7 Quick Takes: The One That’s Nearly a Week Late

Posted on March 19, 2014 by Katy

So, um, oops? I meant to post this last Friday, as usual, but it just didn’t happen. The times I was sans kid-crawling-all-over-me were few, and I just couldn’t spend them this way. Though I doubt I ruined anyone’s Friday, I think there may be a couple people out there who noticed the absence, and I do apologize for my tardiness!

Cassie and I took our respective girls to see Disney on Ice: Princesses and Heroes on Saturday (you know, the Saturday before this was supposed to be posted). Cass and I got more out of the show than the girls, I think, since we grew up on the movies, and the girls are too young to have had much interaction with the characters. They were still entranced, though. Claire danced her way through portions of the show, and Aria sat completely still, trying to soak it all in. I think her favorite parts were Mickey and Minnie, Flounder (she was devastated when he left the rink), and the huge colorful dragon in the Sleeping Beauty sequence…which she thought was a giraffe. We all had a wonderful time. It was a joy to spend hours concentrating on Aria. I was so excited to be able to give her my undivided attention I think I was actually smothering her.
We went to a birthday party for our niece. The party was at a bowling alley, and Aria enjoyed participating a bit in the bowling. She and Emma (her 5-year-old cousin) walked around holding hands a large portion of the time we were there. From there we went to a game night my parents were hosting for our church family. We had a great time there, as well, though I played zero games. I enjoyed floating around, joining conversations here and there, and learning that we have some serious Lord of the Rings nerds in our midst. (This is not a surprise, as we are a church largely comprised of homeschoolers.)
I went to my first MOPs+ meeting of the year (finally!). It’s a gift to be able to spend time with other moms, sharing struggles and insights. This particular meeting focused on marriage, which is something I appreciate right now, because we are in a phase with our kids where it is difficult for us to find time to devote to one another. I appreciated the encouragement to put Andy before myself and the kids. He deserves it.
I got my first Quarterly shipment from Book Riot! I am SO excited about it! Check it out:
Even the packaging is a treat to the senses.

ALL THE GOODIES.
Two books; “Yay! Books!” magnet; Banned Books mug; “Read Everywhere” poster; Short Stories Thursdays USB drive (loaded with short stories); book darts (in the little tin)
Noah turned eight months old on the 9th. He’s an adventurer, my friends. It’s getting harder to get a decent picture of him, because he doesn’t believe in sitting still. He counteracts his constant activity by continuing to be a mama’s boy, which is simultaneously adorable and insanity-making. Here are some more pictures of the kids being generally adorable. Everyone loves more pictures of my kids, right? (Don’t answer that.)
Aria accessorized Noah in that first picture. He’s letting you know what he thinks of it. He is all boy, that one.
Work has been keeping me busy, busy, busy, in a way I love. I am grateful to still be so happy in my job. That I love the work. That I love my coworkers (truly). That I can work from home, with just the right amount of face-to-face time with other adults. Now, if only I made a bit more money, so I could hire out the pesky housecleaning, which is work I do not enjoy, and thus have trouble motivating myself to do.
The Veronica Mars movie was released Friday, so naturally I watched it on Friday. It wasn’t perfect, but it was charming and my only major problem with it was that it didn’t keep going infinitely. When are they going to make another one? Huh? Huh?

7 Quick Takes: The One with Various Hospital Visits

Posted on February 22, 2014 by Katy

Last Saturday was a nice, laidback day, right up until Andy’s dad decided to go and have a mild heart attack in the middle of Menard’s. See, sometimes you have to be flippant about stuff because the other option is too upsetting. He scared us, but he’s doing great now.
Andy stayed home from work Monday and Tuesday because he didn’t feel well. I had a meeting on campus Tuesday, over an hour from home, and on the way home I got a message saying Andy got lightheaded and had heart palpitations and was heading to the ER. I mean, seriously? He’s fine, too. Turns out he’s what the medical community refers to as a “fainter”, and he needed more rest and sustenance in his sick state.
It was a busy, busy week, for reasons scheduled and unscheduled. The kids and I had some type of activity at least a portion of every day this week. That’s almost unheard of these days. This was one of those weeks so full of drama and activity I don’t even know what all to tell you. So, sorry you’re getting this post so late, and that you haven’t heard boo from me for a week. It’s all part of my resting and not striving thing – I didn’t have time to post without it being a stressor, so I didn’t post. When I put it that way, aren’t you proud of me? 😉
Speaking of not posting much and such, that’s going to be more common. I’ll be here, and I’m hoping to post a minimum of twice a week typically, but I’m not going to make any promises and I’m not going to feel guilty if I don’t get my posts up. You can always count on this Friday post (ahem…yes, I know it’s the wee hours of Saturday…). I still have plans for more clean eating posts, and to post about the house as we get things rolling, so I’m not going anywhere. I guess what I’m saying is I’m changing my approach to the blog for the foreseeable future. Again, it’s a reflection of my word/unword. Instead of being hyper-planned, I’m going to roll with life.
Being more relaxed has afforded me increased time to read recently, and that has been lovely. I’m reading a mixture of fiction and nonfiction, as well as the blogs I follow and some magazines. I’ll catch you up at the end of the month in my “what I’m into” post.
So, the best news of this weird, fairly unpleasant week is pretty huge news to me – Nickel Creek added a concert date very near my home, and I am going. Just over two months until I get to join my siblings in very good seats to listen to my very favorite band play music together. I. AM. SO. EXCITED.
Aria is the sweetest kid. I’m telling you. Yesterday she thanked me for cleaning her rear end when I changed her diaper. Today she behaved so beautifully at a funeral the kids and I attended. She has been sharing her toys, unsolicited, with her brother. I enjoy her sweet, joyful personality so much. This week we had to move Noah out of his cosleeper, because he displayed the ability to climb out of it. I’m trying to teach him to sleep in a pack ‘n play at the foot of our bed, and it’s starting to stick a little. He’s sleeping there right now, though whenever he next wakes to feed he’ll probably move into our bed for the remainder of the night. But, hey, progress! Because a few nights ago he would wake up and scream bloody murder the second his body hit the mattress. He has a strong will and a decided opinion about, well, everything. (If you are grinning to yourself and thinking you don’t really feel sorry for me because that sounds familiar – I don’t blame you.) He’s also friendly and extremely quick to smile. Both of our children are beautiful blessings.

What I’m Into {January 2014 Edition}

Posted on January 31, 2014 by Katy

This is my first time participating in Leigh Kramer’s monthly “What I’m Into” linkup. I’m excited! I love this sort of thing. Hopefully some of you gentle readers do, as well. (Speaking of what I’m into…when I typed “gentle readers” my mind went to a specific Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode. Can you go there, too? Oh, I hope so, because that means you lead a happy life.)

What I’m Reading

I’ve been sick so much, and subsequently so busy when I’m well, that I haven’t gotten much reading done. I even missed book club. A Million Little Ways has been my primary read this month, and it is fantastic. It’s been a while since I’ve done much underlining in a book, but this one is getting heavily marked up. It has inspired a lot of thoughts, all milling around waiting for me to have the time to focus properly on each. It’s a book to savor, for sure.

The books most heavily in rotation with the kids this month are Katie Loves the Kittens, a couple I Spy books Aria got for her birthday, Madeline’s Rescue, one of Andy’s Garfield comic strip books Aria found on the bookshelf, and Charlie the Ranch Dog.

What I’m Watching

Downton Abbey AND Sherlock came back this month, so I’m basically in television heaven. I’ve also been rewatching NCIS. I’m up to season nine, which is the last one I own (no, I did not watch nine seasons this month). There are many things to appreciate about this show, but one of my favorite aspects is the subtlety. They don’t spell things out, and they don’t show a lot of the relational situations. Instead, they drop hints – verbal, contextual, and physical – and trust the viewer to follow. It’s refreshing.

Geeking Out

I just learned about this awesome curated box of bookish things you can receive quarterly. I AM SO EXCITED. I only wish I had learned about it before the first box went out, because I want everything in it. Oh, and I also wish I could afford to do this one, too. And that I could gift one to everyone I know.

Around the Web

Emily Freeman is one of my favorite bloggers (she also wrote A Million Little Ways). This post about Choosing the One You Least Expect is moving and inspiring.

I can very much relate to the whole waffling thing Anna discusses in Moms Need More Swagger (also to the idea my mom knew everything with confidence, and to the waiting for that to kick in).

The Kids Are Learning

Aria (two) has started saying “I love you” and “I like you”. The latter is a song from her favorite TV show, “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood”. She has also started singing – more than just mimicking me – beginning with the “I like you” song. She has become extremely polite. It’s cute. She says “thanks” for pretty much everything, is getting quite good at remembering her “pleases”, and (my favorite) says “excuse me” if she needs to pass you. I hear “‘Scuse me, Mommy” a couple dozen times a day. She has also learned to apologize to her brother if she does something mean, or something thoughtless that results in him getting hurt. She’s pretty good about it, but sometimes I feel badly because I’ve heard her saying “Sowwy, Noey” when he cries about something totally unrelated to her. It’s cute, and a little sad, but I think she just doesn’t quite understand it yet. She seems to be basically trying to get him to be quiet. 🙂

Noah (6 months) is starting to play independently on the floor for short periods of time. Yesterday I left him in the Bumbo seat on the living room floor, and when I came back ten minutes later he was hanging out on his belly on the floor. We may be about done with the Bumbo seat. He isn’t crawling yet, but he does push himself up almost onto his knees regularly, and he pulls himself around the room. He got three more teeth in a period of about four days, so he now has a total of five. We started him on solids a couple weeks ago. Thus far he’s eaten avocado, banana, sweet potato fries, roasted carrots, green beans, and homemade chicken fingers. He seems to have enjoyed all of it.

What I’m Pinning

Super Bowl food! We started our clean eating endeavor this month, and I’ve been pinning food like crazy.

Here’s what we think we’re going to try for the Super Bowl:

Buffalo Wings with Dairy-Free Ranch Dressing

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

Spinach Brownies

Texas-Style Cilantro Jalapeno Hummus

7 Quick Takes: The One Where Noah Turns Six Months

Posted on January 10, 2014 by Katy

So, we had this snowstorm on Sunday. And then there were the sub-zero temperatures that followed. I won’t post pictures, because I assume the fact you’re reading this blog means you don’t live under a rock, and that means you’ve already seen pictures. Anyhoo, we had this nasty weather, which was incredibly pretty from the warmth and comfort of our house, and the kids and I just left the house for the first time today. Since Sunday. When all we did was go outside and shovel for a short while in the morning. We’ve been on the edge of nuts. Aria has been whiny and a bit wild, and I’ve been slowly becoming more cranky. As of today we have plans to leave the house for something four days in a row. Woot!
I decided on a reading goal of 75 books this year. That’s right around what I read in 2013. Though, I read more last year than I did in the couple of years previous, so I don’t know how realistic it is. I’ve also joined Goodreads, in addition to Shelfari. I still like Shelfari’s interface better for the most part, but Goodreads has won the market, so I decided I would also go where the people are. It’s not difficult to update my reads on two sites rather than one.
Noah was six months yesterday. Once you have children, you never again catch up to time.
It’s getting a bit harder to take a picture with the pig. He attacked it instantly. (He’s cute, right? That’s not just me?)
We had Noah’s six month check-up today. He is healthy, as usual. His height and weight caught up with his head circumference at the top of the charts. He weighs 20 pounds and is 28 inches long. (Here’s the report from his four month check-up.)
Aria loves her owl wheeled backpack. Recently she’s begun experimenting with new uses.
The ladies at our doctor’s office are wonderful. The nurse, Joy, was happy to weigh and measure Aria at my request. Aria took her baby doll to the doctor’s office, and Joy measured her when she did Noah, and then we put “baby” on the scale before Aria was comfortable getting on. Aria was excited to go today. She kept talking about it, and when Joy called for Noah, Aria hopped right up and followed her back with no concern for my presence. That’s very rare. Aria is 30 pounds and 36 inches tall. Y’all. I’m only 64 inches tall.
We decided not to trade rooms with Aria right now. When I measured for furniture we weren’t thrilled with the fit. For that and a few other reasons we decided to try putting Noah’s crib in with Aria’s first. It’s been there about a week now, but Noah hasn’t slept in it much. Aria really wants him in the room with her. She talks about it and asks for him, and the one time thus far we did her bedtime story while he slept in his crib she whispered the entire time. It was sweet. We haven’t put him in there much yet because he wakes up as soon as we lay him down. He’s not used to that much space, so he rolls right onto his stomach and can’t get back, and then he gets fussed up and nap time is over. We’re easing into it, but it may take a few more weeks, until he has a bit more consistent control of his own body.
Did I mention my favorite group won The Sing-Off? The finale aired two days before Christmas, so it might have gotten lost in the shuffle. I was in such suspense waiting for the announcement. I get way too involved. My heart was pounding. I backed it up and rewatched their reactions twice. And now I’m excited for them to release an album and go on tour.

Plumfield Dreams

Musings of a Learning Mommy

Tag Archives: Reading