It's About Time

Life's a struggle sometimes when there's so much I want to do but hardly any time to do it. And as the kids get older, we seem to get busier. Chris and I have our obligations and things we like to be apart of. Our kids are starting to become more involved in other things besides school. We enrolled Micah in basketball this year, and we've found out that it's not his forte. But he is trying hard and has been getting better. Chris and I have been concerned that he is too hard on himself, though. He is certainly a lot like his mommy. That part of me is definitely something I do not want to pass on to my kids. So between school, work, CrossFit, and all the little things in between, I am finding little time for journaling, reading, and writing, all those wonderful things I want to do. Chris is convinced it's about time management, and I'd like to believe that since I don't want to give up on what I enjoy doing, those things I do for me. Selfish?

One thing I am consistent about is simplifying my to-do list by only assigning myself 2 - 3 tasks to accomplish per day.  How do you manage your time?

Great Day Foreshadows a Great Year

Today... what a day! Since our whole family was awake until a pretty late hour yesterday, our kids slept in this morning. And that meant Chris and I did, too! It's a very rare occasion. No worries about having a late breakfast since we were planning on an early dinner. We invited our friends, the Powell's, over for Bagna Couda, an Italian fondue. A hodgepodge of butter, garlic, and other amazing ingredients used to cook meats and veggies before layering it on sliced French bread. We had the meal on New Year's Eve with Chris' family and were honored to introduce the meal to the Powell's for the first time. It's something we really love sharing with our family and friends.

After stuffing our stomachs with deliciousness, we played games while cramming in peanut butter M&Ms, and laughed the night away. (Yeah, that sounded really cheesy. It's a good thing I like cheese.) Needless to say, we had a lot of fun. Our kids and their kids also played games and watched movies. I'm glad they get along; it makes it a lot easier for us adults to hang out.

And can I say that I've never been a huge fan of Despicable Me, but one thing I LOVE about it is the music. I could jam to those songs all day. And I pretty much did today. 

Daddy's Pretty Princesses

Today, Chris treated the girls with some Daddy and Daughter time. Chris planned the day so well. He asked Paige and Devon to dress up in pretty dresses. We bought tiaras for them to wear to top it all off. They looked so cute!

First, they went to get pizza where a couple of people asked if they were twins. They do look a lot alike, and with Devon being so tall for her age, they're pretty much the same height. Next came pumpkin picking. All three of them found some awesome pumpkins for us to paint later and decorate our porch. Lastly, but certainly not least, ice cream!

The girls were so excited all week about this date, and they were not disappointed! Both of them said they had a lot of fun. Next time, it will be Micah's turn!

Crossfit

3...2...1... GO! Five rounds of 6 Turkish Get-ups and 12 box jump-overs and breaking lots of sweat. Chris and I are participating in Crossfit, and both of us are feeling the benefits and reaping the rewards.  Chris has been doing this for almost 2 months and gained strength strength and lost weight, and I've just started, but I feel like this will be a healthy challenge for me. I need to improve my upper body strength, and I'm hoping this will do it. We work out weekdays at 5:30 except for Wednesday. We may go up to 5 days a week later, but for now, 4 days kicks our butt.

Chris and I are having so much fun working out together. And he is teaching me technique and form. I have learned a lot from him. This is what it is: healthy bonding.

Up Late

This is a late blog post. I had a hunkering to watch Inception, and I couldn't resist. So, now I'm just waiting for Chris to get home. He really enjoys doing stand-up comedy, although some sets are much better than others. But, he's learning a lot through the process and meeting new people, so I'm happy for him in that regard. I may be a little bias, but to me, he is the funniest man I know.

Grandma Rich (Chris' grandmother) is visiting our families in the Springfield area until Thursday. Tonight, we all went out to Nakato Japanese Steakhouse for dinner, and it was delicious as usual. I can never complain when we go there. Tomorrow is a family day after church. Mexican fiesta for dinner, and I'm hoping some games after that. We'll see. It's much harder for the adults to play games with curious babies, toddlers, and school-age kids in the mix.

I love Sundays. Now, it's time to sleep to prepare for my day of rest.

Laughter and Family, Usually One in the Same

Tonight, Chris is attending an Open Mic night in downtown Springfield. Sometimes they run pretty late. Tonight's Open Mic night is at 10, so he probably won't be home until 11:30 or midnight. That's way past my bedtime! Still, I'm glad he has the opportunities to do some comedy. He's a very funny man, and he's learning a lot about how to do stand-up, how to tell a story, how to create good timing, etc. He's really enjoying his improv class as well.  And, of course, he's made some new friends along the way. With this and Crossfit (his new workout regimen), the monotony of the work week becomes more tolerable.

Speaking of comedy, we witnessed in all his glory Jim Gaffigan at the Juanita K. Hammons Hall two Wednesdays ago, and he was hilarious! As father of 5, he really gets how parenting is and how I see it, even though I'm a mother of 3. He had all new material, except he did bring back his Hot Pocket bit. Chris was surprised by that, because he heard Mr. Gaffigan say on a podcast that he does not like performing those jokes anymore. If you know what your audience likes, then I guess you give them what they want. Still, I was greatly entertained, and although he may cringe if I say it, I really appreciate his clean humor. The next comedian I would love to see is Brian Regan. Hopefully, he'll come back to Springfield. That would be amazing!

Last Wednesday, my parents called and asked to come to our place on Saturday for a visit. My dad and mom are vacationing after working hard ministering to his congregation this Easter season. (My dad, if you did not know, is a Lutheran minister.) It was very nice to have them here today. We talked and talked so much that we skipped lunch and went to Shanghi Buffet for an earlier dinner. Yummy as usual! I hope we get to see my parents again soon. They live in the Jefferson City area, so their visits do not happen very often. We do not get to visit them at their place very often either. So, it's great to see them when we can.

When I'm writing, I'm only frustrated when I write...

...a dinner list. As I'm finishing up next week's list, here are my thoughts.

Why is it so difficult for me to make a dinner list? It takes what seems like forever to complete it. I rack my brain trying to think of healthy (and possibly new) recipes to plan for the next week's dinners, only to write down the same ol' stuff. Don't get me wrong; the same ol' stuff is not all unhealthy. It's just frustrating to pin point one meal for one evening. And then times that by seven to complete the entire list. I try to incorporate my children by asking them what they would like. Why would I expect them to say anything else besides "I don't know" or "spaghetti." Of course, actually eating what was planned is not so difficult. It might even be too easy.

After making the dinner list, there's the final shopping list to write out. Now, you may be thinking, "Ok, Jenn, after you know what your going to eat, it's not difficult figuring out what you need to make it." True, but now I've decided to take an extra step, price checking. (And maybe a second step if I decide to look for coupons.) So, I write down what I need and then go through all the ads to see if I can find what I need at a cheaper price. If I add in couponing to that, it takes even more time! Why do I spend so much time getting food? Would it be easier if I went back to cavewoman instincts and told my husband to go hunt? He is on the Paleo diet right now, so I'm sure he wouldn't mind.