TODAY
Out my window: Well, it's not technically Fall, but the light outdoors looks like it almost is. The temperatures, however, do not feel like Fall. Albeit cooler mornings the days are still plenty warm.
Around the house: Need to vacuum the basement. I've gotten a few baby toys and board books out for Little Miss. It's amazing, the more kids you have the less you realize you really need. I mean, why would I scatter five toys around the floor when she's happy playing with a blanket and her binkie string, lol. I'm such a killjoy, I drive my kids nuts.
The kiddos: Doing well. It is so nice to be settling into the school year. Everyone really seems to be thriving on the new schedule. That's not to say things have been perfect, but the school year suits us well.
The baby: Talkative. I got her a cheapie little umbrella stroller that's a.) nice for the kids to push her in, and b.) great for errands if she is ready to be awake and I don't want to put her in the front carrier. She takes a bottle really well for Aaron when I'm at work and is getting to know and love Ms. Sherri, her babysitter on days Aaron isn't home, which amounts to anywhere from 1 hour to 3.5 hours a week, depending on the week...so not too long but it's still good to know she is in loving hands. She's been napping really well lately, and still wakes up every 2-3 hours at night. Man, that first two months she was amazing. I kid you not, 6-8 hour stretches on a regular basis. I figured it wouldn't last. Oh well, the more kids we have the lower my nighttime expectations become, so it's all good. And ohhhhh that face.......
In the kitchen: Aaron smoked a brisket on Labor Day so we seriously ate on leftovers from that most of last week, with coleslaw, twice baked potatoes and cilantro lime beans as sides. It was great! Up this week: sausage and salmon on the smoker today with a green bean casserole on the side. Shredded Mexican chicken tacos and Cottage Pie are the two big meals this week, and probably salads, leftovers and maybe some egg burritos on Friday to round things out. I need to make a trip to the tortilla store. I find if we cook a big meal on the weekend (typically something off the smoker), and then I cook 2-3 meals throughout the week, we can pretty much make do on that, with some salads, leftovers and egg dishes to fill in the blanks.
Learning: Trying to keep up with what the kids are doing at school. Clem LOVES school. OH my word. He is the first one that I've kind of wished we did full day K instead of half. But then, he likes his quiet afternoons with me and Maura too so it seems to be working out. The other day he got in the van at pickup and said, "I don't have homework today mom, I just have some stuff to work on." LOL, he's such a hoot. He is so diligent, and hasn't complained at all about homework (it's pretty minimal, usually a math sheet and maybe something to color). Yet. We'll see what the rest of the year brings, because when he decides to put on his pickle pants, WATCH OUT!! Looking forward to conferences here in a few weeks and touching base with the kids' teachers. I love that they have another trustworthy adult in their lives who can help with not only their education but their formation as a person as well. So grateful for our Catholic schools. God is good.
Reading: I am in such a rut, it is pathetic. The kids school has adopted the Accelerated Reader (AR) program this year and I'm really excited about it. My kids have a tough time getting books that are actually their level (they often want stuff from the library that's much more difficult than what they're realistically able to comprehend) so after poking around AR Bookfind a bit I am super stoked (my geekiness is coming out now) and we had a great trip to the library today with age-appropriate books for all. Woot woot! I also put in all our requests for Fall/Halloween/Thanksgiving books. Last year I completely missed the boat on Thanksgiving books. :-/
Bringing me joy: Our new schedule. After a long, rough, awful, rotten, no good, fairly painful Summer, I am really relishing being settled into a new routine.
Thinking about: Pictures. It's that time of year again to update the kids' individual pictures and family pictures. Aaron laughs at how much this stresses me out, but seriously, finding clothes for everyone, and then clothes that compliment for everyone. And then the whole smiles and looking at the camera thing. Blah. I know it really is small potatoes and in the grand scheme of things it really doesn't matter at all. But still......
Pictures to share:
Speaking of family pictures...all dressed up for the wedding of a family friend.
