tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-59373038707584559642024-03-19T04:48:33.007-04:00Martin Family MomentsColleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11451797365712728579noreply@blogger.comBlogger2365125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5937303870758455964.post-75106556363706900542024-03-15T06:00:00.015-04:002024-03-15T08:16:28.607-04:00Week in Review: Home is Where the Hearts Are<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Friday evening made this mama's heart so happy. </div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR3tm9v4vd6iNN2HwUUAG3V70Uqpbdbhgt28lpIVNeL8RghLKAdcYuUV9flDYlNPA6HaP2WkfLS4nFQY0pbs3pQrNzLQuYSqwGxjmWgylsWtAHC-swZVDmCN6DdBNYq6pMVoOoAfDYcYv5oqLech4E6x_iNBAiwjAYlnyhLlbtTHTxPWJc98B-UWT1xwLw/s4032/B4BEEAE7-A434-4528-96A7-AAC05186F129.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR3tm9v4vd6iNN2HwUUAG3V70Uqpbdbhgt28lpIVNeL8RghLKAdcYuUV9flDYlNPA6HaP2WkfLS4nFQY0pbs3pQrNzLQuYSqwGxjmWgylsWtAHC-swZVDmCN6DdBNYq6pMVoOoAfDYcYv5oqLech4E6x_iNBAiwjAYlnyhLlbtTHTxPWJc98B-UWT1xwLw/w640-h480/B4BEEAE7-A434-4528-96A7-AAC05186F129.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">JP and Andrew and Grace, JP's girlfriend, flew in from Pittsburgh and the other girlfriends came over for pizza and then we piled in Vanna White to go to Stations of the Cross at our church, and then back home for games and a movie. That electronic version of <a href="https://amzn.to/4a9tHWO" target="_blank">Catchphrase</a> gets a lot of use around here. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Maggie complained that she was the lonely lass because she is not dating yet...but having such sweet girlfriends (maybe potential sisters-in-law) has been what she has always wanted. I have to admit that the balance of estrogen to our testoster-home was a nice addition. And my boys sure know how to pick them :) Lovely ladies!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Lucy got a DIY bath at our local pet store with our eager helper, Declan. Guys, when people say young kids shouldn't have chores, they must not know young kids. They love to help until puberty kicks in, from my experience.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6FFDvZk7OF-lhL1eI0RsxHrOMgsCmG2fN2dJxsOYilHjtmesDG4J0cTZUDPP6FGVq9gpY7xbMa7RIIuD_ulPNkZAUK-Y8VlBlzuygoCuphfpEjJjkpfFWhT6ng2TwJ56cutkeRPOyZoZBtA6ZdZ8d7-gjyE3v-_rSSCJkDW3C8VjPCGHekVchTO9cPGSO/s480/ED4C3E0E-18C8-4FB2-926D-3A5A64E39957.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="480" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6FFDvZk7OF-lhL1eI0RsxHrOMgsCmG2fN2dJxsOYilHjtmesDG4J0cTZUDPP6FGVq9gpY7xbMa7RIIuD_ulPNkZAUK-Y8VlBlzuygoCuphfpEjJjkpfFWhT6ng2TwJ56cutkeRPOyZoZBtA6ZdZ8d7-gjyE3v-_rSSCJkDW3C8VjPCGHekVchTO9cPGSO/w640-h480/ED4C3E0E-18C8-4FB2-926D-3A5A64E39957.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">On Saturday, after basketball practice and swim lessons, JP and Grace took the littles to see Kung Fu Panda 4 in the theater:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkyWyjqtOVycgQPAs4JBxzSa8Hp0JcafOo7lr8j6iSmA-7v_3rVYP8MkvZuY3cLu4B0LlroOH8lXilIbrLylG5VpxyIQV1Bxea6sp5jc30mfvph_tL8EUZ-5Sf5zvfz8zfz6ez9od7rVaGG111g1Z5INEDCcxFglnoudGxGqqovim7o_SYEerGxJGLM-x0/s4032/1B40B16E-424E-42CB-B3A6-8A9B15975FF8.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkyWyjqtOVycgQPAs4JBxzSa8Hp0JcafOo7lr8j6iSmA-7v_3rVYP8MkvZuY3cLu4B0LlroOH8lXilIbrLylG5VpxyIQV1Bxea6sp5jc30mfvph_tL8EUZ-5Sf5zvfz8zfz6ez9od7rVaGG111g1Z5INEDCcxFglnoudGxGqqovim7o_SYEerGxJGLM-x0/w480-h640/1B40B16E-424E-42CB-B3A6-8A9B15975FF8.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Andrew attended and cheered at Darian's volleyball tournament for 9 hours!! It must be love:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLiabzPXcTvrlZKGqSyIHoRI0bgUePGf3oME4YO4UcXqJOPIjnfc_vL82lwfoKhyphenhyphen5whk_FhE6ZBgG5F1W_LCxW_JFedBMxPOL6WMPn7VHBe6otgxM7aB5Ttb7ziDjS2V51ZZTSUTYqtkKi-XhwTvPasVYDAENb9BedMQhGrKLOd-Wt4tEyfSMQE8L7pZgP/s670/DBDAD4B8-2DD3-4090-9AF2-AC0DA5355E0B.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="670" data-original-width="495" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLiabzPXcTvrlZKGqSyIHoRI0bgUePGf3oME4YO4UcXqJOPIjnfc_vL82lwfoKhyphenhyphen5whk_FhE6ZBgG5F1W_LCxW_JFedBMxPOL6WMPn7VHBe6otgxM7aB5Ttb7ziDjS2V51ZZTSUTYqtkKi-XhwTvPasVYDAENb9BedMQhGrKLOd-Wt4tEyfSMQE8L7pZgP/w472-h640/DBDAD4B8-2DD3-4090-9AF2-AC0DA5355E0B.jpeg" width="472" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">After the vigil Mass, Phil and I took JP and Grace out to dinner:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj31_NPYTUgeUjvCUybYzOdBDfEtqKMx1KinVEuaiYYQbht7LEHZ_TZRgfkQztOYtcnqtHCgABdZfD5kskXYBl-Pmt-iJAQauz3r9X0OCfiz3WNov-A_lLGmbhDEIKx2v9ZRsYebaaej780EPa9aoSbh7OaysUcpKfYAhJh8DOMryvDxy6NpzDYuxqPOrZd/s4032/6CB4FCD7-C5B2-42EE-B7A4-A89C805FD376.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj31_NPYTUgeUjvCUybYzOdBDfEtqKMx1KinVEuaiYYQbht7LEHZ_TZRgfkQztOYtcnqtHCgABdZfD5kskXYBl-Pmt-iJAQauz3r9X0OCfiz3WNov-A_lLGmbhDEIKx2v9ZRsYebaaej780EPa9aoSbh7OaysUcpKfYAhJh8DOMryvDxy6NpzDYuxqPOrZd/w480-h640/6CB4FCD7-C5B2-42EE-B7A4-A89C805FD376.jpeg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The restaurant is located in an old historic home from 1792.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We sat outside in a heated igloo!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh64UgCq7FKEivOiCpVaQk2ELgVcJikb1xQGOBV4B0phV3VVOxT0smRAu2n4Ya-BiUH5l73Db2Sj0CjBRNvmOuGwb0UwGelyxDUt1BrG6LdvsKYnSI3M66Eg0WNLPi2tXy_TdejrmUY274oedlHTzyONRbvuSNnAGKSx2oqLmWb5_ZCyNjp12jR63Q8SX9W/s4032/E5047E28-8AAA-489D-9DDF-2574539AF51B.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh64UgCq7FKEivOiCpVaQk2ELgVcJikb1xQGOBV4B0phV3VVOxT0smRAu2n4Ya-BiUH5l73Db2Sj0CjBRNvmOuGwb0UwGelyxDUt1BrG6LdvsKYnSI3M66Eg0WNLPi2tXy_TdejrmUY274oedlHTzyONRbvuSNnAGKSx2oqLmWb5_ZCyNjp12jR63Q8SX9W/w640-h480/E5047E28-8AAA-489D-9DDF-2574539AF51B.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I had conjunctivitis this weekend, so excuse my gross eye please.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Don't worry, I made pulled pork sandwiches for the others left behind, and honestly the food at the restaurant was very expensive for such small portions that we won't go back. You live you learn!<span><a name='more'></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">On Sunday, Phil and I took Maggie to her volleyball tournament in Quincy, MA. She was supposed to be there at 8am so we left at 7am which felt like 6am due to the time change. No bueno. Her team only won one game but volleyball is exciting and fun at least. We drove back home, arriving around 1:30pm and cooked a big dinner for fifteen by 3. It was the belated birthday dinner that JP and I ask for each year - Chicken Cordon Bleu. We had my parents and some priests attend, including one from Ireland that was staying at our parish for the Lenten Mission.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH0ARs1D5xOR7nwpV282J_t2axH4Dbbre2BCgUgMlLtJGsmjKvDcxO-CEVCoTkrCQW3FxUsDyFg7d12dDg8ccGPIdaIXE1N4BTO_dSgjWpHGGMfv1uIL-n0D7gbX3ZECpfdEiCn636anvab-X1CcfcvgRx7_c0iL5nKna4MdWQbsVnL7LjQNADKxU6RepQ/s4032/B1486927-5CA1-4573-926A-6FA67DAAE7EF.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH0ARs1D5xOR7nwpV282J_t2axH4Dbbre2BCgUgMlLtJGsmjKvDcxO-CEVCoTkrCQW3FxUsDyFg7d12dDg8ccGPIdaIXE1N4BTO_dSgjWpHGGMfv1uIL-n0D7gbX3ZECpfdEiCn636anvab-X1CcfcvgRx7_c0iL5nKna4MdWQbsVnL7LjQNADKxU6RepQ/w480-h640/B1486927-5CA1-4573-926A-6FA67DAAE7EF.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1cqxtwnCH4oNegpbD_KNg-y5gXXDLAfHyZ4basrlOe1tYkD8S9_-P3Vrm1OQzdK1VgWPC9vqHrTjORB2UjPHCIiDK3SfTgGQrJjnevm1NA6lgieAFQVf5_7HEylN7QHUfffKE5druaOE_hSAyeLU0YNQ3O7_Bgnqree3JtvbuuksB4PZH-rFvzS6qquxE/s4032/C59E7612-9543-4830-B5FF-1750E2CDF814.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1cqxtwnCH4oNegpbD_KNg-y5gXXDLAfHyZ4basrlOe1tYkD8S9_-P3Vrm1OQzdK1VgWPC9vqHrTjORB2UjPHCIiDK3SfTgGQrJjnevm1NA6lgieAFQVf5_7HEylN7QHUfffKE5druaOE_hSAyeLU0YNQ3O7_Bgnqree3JtvbuuksB4PZH-rFvzS6qquxE/w640-h480/C59E7612-9543-4830-B5FF-1750E2CDF814.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Apps in the Living Room</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidn94M6KvVHvR9bydeAtk-DMEozlOIP2fq2ghtHdoLSDoGWjNDPv7w4Jqib9lXxb3dVJBhsUv6l7HtY_Zfn_kx3tDIQh9sLvxKuEi5_3FcYKGoMU8U18navsBd2PuEqRDvQBYcu2dEcRcI9OOc6WkSg3oJ7bVMKAvjhyphenhyphenzJYndnzcnUKifz2RvS-frginv4/s4032/F27C7CFD-B844-4AAD-8C56-D493B42B84C5.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidn94M6KvVHvR9bydeAtk-DMEozlOIP2fq2ghtHdoLSDoGWjNDPv7w4Jqib9lXxb3dVJBhsUv6l7HtY_Zfn_kx3tDIQh9sLvxKuEi5_3FcYKGoMU8U18navsBd2PuEqRDvQBYcu2dEcRcI9OOc6WkSg3oJ7bVMKAvjhyphenhyphenzJYndnzcnUKifz2RvS-frginv4/w640-h480/F27C7CFD-B844-4AAD-8C56-D493B42B84C5.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">On Monday, JP and Grace headed up on the train to explore Boston:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU5cqkoo8BbSBKV4jnTDg9No1KqznVWSv0xZiz6KXg8ol_HdGATi7fevKlhsBD3es2931q-VV2uuFBNWB8caKzdI11wkkLzNyX1Fp2f5VxT7eDXhKLkxS1exK4OeD3IdOcbjWXOus4W5W7VsoTr4aul8MNLKHvz_rRnc6MCFAEFTzP8_SyfPYKTU05MhaU/s4032/09ABFF2D-C604-48BD-8969-386928DF994E.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU5cqkoo8BbSBKV4jnTDg9No1KqznVWSv0xZiz6KXg8ol_HdGATi7fevKlhsBD3es2931q-VV2uuFBNWB8caKzdI11wkkLzNyX1Fp2f5VxT7eDXhKLkxS1exK4OeD3IdOcbjWXOus4W5W7VsoTr4aul8MNLKHvz_rRnc6MCFAEFTzP8_SyfPYKTU05MhaU/w480-h640/09ABFF2D-C604-48BD-8969-386928DF994E.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSbekP970KBV-tXgm0-eCmOTjYORaquvpWRppoh5gv_JerR9s9eXM0TSRi-l_hmZ0vN1oMEriwkCqMc_qeKl0iermVmNKco7c6Mb3Kqhfv9DdYN4LN9ZDLIwmbYDUN27OFk7r09FKt44f4oPrMYGSXJXpkdFmX3UE-saQUkdi4jr6PBpOKDDLMHU4q144q/s4032/1AF6BFD0-D743-468C-A7F8-BC7BC2F928F7.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSbekP970KBV-tXgm0-eCmOTjYORaquvpWRppoh5gv_JerR9s9eXM0TSRi-l_hmZ0vN1oMEriwkCqMc_qeKl0iermVmNKco7c6Mb3Kqhfv9DdYN4LN9ZDLIwmbYDUN27OFk7r09FKt44f4oPrMYGSXJXpkdFmX3UE-saQUkdi4jr6PBpOKDDLMHU4q144q/w480-h640/1AF6BFD0-D743-468C-A7F8-BC7BC2F928F7.jpeg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When in Boston, go to Mike's Pastry :)</td></tr></tbody></table></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Phil, Eamon and I attended our parish's Lenten Mission on two out of the three nights, which was good for our souls. Andrew and Darian took Declan to a CYO game one of those nights for us:</div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxr5ixT2NkEoFSPEsR2KosfonKUcRxHOVoMAclL25kv2NfR5RXkGE10KsOyqQRmb4v_qewSU2agTf3V0q7FN_pMgnhtsi6lFXq9L1cOL06QrNb0bUBLkaxRX8y0rL9NICM9gY7UQBCm09afQpRvuem1MADuxUeEowBO53EMmFOXS0E0ulqsggty1aPqmXb/s4032/71D3791F-1004-4D9E-B414-FEDC160CE617.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxr5ixT2NkEoFSPEsR2KosfonKUcRxHOVoMAclL25kv2NfR5RXkGE10KsOyqQRmb4v_qewSU2agTf3V0q7FN_pMgnhtsi6lFXq9L1cOL06QrNb0bUBLkaxRX8y0rL9NICM9gY7UQBCm09afQpRvuem1MADuxUeEowBO53EMmFOXS0E0ulqsggty1aPqmXb/w480-h640/71D3791F-1004-4D9E-B414-FEDC160CE617.jpeg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They lost, as usual. But Declan got to shoot a foul shot, which he has "always" wanted to do.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Grace headed back to her home in Maryland and left us with a very nice thank you note and gift of Irish chocolates that we are saving for Sunday!! I haven't decided if I'll share yet.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiItCR8BcOqoa2r8B0mOOEEMAi3YQy-aHnGAvbZbLxj8-Pp9-zaXjhl0ic-oY-cHi64Ksqq4UfMa9ew417SLtu1gNd5l6r9jDH03NS-TUESP1xejhQMCi5Fn1byHeTcQI55vdK6vBIhXfxG3y7o8DStlalxO17wLGzGFYtXZaYalSK05xqMJ4MWA-MfE4XC/s4032/C585CD17-B789-436F-AA6C-007416B97AF6.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiItCR8BcOqoa2r8B0mOOEEMAi3YQy-aHnGAvbZbLxj8-Pp9-zaXjhl0ic-oY-cHi64Ksqq4UfMa9ew417SLtu1gNd5l6r9jDH03NS-TUESP1xejhQMCi5Fn1byHeTcQI55vdK6vBIhXfxG3y7o8DStlalxO17wLGzGFYtXZaYalSK05xqMJ4MWA-MfE4XC/w480-h640/C585CD17-B789-436F-AA6C-007416B97AF6.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Daffodils are starting to bloom and all seems right in the world:</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT0nPt2X0QZd2OaMYOC6zMoOAp4IXWy9YwZaeBaipUUUlBWALwLgbqeMUidibXDFiHNgHOwGe71GPnTbiLaZU-_gCUrM6B1HFChzIEu8pX1YAEdOKf9MgVsoe9Cq64laxVz7_laTQQwQnfhnov42oeKX5oLOupV6hQZBbf9citg9Q9UzWzdhWDY3SpFX1P/s3204/D42FA35A-3DF6-486A-BCD2-31E2FCA2FB3A.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3204" data-original-width="3022" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT0nPt2X0QZd2OaMYOC6zMoOAp4IXWy9YwZaeBaipUUUlBWALwLgbqeMUidibXDFiHNgHOwGe71GPnTbiLaZU-_gCUrM6B1HFChzIEu8pX1YAEdOKf9MgVsoe9Cq64laxVz7_laTQQwQnfhnov42oeKX5oLOupV6hQZBbf9citg9Q9UzWzdhWDY3SpFX1P/w604-h640/D42FA35A-3DF6-486A-BCD2-31E2FCA2FB3A.jpeg" width="604" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">My favorite girl leaves these on my phone all the time, so she must want me to post them ;)</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIaFQQWzahLxyWWPknrJ2emGtYjY_-KP5kn7Jg6karr5I0xtGzyTmlLPIKDst4rP5dD2dMC5gUcr2D3xkwwTUnfwQ3Ob9oSmwbZz1UpGegZMDC0utKgZ4frdj3Y4n9v3DG9_v-WhXKeJ7C9sJUAC1tHuwBYR1nKO5UFCvL8UNd5z07p3ECd9D30nbbr214/s3088/E175E006-AFCB-4B89-BE9C-832F07C27EB6.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIaFQQWzahLxyWWPknrJ2emGtYjY_-KP5kn7Jg6karr5I0xtGzyTmlLPIKDst4rP5dD2dMC5gUcr2D3xkwwTUnfwQ3Ob9oSmwbZz1UpGegZMDC0utKgZ4frdj3Y4n9v3DG9_v-WhXKeJ7C9sJUAC1tHuwBYR1nKO5UFCvL8UNd5z07p3ECd9D30nbbr214/w480-h640/E175E006-AFCB-4B89-BE9C-832F07C27EB6.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Here's a better photo of Maggie with her awesome friend, also Maggie:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirBCPBtnKKxN1jQe4xpMNYnB6IBINlPZcbFu4CvbSSXnxm3UgYzTCnA_Fcy_Y8qGX443whXvd_GJqbL3Y4k10wmU-XVB1yBXFNLw33NJbhONl3czh6Ri9tOWbMyHsDXT3zRGG9eH7IuiLWm6rLI0178g72RnjCKnAJIGepTcKSVFKiQt7dII3_rkt14YjZ/s2567/F39D0FCB-B7A5-4524-A2E5-8FE42AB70741.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2567" data-original-width="1774" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirBCPBtnKKxN1jQe4xpMNYnB6IBINlPZcbFu4CvbSSXnxm3UgYzTCnA_Fcy_Y8qGX443whXvd_GJqbL3Y4k10wmU-XVB1yBXFNLw33NJbhONl3czh6Ri9tOWbMyHsDXT3zRGG9eH7IuiLWm6rLI0178g72RnjCKnAJIGepTcKSVFKiQt7dII3_rkt14YjZ/w442-h640/F39D0FCB-B7A5-4524-A2E5-8FE42AB70741.jpeg" width="442" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">They attended a retreat on Wednesday on the Cape for Catholic Athletes for Christ. Eamon was there too (third from right, back row):</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUWQGvnINgzE_zOxLgRcVUPWjyD8dt89tDWn_bgAOxe30eB9DP47y_NM5dwaD9p0WZoGtb1AGYDmDJ7M9ktMHb4d4PH3WgIwB1MLhpo-KaSiUPZtd-LS3i6qqqfL8lNfv5Olf2wnetFOGBXTHqhkXaVyVnEX3p-oTzdJ8zGYlSVyz4BjTo5dtBeilJof7F/s3312/FAE69F12-3DAA-4529-B360-C086C6657B4C.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2330" data-original-width="3312" height="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUWQGvnINgzE_zOxLgRcVUPWjyD8dt89tDWn_bgAOxe30eB9DP47y_NM5dwaD9p0WZoGtb1AGYDmDJ7M9ktMHb4d4PH3WgIwB1MLhpo-KaSiUPZtd-LS3i6qqqfL8lNfv5Olf2wnetFOGBXTHqhkXaVyVnEX3p-oTzdJ8zGYlSVyz4BjTo5dtBeilJof7F/w640-h450/FAE69F12-3DAA-4529-B360-C086C6657B4C.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This was an easy throw-things-together-kinda-lunch as we didn't have time to make a big batch of soup this weekend:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO_erksLeTuvFMsSBnnI6b7e-Lsobm3ZG_FMYQoO39eZiNSMD9I712_TvD1JrGrUAT5VkOaNWQTIyJXFY3CamK9vBMiU33fV1C79DEsiV2qLHiozqr7uruODDl59fdM4vFVpJQx9OkpqTCVbmmmX30ggUWpIRjGgu8adPrByWWu2rJ7lf7n0eDeQmp6Yrt/s4032/0B2DFD24-75B3-4C93-B333-E0C8500BA623.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO_erksLeTuvFMsSBnnI6b7e-Lsobm3ZG_FMYQoO39eZiNSMD9I712_TvD1JrGrUAT5VkOaNWQTIyJXFY3CamK9vBMiU33fV1C79DEsiV2qLHiozqr7uruODDl59fdM4vFVpJQx9OkpqTCVbmmmX30ggUWpIRjGgu8adPrByWWu2rJ7lf7n0eDeQmp6Yrt/w480-h640/0B2DFD24-75B3-4C93-B333-E0C8500BA623.jpeg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I dislike turkey, but those turkey sausage sticks from Aldi's are yummo. And dipping the fruit into vanilla greek yogurt felt so fancy.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A coworker asked me if I had ever seen this video, which I hadn't and thought it would be a nice little moodsetter for St. Patrick's Day:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mOO5qRjVFLw?si=TtBvI1neWnIdAZu6" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">You better believe that led me down a rabbit hole of playing all of the other Piano Guys songs on Apple Music while I work. Some people are just SO talented that it makes my eyes leak. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Maggie and her bestie MG made this wee ditty:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EeGg2AfZTec" width="320" youtube-src-id="EeGg2AfZTec"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Have a wonderful weekend celebrating St. Patty, and remember:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_A9T2n2NU8nN_fUOOKUyrL94RFnguFwYXbx-gfUkUeovYDj-SFMKkhMNrnG-UCt_XLPzLGp5MHjqnLd_SPQHROvjX_Z7ZfCMI7jBMh4M1RCJxHLVEhyphenhyphenV1BG7S__wSl-1qatosHSHB9WleXD4SKRZqFYSZCs51gFyS_vzmxOMzIlfz0NEGQoYcvrMlf12-/s576/bb96a7546691ac8269f5edebff6b4f6c.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="419" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_A9T2n2NU8nN_fUOOKUyrL94RFnguFwYXbx-gfUkUeovYDj-SFMKkhMNrnG-UCt_XLPzLGp5MHjqnLd_SPQHROvjX_Z7ZfCMI7jBMh4M1RCJxHLVEhyphenhyphenV1BG7S__wSl-1qatosHSHB9WleXD4SKRZqFYSZCs51gFyS_vzmxOMzIlfz0NEGQoYcvrMlf12-/w466-h640/bb96a7546691ac8269f5edebff6b4f6c.jpg" width="466" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Slainte!!</span></b></div><p></p>Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11451797365712728579noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5937303870758455964.post-69159676391960418602024-03-13T06:00:00.004-04:002024-03-13T09:24:56.700-04:00Wednesday Workout Wrapup: With a Side of Fitness Trackers - Friend or Foe?<p style="text-align: center;">Let's talk about fitness trackers and daily goals when it comes to working out. </p><p style="text-align: center;">When I wore a <a href="https://amzn.to/3wTSBLW" target="_blank">Fitbit</a>, I would have a daily Step Goal.</p><p style="text-align: center;">With my <a href="https://amzn.to/4cd1PCT" target="_blank">Apple Watch</a>, I have a daily Move Goal (Calories burned while exercising).</p><p style="text-align: center;">With a step goal OR a calorie burned goal, I feel like I am always inclined to do a cardio session, like running, in order to reach my goal for the day. I basically burn 100 calories or take 2000 steps for every mile ran, so even a 5 mile run would allow me to hit my daily goal very easily. Running those five miles plus walking the dog or just living life for the rest of the day would bring me to my daily goal.</p><p style="text-align: center;">However, when I research exercise and nutrition in my spare time, I am always left to believe that incorporating weight lifting is the better option in the long run. It builds muscle, which increases metabolic rate which allows you to burn more calories at rest. It strengthens our bodies to do daily tasks. It helps prevent osteoporosis by building strong bones. It makes us appear leaner, as muscle takes up less bulk than fat on our body. And on and on. Plus, I kind of like lifting weights at 6am when I'm still waking up, whereas running that early requires a lot more motivation.</p><p style="text-align: center;">The annoying hangup for me is that I can complete a 45 minute weight-lifting program, like EPIC III and see such little calories burned and so few steps taken:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKVLjZOZ81rt3lqHx6Gyk6FgS2khQU0MyyAXUqbcP1pvsvrB8m-1oC62js_UJjI-dQogFjYdodhgZAwJovsyoAhT1AIXqAcP5ALkcHu9PH9JMlT8p3o30zP1Clsm2DszlHv4B5q3ywO5yZkjqmeTVMzVDH2wG2F1hiPkNIaFynZ8PxtRZQ26J2PB8beHH8/s1941/308C3EC9-6D43-4B59-99B4-D89AFA27AF07.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1941" data-original-width="1170" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKVLjZOZ81rt3lqHx6Gyk6FgS2khQU0MyyAXUqbcP1pvsvrB8m-1oC62js_UJjI-dQogFjYdodhgZAwJovsyoAhT1AIXqAcP5ALkcHu9PH9JMlT8p3o30zP1Clsm2DszlHv4B5q3ywO5yZkjqmeTVMzVDH2wG2F1hiPkNIaFynZ8PxtRZQ26J2PB8beHH8/w386-h640/308C3EC9-6D43-4B59-99B4-D89AFA27AF07.jpeg" width="386" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">If I ran for 45 minutes at a ten minute pace, I would burn at least 450 calories and have taken 9000 steps. One of the workouts only had me burn 90 calories! For 45 minutes of work! I understand that I burn more calories at the day goes on with the weight training, but in order to hit my Move Goal or Step Goal, I also seem to need walk a lot of miles in that same day.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">My husband, on the other hand, feels very accomplished doing the same weight lifting program alongside me each morning, and then walking the dog in the evening.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The difference?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">He doesn't wear a fitness tracker.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Is that the secret? To stop tracking via a fitness watch and just work out as normal? To have different daily goals depending on if I'm weightlifting or doing cardio? Truthfully, I get a little anxious just thinking of not wearing a fitness tracker, but I also don't like feeling disappointed in a workout.</div><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>Wednesday, March 6:</b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://youtu.be/sX489tZQLc8?si=az4F9D-ydQMlOK_N" target="_blank">EPIC III - Day 17</a> before work</p><p style="text-align: center;">3 mile walk at lunch</p><p style="text-align: center;">1.75 mile walk with dog in evening</p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>Thursday, March 7:</b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://youtu.be/sh4mQMCt9U4?si=cSb7gTKAZ7NoKDv0" target="_blank">EPIC III - Day 18</a> before work</p><p style="text-align: center;">3 mile run on treadmill at lunch</p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>Friday, March 8:</b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://youtu.be/SkKmgnfzO90?si=m4iggtAk90hTSABv" target="_blank">EPIC III - Day 19</a> before work (I love her full body workouts the best!)</p><p style="text-align: center;">3 mile walk at lunch</p><p style="text-align: center;"> 1 mile walk with dog in evening</p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>Saturday, March 9:</b></p><p style="text-align: center;">6 mile run + 1 mile walk cooldown with dog</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5rp_Rr2dlz3c5BCVk9tJjk4yXMcmaw69hzBAc-je0UFwSmDPRt6k-UitwSdCBKSXXR99-E_3WJpMp6rcpCGl5ooJQNAJTkb0C3N6iH3KzUrYRB9VaDM_xbpNBt5QVJVCBuux1iRGE9kVbzRUlHJH8xFNYfxGIJykI1SLKMUnVMsYJWwDnSvA49Mf2aelX/s2048/F6C9CE81-7886-434D-BBD6-7885FC4879F7.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5rp_Rr2dlz3c5BCVk9tJjk4yXMcmaw69hzBAc-je0UFwSmDPRt6k-UitwSdCBKSXXR99-E_3WJpMp6rcpCGl5ooJQNAJTkb0C3N6iH3KzUrYRB9VaDM_xbpNBt5QVJVCBuux1iRGE9kVbzRUlHJH8xFNYfxGIJykI1SLKMUnVMsYJWwDnSvA49Mf2aelX/w480-h640/F6C9CE81-7886-434D-BBD6-7885FC4879F7.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>Sunday, March 10:</b></p><p style="text-align: center;">Maggie (#21 Outside Hitter) had a Volleyball Tournament from 8-1 so in between games, I walked around the indoor track which overlooked the volleyball courts and took some videos. I guess it was an active rest day :)</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dx5ut7ZWhWlDtqgm5Tr-F7fV_O4xTZEPXmdb327Sl8Si6Q_z-r8XisEyVJaCECkQxg5urPxBTDNJWJZMAsLKw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><b>Monday, March 11:</b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://youtu.be/BfIvU-1K0Uo?si=6mUmAPG-0g-46x_N" target="_blank">EPIC III - Day 21</a> before work</p><p style="text-align: center;">3 mile walk at lunch</p><p style="text-align: center;">2 mile walk with dog</p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>Tuesday, March 12:</b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://youtu.be/VMRp3iWly98?si=E9mmoIMH2wo_rH1N" target="_blank">EPIC III - Day 22</a> before work</p><p style="text-align: center;">3 mile walk at lunch</p><p style="text-align: center;">2 mile walk with dog after work</p>Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11451797365712728579noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5937303870758455964.post-45141438855509866322024-03-11T11:41:00.002-04:002024-03-11T11:41:23.986-04:00Easter Basket Ideas<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzOvZ-jUo0YsyUmn-TEOOFXBbEPOykOBP8Os3Kdg5tSkSadlu86cis1CjpIPmE7bcKAsbPeRHR3AMYUW3zIDxl6tKHzvvmzVIlGu6QX1StiNWW_6DEl_9-eeEITLWyX8RDSJ3srdrJoy7e3IxZozxYKldXuhk13tOsWsMMYt2H-h0YlvJ4OV-OzxSdOUEC/s2000/1.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1545" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzOvZ-jUo0YsyUmn-TEOOFXBbEPOykOBP8Os3Kdg5tSkSadlu86cis1CjpIPmE7bcKAsbPeRHR3AMYUW3zIDxl6tKHzvvmzVIlGu6QX1StiNWW_6DEl_9-eeEITLWyX8RDSJ3srdrJoy7e3IxZozxYKldXuhk13tOsWsMMYt2H-h0YlvJ4OV-OzxSdOUEC/w494-h640/1.png" width="494" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://amzn.to/3IzRkvP" target="_blank">Amazing shaving cream</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://amzn.to/3TpqAVg" target="_blank">My boys fave cologne</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://amzn.to/3TbuKyy" target="_blank">Crocs</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://amzn.to/3ItPvR7" target="_blank">Imitation Airpods</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://amzn.to/3Tbuf7E" target="_blank">Saintly Socks</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://amzn.to/49J3sGT" target="_blank">Flip Flops</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://amzn.to/48ISCiR" target="_blank">Catholic All Year book</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://amzn.to/49NZ6yj" target="_blank">Faith TShirt</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://amzn.to/3PbFHiu" target="_blank">Detangle Brush</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://amzn.to/3PdCBL7" target="_blank">Yankee Candle</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://amzn.to/3T553jn" target="_blank">Jean Skirt</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">My girl's fave <a href="https://amzn.to/3uR4nWQ" target="_blank">body spray</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Bonus: We love our <a href="https://amzn.to/3wHXYgV" target="_blank">Echo Pop</a> (and other <a href="https://amzn.to/3TrMkja" target="_blank">Echo devices</a>) to play music, ask questions, play games, etc.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLp_70BtaDk9cIOJbkLIP1SGC2zHSdHXoxQWNQD82cneeznxKJ_pYjQwphixs3ylucZIYMHFUzgkMpWADGgWjiMKb-c1pxHSDQl_vadAMB94xVtD6TyboEQZgkf2JHRWLZsIP1YbY6AmmTsToCwa3hFyod1lvC9TXSzFPepYMXkTxAM0tCR0qwTMG4NO43/s2000/2.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1545" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLp_70BtaDk9cIOJbkLIP1SGC2zHSdHXoxQWNQD82cneeznxKJ_pYjQwphixs3ylucZIYMHFUzgkMpWADGgWjiMKb-c1pxHSDQl_vadAMB94xVtD6TyboEQZgkf2JHRWLZsIP1YbY6AmmTsToCwa3hFyod1lvC9TXSzFPepYMXkTxAM0tCR0qwTMG4NO43/w494-h640/2.png" width="494" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://amzn.to/3v4qrNE" target="_blank">Funko Pops</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://amzn.to/4a4q5p3" target="_blank">Space Dart Board</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://amzn.to/3v15rr6" target="_blank">Egg Toss game</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://amzn.to/3Pc8a83" target="_blank">History Year by Year</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://amzn.to/3wLHF2L" target="_blank">Lindt Chocolate Carrots</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://amzn.to/49YFO9L" target="_blank">Guess in 10 game</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://amzn.to/3TbYWtB" target="_blank">Easter Egg squishmallow</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://amzn.to/3IzT0p7" target="_blank">The Way Things Work</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://amzn.to/3uUpasy" target="_blank">Dove springtime chocolate assortment</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://amzn.to/491L8YF" target="_blank">Transformer fidgets</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://amzn.to/3wKU8DX" target="_blank">Eggmazing Egg Decorator Kit</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://amzn.to/48LhAht" target="_blank">The Human Body</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Bonus: One of the best Easter gifts we gave our kids years ago was <a href="https://amzn.to/48QeUiG" target="_blank">The Action Bible</a>, if you don't already have it on your bookshelf :)</div><p></p>Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11451797365712728579noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5937303870758455964.post-70708468234840323292024-03-08T06:00:00.035-05:002024-03-08T08:16:57.045-05:00Week in Review: A Tribute to Ordinary Days<p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Only the Good Die Young</span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;">You know how you get little nudges to do something? And then you don't? And then you regret it? </p><p style="text-align: center;">These past two weeks, I have been thinking about <a href="http://www.memoriesoncloverlane.com/" target="_blank">Sarah</a> from the once uber popular Clover Lane blog. I felt like I should send her an email but instead just checked her blog daily to see if there were any updates. Ugh, why didn't I just send the email? I knew she was battling cancer for the second time, and we had emailed and commented faithfully through the past 16 years, so I thought of her as my friend in Ohio that I never met. She had six kids and used to write beautiful reflections on motherhood, realistic and helpful to so many moms who read them. She loved being a stay at home mom, and I am so glad she got to spend all those years with her children because God called her home way too young. I haven't stopped praying for her and her family since I heard the news and I encourage you all to read back through her posts if you get the chance. Rest in peace, sweet Sarah Turner. I hope you now know how much you meant to all of us even when we didn't follow the nudge to tell you.</p><p style="text-align: center;">Sarah used to always write about her family's Ordinary Days, and I feel like that's what these Week in Review posts are for me, so *cheers to the ordinary days* as we never know how many we will get...</p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>Just Act Normal for Once</b></p><p style="text-align: center;">Phil and I were very social last weekend. On Friday we went to Stations and then out to dinner with another couple from church. I dubbed it <i>Stations and Libations</i> and I think churches should jump on this bandwagon :) </p><p style="text-align: center;">Then on Saturday, we hosted a friend of Maggie's family for dinner which was a lot of fun. It's always great to love your kid's friend, and even better when you love their parents too! I usually play hip hop or 90s country music when we're in the kitchen, but I didn't want to scare anyone away so I put on Frank Sinatra music instead. We used our wedding china (shoutout to Laura's post <a href="https://mumsie2five.blogspot.com/2024/03/life-is-short-use-silver.html" target="_blank">"Life is Short, Use the Silver"</a>) and then when everybody arrived for dinner I was like "Ok everybody help yourself, don't be shy, we're not fancy!" and Maggie and Eamon started giggling and Maggie said "Yeah we're not fancy, we just casually listen to this kind of music and use the fancy plates all the time." Busted! Just play it cool guys, c'mon!! Haha!</p><b><div style="text-align: center;"><b>A Smashing Time</b></div></b><p style="text-align: center;">On Tuesday, I went for my annual mammogram after work, and the machine wasn't working properly. Apparently it got a new $200,000 part that morning and was giving the technician a lot of trouble. So after I had been squished and pushed into place multiple times, we had to move to a different room and get squished and pushed some more. The worst part for me is that it hurts my neck. I can handle the other stuff (I did breastfeed seven babies) but turning my neck to the side 90 degrees while pressed up against a plastic screen is the worst part for me. The tech told me that a company is designing a mammogram that you can lay down into, but it uses contrast dye, so if they can figure out a way to do it without the need for dye it will be an amazing alternative. In any case, go get screened regularly no matter the temporary pain. Check yo'self before you wreck yo'self.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1z3k0hACdTjsEqucGhXFy9pesDinVO_VLxd-HqMnvSt7QK9hoqKB0dgiQL-nrS2a1giXfRd7HAGEoI40BVvg7KE2y_mPuiYCAL8rhBvjrr_nxfWyQfGMz2D-OqXffg30dWebGWSJWSQLgLhpy8Dh5PdSNHkibgtGxSXDquHvw9_KV8yFT-mjJCqKyjGIL/s547/breast-cancer-memes-15.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="425" data-original-width="547" height="498" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1z3k0hACdTjsEqucGhXFy9pesDinVO_VLxd-HqMnvSt7QK9hoqKB0dgiQL-nrS2a1giXfRd7HAGEoI40BVvg7KE2y_mPuiYCAL8rhBvjrr_nxfWyQfGMz2D-OqXffg30dWebGWSJWSQLgLhpy8Dh5PdSNHkibgtGxSXDquHvw9_KV8yFT-mjJCqKyjGIL/w640-h498/breast-cancer-memes-15.webp" width="640" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span></span></b></p><a name='more'></a><b><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Super Suppers</b></div></b><p></p><p style="text-align: center;">I discovered videos from Hannah Taylor recently, and fell in love with her like all of her devoted followers. It must be that Southern drawl, y'all. She has such a fun, spunky, wholesome charisma and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@lilyloutay" target="_blank">her videos</a> showcase the love between her and her husband that is so adorable. It's like dinner and a love story every time I watch a recipe video. I made her <a href="https://lilyloutay.com/creamy-savory-potato-soup/" target="_blank">Creamy Potato Soup</a> this week, served with some garlic bread, and the kids devoured it. It's not exactly diet-friendly but it is a hearty and filling warm-your-soul kind of meal:</p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWExDvkeizGyfS3AFClwXG-ZlMjLL1WCcBWrU53qI_IUpY1KQaJ6F3ayBgkNOYxpF2chZ9jASbqykOZ8K1YSmXKBuh2x6SC9ldaxUI2ZSm-OwhYvinLqUgKVWN6M9i5nPryC2i8ukKaEmqmPEyvFGxGinYrFFvi61RKg916-n9j811Q0uFGz5L8k3gk0qW/s4032/BDD4C5A6-4E1E-48C8-B9E8-9D79E7931B2E.jpeg" style="font-weight: 700; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWExDvkeizGyfS3AFClwXG-ZlMjLL1WCcBWrU53qI_IUpY1KQaJ6F3ayBgkNOYxpF2chZ9jASbqykOZ8K1YSmXKBuh2x6SC9ldaxUI2ZSm-OwhYvinLqUgKVWN6M9i5nPryC2i8ukKaEmqmPEyvFGxGinYrFFvi61RKg916-n9j811Q0uFGz5L8k3gk0qW/w480-h640/BDD4C5A6-4E1E-48C8-B9E8-9D79E7931B2E.jpeg" width="480" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;">Also, I never want to forget my two adorable shadows who are always close by if I'm cooking in the kitchen (or anywhere in the house to be honest!):</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_lc_-Ztv5D5jxjSbrLAlxH8n1bXhLaSaJUQHwIuaSLP3aVfx2zYXCKKmsbwyZ51EVxgQkGfS0z3cj3O9ICHnMzH3ZwWgAjfsMAcOVTfAkQziTOSl1w_GbuG6yRNaFOAN_YfUQZY1Q8dNnxTzkWCBF014FSQZ13OW7OQe07xojM27-QkbAct9earRtmHYI/s4032/424DDDD5-1C9D-4927-82AD-206060C64958.jpeg" style="font-weight: 700; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_lc_-Ztv5D5jxjSbrLAlxH8n1bXhLaSaJUQHwIuaSLP3aVfx2zYXCKKmsbwyZ51EVxgQkGfS0z3cj3O9ICHnMzH3ZwWgAjfsMAcOVTfAkQziTOSl1w_GbuG6yRNaFOAN_YfUQZY1Q8dNnxTzkWCBF014FSQZ13OW7OQe07xojM27-QkbAct9earRtmHYI/w640-h480/424DDDD5-1C9D-4927-82AD-206060C64958.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mom's cooking, gotta lay down in front of the oven.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Nsj7pHK9nYH6Epe4JJyY4C7FgIGKNMJyopFEZF3GbV8xkcGuwg6v31B7pKYQgLA89IYS6F9Ggmluu8x2Tqs6KYD5QXnMlIw3UcUip3TNDFIsTfPhW70g7kirhG9c4US5B8ynrcWcM3PhCsaP4EOYV5qK8YKLr0iY58V9j7X1pPAJ8JB47MefIjprc9zH/s4032/E4B6E1FE-7ED9-476F-8054-00EA49E028FF.jpeg" style="font-weight: 700; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Nsj7pHK9nYH6Epe4JJyY4C7FgIGKNMJyopFEZF3GbV8xkcGuwg6v31B7pKYQgLA89IYS6F9Ggmluu8x2Tqs6KYD5QXnMlIw3UcUip3TNDFIsTfPhW70g7kirhG9c4US5B8ynrcWcM3PhCsaP4EOYV5qK8YKLr0iY58V9j7X1pPAJ8JB47MefIjprc9zH/w480-h640/E4B6E1FE-7ED9-476F-8054-00EA49E028FF.jpeg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mom's cooking, gotta do arts and crafts at the island and talk her ears off while I have her all to myself.</td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: center;">My bestie gave me this recipe for <a href="https://www.peanutblossom.com/blog/instant-pot-butter-chicken/" target="_blank">Instant Pot Butter Chicken</a> (we used chicken breasts as the thought of chicken thighs make us gag lately) and it is a complete hit for every eater in the house. The only downside is that we typically cook our rice in our instant pot, but since we are using it for the chicken, we make the rice on the stove. I then dumped all the rice into the finished Butter Chicken and we scooped it out into bowls and added broccoli and cucumbers:</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiQ1g0hdJ01wbso_JxSyFisgHpiolPmKfFG6nrDnv46WAl1Zctx1Ufyd_stGiNEERVUIWX-Lt7uGykbCNI_qAXQYDxMLcJ7uHqpq16chsu7KByRi771teetxrj3NXxugX8aCe0SVr3EQ0rl1f8N3QzDtXk_xJNgw9fsGVMQMOooX4xE_43F4VIYgUkeCao/s1024/0C7D0863-EECE-4599-9160-B13D2F2B0557.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="768" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiQ1g0hdJ01wbso_JxSyFisgHpiolPmKfFG6nrDnv46WAl1Zctx1Ufyd_stGiNEERVUIWX-Lt7uGykbCNI_qAXQYDxMLcJ7uHqpq16chsu7KByRi771teetxrj3NXxugX8aCe0SVr3EQ0rl1f8N3QzDtXk_xJNgw9fsGVMQMOooX4xE_43F4VIYgUkeCao/w480-h640/0C7D0863-EECE-4599-9160-B13D2F2B0557.jpeg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It looks nicer if you keep it separated :)</td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: center;"><b></b></p><p style="text-align: center;">On nights when Phil is at a meeting, I usually make some kind of salad bar and then listen to the kids ask for more food after we eat ;) I personally was full after this:</p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheEAZZiG8hYwv8LFgP8ZQxrU_HZN_zXcX9SonNO5Xm5UVg9GKGSdAuwS3aiWTkDXm6brzcOc0n6Sm4OdgjJ5_fc3k6GVq6Hqcel7mNOgdUHztH9MN1Hnh5F9RayAetJo41tBQ_iH0Lnq-hASUPmKgE-XZpgRh0pB50k5fer3g8BHxtbhnA-D3JPHh0w7Pj/s3496/10924972-895E-4ED8-9DFC-5253ADBB3B19.jpeg" style="font-weight: 700; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3496" data-original-width="2568" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheEAZZiG8hYwv8LFgP8ZQxrU_HZN_zXcX9SonNO5Xm5UVg9GKGSdAuwS3aiWTkDXm6brzcOc0n6Sm4OdgjJ5_fc3k6GVq6Hqcel7mNOgdUHztH9MN1Hnh5F9RayAetJo41tBQ_iH0Lnq-hASUPmKgE-XZpgRh0pB50k5fer3g8BHxtbhnA-D3JPHh0w7Pj/w470-h640/10924972-895E-4ED8-9DFC-5253ADBB3B19.jpeg" width="470" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5LYtBFLz_0I9m9w2C-20KryzDv9rgqFtI2HfuumlDSn88dN027qamfcoGSI7aBdXEzL9nVhxnV0FI5RMS43AwJnSIwbkSEJST6SWCMeq0mAjkU65GmhwhPZoU_UkgCTnC6OrrjzsuKe4PBqHLbq1Qkat0P-h2uJHJAnI1P8IFXONWnjioAqIBOGdBdTHj/s3691/F303C196-C696-4A85-8FED-BA5999EE7734.jpeg" style="font-weight: 700; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3691" data-original-width="3010" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5LYtBFLz_0I9m9w2C-20KryzDv9rgqFtI2HfuumlDSn88dN027qamfcoGSI7aBdXEzL9nVhxnV0FI5RMS43AwJnSIwbkSEJST6SWCMeq0mAjkU65GmhwhPZoU_UkgCTnC6OrrjzsuKe4PBqHLbq1Qkat0P-h2uJHJAnI1P8IFXONWnjioAqIBOGdBdTHj/w522-h640/F303C196-C696-4A85-8FED-BA5999EE7734.jpeg" width="522" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;">When Phil cooks dinner, he usually makes a more substantial meal, and last night he made <a href="https://charisseyu.com/easy-beef-milanesa/" target="_blank">Beef Milanesa</a> for the first time, paired with mashed potatoes and roasted cauliflower. We served it with lemon wedges and a quick gravy:</p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsf8HMZiRBrbbTSZEkbt28np5I2jiVsui8sHrNS0f3Dv7DFZjN-dZOEekTLOBJmqKdBv7cd0KmR1ogLv1s6Ks-gX9jtx9GAvLtFl0yrR4T_XOwW8xP1sheMurGBzA8JbWFxr0upmPsYdeKVPBrg_2icE1FFkrdO_5CE-zQCKoCfqxzwwmPCIk-AcE7qWCa/s4032/2A6D6CE2-DDF2-4AE0-B039-6C8F13801EBB.jpeg" style="font-weight: 700; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsf8HMZiRBrbbTSZEkbt28np5I2jiVsui8sHrNS0f3Dv7DFZjN-dZOEekTLOBJmqKdBv7cd0KmR1ogLv1s6Ks-gX9jtx9GAvLtFl0yrR4T_XOwW8xP1sheMurGBzA8JbWFxr0upmPsYdeKVPBrg_2icE1FFkrdO_5CE-zQCKoCfqxzwwmPCIk-AcE7qWCa/w480-h640/2A6D6CE2-DDF2-4AE0-B039-6C8F13801EBB.jpeg" width="480" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>Spring Cleaning</b></p><p style="text-align: center;">JP and Andrew and Grace (JP's girlfriend) are coming home this afternoon for spring break (yayayay!) so we were cleaning the upstairs bedrooms and laundry area to get ready for the guests of honor. Some of us helped more than others:</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEldVy8ptZHm4xm_A5om8LClq4RDtwVxZedIkiFfQ0O6fZUuh7HdM-_xaDJCUfA7GJOd5MIbVzIA6MPsk5Cr-ERC02OqVaCl_RxJHdkzyT85ZbC0UsgELzxWX-w0dE4etJLlW3SEn5DsJWrJUVeV6Qiv8lW9DY4LqkNHTeetUj-3KIYW6SiyvbPSi8ZhjH/s4029/97D7CAD6-33F1-442B-B942-6E43E4A0DA7C.jpeg" style="font-weight: 700; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4029" data-original-width="2790" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEldVy8ptZHm4xm_A5om8LClq4RDtwVxZedIkiFfQ0O6fZUuh7HdM-_xaDJCUfA7GJOd5MIbVzIA6MPsk5Cr-ERC02OqVaCl_RxJHdkzyT85ZbC0UsgELzxWX-w0dE4etJLlW3SEn5DsJWrJUVeV6Qiv8lW9DY4LqkNHTeetUj-3KIYW6SiyvbPSi8ZhjH/w444-h640/97D7CAD6-33F1-442B-B942-6E43E4A0DA7C.jpeg" width="444" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After seeing this photo, Brendan said "I look creepy!"</td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: center;">Phil spent hours taking an air conditioning unit out of the tiny window in the little boys room, and reinstalling the window that was removed 19 years ago to make room for the A/C unit. I was amazed that we still had the window and he was able to install it with help from my dad. Getting the mini split means that all windows can now be opened instead of used for A/Cs and it will be glorious on those spring days coming up! </p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>Off Season Sports</b></p><p style="text-align: center;">Our high school held a fundraiser for something, I wasn't really listening to be honest, that included a volleyball tournament where six teams paid to compete. Eamon was on a stacked team called the "Pink Panthers" who thought they were going to destroy everyone, and Maggie was on a team named "Hawaiian Punch". Maggie's team won! After just having ended her basketball season with a 0-21 record, that little win was nice to grab.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbdxTnN-1P3pEnMwfFPG-7lYOtQY7LYTV1bAxv0fwHxryLC2AvEahUSmPWtH5jNL-9KCTISJoYXUIed6YVVXncWt2CwXDBxnw1E0J4RTs9UyGYJvfv1V6rbLqiQsNMxmYwK89_gbq6MZnUgftUjr6lQmDUFEpMwRlTOQbVT4goRKj98gB-cnA6yWvd9NNH/s1066/A5AF2502-10FD-488F-B6B9-B90D832A62CF.jpeg" style="font-weight: 700; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1066" data-original-width="1013" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbdxTnN-1P3pEnMwfFPG-7lYOtQY7LYTV1bAxv0fwHxryLC2AvEahUSmPWtH5jNL-9KCTISJoYXUIed6YVVXncWt2CwXDBxnw1E0J4RTs9UyGYJvfv1V6rbLqiQsNMxmYwK89_gbq6MZnUgftUjr6lQmDUFEpMwRlTOQbVT4goRKj98gB-cnA6yWvd9NNH/w608-h640/A5AF2502-10FD-488F-B6B9-B90D832A62CF.jpeg" width="608" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;">Even though Swim Team ended for Xander, he still asks to go lap swimming all the time. He really loves it and we are very grateful. Xander used to have trouble sleeping at night sometimes, but since he started swimming back in September, he hasn't had any more issues. I think he needed to workout to actually tire his body out in order to sleep better. Maggie has also been swimming to stay in shape for the upcoming track season (should she be running? Yes. Does she love swimming more than running? Yes.) Declan and Brendan take a swim lesson on Saturday mornings right now, and there is open swim right after, so these guys can swim to their hearts' content, or until I tell them it's time to go :)</p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3SXm8ibXJ1ms-qd4migcdKxbyhi8UEyQBC6AGhyAs4TRVsQy-C-x3r-0nnoVLHn7FyB9MDGMP6w6onELdIx1cOAWpoE9tgPODKCSNmTk_-SClL58AY4WMgl_5ORGG_0EuCwm4I_4RGn-tswBvsecbQmtJcutFedHAbuXKujfSMpUf5UcTW01mdatSFgO4/s3758/EBAEE04E-864D-4EB2-BBEE-293595188ECA.jpeg" style="font-weight: 700; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2255" data-original-width="3758" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3SXm8ibXJ1ms-qd4migcdKxbyhi8UEyQBC6AGhyAs4TRVsQy-C-x3r-0nnoVLHn7FyB9MDGMP6w6onELdIx1cOAWpoE9tgPODKCSNmTk_-SClL58AY4WMgl_5ORGG_0EuCwm4I_4RGn-tswBvsecbQmtJcutFedHAbuXKujfSMpUf5UcTW01mdatSFgO4/w640-h384/EBAEE04E-864D-4EB2-BBEE-293595188ECA.jpeg" width="640" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;">I hope you all have a wonderful weekend spending time with your loved ones. Hug them tight and let them know you love them and every ordinary day you get to spend with them.</p>Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11451797365712728579noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5937303870758455964.post-246001062929104032024-03-06T08:00:00.004-05:002024-03-06T09:38:02.736-05:00Wednesday Workout Wrapup: With a Side of Weather Worries<p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The problem with running and walking outside is that you have to consider the weather. And <strike>weather</strike> whether you like it or not, there's nothing you can do to change it, so you just have to adjust. This week brings lots of rain...</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDAeDjQa_0ulbjVf3stZPBjU4eC-r3KK6HMilGmRqeD1accPG9nP2tjwydniBPSUuWgPWoMItE4jMGDta5Ns1ivGu09Cq8XEqehRjV9MYkymcBb_9ktpKdKWGQdiCHkHEvENcPDyFOHNhYyYLU8gPaDFhg_ANU8YYgP5uHPyvrR6NWyybb_kbUUkWuuPiP/s1376/629C75DE-F938-429A-B413-0BC19941F84F.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1376" data-original-width="1170" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDAeDjQa_0ulbjVf3stZPBjU4eC-r3KK6HMilGmRqeD1accPG9nP2tjwydniBPSUuWgPWoMItE4jMGDta5Ns1ivGu09Cq8XEqehRjV9MYkymcBb_9ktpKdKWGQdiCHkHEvENcPDyFOHNhYyYLU8gPaDFhg_ANU8YYgP5uHPyvrR6NWyybb_kbUUkWuuPiP/w544-h640/629C75DE-F938-429A-B413-0BC19941F84F.jpeg" width="544" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">I personally am a big baby when it comes to needing the right conditions in order to work out outside, which is why I generally only run on treadmills in the summer (I hate the heat) and won't risk a fall on ice/snow in the winter (I love my original joints). Running in the rain is doable if it's not stormy, but I'd rather not if I can switch up the schedule. Wet soggy feet are kinda miserable. </div><div><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;">Then there's the additional consideration for when I walk on my lunch break, because I face the dreaded "Will I get too sweaty in my work clothes to then sit back down in the office for another 3 hours before I can go home?" question. I have my own office, so I don't worry too much about offending others with my potential stench, but it is a thought. I think I am a fairly normal <strike>cardigan</strike> sweater, nothing extreme but I certainly prefer to take a shower right away than to sit in sweaty clothes and stink. So if it's too hot or rainy or snowy, I won't go for a walk outside at work. Usually I will drive the five minutes to the gym and do a 35-40 minute workout, quick shower and drive back. It's very rushed and stressful and kind of defeats the whole exercise-brings-me-peace feeling. But what a privileged problem to have.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">To overcome all of these potential problems, I try to look at the weather for the week and make a plan. Then I look at the weather each night for the next day to see if the plan needs to change. It's a lot of thinking and I long for a job that would just keep me active all day so that I wouldn't have to try to fit in steps and weights. Anyhoo, here's what went down this past week...</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><p style="text-align: center;"> <b style="text-align: center;">Wednesday, February 28:</b></p><p style="text-align: center;">4 mile run on treadmill at gym during lunch</p><p style="text-align: center;">1 mile walk with dog in evening</p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>Thursday, February 29:</b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://youtu.be/jtVoxojcaLY?si=byij4gW29xbKFabY" target="_blank">EPIC III - Day 13</a> before work</p><p style="text-align: center;">3 mile walk at lunch</p><p style="text-align: center;">2 mile walk with dog in evening</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p style="text-align: center;"><b>Friday, March 1:</b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://youtu.be/Is1ZKY_ABJk?si=2rkix0an67GvXWZ0" target="_blank">EPIC III - Day 14</a> before work (I love her full body workouts the best!)</p><p style="text-align: center;">3 mile walk at lunch</p><p style="text-align: center;"> 2 mile walk with dog</p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>Saturday, March 2:</b></p><p style="text-align: center;">Not quite 6 mile run + 1 mile walk cooldown with dog and littles</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLf_dTT0VQnCX27x-gZHEDWLMkHK8VEjcmw5qTTOeI3tgFUmYRHvCV3sV_BMKcGX7dXgrjv33_LHQSHncDWq3lGefBAbA6KOnVGhAR-l5wslHkijczayngK6HyXakWOskUnQgJnfXxD5m_gxCdmXvZObnn1FP4MU_qUK3gpp006dpKYKeu4lMk6LswsLy2/s2281/047F5EED-F3FA-4680-9731-6B910681E0F2.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2281" data-original-width="1170" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLf_dTT0VQnCX27x-gZHEDWLMkHK8VEjcmw5qTTOeI3tgFUmYRHvCV3sV_BMKcGX7dXgrjv33_LHQSHncDWq3lGefBAbA6KOnVGhAR-l5wslHkijczayngK6HyXakWOskUnQgJnfXxD5m_gxCdmXvZObnn1FP4MU_qUK3gpp006dpKYKeu4lMk6LswsLy2/w328-h640/047F5EED-F3FA-4680-9731-6B910681E0F2.jpeg" width="328" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>Sunday, March 3:</b></p><p style="text-align: center;">Cardio Pump Class at gym with Maggie</p><p style="text-align: center;">3 mile walk with dog</p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>Monday, March 4:</b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://youtu.be/OZxPvPDgmaI?si=apt2VH73ibCxkhlD" target="_blank">EPIC III - Day 16</a> before work</p><p style="text-align: center;">3 mile walk at lunch</p><p style="text-align: center;">3 mile walk after work with dog</p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>Tuesday, March 5:</b></p><p style="text-align: center;">4 mile run on treadmill at lunch (it was raining)</p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK8RqqBcWSmt8Czl-O1hoo7b3KUwUjzZ9r8CZwG9hSZi_8skS5dpXyjq2Z0_xKJCzXop78kof-WMFFI6y99_141cH8YPl8xhNNWvWJul6ZUyzT8GekFqWFXocrXWdKbVaVxmsD2HPbMauObq-KdWeqi-_W6id_SW2phzeuyw-UwDfYgME6VWXC2zVBdyrh/s4032/279FD4E4-F2DE-423B-A4CE-DAE053A58711.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK8RqqBcWSmt8Czl-O1hoo7b3KUwUjzZ9r8CZwG9hSZi_8skS5dpXyjq2Z0_xKJCzXop78kof-WMFFI6y99_141cH8YPl8xhNNWvWJul6ZUyzT8GekFqWFXocrXWdKbVaVxmsD2HPbMauObq-KdWeqi-_W6id_SW2phzeuyw-UwDfYgME6VWXC2zVBdyrh/w480-h640/279FD4E4-F2DE-423B-A4CE-DAE053A58711.jpeg" width="480" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;">I was able to wear my birthday gift of <a href="https://amzn.to/3T3Yz4i" target="_blank">Hokas</a> for the first time, and they definitely made the run feel bouncier and easier. I can't wait to try them on the road once all of this mud goes away!</p></div></div></div>Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11451797365712728579noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5937303870758455964.post-50060477955311664522024-03-05T08:00:00.005-05:002024-03-05T10:57:06.109-05:00Lenten Thoughts on Becoming Like a Child<p style="text-align: center;">Sometimes when I am feeling like I need a kick in the behind when it comes to motivation to live a healthier lifestyle, I think of my kids. </p><p style="text-align: center;">I think about while I have them in my house (especially when they are young) I make sure that they eat healthy and nutritious food, move their bodies to be active and strong, bring them to school to learn, have friends over for social skills, limit screen time, talk to them openly about what's happening, teach them manners and kindness, put them to bed early so they are rested, teach them their prayers and take them to church to get them to Heaven, and hug them as much as they allow it. </p><p style="text-align: center;">I do it all naturally because I love them so much and I always want what's best for them. I'm always thinking of them, always looking out for them and I'll always have their backs.</p><p style="text-align: center;">Sounds pretty cushy, right? And so I think, "Girl, you need to mother yourself like a child! You need to just love yourself like you love those kids." </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHv47VYyuDbAU33M1zwVTFIAaLKZkTjwi_Lyk-A17fiVbUrGlIOZtnFktdcE6tUTkB_xpTg4jY0pANjSHnpNxSw9frcO_EPIM6W_-zOoUIN8n4GI3qeWeD_JSX4rOSq9IZ25bKILddtENADrqYNnieaITHoiQY-_Dd9Mo7C6xcU_uR8AKNQHOsQxQBdPxR/s4032/6771E146-C3C9-4A32-9DD1-776FA859266E.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHv47VYyuDbAU33M1zwVTFIAaLKZkTjwi_Lyk-A17fiVbUrGlIOZtnFktdcE6tUTkB_xpTg4jY0pANjSHnpNxSw9frcO_EPIM6W_-zOoUIN8n4GI3qeWeD_JSX4rOSq9IZ25bKILddtENADrqYNnieaITHoiQY-_Dd9Mo7C6xcU_uR8AKNQHOsQxQBdPxR/w480-h640/6771E146-C3C9-4A32-9DD1-776FA859266E.jpeg" width="480" /></a><span><a name='more'></a></span></div><p style="text-align: center;">I was sitting in Adoration last week, thinking about how much more simplified my life would be if I just followed the teachings and rhythm of the Catholic Church. Not easier, but definitely more simple. Jesus set out a way of life that can actually make us happy in eternity, if not in the present moment. He loved us even more than we can love our babies and He showed us how to be God the Father's child. We need to allow God to parent us.</p><p style="text-align: center;">I remember a homily from almost 20 years ago, when our pastor told us to imagine that Bill Gates said he would be coming to the church next Sunday at 10am, handing out $100 bills to everyone who showed up. We would all make it a priority to get that $100 that morning, right? Now realize, said our pastor, WHO you are actually receiving every Sunday morning at 10am. Isn't He worth more than $100? </p><p style="text-align: center;">I can still remember that homily because it convicted me. We go through the actions sometimes of getting ourselves to church and by the time we leave, especially if we are wrangling fussy babies, we barely notice what just happened. Jesus was not only present, we actually got to receive Him in the eucharist. We can go pray with Him - literally in the same room - in Adoration, and yet we drive by our churches without stopping in to say "Hi Jesus. I love you. Thank you." At our parish we have around the clock Adoration almost every day of the week, and people in my parish are waking up all throughout the night to pray for an hour with Jesus, and yet sometimes I skip my Tuesday at 7:30 pm Adoration hour (Phil goes) because I'm too tired or busy or it's dark or cold outside. What if my kid didn't want to fulfill their commitment to a team or club? Wouldn't I explain the importance of being true to your word, and encourage them to show up as promised?</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The Liturgical Calendar of the Catholic Church teaches us that there are times for fasting (Lent, Advent, Fridays) and times for feasting (Solemnities, Easter and Christmas seasons) and times of moderation (Ordinary Times in between). We don't need to be overthinking how to eat in this diet culture as long as we are eating liturgically. We eat less or less often during the fasts and treat ourselves during the feasts and don't go to either extreme the rest of the year. It's easier not to get addicted to food or drink when you are cyclically giving it up and then treating it as a special indulgence during feast times. We do this with our children all the time! Eat your dinner before you get dessert...stop snacking or you'll be too full for supper...drink water unless it's a celebration...etc.</div><p style="text-align: center;">So why do I always start a diet at the beginning of the year when it's actually still the Christmas season? And why do I celebrate with holiday treats during Advent which should be a little Lent? Because that's the way of the world, and we live in the world, and it's very hard to live counter culturally when parties are planned during Advent or Lent and Meatless Mondays are so popular though it should be happening liturgically on Fridays. It's all already built in the calendar for us, and it just takes a bit more sacrifice to follow when it's not the accepted norm.</p><p style="text-align: center;">I drove by a protestant church this morning that has a changeable sign out in front, and it read "Sin is a short word with a long sentence." And while that can be true, as sin is very easy to fall into and can be very hard to stop, we have the ability to get forgiven for our sins in the sacrament of Confession! Not only do we get forgiven, but we get the grace to not sin again! It's like therapy, forgiveness and a fresh start all wrapped up in one place. It's available many times each week, and priests are available for appointments, and yet I have to drag myself there because it's so hard/awkward/emotional for me. My little seven year old made his First Reconciliation eight weeks ago, and has already gone to Confession four times! He goes every time it is offered at school and we encourage him and are convicted by him at the same time.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq-3A8HGRXHHbsuI-uqqC9Q5a_i3TLz2PwaRi_u0wkg4wrIw9nV3C-4v5v7xzO4aMhXF7iaoe5D5_6S8JSXWMDCvCgKuvD9NFcJOPk9JsC8CcZVXjHjl6SZ2Q8zSsFLwW3a63OERmsRfkvw-gmHH-kD2uFpU4t8O5Zpwz-wPwW9RCXDZO73e1huW_P4epr/s4032/5102FC14-2145-486F-8C0C-850D596787EA.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq-3A8HGRXHHbsuI-uqqC9Q5a_i3TLz2PwaRi_u0wkg4wrIw9nV3C-4v5v7xzO4aMhXF7iaoe5D5_6S8JSXWMDCvCgKuvD9NFcJOPk9JsC8CcZVXjHjl6SZ2Q8zSsFLwW3a63OERmsRfkvw-gmHH-kD2uFpU4t8O5Zpwz-wPwW9RCXDZO73e1huW_P4epr/w480-h640/5102FC14-2145-486F-8C0C-850D596787EA.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Last Sunday's bible reading was a reminder to keep the sabbath day holy. God commands us to rest one day each week, and yet do we? Do we make Sundays a family day of church and rest and recreation, or do we look at it as a weekend day to get things done? While I don't think this commandment means we are not allowed to do necessary work, I do think I could be a lot better with my planning to make this more of a day of rest. And hey, maybe then I wouldn't always be so tired? It's like God knows better than me ;)</p><p style="text-align: center;">And then there is suffering. No parent wants their child to suffer, but sometimes we must allow it. I bring my babies in for their necessary vaccinations, and they look at me and cry, not understanding why I am letting somebody else hurt them. I do it because I love them and it's what's best for them in the end. God feels the same way towards us. Look at how much he loved his own son, and what He allowed Him to go through in order to save us all. Good can come out of suffering, and as St. Teresa of Avila said:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ1sk5PolPPM3wYuH6sawYP8xxCYpBVTbzSnBzwk3FhKK2oxE18RLWwR0A3cBzrQkGpft1S953aWLJnMh2vSMNK_KfhxsCC_CP328wuZzeVMXDqLKyXBi5xJt9VwF_UmhYIxFwQp_EISSxGcm6HEaLVauYFIFL5RwsSM7u8ygt90yL6nHQ_6oNMyAfMeVd/s3840/7904951-Teresa-of-vila-Quote-From-heaven-even-the-most-miserable-life-will.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2160" data-original-width="3840" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ1sk5PolPPM3wYuH6sawYP8xxCYpBVTbzSnBzwk3FhKK2oxE18RLWwR0A3cBzrQkGpft1S953aWLJnMh2vSMNK_KfhxsCC_CP328wuZzeVMXDqLKyXBi5xJt9VwF_UmhYIxFwQp_EISSxGcm6HEaLVauYFIFL5RwsSM7u8ygt90yL6nHQ_6oNMyAfMeVd/w640-h360/7904951-Teresa-of-vila-Quote-From-heaven-even-the-most-miserable-life-will.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">So at this halfway point of Lent, I encourage you (but also myself) to stop overthinking on how to finish Lent strong, instead think about finishing our years on this Earth strong. It's simple, not easy, but we need to act like a child of God who follows His rules and way of life because He loves us so much and wants what is best for us. </p>Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11451797365712728579noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5937303870758455964.post-20460846802179736562024-03-01T07:14:00.003-05:002024-03-01T07:14:22.887-05:00Week In Review: Mini Splits, Meal Hits and Other Bits<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Happy First Friday of March! I used to detest March (so long, no school breaks, winter weather, LENT) but now that my college kids come home for a week during March, I love it again :)</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Speaking of college kids...JP sent me a photo on his 21st birthday with his girlfriend, Grace. He said a small group of friends ordered takeout and had a little party for him:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2OqiCuIiNUh4OQvEmTKf63B14k6LCfOxdQD5v5VRUvltbIylGFnVR2oWx743WZoALBgn0It_0NCCvOHmB2CJE-utSZJAt6Z9ECHi7k8k7RobQcg6_46_UbKaBYSLsEKFRVuLWeEJn1SoFxEJp-qYPpkchzxfBGQq0JRnH8wzL_pUcilWxIgTfKaVJY0Qa/s3088/B618CA48-4E98-492F-A84B-34801650131D.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2320" data-original-width="3088" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2OqiCuIiNUh4OQvEmTKf63B14k6LCfOxdQD5v5VRUvltbIylGFnVR2oWx743WZoALBgn0It_0NCCvOHmB2CJE-utSZJAt6Z9ECHi7k8k7RobQcg6_46_UbKaBYSLsEKFRVuLWeEJn1SoFxEJp-qYPpkchzxfBGQq0JRnH8wzL_pUcilWxIgTfKaVJY0Qa/w640-h480/B618CA48-4E98-492F-A84B-34801650131D.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">College Sweethearts</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I also just paid his last college tuition bill this week. Can you believe it? JP did really well with scholarships and grants and paid 50% of his tuition each semester (we paid the other half) and he will be left with about $21,000 in loans. Not too shabby. I remember crying once (while pregnant with Baby #7) after a coworker asked me "How on earth are you going to afford college for all of those kids?" so this feels like a really big achievement for our family. God provides, we work hard, and it all comes together. One done, six to go!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Andrew sent me this selfie he had used to check-in for a job he and a buddy signed up to do. Basically they had to give a donut away to anyone who signed up for an app. They had 80 dozen donuts, and Andrew, or Andy as he is known on campus, said it was the easiest money he ever made.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb5_S_z8oAEgRxJnOFHG3AHHHXbIEpdWUE9Ha2wi4CESZjKdDdNWcxtjolGWVU69TmKopoIs6XCXv69Tor1-dsxjYAPTmkyHs4H7ooDpNV3cDsGYH46b2T-MjEJg_qIpJOMBn-6uPjxq-QYQL5YnJTeAxPvqr-KphmOlOt-hJQjPtIsTd2pB7yjJR9EuWy/s3111/4E93D5D0-C69E-4195-84A3-2F50F1B4C61C.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2707" data-original-width="3111" height="556" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb5_S_z8oAEgRxJnOFHG3AHHHXbIEpdWUE9Ha2wi4CESZjKdDdNWcxtjolGWVU69TmKopoIs6XCXv69Tor1-dsxjYAPTmkyHs4H7ooDpNV3cDsGYH46b2T-MjEJg_qIpJOMBn-6uPjxq-QYQL5YnJTeAxPvqr-KphmOlOt-hJQjPtIsTd2pB7yjJR9EuWy/w640-h556/4E93D5D0-C69E-4195-84A3-2F50F1B4C61C.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">College Sweetheart</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span><a name='more'></a></span>We had the mini-splits installed this week! Our house was built in 1885 and has baseboard heating and nothing for cooling. Now we won't need our window air-conditioning units anymore! I'm psyched to be able to open windows on cooler summer days, and hopefully save money using these mini-splits. We are getting a rebate back for 66% of the cost, so it was a great time to do it. We had three installed downstairs and three installed upstairs (one in each bedroom). I was worried that they would make the house look ugly, but they found places to install them that are really out of sight:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi08CRQv-56ynYXQ_RX339xWKxOWR0sOOPfM_P73wTLYwWKgiwNbUv85CSY_PKpb2iV9k_WocWJsIG7QgolY6t_OneS0zzJhat5wlzGZpiqyLqYB-c6Z7_sWiSXtNTvabXd_SD2BuSZjfQN1bWaiBBhyphenhypheniLokSQVxGuV06FejofYSphJVqL9fnU7YvM2KVR8/s4032/47262B31-E45A-49C3-80F4-BA9727638C4A.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi08CRQv-56ynYXQ_RX339xWKxOWR0sOOPfM_P73wTLYwWKgiwNbUv85CSY_PKpb2iV9k_WocWJsIG7QgolY6t_OneS0zzJhat5wlzGZpiqyLqYB-c6Z7_sWiSXtNTvabXd_SD2BuSZjfQN1bWaiBBhyphenhypheniLokSQVxGuV06FejofYSphJVqL9fnU7YvM2KVR8/w480-h640/47262B31-E45A-49C3-80F4-BA9727638C4A.jpeg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A reading nook in the master bedroom</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8eSToZLLboEOiapcmQ_jHCqfbDX2JTpNPHlSsF3a9lRlBI_Kjn_N562x5U-kKJyliRpkLa3OnPH9DAilsh4_y89lZt3P9wQnrjKPsMJLgxMykjOky7dSHbl5pxhybvHUxhFi0J5MRJciSDgDKZfx4XNnd6XM5j0v8stmBx8jbZjLDqvPAA6goUBE3eSlg/s4032/4FB1DF20-9A55-418B-B6AC-5B9C338D1FA6.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8eSToZLLboEOiapcmQ_jHCqfbDX2JTpNPHlSsF3a9lRlBI_Kjn_N562x5U-kKJyliRpkLa3OnPH9DAilsh4_y89lZt3P9wQnrjKPsMJLgxMykjOky7dSHbl5pxhybvHUxhFi0J5MRJciSDgDKZfx4XNnd6XM5j0v8stmBx8jbZjLDqvPAA6goUBE3eSlg/w480-h640/4FB1DF20-9A55-418B-B6AC-5B9C338D1FA6.jpeg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Off to the side in the kitchen</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9mA0SzMicLkIar6RNvYeZFsN2rCRH9t7XGx6vJXYAemXpsNp5AINu_o1709_cPaHnnXwLz4Iaan2-gY-c2ch5Ub_Vyxs8hkmWPWrhOVsEI_PLy7bXW4dtz-XFYqGR8uNcSvQzePUQgKVT1nGF1X7iQA-EOF0Fgi_WKY1pScUrZ6Qadjg-F8jNPeIIJyIh/s4032/BABC6D02-89EB-4370-899F-7B4624FFBDBA.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9mA0SzMicLkIar6RNvYeZFsN2rCRH9t7XGx6vJXYAemXpsNp5AINu_o1709_cPaHnnXwLz4Iaan2-gY-c2ch5Ub_Vyxs8hkmWPWrhOVsEI_PLy7bXW4dtz-XFYqGR8uNcSvQzePUQgKVT1nGF1X7iQA-EOF0Fgi_WKY1pScUrZ6Qadjg-F8jNPeIIJyIh/w480-h640/BABC6D02-89EB-4370-899F-7B4624FFBDBA.jpeg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Above a piece of furniture in the toy room (off the family room)</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Pancakes on Saturday or Sunday mornings are a regular thing in Casa Martin, and we followed our normal recipe but I threw in 2 small containers of strawberry applesauce that were just expiring, and the kids dubbed them the best ever. The whipped cream didn't hurt.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuvwc4ad5wYZEtFJOahaOshFhdPiG4OTywwdft1kX2qfgG-4y26nXYYCa0-lH461M8yGMmzRqA8OqVaPwRvz0idW0PUPrWOB8EDK-mqCqJST34ngrNpfg9RRkg_mfOm3WdHn-KuLeCqWU5m_r-34X0r5cDzPxMuZJ0lLOJ_4fQ2ALNNixbx04Dofkr7_oh/s4032/F793B218-6ECA-480C-8D91-7DFEA45C7BAB.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuvwc4ad5wYZEtFJOahaOshFhdPiG4OTywwdft1kX2qfgG-4y26nXYYCa0-lH461M8yGMmzRqA8OqVaPwRvz0idW0PUPrWOB8EDK-mqCqJST34ngrNpfg9RRkg_mfOm3WdHn-KuLeCqWU5m_r-34X0r5cDzPxMuZJ0lLOJ_4fQ2ALNNixbx04Dofkr7_oh/w480-h640/F793B218-6ECA-480C-8D91-7DFEA45C7BAB.jpeg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://amzn.to/4301ake" target="_blank">Electric family sized griddle</a></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiAlxEu2TZ1AwqpUKp8Fn19OB60DQGuawOnohdl1EYUcbLBDY8kFKYOWAogifSmRdmhu5VK4FWeqGHqjdO4w-Ba-EgKCoJMMh13f6ek6p12Lr6i8MENBiN94U__ix1qP13B7cbMIfAInGp1zl3_KsmXjI1Ol4AB4-MWa7rozyh_RYbh1xOKiQYkxz0AOkP/s4032/4F0BBFD4-95EE-4157-A16C-DF3E452F8125.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiAlxEu2TZ1AwqpUKp8Fn19OB60DQGuawOnohdl1EYUcbLBDY8kFKYOWAogifSmRdmhu5VK4FWeqGHqjdO4w-Ba-EgKCoJMMh13f6ek6p12Lr6i8MENBiN94U__ix1qP13B7cbMIfAInGp1zl3_KsmXjI1Ol4AB4-MWa7rozyh_RYbh1xOKiQYkxz0AOkP/w480-h640/4F0BBFD4-95EE-4157-A16C-DF3E452F8125.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9QshWZqXnIbzOkQelJqt6ahDNGeCSAfFfAS_XfasK2k65A2DL7l3O-RiHIsR6HuaGf_7d8TQXtcFdUFvmviUcI2IJrkLNtEh6_OFxoGWlG-lB8v9RPmFWZvVKqUiaNIpHhSCNbvoHiQrL7FUt_p5TWDZGaI3AJ1QJT-NLZXggsE-Mj02FMjonoXYh70rj/s4032/09CF4521-E396-4867-BED6-51167158816E.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9QshWZqXnIbzOkQelJqt6ahDNGeCSAfFfAS_XfasK2k65A2DL7l3O-RiHIsR6HuaGf_7d8TQXtcFdUFvmviUcI2IJrkLNtEh6_OFxoGWlG-lB8v9RPmFWZvVKqUiaNIpHhSCNbvoHiQrL7FUt_p5TWDZGaI3AJ1QJT-NLZXggsE-Mj02FMjonoXYh70rj/w480-h640/09CF4521-E396-4867-BED6-51167158816E.jpeg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Makes a note to put away Christmas plates.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Also on the menu pretty much weekly - Mexican food! We cook 2 pounds of ground beef with taco seasoning, and 2 cups of rice (in <a href="https://amzn.to/4bPByKZ" target="_blank">instant pot</a>) then mix it all together and the kids eat tacos or make quesadillas or salads. I like the low carb Mission tortillas with mine.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv56CoR8GRWTfBDBsOs1_PUEtaPExww4mZe20VxQiKjhdPpCbeDYYn-jHMSCAN0jlpj5hyphenhyphensEjHT6tdNo3huEmyKdPcYaNSShjnPP0yD5ivq_lHHnmnLgGXTsbDUBXJdMUjhNt2RktM79Ko_vq4z05izpnXLMTuKyebTQjnO0lD5QtRSCErt-_YI5yMYY8p/s3848/AD9794C6-6833-48D6-8E62-92707BB6A45F.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3848" height="502" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv56CoR8GRWTfBDBsOs1_PUEtaPExww4mZe20VxQiKjhdPpCbeDYYn-jHMSCAN0jlpj5hyphenhyphensEjHT6tdNo3huEmyKdPcYaNSShjnPP0yD5ivq_lHHnmnLgGXTsbDUBXJdMUjhNt2RktM79Ko_vq4z05izpnXLMTuKyebTQjnO0lD5QtRSCErt-_YI5yMYY8p/w640-h502/AD9794C6-6833-48D6-8E62-92707BB6A45F.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Our lunch soup this week was <a href="https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/white-bean-and-chicken-chili-recipe-1948554" target="_blank">White Bean and Chicken Chili</a>, delicious and filling:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2lTGVrDR2HPf8jNqTKH6N1ac5rDFZpH2Iza44kHasi_WbKNbys_f-h8gGvW1K5g4MTe3ZqzzQG4GbvirAjgZHcfkWWev_lAX6X6Iozgl7kKO-Ts0u1U44NN01FW7Z9sopolWiaCUC4DH4dkzapsVpUkpZ4uVDr1lOxZ1QUBeVO9HTHVNmLoQ-hvW9iW3D/s3089/CB896180-28BF-4F02-AE24-66A02537AC4C.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3089" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2lTGVrDR2HPf8jNqTKH6N1ac5rDFZpH2Iza44kHasi_WbKNbys_f-h8gGvW1K5g4MTe3ZqzzQG4GbvirAjgZHcfkWWev_lAX6X6Iozgl7kKO-Ts0u1U44NN01FW7Z9sopolWiaCUC4DH4dkzapsVpUkpZ4uVDr1lOxZ1QUBeVO9HTHVNmLoQ-hvW9iW3D/w626-h640/CB896180-28BF-4F02-AE24-66A02537AC4C.jpeg" width="626" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And today I packed up some <a href="https://www.noracooks.com/curry-chickpea-salad/" target="_blank">Curry Chickpea Salad</a> for my lunch as it's a meatless Friday, and <a href="https://optimisticmusings.com/favourite-things-february-2024/" target="_blank">Elisabeth </a>has been raving about it:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH5VDy-U2Xgds8I2bfZnC7h6bGwgjcDto1zX8wySZ1fEJyVFMeaYpPXUq7Z-6nHtxD7pg-DrEvT5ngmv9DmILP57bBBjxlJN_gEgd7SiHHnxxg2JAJRfNY46GF1oMyXiZ7HBOwzuuK1HEDVen_uCFDOG_rH3tyM-Hnj9A_TuYWflLmh2l0O27vxnzlwN2a/s4032/1317F7C3-1299-45C3-8E5E-A5F7FF661808.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH5VDy-U2Xgds8I2bfZnC7h6bGwgjcDto1zX8wySZ1fEJyVFMeaYpPXUq7Z-6nHtxD7pg-DrEvT5ngmv9DmILP57bBBjxlJN_gEgd7SiHHnxxg2JAJRfNY46GF1oMyXiZ7HBOwzuuK1HEDVen_uCFDOG_rH3tyM-Hnj9A_TuYWflLmh2l0O27vxnzlwN2a/w480-h640/1317F7C3-1299-45C3-8E5E-A5F7FF661808.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Aren't <a href="https://amzn.to/3Ik3nh2" target="_blank">those containers</a> so fun? They make my lunch happier :)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">After trying to find a cheaper mascara alternative, I have come back to my favorite one this week and I am very sorry for ever having strayed from the perfect <a href="https://amzn.to/3uRkpzP" target="_blank">Roller Lash</a>. Considering how little makeup I wear, it's worth $24 to me:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisiPVzkWEhyphenhyphenNigB8Xg0eTQh5npg417RMY6h96Z40ZmNyr_QgLoRzTkofMTiQVWzKIS0KfBmClE-xtTw4zX85JzCHNKRUZya_B_f7KG2FYL0hdNAAhQnYLgZQX77seqxR5aJ8YK7H0j3Vb7Vm2f1p0qxregd4xcYfAov35feFxSV7ZVYiNTGNsXcO1bGxwu/s1500/61qjBu9+SwL._SL1500_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="473" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisiPVzkWEhyphenhyphenNigB8Xg0eTQh5npg417RMY6h96Z40ZmNyr_QgLoRzTkofMTiQVWzKIS0KfBmClE-xtTw4zX85JzCHNKRUZya_B_f7KG2FYL0hdNAAhQnYLgZQX77seqxR5aJ8YK7H0j3Vb7Vm2f1p0qxregd4xcYfAov35feFxSV7ZVYiNTGNsXcO1bGxwu/w202-h640/61qjBu9+SwL._SL1500_.jpg" width="202" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://busybeesuz.com/2024/02/19/is-hot-water-essential-real-estate-nonsense-word-trickery-biscuit-wants-top-billing/" target="_blank">Suz</a> totally impressed me with her Wordle skills, and then lo and behold, I impressed myself with this one!</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg036fQmfT6NwWnSz1RLVmVavTLoZJ4ASpvshzKZtVnVJP6bRIFeaF-xztz4NLvcfXuB-siNt9S9gzH2yqajUwwcQwERYdJvzIMtUjBJUqU5jiUff18VyVOW4GwZAKBgD5HY4uYiQZ90EZErWRR1DnCqkbuLycJGwGM72DNCN17TjjR5EzkOA7NXvGacPjI/s2820/BD286127-97DC-4375-A4AE-785DDA4DC7A6.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2075" data-original-width="2820" height="470" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg036fQmfT6NwWnSz1RLVmVavTLoZJ4ASpvshzKZtVnVJP6bRIFeaF-xztz4NLvcfXuB-siNt9S9gzH2yqajUwwcQwERYdJvzIMtUjBJUqU5jiUff18VyVOW4GwZAKBgD5HY4uYiQZ90EZErWRR1DnCqkbuLycJGwGM72DNCN17TjjR5EzkOA7NXvGacPjI/w640-h470/BD286127-97DC-4375-A4AE-785DDA4DC7A6.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Today is Xander's last swim team practice for the incredibly long (since September) season. He absolutely thrived with this sport and does not want it to end. I'm so glad he found his "thing" at the ripe old age of 12 and was so committed to it, attending four hour-long practices each week. I'm proud of my little (Bat)man who has always loved the water: </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifudBzGW2OECRuV_ZW964K0mFIvCeumQBxi30yekPQKfUoVqYNOA7xf8JPcug8sBXAmE5nazwGyikg5AH5TuZF5OHybeIuacjDI9H-ZYrdeUZc6wIzbNJeZIZT58Dc_niL3rSGVhmUcvSzQbCrUIU0Fk4GYkLm3vJKFwIa_a-FYMxAwZMoW9V3iyeIpQ1_/s2856/IMG_3352.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2142" data-original-width="2856" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifudBzGW2OECRuV_ZW964K0mFIvCeumQBxi30yekPQKfUoVqYNOA7xf8JPcug8sBXAmE5nazwGyikg5AH5TuZF5OHybeIuacjDI9H-ZYrdeUZc6wIzbNJeZIZT58Dc_niL3rSGVhmUcvSzQbCrUIU0Fk4GYkLm3vJKFwIa_a-FYMxAwZMoW9V3iyeIpQ1_/w640-h480/IMG_3352.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We have decided on an opening date for Season 2 of The Ice Cream Cottage, and we are adjusting our hours slightly. The new restaurant should be opening next to us this spring, so we want to stay open a little later to catch the after dinner crowd, and we really don't make money before noon, so we are opening a little later there too. You can check out the updates over on <a href="https://theicecreamcottage.com/" target="_blank">The Cottage website</a> or <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TheIceCreamCottageFairhaven" target="_blank">Facebook</a> or <a href="https://www.instagram.com/The_Ice_Cream_Cottage/" target="_blank">Instagram</a> (we appreciate your follows!)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTXEwb6KEBJoInCDYSzGQGXLT3lU3Clkr7Kg2WAQ-IFxVe1g7HkrLIFqBbgGWdUsgEa1bSacbyl9uYCS-_hVA6xrij_59bgwO75uLJTfZb4mRnIoN1pwUiaHpJLLPV1EPGRgREV1ejngDS_9vA-QQBBSEOOe_c_sOBHIxMdQUyqwTcn30-BkG7cr_2IKpT/s1170/B4E21B62-855F-4A21-B446-1C4CAFD2B427.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="953" data-original-width="1170" height="522" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTXEwb6KEBJoInCDYSzGQGXLT3lU3Clkr7Kg2WAQ-IFxVe1g7HkrLIFqBbgGWdUsgEa1bSacbyl9uYCS-_hVA6xrij_59bgwO75uLJTfZb4mRnIoN1pwUiaHpJLLPV1EPGRgREV1ejngDS_9vA-QQBBSEOOe_c_sOBHIxMdQUyqwTcn30-BkG7cr_2IKpT/w640-h522/B4E21B62-855F-4A21-B446-1C4CAFD2B427.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b> Have a fabulous March weekend everybody!</b></div>Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11451797365712728579noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5937303870758455964.post-33188490729877294922024-02-29T06:00:00.006-05:002024-02-29T11:02:39.830-05:00Some Leapy Things on February 29th<p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfuf8P3J_95J5AgSPhXRVQHCAuF0X1d1lwVycdrt2f2eGD41e-_snr2O28lfT0eel3q-OMGz9Vw9rvD_ulc_X2lR7Jzn1KQgRx-idE0iWSvv2U5L13Wtr9BOpqW2zUDuuVtKo2d0IWnOREsmtilxJApHS7ppc_iYGKN4S1HPhnAnxYJPHaSZUTGN6ZOaF1/s480/giphy.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="480" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfuf8P3J_95J5AgSPhXRVQHCAuF0X1d1lwVycdrt2f2eGD41e-_snr2O28lfT0eel3q-OMGz9Vw9rvD_ulc_X2lR7Jzn1KQgRx-idE0iWSvv2U5L13Wtr9BOpqW2zUDuuVtKo2d0IWnOREsmtilxJApHS7ppc_iYGKN4S1HPhnAnxYJPHaSZUTGN6ZOaF1/w400-h300/giphy.gif" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Happy Leap Day! Have you guys seen the movie <a href="https://amzn.to/48A4R12" target="_blank">Leap Year</a>? It's one of my favorite comfort movies. Maybe I'll watch it with Maggie and Eamon this weekend, if they'll indulge me. </div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://sophiainstitute.com/product/the-story-of-the-first-easter-bunny/" target="_blank">Sophia Press</a> sent us a new book to review, about a bunny (bunnies leap! or jump at least!) called <a href="https://amzn.to/4bWTSla" target="_blank">The Story of the First Easter Bunny</a> by Anthony DeStefano, a favorite of ours. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtNOxvMhpNkkO3z3ybAtjBolyoMMHsFQeM_GeDmHu2b494MKgJ0t-S8AUwERtayF3yzRGPA3n4LV0CWBcA4MFHel2ohMme2CxJFqH0RrUUNNlzdIgjjoksmwwEiX4kZebL9abWy_pwOo6oB013-S4lQ2qRyqGhrgaPlglhSBHWQQ_890-zpiLv3YlhZq4Q/s4032/632DE98E-AFED-487A-82B7-243E09990FD4.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtNOxvMhpNkkO3z3ybAtjBolyoMMHsFQeM_GeDmHu2b494MKgJ0t-S8AUwERtayF3yzRGPA3n4LV0CWBcA4MFHel2ohMme2CxJFqH0RrUUNNlzdIgjjoksmwwEiX4kZebL9abWy_pwOo6oB013-S4lQ2qRyqGhrgaPlglhSBHWQQ_890-zpiLv3YlhZq4Q/w640-h480/632DE98E-AFED-487A-82B7-243E09990FD4.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Even Lucy Doodle wanted to hear the story</td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: center;">This little bunny has a sick mommy bunny, and hears about a man who is healing others. The bunny finds Jesus, and is able to witness his death and resurrection to learn about the true meaning of Easter, while also receiving a miracle for his mother. </p><p style="text-align: center;">The little boys loved the story (it rhymes and the illustrations are so cute) and even the older members of the family found there way over to where I was reading aloud and listened in. While normally I am a big believer in not celebrating/decorating for Easter until Lent is over, this book is great because it does reflect Jesus' journey to the cross and reminds us of what's coming. </p><p style="text-align: center;">Now when kids ask that age old question "What does a bunny have to do with Easter anyway?" - you can just give them this book :)</p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQvXRbxa9q4zlfdCrCeRaDPfWLE2JCe6DW7IFkTJuUHvimS-iOrJer1Rz-ppVmfX0nTTnBCwOveIt94AhpncPyD-Pht5qpK1_BEPtvw0PnlX8q31bb-5PT2OpqqGmlPYqjB8zdCjv-rfGFvmy9odzVmhSoRfT9jNVFmTrQoHRrIBuin6oN9BmeAtgV8jcw/s4032/0685AF53-7151-4170-9E51-AEC209953D01.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQvXRbxa9q4zlfdCrCeRaDPfWLE2JCe6DW7IFkTJuUHvimS-iOrJer1Rz-ppVmfX0nTTnBCwOveIt94AhpncPyD-Pht5qpK1_BEPtvw0PnlX8q31bb-5PT2OpqqGmlPYqjB8zdCjv-rfGFvmy9odzVmhSoRfT9jNVFmTrQoHRrIBuin6oN9BmeAtgV8jcw/w480-h640/0685AF53-7151-4170-9E51-AEC209953D01.jpeg" width="480" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;">It's not a great LEAP to listen to songs with the word JUMP in them, so here's a fun little playlist I will have on repeat when I <strike>dance around the kitchen</strike> cook dinner:</p><p style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SwYN7mTi6HM?si=WZx2khuyBx1pQPNK" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p><p style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/aHWcN5YxuYc?si=DQc3XCkU4dn1Snu0" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p><p style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bz_1DsPF1qw?si=YkNZcqd_2OkThV-7" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p><p style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HHmLXaKLMwo?si=7I9vJMgTXa-njkhW&start=51" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p><p style="text-align: center;">Are you doing anything special on this year's bonus day? Taking the leap into anything new? Special shoutout to all the people with Leap Day birthdays and half-birthdays. I hope you celebrate like you've been waiting for four years to do so :)</p>Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11451797365712728579noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5937303870758455964.post-9642998344349037952024-02-28T08:18:00.004-05:002024-02-28T14:59:16.552-05:00Wednesday Workout Wrapup: With a Side of Who Knew I Could Wake Up This Early?<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">At the beginning of the year, I made a small resolution to try and get up earlier at least one day a week to get a workout completed in order to make the rest of my day's schedule easier. Phil and I started going to a Bootcamp class at 5:30 am on Friday mornings, at a YMCA 21 minutes away from our home, which meant we were waking up at 4:45am. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Now I'm the girl whose alarm goes off at 7:01 and needs to walk out the door by 7:20 latest in order to drop off the kids to school and then get to work on time, so this was quite the accomplishment. Every Friday, we would feel so empowered to have done the class, and then so exhausted by 3pm which made Friday nights a lot less fun. So I'm not sure if we will go back to the class in the future (though it's a great one!) but those six weeks did inspire us to wake up earlier on other mornings to get a workout in. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Since it's dark and freezing on these New England winter mornings, I was looking for an indoor workout we could follow from home, so as not to waste time driving to the gym when we could be sleeping. Gosh I love sleep. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">That's when I discovered Caroline Girvan's workout videos for free on YouTube. She's from Ireland and so incredibly strong (she uses 33 pound dumbbells!) and her routines are fire. She's not annoying, and only talks in the beginning to explain the workout for the day. The program we are doing is EPIC III which is 50 workouts meant to be done over 10 weeks. We skip the HIIT workout each week and go for a run instead, so we try to do 4 of her videos and 2 runs and an active rest day each week. We did have to buy some <a href="https://amzn.to/3OYyiTA" target="_blank">heavier dumbbells</a>, <a href="https://amzn.to/49RNDgU" target="_blank">bands</a>, and <a href="https://amzn.to/49vE1Zr" target="_blank">yoga blocks</a> (we already had <a href="https://amzn.to/3UVUEsQ" target="_blank">mats</a>) but that's all you need. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I honestly wish I had been doing these at home morning workouts all during the kids' fall and winter sports seasons, because the afternoon goes so much smoother when we only have to coordinate their schedules, and not also fit in when we need to workout. I just honestly thought I could never be a morning person. And while I don't love waking up early, I certainly love being done and showered by 7:01am instead of just waking up by that point. I guess you can teach this old dog a new trick.</div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>Wednesday, February 21:</b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://youtu.be/b_hxDF9RA6U?si=kvtmyKbnR8-Wc36Z" target="_blank">EPIC III - Day 7</a> before work</p><p style="text-align: center;">4 mile walk with dog after a shorter work day</p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>Thursday, February 22:</b></p><p style="text-align: center;">1 mile walk with dog before work</p><p style="text-align: center;">3 mile walk at lunch</p><p style="text-align: center;">4 mile run after work + 3/4 mile walk cooldown with dog and littles</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp3Ho4gl7-1Po3BuuHc9uHBf5lL5utkKF3Q9CIfMpVG1ImLF3Y2x7mQCL0qWBqR7Hu9-zvt9ksT0Bh3W5B8M9OmBydSaDHgrlnaR8k1muvNLpS-TgaCysQDT9-xA65jBlpv7KLu4FqLngpu1Ct3yEbBjyvtUFArPIbpasQdRbI9ejGOINuW-Lx038aeAZP/s4031/51B9798A-6C64-436C-85A9-10C167FB46E4.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4031" data-original-width="2604" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp3Ho4gl7-1Po3BuuHc9uHBf5lL5utkKF3Q9CIfMpVG1ImLF3Y2x7mQCL0qWBqR7Hu9-zvt9ksT0Bh3W5B8M9OmBydSaDHgrlnaR8k1muvNLpS-TgaCysQDT9-xA65jBlpv7KLu4FqLngpu1Ct3yEbBjyvtUFArPIbpasQdRbI9ejGOINuW-Lx038aeAZP/w414-h640/51B9798A-6C64-436C-85A9-10C167FB46E4.jpeg" width="414" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>Friday, February 23:</b></p><p style="text-align: center;">Day off from work!</p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://youtu.be/P176RbZhzj0?si=4kuRAOz2bDtXreUW" target="_blank">EPIC III - Day 8</a> (Triceps were sore for daysssss after this one) + 2 mile walk with dog</p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>Saturday, February 24:</b></p><p style="text-align: center;">6 mile run + 1 mile walk cooldown with dog and littles</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRrHF6dFbo5C6fhxQKb3b803XQQuMaD4yIneTVysuu67a7OuKferRv4P_JQcLk9zF0GZD_2CbrWhvbmGTr9MncwIkEK3RKso8lcmA8iBhapoyhgBY_NctYp2CwOv_igcqwGl1z9YtVFsHrRvKTVyaeIiAqvv2MapHicpPhxkdhch3vB8WuBdler1hBkRgr/s1305/03A895A9-371A-4E5C-AC53-B28B9D5918C4.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1305" data-original-width="1170" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRrHF6dFbo5C6fhxQKb3b803XQQuMaD4yIneTVysuu67a7OuKferRv4P_JQcLk9zF0GZD_2CbrWhvbmGTr9MncwIkEK3RKso8lcmA8iBhapoyhgBY_NctYp2CwOv_igcqwGl1z9YtVFsHrRvKTVyaeIiAqvv2MapHicpPhxkdhch3vB8WuBdler1hBkRgr/w359-h400/03A895A9-371A-4E5C-AC53-B28B9D5918C4.jpeg" width="359" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;">Funny story - When we finished our run, I proudly showed Phil my Move Calories because running burns so many, which were Six Hundred Sixty-Six (I don't want to type those numbers!!) and I said:</p><p style="text-align: center;"> "This is why running is.." </p><p style="text-align: center;">and he cuts in and says "From the devil". </p><p style="text-align: center;">"...so good for us, is what I was going to say".</p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>Sunday, February 25:</b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://youtu.be/cw5xfZSYDVk?si=ZWI8hLMu73rImq9W" target="_blank">EPIC III - Day 9</a> + 4 mile walk with dog</p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>Monday, February 26:</b></p><p style="text-align: center;">3 mile walk at lunch</p><p style="text-align: center;">1 mile walk after work with dog</p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://youtu.be/pNqJ3ZAU178?si=5ihFPMgFC3kBEZA5" target="_blank">EPIC III - Day 11</a> at night (with Declan and Brendan joining in!)</p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>Tuesday, February 27:</b></p><p style="text-align: center;">3 mile walk at lunch</p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://youtu.be/Cwhmzdc40gw?si=UPKOVoAO8T-vsW1U" target="_blank">EPIC III - Day 12</a> at night (will go back to mornings, but I've been a bit under the weather this week and needed more sleep).</p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;">How about you? Any good workouts this week?</p>Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11451797365712728579noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5937303870758455964.post-40574850795360107492024-02-26T08:00:00.017-05:002024-02-26T14:29:09.958-05:00A Middle-Aged Birthday Weekend of Fun<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">If you've been following along with Hallow's Pray40 for Lent, you know that there has been a lot of discussion around expectations and how they can steal joy. I learned long ago not to expect too much for my birthday or Mother's Day and since then, I am always blown away by how loved my people make me feel. My 45th birthday was just lovely, and I wish all birthdays were on Sundays because the whole weekend feels like such a treat. I came home to these beautiful flowers to start off the celebrating. They were arranged by Phil's coworker (and Declan's violin teacher) who owns a floral business and they are making our kitchen smell so good!</div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi58L6mKMp0O1SF3tV2K4y_N0kx7ZLvROFBaBt9UuxA5MDCXxPqcPbYEu34K90z5GfLqyR8g2Zhow_tWT5Dtepo0f04b7ieN2htI3r-tBrRsLbXrycG4snxK-HiV-He2ZZ2H1swpz9f8wwVrWmrGA0P58DSjYt-t6cj6OfjEv_O5bWh1LqFa59_p7K7Q1ld/s2823/1A68191E-A36C-44ED-90A2-2121A523FB40.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2772" data-original-width="2823" height="628" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi58L6mKMp0O1SF3tV2K4y_N0kx7ZLvROFBaBt9UuxA5MDCXxPqcPbYEu34K90z5GfLqyR8g2Zhow_tWT5Dtepo0f04b7ieN2htI3r-tBrRsLbXrycG4snxK-HiV-He2ZZ2H1swpz9f8wwVrWmrGA0P58DSjYt-t6cj6OfjEv_O5bWh1LqFa59_p7K7Q1ld/w640-h628/1A68191E-A36C-44ED-90A2-2121A523FB40.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Phil always buys me flowers on our kids' birthdays, so these are actually in honor of John-Paul's 21st birthday. Birthday Buddies for life! When JP was born on my 24th birthday, I have such a vivid memory of sitting in the hospital bed, staring at his handsome little face, doing birthday math. "When he turns 21, I will turn 45 - woah!" That seemed like an eternity away, and yet here we are! </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyU6Jd1M3cVdJWK4l53lj_1e8-3ugN10blZXySg60RZtLBqwc_GTAqW4Z8pV7Z10RdMEHL5kRxNfxOPgNa9TEI8P7DN3kzCKAIjnbm6kUZEVbhob5dqrlH8C3ZvpJw_YN_DYeqxZ_0YuK1Y-HlV6zywOvHLpY2sQvEAXkout2BmyYQsj02CbGjybnVBYsL/s3523/06FE2E78-6042-4B12-B72D-E3D2B2AC4A97.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3523" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyU6Jd1M3cVdJWK4l53lj_1e8-3ugN10blZXySg60RZtLBqwc_GTAqW4Z8pV7Z10RdMEHL5kRxNfxOPgNa9TEI8P7DN3kzCKAIjnbm6kUZEVbhob5dqrlH8C3ZvpJw_YN_DYeqxZ_0YuK1Y-HlV6zywOvHLpY2sQvEAXkout2BmyYQsj02CbGjybnVBYsL/w550-h640/06FE2E78-6042-4B12-B72D-E3D2B2AC4A97.jpeg" width="550" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">On Friday, I took the day off from work, and Maggie and I fulfilled her 16th birthday present by getting her ears double pierced. She had to wait until basketball season was over because no jewelry is allowed to be worn on the court. We went to a tattoo parlor to have the piercings done, and we were a little intimidated about the whole thing, so we asked Andrew's girlfriend, Darian, to come with us because she had been there before. Darian surprised us by getting her ears pierced right before Maggie's appointment! Then we all went out for a meat-free lunch :)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsVYqjvPODwJGR1Tx4UMvKaAYja7YLbhnI1gpYI8C4MHtQX7mJIYhH3EA0sOXwLq-lTXKb3opn9Broo_-vc6LDJz9vCEsdYQzVJelduUFG9YlD9agUi52NHxyeoelQW6rVZhYLNQ0N2YizpAQ3L6V7OcU3YCJEraO9d3sy-6bml6omT_s8VK3mDepX7qAU/s4032/DC312A5D-2663-4224-A948-6490C3C117B0.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsVYqjvPODwJGR1Tx4UMvKaAYja7YLbhnI1gpYI8C4MHtQX7mJIYhH3EA0sOXwLq-lTXKb3opn9Broo_-vc6LDJz9vCEsdYQzVJelduUFG9YlD9agUi52NHxyeoelQW6rVZhYLNQ0N2YizpAQ3L6V7OcU3YCJEraO9d3sy-6bml6omT_s8VK3mDepX7qAU/w640-h480/DC312A5D-2663-4224-A948-6490C3C117B0.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">On Friday night, we went to Stations of the Cross at church which is one of my favorite Lenten practices, and then came home and watched <a href="https://amzn.to/49rhJrP" target="_blank">The Courier</a> in bed on a tv with no ugly cords :)<span><a name='more'></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">On Saturday, Phil and I went for a nice long run and then to lunch at an Irish pub:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLokdmWXxH1wHwmh7Z3BuVsVc-j6EvyWKsqU-SxIOeqdt4jGlZrOpxrm3vGqz47Afxb8igqRz1FtUwwSgaehck-28BvUZGrDr-cKaEf-G2x4sIQSox24mzRZvnXxZvax9w1xe46qz50lCVtm6hoSBAur0YtWkMXjY5PUljANqlbju8RrTsyhmzVoxN5eWU/s3391/691E0B76-E87C-4ED0-B849-8485ADAEDD9D.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3391" height="570" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLokdmWXxH1wHwmh7Z3BuVsVc-j6EvyWKsqU-SxIOeqdt4jGlZrOpxrm3vGqz47Afxb8igqRz1FtUwwSgaehck-28BvUZGrDr-cKaEf-G2x4sIQSox24mzRZvnXxZvax9w1xe46qz50lCVtm6hoSBAur0YtWkMXjY5PUljANqlbju8RrTsyhmzVoxN5eWU/w640-h570/691E0B76-E87C-4ED0-B849-8485ADAEDD9D.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Horrible photo, but notice the top I'm wearing.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And then off to Providence, RI to see Nate Bargatze!!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkX7_yO1H4kQGMHGrLPiyn41bTyBwVYSWROJQUK5fqXVHn7GovM9ZxSvUMIj0siUPTGIf3XlLuud-fSbrMifsql_l1sAAp8yShrZfA0VdpqJMGPISkVS7dBI8JuwULIrx3AcFR6UMcsCYnCsFKpZ4njgWVC9age46O4D16ZQyy0avKj4H4SHHmk-2Ih9xt/s4032/FE50550D-C45E-4D52-8EE7-077EEE237FAD.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkX7_yO1H4kQGMHGrLPiyn41bTyBwVYSWROJQUK5fqXVHn7GovM9ZxSvUMIj0siUPTGIf3XlLuud-fSbrMifsql_l1sAAp8yShrZfA0VdpqJMGPISkVS7dBI8JuwULIrx3AcFR6UMcsCYnCsFKpZ4njgWVC9age46O4D16ZQyy0avKj4H4SHHmk-2Ih9xt/w480-h640/FE50550D-C45E-4D52-8EE7-077EEE237FAD.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">If you don't know who Nate is, he's a very funny CLEAN comedian. Here's a little taste of his stuff:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JYqfVE-fykk?si=olLuKdJ7aS_7JleY" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">There were about 10,000 people at the show (and Nate was doing another one later for another 10,000 people) so the parking garage nearby was crazy busy. Phil was driving Vanna White (our 12 passenger van) and dropped me off at the pavillion before looking for a parking spot (I get claustrophobic in parking garages). He turned onto the road in front of the pavillion, asked a cop where he could park because he thought his van was too big for the parking garage, and the cop said "you can just park right there" and pointed to the side of the road in a no parking zone right in front of the pavillion! Phil parked, then walked over to tell another police officer that he was told he could park there, and that guy said it was fine, and he just walked across the street to meet me. Free, front row parking for the win! We were very excited about that. Then when we got to our seats, a lady who was heading to her seat in the row in front of us, stopped and turned towards me and was just smiling at me until I realized that we were wearing <a href="https://amzn.to/3UUmRQS" target="_blank">the same top</a>, and then we both started giggling and that just continued through the whole show. My jaw literally ached after. We came home (super quickly because of the handy parking spot) and snuggled with the kids and watched an episode of The Chosen.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">On Sunday, we went to the late morning Mass (we are typically a 4pm vigil Mass family) and we stared at the 12 day old newborn in front of us the whole time - talk about a precious gift! Then we went to brunch and took too many photos because I had actually put on a skirt and blow-dried my hair ;)</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvfzKdPsiMy8YHDxfcAQsLztoD7iJyC8vAIzZ1bGhodBMXE7IoWEAxuA5tJEWe0_8HWVCeVp4eja6bjArOpP8DZl7A7Zy2LKMCSYdH0Xus2Kve3y8ZXvoRMS9xfB-8sT9G5V80kierCbXzD3M5x9mEXajE1OX7M1R20-ofHK_R9n5NM3ALuVcZnvVv0kON/s3193/48A90200-E7CD-4777-9E0E-BF88DC1D2DA1.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2224" data-original-width="3193" height="446" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvfzKdPsiMy8YHDxfcAQsLztoD7iJyC8vAIzZ1bGhodBMXE7IoWEAxuA5tJEWe0_8HWVCeVp4eja6bjArOpP8DZl7A7Zy2LKMCSYdH0Xus2Kve3y8ZXvoRMS9xfB-8sT9G5V80kierCbXzD3M5x9mEXajE1OX7M1R20-ofHK_R9n5NM3ALuVcZnvVv0kON/w640-h446/48A90200-E7CD-4777-9E0E-BF88DC1D2DA1.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3ioK7B725aa0ufZENtZ-E49k4YVccxbzWHwPrbA0bfUYhHrFYFcvT1bWOGdWyT-PdM3WvpxaI3W42rN_JfXBBdRAGC65XLN7RUl4a2TnOBENTvEIj_BAteSg0033HEtVxqH6g_BiRU-90UNOC4-xMnQnfq2mGsbIVujSGQRjyLOVOH-Sj8qAyujmmGHuZ/s4032/56041F66-74FD-48A8-A18B-342DE6FBEDB3.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3ioK7B725aa0ufZENtZ-E49k4YVccxbzWHwPrbA0bfUYhHrFYFcvT1bWOGdWyT-PdM3WvpxaI3W42rN_JfXBBdRAGC65XLN7RUl4a2TnOBENTvEIj_BAteSg0033HEtVxqH6g_BiRU-90UNOC4-xMnQnfq2mGsbIVujSGQRjyLOVOH-Sj8qAyujmmGHuZ/w480-h640/56041F66-74FD-48A8-A18B-342DE6FBEDB3.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYzWFLrULnyGqz_eRypjYBquaDU-VSFZiQEqubEP0YuB65eiNiFpRf-yoZLMCPlrbKJU5E8gms7xpeql3wc6pi68kEYzrIozA0L7Zy1qy0NuqTdEJyxiFKI_ALYlwR-txLKajC5iqL4CuCE3hG40ZqFimk7yoD6S6po45rHMDaAHqk8ZdLmuzvXOSZqaZe/s4032/AD1472DD-713F-4C3D-B93C-12B2EC69E1ED.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYzWFLrULnyGqz_eRypjYBquaDU-VSFZiQEqubEP0YuB65eiNiFpRf-yoZLMCPlrbKJU5E8gms7xpeql3wc6pi68kEYzrIozA0L7Zy1qy0NuqTdEJyxiFKI_ALYlwR-txLKajC5iqL4CuCE3hG40ZqFimk7yoD6S6po45rHMDaAHqk8ZdLmuzvXOSZqaZe/w480-h640/AD1472DD-713F-4C3D-B93C-12B2EC69E1ED.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3JlFaQu99IhaOd3Ysh9v6BN_CV026P0fQOAfYtz5O1-S7LArW5ugqzb41wtQTZdw2bAcD27EDHzagPJKfmEYjgqcjzvhHBRdPA7EkkQgwDumenwOONC-bdrRONjy8XE0pAonnWXRqcvWRhjGrPFgh9lTXGJkthUG2RiLnjX4_VX016luyav4ghIjT71mu/s4032/DB5009D4-81F4-4D19-B28D-AB55798E9AFC.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3JlFaQu99IhaOd3Ysh9v6BN_CV026P0fQOAfYtz5O1-S7LArW5ugqzb41wtQTZdw2bAcD27EDHzagPJKfmEYjgqcjzvhHBRdPA7EkkQgwDumenwOONC-bdrRONjy8XE0pAonnWXRqcvWRhjGrPFgh9lTXGJkthUG2RiLnjX4_VX016luyav4ghIjT71mu/w480-h640/DB5009D4-81F4-4D19-B28D-AB55798E9AFC.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoMnAd6Fp_LOkWpoqjNeJbXoHM4zTTDr7CfDLI5bW3wgH5jFskPG_RAQgdnXPp-wAGXIkS-zPIfFjPF6zrm18HOmn1CjDZTtB_8WfcsB4ZiwA7-S6jXyatdGJu5xwVmyydt0KkkJFWLuCZVjYClus8SvFvwQsNslWQKUj18wGm5gDZe-PJKKHJZL6CzQIi/s4032/C5B6FF5A-EE54-4EA7-AA7E-478477065DDA.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoMnAd6Fp_LOkWpoqjNeJbXoHM4zTTDr7CfDLI5bW3wgH5jFskPG_RAQgdnXPp-wAGXIkS-zPIfFjPF6zrm18HOmn1CjDZTtB_8WfcsB4ZiwA7-S6jXyatdGJu5xwVmyydt0KkkJFWLuCZVjYClus8SvFvwQsNslWQKUj18wGm5gDZe-PJKKHJZL6CzQIi/w480-h640/C5B6FF5A-EE54-4EA7-AA7E-478477065DDA.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">On Sunday night, we had pizza and subs for dinner (the real family birthday dinner of chicken cordon bleu will wait until JP comes home in 2 weeks) and then I was seriously surprised to get a few more gifts! Eamon cleaned out my car, Maggie cleaned up the house and babysat while we were out to brunch, the littles made me cards, my little sister gave me some delicious smelling body scrubs, my mom gave me a beautiful Irish sweater, and my bestie gave me one of my <a href="https://amzn.to/48zUnie" target="_blank">fave candles</a>. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Phil bought me <a href="https://amzn.to/3If49LY" target="_blank">Hokas</a> after I casually mentioned wanting to try them for my next pair of running sneakers:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc9nMApJWTcxfW5qIbrxDlem1V_VdHUMo8kaF_Tb-K7ShQUczSUy2OGJeNAPkTURy3nR6nVwjCt6fXI6zuwgAW5VMiWAgZHq3TznO4VFK3i1q1ueAw1bTuAAZYgQyS-dTqW5tuLEc56DX_5ViwoelKFp8U3gSmD8i1cYOCVD4fo8BYNTUeYeg8nHd9WQm_/s3585/E2B73741-06E2-4AC7-A0A0-482F652A3B9C.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3585" data-original-width="2988" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc9nMApJWTcxfW5qIbrxDlem1V_VdHUMo8kaF_Tb-K7ShQUczSUy2OGJeNAPkTURy3nR6nVwjCt6fXI6zuwgAW5VMiWAgZHq3TznO4VFK3i1q1ueAw1bTuAAZYgQyS-dTqW5tuLEc56DX_5ViwoelKFp8U3gSmD8i1cYOCVD4fo8BYNTUeYeg8nHd9WQm_/w534-h640/E2B73741-06E2-4AC7-A0A0-482F652A3B9C.jpeg" width="534" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shocked!</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO6WnD2Y2XsvHI21xZDlxxt_KPJL7QkPejT6_AblZoYLFdvq5YmqZ1cvg9vAY6QJA7RGmNZ_59PAoAQMJjrXhfgf6-clF1lUDcgXw7V5rtKPPJhS465Ya4fQ1kLAwyrVGVr2QR52gMiPgeIVdbF3b4ROuXR2W_Ub1BG7RSH6g0CQXRmSFZdZMv4_2CcgHR/s3664/D8AF2F1B-4130-4E37-9C07-43C461C03B20.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3664" data-original-width="2681" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO6WnD2Y2XsvHI21xZDlxxt_KPJL7QkPejT6_AblZoYLFdvq5YmqZ1cvg9vAY6QJA7RGmNZ_59PAoAQMJjrXhfgf6-clF1lUDcgXw7V5rtKPPJhS465Ya4fQ1kLAwyrVGVr2QR52gMiPgeIVdbF3b4ROuXR2W_Ub1BG7RSH6g0CQXRmSFZdZMv4_2CcgHR/w468-h640/D8AF2F1B-4130-4E37-9C07-43C461C03B20.jpeg" width="468" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And a pair of beautiful Cape Cod earrings, that I tried to get a picture of, and ended getting a photo of some even better gifts :)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJpfMC18PCC5kDoY7GPnIg6ioo_Hwz67wzbbH0ZymQ2hhNNgMkqsc191Y0EoguLP3853ehtUESphtU583BbiHr-qyexfH6T_52XN-_P9bvdJAcebG-InMHtSjKWkyLTOifI6Xj_Mmwtm67thLBpRt0kSTGHS_xph0ilXL5HjexkcLY2G3Hab34V39jKWNo/s3508/535323DA-0741-417E-8E9E-6B1C98413B18.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3508" data-original-width="2760" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJpfMC18PCC5kDoY7GPnIg6ioo_Hwz67wzbbH0ZymQ2hhNNgMkqsc191Y0EoguLP3853ehtUESphtU583BbiHr-qyexfH6T_52XN-_P9bvdJAcebG-InMHtSjKWkyLTOifI6Xj_Mmwtm67thLBpRt0kSTGHS_xph0ilXL5HjexkcLY2G3Hab34V39jKWNo/w504-h640/535323DA-0741-417E-8E9E-6B1C98413B18.jpeg" width="504" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">For dessert, ice cream, of course!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3oac8Jud1310rfRdJFr1J7urzwJwMDJp0agqq77Q9RL8HMJSsfMYWlbzB2Fnf-0nM1rrsg5xkNrYqy6JOHLKaS2HS2VUj0QuNiBN4GCyyKtVbr3rqTTt8sDiZ7iy1Ia5GavaBp4cA4-rhQWemtgxZepQKUhgjsfjOZ5CUY-ePqUoOmWeDawe4F63RiNKd/s3276/C39989F0-D617-4701-82AC-6C1BD2D77750.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3276" data-original-width="3010" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3oac8Jud1310rfRdJFr1J7urzwJwMDJp0agqq77Q9RL8HMJSsfMYWlbzB2Fnf-0nM1rrsg5xkNrYqy6JOHLKaS2HS2VUj0QuNiBN4GCyyKtVbr3rqTTt8sDiZ7iy1Ia5GavaBp4cA4-rhQWemtgxZepQKUhgjsfjOZ5CUY-ePqUoOmWeDawe4F63RiNKd/w588-h640/C39989F0-D617-4701-82AC-6C1BD2D77750.jpeg" width="588" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And just like that, the amazing weekend was over and I am now officially in my mid-forties and feel blessed beyond belief.</div><p></p>Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11451797365712728579noreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5937303870758455964.post-75697161427083671332024-02-23T08:00:00.001-05:002024-02-23T08:26:48.613-05:00Week in Review: Breaking News, February Break and Tax Breaks<p style="text-align: center;"> Big news this week.</p><p style="text-align: center;">HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL SEASON IS OVER!!</p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPgMfpuvAPOKzQyBzBsUXjk3K4aHQj_V9Kr4Dj9UGzgyoigiAI0VkkN-lXDz0fNVuJn9DP0Q_oZ4HWUzmM2c6MrNFDbbgzB2m2Dg0unDejhe2bd1vDnNoPs43S7YH1fV4aMHxWFeza5uwkPY3510vYp_WXBmN5VFvN0gJSUlOL2eXBZAgZBZUJHk7SP_o3/s721/Untitled.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="721" height="442" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPgMfpuvAPOKzQyBzBsUXjk3K4aHQj_V9Kr4Dj9UGzgyoigiAI0VkkN-lXDz0fNVuJn9DP0Q_oZ4HWUzmM2c6MrNFDbbgzB2m2Dg0unDejhe2bd1vDnNoPs43S7YH1fV4aMHxWFeza5uwkPY3510vYp_WXBmN5VFvN0gJSUlOL2eXBZAgZBZUJHk7SP_o3/w640-h442/Untitled.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Let's goooooooooo!</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Eamon's last (ever? he's a junior but unsure if he wants to play next year) Varsity game was on Wednesday and Maggie's last Varsity game as a Sophomore was on Thursday and thank you Baby Jesus for allowing us to get through all of *waves hands wildly around the air* that. Declan still has practices and games for his CYO season, but 2-3 times a week for one kid seems like nothing now. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This week has been February Break, so no school for the kids and no work for Phil, and I had Monday and Friday off. We've done library trips to renew interest in reading books other than graphic novels, cleaned out and organized the board games which led to renewed interest in playing games:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJHdx63EW9_d8ICX_B-qsLDq11P0T7_shbZn8SmdWHBWbCT2mh5ogWxI7YE8WNcrPEnPVKEq82mBgpBsvPW6zHikOBdKhQs6N0DwoKOXXwJtFdF8Zc-BQJDN97TlifhqkMMRFm0GmulUhBqCd2j4zqxS7wW5Y3b9LjCcrQnUf52KT89jij05daclaE4w5o/s4032/9672A3D3-8ADB-4340-BBF6-503332BE5654.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJHdx63EW9_d8ICX_B-qsLDq11P0T7_shbZn8SmdWHBWbCT2mh5ogWxI7YE8WNcrPEnPVKEq82mBgpBsvPW6zHikOBdKhQs6N0DwoKOXXwJtFdF8Zc-BQJDN97TlifhqkMMRFm0GmulUhBqCd2j4zqxS7wW5Y3b9LjCcrQnUf52KT89jij05daclaE4w5o/w640-h480/9672A3D3-8ADB-4340-BBF6-503332BE5654.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://amzn.to/3I979cH" target="_blank"><br /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://amzn.to/3I979cH" target="_blank">Cage Bingo</a> for the win!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqVnpzXdBdGmWJHBxAPQPDcku5E6Us1m_tNA45ZMNgsb1-t-ECHhCPNqkdztUuqct1L-S0Q1pTsAqPK4263nVTM48YQxAs6-NNUc1T1fMfDJsPTlL__8EPJM_vNkNMH59hXZ9sEHq-Ox3fM39E4jtkrFvD0Tuvp3_qIyxnp1Q0V0qOVk-GwcPQDY9E498D/s4032/607AEBD8-5C75-48BF-8420-F0B6F97010B2.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqVnpzXdBdGmWJHBxAPQPDcku5E6Us1m_tNA45ZMNgsb1-t-ECHhCPNqkdztUuqct1L-S0Q1pTsAqPK4263nVTM48YQxAs6-NNUc1T1fMfDJsPTlL__8EPJM_vNkNMH59hXZ9sEHq-Ox3fM39E4jtkrFvD0Tuvp3_qIyxnp1Q0V0qOVk-GwcPQDY9E498D/w640-h480/607AEBD8-5C75-48BF-8420-F0B6F97010B2.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">One day, Phil took the kids to play basketball and then got them some Wendy's for lunch:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSyPFLOUiYtGAChxfHLfa977yrtsjw3mwyX9tLw_zDpX6uWkK4h-88yDneX1Ce6JEK9nIDofpjoq-80Xa0-Mfy0KiwVM-qPdonMXFur00dSQgIgYM7EkmznanAMSFmpFNBRRFy32LSsWNzOdXqP9Yw6gvkIhu9QFVrbYKJwOf5VrAiHQrNpSsWnH1Z1wU_/s4032/F8381AB2-7736-4C82-993C-76FB27CD8DE9.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSyPFLOUiYtGAChxfHLfa977yrtsjw3mwyX9tLw_zDpX6uWkK4h-88yDneX1Ce6JEK9nIDofpjoq-80Xa0-Mfy0KiwVM-qPdonMXFur00dSQgIgYM7EkmznanAMSFmpFNBRRFy32LSsWNzOdXqP9Yw6gvkIhu9QFVrbYKJwOf5VrAiHQrNpSsWnH1Z1wU_/w640-h480/F8381AB2-7736-4C82-993C-76FB27CD8DE9.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Eamon and his "friend" took the littles out to see the Migration movie in the theater, then came home for chicken parm and games. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQuio5io-fhfhaGH4tbqAilSTckNadRx-bF20zNfcU35aI8KJn0AXRCjb9rqAiJCvPb0NIWZButZdbqBfbybXgPSsC50evh14tcZdfHoOE24WzyMO2LqlSx5gk0hs-Gzsl8GEdXceGTkzTnoaHBL-AL-nz55kHv7WpB1BHD4O5o6hbqF4OqsCQdCIdceGG/s3187/83599D6B-9B64-4596-B156-12A5C0242432.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2863" data-original-width="3187" height="574" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQuio5io-fhfhaGH4tbqAilSTckNadRx-bF20zNfcU35aI8KJn0AXRCjb9rqAiJCvPb0NIWZButZdbqBfbybXgPSsC50evh14tcZdfHoOE24WzyMO2LqlSx5gk0hs-Gzsl8GEdXceGTkzTnoaHBL-AL-nz55kHv7WpB1BHD4O5o6hbqF4OqsCQdCIdceGG/w640-h574/83599D6B-9B64-4596-B156-12A5C0242432.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Maggie and I went to get our eyebrows threaded and then she needed a Playa Bowl after that traumatic experience (it's really not that traumatic but her skin is sensitive). She loved the results though and is learning the lesson that "Il faut souffrir pour être belle".</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie7x46nFzTO9jYQjZr3EuVX96Tt_ErKbulmm641lQnyAA3D9RYdtnKRaLRjU0QCSlwmoCI-OomEYRjynPnV76KYkgF8-uHBkWeUcatlp999akMDlrA1cUtkXiUV3ZsJ40w_3Iyp7N9h7QyRnua8e2kcUDWPhs9SeWqWc1xNR6AjRohoaSHM5hwkfVFcdSG/s4032/947930E4-B829-49D0-B193-09F7BB773CCE.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie7x46nFzTO9jYQjZr3EuVX96Tt_ErKbulmm641lQnyAA3D9RYdtnKRaLRjU0QCSlwmoCI-OomEYRjynPnV76KYkgF8-uHBkWeUcatlp999akMDlrA1cUtkXiUV3ZsJ40w_3Iyp7N9h7QyRnua8e2kcUDWPhs9SeWqWc1xNR6AjRohoaSHM5hwkfVFcdSG/w480-h640/947930E4-B829-49D0-B193-09F7BB773CCE.jpeg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She doesn't always wear slippers out in public, but when she does it's after basketball practice.</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I came home from work one day to find that Phil had left me an early birthday present in our bedroom (my birthday is this Sunday):</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLZb-Y_Zcxk4n1-ujo7wuQAaM7tevBcVXdw_i9_GgwQwnmFvXVGP85sRf6aosYN0jIws3k272Ps18DYSLRYTTTA8mSOrUNaz38JD7OW576Hd2bC6_cHqIXerOZN-ZZsGjLsA2B01eKKFr8I7TNTgrxRithtQ1AFkgfpM_RfYGCQuWWeFuFzJrMV4YSBcOL/s3754/IMG_5879.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3754" data-original-width="2816" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLZb-Y_Zcxk4n1-ujo7wuQAaM7tevBcVXdw_i9_GgwQwnmFvXVGP85sRf6aosYN0jIws3k272Ps18DYSLRYTTTA8mSOrUNaz38JD7OW576Hd2bC6_cHqIXerOZN-ZZsGjLsA2B01eKKFr8I7TNTgrxRithtQ1AFkgfpM_RfYGCQuWWeFuFzJrMV4YSBcOL/w480-h640/IMG_5879.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The kids couldn't figure out what the present was until I showed them an old picture:</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii1Qk6A92iSWWArUkpWHXLZy8u30O6pSnXrUN361l0C1HlbtK8D_WB7l3LcdbXt5wrQa8-mTBOrv70P5nRQLRyWBR2kWEPLOK4FCGdBgAq3JwT8tizr4oytuGnDMA9C8Olt5LWqmLxgIdQ-WQB9d23E6moXrbT9E8UeYrlpIIm-dcaPqT4R1p-LlQtzcBi/s4032/IMG_7941.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="2445" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii1Qk6A92iSWWArUkpWHXLZy8u30O6pSnXrUN361l0C1HlbtK8D_WB7l3LcdbXt5wrQa8-mTBOrv70P5nRQLRyWBR2kWEPLOK4FCGdBgAq3JwT8tizr4oytuGnDMA9C8Olt5LWqmLxgIdQ-WQB9d23E6moXrbT9E8UeYrlpIIm-dcaPqT4R1p-LlQtzcBi/w388-h640/IMG_7941.jpg" width="388" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">All of those ugly cords - gone! How did we even live like that? And look at how cuddly wee Brendan watched tv in bed with me :)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I filed my taxes with <a href="https://refer.taxact.com/s/collmart1" target="_blank">TaxAct</a> on February 5th and got both Federal and State refunds by February 20th - woohoo! Just in time to have ductless mini split units installed in the house next week. When it comes to money, our motto is "God giveth and God taketh away".</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Today involves a little girlie outing, to be reported on next week, and then we will all be staring at each other in disbelief when JP turns 21 on Sunday. These darn kids never listen when I tell them not to grow up!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Have a wonderful LAST WEEKEND in February everybody!!</div><p></p>Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11451797365712728579noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5937303870758455964.post-91275806753206373122024-02-21T08:00:00.002-05:002024-02-21T08:30:15.824-05:00Wednesday Workout Wrapup: With a Side of Moving Goals<p style="text-align: center;">I often see fitness influencers on social media being asked "How do you know what exercises to do or where to start?" and everyone has their own story. Some of them are trained personal trainers or former elite athletes or people who have lost a lot of weight or just normal people who figured out what works for them after lots of trial and error.</p><p style="text-align: center;">I am none of those :)</p><p style="text-align: center;">I am closest to the "normal people who figured out what works for them" though I am forever in the stage of trials and errors. I constantly wonder about what works best for me (and my family and our schedules) and often change it up in hopes of figuring out the perfect plan for whatever season we are in. </p><p style="text-align: center;">Sometimes I get on a running kick because the weather is nice and it fits in easiest with everyone's schedules. Then I burn out of running and want to focus on lifting, so I start a program to guide me (that's what I'm doing with the free! <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhu1QCKrfgPXAMz4TJv5Ub4IFvdXjuFXy" target="_blank">EPIC III</a> program right now). Most of the time I just randomly piece together my favorite group exercise classes at the gym, fit in some running, add lots of walking and it's fine.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The only consistent goal I have since getting an <a href="https://amzn.to/3OOp3p3" target="_blank">Apple Watch</a> five years ago is to hit my Move Calorie Goal of 800 each day. When I sit at work all day, it requires some effort to reach that goal, but when it's the weekend or a vacation, just being active and having fun all day usually does the trick. And I'm not craaaaazy about it. Some days I go well over 800 calories and some days I'm under and it doesn't bother me *much*. It's a Move Goal but it's also always a Moving Goal because while I hope to stay active for the rest of my life, I know I need to be flexible with what that will look like.</div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: 700; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;">Wednesday, February 14: </span></p><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Ash Wednesday plus Valentine's Day = a weird combo, and it made me not want to work out. I went to an Ash Wednesday service during my lunch break at a church I can walk to from work.<b><br /></b></span><span style="color: black; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">1.5 mile walk after service</span><br /><span style="color: black; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">1 mile walk with dog in evening</span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="color: black; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Thursday, February 15: </span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://youtu.be/hGaYKeFecM0?si=cLk3vn4HgS1uRVK3" target="_blank">Epic III - Day 1</a> (at home before work)</span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">3 mile Walk at lunch</span><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Friday, February 16: </span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://youtu.be/DE5FRnqc4S4?si=fHKvBIEkU2UX1a2Z" target="_blank">Epic III - Day 2</a> + </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;">1 mile walk with dog (all in morning before work)</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;">3 mile walk at lunch</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Saturday, February 17: </span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://youtu.be/oB4adffKNx4?si=uC82ph_SyFDc_7Ft" target="_blank">Epic III - Day 3</a> plus half of <a href="https://youtu.be/cL05g13YSIE?si=Pm6lQAODO7Jk8hWs" target="_blank">EPIC III - Day 5</a>. Her HIIT workouts are so intense, we were dying:</span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cL05g13YSIE?si=_gyB7P-I271gmkF0" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;">4.3 mile walk with dog</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sunday, February 18: </span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="color: black; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">4.3 mile walk with dog in morning</span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Then we drove to the Cape for an overnight with the little boys. We did lots of this for hours:</span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha5Iauy8LnLwGvvvcbhodsTgrFnp0zB1g_rMX3MyhE0eDjm9hUfxRpZc7H8VwqHum1gyjpEPJ9tadSRIDwwlSjgEo7CHj5vLY_fxPwtdorqrS_DIycnJmeUW3rQzMRe4ibFo2tT4KLgctjuTQ9Lch_GtqNqW2s9iTNrELfGFK72uXsA5aFKdb8Aa8eiLTf/s3601/87261A74-3210-4C49-9EC9-3E771CB435A3.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1862" data-original-width="3601" height="330" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha5Iauy8LnLwGvvvcbhodsTgrFnp0zB1g_rMX3MyhE0eDjm9hUfxRpZc7H8VwqHum1gyjpEPJ9tadSRIDwwlSjgEo7CHj5vLY_fxPwtdorqrS_DIycnJmeUW3rQzMRe4ibFo2tT4KLgctjuTQ9Lch_GtqNqW2s9iTNrELfGFK72uXsA5aFKdb8Aa8eiLTf/w640-h330/87261A74-3210-4C49-9EC9-3E771CB435A3.jpeg" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Monday, February 19: </span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="color: black; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">1.75 mile walk around resort + lots more swimming<br /></span><span style="color: black; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Tuesday, February 20: </span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://youtu.be/46cYfOOwNc4?si=0K2CrEv1YL9aA-tk" target="_blank">Epic III - Day 6</a> (at home before work)</span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">3 mile walk at lunch</span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">1 mile walk with dog after dinner</span></span></div>Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11451797365712728579noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5937303870758455964.post-44760533184323553832024-02-20T14:35:00.004-05:002024-02-21T08:20:15.638-05:00A Quick Getaway to Wizarding Week in Brewster<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Here in Massachusetts, the kids are off school for the week for February Break. Eamon and Maggie still have basketball practices and games, so Phil and I brought the littles (how many more years can I call them that?) to Brewster, MA on Cape Cod for an overnight at a resort that had a Wizarding themed week. Only Xander has read the Harry Potter books because we make the kids wait until they are 10 to start, but the activities were fun even if you had no clue about Harry Potter, like me.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">It just so happened that a favorite soft serve ice cream shop in Hyannis opened for the season this weekend AND it was a Sunday during Lent, so we had to stop and get a treat. I don't make the rules, I just follow them :)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBZ0U2wz2zFdwKng0S_9RB7g3gDRhE6BE3XqTUhNNucV_s3VF-iuJVt0T_YjW2P2DjRt6aGkJWz8o-yez91AFC1_rwAC5hC8sxT08dPiiGyylxmFVmm_H817Q5mShxR_9KfW9z9HpiJL7_rrlSZtPB4Vfch7diYY0w_QshoqoR9N73sSnNKx5dtBKRlwc6/s4030/97BCF5C4-350B-40AA-90C1-5E0ACF2747D1.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4030" data-original-width="2433" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBZ0U2wz2zFdwKng0S_9RB7g3gDRhE6BE3XqTUhNNucV_s3VF-iuJVt0T_YjW2P2DjRt6aGkJWz8o-yez91AFC1_rwAC5hC8sxT08dPiiGyylxmFVmm_H817Q5mShxR_9KfW9z9HpiJL7_rrlSZtPB4Vfch7diYY0w_QshoqoR9N73sSnNKx5dtBKRlwc6/w386-h640/97BCF5C4-350B-40AA-90C1-5E0ACF2747D1.jpeg" width="386" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Then we continued our drive to <a href="https://www.oceanedge.com/" target="_blank">Ocean's Edge</a> in Brewster. The mansion has a cool history, if you're into that sort of thing...at one time even being used as a seminary!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcUQpKDIM-MQxCTSkssHYy37B88G1TgptodFX62kgmmFJAC1rRLOBdVTVa83R01RxF1wlgdLouBfcY5AUYJv7hTj3wjNNu5ca_nH9tDcLq4h07qKapxwx1WMv1AemAWWOyQKEOfXAZDRlS6tN7Yia5aBC5F6t9lZG7dwS1rCIcarRppysyLPYC_B816E0G/s4032/4B51E341-43D4-456C-8B07-9BE58D2CA6D6.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcUQpKDIM-MQxCTSkssHYy37B88G1TgptodFX62kgmmFJAC1rRLOBdVTVa83R01RxF1wlgdLouBfcY5AUYJv7hTj3wjNNu5ca_nH9tDcLq4h07qKapxwx1WMv1AemAWWOyQKEOfXAZDRlS6tN7Yia5aBC5F6t9lZG7dwS1rCIcarRppysyLPYC_B816E0G/w480-h640/4B51E341-43D4-456C-8B07-9BE58D2CA6D6.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH0M_xmOXYdPbAUPLI-Q4Sqpo2DuoY6IKGCbYEFqtQOw6mmFESnZvsyfYfMt1XfIuTUUerj1AfNN_GBSbtJ0joLB5eJUACJThm_MJ_vMV1b1wV02wv3bCx3pT5U0lE1mdYl2M_rg2DmsedXsxp_ughXcJgIptR0hYyzzUUhn06unNvOsGVQHkIHppCuGQW/s3429/1AF5774D-935C-4236-ABC6-D9E67A3CC162.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2778" data-original-width="3429" height="518" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH0M_xmOXYdPbAUPLI-Q4Sqpo2DuoY6IKGCbYEFqtQOw6mmFESnZvsyfYfMt1XfIuTUUerj1AfNN_GBSbtJ0joLB5eJUACJThm_MJ_vMV1b1wV02wv3bCx3pT5U0lE1mdYl2M_rg2DmsedXsxp_ughXcJgIptR0hYyzzUUhn06unNvOsGVQHkIHppCuGQW/w640-h518/1AF5774D-935C-4236-ABC6-D9E67A3CC162.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7RMXNp07ZrXVo6G2WtTLGsE108mtWkCNHcFKYHSavpZD0CXjwylrm__KAYdbVeJvM1Y0nYb5AuyMZ6__aUHBlmO9kor-j6XmHjRDFmt2W_oryRPIed-RF_2NW4fBYu1Oi2H31rAxqIWiEtQMkcgZI-aFjlokMOTDZ5hSQuW6FdijNbI4H6KAmbpLvoYeA/s4032/0AACAC1A-F00D-4373-9AD7-08D8B5674BF0.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7RMXNp07ZrXVo6G2WtTLGsE108mtWkCNHcFKYHSavpZD0CXjwylrm__KAYdbVeJvM1Y0nYb5AuyMZ6__aUHBlmO9kor-j6XmHjRDFmt2W_oryRPIed-RF_2NW4fBYu1Oi2H31rAxqIWiEtQMkcgZI-aFjlokMOTDZ5hSQuW6FdijNbI4H6KAmbpLvoYeA/w480-h640/0AACAC1A-F00D-4373-9AD7-08D8B5674BF0.jpeg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Do you think that metal ring is for horses?</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKijOEV_1Z7yVJdmdFMvGZlK_NZn5U3meQSowXRM1TrB8FbOmDlzuomn4rdPRFLZHYBpdANO28_pL7ORKOYjMxVpGddKryyOPwh21P4qapgeV4steYxmUVpM3JBHjRqeHaeD-nWAYNhiOUNHwlq2Dxn0L0JsIwDcbQEBp3BiHlVBeheugEC3JiKXGqTBj8/s4032/B23E8C0F-17C2-42EB-A29B-8AD97E878386.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKijOEV_1Z7yVJdmdFMvGZlK_NZn5U3meQSowXRM1TrB8FbOmDlzuomn4rdPRFLZHYBpdANO28_pL7ORKOYjMxVpGddKryyOPwh21P4qapgeV4steYxmUVpM3JBHjRqeHaeD-nWAYNhiOUNHwlq2Dxn0L0JsIwDcbQEBp3BiHlVBeheugEC3JiKXGqTBj8/w480-h640/B23E8C0F-17C2-42EB-A29B-8AD97E878386.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhTNnLR4UT6IHGJBnbolfV7onhWo7w5V4ektv9KcL5l1-3aglKUaLRauL-aIt9ZkQhZuFDxxskFE8Ro56N0KKyunElbHevgFPQflf7bx83E9-ns_4tYaP60eYRnvYfVpZjsG6IC2o6LcTuaDYY-nmRZZCQlCjCfNPQnz5YJLLjEkw5fT-o0mSuB7yqp02W/s4032/74E9E83B-01BF-498E-84D4-3E442E33FDDE.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhTNnLR4UT6IHGJBnbolfV7onhWo7w5V4ektv9KcL5l1-3aglKUaLRauL-aIt9ZkQhZuFDxxskFE8Ro56N0KKyunElbHevgFPQflf7bx83E9-ns_4tYaP60eYRnvYfVpZjsG6IC2o6LcTuaDYY-nmRZZCQlCjCfNPQnz5YJLLjEkw5fT-o0mSuB7yqp02W/w480-h640/74E9E83B-01BF-498E-84D4-3E442E33FDDE.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEislwVAI8V4-4K7nMxTrra_HxbSaBgQwpwygq_1ZKHJEJ4k23TaLNrLEu1T9GoUK-sAKccgZPkvEfxseLGRLcwJz2XiobtFVhi22UBx9bmJzJQN-5paflZjdKqDelsc3DI00FAkpuuAs0x2nbUGe5ro3YLp7ScMpGlPwuvTLCvVNrQtxFeRUxO_JLsd1irP/s4032/CA65A3BF-5433-47CF-8D87-5DA7D3E3080E.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEislwVAI8V4-4K7nMxTrra_HxbSaBgQwpwygq_1ZKHJEJ4k23TaLNrLEu1T9GoUK-sAKccgZPkvEfxseLGRLcwJz2XiobtFVhi22UBx9bmJzJQN-5paflZjdKqDelsc3DI00FAkpuuAs0x2nbUGe5ro3YLp7ScMpGlPwuvTLCvVNrQtxFeRUxO_JLsd1irP/w480-h640/CA65A3BF-5433-47CF-8D87-5DA7D3E3080E.jpeg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">He's never looked <strike>hotter</strike> Potter</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIHjwNs6VIXW19K1YTNIlynEvcmWJCRiNezcYwhSzy_Flr2Zka3mm24BYiJyvvu-RmEe_Zr6LG0_w0iErXuc3zfdk9qViNX24SDujxn7B_axbycDHzHNe7-l6fk7QC_WESOFIT96JmIDI1Qi_zmu-Dkyacgr9kkslxgXlYD4fOIFTTTfabbAZWhQRee2UN/s4032/9790F8FB-455F-4CD1-9A71-7812B169BA37.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIHjwNs6VIXW19K1YTNIlynEvcmWJCRiNezcYwhSzy_Flr2Zka3mm24BYiJyvvu-RmEe_Zr6LG0_w0iErXuc3zfdk9qViNX24SDujxn7B_axbycDHzHNe7-l6fk7QC_WESOFIT96JmIDI1Qi_zmu-Dkyacgr9kkslxgXlYD4fOIFTTTfabbAZWhQRee2UN/w480-h640/9790F8FB-455F-4CD1-9A71-7812B169BA37.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgU8jeDYrndkf929Gr4Ul-D31mx9FQRPXYophjs6rLQw6r76sII8mHZ5d2oeXGKLuQdcH4mQbQNfjAkkndjhwz2ZIlMRFG9diJNntkzXQ_lu8JN2jZ2jhJvJct-ITnOCNn_jctrc5HoaKywM4h-E54g_m7SPyVbVcETyus30rQ6a11aNzoZOTGzOywmGyU/s4032/E5B4EC30-E91C-455F-B4A2-191BEDBD2151.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgU8jeDYrndkf929Gr4Ul-D31mx9FQRPXYophjs6rLQw6r76sII8mHZ5d2oeXGKLuQdcH4mQbQNfjAkkndjhwz2ZIlMRFG9diJNntkzXQ_lu8JN2jZ2jhJvJct-ITnOCNn_jctrc5HoaKywM4h-E54g_m7SPyVbVcETyus30rQ6a11aNzoZOTGzOywmGyU/w480-h640/E5B4EC30-E91C-455F-B4A2-191BEDBD2151.jpeg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Xander has read through the series about 15 times already!</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span><a name='more'></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The resort covers a huge area that includes multiple villas, a beach, pond, golf course and all sorts of athletic courts and multiple pools. It would be amazing to stay here in the summer, but much much cheaper to stay here in February :)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJoEgul8ncGUk4A_rVcSdQCXd4tqGnZ1zICSyM8YSzBaTWape4ayZZTGZVZtkyaiSsOJm3GdkJqUXIkEf_riWbLkuCuZ4pmtjW2OK-GiXF0nnXqFtHxqf7vkOrHpHkxqBfsScSXmrba_mRZxU4ufn8i6i2FVNIEvoRj-RXGpurfjHDEwti0jZD-A7UyHtn/s3601/59A5BC1A-9B22-4C9F-98A5-DDC56E41FA67.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1862" data-original-width="3601" height="330" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJoEgul8ncGUk4A_rVcSdQCXd4tqGnZ1zICSyM8YSzBaTWape4ayZZTGZVZtkyaiSsOJm3GdkJqUXIkEf_riWbLkuCuZ4pmtjW2OK-GiXF0nnXqFtHxqf7vkOrHpHkxqBfsScSXmrba_mRZxU4ufn8i6i2FVNIEvoRj-RXGpurfjHDEwti0jZD-A7UyHtn/w640-h330/59A5BC1A-9B22-4C9F-98A5-DDC56E41FA67.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMTbM4HrJCluart0DXPpy0dNNSz-BLZ9J8nqA-UGhyphenhyphenwT6AoloWtBSclCcEY6950opfMRchOJiRaSN4spfo02fcN2avGcY6OGcJw5jR3T0czd9QclQN76SMJlgTBRv4sCJxbJUYY7tFaJWkvQLfMc4Ughl8BiofFlD1fB4K_pmL69W2_Hb71Eiz2EaY3d6u/s4032/A2A905D0-2246-45C6-B29B-CD237B006C1B.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMTbM4HrJCluart0DXPpy0dNNSz-BLZ9J8nqA-UGhyphenhyphenwT6AoloWtBSclCcEY6950opfMRchOJiRaSN4spfo02fcN2avGcY6OGcJw5jR3T0czd9QclQN76SMJlgTBRv4sCJxbJUYY7tFaJWkvQLfMc4Ughl8BiofFlD1fB4K_pmL69W2_Hb71Eiz2EaY3d6u/w480-h640/A2A905D0-2246-45C6-B29B-CD237B006C1B.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbyVmr2ZX24nZtPy6UuBg87zi-YPxT5Cft2g2HMf68vThsCv3xoUuaTTmOFCSwPEIlNjcIvMSRTyyK0JSwDRnT1Zhj8RLI2mSOz_IJx_J1_KizWqTFhR70Jz0-g0vbgLqBxoSXmxIwo-q89Y2X7Z1WECDGFs39PWBuMZtEp2_jXMdnmvHwBFnnV37IQvZi/s4032/E6F0348C-C81B-475B-82A2-8E2DB9B62143.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbyVmr2ZX24nZtPy6UuBg87zi-YPxT5Cft2g2HMf68vThsCv3xoUuaTTmOFCSwPEIlNjcIvMSRTyyK0JSwDRnT1Zhj8RLI2mSOz_IJx_J1_KizWqTFhR70Jz0-g0vbgLqBxoSXmxIwo-q89Y2X7Z1WECDGFs39PWBuMZtEp2_jXMdnmvHwBFnnV37IQvZi/w480-h640/E6F0348C-C81B-475B-82A2-8E2DB9B62143.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6BPmh9e4lrm_JDSno7_twH9IkcGNpC3VNo90Ebf7iRRdvFXnGe9sl8ZF9jDn80J100AM4r4DWXEW6lQvP6RBdciFPZC4gXIfsyO8jDG8_y-JaZjti1bccE_WlxHs69B7lDy0zAQCBCcmNPLwRr24JVUr-GF0HkKs5Q058Fp3qv9t2M5DP1Kw0KBZepi6R/s4032/FE8D47D8-43B3-48FA-8ACD-F291694E2507.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6BPmh9e4lrm_JDSno7_twH9IkcGNpC3VNo90Ebf7iRRdvFXnGe9sl8ZF9jDn80J100AM4r4DWXEW6lQvP6RBdciFPZC4gXIfsyO8jDG8_y-JaZjti1bccE_WlxHs69B7lDy0zAQCBCcmNPLwRr24JVUr-GF0HkKs5Q058Fp3qv9t2M5DP1Kw0KBZepi6R/w480-h640/FE8D47D8-43B3-48FA-8ACD-F291694E2507.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyCTMvvBBMAndIL0Vzetiws0wjAD2UaouktD7P0cliGO1K7-HE8dX4NAPPd-8m1hoTDv7HMMf_9Z9G_zHsBvg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Our villa had this big family room, plus a full kitchen and a master bedroom. It was really nice! When I was going to book our stay, I reached out to a friend who had stayed here before, and she decided to come with her kids (who are friends with Declan and Brendan) as well. It was nice for the kids to have friends to run off and play with, and nice for me to have a friend there as well :)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtwRLEc_NBODPPBmmUGURWFlzgGpES9q_j5vtBXoP7F5hSTkct5dVs0tEG4lefWe88m9bunei314A_8IqjkMTThIV47J39yvwIGtMxDrlyfWrsKijzi_h-gDXjAbOt-WSb92wGcLYCBdceM5LyztBzAqhEetWR6K8LHRd0RI7apy07BM6ISXN_KUa6fOwa/s4032/6B798069-9E67-4720-988B-09CAA1110398.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtwRLEc_NBODPPBmmUGURWFlzgGpES9q_j5vtBXoP7F5hSTkct5dVs0tEG4lefWe88m9bunei314A_8IqjkMTThIV47J39yvwIGtMxDrlyfWrsKijzi_h-gDXjAbOt-WSb92wGcLYCBdceM5LyztBzAqhEetWR6K8LHRd0RI7apy07BM6ISXN_KUa6fOwa/w640-h480/6B798069-9E67-4720-988B-09CAA1110398.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr1jOZQ55-27sFZKpOjEJlS4Y7qnKozZH7izxA9IS2d1uGWE0Ye_1yi679-q3KXI3LZnYZZORDw4-cXn9CJR9ZLkq-6EOpxs1Spuafw5IRu2iWyPh6KK1o-pvkRnBQZrE0Zi-pWD2UNO9VLBAQ81-B6i0Pz6suPqLO2zmAk5u5TG6Nz1S014Uv8wKRHLCU/s4032/59701B92-4510-45D0-987E-E21CF09FEDD0.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr1jOZQ55-27sFZKpOjEJlS4Y7qnKozZH7izxA9IS2d1uGWE0Ye_1yi679-q3KXI3LZnYZZORDw4-cXn9CJR9ZLkq-6EOpxs1Spuafw5IRu2iWyPh6KK1o-pvkRnBQZrE0Zi-pWD2UNO9VLBAQ81-B6i0Pz6suPqLO2zmAk5u5TG6Nz1S014Uv8wKRHLCU/w640-h480/59701B92-4510-45D0-987E-E21CF09FEDD0.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Because it's winter on the Cape, lots of restaurants were closed, so we ate at this pizza place twice.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1g41MMAy8elnQoj7xNkZlAjt4i0IjPW2rXPbv560UPI8TSPJK5ubtv1k5yrqhv39odr2eD0AKTecqRl3CiHNlzkHjgkKUMVROp28RCX9UUQMtRXL00fGQ5NXEgLP2VosVNMD67r8apRnhHyxQx4m94k8FE3u6e-0mY1N_Bvs0lPTYsm9nYMlPvqg489a7/s4032/BA86F9CC-6CD5-4CF3-9158-45ABEA85F886.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1g41MMAy8elnQoj7xNkZlAjt4i0IjPW2rXPbv560UPI8TSPJK5ubtv1k5yrqhv39odr2eD0AKTecqRl3CiHNlzkHjgkKUMVROp28RCX9UUQMtRXL00fGQ5NXEgLP2VosVNMD67r8apRnhHyxQx4m94k8FE3u6e-0mY1N_Bvs0lPTYsm9nYMlPvqg489a7/w480-h640/BA86F9CC-6CD5-4CF3-9158-45ABEA85F886.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">There were lots of wizardy activities, and we partook in some when we weren't swimming in the pools. They made bogies and eggs and potions:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1lbdDC80CFfw14xnMO0VTT162z6Qm9XgSwnqmbN2RrUHAZGwjKl7611e8ui_i4OS8mUUCAYx0sOgCdrT_ZaDr_TrBItpjlmqAj7H1FICT1uh9k4P0oU-8_SioAW-sI6dxn8crIp5GNaUJR7rmIE6Xa5mF3BISAk8Kffe2xu0m_cRaW1isspmilnVx9L4W/s3365/2BABBAB3-C5B9-4CAA-B1EE-15E93CA4C20D.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3365" data-original-width="2278" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1lbdDC80CFfw14xnMO0VTT162z6Qm9XgSwnqmbN2RrUHAZGwjKl7611e8ui_i4OS8mUUCAYx0sOgCdrT_ZaDr_TrBItpjlmqAj7H1FICT1uh9k4P0oU-8_SioAW-sI6dxn8crIp5GNaUJR7rmIE6Xa5mF3BISAk8Kffe2xu0m_cRaW1isspmilnVx9L4W/w434-h640/2BABBAB3-C5B9-4CAA-B1EE-15E93CA4C20D.jpeg" width="434" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH3qxnKQcr6rb-fVywIRbbSxfLePLRABZVz-z_rHgPdR4Q549utQ8w10TLkW9WRn0FPwVViWx3BhlUueKSpTrdwAMtgJ5xSFUfFUJyVaOVTfuUaheOK_CHUzc_jPrS-m31Zl2GaJewaGMMuzFOQsaPoJW9XrksmauXpCUmbXFpq_IPY0uOKPxsYH_j27n_/s4032/DD74620F-F07C-4957-8F88-0627F0C49B00.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH3qxnKQcr6rb-fVywIRbbSxfLePLRABZVz-z_rHgPdR4Q549utQ8w10TLkW9WRn0FPwVViWx3BhlUueKSpTrdwAMtgJ5xSFUfFUJyVaOVTfuUaheOK_CHUzc_jPrS-m31Zl2GaJewaGMMuzFOQsaPoJW9XrksmauXpCUmbXFpq_IPY0uOKPxsYH_j27n_/w480-h640/DD74620F-F07C-4957-8F88-0627F0C49B00.jpeg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The cutest slytherin</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAzAFmMdiSV50L-nol5Gnd4zJp1QKaIAKsUzA_sIQ2Vh6S6EXWQL9lONZSJGFBe3XfliYIpi21ViEVCun4noKR_S-gOLLt4AVplI1Vgw2aaqdXe0NmvdSXvFjPY-4oqUesnomH-Qi0abceXQFpyQYxDzFY4ObRK6ro-eGagHiicOwNRKfELHO28VUJ5i5y/s4032/8B60B8CF-EC0C-4E6B-B8D2-33EF67D8D06D.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAzAFmMdiSV50L-nol5Gnd4zJp1QKaIAKsUzA_sIQ2Vh6S6EXWQL9lONZSJGFBe3XfliYIpi21ViEVCun4noKR_S-gOLLt4AVplI1Vgw2aaqdXe0NmvdSXvFjPY-4oqUesnomH-Qi0abceXQFpyQYxDzFY4ObRK6ro-eGagHiicOwNRKfELHO28VUJ5i5y/w480-h640/8B60B8CF-EC0C-4E6B-B8D2-33EF67D8D06D.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiwkgONpD55MxIOkTcR4yadzuhhgOKZu7af1D31k0xuekeZ93UP5i22cMni7u6YgYMIOHLh8VKeMeUz_dnn482Jd-UkfXvg9QaGcqRqXjshmQkEUspm_34UpLBDRC8QaVe7renduHWFrP3ImmsTBi9EgbXpmxJqNsZthNknY16IJbhldO4NVh1TJKiy0C7/s4025/E408E5A6-CE24-4E36-B4E6-502506338116.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4025" data-original-width="2735" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiwkgONpD55MxIOkTcR4yadzuhhgOKZu7af1D31k0xuekeZ93UP5i22cMni7u6YgYMIOHLh8VKeMeUz_dnn482Jd-UkfXvg9QaGcqRqXjshmQkEUspm_34UpLBDRC8QaVe7renduHWFrP3ImmsTBi9EgbXpmxJqNsZthNknY16IJbhldO4NVh1TJKiy0C7/w434-h640/E408E5A6-CE24-4E36-B4E6-502506338116.jpeg" width="434" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Troll Bogies!</td></tr></tbody></table><br />It was just the right amount of fun and adventure to kick off the week, and the little guys will have great memories, I'm sure. They're already asking when we can go back!</div><p></p>Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11451797365712728579noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5937303870758455964.post-90915600394625561212024-02-16T07:30:00.008-05:002024-02-16T15:43:46.727-05:00Week in Review: Long Games, Lots of Yummies, and Lenten Plans<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Excuse me while I look back at our calendar and through my photos to remember what happened this week.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">OK.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">It is indeed Friday, yet only my 2nd day of work this week, so pardon my confusion. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Last Friday, Maggie had an away game and later sent me this photo:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1SXEExvPjU_Bt97fcWEp7pFxR5s7cCj4Qx3yPgDN3eC1UbXHe_HJySO_07kzOMa7wtsg41k4yyspUogyTRcZxTISHyrpOnDMj6WVZIifeLr_e3CeDGitCv2HloKZdMDIUGLUR06RJTe6g1wafFZ6o__uK9ofh2jyNQ-5RXx7jDYh7U9ucTZHLmOzpFnKW/s540/8934D017-0967-415C-A0D9-A35EF7C75E12.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="357" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1SXEExvPjU_Bt97fcWEp7pFxR5s7cCj4Qx3yPgDN3eC1UbXHe_HJySO_07kzOMa7wtsg41k4yyspUogyTRcZxTISHyrpOnDMj6WVZIifeLr_e3CeDGitCv2HloKZdMDIUGLUR06RJTe6g1wafFZ6o__uK9ofh2jyNQ-5RXx7jDYh7U9ucTZHLmOzpFnKW/w424-h640/8934D017-0967-415C-A0D9-A35EF7C75E12.jpeg" width="424" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Eamon had a home game, which Phil attended while I took the boys to swim, but sent me zero photos (don't worry he makes up for it with multiple photo texts later in the week!). I did manage to steal this one off social media:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF87vfW_u3a55UKARQDEBRUM3W8wWlhFcCtobp2mh9L5YVlu8Ct4bX5cxMspq9E2S2MA-KXSONSVdXxa0HtQBgnGeH6652J2htGJnHIA-TPolGTxT9dSAZTdAJYaVsrxGpKdyILkphhdj3jAvXyH5Z42NHzL8gESd1Nl1xlAr9ttdR7SgnZTQIzT7xdxt6/s1458/IMG_5876.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1458" data-original-width="1170" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF87vfW_u3a55UKARQDEBRUM3W8wWlhFcCtobp2mh9L5YVlu8Ct4bX5cxMspq9E2S2MA-KXSONSVdXxa0HtQBgnGeH6652J2htGJnHIA-TPolGTxT9dSAZTdAJYaVsrxGpKdyILkphhdj3jAvXyH5Z42NHzL8gESd1Nl1xlAr9ttdR7SgnZTQIzT7xdxt6/w514-h640/IMG_5876.jpg" width="514" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">On Saturday, Phil and I were able to squeeze in a Valentine's Lunch date and let me tell ya - true love is carrying out your wife's extra blue cheese dressing that she really wants to bring home but is too embarrassed to carry out of the restaurant herself:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6cqMI2oNhos4Emf4mD7NgGwr1LGTsfSRfa4bwiA0zdJsNljslpfbhD8JGfYiPeUueTz0HjNCaPgNUqDPTlZ1nJi96_cYk_mx7_RB6GRtpZZAkYHByMrpy3w_TwQHUZPbRjbN9cBFZgKLG1dk8o1aqmKCWi53PEzeOQ0rm7IF-Wlvc6hhF0mTx4rOehf3J/s4032/2D33E23F-4D66-4A57-BEA4-D16D5FEA95DE.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6cqMI2oNhos4Emf4mD7NgGwr1LGTsfSRfa4bwiA0zdJsNljslpfbhD8JGfYiPeUueTz0HjNCaPgNUqDPTlZ1nJi96_cYk_mx7_RB6GRtpZZAkYHByMrpy3w_TwQHUZPbRjbN9cBFZgKLG1dk8o1aqmKCWi53PEzeOQ0rm7IF-Wlvc6hhF0mTx4rOehf3J/w480-h640/2D33E23F-4D66-4A57-BEA4-D16D5FEA95DE.jpeg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I would ask restaurant-blue-cheese-dressing to be my Valentine if only it could respond.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">On Super Bowl Sundae (just realized I spelled that the ice cream way and I'm gonna leave it) Eamon had a basketball practice, Declan had a basketball game, and Maggie had a volleyball tournament - can you believe the nerve? Who schedules these things? </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">It worked out pretty okay with the timing of house cleaning and food prep and guests coming over, except when I left Maggie's tournament at 6pm because she told me she had to officiate two games in a row. As soon as I left, they reworked the schedule and she ended up playing in the championship game (they got 2nd place) and we sent a very crabby Eamon to go pick her up after the big game had started and our guests had all arrived. We all survived somehow but tensions and tempers were high.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyngnYM6B7rBIA8AOnuVnVFF5vqOht9Qq7O4iluR7vEI4vE0D54p1A0k3_deR5q72aCT1dOOOS_294czHDH4w' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiObn-apQDKmXrd0Lx0OeuidWJoDlaPjGSiIPunvrOFbXcWztjK7WNHlcikLSN6T1Ado7HapRmX3igDTwe6NemYSk0dLK8JfXAu58oOdI0ybEb6BTldP-I8oN3A4voVmB4ATZTnN2a_RbhnKg1_SAHGxpOyuJMFpu77EbtII4Sv1bXFff21mqO_mZRKJd6o/s4032/4CB23C05-16E5-457B-AFEC-BE808161BB6D.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiObn-apQDKmXrd0Lx0OeuidWJoDlaPjGSiIPunvrOFbXcWztjK7WNHlcikLSN6T1Ado7HapRmX3igDTwe6NemYSk0dLK8JfXAu58oOdI0ybEb6BTldP-I8oN3A4voVmB4ATZTnN2a_RbhnKg1_SAHGxpOyuJMFpu77EbtII4Sv1bXFff21mqO_mZRKJd6o/w640-h480/4CB23C05-16E5-457B-AFEC-BE808161BB6D.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Phil was prepping while I was cheering. Teamwork makes the dream work.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span><a name='more'></a></span>On Monday, the Catholic high school had their Bishop's Day (a day off school granted by the Bishop when he comes to say Mass once each year at their school). I took the day off as a personal day and I honestly loved having that next day off after the very late game. The elementary school had a fundraiser at our friend's ice cream shop (the ones who sell us their ice cream) and the principal and our pastor were celebrity scoopers. Of course, the kids had to go after school to support the yummy cause.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieHnG7euEftGlDQuAwahrFQcegm9XOllnXJzXsNNl9XC1Cq-Zv1vcbI4v4rTCwhZ8ofygoAbkT9Lq9kAi4V2GlRL5BSPvsrGLJzIdhytpDja3eIHk9DCLVtfn5mZVr8lFNByiT5xKzwbCuFgIFqC7sJEjY5JZaqWKEqgAvdi0XssZQLTVxmU2TgmuHRTz-/s4032/9815A944-B2D7-42E4-945A-DB87CD0DDCD0.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieHnG7euEftGlDQuAwahrFQcegm9XOllnXJzXsNNl9XC1Cq-Zv1vcbI4v4rTCwhZ8ofygoAbkT9Lq9kAi4V2GlRL5BSPvsrGLJzIdhytpDja3eIHk9DCLVtfn5mZVr8lFNByiT5xKzwbCuFgIFqC7sJEjY5JZaqWKEqgAvdi0XssZQLTVxmU2TgmuHRTz-/w640-h480/9815A944-B2D7-42E4-945A-DB87CD0DDCD0.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maggie had her friend, also Maggie, over for the day. Twice a week, Phil brings home our friends' kids for them so they got ice cream too!<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">On Tuesday, we had our first snow day of the winter!! No work and no school and it was Fat Tuesday. All the stars aligned :) <br /><br />Crepes for breakfast:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX2DTqhN8L1Imym9V6_oBP-vJODq8p4uxZiwDUkAuhGfvbjzweMCa4R3MwOAZZ5QiyC3awEH_BXoQsNJm26zSPaLDtNesKiUyrch3BHUwapEHR-XY71znjI7Cz695nUqJ7mcLO87yRuSaPkoS6mU0cSXX_sCn1clbGxkt6j3Evvx8AXggxq8Hx6n1afQQQ/s4032/228AE323-7BCF-41D8-9709-8EA004499C44.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX2DTqhN8L1Imym9V6_oBP-vJODq8p4uxZiwDUkAuhGfvbjzweMCa4R3MwOAZZ5QiyC3awEH_BXoQsNJm26zSPaLDtNesKiUyrch3BHUwapEHR-XY71znjI7Cz695nUqJ7mcLO87yRuSaPkoS6mU0cSXX_sCn1clbGxkt6j3Evvx8AXggxq8Hx6n1afQQQ/w480-h640/228AE323-7BCF-41D8-9709-8EA004499C44.jpeg" width="480" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz6P5e88h0j6GmtKMM37SLzn-7ujvGaLU-qTwfC22avxbdojhS_lweZvghaFOwuqDUb4eMGA_H-PwzMOnDctJWtn9ymfdlpVvitmwPIxU2ZTnqAEl1TsCL85QrxMQOi_ZRslxqTnTyCNG87miFDFnvoZRevdOLwOhLABzraV2ThA1wIbMDJioKligpxXDh/s4032/368CABD0-D6CC-453A-98D1-F3BE77A3AF87.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz6P5e88h0j6GmtKMM37SLzn-7ujvGaLU-qTwfC22avxbdojhS_lweZvghaFOwuqDUb4eMGA_H-PwzMOnDctJWtn9ymfdlpVvitmwPIxU2ZTnqAEl1TsCL85QrxMQOi_ZRslxqTnTyCNG87miFDFnvoZRevdOLwOhLABzraV2ThA1wIbMDJioKligpxXDh/w480-h640/368CABD0-D6CC-453A-98D1-F3BE77A3AF87.jpeg" width="480" /></a><br /><br />After playing in the snow for hours and hours, the boys came in and had baths and LOVEly cocoa:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtBCorsFkVwmUwI3ssJ3lthYD5kSaFp9H70Z3r1C1bJuKJ-e5PtfMqMef-yZZXZoO4j4RVkM-2uEENMVS8GpVzJKgKNoc982XCR_VrbfWDJM3rcEOh_aAI26S7jf9pQIa5pY8FCtoTgw8yEibO8OVcoceTVFsowUzXnCPo-Q5FML-dcvMFjYhQO1_KiIYH/s4032/49AE0F4F-0554-44E5-B4E8-BC80FA850051.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtBCorsFkVwmUwI3ssJ3lthYD5kSaFp9H70Z3r1C1bJuKJ-e5PtfMqMef-yZZXZoO4j4RVkM-2uEENMVS8GpVzJKgKNoc982XCR_VrbfWDJM3rcEOh_aAI26S7jf9pQIa5pY8FCtoTgw8yEibO8OVcoceTVFsowUzXnCPo-Q5FML-dcvMFjYhQO1_KiIYH/w640-h480/49AE0F4F-0554-44E5-B4E8-BC80FA850051.jpeg" width="640" /></a><br /><br />We cleaned and decluttered some neglected areas of our house, as we are working on a Lenten Cleanse (40 areas in 40 days) and thought we could get a head start on this snow day:</div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA3LW4PKjhEw73wpg5FdJdq_I6gx45q7b0T1FLIgoqSmulf9_-D9LpWwXfIZigoQU8SqOYnf54iR13cjyq7enYQGJ7-zy999vcdQiQ4e4CGcSrVr4Fbd1_TzLcKLNDkBJtf5cN-bbu9G2tHDU5Y7P3tmv6skESvYl0GJjI6QunYwvcGtp1axpwZ6IvDzob/s4032/2B7C0C35-AEB8-4D75-AD25-09C582DC04A7.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA3LW4PKjhEw73wpg5FdJdq_I6gx45q7b0T1FLIgoqSmulf9_-D9LpWwXfIZigoQU8SqOYnf54iR13cjyq7enYQGJ7-zy999vcdQiQ4e4CGcSrVr4Fbd1_TzLcKLNDkBJtf5cN-bbu9G2tHDU5Y7P3tmv6skESvYl0GJjI6QunYwvcGtp1axpwZ6IvDzob/w480-h640/2B7C0C35-AEB8-4D75-AD25-09C582DC04A7.jpeg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Theologians love their books.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I made some french onion soup and <a href="https://www.bowlofdelicious.com/dutch-oven-bread/" target="_blank">dutch oven bread</a> - both so easy!</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf6esUWRjPhnVt2lOGGNLQTk1igAa85myA2aaGnwGuIC8VutWYEZh_pYrTJTl6cmi7eoPEFnzu_pehtTHwnHI69eQ5I3y01frV1bvt6XHL_HZzJyPVNvSa3zyYvCpJqUhqVhewAwskagN4AqV6ZudtT1NQbA1ByFA7QFMJkK2wVIsDsuVBYq0qJ8DEKirY/s4032/3D3180D8-FFC1-495C-A4D0-9D0E964FED69.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf6esUWRjPhnVt2lOGGNLQTk1igAa85myA2aaGnwGuIC8VutWYEZh_pYrTJTl6cmi7eoPEFnzu_pehtTHwnHI69eQ5I3y01frV1bvt6XHL_HZzJyPVNvSa3zyYvCpJqUhqVhewAwskagN4AqV6ZudtT1NQbA1ByFA7QFMJkK2wVIsDsuVBYq0qJ8DEKirY/w480-h640/3D3180D8-FFC1-495C-A4D0-9D0E964FED69.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUysyoHyfpyBJtHv8yWCxi03jEsE2xiQqJv7sgF74r64EGYT7gn2YwUT2n71ZHF26PlpBJdfuNxdVaAe8TQ20XMd_JbVDwwVOgEAvLinx4eU-Hn_u0jmKglQF-nLDm304Lqokhhmbfl200BAk5cySIMuKHUBykyN76oAX3pBK2lcbtH1GnIvaVkomR3o_F/s400/IMG_3141.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="376" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUysyoHyfpyBJtHv8yWCxi03jEsE2xiQqJv7sgF74r64EGYT7gn2YwUT2n71ZHF26PlpBJdfuNxdVaAe8TQ20XMd_JbVDwwVOgEAvLinx4eU-Hn_u0jmKglQF-nLDm304Lqokhhmbfl200BAk5cySIMuKHUBykyN76oAX3pBK2lcbtH1GnIvaVkomR3o_F/w376-h400/IMG_3141.jpg" width="376" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGhlvH6FXwPIlkFYYq2zh1KswRBQGjLDLdW-GZJJiTmIAbPruEgxcoGlhkOP3yQ4WosSL0XWZtQXM2NzgESP4SnUY4lyOJ1tyOxkZsNCQrZfWAW6CwWdg2RtmYg_p03D-PRHaT9benhxumS6iRBu5omCNesl_47wTvEiNd3hy1a_HhI6OnBX53CRl7tRKB/s4032/A3D442AB-4AF8-4E2E-A663-7DBC85A70882.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGhlvH6FXwPIlkFYYq2zh1KswRBQGjLDLdW-GZJJiTmIAbPruEgxcoGlhkOP3yQ4WosSL0XWZtQXM2NzgESP4SnUY4lyOJ1tyOxkZsNCQrZfWAW6CwWdg2RtmYg_p03D-PRHaT9benhxumS6iRBu5omCNesl_47wTvEiNd3hy1a_HhI6OnBX53CRl7tRKB/w640-h480/A3D442AB-4AF8-4E2E-A663-7DBC85A70882.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Maggie took a nap under that supposed to be decorative <a href="https://amzn.to/3ImH1eR" target="_blank">blanket</a>, but she just can't resist the softness. This is the same girl who just couldn't resist rubbing (and sometimes biting) her <a href="https://martinfamilymoments.blogspot.com/2014/01/7-qt-strep-lies-timeouts-playoffs-and.html" target="_blank">baby brothers' earlobes</a> so I am not surprised.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB1D9y-3BwMZaaSeN8i-Ob7l-Cayz0EE0Ss-ln8GZSyf0gVP9dnWfKpGnRzVMpNEQ3-x3urAsg9ox9-s168sVmgqJ_vI0VaWaQ0TGkJJ1g4DBY5Mdn3lLuto3Sx-vBveVIK9horp0NLQhN0YLO9GaGx02KGITmwcJ8D-8NELhQcfOCr2KYMm_yAPk_rAQH/s3316/6D5210ED-E33C-4338-9872-678242DC6775.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3316" data-original-width="3008" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB1D9y-3BwMZaaSeN8i-Ob7l-Cayz0EE0Ss-ln8GZSyf0gVP9dnWfKpGnRzVMpNEQ3-x3urAsg9ox9-s168sVmgqJ_vI0VaWaQ0TGkJJ1g4DBY5Mdn3lLuto3Sx-vBveVIK9horp0NLQhN0YLO9GaGx02KGITmwcJ8D-8NELhQcfOCr2KYMm_yAPk_rAQH/w580-h640/6D5210ED-E33C-4338-9872-678242DC6775.jpeg" width="580" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm9ZSVEyRVWqLFNpChrzVz0HTOVX42TIOQmSsNe4kcXK62EL1XSgWhGELjqhmXe31o598VnsW14OIk4meNDe_Ac4cLtp7GD7Blgve__uhmewCEUZR2Bn05yoe348T7jDiSqevqbL7J0dyFtqnOrdB3B2_CTRSycaYR11U5mbCfchhZZC0Ew5FcT23kWmYp/s3533/384A0A28-6977-464F-983E-27ED5B9DA84E.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3533" data-original-width="2901" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm9ZSVEyRVWqLFNpChrzVz0HTOVX42TIOQmSsNe4kcXK62EL1XSgWhGELjqhmXe31o598VnsW14OIk4meNDe_Ac4cLtp7GD7Blgve__uhmewCEUZR2Bn05yoe348T7jDiSqevqbL7J0dyFtqnOrdB3B2_CTRSycaYR11U5mbCfchhZZC0Ew5FcT23kWmYp/w526-h640/384A0A28-6977-464F-983E-27ED5B9DA84E.jpeg" width="526" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brothers gotta sit next to each other at all times.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We gave the kids their Valentine's candy and I celebrated Fat Tuesday perfectly by eating chicken parm in bed in my pjs, under my heated blanket:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgjmvBQqL2P6p_-UUfI4gj5HSC9lLjSHMCOL4dcBQl_wHyQMHKvqScGjlgbWSePKXDG7_1MrTKCUGDGc0V8jHjDvteO3gOZtXDr-ZgsTqfWxOujdhmiitCBEfkuFYglwqVcEPgRXQ8slvZC5f4Klt7JNzKwPS-z7lJa5InD1C_u3vgTyPqQ3SsW6czlbE7/s4032/6E1D9E1F-B288-4ECF-9CA9-B99CAB5C052D.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgjmvBQqL2P6p_-UUfI4gj5HSC9lLjSHMCOL4dcBQl_wHyQMHKvqScGjlgbWSePKXDG7_1MrTKCUGDGc0V8jHjDvteO3gOZtXDr-ZgsTqfWxOujdhmiitCBEfkuFYglwqVcEPgRXQ8slvZC5f4Klt7JNzKwPS-z7lJa5InD1C_u3vgTyPqQ3SsW6czlbE7/w480-h640/6E1D9E1F-B288-4ECF-9CA9-B99CAB5C052D.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And then it was Ash Wednesday:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXRUvT6YZYMW86Ny47faXw4RZ9uyIgf1DO3A6Oijn8c7C_dIdZZBXlQINs53j-HGt3-4t49xwgUq8p3IKMkiFVBFNzxgKUp3OvTKKov2zSmYFepRWu84qYgX-LPCjR1ghMsnKMZCQCqi671JNiJiJO2lEssNaBV-fnxr9RtkleRdWHAWiei4kXOqHaaG-P/s4032/F2B7D4C8-1A27-4E81-838D-3A9F92EE4E5A.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXRUvT6YZYMW86Ny47faXw4RZ9uyIgf1DO3A6Oijn8c7C_dIdZZBXlQINs53j-HGt3-4t49xwgUq8p3IKMkiFVBFNzxgKUp3OvTKKov2zSmYFepRWu84qYgX-LPCjR1ghMsnKMZCQCqi671JNiJiJO2lEssNaBV-fnxr9RtkleRdWHAWiei4kXOqHaaG-P/w480-h640/F2B7D4C8-1A27-4E81-838D-3A9F92EE4E5A.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And that bright-eyed boy woke up the next day with a stomach bug. Very Lenten of him. So I happily volunteered to stay home. Gosh I love being a SAHM. I can get so much done! Three loads of laundry, a work out, cleaned and organized, cooked dinner by 4pm, cared for my little sickie and took a 30 minute nap! Phil is home with him today, and then next week is February Break so no school for them (I have four days of work as Monday is a holiday). If we can figure out the logistics of it, we will attend Stations of the Cross at our church tonight after swim practice. Might as well start out Lent strong since I know I am bound to slip up eventually, but hey that's why we are called Practicing Catholics :) Oh, I am also doing the <a href="https://hallow.com/pray40/" target="_blank">Lenten Challenge on Hallow</a>, it's really good so far, if you want to join in.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Have a wonderful long weekend if you celebrate Presidents Day where you live! Stay warm and cozy!</div><p></p>Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11451797365712728579noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5937303870758455964.post-37934259600437569912024-02-14T08:00:00.011-05:002024-02-16T13:35:04.886-05:00Wednesday Workout Wrapup: With a Side of Love<p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 11pt; margin-right: 11pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin: 0pt 11pt; text-align: center;"></p><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><img height="640" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/i_ylLdd474JMjt984CO6gl-jUWTeoj0RHC6GfOkXJrtJJBNg2zHe7jpWzqIVfluGVlcLKeenNxEbmFawiX3wLMqGIWL4QolNJT3TbNGSvMCWhDSC-BS904GEJ4DHWS3ZLXuP4CWvOsY9ZJbpMBLk0cc=w486-h640" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;" width="486" /></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span><span face="Arial,sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 640px; overflow: hidden; width: 427px;"><img height="640" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/rtUfnT_BGwCCaUdMYKC0Gg-lx7gXMmNV0ni4XVAbQ_tKxYqGj5pI7cuS4HADDlaBmxDE41xnL0Sdy9WNojCgEjQPzUBAr0CkJG-7GCDe3K6jgJ_WaG-Ul9PhFdnWZ2mOEnNIr5ImsKXRlxhmpeWMgDY" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="427" /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><img height="640" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/fXbNbGuzxzY7ZXOIzh5YtPJopFJtnw5AJbNJciS0WzTh92JB5jTuYGZk16zjtSCz3khQzEuSwx3_3ixptQC-laVhf7FXEWWO7hnH5T_jRKvexwoYvPqzhfpaMNvA_LfaHDenjLiK0DG6wX8QhqHmuOU" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;" width="480" /></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span><span face="Arial,sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 468px; overflow: hidden; width: 624px;"><img height="468" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/McEC8wz-qkntfW_AIdNp--VVdvKB3DQwS2ZGNxrvV7Xf5nHVR5pPSOCL9ml1WRc7r6B2_svg3RXyD3KGo8PB2yrjrbCzlqn1tTp8M0h5n_BwEvjfmxNHQ1Rgxr8s-d23NOqwKzn9Ynpj9VyQ_d3VPeY" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="624" /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span>Recently, Phil had a coworker mention how wonderful it is that we run together. This coworker of his trains for races all by himself and wishes his wife would join him. I also have had many of you mention that it's so great that Phil and I work out together. It really is! I like to say that "The couple that works out together, works out together" because it truly does seem to help our relationship. </div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We both share common goals, we both keep in shape(ish) to be around for one another, we both endure the misery of a long run together, and what doesn't kill us makes us stronger - together. I could never imagine starting a training plan without seeing if Phil wanted to join me, or watching him go run 7 miles while I sat at home. Call it competitive, call it codependent or call it crazy, but we enjoy spending time this way together. </span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />We used to always have to take turns exercising when we had little ones, and we still need to exercise separately multiple days a week, but now a workout together or walking the dog has become a date and instead of thinking we HAVE to exercise, it's we GET to exercise, how lucky are we?</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />So thank you my Valentine of 24 years (!) for always keeping up with me when I'm feeling strong, encouraging me when I'm feeling weak, and staying by my side through all of our training plans. As I tell you after every exercise completed together, "Thank you for working out with me!"</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-weight: 700;">Wednesday, February 7: </span></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">3 mile walk at lunch</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">2 mile run on treadmill + 45 minute Strength Class (while Xander was at swim practice)</span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Thursday, February 8: </span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; white-space: pre-wrap;">3 mile Walk at lunch</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; white-space: pre-wrap;">4.25 mile run/walk intervals on treadmill after work</span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Friday, February 9: </span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">5:30 am Boot Camp Class with two rounds of this 22 workout:</span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 640px; overflow: hidden; width: 328px;"><img height="640" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/cV3_vofawSPsRztaWWLw7xL-rJfnvLTMbM7A9YXXwQ8PuibVgtYD1oZX18RJur4GVRhbgJDSLMX1Ju7JUAChkjgdSyYJkjLbss_bpvFowasRDrhGh5gChbXqZf_z04kMSjd0rFdvufFPTnIjXzT1_sA" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="328" /></span></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(The instructor took </span><a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/C3IWfsFAo6-/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">a video during class</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> where we make a debut)</span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">3 mile walk at lunch</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">1 mile walk with dog in evening</span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Saturday, February 10: </span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">6 mile run with Phil</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">1 mile cooldown walk with dog and little boys:
</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 468px; overflow: hidden; width: 624px;"><img height="468" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/XE_7mYqJOSLa1uBhBiUq5TsAh9KHZr-mfwIZNsN2pYP_567y1IvZf_xut_6tJqoERbGX2D0OdMqAAzBRBd36znMXY8IvmIbIKKffjwgM6gmjeWnE5UyUf0dUNgXieBFx-B5RoB4iHu0XuBNZSpxVY60" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="624" /></span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Sunday, February 11: </span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">2 mile run on treadmill + 45 minute cardio/weight class at gym</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Monday, February 12: </span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Took the day off from work after the Superbowl!</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">4 mile run with Phil</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">2 mile walk with dog</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Tuesday, February 13: </span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Snow Day! No school or work!</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">45 minute weight video at home, I think we will incorporate her videos regularly. It was so good!</span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/A8U9LCQBCAA?si=6d-DyEywMZBJ4_wX" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">1.5 mile walk with dog in evening</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Have a Happy Valentine's Day and Sacrificial Ash Wednesday! Maybe a workout with your loved one(s) is a perfect way to honor this day :)</b></span></span></div>Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11451797365712728579noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5937303870758455964.post-22237411566536991862024-02-09T06:00:00.026-05:002024-02-09T08:23:51.717-05:00Week in Review: Ordinary Days, TV Shows and Super Bowl Menus<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Happy Friday! The sun is shining so everything just seems so much more figureoutable, doesn't it? </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This was a normal week at Casa Martin, filled with basketball games (nine), basketball practices (eight), swim team practices (four), one volleyball practice, one swim lesson, one piano lesson and one violin lesson. By the end of February, all of the basketball and swim goes away and I am here for it. A certain someone is talking about joining the track team this spring to stay in shape for volleyball/basketball and track has the easiest schedule to stay on top of, so there's that. Will I miss all this one day? Probably.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Sometimes Phil "works" the home games by selling tickets, and gets a front row seat to Maggie's foul shots:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwHW9e_CmvlMfjdW0NOB5KuKWqbdfj8lDR7069CbHImyZd5KFpDxnAsIBDMZItg6f3SvNuSwTKiIe__j2Nkwg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We've been trying to eat all the Valentine candy before Lent starts. It's a tough job but somebody has to do it:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwhNIj1BZOnlyOXyDK0VxyfCR36LVtJlNoIUke7ThW6mlD-5rE2eOfjiygiSihz3qkKE5rpevrNYSh4YKale-mchw44hVYgTF9kmXiXwWTN7eqgdbezpShtVNFDnQ8Ae34-JvMBuwaQexkdnK78GsrWRBp9KWoUoyAG2qadi66C5p0zaTRCMuWqkhYUmCV/s4032/0AA4E3D6-3FB5-4DDE-8651-14FE10891DB6.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwhNIj1BZOnlyOXyDK0VxyfCR36LVtJlNoIUke7ThW6mlD-5rE2eOfjiygiSihz3qkKE5rpevrNYSh4YKale-mchw44hVYgTF9kmXiXwWTN7eqgdbezpShtVNFDnQ8Ae34-JvMBuwaQexkdnK78GsrWRBp9KWoUoyAG2qadi66C5p0zaTRCMuWqkhYUmCV/w480-h640/0AA4E3D6-3FB5-4DDE-8651-14FE10891DB6.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">As I was cutting up my daily apple, I thought to myself...does anyone eat an apple whole? I always have to slice or chop mine up. A whole apple is just not appealing or should I say apeeling.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtdbFYAfRrKFNjBaXy9P6OYze8475JegrHm_or7K8V420ZWXSooihcvMN3HSLWUcWXkZllMr8qLJjVwd9A_F0Ej-RUouRjoYUSu53iAlfFbX0aEwRNSq0lhJ0DW4YRl5VA-kzJDcqXTRwl9pFHY_Xd6eWN5VJM6wq9Fk9qMZUEtSREm8vCC9Ir8KjnbmjR/s4032/9E1F98B5-42DF-41F8-AC85-F56CBB25A4BB.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtdbFYAfRrKFNjBaXy9P6OYze8475JegrHm_or7K8V420ZWXSooihcvMN3HSLWUcWXkZllMr8qLJjVwd9A_F0Ej-RUouRjoYUSu53iAlfFbX0aEwRNSq0lhJ0DW4YRl5VA-kzJDcqXTRwl9pFHY_Xd6eWN5VJM6wq9Fk9qMZUEtSREm8vCC9Ir8KjnbmjR/w480-h640/9E1F98B5-42DF-41F8-AC85-F56CBB25A4BB.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We celebrated a friend's 70th birthday last weekend and that chocolate bomb cake was indeed the bomb.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBa24Zi5ywOC9-0EHFYxAWJBUR1R6PbpuOu9vG9-Y18oU6qfFGHzmjB8v_TM08U0IqNi57WUeUoa8ETtpHGYiQAEp3JDc9zifNpvnzgPjnKKmE3LCc7pkjZ3pl9QbSjvdpMaQ2GVnvLJIzAY2PaZgnZb-oUVRPtuQ-inBLtf_hVI0uvLvVm96SeihikwM2/s3177/8221E08F-F662-4EF7-A614-FCF9EDAC4130.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3177" data-original-width="3008" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBa24Zi5ywOC9-0EHFYxAWJBUR1R6PbpuOu9vG9-Y18oU6qfFGHzmjB8v_TM08U0IqNi57WUeUoa8ETtpHGYiQAEp3JDc9zifNpvnzgPjnKKmE3LCc7pkjZ3pl9QbSjvdpMaQ2GVnvLJIzAY2PaZgnZb-oUVRPtuQ-inBLtf_hVI0uvLvVm96SeihikwM2/w606-h640/8221E08F-F662-4EF7-A614-FCF9EDAC4130.jpeg" width="606" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Last Friday night, I was watching Maggie's home game, Xander was at a school event and Phil was home with the little 2 boys. He sent me these photos and I just fell in love with him even more. I hope our kids never realize that Friday night pizza and movie night is for tired parents as much as the kids :)</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpijTUvK1F9rWrEj9syKlkU52iulFpn24M3F7LGHGhaIdgSFpNw8MvLfBKVKzUr-YQo9Q4-fpaAr5-9ZaCE0vv6_0M5pwSHhpTWcZrR8_BPhRZ6GeZH6O50Fn1r_BYmsA2WCjIZ8JSWZCO2RZP0smzjLINbJ1b-7fKccrFkj2wfXqVfXVmIBhMSbMQ3nGy/s4032/80314D09-48C2-4F40-B223-D187292EAC55.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpijTUvK1F9rWrEj9syKlkU52iulFpn24M3F7LGHGhaIdgSFpNw8MvLfBKVKzUr-YQo9Q4-fpaAr5-9ZaCE0vv6_0M5pwSHhpTWcZrR8_BPhRZ6GeZH6O50Fn1r_BYmsA2WCjIZ8JSWZCO2RZP0smzjLINbJ1b-7fKccrFkj2wfXqVfXVmIBhMSbMQ3nGy/w480-h640/80314D09-48C2-4F40-B223-D187292EAC55.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We have leftover gummy bears from the Ice Cream Cottage, and I threw some on top of their popcorn one night, and now they ask for it!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCIFNDNMl17eAeQ8PlkcV37Sz164YOkQ27t_oe2cRBuEONrbTwjFSYvpWJJMXmcOu0bss8AEW1xwYOvJUMHj3p9C7IAd-6TFPaOESDh5HiltwyTHEhBCrfwSDrmRU4KqdMYj2EDnT6OGSyiotagtraUwYKK1p0Exe9cAK118ET8tVgI8YSrmpv2UtPhQQV/s3539/16C74EC8-600D-4F67-BF2B-517551560975.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3023" data-original-width="3539" height="546" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCIFNDNMl17eAeQ8PlkcV37Sz164YOkQ27t_oe2cRBuEONrbTwjFSYvpWJJMXmcOu0bss8AEW1xwYOvJUMHj3p9C7IAd-6TFPaOESDh5HiltwyTHEhBCrfwSDrmRU4KqdMYj2EDnT6OGSyiotagtraUwYKK1p0Exe9cAK118ET8tVgI8YSrmpv2UtPhQQV/w640-h546/16C74EC8-600D-4F67-BF2B-517551560975.jpeg" width="640" /></a><span><a name='more'></a></span></div></div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Romance might not look the same as it did back when we were dating and newlyweds, but it still exists, in the form of encouraging your wife to satisfy her chocolate craving:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8wHG7Er3JwOYhLNDr4Gb1FHKP0KR0jYIqw36TSpYNXRi6vRpMZoJ3FjmuIIzufufVOfP5SCKnAKOhtW9IoWU-wZ1-QETlitXcjRbEdxMXFjpnD8mymOu4PQ1XdhMcoksriq7HcgJMz5PUGh9lVSKK2y3Wms4cbAV54p_TcgHu3RYvb6KrQiPwCv0TcsON/s2040/D4F52FF7-72FC-45A1-9FA4-B338010C97D7.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2040" data-original-width="1170" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8wHG7Er3JwOYhLNDr4Gb1FHKP0KR0jYIqw36TSpYNXRi6vRpMZoJ3FjmuIIzufufVOfP5SCKnAKOhtW9IoWU-wZ1-QETlitXcjRbEdxMXFjpnD8mymOu4PQ1XdhMcoksriq7HcgJMz5PUGh9lVSKK2y3Wms4cbAV54p_TcgHu3RYvb6KrQiPwCv0TcsON/w368-h640/D4F52FF7-72FC-45A1-9FA4-B338010C97D7.jpeg" width="368" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Why does it always seem to be a Martin child who volunteers to get taped to the wall at the middle school Campus Ministry Club:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-PcWIOhMOYdogR2xzs2pa398qTsDyF7uiqABZi7uDhAIxP7mU5MjabJ-t0qUckiP85WxWsB9JHdVHrUjx3lcOil0XOUT_4itxkN1R5cth4spz5TMgIdEwbnvcJF8fKFowQ4sO1ASiX2olo4_Sbvm5g9TkQFXSHwm8rIH1Hf90P2wNwsk7eE0uZR2OMtCc/s1180/E22C505A-21F6-469F-8057-FD68085BE3DD.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1180" data-original-width="1170" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-PcWIOhMOYdogR2xzs2pa398qTsDyF7uiqABZi7uDhAIxP7mU5MjabJ-t0qUckiP85WxWsB9JHdVHrUjx3lcOil0XOUT_4itxkN1R5cth4spz5TMgIdEwbnvcJF8fKFowQ4sO1ASiX2olo4_Sbvm5g9TkQFXSHwm8rIH1Hf90P2wNwsk7eE0uZR2OMtCc/w634-h640/E22C505A-21F6-469F-8057-FD68085BE3DD.jpeg" width="634" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">While returning some clothes last weekend, I stopped into a Talbots outlet and found a cute sweater. When I went to the register, the lady said "Oh and it's your birthday month, so you get an extra 10% off!" I really shouldn't have bought a new sweater as I had just spent FOUR HOURS cleaning out my closet a couple weeks ago, and gotten rid of multiple garbage bags full. But it was already an extra 50% off the discounted price + 10% birthday month = practically free. Girl math.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A text from Eamon on Thursday morning made me realize just how close we are to the water:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKc9z2H6eG4S82yqO6qAhuVur00iwyOBFTQJ3butZTqgEl_fdForV11MiPqBKvTuQAKwlcfKl41a7ikuhwXGOeiJAlgF4KZWUuk9kLqAt4gXsHGVT8b7ig83uLbN9bGdBO1vxcg0r5W6OPUO9y7F62Qm4Gc_Dfn6U6k3A5_ylZtlqB0B3iMfkPFU2owJnQ/s1635/E2E57D7A-4B43-42C9-BCEF-C694C609C5BD.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1635" data-original-width="1170" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKc9z2H6eG4S82yqO6qAhuVur00iwyOBFTQJ3butZTqgEl_fdForV11MiPqBKvTuQAKwlcfKl41a7ikuhwXGOeiJAlgF4KZWUuk9kLqAt4gXsHGVT8b7ig83uLbN9bGdBO1vxcg0r5W6OPUO9y7F62Qm4Gc_Dfn6U6k3A5_ylZtlqB0B3iMfkPFU2owJnQ/w458-h640/E2E57D7A-4B43-42C9-BCEF-C694C609C5BD.jpeg" width="458" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Phil and I have been rewatching the series The Middle. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1FZM5qxrtzujDeUs6D7uSdbBvrh9UQuyD0mNnwpG3cvOjVCAGKoJ5vVnrmDLT_lC4whCT7GZNfaNFDwJ9SPUf87MwEzyfrt8lpiUCtxsJ9H13G1mX5K7X7D29fTiqBERi1ZEkEHxDDhwJQpJ1si2xHiQvOb71VWMAMjV9T8KnYpZCpQtIOBfeYlstACUL/s1024/the-middle.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="718" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1FZM5qxrtzujDeUs6D7uSdbBvrh9UQuyD0mNnwpG3cvOjVCAGKoJ5vVnrmDLT_lC4whCT7GZNfaNFDwJ9SPUf87MwEzyfrt8lpiUCtxsJ9H13G1mX5K7X7D29fTiqBERi1ZEkEHxDDhwJQpJ1si2xHiQvOb71VWMAMjV9T8KnYpZCpQtIOBfeYlstACUL/w448-h640/the-middle.jpg" width="448" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We watched it when it originally aired, but it's even funnier to watch all these years (and children) later. It's our comedy chaser that we watch right before bed after watching shows like these:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglATG18l4iT1maaiT9pkLnlOkRaxAfs7xut9D2y7L1pr9cjzSqFhfHEnn9irFKKkO-Mb8sNiwriTMaJNgbzRhXJUt5fyBx3oE_nXZXBTfD8kFqVE0IZkzHeKYKPXjXn_-uUmYqALuKeln2O9ofB9MUgLxAqmd4ZHjc_mtj8bQRHUeHJQ3gRzsmQLHotm7B/s1481/MV5BMDE0MmJmYTUtNjcyNy00NmI0LWJlOTMtMTlhN2IxYzBkZTFlXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTU1ODIwMTM1._V1_FMjpg_UX1000_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1481" data-original-width="1000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglATG18l4iT1maaiT9pkLnlOkRaxAfs7xut9D2y7L1pr9cjzSqFhfHEnn9irFKKkO-Mb8sNiwriTMaJNgbzRhXJUt5fyBx3oE_nXZXBTfD8kFqVE0IZkzHeKYKPXjXn_-uUmYqALuKeln2O9ofB9MUgLxAqmd4ZHjc_mtj8bQRHUeHJQ3gRzsmQLHotm7B/w432-h640/MV5BMDE0MmJmYTUtNjcyNy00NmI0LWJlOTMtMTlhN2IxYzBkZTFlXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTU1ODIwMTM1._V1_FMjpg_UX1000_.jpg" width="432" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghjnBhtoJDp-zm4D2at5cG7YOyaf7jWM5IB57By4AKXWmZLyvLeWm8cxm0Zr9z1wCJiT05KsXucqAjw0Djgdx5Zs5NmqXy6g7bIQKm6aZrovUPlkcGdGhjOQlnugPoyOQ4ySNfq0M1R-G4Xbe96TLc8FhAf0U09jJK9DqEmG-kaO24SQHI_aPncCGU-3Hv/s630/MV5BY2U4MGJjMDktM2YxZi00NjhkLTkyYWQtZWRkYzM3ZjY4YTA3XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTUyMzg5NzM2._V1_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="450" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghjnBhtoJDp-zm4D2at5cG7YOyaf7jWM5IB57By4AKXWmZLyvLeWm8cxm0Zr9z1wCJiT05KsXucqAjw0Djgdx5Zs5NmqXy6g7bIQKm6aZrovUPlkcGdGhjOQlnugPoyOQ4ySNfq0M1R-G4Xbe96TLc8FhAf0U09jJK9DqEmG-kaO24SQHI_aPncCGU-3Hv/w458-h640/MV5BY2U4MGJjMDktM2YxZi00NjhkLTkyYWQtZWRkYzM3ZjY4YTA3XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTUyMzg5NzM2._V1_.jpg" width="458" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">After much discussion, and factoring in that one of us will be at Maggie's volleyball tournament on that day, here's our Super Bowl menu:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRWMCO0aqs18OVowmg0KZhxY5gcujn3BwlMBMICTUhW19sUhioTR1Yr5Qr1ciuGugr2m6R98yhrxSAUvJ2beSzK64zRvl5N23uPimmQ-Pv0wZD011-pKUvVlZww8Qb1KgEdTpXV1s49iTJKPQ1SgGxktHEzxxxzWP1JzyjJ51EtttqBHtaSyC44TYQ8vQ1/s1434/04C88BC8-FFF7-4BF1-8777-A426CDAB4D03.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1434" data-original-width="1046" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRWMCO0aqs18OVowmg0KZhxY5gcujn3BwlMBMICTUhW19sUhioTR1Yr5Qr1ciuGugr2m6R98yhrxSAUvJ2beSzK64zRvl5N23uPimmQ-Pv0wZD011-pKUvVlZww8Qb1KgEdTpXV1s49iTJKPQ1SgGxktHEzxxxzWP1JzyjJ51EtttqBHtaSyC44TYQ8vQ1/w466-h640/04C88BC8-FFF7-4BF1-8777-A426CDAB4D03.jpeg" width="466" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And it's really been annoying if you're *not* a Taylor Swift fan to hear all the talk about her latest Grammy, her new album, if she'll make it to the superbowl, etc. Can you imagine being one of the best athletes in your sport, and every time you play a game, they turn the camera to your girlfriend? At every press conference, you're asked about your girlfriend's schedule? It's too much! I much prefer a love story like this:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zaayiyj2hJI?si=3dpwDtZecMmrMkzT" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Have a great game watching, lots of eating, call your loved ones kind of weekend everybody!</div>
Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11451797365712728579noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5937303870758455964.post-8367745859337392322024-02-07T08:00:00.003-05:002024-02-07T08:39:34.845-05:00Wednesday Workout Wrapup: With a Side of Fashion<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3ct6g_9r-u0IZJrVd6NKlnKYvyjQ0rgTXiVJiilip_dKv6HZnrOsy7kMrIMOB8GMCycbcE6Dy3JNhynteLkJbV4bYdkmzXkq9HsU33-pFt38Va2wZsJnXT-Jk8D0LgMjmlftdO4R_Mmc0vhhawQIfCJ75cs1HKOsdnVOlYTqI0Ys8siJ5et1j-wtTvh22/s585/a2365b86143fb6b7b414fdd4852655b8.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="585" data-original-width="564" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3ct6g_9r-u0IZJrVd6NKlnKYvyjQ0rgTXiVJiilip_dKv6HZnrOsy7kMrIMOB8GMCycbcE6Dy3JNhynteLkJbV4bYdkmzXkq9HsU33-pFt38Va2wZsJnXT-Jk8D0LgMjmlftdO4R_Mmc0vhhawQIfCJ75cs1HKOsdnVOlYTqI0Ys8siJ5et1j-wtTvh22/w386-h400/a2365b86143fb6b7b414fdd4852655b8.jpg" width="386" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I only buy inexpensive workout gear - because eventually it gets too stretched out or too worn out to save for very long anyway. Here are some current staples that I wear from week to week, and I typically size up when I buy workout clothes:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://amzn.to/3HQKLom" target="_blank">Leggings</a> (pants)</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://amzn.to/491qAAb" target="_blank">Leggings</a> (capris)</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Shorts - I don't really wear them because haven't found a pair that doesn't constantly need to be adjusted. Plus shaving my legs more than twice a week is overrated, especially in the winter.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://amzn.to/3HNjuTS" target="_blank">Tank tops</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://amzn.to/3ufSEAP" target="_blank">Tshirts</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://amzn.to/3UseM5p" target="_blank">Vest</a> (good for cold weather runs)</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://amzn.to/3OtSU68" target="_blank">Zip up Sweatshirt</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://amzn.to/3unxL6C" target="_blank">Sneakers</a> </span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />And while I am certainly not a fashionista, I do think it helps to feel cute/sporty when doing a workout. Fake it til you make it, I guess?! </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><p></p><p><b style="font-family: inherit;">Wednesday, January 31: </b></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">3 mile walk at lunch</span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">2 mile walk with dog in evening</span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> 45 minute Strength Class (while Xander was at swim practice)</span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><b>Thursday, February 1: </b></p><p>45 minutes on our <a href="https://amzn.to/4aSch26" target="_blank">Stair Stepper</a> at home before work</p><p>3 mile Walk at lunch</p><p style="background-color: white;"><b><br /></b></p><p style="background-color: white;"><b>Friday, </b><b style="background-color: transparent;">February </b><b>2: </b></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">5:30 am Boot Camp Class with two rounds of this 22 workout:</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg50sBjtPj_zTVRfcef4rBGK9bA2aEFv5zYazZXb4y_t-DpXK-9CtvfkPK2JCMHfFgVYqnfAJV1RiALC-av-oJ8C-bEmqzVdIl3yxv-32xGSPcBNrnyroWODAbg1yb0xx-m6uye_MRL8LX5fJw_HbcKmJykQkJF8xTbyFjhoOUixqgFDWJl1MeKXdfH-C_H/s4032/17EA2645-698A-4825-BE44-FCE7F8D3FEC7.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg50sBjtPj_zTVRfcef4rBGK9bA2aEFv5zYazZXb4y_t-DpXK-9CtvfkPK2JCMHfFgVYqnfAJV1RiALC-av-oJ8C-bEmqzVdIl3yxv-32xGSPcBNrnyroWODAbg1yb0xx-m6uye_MRL8LX5fJw_HbcKmJykQkJF8xTbyFjhoOUixqgFDWJl1MeKXdfH-C_H/w480-h640/17EA2645-698A-4825-BE44-FCE7F8D3FEC7.jpeg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I put smiley faces next to the hardest rounds - "Stairs" is going down and up the Stadium Stairs 22 times per round, and it takes a looooong time.</td></tr></tbody></table><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv5ylp5kF1tuE6ccATfIE7TNZJgod3kaaiBrjYVsYCgGYTq9EFt1NZUvJEs9vinrHA-85LAs7lDon5NagAK0zB9Em34JKfv1dd1O3jwAa-LVTiNOdtoS3LzdCG5rKBumSPEqa5mBXssl-YDUBqF4FA9Gma2r9tzmmuYP0vD8ohMIhzf4FDjRXCm6sF8h2p/s4032/83DEBE6C-EABC-40E2-844D-649385172437.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv5ylp5kF1tuE6ccATfIE7TNZJgod3kaaiBrjYVsYCgGYTq9EFt1NZUvJEs9vinrHA-85LAs7lDon5NagAK0zB9Em34JKfv1dd1O3jwAa-LVTiNOdtoS3LzdCG5rKBumSPEqa5mBXssl-YDUBqF4FA9Gma2r9tzmmuYP0vD8ohMIhzf4FDjRXCm6sF8h2p/w640-h480/83DEBE6C-EABC-40E2-844D-649385172437.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our instructor was coming up behind us to photobomb, but she was too late!</td></tr></tbody></table><p style="background-color: white;">3 mile walk at lunch</p><p style="background-color: white;"><b><br /></b></p><p style="background-color: white;"><b>Saturday, </b><b style="background-color: transparent;">February 3</b><b>: </b></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">5.4 mile run</span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">.6 mile Walk with dog and little boys</span></p><p style="background-color: white;"></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfLhmv_VRDSUNjdxol0w9Wad_7uMFXx8lLnZSsJ9EoE4Sja-m2CN4zYnCYy3cve7I1eSOirAF81ah7JLIkTkAQGdGpZOGGBX7r0uUX2h7Gr0GIXrDZGsJAmPTfSiM4ltksbU57OYEnIebUhGN6iFlZQrUqmu5jTpWGKAwSTFDbMTMd39PSAUjnYToVrv-E/s1952/88426C23-3DDD-4062-8692-441CAFADB51B.jpeg"><img border="0" data-original-height="1952" data-original-width="1170" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfLhmv_VRDSUNjdxol0w9Wad_7uMFXx8lLnZSsJ9EoE4Sja-m2CN4zYnCYy3cve7I1eSOirAF81ah7JLIkTkAQGdGpZOGGBX7r0uUX2h7Gr0GIXrDZGsJAmPTfSiM4ltksbU57OYEnIebUhGN6iFlZQrUqmu5jTpWGKAwSTFDbMTMd39PSAUjnYToVrv-E/w384-h640/88426C23-3DDD-4062-8692-441CAFADB51B.jpeg" width="384" /></a></div><br style="text-align: left;" /><p style="background-color: white;">Phil and I run slow together and talk, with a focus on miles, not speed. I don't even check my pace until the run is over. It's cool to see that miles 3-4 were faster because we were on a bike path when we didn't have to stop to cross any busy roads.</p><p style="background-color: white;"><b><br /></b></p><p style="background-color: white;"><b>Sunday, </b><b style="background-color: transparent;">February 4</b><b>: </b></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1 mile run on treadmill + 45 minute cardio/weight class at gym</span></p><p style="background-color: white;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="background-color: white;"><b>Monday, </b><b style="background-color: transparent;">February 5</b><b>: </b></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">3 mile walk at lunch </span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">2 mile walk with dog in evening</span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><b>Tuesday, </b><b style="background-color: transparent;">February 6</b><b>: </b></p><p>45 minutes on our <a href="https://amzn.to/4aSch26" target="_blank">Stair Stepper</a> at home before work</p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></p><p>3 mile Walk at lunch</p><p>1 mile walk with dog in evening</p></div><p></p>Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11451797365712728579noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5937303870758455964.post-4247344550210207932024-02-05T07:43:00.001-05:002024-02-05T11:49:44.138-05:00VaLENTine Planning<p style="text-align: center;">How terrible is it when Ash Wednesday falls on Valentine's Day? A day that should be full of feasting and indulging and making everybody around me feel special and loved is now a meatless day of fasting. Boohoo.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPZ7UwBQ_OgGMynkIyJa3IU2CMKR7Lj90RW606G3gL0_a60APA0jy2yMON6bltz8tBR-Md0PC0Hbc6VyUNIke5EmwjfEkapqz0EpIE0un1hZEQ5yQWLo-OwmXY7yLHqmcQJ0RnjkOnebJvkvn-j60C-dFrCQ_484Vai3D2dC9xAeuB-H5VeL0MZ1QTRtqI/s1600/no%20sweets.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPZ7UwBQ_OgGMynkIyJa3IU2CMKR7Lj90RW606G3gL0_a60APA0jy2yMON6bltz8tBR-Md0PC0Hbc6VyUNIke5EmwjfEkapqz0EpIE0un1hZEQ5yQWLo-OwmXY7yLHqmcQJ0RnjkOnebJvkvn-j60C-dFrCQ_484Vai3D2dC9xAeuB-H5VeL0MZ1QTRtqI/w400-h400/no%20sweets.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://rosie-ablogformymom.blogspot.com/2016/02/valentines-for-lent.html" style="text-align: left;" target="_blank">Created by Rosie</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: center;">So what does a practicing Catholic do? Celebrate Valentine's Day and Mardi Gras on the day before? But then that robs us of one holiday. Celebrate Valentine's Day on the weekend before? But that is already Superbowl weekend. Celebrate on the first Sunday of Lent? Sundays don't count in Lent...seriously 40 days of Lent do not include the Sundays of Lent...so maybe that's the best plan.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">For Lent, we give up sweets every year as a family, so that's a no brainer. But then I try to do something extra, either giving up something else in addition to the sweets or adding in something that is good for my spiritual life. The world can be kind of hypocritical about Lent. I've had people question the practices of Lent, but then be totally on board with New Year's Resolutions or Dry January. If we can give things up for our physical health, why can't we give something up for our spiritual health? If we can start a new workout plan with a goal of running a race, why can't we have a Lenten plan in place with a goal of Heaven? I don't think we have to practice any certain faith to want to try and better ourself.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">One of my children's friends asked "How does giving up chocolate actually help someone's faith life?" and it's a valid question. How does some seemingly insignificant sacrifice I make bring me closer to Jesus on the cross? I think the easiest response is that every single time we deny ourselves of an earthly pleasure, we recall the sacrifice Jesus made, and we remember to try and act more like Christ. The chocolate cravings and denials don't actually make us a better person, but they point to His sacrificial love and remind us of how we should be living.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">In past years, we have tried various diets for Lent, but there's a fine line between sacrificing certain foods for the sake of your spiritual life versus just wanting to lose weight. This year I think my heart's intent would be to lose weight, and therefore I don't want to choose a dietary change for Lent. I think I need to focus more on adding in prayer time, spiritual readings, going to a daily mass and Adoration hour each week...things along those lines. I want to picture myself on Easter feeling very close to Our Lord after walking the way of the Cross with Him and then being very excited for the Resurrection. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">So on that note, give me your best ideas for how to grow in my faith this Lent. What can I realistically add in? What has helped you in the past? Feel free to comment as anonymous :)</div>Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11451797365712728579noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5937303870758455964.post-79548994197375749202024-02-02T08:15:00.011-05:002024-02-02T11:31:03.910-05:00Week in Review: CSW, AARP and AIRBNB<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Happy Friday! Hope you are staying cozy on this February day just like Lucy Doodle. How cute is she with her crossed legs, my fancy girl:</div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgertHDggOmufO-poxW94GHHO2GhgqEsqc-AfDdc_Eq7QSHTDdU2W83kRKSpUxrsf1svKclPRD6U41706hC4b1n7KbCsV28sQpCHYwji60RtnKjfEuaUIv32pOR4WKyqxUtUA0UehPM3tzy1CGf-wAetivyumMeULbaLzh5__dnVxVKkfuj23iJ6_q9VKhu/s3204/2B5A7831-DD0E-42AB-81A5-01408E319E01.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3204" data-original-width="2913" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgertHDggOmufO-poxW94GHHO2GhgqEsqc-AfDdc_Eq7QSHTDdU2W83kRKSpUxrsf1svKclPRD6U41706hC4b1n7KbCsV28sQpCHYwji60RtnKjfEuaUIv32pOR4WKyqxUtUA0UehPM3tzy1CGf-wAetivyumMeULbaLzh5__dnVxVKkfuj23iJ6_q9VKhu/w582-h640/2B5A7831-DD0E-42AB-81A5-01408E319E01.jpeg" width="582" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I'm staying cozy in my Lucy-colored <a href="https://amzn.to/3HLqO2u" target="_blank">wrap sweater</a> (some colors are only $13.99):</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv7CkWhwROxB3kBggk480BH7zQOZqw0plgdmHFTVuC5o_JHR-MIY1b_dQb2ROwR8nnsb47-BPKVFKZavH2Y2RHxoxyuSMv8eOgLwWDCIPRTc7z49NSqAmZ3PTU0FpdcH8zDc_NVLdTEwg8vRiQe8_4PJbxkNHigEEgm8_CTbbOJkJgwbkGARdGsoVpHaPI/s3923/IMG_5744.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3923" data-original-width="2838" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv7CkWhwROxB3kBggk480BH7zQOZqw0plgdmHFTVuC5o_JHR-MIY1b_dQb2ROwR8nnsb47-BPKVFKZavH2Y2RHxoxyuSMv8eOgLwWDCIPRTc7z49NSqAmZ3PTU0FpdcH8zDc_NVLdTEwg8vRiQe8_4PJbxkNHigEEgm8_CTbbOJkJgwbkGARdGsoVpHaPI/w462-h640/IMG_5744.jpg" width="462" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Last Friday, Xander had his science fair and some of the AP students at the Catholic high school were judges, which included Eamon! Don't worry though, no nepotism was involved as Eamon was not assigned to judge Xander. Also if you are interested, mints don't actually cool the temp of water.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYI2q3ze47NR3ZD1j5UIlyNlOTrC1coD_9yVdIsmcp-g_itxgjV0Dl68JjUsHNJcdDfN9ciAcwrfvx7B2KI7KXlbrs4u9uIgal5AFd70I78vyIYoYUJIvegnk8lLXDtV952We0mzykv8UM7d9JjWTkF7Ou0VkqFyFj7h8TtA-THHfJs5HuYBy9VIxsBnX6/s2348/0C30A71F-E0D5-4F5C-A1F0-8CE77F2F45A8.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2176" data-original-width="2348" height="594" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYI2q3ze47NR3ZD1j5UIlyNlOTrC1coD_9yVdIsmcp-g_itxgjV0Dl68JjUsHNJcdDfN9ciAcwrfvx7B2KI7KXlbrs4u9uIgal5AFd70I78vyIYoYUJIvegnk8lLXDtV952We0mzykv8UM7d9JjWTkF7Ou0VkqFyFj7h8TtA-THHfJs5HuYBy9VIxsBnX6/w640-h594/0C30A71F-E0D5-4F5C-A1F0-8CE77F2F45A8.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This week is Catholic Schools Week and there's been a dressdown and fun activities each day for the kiddos. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwKbwdRIm0V49TdS9JsKhFuNf-lQ0nYdnpV21McBxpCmreYShKYRq3VjaNYYUNXUxVKez9LytczoBPt0C-6PgHDtoa5One9e-TaRYPd9rAwicGa3G_gBwbsP-PZapzQumSBos-NACySYnHdrFrdgum3kw5fu1WUI36cZQr1qkIf5EswdbyBSoaePVyR40j/s1855/14769009-48F4-4C54-9BA0-F93314669279.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1855" data-original-width="1170" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwKbwdRIm0V49TdS9JsKhFuNf-lQ0nYdnpV21McBxpCmreYShKYRq3VjaNYYUNXUxVKez9LytczoBPt0C-6PgHDtoa5One9e-TaRYPd9rAwicGa3G_gBwbsP-PZapzQumSBos-NACySYnHdrFrdgum3kw5fu1WUI36cZQr1qkIf5EswdbyBSoaePVyR40j/w404-h640/14769009-48F4-4C54-9BA0-F93314669279.jpeg" width="404" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Phil was able to attend the Parent Picnic with Declan and Brendan. He brought them happy meals and said McDonald's was a popular choice among the dads who went :)</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvI4VezyCHK35CnU0LITi0FQE-MsOce4i5AJfzLBla556K0LxlFagjVvMDYPHVQt5ou8T4s7NxP-dOwJxmZka3x20dTj2kzg3fjE8em6PmO5tGt_8PVJ72YmjCu1f3xU-EeieSlfdUVVuBcvd4AeoLwPojbl5Y-qmX6mMZ2VCnCcaoTEqtjhEdmTafqAd1/s4030/04C749F4-7A6C-4077-9C91-6C2E709A73D2.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2289" data-original-width="4030" height="364" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvI4VezyCHK35CnU0LITi0FQE-MsOce4i5AJfzLBla556K0LxlFagjVvMDYPHVQt5ou8T4s7NxP-dOwJxmZka3x20dTj2kzg3fjE8em6PmO5tGt_8PVJ72YmjCu1f3xU-EeieSlfdUVVuBcvd4AeoLwPojbl5Y-qmX6mMZ2VCnCcaoTEqtjhEdmTafqAd1/w640-h364/04C749F4-7A6C-4077-9C91-6C2E709A73D2.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtSMatNd-hhwVf54RwGX8x1PUFI6ep2fX4wjhQx0ta1uBDdeff-16YSxGypmrbKOdT3MslPgY_1yWKflHYvJdTLKtxCtOllCxUJaTXQuJOGrzE_1mDxnWtZYDsmtFryzAdVPl6Zp1r6tZ73BYzof5TbMZQrPn7pbkjhiN2ty7bU6aHaTU4SoQfrZ1h_p09/s3201/F8D0FCA5-B147-43DD-A5AA-02A1AE9E7233.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3201" data-original-width="2253" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtSMatNd-hhwVf54RwGX8x1PUFI6ep2fX4wjhQx0ta1uBDdeff-16YSxGypmrbKOdT3MslPgY_1yWKflHYvJdTLKtxCtOllCxUJaTXQuJOGrzE_1mDxnWtZYDsmtFryzAdVPl6Zp1r6tZ73BYzof5TbMZQrPn7pbkjhiN2ty7bU6aHaTU4SoQfrZ1h_p09/w450-h640/F8D0FCA5-B147-43DD-A5AA-02A1AE9E7233.jpeg" width="450" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Eamon served a school Mass:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXgFjwoLj2u6pbzF2VXoY_Iu2R9HrslEaL5CyWS9kwfiBDxRtZ6f9dEKSHqZRKTG7cmMc1Z4JRWGwr2LPFif3OhV7PoXu0Sks9cJ8MiWZIEViAn-IPMXeAELgYwG5wNKoiKkH9CLr4zKpsGJocin2VJtCLrwj5TweRzO-YRn_AaIpBfr7RI8n5pNmo7lla/s1170/C32F39CC-19C3-4522-B85C-7606931BB849.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="819" data-original-width="1170" height="448" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXgFjwoLj2u6pbzF2VXoY_Iu2R9HrslEaL5CyWS9kwfiBDxRtZ6f9dEKSHqZRKTG7cmMc1Z4JRWGwr2LPFif3OhV7PoXu0Sks9cJ8MiWZIEViAn-IPMXeAELgYwG5wNKoiKkH9CLr4zKpsGJocin2VJtCLrwj5TweRzO-YRn_AaIpBfr7RI8n5pNmo7lla/w640-h448/C32F39CC-19C3-4522-B85C-7606931BB849.jpeg" width="640" /></a><span><a name='more'></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Xander's middle school team won against the other Catholic schools in the area, and he was very proud to get correct answers at the Quizbowl:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZaoLSx2GMe9t7fyRLjU8zu3QJKYe1mxRWAInWHnJvzjBRGzcZVq-IdEZ0euS1Lchns2EDfqs6v-ffuFzZXraNmX78Sb2OxvyXKB4e9jLHSZhckBl5MpwzTN894fQKF4eqx8_FQ-I33kD9uV8hXt6wEawO0t7dzBvMGAzU2UixFr_SK3luv_v9AQSNEVAI/s4032/F6628725-D9CC-4CD8-B974-CBEF5AEAC413.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZaoLSx2GMe9t7fyRLjU8zu3QJKYe1mxRWAInWHnJvzjBRGzcZVq-IdEZ0euS1Lchns2EDfqs6v-ffuFzZXraNmX78Sb2OxvyXKB4e9jLHSZhckBl5MpwzTN894fQKF4eqx8_FQ-I33kD9uV8hXt6wEawO0t7dzBvMGAzU2UixFr_SK3luv_v9AQSNEVAI/w300-h400/F6628725-D9CC-4CD8-B974-CBEF5AEAC413.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eamon snuck a picture.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And today was the 100 Day of school so may I present my future little old men:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsSnh80d0z5dhnrvINNQMNArgNu8YdntyArPVuCOLSDK7Jk1pg3l2lfh67_iCEtg33EphacaGlzjWQsOCYOr1Q0RHZjxfbOG0N7Yi1tm45sCZr4J2WxLeit0rn5z259YMNggGqkQwo-ofdVSa-ft-4ZDXZqcqVUDN6p-q04Nw7aoOCnT_fwetHi8-VVmDP/s4032/FE9A0D2E-4351-4F23-B38C-E62392AF37F4.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="2802" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsSnh80d0z5dhnrvINNQMNArgNu8YdntyArPVuCOLSDK7Jk1pg3l2lfh67_iCEtg33EphacaGlzjWQsOCYOr1Q0RHZjxfbOG0N7Yi1tm45sCZr4J2WxLeit0rn5z259YMNggGqkQwo-ofdVSa-ft-4ZDXZqcqVUDN6p-q04Nw7aoOCnT_fwetHi8-VVmDP/w444-h640/FE9A0D2E-4351-4F23-B38C-E62392AF37F4.jpeg" width="444" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snazzy dressers in their old age.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Speaking of old, WHO IS IN CHARGE OF MAILINGS AT AARP???</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtiSXMUPFijFjaIzjyrqQDBm-_ZLJJspqLvoDDFq24C-YhpO1eEy5_1A8huQYoHBynL-Li2oKRGYeXj-5vWGIed1aTF5QUDkZWOf9rDgVcYXOVxvaOfgjQTaueDPm5nUf90Z10L-DFecK8mKXJDdeothq1jtxzOJIJSPqxvnNTYo4LPih1GADf4GlEOmZ7/s4032/D517D0E1-C36F-4251-BB75-779943AF75BA.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtiSXMUPFijFjaIzjyrqQDBm-_ZLJJspqLvoDDFq24C-YhpO1eEy5_1A8huQYoHBynL-Li2oKRGYeXj-5vWGIed1aTF5QUDkZWOf9rDgVcYXOVxvaOfgjQTaueDPm5nUf90Z10L-DFecK8mKXJDdeothq1jtxzOJIJSPqxvnNTYo4LPih1GADf4GlEOmZ7/w480-h640/D517D0E1-C36F-4251-BB75-779943AF75BA.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I'm 44 for the record, though I would love to identify as a retiree.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I ordered some <a href="https://amzn.to/3UkhIBd" target="_blank">new seltzers</a> from Amazon, and they came all banged up and leaking:</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0aMh_CiZb8ICNfO8Ql3fFcxqsn7SSoejiAp_8QP7PtlQRmGDJu1fhPPq-t-pqrI9uirQ4k143fwhOmEal6cuw6VxUeB-v2ixoldDZVWoFYjFGCN72QubYrwYe_sipoBBWhDubiZI_517x3u4Akj8qEJmRKsQ_I8aiIIHlmtmrozQ5dogosGyiHJb54N0Q/s480/8D4DD3EC-852D-4325-A0EB-6E432E50D0C5.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="480" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0aMh_CiZb8ICNfO8Ql3fFcxqsn7SSoejiAp_8QP7PtlQRmGDJu1fhPPq-t-pqrI9uirQ4k143fwhOmEal6cuw6VxUeB-v2ixoldDZVWoFYjFGCN72QubYrwYe_sipoBBWhDubiZI_517x3u4Akj8qEJmRKsQ_I8aiIIHlmtmrozQ5dogosGyiHJb54N0Q/w640-h480/8D4DD3EC-852D-4325-A0EB-6E432E50D0C5.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Amazon refunded my money right away, they are very good like that. I didn't even need to send the pictures I took as proof. The (non-damaged) ones I tried were very delish. I was introduced to lychees by my Filipino roommate in college and they are *chef's kiss*.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfDdZBFn_U7Uj3NrVXHRgYOWv3i5rixIuoC7O74wfEuGScdG19op86w50DX1ih5HVPv5kiNi-FZQx-WAYYs8S19W-bG7MEDsMYQolo-mmxO88JZ9d2OxTtBhDH6xOFaj0pCPcxaQLHmG3yCp4pO5U5Bl47UOaRNlaOEeDDgz8nybRt-wWVMwEdLcwu-4NP/s4032/A46177D1-C2DE-4F54-9AED-D01F50D054FE.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfDdZBFn_U7Uj3NrVXHRgYOWv3i5rixIuoC7O74wfEuGScdG19op86w50DX1ih5HVPv5kiNi-FZQx-WAYYs8S19W-bG7MEDsMYQolo-mmxO88JZ9d2OxTtBhDH6xOFaj0pCPcxaQLHmG3yCp4pO5U5Bl47UOaRNlaOEeDDgz8nybRt-wWVMwEdLcwu-4NP/w480-h640/A46177D1-C2DE-4F54-9AED-D01F50D054FE.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Speaking of college friends from cool places, JP is heading to Hawaii this summer for a friend's wedding. He is going with three other friends, and they are renting this from airbnb:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNtSvC1KLWj-WrlbfkXFO9xJo3HTthOkCHzCBUH5npEGVbzMdD-c5MkubsH4Ack7BgtMa4PTQB_a9ae4NwIa1cVa3eXSzmHyrPJdITxA0V7QBUAsOwyy9U8uwPqSb1Y4F_Qo2pFZNEGWt14NtO_fbeXz24FxylfNm9Ybyl5aA06O0_tqq65sqopfVWdc-W/s1200/b99bf633-7082-4e67-b178-18bf6f42fc87.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNtSvC1KLWj-WrlbfkXFO9xJo3HTthOkCHzCBUH5npEGVbzMdD-c5MkubsH4Ack7BgtMa4PTQB_a9ae4NwIa1cVa3eXSzmHyrPJdITxA0V7QBUAsOwyy9U8uwPqSb1Y4F_Qo2pFZNEGWt14NtO_fbeXz24FxylfNm9Ybyl5aA06O0_tqq65sqopfVWdc-W/w640-h426/b99bf633-7082-4e67-b178-18bf6f42fc87.webp" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Not exactly the way I would want to spend my time in Hawaii, but it kind of seems perfect for broke college kids. It'll certainly be an adventure! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I adore that my kids love travelling and trying new things while they are young and free. As we tell them often, take advantage of opportunities because you never know if you will have the chance again. Will I be a nervous nelly while he is sleeping in a tent on top of a Lexus in Hawaii, you betcha, but I would never stop him from having these cool experiences. Parenting includes a lot of external encouraging and internal worrying.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC8Fzs_pOc5uNdPgGH3GiZ16ymjBuq70vA3mmO8zq9rS5zAXQIL9-jHbQG36av7c20hfAtngxflh0aobpwEG-UUcp10gKcY9uu9QcQv2PP8LT_zu6y5-m6-oBBQ_PcktcZdj6PckX2hJPdZc7OoPIsdBz733-Vcyh1uNq-Jr7X9TCSIP4HPPElRb5-BxtC/s1280/t7050_OhThePlacesYoullGo_BGRN-BLK__34762.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="1280" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC8Fzs_pOc5uNdPgGH3GiZ16ymjBuq70vA3mmO8zq9rS5zAXQIL9-jHbQG36av7c20hfAtngxflh0aobpwEG-UUcp10gKcY9uu9QcQv2PP8LT_zu6y5-m6-oBBQ_PcktcZdj6PckX2hJPdZc7OoPIsdBz733-Vcyh1uNq-Jr7X9TCSIP4HPPElRb5-BxtC/w400-h400/t7050_OhThePlacesYoullGo_BGRN-BLK__34762.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">After not playing great as a team, Eamon's basketball coach told the players that it didn't seem like they even wanted to play and then proceeded to have a practice filled with competitions. The top five players from the practice would start in the next game. So Eamon was a winner and got to start! Each starting player runs out and does a handshake as they are announced, so Eamon made up one where he gets crowned:</div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVT3SWlQCzkHMYSN0MRV-kDpspK5xMF_oOY-G-xmyAMf7cFPy_EiUWy2YtHaK9fTLg71hpy3J6Ld8sEmH3urmV7iny0vQtqQBTbVaopMV8VN8V9KpqQZrsrF2loLr8R8uf9UxWpdtA_1S8ErAVUr3DFIOwOHUOb0CtRxCIw3yIgafao_MqIA0LC3E3Eze5/s1555/D8CBDFBB-9336-417B-81E2-AFE522487C27.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1555" data-original-width="1170" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVT3SWlQCzkHMYSN0MRV-kDpspK5xMF_oOY-G-xmyAMf7cFPy_EiUWy2YtHaK9fTLg71hpy3J6Ld8sEmH3urmV7iny0vQtqQBTbVaopMV8VN8V9KpqQZrsrF2loLr8R8uf9UxWpdtA_1S8ErAVUr3DFIOwOHUOb0CtRxCIw3yIgafao_MqIA0LC3E3Eze5/w301-h400/D8CBDFBB-9336-417B-81E2-AFE522487C27.jpeg" width="301" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blurry screenshot of a video</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">For a bench warming Junior, this was indeed a crowning moment!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Declan asked me to take a picture of his "amazing dinner" of waffles, eggs and sausage. Breakfast for dinner is a winner around here, for kids and tired parents both. (And yes he was already bathed and in pajamas by 5:30 pm...that's my idea of a good night).</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh8OsIAF-bCYoMjqFkakWSI3BP2qiZ3WE_KtomHkLU2vlNmeHZWrjGfh8W8zfL_XkTsmehrOvV8k2mgP9NwungY3hbUxgVwo-HVITNvOF9qgWNj1eaKICSVUMGXq8EYxDASfYWPh6u4niFGFPtI3k6rqe-XseyXG4qebbpks-0nRbLnZHfCLkrNXj4dOYf/s4032/10C62955-5636-45CC-8F1B-9E2E5254CE42.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh8OsIAF-bCYoMjqFkakWSI3BP2qiZ3WE_KtomHkLU2vlNmeHZWrjGfh8W8zfL_XkTsmehrOvV8k2mgP9NwungY3hbUxgVwo-HVITNvOF9qgWNj1eaKICSVUMGXq8EYxDASfYWPh6u4niFGFPtI3k6rqe-XseyXG4qebbpks-0nRbLnZHfCLkrNXj4dOYf/w480-h640/10C62955-5636-45CC-8F1B-9E2E5254CE42.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And spring is coming soon!!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizAy9XPcQtBLMMiHOq_0SS4YVVjmLALTCttCkRziCaYsBtIEtdf0-LH4Z8oQEUBCzxnp2rmaTTp_DLs9qhE7gf6DFaLJpiRob5M2Tn89d5B4LjXAoXlN4LqHTIdmga347uDlM87IfP7gY00ky7tpft_Nn4lPNHMhArqPKUTZ-yJ9VxqwK_XuEmiIjtIdGx/s590/126495_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="393" data-original-width="590" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizAy9XPcQtBLMMiHOq_0SS4YVVjmLALTCttCkRziCaYsBtIEtdf0-LH4Z8oQEUBCzxnp2rmaTTp_DLs9qhE7gf6DFaLJpiRob5M2Tn89d5B4LjXAoXlN4LqHTIdmga347uDlM87IfP7gY00ky7tpft_Nn4lPNHMhArqPKUTZ-yJ9VxqwK_XuEmiIjtIdGx/w640-h426/126495_1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Have a wonderful no-football watching weekend everybody!! What's on your Superbowl menu??</div><p></p>Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11451797365712728579noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5937303870758455964.post-34255687962634659742024-01-31T06:00:00.002-05:002024-01-31T08:15:09.182-05:00Wednesday Workout Wrapup: With a Side of Supplements<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It was a rainy and yucky week, so there was not a lot of outside walking time, but I tried to make do. When I can't get outside in the sun, I make sure to take my <a href="https://amzn.to/48Q0TCH" target="_blank">Vitamin D drops</a> that are fun to put right on my tongue. This week was also my visit from Aunt Flo which consistently makes me want to curl up in bed with a heating pad and not go to the gym. But I remind myself that I never regret a workout, take my trusty <a href="https://amzn.to/48SCts9" target="_blank">iron supplements</a> and push through most of the time. I did indeed take a day off because I also try to listen to my body when it's really tired or sore and prioritize sleep and rest on those days. Even God rested on the 7th day :)</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A note about supplements, I really believe they are just that...supplemental...to a healthy diet. I don't just routinely take the same vitamins/supplements every day, but I think about my day and what I am lacking and adjust accordingly. Iron when I've not eaten red meat, calcium if my dairy consumption has been low, and so on. I do take magnesium everyday, but if I am <a href="https://amzn.to/3OpKk8d" target="_blank">drinking it</a> before bed, then I don't also take the <a href="https://amzn.to/3On0HTa" target="_blank">pill version</a>. I take a <a href="https://amzn.to/3Oj2xVa" target="_blank">probiotic</a> daily, either alone or with <a href="https://amzn.to/3u5ew1J" target="_blank">Vitamin C</a>, again depending on if I've had an <a href="https://amzn.to/49x42r1" target="_blank">Emergen-C</a> drink that day and gotten a high dose of Vitamin C already or not. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">There's no point in wasting supplements by taking them on a day you already got enough of that vitamin or mineral, you know? I do the same with protein...if I don't think I had enough for the day, then I will make myself a <a href="https://amzn.to/3w2r0Yg" target="_blank">casein protein shake</a> at night, but I'm not just drinking a protein shake every night as part of a plan. I'm not a nutritionist, I am merely a common sensist and frugalist.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <b style="text-align: center;">Wednesday, January 24: </b></span></p><p style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">2 mile run on treadmill + 45 minute Strength Class (while Xander was at swim practice)</span></p><p style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Thursday, January 25: </span></b></p><p style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">3 mile Walk at lunch</span></p><p style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">5 mile Run/Walk Intervals on treadmill</span></p><p style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b></p><p style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Friday, January 26: </span></b></p><p style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">5:30 am Boot Camp Class </span></p><p style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The workout was seven rounds of these:</span></p><p style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_ArYFaQ-mD6XadQRV2-YrYDm_q6OguZM9s8B6gTm9ZL1jEYfHmQ6oAkSubQLszfNv7Ao6wvxrWx2ZpR34e34tndAv4GOtpsdzv0LzUKLgfARUre96QyNtlsssiVCLqBNRuIEp4_u0zT50CRaydXbx7tc2HD9Zj3QAa8C4S7AfkrLSB8yqzT55sDEAj9jN/s4030/E6D12650-A476-4CE5-9841-E06E6D7EA4D1.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4030" data-original-width="2490" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_ArYFaQ-mD6XadQRV2-YrYDm_q6OguZM9s8B6gTm9ZL1jEYfHmQ6oAkSubQLszfNv7Ao6wvxrWx2ZpR34e34tndAv4GOtpsdzv0LzUKLgfARUre96QyNtlsssiVCLqBNRuIEp4_u0zT50CRaydXbx7tc2HD9Zj3QAa8C4S7AfkrLSB8yqzT55sDEAj9jN/w396-h640/E6D12650-A476-4CE5-9841-E06E6D7EA4D1.jpeg" width="396" /></a></span></p><p style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">And then we finished with single-hand deadlifts and stretching.</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF2qzsn5xZh5EtoWpgxJbhYBCnAHNUb3MKCPxRLWIsdyVRhmE4pEmD-n78nMcXupBAGdoTpYYpBWrd1wAavzHyuRCnLKzEx23CWQZCqTASIZT7fHoPwlEYTlJMljkErIqYTkoZO4c864VVYpI-zTg5fMguEUILNcCxHZrtnMvk0whgnL6vtq6ASluwA_yk/s4032/B388A8FD-1F56-4858-BBD9-C52210EC2863.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF2qzsn5xZh5EtoWpgxJbhYBCnAHNUb3MKCPxRLWIsdyVRhmE4pEmD-n78nMcXupBAGdoTpYYpBWrd1wAavzHyuRCnLKzEx23CWQZCqTASIZT7fHoPwlEYTlJMljkErIqYTkoZO4c864VVYpI-zTg5fMguEUILNcCxHZrtnMvk0whgnL6vtq6ASluwA_yk/w640-h480/B388A8FD-1F56-4858-BBD9-C52210EC2863.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm sorry my gym selfies are so weird, I get very self-conscious taking them in front of the others.</td></tr></tbody></table><p style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></p><p style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Saturday, January 27: </span></b></p><p style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">5 mile run</span></p><p style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1 mile Walk with dog</span></p><p style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIe6kr2RsPLSbmphlVFXjlgEpsEb_l90F96aVhwXVJn7kHFGxsAPtIFwKLHad-2hJTY7zigXoXSCiZVSuHkoCldYhsWZrx3MDbtRjZKkFw1lTnV_A8fH1xpWifxEHcILombB0xrtZAOfL7y-gY6PPtxb45p4WR-uqd_w8M-Kwd1vDb_WetyQMBGQ5v9cUr/s2361/3C3AB068-24F7-4281-829C-1DAEE93A7485.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2361" data-original-width="1170" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIe6kr2RsPLSbmphlVFXjlgEpsEb_l90F96aVhwXVJn7kHFGxsAPtIFwKLHad-2hJTY7zigXoXSCiZVSuHkoCldYhsWZrx3MDbtRjZKkFw1lTnV_A8fH1xpWifxEHcILombB0xrtZAOfL7y-gY6PPtxb45p4WR-uqd_w8M-Kwd1vDb_WetyQMBGQ5v9cUr/w318-h640/3C3AB068-24F7-4281-829C-1DAEE93A7485.jpeg" width="318" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Sunday, January 28: </span></b></p><p style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">2 mile run on treadmill + 45 minute cardio/weight class at gym</span></p><p style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Monday, January 29: </span></b></p><p style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">3 mile walk at lunch </span></p><p style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">2 mile walk with dog in evening</span></p><p style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Tuesday, January 30: </span></b></p><p style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">3 mile Walk at lunch</span></p><p style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">50 minute elliptical at gym while Xander had swim practice</span></p>Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11451797365712728579noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5937303870758455964.post-8735650846723849772024-01-29T08:16:00.000-05:002024-01-29T08:16:15.481-05:00Out and About<p style="text-align: center;"> Today, I am out and about (said with a Canadian accent) at my sweet friend <a href="https://optimisticmusings.com/guest-post-welcome-colleen/" target="_blank">Elisabeth's blog</a>. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi5fod_Y1ruo8207ibOZYGcE5bnnnHyBQdH2ucSMpsS1RHPWIApEc950H0kmZ_42Fm8MkFTxrIx8izXpNaoFppcNurGIuwx9wBQxr4ehBXgcrmkPVd_I-SebkuUHGFHGleGAcGwS2xaqYVruNFAvs6-CENhtAl6ok5nuQnvZqR9_qs6C3YGq9kozJSwiqlV" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="768" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi5fod_Y1ruo8207ibOZYGcE5bnnnHyBQdH2ucSMpsS1RHPWIApEc950H0kmZ_42Fm8MkFTxrIx8izXpNaoFppcNurGIuwx9wBQxr4ehBXgcrmkPVd_I-SebkuUHGFHGleGAcGwS2xaqYVruNFAvs6-CENhtAl6ok5nuQnvZqR9_qs6C3YGq9kozJSwiqlV=w300-h400" width="300" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;">I am so honored to be part of her interview series, and I hope my answers don't disappoint. Funny story about Elisabeth, who lives in Nova Scotia (can you even imagine?)...I used to read her blog every single time she posted, and then one day POOF it was gone. I was so blue and I googled and tried to figure out what happened, with no success. </p><p style="text-align: center;">Then I wrote about it in a post one day, and a loyal reader (hi!) told me that she had lost her blog and was forced to start a new one. I would be devastated to lose my blog and all of those memories, but Elisabeth took it so well and started a new (and dare I say improved?) blog and the blogiverse has been put back in order once again. So anyway, please go give her a read if you don't already :) And thanks for having me <a href="https://optimisticmusings.com/guest-post-welcome-colleen/" target="_blank">Elisabeth</a>!!</p>Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11451797365712728579noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5937303870758455964.post-75229950163626102242024-01-26T06:00:00.022-05:002024-01-26T08:03:26.191-05:00Week in Review: Soup for Life, March for Life, Conspiracy Theories for Life<p><a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1QS3r-k7BrdfyNml3O3J-RvXKHFwfkBHZC5KOAVlM9p0/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank"></a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Happy Friday of a week that felt very long, how 'bout for you guys? We've had dreary weather of rain and snow and people's moods seem to be matching it, myself included. It may have a lot to do with the four home basketball games this week for the teens:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-3_rZ7wERRVAEZ2CXoRX84QOqmSJyhtzolFKwgKNjAED7h3t10wXX4Tp37lW83NbqxJ1BJL_vR5DaGWix13GO8NOarg6N7BNNgYtzU6Gqfb8f8m2L3DzuGhz3b7KEcrFZF8MFPMpb3iyUmsEZLAPuIkeeVgR_R9Jdxd5Zm4ZPwZ_z40PLqZsi0do3uhRQ/s4032/30B29AB1-A8DC-43CD-9040-1D233FBBA9E8.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-3_rZ7wERRVAEZ2CXoRX84QOqmSJyhtzolFKwgKNjAED7h3t10wXX4Tp37lW83NbqxJ1BJL_vR5DaGWix13GO8NOarg6N7BNNgYtzU6Gqfb8f8m2L3DzuGhz3b7KEcrFZF8MFPMpb3iyUmsEZLAPuIkeeVgR_R9Jdxd5Zm4ZPwZ_z40PLqZsi0do3uhRQ/w640-h480/30B29AB1-A8DC-43CD-9040-1D233FBBA9E8.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">23 has my heart.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Let's start with some good eats, because food is just such a treat.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I made this <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1QS3r-k7BrdfyNml3O3J-RvXKHFwfkBHZC5KOAVlM9p0/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">Creamy Chicken and Corn Soup</a> for lunches this week that basically tastes like a delicious wine sauce with chicken and veggies in it. Will definitely make again.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg64rj6kBAawnImLxLX_WODU_S78RW1DHeT7n64tee6Wn69BzoQX3rFURmcGx8KDpM4QwzqT104sn0aG0q4efdB9YOMDPWqilJw8dlsRB9_mvJHjrNlYFIJ2k2pIYm46rmB-C3UOqJKhUjVzxSldQkM_FXyRMXP5IV0RcreeWuhsHXOXt1Za5BpUKKPCV2y/s4032/B199B501-411E-44F4-AFF5-85B08CFEE083.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg64rj6kBAawnImLxLX_WODU_S78RW1DHeT7n64tee6Wn69BzoQX3rFURmcGx8KDpM4QwzqT104sn0aG0q4efdB9YOMDPWqilJw8dlsRB9_mvJHjrNlYFIJ2k2pIYm46rmB-C3UOqJKhUjVzxSldQkM_FXyRMXP5IV0RcreeWuhsHXOXt1Za5BpUKKPCV2y/w480-h640/B199B501-411E-44F4-AFF5-85B08CFEE083.jpeg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We eat soup for lunch about 200 days a year.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We eat a lot of chicken sausages, and this was some leftover sausages sliced up with leftover peppers and onions (from <a href="https://www.budgetbytes.com/oven-fajitas/" target="_blank">chicken fajitas</a> earlier in the week) over cauliflower rice. Simple but delish.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiczkFh0Tgies_pYBeonnjnKegFYyl2ALHqyh1xt6hh7N-1SddizSl-CFJy_CCyzFvN_6qTj_24qIZuLPOh5qbJQINZSm612ov46wOi1qs6Uv_BWxxgCI1UXvd0VEcf7ey6SU939tl8E4O93T26JwGcnkVYtC_gcnofRgOUiiZeHVAYKiexDMH2d0_ERY8o/s4032/6F3B7956-71CE-4ADC-8F34-EF2ABD87FF2E.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiczkFh0Tgies_pYBeonnjnKegFYyl2ALHqyh1xt6hh7N-1SddizSl-CFJy_CCyzFvN_6qTj_24qIZuLPOh5qbJQINZSm612ov46wOi1qs6Uv_BWxxgCI1UXvd0VEcf7ey6SU939tl8E4O93T26JwGcnkVYtC_gcnofRgOUiiZeHVAYKiexDMH2d0_ERY8o/w640-h480/6F3B7956-71CE-4ADC-8F34-EF2ABD87FF2E.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I made <a href="https://www.paleorunningmomma.com/salmon-cakes-paleo-whole30-keto/" target="_blank">Salmon burgers/patties/cakes</a> and ate two helpings of them over a bed of lettuce. This meal makes me feel like I went back to the 70s for some reason. Is this what people ate in the 70s? </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiANeD5FvAXycwBL9nWBzO4Eh0rQtccu5xF0cfizN17D1jHC3bj0jVKm_mMANQisFN5YrYyt0YQA9e2P8CcGdSGiazn_nv2cS4HANubc6qEKgIOqdEzxbSJYk7thM4Ln3vmgI4anOd1LsLU_FO4t2jrLexaN9swPY404gTe-pziRMxaaqbKB0Eh9RcLILtZ/s4032/8085F72E-1DCF-4BC9-AE4F-D8F077B61303.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiANeD5FvAXycwBL9nWBzO4Eh0rQtccu5xF0cfizN17D1jHC3bj0jVKm_mMANQisFN5YrYyt0YQA9e2P8CcGdSGiazn_nv2cS4HANubc6qEKgIOqdEzxbSJYk7thM4Ln3vmgI4anOd1LsLU_FO4t2jrLexaN9swPY404gTe-pziRMxaaqbKB0Eh9RcLILtZ/w640-h480/8085F72E-1DCF-4BC9-AE4F-D8F077B61303.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span><a name='more'></a></span>Maggie and I got haircuts which is a big deal because we only get them once or twice a year. At $47 (plus tip) each, you can see why we don't go more often. We both got about three inches chopped off plus a few long layers. And I'm grateful for my boys and <a href="https://amzn.to/3vVHUYw" target="_blank">cheap clippers</a>.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieOQD3CtcQ_8eWlle8KXHGJ1p8RVwMhzd29wnsQLpB5g9TsTiPJCFTUA-bRZcfA4RdC6VT7lXohwuxqqbQJnTit637sjc6CyPr75JNXXj2ZijBoB7ZdDT7y2TzoALwJqSOnx5PO241V88f1zaQZv4kzF-t_Wab7Vc7oeKow3HZYm9NHUY4IsJMnP1dPG8j/s3087/8EFCD802-09A9-43DE-8A92-1BA5186024AC.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3087" data-original-width="2066" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieOQD3CtcQ_8eWlle8KXHGJ1p8RVwMhzd29wnsQLpB5g9TsTiPJCFTUA-bRZcfA4RdC6VT7lXohwuxqqbQJnTit637sjc6CyPr75JNXXj2ZijBoB7ZdDT7y2TzoALwJqSOnx5PO241V88f1zaQZv4kzF-t_Wab7Vc7oeKow3HZYm9NHUY4IsJMnP1dPG8j/w428-h640/8EFCD802-09A9-43DE-8A92-1BA5186024AC.jpeg" width="428" /></a><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Andrew and some friends went to the March for Life last weekend. They drove from Franciscan University in OH to Phil's parents house in MD (thanks for letting them crash Nana and Gramps!) and then took the metro into DC. It was cold and snowy but Andrew said it was really great. He has such a nice group of friends at college, I am so happy for him.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSpu9_yOx-780USaa0KYALGsP2EDwfmEmrpzZg0fPqmV4PaX9GZiLLYu2DC6wW8NRbUDic3vWTqYwB-tbLv9u1NeBTuujeDqLc0Kcs0vKTsRgfs0JdILara6bg2JMT_u9XOhIp1i9ecZT8D_mAHRlXw9Anyf-_hW3iWY5wB7rerW0qmzF-rRWwjcOha7mZ/s4032/C2657296-891A-43C3-89C1-8B8CC1D014BA.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSpu9_yOx-780USaa0KYALGsP2EDwfmEmrpzZg0fPqmV4PaX9GZiLLYu2DC6wW8NRbUDic3vWTqYwB-tbLv9u1NeBTuujeDqLc0Kcs0vKTsRgfs0JdILara6bg2JMT_u9XOhIp1i9ecZT8D_mAHRlXw9Anyf-_hW3iWY5wB7rerW0qmzF-rRWwjcOha7mZ/w480-h640/C2657296-891A-43C3-89C1-8B8CC1D014BA.jpeg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Andrew is on the right, gloveless and in a fleece!!</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1JWXWGjpT9ulcm-5qSKCuAEbYSDkj_R2conrJWXqIrimjZon5KEl3cgyEjYgLRYoWH1ybP_DfCdB5ZYMJfI6W4Ee8fivCyGIaL8FpXRURMDex1mTCET0BavW-2hIrSDcJAQH2YT78vXd5B50tKkve1AfvChKWPv2VdlVj1ENIgzr9VwX54uX7x_YfGBPo/s4032/8527321B-1276-4DE2-B53C-493F614CF975.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1JWXWGjpT9ulcm-5qSKCuAEbYSDkj_R2conrJWXqIrimjZon5KEl3cgyEjYgLRYoWH1ybP_DfCdB5ZYMJfI6W4Ee8fivCyGIaL8FpXRURMDex1mTCET0BavW-2hIrSDcJAQH2YT78vXd5B50tKkve1AfvChKWPv2VdlVj1ENIgzr9VwX54uX7x_YfGBPo/w480-h640/8527321B-1276-4DE2-B53C-493F614CF975.jpeg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That sign ;)</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirrmLIawJ2CIKYWjzYATozssG3OErI02hGCNNeUhz0Hr1CfRBPRn_n1HZ8iFKKlKigUOPqx29oUp8UBsvzTC7G1SaTnPfvTEe79w029jgs8vRwVMmorrmrABTWPT7G8w8h1NhqDgP7deRI8uWGOP9G7NCHdkSxouI2h_WMOKtOR7o9c1GJyh1i3501xvov/s3438/FC6EE614-36ED-4AD8-9F70-5BB337AB7A4D.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3438" data-original-width="3022" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirrmLIawJ2CIKYWjzYATozssG3OErI02hGCNNeUhz0Hr1CfRBPRn_n1HZ8iFKKlKigUOPqx29oUp8UBsvzTC7G1SaTnPfvTEe79w029jgs8vRwVMmorrmrABTWPT7G8w8h1NhqDgP7deRI8uWGOP9G7NCHdkSxouI2h_WMOKtOR7o9c1GJyh1i3501xvov/w562-h640/FC6EE614-36ED-4AD8-9F70-5BB337AB7A4D.jpeg" width="562" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Biden was asked what message he would give to those marching for life and he said "March!"</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Meanwhile I was marching for my own life in a game of Trouble with the littles. Whew, that game takes a long time and really encourages a mean and competitive personality. I was glad when it was over. I'm not a good play-games-with-the-kids mom, thank goodness for dad!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy14k1MGf-IvMYuR0itM8bg3JKcaNwMshBBsZr3DVRxs6oVUlBGk8HaHev37A2ZnKPwN9z195BFd0na1TFuXUtlyBrHglYSN8TWi9INFY7qNQ00LACnzZDS3cEOIfQEZalOrN74SMV0O10o1AdNO1sonLTxiVbCKzuYs70kgJONYrKdtMWioZ53N6Zm3Uf/s4032/D75FC04E-08C4-4D00-8B01-50DDCD1194FA.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy14k1MGf-IvMYuR0itM8bg3JKcaNwMshBBsZr3DVRxs6oVUlBGk8HaHev37A2ZnKPwN9z195BFd0na1TFuXUtlyBrHglYSN8TWi9INFY7qNQ00LACnzZDS3cEOIfQEZalOrN74SMV0O10o1AdNO1sonLTxiVbCKzuYs70kgJONYrKdtMWioZ53N6Zm3Uf/w640-h480/D75FC04E-08C4-4D00-8B01-50DDCD1194FA.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This is me to a tee:</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivex24MJuAdk_ChQ-6CycSg7PhKzoteiQDHV0dmu4CDZeX8jNdvBTb7uzXqyiS9ZAioJxrxsgNueV_eufdSRWO9QGohjVt0SS7bQKYXw9iqrxtN3Ce42nqi6tRu41xRiX2IUkPMzJp8rXpabDa2RzoSxC3wCw48_67gytsYEN8_bx9zqULfQI1TeGwGZvE/s1321/AF1712D9-ADA8-4B82-B8CD-8D37A71A6905.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1321" data-original-width="801" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivex24MJuAdk_ChQ-6CycSg7PhKzoteiQDHV0dmu4CDZeX8jNdvBTb7uzXqyiS9ZAioJxrxsgNueV_eufdSRWO9QGohjVt0SS7bQKYXw9iqrxtN3Ce42nqi6tRu41xRiX2IUkPMzJp8rXpabDa2RzoSxC3wCw48_67gytsYEN8_bx9zqULfQI1TeGwGZvE/w388-h640/AF1712D9-ADA8-4B82-B8CD-8D37A71A6905.jpeg" width="388" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Maggie has been getting as many practice hours as Phil can give her in Vanna White. Apparently she is a good driver unlike her mother at her age (six accidents before graduating college!)</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCYsDWaaCavgwq4eRkv_1HvcQcLCCMZJ_2IdYwbjoN2WVRYjWF1PlZQ9aSl2qBQryFL9e9Iy08jw4g58EaK7MRMR2HKTEHzb0o3pjStL02IO3sid4MjCF85nDEPC4__ZSpgftDE-Gzid8CjygWLcIjEr1NiT6EEihbJcdn5mow9Kk7_VKhcCtX6_Wcixd-/s4032/9B580ED2-620D-4D65-838D-F7592D78A083.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCYsDWaaCavgwq4eRkv_1HvcQcLCCMZJ_2IdYwbjoN2WVRYjWF1PlZQ9aSl2qBQryFL9e9Iy08jw4g58EaK7MRMR2HKTEHzb0o3pjStL02IO3sid4MjCF85nDEPC4__ZSpgftDE-Gzid8CjygWLcIjEr1NiT6EEihbJcdn5mow9Kk7_VKhcCtX6_Wcixd-/w640-h480/9B580ED2-620D-4D65-838D-F7592D78A083.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Speaking of college, feels like I'm back in at, listening to lectures and completing homework assignments so I can grade my students. It makes me so happy that I did my college and grad school in 5 years because I don't think my brain could handle anymore.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO1bFJBVb1wvdZYPBLOhyphenhyphen62Ka0WbFg25try2YgDX7y5Z_K37ApE3QQriQB8aWyT4eky_Xu8YIz0Te88rFD6kWNPu7umTSz6-kryX8Dv3Dh1JiOnxkvVdBkqSPILNwikeWJPGjiJqnQfR_R9S95_6of11ZFqJ076etMNFqPGrqUed_ERTWPqb7Pa2EOKUhw/s4032/2F59214D-C386-4B85-8FE4-659F6A4F63E5.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO1bFJBVb1wvdZYPBLOhyphenhyphen62Ka0WbFg25try2YgDX7y5Z_K37ApE3QQriQB8aWyT4eky_Xu8YIz0Te88rFD6kWNPu7umTSz6-kryX8Dv3Dh1JiOnxkvVdBkqSPILNwikeWJPGjiJqnQfR_R9S95_6of11ZFqJ076etMNFqPGrqUed_ERTWPqb7Pa2EOKUhw/w640-h480/2F59214D-C386-4B85-8FE4-659F6A4F63E5.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Brendan asked to write on the Prayer Board and then I had to send the photo to Gammy, who is recovering very well, if not more slowly than she would like:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOUGYiCQQr-LMutwLiBHo1204n5E-jZAy4J4i80ROfR3MVL05byHak6xPQ3nHkSuOnhRC4x2gXBhwaHBGDof4Fk53cazS0WUA1vMGHhv2fOQsbVodl1BQ93nHuFtY3cNa5z6UhLD70HXPB6K3NvVs_reAA4zs3KMv2VtyV2106coGh7yDfJiKASQbmOEHw/s4032/0AB67439-CD0A-40F5-9AE8-7D542930A112.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOUGYiCQQr-LMutwLiBHo1204n5E-jZAy4J4i80ROfR3MVL05byHak6xPQ3nHkSuOnhRC4x2gXBhwaHBGDof4Fk53cazS0WUA1vMGHhv2fOQsbVodl1BQ93nHuFtY3cNa5z6UhLD70HXPB6K3NvVs_reAA4zs3KMv2VtyV2106coGh7yDfJiKASQbmOEHw/w480-h640/0AB67439-CD0A-40F5-9AE8-7D542930A112.jpeg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Favorite grandchild status achieved.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I heard about this Super Bowl conspiracy theory on the radio, and who doesn't love a good conspiracy theory? Apparently, the colors of the logos from the last two years ended up being the colors of the teams that played. So this year's logo is purple and red, which means it should be the Ravens and 49ers.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivyRw96Gv5aFP7rtHO0VAVrIZdQsu59pyQu9_wpDcQze9w4RL50g1rIQ5mDWQbjOXfh180zmgmzFz1rhdGcViBF6yrbBXzZu_ugqHPzGEfttM7AXoqas1g_aVMiZCKcyotmGp_96Dw25SCUS1YeXf11e2ECFe_ZfIUlCoLVsPie1d31fgVsTFZarviEKky/s680/F-YiewDXkAAlxEu%20(2).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="628" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivyRw96Gv5aFP7rtHO0VAVrIZdQsu59pyQu9_wpDcQze9w4RL50g1rIQ5mDWQbjOXfh180zmgmzFz1rhdGcViBF6yrbBXzZu_ugqHPzGEfttM7AXoqas1g_aVMiZCKcyotmGp_96Dw25SCUS1YeXf11e2ECFe_ZfIUlCoLVsPie1d31fgVsTFZarviEKky/w592-h640/F-YiewDXkAAlxEu%20(2).jpg" width="592" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">But I'm rooting for the Lions, so hopefully the theory is wrong.<span style="text-align: left;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">Happy weekend everybody - enjoy the playoffs and maybe play a game with your kids that's not Trouble :)</span></div>Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11451797365712728579noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5937303870758455964.post-82446089116841502192024-01-24T08:33:00.006-05:002024-01-25T11:05:29.351-05:00Wednesday Workout Wrapup - With a Note to Moms of Littles<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Another week of workouts in the book. I feel compelled to disclose that if you are a mom with young children and you are wondering how on earth you can find time or energy to exercise, I see you and hear you and feel you. Sleepless nights are literally torture and being away from a breastfeeding baby is hard to plan and childcare or a gym membership may not be financially available right now. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I am able to fit in these walks and workouts because all of my children are in school, I have built-in babysitters to be able to walk the dog at night with my husband, and we have a family gym membership at half price at the YMCA because we qualify for financial aid. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">When the first four kids were little, I joined a gym that included childcare for $19.99/month and I would take them four times a week and they played while I worked out and it was great. Before that, I would wait for Phil to get home from work and we would take turns going for a quick run or walk. Sometimes I would just do workouts at home while someone was napping or after they went to bed (anyone remember the <a href="https://amzn.to/3Ht0IB2" target="_blank">P90X</a> dvds or Jillian Michaels <a href="https://amzn.to/3ScUVVi" target="_blank">30 Day Shred</a>?). Other days, the best I could do was pop the toddler in the stroller and strap the baby on my body and walk.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKzgUZJMQkpOTJlAywsz4YPYT7WZK1tLMCzwdY5j2elgylOlQOeOB9Pa35gMAf9eCEkxOlXew95lUHIDriUMtBB6ElMXTErIXibF7gjEaxmmEKiB4B4NvZO2coDLmBIwTTxgaFsxF9Hy1hyCIK5UlzkvfmmNOBASg1jid9ahRV6bQVgaZoqqgRu4rQRk95/s820/unnamed%20(4).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="615" data-original-width="820" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKzgUZJMQkpOTJlAywsz4YPYT7WZK1tLMCzwdY5j2elgylOlQOeOB9Pa35gMAf9eCEkxOlXew95lUHIDriUMtBB6ElMXTErIXibF7gjEaxmmEKiB4B4NvZO2coDLmBIwTTxgaFsxF9Hy1hyCIK5UlzkvfmmNOBASg1jid9ahRV6bQVgaZoqqgRu4rQRk95/w400-h300/unnamed%20(4).jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Declan (age 2) and Brendan (age newbie)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">What I'm saying is that I have always found a way to squeeze in exercise because I craaaave the benefits, but it has looked very different throughout the years. I try to walk the very fine line between keeping myself healthy without interfering with the family's needs. Can it appear selfish to take an hour away from family to workout alone? Yes. But would it also be selfish to not take care of one's health when so many lives are dependent on it? Yes. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I once heard Fr. Mike Schmitz explaining the way he grew up in a fit and active family, and he said the question of the day would be WHEN or WHAT the workout was today and never IF they would workout. I think our kids have grown up this way too, seeing Mom and Dad exercise daily and joining in when they can/want to, and that makes me feel proud and not guilty at all.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Let's review, shall we?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p><b>Wednesday, January 17: </b></p><p>3 mile Walk at lunch</p><p>1 mile Run on treadmill + 45 minute Strength Class (while Xander was at swim practice)</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Thursday, January 18: </b></p><p>45 minutes on <a href="https://amzn.to/4aSch26" target="_blank">Stair Stepper</a> at home before work</p><p>3 mile Walk at lunch</p><p>1 mile Walk with dog at night</p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Friday, January 19: </b></p><p>5:30 am Boot Camp Class (we slept in until 5:01 and made it just in time!)</p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-11kZI0KtM_dT8BatbCGyTTLPnjj__vTgpvSRMeKPCjVLc-EEWyvSsbuy0uMQzaQ2lm3AQT-9hWy8pNjtVGdrlxtceCZS2UEHrKeJ-B0aA5v1I9_0q-gGZMwolw4aQvw3yKkyKQqby_6bkuyil-X3fCkOV7Qmm1x7goztEHpzbDk46v-wQrhKEPyATbUr/s4032/1120742A-DBBA-4A8C-9907-31578DD4068E.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-11kZI0KtM_dT8BatbCGyTTLPnjj__vTgpvSRMeKPCjVLc-EEWyvSsbuy0uMQzaQ2lm3AQT-9hWy8pNjtVGdrlxtceCZS2UEHrKeJ-B0aA5v1I9_0q-gGZMwolw4aQvw3yKkyKQqby_6bkuyil-X3fCkOV7Qmm1x7goztEHpzbDk46v-wQrhKEPyATbUr/w400-h300/1120742A-DBBA-4A8C-9907-31578DD4068E.jpeg" width="400" /></a></p><p>The workout was four rounds of these 1 minute stations:</p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglP4jN40TcTUV4xRi9Mr4bvKu6-lv8SXv_uRJKPE0JGlEmd2jW7Q1YbgpPK8RTwQN-M3OxJXfW-NRF08QhDmEJHJY_U4derDVlm5uj01Q1qkYIkekoVMFWSKtHE0nPcPDUu5ZnY0UmSv8tkS6SmHV3wmHHSi3sD416PPFGpEEL8j7pxPy6w18rjCzqo6Pi/s539/707C1F43-D909-4E5F-A54F-1D996F011351.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="521" data-original-width="539" height="309" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglP4jN40TcTUV4xRi9Mr4bvKu6-lv8SXv_uRJKPE0JGlEmd2jW7Q1YbgpPK8RTwQN-M3OxJXfW-NRF08QhDmEJHJY_U4derDVlm5uj01Q1qkYIkekoVMFWSKtHE0nPcPDUu5ZnY0UmSv8tkS6SmHV3wmHHSi3sD416PPFGpEEL8j7pxPy6w18rjCzqo6Pi/s320/707C1F43-D909-4E5F-A54F-1D996F011351.jpeg" width="320" /></a></p><p>1 mile Walk with dog in evening</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Saturday, January 20: </b></p><p>4 mile run</p><p>1 mile Walk with dog</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Sunday, January 21: </b></p><p>1 mile run on treadmill + 45 minute cardio/weight class at gym</p><p>1 mile walk with dog</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Monday, January 22: </b></p><p>Day off - I do this whenever my body feels very sore or tired.</p><p>3 mile walk at lunch </p><p>1 mile walk with dog in evening</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Tuesday, January 23: </b></p><p>45 minutes on <a href="https://amzn.to/4aSch26" target="_blank">Stair Stepper</a> at home before work</p><p>3 mile Walk at lunch</p></div> <p></p>Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11451797365712728579noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5937303870758455964.post-11080449442704652922024-01-22T07:30:00.039-05:002024-01-22T08:42:01.696-05:00The Last First Reconciliation<p style="text-align: center;"> Our little caboose made his First Confession last night! </p><p style="text-align: center;">Brendan took this sacrament very seriously and spent a long time examining his conscience and writing down his sins so that he wouldn't forget any. Oh how I would have loved to hear what these sweet little children had to say to Father last night, can you even imagine? While preparing, Brendan told Phil "Your first confession must be your longest confession because you have to tell all of the sins from your WHOLE LIFE! After that, you just tell the sins since your last confession." </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMJOCjegD_tZMYYv6FIZJzmeL3AJeoz275K25jlTIYQLsE7kFsVOJIQ_o5ppcT2fcrq4CDMtElwaK3URd72lBCCKQz47IzJJSK_TmkFJzLjmgjsPkp8uzrnKM9h6HwLhJQiamr37U9HZ6JxDLbxolE-1H48JttkMh66Os2hCg4vrZKYNR0omyQM6M9CBsI/s4032/DA629D23-719F-43B7-A20E-F17B0EDCB780.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMJOCjegD_tZMYYv6FIZJzmeL3AJeoz275K25jlTIYQLsE7kFsVOJIQ_o5ppcT2fcrq4CDMtElwaK3URd72lBCCKQz47IzJJSK_TmkFJzLjmgjsPkp8uzrnKM9h6HwLhJQiamr37U9HZ6JxDLbxolE-1H48JttkMh66Os2hCg4vrZKYNR0omyQM6M9CBsI/w480-h640/DA629D23-719F-43B7-A20E-F17B0EDCB780.jpeg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sins in hand, which he was happy to throw out in the trash after - exactly what God does.</td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: center;">Phil is the Director of Religious Ed at our parish, so he took Brendan with him early while he went to set up the church for the evening. When I arrived, Brendan was sitting in a pew with a little friend, and afterwards he told me his friend started telling his sins to Brendan, "But I stopped him right away and said that he only had to tell his sins to Father. I did hear the first one he said though, but I won't tell."</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">When it was Brendan's turn to receive the sacrament, he was in the confessional for a very long time (7 years of sin y'all!) and I asked him how it went and if Father talked a lot or helped him out in any way. Brendan said "he only had to help me with one statement". I didn't understand the reference so I asked Phil when he got home later. He smiled and said that Father had told the children earlier that morning to read through the pamphlet on examining your conscience, and if you could answer yes to a question (ex. Did I disobey my parents?) then in confession, you just had to turn that question into a statement (ex. I disobeyed my parents.) </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Well, these kids are only seven or eight and this was a wee bit hard for some of them to figure out, so they were repeating the questions in confession and Father was trying to help them make statements instead. I can just picture those kids confessing "Did I fight with my siblings? Did I go to Mass on Sunday?" and Father facepalming on the other side of the screen, like I don't know, did you? Haha! No wonder they took so long!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga7vp_m1YzTPs_7ErnBYB_4qIdHYpmbxrwyQsvZbwH9FuL8FbW9bujeyqrfphM-EXgDfpoMqtZD7ApIJ34Ael_-noQgqkyZfuC2so2ByeTBuATZt7eJDk7oXZQabLYvPaok5BkeMKsVPSufSqTwfTcXDhkfjAkAVQwK07PUk-mTebJpzE-IclGEAsHyOYd/s4032/5102FC14-2145-486F-8C0C-850D596787EA.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga7vp_m1YzTPs_7ErnBYB_4qIdHYpmbxrwyQsvZbwH9FuL8FbW9bujeyqrfphM-EXgDfpoMqtZD7ApIJ34Ael_-noQgqkyZfuC2so2ByeTBuATZt7eJDk7oXZQabLYvPaok5BkeMKsVPSufSqTwfTcXDhkfjAkAVQwK07PUk-mTebJpzE-IclGEAsHyOYd/w480-h640/5102FC14-2145-486F-8C0C-850D596787EA.jpeg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Praying his penance after.</td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: center;">What's a better way to celebrate a clean soul than ice cream? </p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil1rf2bM6e2YOn3dmBodPhXIWiMTpKqBCMrznzRQPwkTl9MLPX6Zj_6fS52WJJg-Xrc3aWqMznmYj4jhyphenhyphenpIKAksqD8GKUdYKkr13EaNONPhisYSG4eAKaYuga-NOS0mb1Cq-ca4I-A1MmSwMSg7sutd48UjnF4XeQs8YgXl6wUVeZ3MnXuHVhyphenhyphensZdENNeq/s3727/47461293-0FCC-4E92-808E-ED16A798D539.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3727" data-original-width="2991" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil1rf2bM6e2YOn3dmBodPhXIWiMTpKqBCMrznzRQPwkTl9MLPX6Zj_6fS52WJJg-Xrc3aWqMznmYj4jhyphenhyphenpIKAksqD8GKUdYKkr13EaNONPhisYSG4eAKaYuga-NOS0mb1Cq-ca4I-A1MmSwMSg7sutd48UjnF4XeQs8YgXl6wUVeZ3MnXuHVhyphenhyphensZdENNeq/w514-h640/47461293-0FCC-4E92-808E-ED16A798D539.jpeg" width="514" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;">Brendan was able to pick anything he wanted, so he got a hot fudge sundae with coffee ice cream, and the rest of his adoring siblings each got a small cone or cup too. Confession Confections :)</p><p style="text-align: center;">We love you and are so proud of you Brendan Age-of-Reason Martin!</p>Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11451797365712728579noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5937303870758455964.post-88281246302107849212024-01-19T08:04:00.002-05:002024-01-19T08:23:31.819-05:00Week in Review: Inflation, Donation, Taxation<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Happy Friday! Today it is supposed to lightly snow all day here, probably not enough to cancel anything but just enough to make things difficult. Brendan has swim lessons on Friday afternoons while Alexander is at Swim Team practice and I took this photo of him while we were waiting for his lessons to start. He then took my phone and zoomed in on his mouth and said "Oh wow, my tooth looks so weird!"</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWq89ws0FFGM3xmxHfL1RexQ7jODrVlR4oGVFbi7JGQXfAQftpBirs5UGdnbtC-1s2F1PxZ-Up3A4eAP_mWhjsaeS72z6MfE5YwYe1-AGKJnVEz72Q-4eGnepqzmH7mILB0FsGhuV6NTffamxKPziD10CkQUw6kMAThlF-xgoBpa4KhOYqhrVSr99qoPtA/s4032/6EFE11EB-68C7-4E95-AA64-D42FBCC3D69E.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWq89ws0FFGM3xmxHfL1RexQ7jODrVlR4oGVFbi7JGQXfAQftpBirs5UGdnbtC-1s2F1PxZ-Up3A4eAP_mWhjsaeS72z6MfE5YwYe1-AGKJnVEz72Q-4eGnepqzmH7mILB0FsGhuV6NTffamxKPziD10CkQUw6kMAThlF-xgoBpa4KhOYqhrVSr99qoPtA/w300-h400/6EFE11EB-68C7-4E95-AA64-D42FBCC3D69E.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Yes, that's because it was about to fall out :) He was really hoping that "it would fall out at school so everybody would know and the nurse would give me a little tooth container and then you wouldn't have to put it in a plastic bag". Luckily, the tooth fairy remembered to visit that night, or else he would have had a very disappointing Lost Tooth Experience.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">*Side note about that Tooth Fairy - When she was younger, and JP lost his first tooth, she did the math and realized that she would be spending a lot of money at our house in teeth, so she only gave $1 for the first tooth and 50 cents per tooth thereafter. Now that she is more financially stable, she hands out dollar bills willy nilly and the older kids do not care for it one bit. She tries to explain INFLATION to them but they don't want to hear it. And this, my dears, is why the baby of the family is always spoiled.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvUdGCqkBWvYxAhhqXYjwlEByo_glr7B_4uUSCzDi94bal2MRIPVRRKs2b0AWQQVFJX9CtOs-jHykkjQP-Hy11K2jBgjTCYfI8wEPFBGhhXGdwVnMp-eau6vSFmJKO3ZkoyzC-EUUJzL2A1w8rP0fFn-dDwWfCHDX8HyabtZtltQ31DHEHXxUYEa9eCgkq/s1994/9374467D-B729-4E4B-8453-4375E1BD3785.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1994" data-original-width="1818" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvUdGCqkBWvYxAhhqXYjwlEByo_glr7B_4uUSCzDi94bal2MRIPVRRKs2b0AWQQVFJX9CtOs-jHykkjQP-Hy11K2jBgjTCYfI8wEPFBGhhXGdwVnMp-eau6vSFmJKO3ZkoyzC-EUUJzL2A1w8rP0fFn-dDwWfCHDX8HyabtZtltQ31DHEHXxUYEa9eCgkq/w365-h400/9374467D-B729-4E4B-8453-4375E1BD3785.jpeg" width="365" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Our parish had a second collection for the parish school, so they had school students wearing uniforms passing the baskets and there was a little cutie collecting donations as people left church:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi28FM3hDyLscK6t2NdSuqHwDXLZGe0feHZucgAax_vcey9I_Q4Y3UIDqgDAlkn9n9AqQ7ckfa75a4xbUp9sHsjItwkBMuPo_CGUtYgo2-5ZQYw61iXpDrEVHd4n994qJOm6pw92cR15Y4Hi5ToMV9H3t7yI1TNUosZ1J1JTkIjpHug59R8ZRM5fDdRl3iq/s4032/5B27C1B8-C95D-4D31-BA01-BE87C6575AC9.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi28FM3hDyLscK6t2NdSuqHwDXLZGe0feHZucgAax_vcey9I_Q4Y3UIDqgDAlkn9n9AqQ7ckfa75a4xbUp9sHsjItwkBMuPo_CGUtYgo2-5ZQYw61iXpDrEVHd4n994qJOm6pw92cR15Y4Hi5ToMV9H3t7yI1TNUosZ1J1JTkIjpHug59R8ZRM5fDdRl3iq/w300-h400/5B27C1B8-C95D-4D31-BA01-BE87C6575AC9.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">On Sunday my big boys safely drove back to college with their cousin:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDolDOqqeTItJ-axxR4eWqXItnflR_IGuFlOl_2ihyphenhyphenobH4w7yvgCvUWrJgvw3wZn7b6y9pJeTm-vDpHca5H6PaOc3aqhVXsnAhxKfhLjFbX1SpXj7nH3jDQ7I8PB4JjoB1UwJ-HQdGI0HyQMO-d_RdREG4srwdwP8HhFg1CL4TAQmR3vN-q5kRw8JKZNV3/s1104/353FC35D-1CAA-4B15-B528-E2CA4849052B.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1104" data-original-width="621" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDolDOqqeTItJ-axxR4eWqXItnflR_IGuFlOl_2ihyphenhyphenobH4w7yvgCvUWrJgvw3wZn7b6y9pJeTm-vDpHca5H6PaOc3aqhVXsnAhxKfhLjFbX1SpXj7nH3jDQ7I8PB4JjoB1UwJ-HQdGI0HyQMO-d_RdREG4srwdwP8HhFg1CL4TAQmR3vN-q5kRw8JKZNV3/w225-h400/353FC35D-1CAA-4B15-B528-E2CA4849052B.jpeg" width="225" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">JP usually drives with his eyes open ;)</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I already miss them so much!! <span><a name='more'></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The weekend was also spent helping Xander with his presentation for his COOL EXPERI-MINT:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQMsnDKmKilRugPoWkpJbOgvnZm-n2ZdpqD2ScBpI86e69wjWQI7EyhED8wzM7fqckRqWTHYSRXCASKZV63GT99obX2K57qcNJq179hkqTnm7ad6VymWXm6XEIBB1wQoTgYNnkUp81ftR5k1nnpRqq1udlfo4zZNg1TGDkfBYAXvQZ44gV9N6j5BXY1sbm/s3691/77610CFD-4F28-4815-A0AE-7FE2390C8333.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3023" data-original-width="3691" height="328" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQMsnDKmKilRugPoWkpJbOgvnZm-n2ZdpqD2ScBpI86e69wjWQI7EyhED8wzM7fqckRqWTHYSRXCASKZV63GT99obX2K57qcNJq179hkqTnm7ad6VymWXm6XEIBB1wQoTgYNnkUp81ftR5k1nnpRqq1udlfo4zZNg1TGDkfBYAXvQZ44gV9N6j5BXY1sbm/w400-h328/77610CFD-4F28-4815-A0AE-7FE2390C8333.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I hope <strike>we</strike> he gets an A!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">On Monday, the holiday, Phil and I drove to a town about 30 minutes away, took a great strength class that our friend taught, showered, and then ran some errands and went out to lunch. The restaurant was still decorated for Christmas and this was my view from the table:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVCcuoxOWUb4w5ZN3W_zbDWQbjuY0dkVuMydY15PGSG8F7OcvpNLUS6Jew-qOYMv1UEDmmNZOSv400kGPzSKNV4mMaS6uo6s5pkZ5sDuPjgYz3fbtxsKdlu1n61Zhze46spvPbgYLxcerdyNURzCEWM5wDQ5QQFd3_WvTQpxSgR9ophmIa_5x2Wj6-R2nC/s4032/3F011203-8E77-4FC7-BC0F-5E734E9DE3AE.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVCcuoxOWUb4w5ZN3W_zbDWQbjuY0dkVuMydY15PGSG8F7OcvpNLUS6Jew-qOYMv1UEDmmNZOSv400kGPzSKNV4mMaS6uo6s5pkZ5sDuPjgYz3fbtxsKdlu1n61Zhze46spvPbgYLxcerdyNURzCEWM5wDQ5QQFd3_WvTQpxSgR9ophmIa_5x2Wj6-R2nC/w300-h400/3F011203-8E77-4FC7-BC0F-5E734E9DE3AE.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">But the view across the table was even better:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM6Pkc7XIwxUcKzH14KOO62gYxe_dO1Ot4nUoC2bGi3RokW1wIh1myokMWky_7sDnrhJA7yyIYxcw7DWmIz5eAhdnwikrM8V5GBB7kOEhUWhhuCHLLpc7F99FPj_PgRPB_Yi1Wbv6-haH2Gv391YeGJUH_dAx3wgjqp4qBNgaGLqKMQhvT5sxYchh5xJCv/s4032/839B6D69-19C1-4E54-99FE-28B55630D56E.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM6Pkc7XIwxUcKzH14KOO62gYxe_dO1Ot4nUoC2bGi3RokW1wIh1myokMWky_7sDnrhJA7yyIYxcw7DWmIz5eAhdnwikrM8V5GBB7kOEhUWhhuCHLLpc7F99FPj_PgRPB_Yi1Wbv6-haH2Gv391YeGJUH_dAx3wgjqp4qBNgaGLqKMQhvT5sxYchh5xJCv/w400-h300/839B6D69-19C1-4E54-99FE-28B55630D56E.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">They gave us homemade cinnamon swirl bread and had a big salad bar and we will definitely go back!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Speaking of food, Phil made these <a href="https://www.wholekitchensink.com/instant-pot-chicken-meatballs/#tasty-recipes-7405-jump-target" target="_blank">chicken meatballs in the instant pot</a> for dinner one night (he omitted the oregano and cooked them in a pad thai sauce instead of tomato sauce) and we ate them with rice (kids), cauliflower rice (adults) and coleslaw for a yummy meal. We need to double the recipe next time because we all wanted more meatballs! I think I will also try cooking them in barbecue sauce next time, just to switch it up.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkeZaF_KmVYWYEkeXZEJs2ZLGGnX7cFLaL_rDSAYzqnBJe4PLCyG8bdttYEBFK6DKTxBylV0al2d_39kbJ8ViVFZlEP6t1xV9-lIUS9MP1xYJ437bFRg49KYE9NC3zCWld81Me4xgwp_mndNLRyJCh7l2UV8fKWWh7a27uHA9qiNKpBq7wR-zprNbFpVow/s4032/0243CF12-B3ED-4063-893E-2548FCFA0758.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkeZaF_KmVYWYEkeXZEJs2ZLGGnX7cFLaL_rDSAYzqnBJe4PLCyG8bdttYEBFK6DKTxBylV0al2d_39kbJ8ViVFZlEP6t1xV9-lIUS9MP1xYJ437bFRg49KYE9NC3zCWld81Me4xgwp_mndNLRyJCh7l2UV8fKWWh7a27uHA9qiNKpBq7wR-zprNbFpVow/w400-h300/0243CF12-B3ED-4063-893E-2548FCFA0758.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Over the weekend I was craving a baked good, so I made some <a href="https://www.goldenbarrel.com/recipe/paleo-pumpkin-muffins/" target="_blank">Paleo Pumpkin Muffins</a> then added the leftover pumpkin puree (plus a generous sprinkle of cinnamon) to a big pot of chili for lunches this week, it was so yummy! It gives me the highest form of satisfied achievement when I use up leftover ingredients.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihSi3nuCKpZjgvOxf37aOBVtK_OlwiwaxdMZCV1tOHMk9Z0uhs8j-CGWArFwWJX6Rzi93b2cJoILCs1IMzBlDnrOGoVMBdZsAOFa0Xce2q2UBgTUziowhzN5zdh8oAocUebygRpnxDnkn3_7-5xGZpQ0gQ-TlveceNhJQzASjJKgloihUBAEZVeXk5ii9L/s4032/97B2614E-A66D-4BE0-8973-DED31969D725.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihSi3nuCKpZjgvOxf37aOBVtK_OlwiwaxdMZCV1tOHMk9Z0uhs8j-CGWArFwWJX6Rzi93b2cJoILCs1IMzBlDnrOGoVMBdZsAOFa0Xce2q2UBgTUziowhzN5zdh8oAocUebygRpnxDnkn3_7-5xGZpQ0gQ-TlveceNhJQzASjJKgloihUBAEZVeXk5ii9L/w300-h400/97B2614E-A66D-4BE0-8973-DED31969D725.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Maggie has a home game tonight and Eamon has an away game and is basketball season over yet??</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6vZ3rV3q_6wSmtJ1PxTwoLfPHhfo0mxJZdCg5P17a2o4-hjEEhyphenhyphenG50rMAqLqdDxlGMb9_xin1e76tcM-elBAZ5gFoPSCP5D1DdvRYIHufY9UhuKu5veO9ncDOoNtw4hML0CTVQJANc0UG9w8q8hyphenhyphenNvuc4QOAkfE8F8onIxdTxVIB2P_-SNc-3psExUHRy/s1085/8D342819-66DA-4B5E-9038-CD73E1352DDB.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="586" data-original-width="1085" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6vZ3rV3q_6wSmtJ1PxTwoLfPHhfo0mxJZdCg5P17a2o4-hjEEhyphenhyphenG50rMAqLqdDxlGMb9_xin1e76tcM-elBAZ5gFoPSCP5D1DdvRYIHufY9UhuKu5veO9ncDOoNtw4hML0CTVQJANc0UG9w8q8hyphenhyphenNvuc4QOAkfE8F8onIxdTxVIB2P_-SNc-3psExUHRy/w400-h216/8D342819-66DA-4B5E-9038-CD73E1352DDB.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maggie is 5th from left</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Oh man, when I saw this meme I just had to send to Phil because I always have to double check! But for me it's that the lights are out and the dog's crate door is closed.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDnGTToCyNM_JTZpdV8VlrQyaYhMuXbqCdfeWXvS0t2l1PI-JdPI6_xDlRv4St2QJ5NiXVRUaBHtXikfercrG4oCWTMDvDuMCfA9bKPPsLAIsmYte4MVMuEbbN9Pw_kBrDbHo7Ek9amMivYBMdyYc3Do-uWiAb3GvJRQ-V7-LPJyeZZxEHGDR9a3TvGXy9/s1296/57A5F531-FD71-4F66-AB7D-CA00AA27599A.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1296" data-original-width="1170" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDnGTToCyNM_JTZpdV8VlrQyaYhMuXbqCdfeWXvS0t2l1PI-JdPI6_xDlRv4St2QJ5NiXVRUaBHtXikfercrG4oCWTMDvDuMCfA9bKPPsLAIsmYte4MVMuEbbN9Pw_kBrDbHo7Ek9amMivYBMdyYc3Do-uWiAb3GvJRQ-V7-LPJyeZZxEHGDR9a3TvGXy9/w361-h400/57A5F531-FD71-4F66-AB7D-CA00AA27599A.jpeg" width="361" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Anyone else started their taxes yet? </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1vaJkZ8VhNSQuwlf_S_wLT01bqAhW48hgASPTAWGEjkvHSQ9QzhSveB2dXrTFX3ww0WTKp6qzQlzIdC314JdnyF2rWk_TFwVj5DfFePPPts6Rj0lZoSA2IWEiESj4l4Xqx2WH-wROyR2yBX8y_6khpghZ4E8vHgTV95x1rAQ2d6XAdv2fDjgui3ckUmy5/s480/giphy-downsized-large.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="480" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1vaJkZ8VhNSQuwlf_S_wLT01bqAhW48hgASPTAWGEjkvHSQ9QzhSveB2dXrTFX3ww0WTKp6qzQlzIdC314JdnyF2rWk_TFwVj5DfFePPPts6Rj0lZoSA2IWEiESj4l4Xqx2WH-wROyR2yBX8y_6khpghZ4E8vHgTV95x1rAQ2d6XAdv2fDjgui3ckUmy5/w400-h400/giphy-downsized-large.gif" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Y'all know I love to do ours on <a href="https://refer.taxact.com/s/collmart1">Taxact</a> (use that link for 20% off) and this year was even more fun because of the new Schedule C we have to file for The Ice Cream Cottage. Every time I get a document, I add it in and watch our bottom line change - thrilling! I'm not kidding, it really is one of my favorite activities.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Have a wonderful wintery weekend everyone!</div><p></p>Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11451797365712728579noreply@blogger.com20