7QT: Signs of Life

Hey there, it's been awhile!  These last couple weeks are when I get slammed at work because it's Financial Aid time!!  Also, the return of winter weather is making everyone sick and feel depressed.  So I'll mention some things that are making me happy...

1)

Walking the dog.  Well, when she's not jumping or pulling.  I actually ran a few miles with her yesterday and she was pretty good!  The combo of something else motivating me to get outside and move and soak up some Vitamin D is a good thing.  Phil and I even sneak out for walks with her at night once the babes are sleeping (see #6).

2)

Some shallow stuff...

This chapstick that makes me look a little less like death.  I wear it in Red Dahlia.

This eyebrow pencil that helped fix my last hair removal situation.  I don't even want to talk about it.

Still loving these pants with this tank (it's the perfect length!) and a bright cardigan.

3)

Upstairs laundry and our current laundry system.  

While my parents are renovating the first floor condo, we decided to get our laundry moved from the basement up to our second floor.  It's been life changing.  I used to barely ever do the laundry, I would fold it once it came upstairs, but Phil or JP would be the brave men to go into the scary basement to actually do the laundry.  Once it came up, I would make piles for each person on our living room couches, and the whole house always looked like a mess.  Now I am the launderer once again, and the folder, but I don't even mind because I like the order of it all.  We bought a "bucket" for each kid and as I fold, I put their clothes in their bucket and they can empty it whenever they want into their drawers, but at least on Saturdays.  That way the laundry is constantly up to date and their buckets are organized and nobody sees our dirty clean laundry anymore.  Love.

4)

The promise of Easter.  And Spring.  

Basketball season ended (finally!) and track has started.  The older boys ran their first Spring 5k and Andrew came in 3rd overall!  JP came in 8th and Eamon came in 30th!  So proud of my speedsters.  

5k race times

I am planning for Easter outfits, and got some boys polos in bright Easter eggy colors for so cheap! They already have black pants/gray pants/khakis. Maggie has a hand me down dress from her cousin, and Phil and I will find something in our closet to wear.

5)

Eating healthy during the week and keeping our weekend piggy fests in check.  

After my gestational diabetes was over (which happened at Brendan's birth) I went a wee bit overboard with sweets and carbs.  This Lent, we cut way back on unhealthy food during the week and splurge on Saturday nights and I think maybe this is how normal adults are supposed to eat?  I need to increase my exercise though because it seems that the less I eat, the less I move, and these abs aren't gonna cut themselves.

6)

Having a 14 year old babysitter and capable 12, 10 and 9 year olds too.  I know moms with only little ones in the house are like "Yeah, must be nice" but I was there too for a loooooong time.  Much like the book, We're Going on a Bear Hunt, you can't go over it, you can't go under it, you've got to go through it.  

Once you get to the point of having older kids with little kids, it's like life gets so much easier (and busier and more fun and definitely more crazy).  But easier.  I would never want to go back to the days of only littles...shudder.

7)

Trying to declutter and simplify once again.

This show cracks me up.  It's not quite as funny as my current guilty pleasure, but we enjoy it.  One thing that really has caught my Lenten attention is how much people and relationships matter in this life.  The people left behind on Earth spend their whole time searching for others to be with even though they have literally everything at their fingertips that the world says would make us happy - fancy cars, art masterpieces, gorgeous mansions, tons of cash and stores where you can just take what you need, beach homes with pools and boats, it goes on and on.  But it doesn't make them happy until they find each other.  Lesson learned.  Also, every time they go into a deserted home, it's amazing to see all the stuff we clutter our lives with that just end up as junk left behind on shelves when we die.  I'm going to try to get back to my Christian version of  the KonMari method.  Maybe for this last push in Lent, I can focus more on my peeps and less on my stuff.

Have a wonderful cleaning, preparing,  splurging, Vitamin D soaking kinda weekend everybody!  Go visit Kelly for more Quick Takes :)