snow!

we got over a foot of snow here. i love a good snowstorm in december! i don't start getting really sick of it until late january, and then i'm ready to be done with it. anyway, we are enjoying being snowed in. today i gave the kids squirt bottles full of water and food coloring, and they had so much fun spraying the snow different colors.

i mailed my christmas cards, and most of my shopping is done and presents are wrapped. my mother-in-law watched the kids this week, so me and my sister-in-law could spend all day shopping and getting everything done. it was so nice! she is wonderful!

we're going to be headed to phoenix for a week after christmas for a nice vacation and time spent with good friends. i'm looking forward to it! it would be great to run outside in shorts again, but we'll see if that happens...

it's friday!

yesterday we got a little bit of snow. it was just enough for the kids to get excited about, but not enough to shovel. good news, because i'm not ready for the shoveling.

my treadmill seems to have more life in it still. i'm hoping it has 9 lives and will keep on going for awhile. i had a great run this morning. a good feeling to have worked out 4/5 days this week and no pop!

the kids are going to be in the christmas program at church on sunday. they are looking forward to it, after months of practice. i'm hoping to be completely done with my christmas shopping by monday. is that possible? i don't know, but i'm really hoping...
i bought this skirt for meg (she only wears dresses or skirts) yesterday on etsy.

i was on a roll...

i've started every day this week with a morning treadmill run, followed by teaching the kids school, cleaning the house, shower, making dinner. a good routine. of course, it all works best when:

• i have a great run...feel like i could just keep on running forever.
  
• the kids don't complain about any of their school work.
• the house isn't in bad shape to begin with, and everyone pitches in to help...without complaining.
• i get a nice uninterrupted shower.
• dinner is easy to make, and tastes great and everyone loves it.

yep, that would be a really good day. and, most days don't turn out that way. that's just life.
take today for example,
i woke up today ready to get on the treadmill and it started making really loud/weird noises. so, no treadmill for me today. hopefully it won't turn out to be anything serious.

perspective makes such a difference doesn't it?! when i dwell on how my day isn't exactly
the way i want it to go, i am crabby and impatient. i am reminded of the many blessings in my life today, and choosing to focus on them today as i go about caring for my family.

tuesday

good morning! here i am ready to tackle the treadmill.
it's in my room. i'm not sure how old it is? probably about 10 years old, but it still does the job. it folds up, so it doesn't take up much space. and, it really is a must have in the winter. gotta have a fan close by too. this morning i actually watched tv while i ran. i usually run w/my ipod, but it was nice to change it up a bit.i'm getting close to 1,000 miles for the year. woo hoo!
have a great tuesday! seize the day!

monday, monday

i love mondays. i love having a fresh start. i love making lists and crossing things off. being productive - getting things done.

my list today:

• school (done)
• run (done)
• check out on-line deals (didn't find any great deals today, but did find a few on black friday)
  
• plan menu for the week
• grocery shopping
• bank
  
• drop off stuff at goodwill (still downsizing and getting rid of things we don't need)
• addresses on christmas cards
• bre to gymnastics
• iron shirts (i'm way behind on this. i think it's my least favorite chore.)
  
• make dinner

i better get going.

hope you had a great thanksgiving w/your family!

latest

what i thought was a cold and a cough that just wouldn't go away, turns out it is black mold poisoning. we have all been coughing and thought it was allergies or a horrible cold, but today we found black mold in the basement on our dehumidifier. yikes.

hopefully once the air clears here my running will be a little easier.

in other news:
we had a great thanksgiving. it has been nice to spend time together and lay around watching a couple movies. i watched "my sister's keeper" the other day and really liked it, but so sad. i think i cried buckets!
we're hoping to go on another cruise in february. it will be our 15th anniversary and february is always a great time to escape the snow and ice. hopefully it will work out.

this week

it's been a little quiet over here. i've been running a little bit, but nothing too note worthy. i guess that will be the case for the next few months. a few miles here and there.
lots of baking to do today. i'm looking forward to it. i'm hoping to not totally pig-out tomorrow. is that possible on thanksgiving? maybe if i was a food blogger and took pictures of everything i ate, i'd be more accountable. i remember when overalls were the thing, my sisters and i would wear them on thanksgiving so we'd be more comfortable after eating so much. so maybe if i do the opposite and wear tight pants, it will help me avoid that. ha!

we had thanksgiving w/family early this year, so tomorrow we are headed to a friend's house. there will be lots of kids and noise, but i like that.