Doing Time...Out

When I get home from work, the first thing I usually encounter is a recounting of Jacob's behavior of the entire day...given by him....and totally unprompted. When he looks sheepish, I know he has a time-out or two to report. Other times, he will smile wide and exclaim, "I was so good! No time-outs today!" It cracks me up that he feels compelled to tattle on himself.

Although he is pretty good about giving me an honest report card, it's never easy trying to get any details out of the guy! This is precisely why four year olds are not allowed to testify:

Jake: "Mommy, I had to go to time-out four times today."
Me: "Well, what happened? Why did you have to go to time out?"
Jake: "I had to go to time out the first time because Cousin1 was screaming. Then I had to go another time because Cousin2 took away Cousin1's toys. Then another time, Cousin2 was jumping on the furniture so I had to get in trouble. And...I can't remember the rest."

I would love, just for hilarity's sake, to get all the cousins in a room and take turns cross-examining them. Fingers would be pointing in all directions. Hmmm, it's interesting...the similarity between kids and clients.

Speaking of clients and work, I had an incredibly frustrating day today. I left my house at 11:45 a.m. for a 1:30 hearing in a different city. Although it should have been simple and quick, I didn't pick up the kids until 6:30. Not only did the hearing start late but, even though I was there for a simple "housekeeping" matter, ours was the very last case called. So I sat there for 3 hours and listened to all the other attorneys. What's worse is that I had only eaten one piece of toast and one measley yogurt all day. It's hard to listen to bullsh*t for three hours on an empty stomach!

Listening to other attorneys never ceases to shock me. I can't believe the shit judges have to put up with! I overheard one attorney repeatedly swear and rag on his opposing counsel to his client. Gee, I wonder why people hate attorneys! After one particularly painful hearing, an attorney on the losing side made snarky comments to the judge about how unethical opposing counsel's behavior was (btw, it was so definitely NOT unethical) and then even accused the judge of making a borderline unethical ruling. I don't know what planet THESE people come from, but I pretty much thought it was a universal rule that you do NOT insult the judge?! Right? Am I crazy?!

Then during another hearing, one attorney was very upset things weren't going his way and kept making sarcastic comments, complete with grandious and dramatic hand gestures to portray his exasperation with the court and the other party. He even made the pro-se party on the other side (who declared through sobs that she is undergoing cancer treatment) cry during the hearing! Things were so surreal that I forgot I was watching real court hearings. I'm sure I noticibly gasped and chuckled as if I was in the audience of a Judge Judy taping.

My favorite hearings of the day were the ones involving pro-se parties. One pro-se party asked the court to strike the other side's supporting declaration on the basis that he didn't know the person signing the declaration. To top it off, this guy had the squeakiest shoes on the planet. They didn't make a normal squeaky noise though. They made a mini-whoopie cushion fart noise each time he took a step toward or away from the bench.

After three hours of THAT. My head hurt from all the ridiculousness and my butt hurt from three hours of sitting. And when we finally were called, we discovered that our hearing had to be continued anyway. Geez! At least I learned a lot about how NOT to behave before a judge.

As if I hadn't had enough circus for one day, when I picked up the kids, Jacob was dressed like this:

He refused to take the wig off even for a quick trip to the grocery store, during the middle of which, somewhere between dried cereal and baking supplies, he loudly screamed that he "had to POOP!" When I asked if he could hold it until we paid for groceries, he screamed even louder (to the joy of everyone around us) "NO, THERE IS A HUGE POOP TRYING TO COME OUT OF MY BUTT. I'M POOPING OUT MY CHICKEN AND RICE."

It was lovely.

And Ryan was, as always, such a breeze. He is such an easy and happy baby that he barely makes the blog anymore.

Woolgathering {A Copycat Attempt}

This is an attempt to mimic my favorite blogger ever (because she is the coolest.)...

Except I don't really know what woolgathering means...

Just a second.

*googling*

Ah, here it is.

Woolgathering: Indulgence in aimless thought or dreamy imagining; absentmindedness.

Huh.

Anyhow, now that we have that all sorted out, here are my aimless thoughts, er, woolgathering.

- Piper has been begging me for a winter outfit for her doll (think American Girl but not). She is SO disturbed that her doll, Adele, has on summer attire in these freezing temperatures. We ventured off to the toy store to see how much a new outfit was...$20!! Um, no. I have been since searching for free patterns to make the desired clothes and I think I've found something doable!

- I can not believe that I am excited about homemade doll clothing. Daughters change a person.

- I'm super excited about a polar bear painting we're doing tomorrow. I get more into the art projects than the kids do sometimes...

- Considering growing sugar crystal sticks after our borax crystals experiment was a success.

- I cannot find the toilet paper roll holder stick thingy. Cannot.

- I'm really worried Winterfest is going to be a bust with the rain today and tomorrow and super cold temperatures coming. All I really want to see are the dog sleds!!

- I'm STILL reading Les Miserables. I started it in November. But it really is too good to stop. 

- Renly can stand all on her own. One problem: she clasps her hands together in the most pitiful and fearful kind of way and fake cries the entire time.

-Same kid = two new teeth. I'm patting myself on the back for that one.

- I bought Borax this week for the above mentioned science experiment. Now I have a whole box of it and I'm seriously considering making my own laundry detergent and dishwasher detergent with it. I've officially gone over the domestic edge.

- Speaking of the domestic edge, I am up to my ears in laundry - both clean-needs-to-be-folded stuff and dirty-needs-to-be-washed-and-dried stuff. Yet I blog...

- I have bags and bags of stuff that needs to go to Value Village. I keep starring at them, wishing them away. Not loading 3 kids plus all the stuff into the van on a bitter cold day wins out every. single. time.

- I joined Spring Clean 365 on FB. Day 1: Clean computer. Guess who is typing away on a dusty keyboard and looking at a smudgy screen?

- Taitum is my lucky sicky of the day. (Some schools have student of the month...We have sicky of the day.)  She keeps asking 'You 'nuggle me?'. Genius child. She knows I can't say no.

- Piper is on a Valentine's coloring page spree. Sometimes I join her. It reminds me that there are aspects of childhood I hugely miss.

- Carving soap is madly therapeutic. Go grab a bar of Ivory and try it. You can thank me later.

- I heard recently of someone seriously attempting to make a Christmas gift per month so when Christmas comes it won't be a mad frenzy trying to come up with and complete homemade gift ideas. I'm going to try. Except January. Obviously. On the other hand, this could be reminiscent of my Spring Cleaning 365 attempt.

- My husband was caught on Pinterest today. True story.

- I'm so terribly excited about my birthday trip to the States. Shopping. Good food. Lovely (although occasionally inappropriate) company...love you M&D! 

- Ren seems to finally be able to tolerate cow's milk. (Which means the doc's suggestion I was all growly about proved to be a good one....) However, the child LOATHES it. My hope of weaning her just escaped my grasp....

- I am voluntarily trying mussels tomorrow all in the name of my children's education. I'm already gagging at the thought of it.

Hokey.

I had a lot of woolgathering.

Maybe too much.

In fact, it's rather addicting.

I have WAY too much wool to gather.

Blame Heather.

I'm Too Crazy For My Bar Card

In the past four days I have done a lot of things that make me feel lawyerish. During my weekend, I wrote a 12 page response to a motion. This week I drafted an Appellate Brief. And tomorrow, I am going to attended my first Pre-Trial Conference.  Feeling lawyerish again feels so good. Initially, I had a rough start transitioning back after taking a year off to do pre-litigation paralegal work. I'm finally getting back into a groove.

And I'm starting to breath a sigh of relief regarding my long term laywer career. I'm past that all-so-important three year benchmark of being an attorney. You know, that qualifier on job postings that says "minimum of three years experience required?" Well, I'm finally there! Not that I feel my job is in jeopardy or that I want to change jobs. It's just a big sigh of relief knowing I qualify for whole new set of lawyer jobs in case anything happened.

While I've done a lot of things in the past couple days that have made me feel like a legit lawyer, nothing has made me feel more legit than tonight when I turned off the TV after the kids went to bed, realized there was nothing good on, and instead opted to crank out more billable hours. Watch out world! I'm a wild child!

I often wish I could get a bird's eye view of what other people my age do on a regular basis. I often feel like I'm so out of touch with the regular activities of "normal" people. Do other 28 year old still go out on on a regular basis? Do they have, let's see, what's the word? Oh yeah, dates? (In the past five months, I can recall going on only one date with my husband- we didn't even celebrate our five year anniversary!). Do other 28-year olds go to pubs and happy hours and those unfamiliar things called movie theaters?

Whenever I tell my boss what my weekend plans are (after he asks me if I have any plans), he declares to me that his life was so much different at 28. And by different, I'm assuming he means that he did things that were remotely entertaining and involved some level of fun, irrational behavior. You know, something a little more crazy than throwing all caution to the wind and licking BOTH beaters of cookie dough.

Is it because I am an introvert? Is it because people generally piss me off? I'm too busy? Is it because I don't have quick access to fun places to hang out? Is it because I'm a mom? Or is it a good mix of all of those? Who knows....honestly, I don't really feel compelled to change my activities (although a date would be nice!). I'm fine with staying low key for now.

Now excuse me while I re-organize all the recipes on my Pinterest food board into new categories!

Work Hard. Play Hard.

This weekend was a crazy mix of extremes. I rarely work on the weekends (thanks to my new non-conventional lawyer hours). I also rarely go out on the town and stay up until 2am. This weekend, I did both!

At the end of last week, a partner asked me to take a look at a motion and prepare a response. It's a motion involving attorney fees. Do you know what that means?! It involves....dun, dun, dun.... MATH! GROSS! Thankfully it also involved a good deal of legal research (my fave) to break up the math-monotony.

I love a lot of things about being a lawyer. But I mostly love the competition and creativity of motion briefing. One thing I have discovered is that there are a lot of lawyers who are lazy writers/legal researchers. It is not very fun to oppose a sloppy motion. When my opponent is crafty and creative and only border-line ethical, that's when the big guns come out.

There is nothing in the world better than pulling apart your opponent's arguments. Then when you find the MONEY case that supports your own argument, it's like pulling a tiny thread and unraveling an entire sweater. Even better than that is when case law on a subject is mixed and the judge could rule either way. The excitement of opening up the court order and reading the ruling while trying not to skip ahead to the outcome is even better than opening gifts on Christmas. Because you know that, if you win, it's the result of your own work, creatively crafted arguments, and excellent use of analogizing cases. It's called a litigator's high. It is better than sex. Yep.

So back to this weekend....I spent over 8 hours researching and writing a 12 page opposition brief. I broke this time out between the two days so that I didn't feel like I was neglecting my children. I wrote the brief at my kitchen table in my yoga pants in between tantrums, time-outs, meals, nap times, and simple cries for attention. It was frustrating to have to stop mid-argument to refill a water bottle or wipe someone's ass, but I managed somehow.

Then Saturday night, I met up with some friends for a night on the town. It was one of my friend's 30th birthday and we had high expectations for the night. I love taking friends from my city to Seattle. I am the honorary Seattle-ite since I work there and I get to show them around town. I also get to feel really important when people ask me simple things like "how do you catch a cab in Seattle," or "where is a good place to eat?" or "Is this neighborhood too sketchy to walk through this time of night?" I love playing tour guide because I love Seattle with a passion and I get to share my love and passion with others (whether they want me to or not!).

We started at one of my favorite bar, Bathtub Gin & Co. It's a tiny little bar and best-kept Seattle secret. The entrance is in an alleyway behind some office buildings. When you walk up to the entrance, an unassuming wooden door between homeless people and dumpsters, you have no idea if you are in the in the right place. One step inside the door and you feel like you've discovered a secret little world. The place is tiny and cramped but the dim lighting, the friendly people, and amazingly long list of cocktails make it the COOLEST place to get drunk in Seattle.

NOT Sketchy:

 

Our fancy custom-made receipt illustrated by our bartender.

 

We had a couple drinks, made friends with the bartender and other customers, had some interesting girl talk, then left to grab a bite to eat. We had our sights set on a romantic looking, upscale grill across the street. But as we left the bar at 8:45, one person in our group was already stumble-down drunk. So, we opted for nachos at the fast-food joint Taco Del-Mar where we were the only patrons and could enjoy the spanish game-show television, bright flourescent lights, and cartoon fish character decor all by ourselves.

My "I'm not drunk enough for fast-food nachos" face.

Me with the beautiful birthday girl

Luckily everyone sobered up in time for some dancing at a nearby club. Looking for a cool little pub? I'm your girl. Looking for a club? Forget it! But Google did not disppoint and we landed at Trinity Night Club with multiple dance floors and walls that vibrated from the mix of techno and pop songs. We drank, we dance, and OH BOY did we meet some of the creepiest men in the city. I don't remember men being so bold and shameless. I also don't remember men having no qualms about dancing like complete idiots. Men continued to want to girate on us even upon discovering we were married. We all took turns playing body guard though and it worked out pretty well.

At one point during the evening, this man (looking like an ugly Daniel Craig- trust me, it IS possible) bent over at a ninety degree angle, stuck his butt out, and danced with his rear jiggling and jiving up against me. WHAT? Since when do men dance like that? We all laughed at his expense and then quickly ditched him in the crowd.

I also had forgotten about the flocks of men that a group of women can attract. I haven't talked with so many people in my entire life! As much fun as I had, I couldn't help but feel a little detached from it all many times during the evening. I guess I'm just a lame-old mom. By 11:00, my knees were hurting from dancing and I just wanted to sit on my quiet couch and surf Pinterest (I realize how very sad I sound!). I was shocked to see men twice my age with more energy and interest in dancing. Can I blame my lame-ness on being a mom?

Can I go home now and drink tea?

 



We left the club a little after midnight, caught the 12:50 a.m. ferry and that got me home at 2 a.m. It was a very fun night! It wasn't so awesome, however, to be woken up at 6:30 by two hungry, energetic children and then have to spent 4 more hours finishing up my motion. But that is the life of a mommy lawyer!

P.S. Is it sad that the closest thing I could get to a clubbing outfit was an Ann Taylor Loft blouse?

Week 1 - By 30!

Week 1 of my "Best Shape by 30" goal went great!  

If you missed my recent post about my desire to be in my best shape by 30, you can read it here. 

Since I've been home since Wednesday with sickies it was difficult to keep out of snacks but working out seemed easier.  When I wanted to snack I typically opted for a cup of hot green tea.  I knew this would help boost my immunities against the nasty flu but also curb my appetite.  It worked wonders and now I am officially OBSESSED.  I was able to stay under my calorie goal everyday but Saturday.  Tyler was feeling much better and wanted stew and pineapple upside down cake...I guess I did too. :) 

WORKOUTS

dailymile.com
My goal is not necessarily to run daily but at least five days a week.  This week I was able to get in a few miles everyday - mostly treadmill miles.  Once Tyler was feeling well enough to come out of the bedroom I was able to sneak away for a few outdoor runs.  The weather has been awesome, 50-70 degrees and very little wind.  I felt terrible that the kids weren't able to go out and play but I took advantage of it.  This afternoon I texted my girlfriend, Kady, that did a half in November to see if she would go on my long run with me.  She said she hadn't ran outdoors in months but happily agreed to go.  She did awesome.  It was nice chatting and catching up.  It made the six miles tolerable and actually fun.  She said she would love to start doing long runs with me over the weekends.  This will help a lot.  
Now onto week 2!

Jack and Jill {Letter J}

For the past two weeks, Taitum has been learning Jack and Jill and the letter J.

(I had intended to do a rhyme a week but things got hectic and so we ended up spreading this one out over two!)

Day 1:

Tait was commissioned to build a hill and then attempt to go up it while we sang the rhyme!

Of course, Piper and I helped with the building and took turns, too!

(It's harder than it looks!)

This activity caused a lot of laughter and was Tait's favorite activity!

She asked to do it everyday!

Day 2:

I made little buckets out of styrofoam and pipe cleaner and numbered them one to five.

Taitum then had to use tongs to transfer the corresponding number of water pompoms into the buckets.

She surprised me with how good she was at handling the tongs!

She needed a little help with the counting (mostly because she gets ahead of herself) but it took her no time to complete this and dump them all out to try again!

Day 3:

I printed off this J is for Jack and Jill do-a-dot sheet and Tait used pompom magnets to fill in the circles.

I left this out for a few days afterwards and it was used a lot by both girls - they just love using those magnets!

 Day 4:

Of course, Tait had no idea what a well was or what it meant to fetch a pail of water!

So this activity hopefully helped get the point across!

I filled the tub with water and threw in the foam letters that we have learned so far.

Then I provided Tait with a pail and got her to 'fetch' a letter!

She would pull one up and tell me which letter it was, I'd stick it on the wall of the shower and she'd go after another one!

She quite liked this although it was a challenge to fetch those letters!

My hubby said I should have made her go up the basement stairs each time to be really accurate but I think that would have been overdoing it! Haha!

(Also, I should note she doesn't know all the letters we have done so far. These activities are meant to introduce her to the letters of the alphabet and help her to become familiar with them over time. So don't freak out if your 3 year old doesn't know their letters yet. It's ok! Neither does mine!)

Day 5:

Finally, we did a letter J craft.

Tait glued on the letter, applied smiley faces for Jack and Jill, drew their bodies and glued on wooden shapes to make their bucket and the well.

Last of all, she used blue glitter glue markers to make the water splashing out of the bucket as they fell!

Despite the fact that it took us a bit longer to get through all the activities for this rhyme, Taitum, again, thoroughly enjoyed having her own special school time!

I am loving it too!

And Piper has been so considerate as well.

Sometimes she asks to join in which I generally welcome but other times when I have provided her with her own school work to do, she goes off and works quite diligently on it.

(I think it makes her feel like a big girl to have work she can do all on her own!)

Next week, I am planning on doing 'Sing a Song of Sixpence' with Taitum.

We will be using 'king' in the rhyme to learn the letter K!

*Linking up to 1+1+1=1 Tot School Gathering Place*

weekend update.

 

I  mean, right?!

Obviously, it didn’t matter that I wanted to have another baby by the time I was 30.  Or that I thought that baby would come from my belly.  The Lord’s purpose.  Now that is a plan right there.  And, I can’t sit and call him and be like, Hey, God?  So, about that baby…  I wish I could :)  So, I guess that’s the best adoption update I can give you right now.  It’s not about my plan – it’s about His purpose.  And, won’t the day that His purpose is made clear for our family be a day?!

We’re just living life around these parts.  Trying hard to muddle through January.  It’s just one of those months you get through.  It’s cold and dreary.   You’re combatting the let down from all that holiday momentum.  Suddenly you’re like – oh, you mean we don’t have plans EVERY minute of every day OR a fridge stocked full of appetizers and cookies anymore?  And the loss of the glow from the Christmas tree.  And the soft sound of Christmas music floating through the house. I miss that.  Then I try to think of all things shiny and new and I get excited about spring.  Which, naturally, leads to thoughts of summer.  Ahhhhh, summer. 

Wishing my life away.  But trying hard not to.

Becks and I have spent our time indoors arts and crafting.  Totally up my ally.  Leave all that superhero stuff to his daddy because this mama loves to be at a table with all sorts of markers, glue and paper in front of her. 

  

 

I’m still trying to balance working out and eating.  I like to do both, you know.

 

Though, I’ve done a lot more eating and a lot less working in the past week.  I got the FLU.  Even after getting the flu mist – which I will never do again.  I’ve always had the shot and haven’t had the flu since 7th grade.  Henceforth, only shots for me.  Flu = 5 days of a miserableness. 

So, happy-end-of-weekend.  Have a great week!

Work Interrupted

My Friday night plans originally consisted of getting the kids to bed and settling down to finish a motion. The motion is kind of intense and it is due Monday. I REALLY wanted to get it out of the way so I could enjoy the rest of my weekend.

So Friday night, I sat down to get started only to realize that I had left the outline in my thumb drive at the office. FAIL! I had no choice but to try and recreate it. I had finally gotten started on the substantive stuff when I heard Ryan crying from the bedroom. I swore under my breath, sighed, and went to rock him back to sleep.

When I finally sat down to contine my work ten minutes later, I discovered that the website I use for legal research was not working. At 10:30 p.m. I got on my cell phone and called tech support. I waited on hold for 12 minutes just to be told that there was a systematic glitch and that it would take them a while to fix it. I did as much as I could without the ability to do legal research (which was not very much) then I finally gave in and called it a night.

The kids woke me up at 7:00 the next morning. I got them fed and then focused my attention back on my motion with Dinosaur Train blaring in the background. I got about 30 minutes done before Ryan was whinny and ready for a nap (he usually needs a nap right away when he wakes up too early). I didn't even get started on my motion until 9:30. (P.s. - Lawyers without kids have no idea what kind of advantage they have!)

Needless to say, I didn't get my motion finished. I spent all of my hour-long spin class crafting my arguments in my head. After spin, I did only a little bit more work (while taking care of the kids) before I threw in the towel. Instead of finishing my motion, I headed out on the town for a rare ladies' night. There was a lot of new drinks, dancing, and conversations with strangers. Apparently there was too much of those things because I didn't get home until 2 a.m.! I'm so old. As soon as the clock strikes 11:30, all I want is to be home so I can go to bed.

So yeah, tomorrow is really going to be fun (not).

Keeler 4.5

Realized that my oldest little cowboy just reached the big four point five.  Soon he'll be five-years-old and off the kindergarten... Seriously, where is the time going?!  

This is the first little face I see every morning.  He creeps next to my side of the bed and asks for breakfast.  He lends his hand to help pull me out of bed.  After taking a deep breath and thanking God for a new day - we start our day together. 
 I am blessed. 

{4.5 is all about}

playing fireman in your new Gator

wanting someone to play with all the time

chocolate milk

pushing the limits

watching "my shows" - everything on Nick Jr., Caillou and "Damiel Tiger"

playing with cows and building fence

constantly on the go

{LOVE}

 Keeler tells me he loves me dozens of times throughout the day.  If he is not telling me he loves me then he is asking if I love him.  I try to come up with silly ways to tell him that I do.  I tell him, "I love you more than...cupcakes, to the moon and back, etc..."  And his favorite line back to me:  "I love you fourteen!"  Better than thirteen so I'll take it kid! 

Honestly, he'll never know how much I love him...it's immeasurable. 

Friday Favorite Things{7}

Simple moments to warm the heart on these bitterly cold days...

So very curious about everything.

She stood and watched the mixer the entire time it was on.

I stood and watched her the entire time, too.

There's been a lot of this lately.

Big sister is determined that little sister will walk soon.

She is the sweetest little coach and Ren loves the special attention.

Opening her first ever paper snowflake.

Such delight!

Can you guess this babe's favorite treat?

It's a mess but this little face makes me squeal every time!

So. Much. Cuteness.

She encourages me everyday.

I am amazed at the person she is becoming.

She reminds me daily that I am her best friend.

Forever on the go, figuring out how to get from one place to another.

Watching her problem solve is a favorite pastime...

Sometimes that problem solving doesn't quite work out the way she thought it would.

Found her hanging out in the basket of clean diapers, all snuggled up and waiting for someone to pass by.

Fish tank cleaning day.

This scene made us all crack up.

Emma the fish looks so impressed.

Flu Not Welcome Here!

Just a quick update on my sickies.  Tyler went to the doctor yesterday and he tested positive for influenza. :(  We were pretty sure that was what Keeler had as well but his doctor was out of swabs.  So as my boys continue to rest, cough and complain I continue to Lysol everything, wash my hands like a crazy person and try to maintain my sanity.  I'm not going to lie - I lost it a couple of times yesterday.  Most of all my heart aches for them and I hate that they feel so badly.  This flu is no joke people! 

As a working mom our nighttime routine flies by and you just don't realize how loooong a day can be or how hard it is to keep your kid from climbing in the washing machine...no joke.  The past couple of days I have counted down the hours until bedtime.  Am I terrible?  

 Last night was actually pretty nice.  After a treadmill run, (I am determined I'm going to sweat out any flu exposure) instead of sleeping upstairs with all the sickies I decided it would be best to sleep down in our guest room.  After going on two nights and about 6 hours sleep I needed this "little vacation."  However, I was awaken by a little boy coughing in the night,  Yes, Kallahan is now sick.  I guess is was inevitable.  I went ahead and called the doctor and was able to get him some medication.   

With medication the little cowboys are able to function and play but their daddy is still not with the living.  We all got the flu shot this year but Tyler's doctor said several are still getting it.  Praying for a speedy recovery.  

Granny came over this morning so that I could get some work done.  She is wonderful.  Now I feel like I can breath again after getting a few things off my to-do list and get back to caring for my sickies - Lysol in hand.  

Sorry for the lame post but linking up for:

I promise, we are typically a lot more lively!

A Lovely Way to Nod Off

Not every bedtime, but often I read to the girls from a novel.

They snuggle up in their beds and I sit back against the wall, usually with a coffee in hand.

It took some practice for one little girl in particular to learn to stay still and listen.

But this has become a beloved pastime for me and my two oldest.

I enjoy the stories as much as they do!

Sometimes I choose books I've read before and enjoyed.

Other times I pick a known classic that I'm interested in reading for the first time too!

Together we enter in to these make believe tales that make us smile and giggle, sometimes sad or upset.

In many ways, I feel like this is more valuable than any of the school lessons we do together in the run of a day.

And yet it is not work, it is a pleasure.

I want them to know that - the joy of reading a great book, joining in on a great adventure, falling in love with timeless characters, feeling anticipation over what will happen in the next chapter...

Right now we are reading Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne.

And let me just say - it's a million times better than the Disney version!

Our reading time often ends with a deep, happy sigh from one girl child who whispers, "Mama, I just love Winnie the Pooh."

And an inquiring, "What's the next chapter called?" from another.

Other times, I find one or another sound asleep and I can't help but think that is a lovely way to nod off.

"You seem so sad, Eeyore."

"Sad? Why should I be sad? It's my birthday. The happiest day of the year."

"Your birthday?" said Pooh in great surprise.

"Of course it is. Can't you see? Look at all the presents I have had." He waved a foot from side to side. "Look at the birthday cake. Candles and pink sugar."

Pooh looked - first to the right and then to the left.

"Presents?" said Pooh. "Birthday cake?" said Pooh. "Where?"

"Can't you see them?"

"No," said Pooh.

"Neither can I," said Eeyore. "Joke," he explained. "Ha ha!"

With one chapter left of Winnie the Pooh I've been thinking about what to read to them next.

I'm debating between The Tale of Despereaux and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

What is your favorite childhood novel?

Only Thursday?

Happy Thursday folks.  

This week is going down in history as one of the loooongest ever. 

The week started nice.  

We all felt well.  

The weather was nice.   

But then the sickies invaded us again.  This time it's Keeler.  

I hate it when the kids are sick.  I just wish I could make it all go away.  He's been coughing something terrible and running a fever.  We were up all night Tuesday.  I took him to the doctor yesterday.  He got some meds and the doctor wanted to swab him for influenza but they are out of tests.  They claimed it's a nationwide shortage.  #scaryfolks

We're taking all precautions and keeping him home.  

Thankfully Granny was able to keep my little cowboy during the day so Keeler could rest.  I've been working from home and actually got a lot accomplished.  It's amazing the interruptions that occur in an office.  I even managed to do all the laundry and cook dinner.  #supermom  

When Tyler got home is was obvious he'd also been struck too.  Oh no!!  After a hot bath, medications and layering his clothes he went straight to bed. #LysolEverything

Keeler had slept most the afternoon but this mommy nurse needed a stress reliever so onto the treadmill I went.  

Keeler watched TV in the basement while I ran and then joined me once it was stretching/ weights time.  After a warm bath he actually asked to go to bed.  

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that myself and especially this little guy can stay well.