Fabulous Five Friday Update

1. This week I am grateful for- My little bit of vacation time. My summer has been jam packed with  summer school, workshops, institutes, and training's. This past week was the first one I was able to spend at home with my two little ones. We have had a blast playing, enjoying each others company and ignoring most household chores. Basically we have been having a staycation which is fun and cheap.
2. This week I enjoyed- turning my backyard into a water park. The kiddie pool, water hose, and backyard slide offered exciting and hilarious relief from the heat.  My children love the water and their giggles are so contagious. 
3. This week I learned-  How hard it is to be a woman in other parts of the world. I have been reading Half the Sky, a very well written book about ways in which women are still oppressed around the world and what type of programs help them. It is a very graphic book and I can only read a little bit at a time before I start crying and wanting to adopt all of the little girls in the world. but I am plowing through. We cannot make the world a better place until we face the realities of what holds us back.
4. This week I accomplished - pretty much nothing and it was flipping fabulous.
5. I am looking forward to -  finding our next home. We have been house hunting for a few weeks, made offers on two homes and didn't get either one. Am I disappointed? Yes, very much so, but I know that means the right place is still out there waiting for us to find it. Right now most of our evenings consist of doing a drive by on different homes to see where they are located and if we want our realtor to schedule a showing. My son told us the other evening he likes falling asleep in the car. I am ready to start packing.  

I totally swiped the idea for todays post form upward not inward, but I had to because I just love it. I think their five question questionnaire is an excellent exercise in self reflection. You can do it too! You can also check out How the ladies at upward not inward answered their questionnaire by going to their site here. What is going on in your world this week? You can share your own reflections there or in the comments here. I hope everyone has a blessed weekend.

Take care,

Mrs.PJ

Please, pretty please, click, clickety, click. Thanks so much!

Fab Five Friday Round 2!

Here we go again. I was worn out last weekend trying to meet the demanding requirements for that dang Leibster Award. This past week I have been busy with work and domestic duties, so now the chance to unclutter my mind with the fab five. Remember, I totally swiped the idea for this post from upward not inward, but I had to because I just love it. I think their five question questionnaire is an excellent exercise in self reflection. You can do it too!

1. This week I am grateful for-  My Mom's talents on the organic farm she operates with  my Stepdad. They sent us a big box full of awesome goodies and our bellies couldn't be happier. We are talking about homemade pickles, jelly, bread, and honey from their own bee hives. They sent us loads of fresh veggies and inspired me to cook from scratch one night.
2. This week I enjoyed- My children. Just hugging those tiny people somehow has the magical power to make any day fantastic. I might be a little weird, but I love the way my tiny tots smell. Not to mention the way they crack me up when they play together.
3. This week I learned- That my strengths are Creativity and Caregiver. You can find your strengths by taking the online quiz at http://stronglifetest.com/  Just scroll down until you see the pink box. I am reading the book right now. I was skeptical at first, but now I am totally into it and a believer.
4. This week I accomplished- Creating a new dinner from scratch! I was inspired by the fresh veggies my Mom sent (see question 1) and the picture on the box of linguine. We had warm pasta with fresh chopped tomato, fresh basil, a dash of garlic salt, italian dressing and olive oil. We also had garlic bread that I made with slices of the homemade stuff my Mom sent. It was a party in my tummy and I think everyone else enjoyed it too. 
5. I am looking forward to - My son's soccer practice tonight. He is just so cute in his jersey. It is adorable watching three year olds trying to stop a goal. So Proud :)

You can check out how the ladies at upward not inward answered their questionnaire by going to their site here. What is going on in your world this week? You can share your own reflections there or in the comments here. I hope everyone has a blessed weekend.

Take care,

Mrs.PJ

Please, pretty please, click, clickety, click. Thanks so much!

Lost and Found

Lost 
1. Cloth diapers size XL. Stored in a large space bag that may not have had the air vacuumed out. Our house is only so big and I have already checked every storage spot I can think of. Those things have to be around here somewhere. Little Miss. PJ's tush is getting bigger every day.
2. Issues of a magazine I published a decade ago. It was a very small operation titled Feed Your Head and consisted of mostly repurposed English papers. My friends and I created it when we were in community college. It was one of the first projects I really felt proud to be a part of. I lost all of my issues in Hurricane Katrina, but a friend of mine gave me another set. I remember thinking the last time I saw them, "Okay, I will just put them right here, so they will be safe and I will know exactly where to find them next time I need them." If only I could remember where "right here" was.
3. My Spring Break. Where does the time go? It has been a great week, but like every year before it, time is almost out and my to-do list is still miles long. My wedding anniversary and firstborns birthday always fall during Spring Break (because I'm a teacher). We also had family from out of town on both sides. We planted our vegetable garden and re-planted our front flower bed for the fourteenth time. It has been fun and busy, but I am not ready to go back to work yet.
Found
1. I just finished reading Whale Done by Ken Blanchard. It is a business management book and I am a super nerd who really enjoys reading motivational business management books. This one focuses on building positive relationships in the workplace and I can totally see how some of the techniques in it are also appropriate for the classroom.
2. It looks like it has been out there awhile, bit Parent Hacks is a website worth checking out if you have little ones, school agers or work with kids. It is fully loaded with all of the awesome parenting tips and tricks you wish someone had told you about at your baby shower. Seriously, every time I go there I spend way to long perusing their posts. www.parenthacks.com/
3. So, last night I was in the grocery store and I saw this woman with two tots in tow. A little boy and little girl like mine. She had the little girl in a baby carrier and they looked super comfy.  I have a baby carrier, but the straps on it are a million miles long and I can rarely get it to work the way I want it to. I had to ask her where she got hers at. She told me that she is actually part of a group of moms called baby wearers. You can check them out here:  www.thebabywearer.com

Take care,
Mrs. PJ



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