Running The Race

Linked: Week 4: Tired

Yawwwwwn. It seems I'm always tired these days. I'm sure part of it is due to having 2 little kids who are still up most nights at one point or another but I've recently learned that a lot of it is due to some health stuff going on with me too. I am not a morning person so I have a really hard time getting out of bed in the morning and this week was particularly hard. What I really wanted to do all day was just stay in bed and read and nap.* So that's what I decided my photo for this week would be.

*I would like to make it clear that I was really only in bed for a matter of about 5 minutes while I took some photos and didn't even get one page of my book read before I needed to get back to the kids.

Be sure to check out how tired everyone else is this week too. :)

Michelle, Heather, Jenn, Rhonda, Tracey, Stacey,Jessica, Amanda, Sarah, Janet, Lesli, Carla, Lena, Rose, Naomi, Tracy, Heidi, Kristin, Veronica

list 56: least favourite smells

1. cigarette smoke

2. gasoline

3. body odour or anything emitted from the body

4. garbage

5. dog poo

6. dead animal (this would be because I grew up on a farm)

7. rotting food

8. burning plastic or rubber

9. strong perfume

10. the smell in an outhouse

11. morning breath

ten on tuesday

1. I currently have 61 items (books, DVDs and CDs) checked out at the library and no fines! I know where 60 of those items are. One is missing and I have looked everywhere for it. It's driving me crazy and I'd really like to keep my fine-free record going right now.

2. I love Valentine's Day decorations. There is something so fun and happy about having hearts hanging up all over the house. I haven't done any decorating yet but I have plans to later this week. In the mean time, I've been pinning ideas like crazy.

3. The other day we were standing in line at the grocery store (for a reallllly long time) right in front of a barrage of rather child-unfriendly magazines (in my opinion anyway) and Silas saw the cover of this Shape magazine and says, "I see London. I see France. I see that girl's underpants." I totally burst out laughing and couldn't stop when Helayna went over there and joined him.

4. Last night I had plans to hang out with a very dear friend of mine and when I arrived at her house she surpised me and said, "We're going for pedicures tonight. My treat." Then she took me out for coffee afterwards too. I can't get over how blessed I am. Seriously.

5. Yesterday Helayna had a letter she wanted to mail and asked if she could walk to the mailbox all by herself. It's about a block away, just around the corner from our house. I told her she could and she was so excited. I asked her if she could reach the mail slot and she told me she was pretty sure she could. She'd been gone a while and I was getting a little bit concerned so I went out on our veranda to look for her. She was walking down the sidewalk holding a small plastic chair in her arms and I said, "Where did you find your chair?", thinking it had blown away somewhere in the wind. She said, "I couldn't reach the mail slot so I came back home to get the chair so I could reach it." Proud Mommy moment for sure.

6. I started another book this weekend. It was a bit hard to follow at first but now I'm really enjoying it. I still can't wrap my mind around how brilliant an author has to be to write a book like that.

7. If you ever have a chance to hang out with 3 of your best girlfriends on a Friday night and are looking for something to do, get yourself a Wii and play Just Dance together. Not only will you get a great workout in from the dancing but also from the laughing (at yourself. the uncoordinated one.) Sorry for hitting you guys so many times with the controller.

8. Last week my friend, Michelle posted something on her blog that stirred something in me that has left me unsettled all week. I've been doing a lot of thinking and praying and trying to figure it all out.

9. Puss in Boots has been hanging out at our house a lot recently. He hasn't even seen the movie but that doesn't stop him from pretending to be Puss every. single. day. (And the costume is 100% his idea.)

10. I read these words a few weeks ago and it was like God opened my eyes and I am finally giving myself permission to embrace who I am instead of trying to fight it. For most of my life it's been drilled into me that crying means I'm weak, "too sensitive", and overly emotional. I'm so glad God made me to be who I am and that He loves me for it no matter what anyone else tells me.

 

keeping up the count

1820. her own message on the fridge, spelled all by herself, "I am going to count to 4."

1821. snacks after school

1822. warm clothes

1823. watching her play school

1824. neighbours (the best!) who let me borrow their vehicle when our van won't start

1825. reading together as a family

1826. a long, hot bath to warm up

1827. a great visit again with Kim

1828. starting a new book

1829. letting them paint

1830. a hot bath after dinner

1831. lego everywhere

1832. how particular my boy is

1833. girls night out, Just Dance on the Wii and the hot tub

1834. the last Friday of Kindergarten

1835. a John Deere poster in the mail from Gramma

1836. the different ways they paint

1837. taking them to a movie

1838. someone boosting our van for us

1839. reading her chapter books

1840. that He is always right here with me

1841. the sun shining, warmer temperatures, playing out in the snow

1842. babysitting for friends

1843. coming home to warm, sleepy, snuggly bodies

this moment

{this moment} A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

inspired by Amanda Soule = who usually posts on Friday but this year I'm going to make this a Sunday ritual for me

Linked: Week 3: Breakfast

I eat basically the same thing for breakfast every day. It's gone through a few variations over the years and every once in a while I switch it up but this is my main standby.

Homemade plain yogurt
fruit (which just so happens to be a lot of apples in the winter)
nuts (almonds or walnuts are my favs)
ground flax
hemp seeds
cinnamon

I used to think I wasn't a creature of habit and would bug my husband incessantly about how he likes things to stay the same and I wasn't the least bit like that. Then one day I realized that I had been eating the same thing for breakfast every day for the past year and I had some serious apologizing to do. That year has turned in to at least 5 years, probably more, and I still crave the same thing for breakfast every day.

Food is a pretty important topic in our house and has become even more so for me in the past few months so while I sometimes get bugged for eating so 'healthy' all the time, it is something that I have chosen to do for my own health (which I might blog about in the future).

Our group is growing, so take a few moments to see what everyone else is eating for breakfast this week. I know I can't wait to see!

Jenn, Michelle, Tracey, Stacey, Andrea, Leslie, Kristin, Amanda, Jessica, Sara, Janet, Rhonda, Tracy, Lena, Carla, Rose, Naomi, Amanda, Heather

list 55: favourite things to do when I’m alone

1. surf the internet

2. read a book or magazine

3. watch a movie of my choosing

4. enjoy the quiet

5. exercise

6. eat things my family doesn't like but I do

7. take a nap

8. listen to music without interruption

9. drink something hot, while it is still hot

10. write

11. think and pray

12. garden

this is how it really goes

I thought it might be fun to take a look behind the scenes, so to speak, as to what really goes on in our house when we attempt to take a family photo, like the one I posted yesterday.

Everyone is pretty cooperative so far but Silas doesn't really want to sit still so I tickle him in an attempt to get him to smile and sit somewhat still.

Then Daddy decides it would be funny to smell Silas' feet.

Next Silas grabs the remote, which is what he wanted all along and breaks free from Mommy's grasp. Helayna decides it's the perfect time to make a break for it too.

They both just want to jump on the bed and want me to take photos of them jumping on the bed.

Okay, Silas actually wants to fall backwards mid-jump to add a little excitement to the mix. He bangs his head on Daddy's leg while he falls, which is the reason Mommy has that "ohhhh" look on her face, but isn't deterred, he just thinks it's funny. And of course, anything that Silas does for a laugh, his sister has to do too.

While she's down, Silas, never one to miss an opportunity, decides a wrestling match is in order and sits on his sister's head. Mommy's looking rather concerned here but notice the look on Daddy's face, he's still smiling nicely for the camera.

Daddy finally realizes what's going on and grabs Silas off his sister but in doing so, Silas kicks his sister in the head. Thankfully, she isn't hurt but laughs it off.

Helayna suddenly realizes the spotlight is off her brother and decides to take it for herself, up close and personal.

And there you have it, what really goes on in our house when we attempt a family photo.

a year in photos: month 7 week 2

I'm playing along with my friend, Jenn, documenting a year in photos. You can see all of the assignments I've done here or check out Jenn's here.

Assignment 28: Take a group shot of your immediate family (again).

I was hoping we'd get outside to take this photo but the temperature has dropped drastically this week (hello January!) and I opted to take it inside in our room instead.

You can see the first family photo we did for a year in photos here. I love seeing the differences in us in just 6 short months.

every day

I'm now upwards of 1800 gifts but I'm here to say that there are days where this habit has not gotten any easier. I'm forgetful and self-focused and easily frustrated and some days I can't keep my eyes on Him, I just keep my eyes on myself but as I opened Ann's book today, I was reminded to press on and every day count on, regardless of how hard it is.

I discover that slapping a sloppy brush of thanksgiving over everything in my life leaves me deeply thankful for very few things in my life. A lifetime of sermons on "thanks in all things" and the shelves sagging with books on these things and I testify: life-changing gratitude does not fasten to a life unless nailed through with one very specific nail at a time.
-Ann Voskamp, One Thousand Gifts

1797. Silas repeatedly asking to hold my hand

1798. rainboots and spring jackets in January

1799. that they both actually stayed in bed after we put them to bed

1800. the way he holds on tight to me when I put his boots on

1801. dancing as a family before bed

1802. beautiful ice formations

1803. the dishes done before the kids' bedtime

1804. Jonathan giving them baths

1805. going to bed early

1806. a midday workout and hot shower

1807. letting them play hair salon on Jonathan and me

1808. running into friends at the library

1809. the fun they have with tape

1810. encouragement and reassurance from the naturopath

1811. an evening spent with Karen

1812. seeing Dala live, even better than I expected it would be

1813. a playdate with friends we haven't seen in a while

1814. working out together

1815. extra cuddles from Helayna

1816. watching a very inspiring story

1817. attempting family photos on our bed

1818. baths done before lunch

1819. reading books together and listening to her read to us