Week in the Life™ 2016 | Wednesday, May 11th | Words + Photos

 Wednesday. Mostly a blur in the evening and flew by so quickly that I don't even remember what we ate for dinner. I didn't write it down. I didn't photograph it. But there were moments that I want to remember and thankfully I did do some documentation. Coffee was had. Routines were off a bit. But it was totally a day with magical moments sprinkled in.

Favorite Moment of the Day : Reading 30 pages out of a joke book (by request) to Brandon, who was up at 6:45A.M., then sent back to bed so I could grab my coffee and soak in a few verses from Colossians. He eventually made his way downstairs at 7:10 A.M. beacause it was "light outside." (insert any appropriate emojis here....also, random thought...in 20 years will we even know or remember the language of "emoji"?...I digress.) ANYWHO. It was such a sweet 20 minutes with Brandon EVEN IF my coffee got cold.

 

This kid decided he would make his own breakfast. While I was hesitant at first, I decided it was totally appropriate- seeing as he mops floors now.

Banana + Leftover Corn Tortilla + 1 piece of Elk Steak + 8 Almonds.

Followed by this messy haired boy joining in for the second course of the morning, YOGURT. 

And as routine would have it, they got in a bit of PBS Kids, while I got in Yoga. This is new for me. My Mom bought me the mat, (as she has been doing Yoga lately) and I decided again, that all excuses were gone. I need moments to breathe + stretch , and while I don't look or feel like a Yoga guru, I think it's helping. Hoping to bump up my "once a week" to 2 or EVEN 3x per week.

30 minutes pass and since Selah was still sleeping I rush to make grilled turkey and cheese sandwiches for lunch. We have a picnic with friends planned and I am behind schedule as per usual. Thankfully I got a text message saying our friends needed a few extra minutes too.

Out and about.  Hello Mountainscape.

Back home to chores for a bit, but the day is just too lovely to not go out again . We found ourselves swinging the afternoon away. 

If every day could be a park day- I know I will miss this one day.

As I mentioned earlier, the evening was a blur. A fuzzy mess of time where boys sat and colored, Selah sat and ate little puff snacks and Joe and I Face-timed with family trying to purchase and coordinate travel plans for the summer. Jet Setting as a family of 5. Super thrilled and thankful that is done and we can move on to other things....like packing for a family of five.  Let the list making commence.

Week in the Life™ 2016 | Tuesday, May 10th | Words + Photos

Messy bun for the win. And for the necessity. And for the convenience.

Breaking the fast with some microwave in a mug "puffy eggs".

Plus 1/2 of a banana, bacon, and frozen raspberries. Quick + Simple.

 Giving black beans a quick rinse before throwing them in the slow cooker. If you don't cook your beans this way you are missing out. 

A quick rough chop of seasonings and dinner prep has begun.

 

Mid prep session, Simon comes in to get help pulling up his sagging pants. 

Officially drinking the second cup of caffeine for the day...this time it's tea.

Boys have their book time / play trains while I go to get Selah Jo up.

GO FISH!

This girlie is still waking up. :)

 Before lunch, I am prepping for our afternoon "Spring cleaning" activity. Washing the walls, baseboards, and magic erasing the WHOLE floor. Do not be fooled. It only happens once a year (or at least, once this year).

Popcorn making for lunch.

Man of the house home to eat said popcorn.

Apple Chicken Sausage, Carrots, Yogurt tubes, popcorn.  

 

I chill on the floor with this girl and she keeps rollin'. 

  Lunch for me: Chocolate PB protein shake.

I notice all the little beads of rain on the window when I take Selah to her room for a nap. Rain is so dreary but I am praying it keeps the fires away this summer!

Just washing up the cooking vessels. I spend a lot of time at the sink.

My view while I take a quick break before the floor and wall scrubbing begins.

 So much dirt, so much fun, so much work, and they earned a bit of money towards new bikes. :)

Getting dinner going. The day has been long and flown by all at the same time.

Fish, Corn Tortillas, Sour Cream, Chipotles in Adobo, Lettuce/Red cabbage mixture, Black beans.

Yay for full bellies and sparkling smiles.

Brandon thought he would earn even more $$$ towards his bike. It's hard sometimes for me to let go of the fact that it probably didn't get mopped exactly the way I would have done it. Easy for me to embrace the fact that it probably wouldn't have gotten done if it were on my "to-do" list.

The night ended with an attempt at "home date night" - where phones are put away and the "to-do" list shoved aside. The soundtrack of the evening ended up being that of crying babies. One ours, and one our neighbors (joining walls). Sometimes, most times when my expectations meet reality, the moment becomes one of irritation rather than thankfulness. Definitely something I need to work on and for sure something I am glad to be made aware of. So that was Tuesday and this is life. Thankful to be living + learning. Yay for a temporary clean floor.

Week in the Life™ 2016 | Monday, May 9th | Words + Photos

It was that time of year again to participate in Week In The Life™ .

This time, instead of sharing each day the week it was actually happening, I wanted to wait a full week and share the corresponding days. Reason number 1 for this: Time. Life is full and it is good, and well, blogging everyday is not my forte.  Just know, that while there were moments of "cleanliness" and "togetherness", there were MANY MORE moments of messiness. After all, what is a documentary project without authenticity? Doesn't mean that I am letting it all hang out. It does mean that I am choosing to be transparent with readers- who are friends-who are strangers-who are family members. So here is a look into Monday.

Monday brought rain and a few moments of quiet reflection on this life I am living.

I drank the very last drops of coffee with hurried sense of what the day might bring-the chores I knew it would bring. 

Monday's are often "recovery" days around here- (but really, I feel like EVERY day is a "recovery" day.)

Lots of piles, lots of scattered things, lots of little pieces from the weekend's fun.

Because it was early, and because it is routine, the boys watched a bit of Curious George and I had my coffee- I decided to sit on the front porch because my weather app said it was "warm", but by the time I had finished, my toes were frozen and the temp had dropped about 10 degrees. Hello Spring.

Piles waiting to be placed in their homes.

Breakfast was quick and had the added bonus of leftover Elk Steak.

Book time for boys, wake time for Selah.

More shots from around here.

 

Breakfast time for the big girl, (now 7 months, soon to be 8)- also, Christmas Jammies for the win.

 I get the boys set up with coloring.

 And while my "pins" on Pinterest show dreams of impeccably organized cabinets- reality holds everything random and multi-colored.

Teething baby nose wiping and bed making.

 Currently reading all the things.

 Today's soundtrack:  Rain.  Boys arguing.  Little Sneezes.  Tinkering keys on the piano.  Rain. 

 God Centered Mom Podcast.  More Rain. Constant, non-stop, never-ending, always-blessing, chatter from Simon.

 

 Joe comes home for lunch. Since it is early, and since it is Monday, he makes a quick meal of nachos.

 In the middle of all the chores, a quick pick-me-up of nail painting is in order.

 Dinner prep in the slow cooker.

 Lunch time for sweet baby up from her nap.

 Quick afternoon errand to pick up chicken and Bai drinks from Sam's Club. Simon falls asleep on the way there (15 minute drive) So we wait in the van for a few minutes.

 Back at home, I start on dinner.

 Kids find ways to play.

 

 Doorbells, Delivery, Dinner, Drumming, Dishes.

 Mother's day roses. Love that pink color! 

I put the babe to bed. Boys go to sleep. Joe stays home to study. I go out for craft night (with a quick detour to the craft store).

 Back at home, the house is quiet and I make some tea, a snack, and do some computer work before heading upstairs to sleep.

My favorite moment of the day was when Brandon told me " Mom, my favorite Scientist is George Washington." I'm so thankful the kid has that word and name in his vocabulary. Never mind the accuracy.