April-ish Goals Update

April marked the start of baseball season.  We only have one child who plays baseball, but it is enough to throw the whole schedule off kilter.  Fortunately, some of the kids' other activities are winding down for the year, so life from 4-9pm is becoming slightly more manageable.

Cooking: Try One New Recipe per Month.  This was a big fail.  Most of April's dinners were about making something that could be eaten by part of the family at 4:30 and again by the rest of the family at 8:45.  It wasn't pretty.  But I am trying harder in May.

 Last weekend I sat down with the latest issues of my magazines, and I pulled out four new recipes to try this week, so I'm feeling all Mission Accomplished for May.

Fitness/Health: Go to the Gym Regularly.  I am having two issues with this goal: not getting to do what I want to when I'm at the gym and just getting there in the first place.

 When the kids were little, I'd drop them in the kiddie care at the gym and go about my business.  Now, the girls have taken the orientation classes and they can use the fitness center (i.e. treadmills, bikes, equipment) with me.  Bobby can't take the orientation until he is ten.  Sometimes, we sign the kids in at the pool and let them swim while Rob and I work out in the fitness center.

These plans don't always go smoothly.  The pool might be closed for lessons, or there's not a class for the younger kids to go to, or (and this one is the worst for me) the fitness center is so full that there's not enough equipment for us all to use.  The last few times I have gone in, all the elliptical machines have been taken.  I am going to have to rethink my workouts.

As for just getting there in the first place, I am resorting to the old trick of scheduling.  I have written it into my calendar.  Going at four o'clock is the perfect time because the kids have had enough time to get home and have a snack, and we're back home with plenty of time to get homework done before dinner.

At Home: Print pictures, put them in albums.  Nothing like a trip to Disney to get me motivated to print pictures!  I even printed pictures from last summer's beach trip.  Now they are all in this photo album.  

I'd like to raise the stakes, though.  Our most recent albums have all been of trips and vacations, which is fantastic, but there aren't any candid, not on vacation pictures in the books.  I'm going to charge the batteries and bring the camera out of hiding this month.

Assorted Fun

So I post, and then two-plus weeks go by!  Such is life in the springtime.  What have we been doing?

 

There were silly pictures before a school dance.

 

And then there were braces for a soon-to-be-13-year-old!

Baby goats in the middle of all of this seems about right.

 (It was the annual fair at the local college.  There were also baby ducks, baby chicks, and a baby Holstein calf that I really, really wanted to bring home with me.)

 

And finally, there was a quick trip to Chicago for Rob and me!

And now we're home for the foreseeable future, and there is plenty to be done around here.

There are half-painted rooms to finish up.  Preferably before we start painting other rooms.

The garden has been completely neglected so far this year.  I'm afraid we've missed the window for planting spinach and broccoli, but that means there's more room for tomatoes! 

This is our first year in seven years that we do not have a dance recital.  I'm a little sad about that; I always enjoyed the recitals.

And it's time to start planning a birthday party for a certain young lady.

I'll be back--in less than two-plus weeks--with a goals update.

Some Things on the List Got Done

*AND* I did accomplish most of the items on my practical list, too!

Five Photos

We've been busy.  We've been hitting,

and pitching,

 and starting,

and finishing!

(and smiling, too!)

Improved

{Big exhale} That's much better.

Boy, Friday was a downer, wasn't it?  I decided that I couldn't wait for the weather to improve to cheer me up, so Caitlin and I went in search of our own cheer.  We had a nice long trip to the grocery store where we bought ice cream and lots of fixin's for sundaes.  I think we all had some ice cream Friday night. 

And Saturday!  Well, I think you could hear everyone in the county tear off their coats, run outside and raise their arms to the sky and shout, "finally!"  A much-needed day of sunshine and warmth.  Oh, it did wonders for the spirit.  I finally made it outside to the garden.  We added in some fresh organic soil and put in some seeds.

Yesterday Bobby participated in the Pinewood Derby regionals.  He did well--even came home with a small trophy.  I think Rob is already planning next year's car.

Tonight is one of those crazy nights--Caitlin has dance from 4:30 to 5:30, and Bobby has baseball practice at 6.  I have a meeting at 7:30.  I'm planning on spaghetti and meatballs.  But as I typed this out, I saw that we don't really have a window of time to sit down and eat together (somehow I was thinking there was more than a half-hour of time between activities--Bobby will be practically jumping out of one car and into another).  I think I'll make the meal early this afternoon, and then serve it in shifts--or I'll bring Bobby's dinner to dance!  We'll just make it up as we go!

This week I'll try to take more pictures of my New York cardigan.  It's still in progress, but now I can see light at the end of the tunnel!

I wish you all a happy Monday!

April (Or, everyone say, "Hi, Mike!")

It was T.S. Eliot who wrote that "April is the cruelest month..."  I know, because I looked it up.  It's the first thought I had when I looked out the window this morning.  Here, have a look out my window:

Not so promising, is it?  The kids have a half-day today. This afternoon, we're going to the movies.

Bobby's baseball schedule has been published, so we're looking at a whole lotta crazy for the next couple of months, because it's not just two ball games a week, it's also dance picture day, dance dress rehearsal day, cub scout field trips, two cub scout meetings that we have to run, spring strings concert, spring chorus concert, et cetera, et cetera.

What's with the "Hi, Mike!"?  He's my brother.  He requested more frequent blog posts.  So there you have it.  I'm all about customer service.

And just because Mike loves the Phillies so much--here's Rob and Cliff Lee on Wednesday night.

Bobby has been pulling teeth like it's his job.  He also just asks us for the money--he can't be bothered by any Tooth Fairy middleman.

Even though the weather looks like winter, the ants know it's spring, because they've resumed their annual assault on my house.  I won't say any more on that topic.  Unless you have any advice--I'll take advice!

And that's a wrap for this week!  I hope you are able to find some signs of spring wherever you are!

Friday Five

Hey, there!  Another week gone by, another three or four quizzes I've had to study for...seriously, my children's schoolwork has been killing me this year.  I don't remember my parents having to be so involved in my daily homework.  They never had to sign my "homework assignment book", they never had to sign a daily reading log.  Frankly, I've had it up to here with the signing for the nightly reading.  It irks me to no end.  But I'm trying to keep this a happy place, so let's just disregard my mini-rant, shall we? 

Let's move on to what may become a weekly series (if only because five pictures and short comments may be all I can manage for the time being): the Friday Five!

1. My new favorite cookbook!  Mad Hungry by Lucinda Scala Quinn.  Eren at This Vintage Chica recommended it.  I borrowed it from the library, and after a couple of successful meals, I went out and bought my own copy.  I am very happy with my purchase.

 2.  The first Christmas hat is done.  The second one will be finished today.  Mittens...are going to take much longer.  At least, my Aran mittens are.  They are a very slow go!

3.  Last weekend, I broke out the beer and brats.  It's one of the things I love about fall.

4.  Because Fair Isle knitting doesn't travel well, and because there are at least three lessons a week that I have to sit through, I needed some portable knitting.  Enter the Christmas lights.  I can make one per lesson.  Hopefully by December, I'll have enough to string together on a small garland.  And the beauty of this is, I can add some each year.

5.  Baseball playoffs are here!  The whole town was already excited, and then Roy Halladay threw a no-hitter on Wednesday night.  People are out of their minds excited now.  It is so much fun.

I wish you a happy weekend filled with fall fun!  See you next week!