Happy Homemaker Monday in the evening (March 19, 2018)

Happy Monday evening everyone! This post is going up super late as this is the first time today that I have had a chance to sit down to type this up. It has been a crazy busy day, and I am in fact pretty tired so let's join right in with the lovely Sandra over at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom and her "Happy Homemaker Monday" series. 

Breakfast time....what is on the plate this morning::::

I had a banana and a donut

On the to do list::::

Today: Kids to school, grocery store to get fresh veggies for salad babysit A, Battle of the Books meeting, tutor P, pay gas bill, exercise

Tuesday: Kids to school, Babysit A,  Battle of the Books meeting, tutor N, Rebecca to AHG meeting

Wednesday: Kids to school, babysit A, 

Thursday: Kids to school, grocery store, Battle of the Books meeting, lunch with Mom, tutor S and N

Friday: not sure yet as Bill will be home and this is the first day of Spring Break for my kiddos

Saturday: again I am not sure yet

Currently reading::::

I hate to say that I haven't even opened these books this past week. I am so behind in reading for reviews it is not even funny. I have these books for review and after I took this picture, I got another book in the mail today. I seriously need to find my reading mojo. 

On the TV this week::::

March Madness basketball 

The weather outside is::::

Today was absolutely gorgeous: close to 60 degrees and sunny. Tomorrow it is supposed to get cold again and we are supposed to get 2-3 inches of snow. :-( 

On the menu this week::::

Monday: shredded chicken sandwiches and salad

Tuesday: pasta bake and green beans

Wednesday: beef stew and corn muffins

Thursday: homemade mini pizzas

Friday: fish sticks, baked potatoes, veggies

Saturday: ???

Sunday: ????

If I have a few minutes to myself, I will::::

Read for a few minutes and just relax

Favorite photo from the camera::::

Bible Verse, Devotional::::

Original Source

I hope everyone has a wonderful week! I am heading off to bed for the night! Good night! 

Nature Scenes for March 18, 2018

Sunday is meant to be a day of rest and relaxation and one of the ways that I rest is to spend time in nature. I try to spend a least a little bit of time in nature each week. I have decided that I will use Sundays to share the photos of my nature adventures each week just as a way to relax and share the beauty that is God's creation with all. I hope you enjoy!

 

Photos from March 11, 2018 at Kokosing Gap Trail at Howard

Photos from March 13, 2018 at Bike Path

For more nature scenes you can check out my other nature posts: 

January 7, 2018

January 14, 2018

January 21, 2018

January 28, 2018

February 4, 2018

February 25, 2018

March 4, 2018

I hope everyone is having a good Sunday and if you get a chance check out the nature scenes around you! 

Weigh In Wednesday #11 of 2018

Yesterday I posted in my recap of the day how Mother Nature couldn't decide if it was supposed to snow yesterday or not. Well last night, she gave us some more snow squalls so the kids are on a 2 hour delay from school this morning. I am going to get this typed up while they are getting ready for the day.

I will start out with this picture as it defines how this month is going: 

Source of picture

So with that being said, here is what the scale said this week::

Official Starting Weight (1/3/18): 241.0

My weight last week: 235.4

My weight this week: 236.6

Weight loss from last week: +1.2 OUCH!!!

Total weight loss for 2018: -4.4 pounds! 

Too many snacks. Too many processed foods. Too much snacking. Not enough veggies and fruits. These all equate to where I am right now with my weight. I am moving in the wrong direction and really need to get back on track. It is frustrating because it is a vicious cycle and one that I know of but I can't seem to stop spiraling down. I am eating like crap so I feel like crap and that lends itself to craving sugar and carbs which means I eat like crap, etc. I NEED to get this under control. I don't know why I allow myself to get like this. 

Source

On the exercise front: I mentioned in my 2018 goals post that I wanted to walk 3 days a week. Since there are 52 weeks in a year, that means my goal is to walk 156 times over the course of the year. 

Well since I last posted a Weigh In Wednesday post, I did the following walks:

March 11-- 2.88 miles

March 13-- 2.25 miles 

So that means I am now at 15 out of 156 workout walks completed for the year! This number may seem low, but honestly I expect it to be with winter. I am not going to let myself get discouraged with the walking. Hopefully now that spring is only a week away the weather will start cooperating and with the longer daylight hours hopefully I can get some walks in after dinner. 

So that was this week's Weigh In Wednesday-- diet wise, I stink at losing weight; fitness wise-- I need to plan better to get my walks in. If you are trying to lose weight or get healthier, how is your journey going so far?

What today looked like....

Another busy day is in the books....

Yesterday afternoon, Baby A's mom texted that she was going to keep her home today as she was sick (goopy eyes, etc.) and would need to go to the doctor (I got a text earlier that Baby A has ear infections in both ears :-(

Okay so no babysitting meant that I had free time. 

Ha, free time? Yeah right. It was time to get stuff done. So here is how this busy day went...

• 7:00-8:30 Got up, dressed and woke kids up. Started a load of laundry. Got kids fed and taken to school. It was cold and partly sunny out. 
• 8:45- 10:00 Went to Walmart to get some stuff that we needed--- laundry detergent, toothpaste, etc. Got stuff for the kids' Easter baskets. Forgot to pick up Bill's prescription. Oops!  
• 10:00-10:20 Stopped at Aldi (right next door to Walmart) to see if they had rain boots that were in their ad for $14.99 that Rebecca needs for camp in May (they did! Yeah!). Came out of Aldi and it was snowing heavily! 
• 10:40-11:20 Home to put stuff away and talk to Bill for a bit (he was sleeping when I left). The sun came back out. 
• 11:25-12:40 Over to kids' school for Battle of the Books meeting with kids. (I am coaching their team and it has been a disaster unfortunately). Still sunny out. 
• 12:45 Back home; Bill wants to go walk. So I change clothes to go walk in the snow/sun/wind/snow/whatever Mother Nature decides at the moment weather. It was only snowing a tiny bit.
• 1:00-1:45 2.25 mile walk that was cold and windy but refreshing. The sun was out, then it was cloudy, then snowing heavily, then sunny all during our 45 minute walk. 
• 1:50-2:05 Took Bill to trophy place to pick up something needed for his work. Sunny out.
• 2:10-2:50 Headed to Wendy's to get lunch and then home to eat
• 2:50-3:15 Shower from working out and change back into normal clothes
• 3:30- 4:00 Picked Jacob up from school and took him to doctor for a weight check for his medication (his ADHD medication can cause him to lose weight so we have to take him in monthly for a weight check and to get his new prescription for that month). It was snowing very heavily when we went into the doctor's office. When we came out, it was sunny with bright blue sky. 
• 4:00-6:15 Back home, flipped laundry, made scrambled eggs, toast and sausage for dinner for kids, did dinner dishes. At one point it was snowing very heavily and then the sun came out 5 minutes later. 
  
  
  
  
• 6:15-7:40 First Communion Meeting at our church for information for when Jacob makes his First Communion in May
• 7:45-8:30 Back home, had kids clean up toys, etc. Filled out March Madness brackets with kids
• 8:30-9:00 Got kids in bed, put more time on dryer as clothes are still wet. 
• 9:00- now typing this post up and guess what it is snowing again! I am going to finish this up and then head to bed soon as I will have Baby A tomorrow and if she is still not feeling well then I won't be getting much done :) 

It is crazy when I see how busy I am. I know that this is the season of life that I am in and it is all good. Overall, it has been a good day-- even if the weather has been kind of wacky! 

I hope wherever you are that you had a good Tuesday! 

Happy Homemaker Monday (March 12, 2018)

Happy Monday everyone! Hope everyone had a great weekend. This was the first weekend in a while where I didn't have anywhere to go on Saturday and let me tell you, it was glorious! I got so much done on Saturday. Then on Sunday, I taught PSR, went to church, came home, loaded the van with Goodwill stuff, went to Goodwill, took family to Burger King for lunch, went for a long walk on the path in Howard, home and did a couple loads of laundry and figured out some things for today. It was a very productive weekend, even with the time change.

Today I am dragging a bit...the time change does a number on me. Also, I babysat today and Baby A was not feeling well at all. She had goop in her eye all day and just didn't feel well. So that took a large portion of my day. Right now I am sitting here getting this typed up before I start taco boats for dinner. 

Let's join in with the lovely Sandra over at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom and her "Happy Homemaker Monday" series. 

Breakfast time....what is on the plate this morning::::

Bob Evans sausage biscuits and a banana

On the to do list::::

Today: Kids to school, babysit A, Battle of the Books meeting, tutor P, Ben to speech, figure out Walmart list for tomorrow, pay bills
Tuesday: Kids to school, Walmart, Battle of the Books meeting, Jacob weight check, First Communion meeting for Jacob
Wednesday: Kids to school, babysit A, 
Thursday: Kids to school, babysit A, Battle of the Books meeting, tutor N and S and N, math game night at school
Friday: Kids to school, grocery store
Saturday:  

Currently reading::::

I hate to say that I haven't even opened these books this past week. I am so behind in reading for reviews it is not even funny. I have these books for review and after I took this picture, I got another book in the mail today. I seriously need to find my reading mojo. 

On the TV this week::::

Nothing important. 

The weather outside is::::

Supposed to be in the 30s and 40s this week with a chance of snow showers the next couple of days. 

On the menu this week::::

Monday: Taco boats and corn
Tuesday: ???
Wednesday: Chicken enchiladas
Thursday: ???
Friday: Clam strips, baked potatoes, veggies
Saturday: pizza
Sunday: ????


If I have a few minutes to myself, I will::::

Read for a few minutes and just relax

Favorite photo from the camera::::

Bible Verse, Devotional::::

I hope everyone has a wonderful Monday and a great week!  

Got a lot done today

Today was the first Saturday in a while that I we haven't had to be up and out the door for basketball. It was kind of nice not to have to be at a certain place at a certain time. That didn't mean anything to the kids who were up right after 7AM. Oh vey! I got up with them as Bill has worked over 24 hours over the last 2 days and he needed to sleep. 

Once we were up, I had breakfast and the kids ate. After they ate I told them to do their morning jobs and clean their rooms. While they did that I tackled the living room. I moved the furniture and got the toys out from under them and swept. I also dusted the entertainment center. I also started a load of laundry. 

Once the kids were done cleaning their rooms, I let them play and watch TV. I took a shower. Once I was done taking my shower and getting dressed, Bill was awake. We decided to take the kids and sign them up for a new flag football league that is starting. While we were out I also put gas in my van. 

Back home, we had lunch. I worked on more laundry. I also cut Benjamin's hair, gave him a bath, cut Jacob's hair, gave him a bath, and then cut Bill's hair. Their hair was so long! 

Then Bill left for work and I did more laundry and then got started decluttering the "closet of doom" off the bathroom. It had gotten to be a mess again. I also have been feeling the itch to get rid of stuff and to do a major declutter. Today was the start....

It looks so much better in there (even with the torn curtain courtesy of the cats! :/

I was able to get 10 trash bags full of stuff and a box full of stuff to take to Goodwill tomorrow out of that room.

After tackling the closet, I made dinner for the kids and cleaned up the kitchen while Rebecca took her bath. Then it was upstairs to fold more laundry! 

After the kids ate, they did their after dinner jobs and I swept the dining room and kitchen. I also planned out my PSR lesson for tomorrow morning. 

Now I am finally sitting down, before I go flip more laundry! The kids are watching "DinoTrux" on Netflix and just relaxing. 

Earlier as I was brushing Rebecca's hair for her, I said I was tired because I had gotten a lot done today and she said "it's about time." I gave her a look and she started laughing. I am not sure how to take that, but I just let it go for now. 

Now I need to go flip more laundry...I have the last load in the washer now! Hope everyone had a great Saturday!