what's up wednesday: march 2017

Hello friends!  Today I'm excited to be linking up with Shay for What's Up Wednesday!

What we're eating this week.....

So far this week I've made Sloppy Joe Casserole (just ok so no link) and Lo Mein (so good!).

What I'm reminiscing about.....

On Monday, I took my two big kids to see Beauty and the Beast and y'all, I was a ten year old girl all over again!  I loved that movie so very much as a kid!  Makayla and I have been singing the songs all week!

What I'm loving.....

We have had amazing weather lately!  We typically have a very short window of beautiful spring weather before the summer humidity kicks in and mosquitoes take over, so we are enjoying the outdoors while we can!

What we've been up to.....

Bobby's been into his March Madness shenanigans (my bracket is beating his!), the kiddos have been doing quixels and perler beads every chance they get, and Ashlynn is somehow getting cuter every day!

What I'm dreading.....

The baby has a checkup and the big kiddos have their dentist appointments coming up.

What I'm working on.....

For some reason, I decided that March would be a good month to organize all the things, all at once.  It started with one closet and it snowballed from there.  I see an end in sight, but I'm not there yet!

What I'm excited about.....

My baby boy is turning nine next month!  We have lots of fun things planned to celebrate him!

What I'm watching/reading.....

Not much!  I started off the year with some great book choices (see my book reviews here and here), but the book I started this month was a dud and I haven't been motivated to pick up anything since.  And I haven't had too much tv time lately.  I've kept up with Grey's and Scandal, but that's about it!

What I'm listening to.....

I stumbled upon this when I was looking for some hymn renditions for our morning time.  It has been on repeat ever since!

What I'm wearing.....

Currently - pajamas!

What I'm doing this weekend.....

Bobby will be holding down the fort while I head to a homeschool convention that is here in town.  I am really looking forward to it!

What I'm looking forward to next month.....

Easter!  I love celebrating Easter with our kiddos more and more every year!

What else is new.....

I can't think of a thing!

Bonus question: What is your favorite spring thing to wear.....

Sandals!  I love me some sandals, and they're normally much more comfortable too, so bonus points for that!


That's it for this month's What's Up Wednesday!  Thanks for stopping by!

last week: snow in march

Ummm, how is it Monday?  We woke up to a puking child at 5:45 this morning, but after the fun little time-change yesterday, it felt more like the middle of the night.  Needless to say, we are dragging around here, and we are really hoping this is a short little bug that is not contagious.

So, how about we start off with a baby pic?  Because there's not much better than morning snuggles with this cutie.

These two have been making little art creations all week.  They are always drawing and cutting things out and taping things together.

And this guy has been really into his Snap Circuits lately.  I am definitely thinking we need to invest in one of the larger sets because he was at it for hours.

After a crazy week of weather, including thunderstorms, hail storms, and a beautiful 75 degree day, we woke up to snow on Saturday.

This totally cracked me up.....

So we made homemade biscuits and gravy since calories totally don't count when there's snow on the ground, and we enjoyed a cozy day indoors.

And to all you other women who lose your husbands this week to the madness, I stand with you!

;)

Hope you all have a fantabulous week!

xo

a day in the life

I've never done a Day in the Life post before, but I always have fun reading when others do them, and I think it's such a fun way to look back and see what all we were up to!  My days are in no way glamorous - I change a lot of diapers, do a lot of laundry, wash a lot of dishes, and make a lot of food.   And I love it.  There is nowhere I would rather be!  I get to spend my days with my favorite people who are growing up way too quickly, and I know that one day all too soon, I will miss these days terribly!

So I chose a regular Monday when I knew that we had nowhere to be.  Absolutely nothing exciting happened on this day, but sometimes, those are my favorite days!

6:37 a.m.

My alarm clock woke up.

On an ideal day, I will wake up with my real alarm clock at 6:00, but I had a killer headache this morning, so I slept until the baby woke up.

I gave the baby a bottle, and then I took a shower and got ready for the day.  The big kids were up by now and playing legos together.

We all headed downstairs for breakfast.  I heated up some cinnamon rolls from the freezer for a yummy treat that day.  (Pioneer Woman's recipe.  So good, y'all.)

After breakfast, it was time for school!  We try to get started with school by 8:30 or so every morning, and we try to get as much done as we can before lunch time.

This girl got some daddy-loving in before she went down for a nap at 10:30.

12:15 p.m.

Lunch time!  This is my favorite lunch right now - a piece of toast with cottage cheese, grape tomatoes, avocado, and black pepper on top.  Bobby thinks it's the weirdest combo, but I swear it is so good!

After lunch, the kids had some free time while I took care of some housework.  I feel like it's always a mad dash to see how much I can get done before the baby wakes up.  I got a load of laundry washing, the dishwasher emptied, and then just did some straightening up until 1:45 when my sleeping beauty awoke.

I got her up and gave her a bottle, and then the kids and I had a bit more schoolwork to finish up.  This is them checking on some popcorn seeds that were part of a science experiment.

Daddy left for work around this time, and then it was quiet time/reading time for these two.

While they read, I made myself a cup of hot tea, and then Ashlynn and I folded some laundry.

After quiet time, the kiddos had a snack and watched some tv, and then they headed back upstairs to play legos again.

5:00

Ashlynn and I headed into the kitchen to get started on dinner.  I try to have dinner ready by about 5:45 every night.  Fortunately, baby girl is usually pretty content to hang out with me and watch while I cook.

Dinner that night was Panko Crusted Salmon, rice pilaf, and sauteed spinach.  Yummo.

We got started with the whole bedtime routine as soon as dinner was over.  Baby girl was in bed around 6:45, followed by the big kids.  They know the sooner they get into bed then the more time we will have to read, so ideally this motivates them to pick up toys, straighten up their rooms, and get ready for bed fairly quickly.  I read to them until 8:00, and then it was lights out.

I headed back downstairs to clean up the kitchen, and then I sat down with a glass of red wine and my planner.  I needed to look over our schedule for the rest of the week and respond to a few emails.  

Then I finally got around to doing my quiet time.  In a perfect world, this would have happened first thing in the morning, but it's not and it didn't and sometimes, you just have to make it work.

I headed up to bed, watched some tv and read a little bit more before I called it a night at 11:15.

And that is a regular old uneventful day in the life of us.

february 2017 book review

Woohoo!  It's time for another book review!

This month I read two books, and I really enjoyed them both.

Eve's Daughters

by Lynn Austin

This book told the stories of four women and how they each impacted the next generation.  It makes you think about how what you believe and the choices you make can have such lasting effects.  A beautiful story of God's grace being evident in each of their lives.  This was my first Lynn Austin book to read, but I will definitely be reading more!

Deconstructing Penguins

by Lawrence and Nancy Goldstone

This book went through how to analyze books and play "detective" to find deeper meanings.  It was very eye-opening for me, as I don't typically approach fiction in the way that they suggest.  I learned so many tools that I am excited to put to use with some of the reading that the kids and I are doing.

So that's it!  Another month of reading is "in the books"!

(To read January's Book Review, go here.)