and then let Tessa stick some seeds in haphazardly. I'm pretty sure you won't find those instructions on any gardening blog.

I want so badly to be the type of household that has a bountiful harvest every summer and fall - so many zucchini that you have to put it in everything. Well, we didn't even plant zucchini. We have lettuce, spinach, red peppers, jalepeno peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, basil, and spearmint along with some sunflowers and sweet peas for Tessa. My best guess? We'll scrounge up one or two cucumbers.

The 100 Acres at the IMA is really cool. Tom was a little less than impressed on Saturday when we took the kids out to enjoy the 70 degree day. But, I still say it's cool.

Promptly after "planting" a "garden," and frolicking around in the outdoors, it snowed.

We got a call on Saturday asking if we wanted tickets for all five of us to go to the Pacers game. In a suite. Uh... yes please! The kids were totally spoiled for their first professional sporting event! They loved it though.

We've done a lot of spring cleaning this spring, including the guest room and the garage. The garage could already use it again.

The kids are loving the ability to play outside. Everyday they beg. And, Josie finally got up the guts to take off the training wheels on her bike. Her favorite thing to do is ride around the loop in front of our house. I have a sneaking suspicion that Tessa won't be far behind.

Soccer's been a big hit this season too. Josie is figuring out to be a great defender. Tessa finally decided on her own that she wanted to play. Moms of younger kids - I learned an important lesson. It is best to wait until kids are willing to play on their own accord. Tessa's a real go-getter this year! Attacks the ball and wants to be in the action. Better than the field crying she did the last time she played.

I heard a really great speaker at MOPS this week on Discipline - Marianne Miller - website here. She made it sound so easy. I have really been trying hard to implement her strategies this week but find myself saying her big no-no's, like, "Stop crying" and "if you ______, I'll give you _______" and "you'd better do ________ or else _________." Baby steps right? Most importantly, I remember that she talked about how God made each of our children exactly the way they are for a reason. That helps when Jack is screaming and stomping because I won't let him eat his fourth piece of Easter candy. Or, when I start to win at Candy Land.

I just looked through an old photo album of me when I was a kid. I can't believe how much I see Josie and Jack in those pictures. Tessa? Not so much.

Every once in a while, these two get really photogenic.

Other times, I get this.

I forgot how much 3 year olds love egg hunts. He thought it was awesome.

Told you it was random. Until the next random update...

In the Midst of Trying Times...

We all go through rough patches right? When we just don't feel like trying anymore and we just can't make anyone happy? When we question whether we really can do anything right?

It seems this year that the holidays are really hitting some people especially hard and making them especially grumpy and sometimes just mean. (At least, I'm trying to give them the benefit of the doubt and giving them the holiday excuse.) All of this negativity, hardly well deserved, has about put me over the edge this December. I'm kind of getting tired of putting on a happy face and playing the Stupid and Cheerful card. Trying to be the "bigger person," act like a polite adult and not throwing a fit like a two year old is kind of starting to wear me out.

I think the negativity and anger are particularly hard for me to take during this season of Christmas in which we're supposed to remember the gift that Jesus gave us and love one another and all of that other good stuff. I just want the Norman Rockwell Christmas Card picture of snuggling with the kids reading a book in front of the tree with the fire roaring and Christmas Carols playing on the record player.

All that being said, I definitely needed an attitude adjustment today. So, I picked up a book that had been sitting gathering dust on the bookshelf forever.

The Bounce Back Book - Karen Salmansohn

It's a super quick read - I finished it while drinking coffee and watching cartoons with Jack.  I do think it's probably geared more toward people struggling with more than grumpy people, but I found it has some wonderfully profound nuggets of goodness for all of us.

It's changed my attitude this morning and I thought I should probably share it since it's likely more people than just me need an attitude adjustment.

People aren't evil they're weak.  

Who you truly are as a person is best revealed by who you are in times of conflict and crisis.  

You're either growing into a bigger, better person or shrinking into a lowly, bitter person.  

When you're tempted to indulge in a negative, regressive behavior, swap it for one that will move you FORWARD. 

Pessimists, who generally don't bounce back easily from bad times, see setbacks as permanent, pervasive and personal. - Dr. Martin Seligman  

Optimistic people tell themselves that setbacks are temporary, confined to that one situation and are usually about the other person, not a character defect in themselves.  - Dr. Martin Seligman 

Swap feeling like you're wearing a KICK ME sign to feeling like you're wearing a KICK ASS sign! 

If you are falling, dive! - Joseph Campbell 

In Buddhism, huge difficulties are thought to be a compliment - a sign you're an old soul being tested to see if you're ready to rise to the next level of enlightenment. View bad events as a test of your character. Now ask yourself... What the heck are you being tested for? Patience? Compassion? Improved communication? Resilience? Forgiveness? Open mindedness? {Side Note: I can easily relate this to my Christian faith as well. What "fruit of the spirit" is God challenging me to work harder on today? Kindness? Gentleness? Self-Control? Patience?} 

Forgiveness therapy - This is an interesting one. When a group of adults struggling with substance abuse were divided into two groups - one with traditional substance abuse therapy and one with forgiveness therapy - the ones with the forgiveness therapy had a higher success rate. {I can also relate this one back to the Christian faith. Doesn't this look a lot like Jesus on the cross?}1. Recall the hurt
2. Empathize and try to understand the act from the perpetrators perspective
3. Be altruistic by recalling a time you were forgiven
4. Put your forgiveness into words in a letter that is sent or never sent
5. Don't dwell

After starting and finishing this book, I've readjusted my attitude and will work hard today and the rest of the season to be the optimist and see the best in people and in myself. Control the things I can control, treat others as I want to be treated, etc. etc.

There. I feel better now. Thanks for indulging me this morning.

Perfect Weekend at Home!

Another fun weekend at home! This really doesn't happen very often and it is even more rare that we actually stay home. (Last one was Memorial Day and it was memorable enough to blog about too!) The thought crossed my mind to hit Conner Prairie today, but was overruled by sticking around home and I am happy we did. Here's a rundown!

Friday was my day out of the office this week. I have worked hard to only work three days a week this summer, but since we just returned from vacation, I worked four this week. On my day off, we hit the library, Walmart and just hung out around the house. The kids did a little bike riding too. Jack is really getting the hang of riding his bike.

I ran Friday night once Tom came home. I decided to run hill repeats to add in some variety. I signed up for the October Indianapolis Marathon (more running posts to come) and it is a hilly one. Maybe if I do hills specifically once a week, I'll be prepared. 

Tom ran out for dinner fixings and I hit the back porch with a glass of wine and Runner's World. This was a perfect way to end quite a stressful and busy week!

Somewhere along the way, Josie lost her second front tooth! She lost the first one a few days ago and then the second one started looking really bad. It was almost totally sideways! It finally came out after days of wiggling. You can tell she's having a really hard time talking with them gone!

Here is the progression of tooth photos!

Saturday morning, the girls had their second gymnastics' camp. They have a fun time going to these but have to be convinced to actually go. Tom, Jack and I hit up the Sweet Shop for donuts and took them north to the Beckenholdt Park. This place is truly a hidden gem and I always forget about it. I need to go up there to run someday. Jack had a great time being an only child and was very cuddly! He also stopped to pose for a few photos. We need to take the "good" camera up there with the close up lens one of these days.

Then, we took Jack to his favorite store, Home Depot. We gathered supplies for our weekend projects and then picked up the girls. The rest of the day consisted of lots of projects, snow cones for the kids and a two hour nap for me! Tom worked on the garage, laundry shelves and the grill. I worked on the craft cupboard and junk drawer. I had to take another trip to Walmart and Home Depot to finish gathering supplies at one point.

We did venture out to the Fortville Bastille Day celebration. It was a really cute little small town festival. I felt like I was in the movies! Unfortunately, the kids weren't in the best mood but it was a nice distraction. Tom finished out the day at the neighbor's fire and I finished it out in bed with a book!

Today, I didn't wake up until 10! I thought for sure I wouldn't sleep well after my long nap yesterday but I was wrong. I seriously had a rough and stressful week and did not sleep well at all. Now, I think I'm all caught up and ready to go. Tessa was the first of the kids to wake up at 9, so I guess I'm not the only one!

Today was spent finishing up projects. Tom fit in a 3 mile run with Josie on her bike and I went out for 7. It was a very long, very slow and very hot 7 miles, but I did it. I planned to run this evening but went out at 12:30 instead to just get it done. We also took the kids to the neighbor's pool and Tom took Josie fishing which included setting a trap for minnows and then a creek walk. They're still gone at 7PM. :) 

Here is a photo synopsis of our projects this weekend. I wish I had taken "before" photos! It was a successful weekend! :)

New shelves and bins in the laundry room!

Which allowed me to clear off the top of the dryer. :) 

And, the top and side of the freezer. One project we didn't finish? Repainting the enamel top table to the right of the freezer. We have the paint and big plans. :) 

One of these days, I really want to paint the laundry room some funky colors, get some cool decor and really finish it up. For now, at least it's organized!

Speaking of laundry, I managed to get it all done and it will be put away before bedtime - 

I will demand it!

Here are some shots of the garage. Again, I wish I had "before" shots.

My happiest spot I was able to organize is the craft cupboard. I unloaded the girls' backpacks (finally!) and pitched all of the broken crayons and eraser-less pencils. I organized and labeled school boxes and sharpened more pencils. Unfortunately, school starts all too soon and I wanted to make sure I was ready for homework and projects. I think I'm good! I also managed to pass along a bunch of coloring books and workbooks that the girls have outgrown. (This is a bad photo, but trust me, it looks awesome!)

Right above this cabinet is the junk drawer. I spent a little money on organizers and I'm pretty happy with the resulting junk drawer. 

One area that I did not make it to this weekend is the girls' school papers. I wanted the girls to work on their summer packets but we couldn't find Tessa's. So, right now, all of their stuff is on the guest room bed. I guess I have this week's project!

All in all? A great weekend. We needed it. As I've said, it was a stressful week after vacation and I'm sure next week will be no different. Or, maybe it will be better. I hope so. I am very happy for the weekend respite from the crazy weekday grind. 

Go Away!

I'm giving winter one last, "I'm being a good sport" chance today. In honor of the winter storm warning, I'm wearing a skirt with new tights that I bought on clearance. I thought I would have to wait until next November to wear them but I guess I get one last chance.

But, I am hereby putting winter on notice. I am done with you. Go away.

Catch Up Post

Am I really this far behind? I have so much to write about but so little desire to sit down and do it. Sometimes, when I get this far behind, I end up taking a longer break because it seems insurmountable. So, I will just do this post from my phone and catch up really quick so I can move on mentally and not feel so far behind...

1. We went to Mexico. It was awesome. I took some pictures. Most of them won't make it on here because I won't take the time to load them and commentate. I had full intentions of writing up what we did and where we ate, but that desire apparently stayed in Mexico. :)

2. Tom had knee surgery. It went well. Recovery is going well. We are two weeks and two days post surgery and he is off major pain meds but still on an ibuprofen regimen and on crutches and not driving. All in all, it has gone well.

3. I would not have made a good mom in the 1950's. Tom does so much around here from cooking dinner to helping chauffeur the kids to changing diapers to occupying the kids while I do laundry. And, I'm a better mom and happier person when he does all of the above. It all becomes very obvious when he's down for the count. I'm happy to be slowly gaining my partner in crime back. He's been missed.

4. Josie had a birthday! And I owe a nice post like I did for Tessa. But, again, I need access to the computer and old photos. We had a little party at home on her actual birthday and then I took Josie, two friends and Tessa out to lunch and bowling last weekend. I think everyone had fun.

5. I started running again last week. Only twice, but I started. This week is officially 12 weeks away from the Indy Mini. I ran yesterday too but didn't get one in today. I haven't picked a training plan yet but know I just need to pick up the frequency for now.

6. I'm over winter. I'm handling it better this year but I'm still over it. Every night when I take the dog out, I stand on the porch and just imagine sitting there in the summer after the kids go to bed. I'm sure it will be here before I know it and I shouldn't wish it away but man, it sure is a long season.

7. Josie's playing Upward basketball and she seems to really like it. I like it too. It's good for kids to get started in such a supportive league. She seems to be getting more comfortable and even dribbled the ball a little in the game last Saturday. I'm proud of her for being willing to play a new sport and learn something new.

8. Jack has been a sweet boy to his dad. When Tom was bedridden, Jack spent a lot of time in there watching TV. He's such a sweet boy and I just still want to stop him from growing up.

9. We taught Tessa Skipbo. Josie learned on Nana's phone and we were able to have a family game night. We also played Headbandz which was a fun one.

10. I'm working on a blanket and I don't have much of a desire to finish it either. I like the colors but just can't get excited about it right now. Taking a bit of a break.

I know I have more but this will have to do for now. I've added a random instagram photo dump too of the last month. Now, I feel better and not so far behind.