Seven really random, really quick takes

Twice in a month!  Bam!!

1. I have really been enjoying hot tea lately.  I am a coffee person (black, thanks) through and through, but I try to limit my caffeine a bit during pregnancy. Actually, it doesn't even sound good during the first trimester or so.  I've been back to drinking it the past several weeks, but I still enjoy me a cup of hot tea, especially on a crisp Autumn, slanty-lighted morning.  Mmmmmm.  I like spice teas, this is one of my favorites.  
2. I am in need of professional wear.  Again.  Sigh.  I laugh about updating my wardrobe this summer for work only to have none of the pants fit anymore.  With baggier tops being more the style I really haven't worn many maternity tops, and I used one of those band things with my pants for awhile but then I tried on a pair of actual maternity pants and realized how comfortable they are.  Problem is, I've never worked during a pregnancy so I have nothing professional.  I ordered a pair of pants from Old Navy in black that I like a bunch.  A whole bunch.  So I ordered them in gray and they were too short.  So I exchanged them for khaki.  And they were too short.  Sigh.  #longlegprobs.  And I don't do skirts so don't ask.  Believe me I've tried, I just can't.
3. I have my lesson plans almost done through Thanksgiving break!! Just a few holes to fill in here and there!  And then it's only 3ish weeks until Christmas break, and those plans will be easy because really?  Christmas time in an elementary music classroom?  What could be more fun and open for great lesson possibilities!!  After that my year will be well over half over since I'll only be working until early April-ish.  It's just flying by!! And I'm having so much fun in the classroom!  This has been a great setup for this year.
4. We were at Kohl's last week (I had to return some maternity pants that didn't work out) and the boys had some money burning a hole in their pockets apparently, so Kolbe picked out and bought Curious George and Clem Corduroy (see here).  They are pretty cute.  Kolbe has "flashlight Friday" each week at school where they get to bring a flashlight and stuffed animal and read quietly for awhile, so George made the trip with him this week.
5. Steak (and hot dogs) for dinner tonight after hubby found a super-good deal on some ribeyes at the grocery store a few weeks ago!!  Pork chili (it's our new fave, I use my white chicken chili recipe but we use chunked up pork butt instead of chicken, soooo good!) last night.  Up this week: shredded chicken tacos, shepherd's pie, leftovers and whatever.
6. St. Nicholas will be bringing some new (to us, I got some great deals on used hardcovers) Christmas books this year!!  The Night of Las Posadas, Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree, Millie in the Snow, The Christmas Day Kitten, Apple Tree Christmas and Can You See What I See: The Night Before Christmas were all worthy of a status greater than library checkout!!  Our home library is getting bigger than the stack I check out from the library now!  So exciting!!
7. APPLES!  We have enjoyed a variety of apples, apple crisps, apple books, apple experiments (thanks first grade) all kinds of apple things this Fall! Next up I told Kolbe we'd make applesauce after reading Applesauce Season.  Does anyone have a food-mill they'd loan me?
   

Seven Quick Takes...it's been awhile...

Well, it happened.  I went back to work and blogging went by the wayside.  I am not terribly bothered by this, but I would still like to have some semblance of record that we actually are alive and do things once in awhile, so alas it's time for an update.  Seven Quick Takes seemed the least intimidating... 

1. NEWS.  Big news!  The BABY kind of big news!!  WE HAVE A BABY ON THE WAY!!!!  (If you're friends with me in real life or on Facebook, which is probably most of you, you already know this.)  But yep, you read that right.  I went back to work and now we have a baby on the way.  Bwahahahaha.  But it's all so, SO SO good! God's hand was so obvious in the way my teaching job came about in the first place, I know this newest little one is just another part of His great plan.  Not mine.  Because slowly and surely, He is teaching me to quit planning ahead.
2. FALL PICTURES (see sidebar).  After a not-so-great experience last year with the pictures taken at school, we decided to just stick with Portrait Innovations exclusively for the kids' yearly professional pics (minus the sono shot.  obviously.)  I've always been pretty pleased with them and this year is no exception.  Gemma - 3rd Grade; Kolbe - 1st Grade; Clement - PreKinder; Baby - Coming This Spring!!!  We were going to do family pictures this Fall but now with being pregnant and the fact that they'd be out of date in six months, I'm up in the air.  I really don't want to do them in Spring because newborns change so quickly, but our most current one is 1.5 years old.  I don't know. Pictures stress me out...
   
3. PRESCHOOL. Three kids and this year is my first experience with preschool.  I had always sworn I would NEVER send a child to preschool.  I am learning that along with making long-term plans, I also need to eliminate the word "never" from my vocabulary.  Before the job even came about, I had the thought that Clem may benefit from a little more than he would be getting (being the only kid) at home this school year, but still wasn't thrilled about adding the expense of preschool to our budget.  When the job came about, and it overlapped nearly perfectly with the half-day, five-day-a-week preschool schedule at my school, it seemed like the obvious choice.  Clem's visit to the preschool room last spring was awful.  I bumped his head on a table when we were sitting down right after we got there, and he cried the whole time.  But I enrolled him anyways.  And all summer he seemed pretty stoked to be going to school like the big kids, but I was still a little nervous.  He went his first day and has never looked back.  Well, I take that back, he had one really rough day about 3 weeks in, but had no hesitation before that and has had none since.  And he doesn't just like it.  He LOVES it.  Talks about it ALL the time (which is new to me after a Gemma who maybe said two words about kindergarten the whole year, and Kolbe who says more but still not to the level that Clem shares). They do so much cool stuff...painting, cooking, play dough, shaving cream and salt letters...all the stuff that stresses me out at home because of the mess!  They sing and dance and go to recess and I think they've done like two worksheets the whole first 8 weeks.  We couldn't ask for a better setup. 
4. CONFERENCES. We had school conferences last week. The third graders had these little "Guess Who" things hung up in the hallway outside their room.  Didn't take long to nail Gemma's.  She was the only third grader whose favorite food was sushi.
5.  Good heavens, SEVEN?!  I seriously can't think of seven things to talk about right now.
6. PREGNANCY.  I'm 14 weeks this weekend.  This pregnancy has definitely been different.  The ickies didn't hit until like 8-9 weeks, and even then they weren't debilitating like I remember them being, (although I think working has helped keep my mind off of feeling yuck) they were still definitely there. The lack of/difference in "ick" was a little concerning at first (because I like to analyze every aspect of my life), but seeing that healthy babe on the sono screen was incredibly reassuring.  We're so excited!!!  Just the past week I've been feeling a little better, and less inclined to take a nap every waking moment, so that's been a plus.  And I haven't had too many food aversions (besides CheezIts, veggie dip, meatloaf and chicken tenders) but oh my have I had insanely intense cravings.  For the most random things (maybe because I like to watch foodie shows after the kids are in bed sometimes).  I still haven't gotten my Indian taco.  Sniff sniff.
7.  SATURDAY.  Saturday has taken on a glorious, amazing and magnificent meaning that it has never in my life possessed.  Between working and being pregnant, my Saturday mornings are like gold.  Sleep in. (Normally I find the idea of sleeping in repulsive, but this AM I didn't roll out of bed until 7:15.  SEVEN FIFTEEN!!!  That's like practically noon, people!)  Live in my jammies until, ahem, well, anyways...  Morning prayer.  Cup of hot tea (or coffee, which I have just again redeveloped a taste for after about a two month hiatus.  OHHHH coffee!!!!!)  Simple breakfast for the kids, or maybe a batch of waffles or something.  At our leisure.  Chores at my leisure.  Oh my word, I could write a whole book of Odes to Saturday Morning now. 

Well, I suppose that's all.  Check out more Quick Takes from the Catholic Blogging World over at This Ain't the Lyceum.  Happy October, everyone!  The way my record has been, I'll probably see you again in November.  :-)