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| Hanging out with us at praise band practice :) |
Summertime!!! Here's what we've been up to...
Showing posts with label week in review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label week in review. Show all posts
Saturday, June 17, 2017
The Lion's Tales: early June
Summertime!!! Here's what we've been up to...
Friday, September 9, 2016
The Lion's Tales: Summer 2016 edition!
Three whole months have gone by without my writing about what we've been up to. You'll forgive me? I'll attribute my lack of posts to 1) Our schedules being goofy with all 4 of us being home every day, so I haven't had my quiet mornings like I do now that school has started and 2) All-day-every-day pregnancy nausea has been making me feel like not doing much of anything.
So here's a recap of the highlights of our summer! (beware of picture overload :)
Saturday, May 28, 2016
The Lion's Tales: May edition
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| My TBR stack that I'm going to attempt to power through over the long holiday weekend for the Take Back Your Shelves Readathon. Who am I kidding?? I'll be lucky if I can finish two of these... |
Ah May... the month where it FINALLY feels like spring in Michigan -- and we even have days and weeks that feel like summer!
Friday, May 6, 2016
The Lion's Tales: belated April edition
Saturday, March 26, 2016
The Lion's Tales: March edition
I've been quiet around the blog-o-sphere the last few weeks, and it just means our family has been doing lots of things and I've still been doing lots of reading! If you follow me on Facebook or Instagram you've seen that those have been updated a lot more frequently. :)
Here are some of the highlights of the last few weeks. Look for a March reading recap next week!
Saturday, February 27, 2016
The Lion's Tales: February 21-27
Inspired by Sadie's Saturday 7 and Jessica's Weekly Ramble, this weekly recap is where I blog about anything and everything from the past week. It could be about books, my kids, my garden... Random things in my life that don't fill enough space for their own post!
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1. I'm going to my first ever freezer-cooking workshop today. I LOVE the idea of cooking and prepping things in bulk, but the only freezer we currently have is the small one above our refrigerator. So I'm usually limited to things like bags of grilled, sliced chicken or packs of hamburger that I've separated into 1-lb packages. In the next couple years we will hopefully move, and once we settle into our more permanent home we'll get a deep freezer -- but we don't want to get one now and have to move it.
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1. I'm going to my first ever freezer-cooking workshop today. I LOVE the idea of cooking and prepping things in bulk, but the only freezer we currently have is the small one above our refrigerator. So I'm usually limited to things like bags of grilled, sliced chicken or packs of hamburger that I've separated into 1-lb packages. In the next couple years we will hopefully move, and once we settle into our more permanent home we'll get a deep freezer -- but we don't want to get one now and have to move it.
Saturday, February 20, 2016
The Lion's Tales: February 14-20
Inspired by Sadie's Saturday 7 and Jessica's Weekly Ramble, this weekly recap is where I blog about anything and everything from the past week. It could be about books, my kids, my garden... Random things in my life that don't fill enough space for their own post!
1. I ran my first ever Usborne Book Fair this week! It was at my daughter's preschool, and the church that I attend and work at part time. I had both cash & carry and an ordering table. I had SUCH a great time! I met a lot of people, sold a lot of books, and got some reading done during the downtime. :) It was 2.5 long days (setup Tuesday night, and 8:30-5:30 Wednesday & Thursday), but it was worth it.
I like the balance I'm finding with Usborne. I'm not really searching out too many opportunities for parties and booths, so I'm not earning the monthly awards, but I'm okay with that. I could push harder, but since there are no quotas to meet I'm really just pursuing things when I feel like it! I love the flexibility of this company.
2. Does anyone have any tips for finding cheap airfare? In July I'm going to be heading to Montana for the Annual GEMS Leadership Conference, and all of the round-trip flights I'm finding are $500-600+. The conference itself is $400, and while I'm getting some financial support from my club, I'll definitely have to pay quite a bit out of pocket.
3. My Sugar Fast is going alright. I'm 10 days in, and while physically I'm not feeling any different (no change in weight or energy), emotionally my cravings will either be non-existent or nearly unbearable. Mornings are pretty bad, and I'm thankful I've allowed myself to naturally sweeten my coffee with honey or maple syrup. Evenings are the second-worst, my girls are allowed one piece of Valentine candy if they finish their dinner, and Rocky still has ice cream every night while we hang out before bed (watching a show or playing a game). We have small group tonight, and I volunteered to bring dessert so that I can make something without refined sugar. :)
It's not very exciting, but here's my log for the week:
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1. I ran my first ever Usborne Book Fair this week! It was at my daughter's preschool, and the church that I attend and work at part time. I had both cash & carry and an ordering table. I had SUCH a great time! I met a lot of people, sold a lot of books, and got some reading done during the downtime. :) It was 2.5 long days (setup Tuesday night, and 8:30-5:30 Wednesday & Thursday), but it was worth it.
I like the balance I'm finding with Usborne. I'm not really searching out too many opportunities for parties and booths, so I'm not earning the monthly awards, but I'm okay with that. I could push harder, but since there are no quotas to meet I'm really just pursuing things when I feel like it! I love the flexibility of this company.
2. Does anyone have any tips for finding cheap airfare? In July I'm going to be heading to Montana for the Annual GEMS Leadership Conference, and all of the round-trip flights I'm finding are $500-600+. The conference itself is $400, and while I'm getting some financial support from my club, I'll definitely have to pay quite a bit out of pocket.
3. My Sugar Fast is going alright. I'm 10 days in, and while physically I'm not feeling any different (no change in weight or energy), emotionally my cravings will either be non-existent or nearly unbearable. Mornings are pretty bad, and I'm thankful I've allowed myself to naturally sweeten my coffee with honey or maple syrup. Evenings are the second-worst, my girls are allowed one piece of Valentine candy if they finish their dinner, and Rocky still has ice cream every night while we hang out before bed (watching a show or playing a game). We have small group tonight, and I volunteered to bring dessert so that I can make something without refined sugar. :)
It's not very exciting, but here's my log for the week:
Day 4 - Saturday Feb 13
Coffee with heavy cream and maple syrup
Coffee with heavy cream and maple syrup
Breakfast: Homemade granola (contains honey and maple syrup) with milk
Lunch: Leftover homemade pizza
Snack: Handful of cashews
Dinner: Homemade "hamburger helper" - burger, pasta, spices
Day 5 - Sunday Feb 14
Coffee with heavy cream and honey
Breakfast: Homemade bread (honey) with butter
Lunch: French toast with butter, strawberries, and maple syrup
Snack: Coffee with heavy cream and maple syrup (I tried doing just cream, it was flavored coffee, and could only drink a little bit. Maybe eventually I'll get there, but not yet. Added a little syrup.)
Dinner: Pan-fried salmon (first time cooking it!), homemade alfredo sauce on heart-shaped noodles from Aldi, broccoli, french bread
Day 6 - Monday Feb 15
Coffee with heavy cream and maple syrup
Breakfast: Homemade granola with milk
Lunch: Leftover salmon, alfredo, broccoli
Snack: Strawberry fruit strip, handful of cashews, homemade chai tea latte (Celestial Seasonings chai, with honey and cream)
Dinner: Tomato soup and grilled cheese/bacon sandwiches
Day 7 - Tuesday Feb 16
Coffee with heavy cream and maple syrup
Breakfast: Green smoothie (spinach, coconut water, pineapple, mango, banana)
Lunch: Cheese, summer sausage, crackers
Dinner: Beef enchiladas with rice, cheese, sour cream, tomatoes, lettuce
Day 8 - Wednesday Feb 17
Coffee with heavy cream and maple syrup
Breakfast: Shredded wheat cereal with milk
Snacks throughout the day (ran a book fair): Cashews, cheese, pretzel chips, strawberry fruit strip
Dinner: Spaghetti with homemade meat sauce (no sugar in the tomato sauce)
Day 9 - Thursday Feb 18
Coffee with heavy cream and maple syrup
Breakfast: shredded wheat cereal with milk
Lunch: leftover enchilada
Snacks (throughout the book fair): Blueberry Larabar, cashews, pretzel chips, black coffee
Dinner (8:30pm...) Fried egg and buttered toast
Day 10 - Friday Feb 19
Almond-flavored coffee with heavy cream and honey
Breakfast: Homemade granola with milk
Lunch: Roast beef, cheese, lettuce, bacon, mayo wrapped in tortilla
Snack: Cashews, strawberry fruit strip, coffee with heavy cream
Dinner: Concession stand pizza at basketball game
Lunch: Leftover homemade pizza
Snack: Handful of cashews
Dinner: Homemade "hamburger helper" - burger, pasta, spices
Day 5 - Sunday Feb 14
Coffee with heavy cream and honey
Breakfast: Homemade bread (honey) with butter
Lunch: French toast with butter, strawberries, and maple syrup
Snack: Coffee with heavy cream and maple syrup (I tried doing just cream, it was flavored coffee, and could only drink a little bit. Maybe eventually I'll get there, but not yet. Added a little syrup.)
Dinner: Pan-fried salmon (first time cooking it!), homemade alfredo sauce on heart-shaped noodles from Aldi, broccoli, french bread
Day 6 - Monday Feb 15
Coffee with heavy cream and maple syrup
Breakfast: Homemade granola with milk
Lunch: Leftover salmon, alfredo, broccoli
Snack: Strawberry fruit strip, handful of cashews, homemade chai tea latte (Celestial Seasonings chai, with honey and cream)
Dinner: Tomato soup and grilled cheese/bacon sandwiches
Day 7 - Tuesday Feb 16
Coffee with heavy cream and maple syrup
Breakfast: Green smoothie (spinach, coconut water, pineapple, mango, banana)
Lunch: Cheese, summer sausage, crackers
Dinner: Beef enchiladas with rice, cheese, sour cream, tomatoes, lettuce
Day 8 - Wednesday Feb 17
Coffee with heavy cream and maple syrup
Breakfast: Shredded wheat cereal with milk
Snacks throughout the day (ran a book fair): Cashews, cheese, pretzel chips, strawberry fruit strip
Dinner: Spaghetti with homemade meat sauce (no sugar in the tomato sauce)
Day 9 - Thursday Feb 18
Coffee with heavy cream and maple syrup
Breakfast: shredded wheat cereal with milk
Lunch: leftover enchilada
Snacks (throughout the book fair): Blueberry Larabar, cashews, pretzel chips, black coffee
Dinner (8:30pm...) Fried egg and buttered toast
Day 10 - Friday Feb 19
Almond-flavored coffee with heavy cream and honey
Breakfast: Homemade granola with milk
Lunch: Roast beef, cheese, lettuce, bacon, mayo wrapped in tortilla
Snack: Cashews, strawberry fruit strip, coffee with heavy cream
Dinner: Concession stand pizza at basketball game
Saturday, February 13, 2016
The Lion's Tales: February 7-13
Inspired by Sadie's Saturday 7 and Jessica's Weekly Ramble, this weekly recap is where I blog about anything and everything from the past week. It could be about books, my kids, my garden... Random things in my life that don't fill enough space for their own post!
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2. The opportunity came up to go see my all-time FAVORITE musical (not to mention my favorite movie :) professionally performed last night. Ohhhh all the feels.... The casting was perfect, the sets were gorgeous, the singing was flawless. I was wiping away tears when the lights came up at intermission ("Climb Ev'ry Mountain"... nuff said!).
I was quite the shy kid in school, and I definitely played up my introverted-ness (though people thought I was "breaking out of my shell" at church and in 4H - I still remained quiet at school). And when many of my friends were part of the school play each year and they told me I should try out too, I always refused. I remember going to their performance my senior year and sitting in the audience thinking "why didn't I do this??". But after high school there aren't many opportunities for drama/theater unless you want to pursue it professionally. Oh there are some local theater groups, but everything takes time. Maybe someday I'll look into it, or maybe I'll just go on dreaming about performing as Maria...
3. I started my Sugar Fast this week. I'm trying to be really conscious about as much as I can, but won't beat myself up if I miss something. I've been a label-reading fiend. I'm keeping track of what I eat, and am debating whether to have one big post/page with everything or not (like Jessica Fisher's Sugar Fast page here). If nothing else, I'll recap here weekly to keep myself accountable!
Day 1 - Wednesday Feb 10
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1. Both of my girls had school Valentine's parties this week. It's nice that they're both in semi-small schools, so I could buy a box of 32 Valentines and a bag of candy and it was enough to cover both of their classes. :) I did start my Sugar Fast on Wednesday (more about that in a point below), and my eyes went wide when our counter exploded when they dumped out their bags of candy after school. At least I'm not tempted to sneak a Tootsie Roll whenever I walk by like I usually would be...
2. The opportunity came up to go see my all-time FAVORITE musical (not to mention my favorite movie :) professionally performed last night. Ohhhh all the feels.... The casting was perfect, the sets were gorgeous, the singing was flawless. I was wiping away tears when the lights came up at intermission ("Climb Ev'ry Mountain"... nuff said!).
I was quite the shy kid in school, and I definitely played up my introverted-ness (though people thought I was "breaking out of my shell" at church and in 4H - I still remained quiet at school). And when many of my friends were part of the school play each year and they told me I should try out too, I always refused. I remember going to their performance my senior year and sitting in the audience thinking "why didn't I do this??". But after high school there aren't many opportunities for drama/theater unless you want to pursue it professionally. Oh there are some local theater groups, but everything takes time. Maybe someday I'll look into it, or maybe I'll just go on dreaming about performing as Maria...
3. I started my Sugar Fast this week. I'm trying to be really conscious about as much as I can, but won't beat myself up if I miss something. I've been a label-reading fiend. I'm keeping track of what I eat, and am debating whether to have one big post/page with everything or not (like Jessica Fisher's Sugar Fast page here). If nothing else, I'll recap here weekly to keep myself accountable!
Day 1 - Wednesday Feb 10
Coffee with heavy cream and honey
Breakfast: Shredded wheat cereal from Aldi (the ONLY ingredient is wheat), milk, banana
Snack: Hard boiled egg with salt
Lunch: roast beef (seemed to not be sugar cured), provolone, lettuce wrapped in a tortilla (lots of tortillas and bread contain sugar, but the tortillas I had on hand didn't!)
Snack: Strawberry fruit strip from Aldi (basically dried fruit - if I had a dehydrator I'd make these myself) and handful of cashews, coffee with heavy cream and honey
Dinner: Scrambled eggs with leftover sausage and ham, cheese, wrapped in a tortilla, with orange juice
Day 2 - Thursday Feb 11
Coffee with heavy cream and maple syrup (yum! a new favorite!)
Breakfast: Homemade granola (contains honey and maple syrup) with milk
Lunch: No-sugar peanut butter from Aldi on toast, with a banana
Snack: Lemon Larabar and handful of cashews
Dinner: Grilled hamburger with cheese, mayo (sugar was one of the last ingredients but the label said 0g), mustard, dill relish, lettuce on a bun (didn't check the bun, I'm sure it does have sugar though. I wasn't too concerned). No ketchup, the second ingredient was sugar. I wish I'd had a tomato.
Day 3 - Friday Feb 12
Coffee with heavy cream and maple syrup
Dinner: Scrambled eggs with leftover sausage and ham, cheese, wrapped in a tortilla, with orange juice
Day 2 - Thursday Feb 11
Coffee with heavy cream and maple syrup (yum! a new favorite!)
Breakfast: Homemade granola (contains honey and maple syrup) with milk
Lunch: No-sugar peanut butter from Aldi on toast, with a banana
Snack: Lemon Larabar and handful of cashews
Dinner: Grilled hamburger with cheese, mayo (sugar was one of the last ingredients but the label said 0g), mustard, dill relish, lettuce on a bun (didn't check the bun, I'm sure it does have sugar though. I wasn't too concerned). No ketchup, the second ingredient was sugar. I wish I'd had a tomato.
Day 3 - Friday Feb 12
Coffee with heavy cream and maple syrup
Breakfast: Shredded wheat with milk and banana
Lunch: Leftover homemade jambalaya (rice, chicken, ham, smoked sausage [didn't check the label], tomato sauce, chicken broth, seasoning)
Snack: Handful of cashews and Aldi strawberry fruit strip
Dinner: Homemade pizza (I make my own crust and leave out the sugar anyway, and use homemade tomato sauce and add my own seasonings for the pizza sauce. Didn't check the labels on the meats, but this is a meal I'm not concerned about)
Snack: Bluberry Larabar (see point 2, the musical didn't start until 8:00 and we were still on the road at midnight when my stomach started growling...)
So far so good. It's definitely easier during the day when it's just Ellie and me. Rocky and Abby have mid-winter break this weekend, so they were home on Friday and will be on Monday too. At least I'm not at all tempted to have fruit snacks with the kids, or ice cream with Rocky at night. The "sweets" that are obviously off-limits are the easy things...
Snack: Handful of cashews and Aldi strawberry fruit strip
Dinner: Homemade pizza (I make my own crust and leave out the sugar anyway, and use homemade tomato sauce and add my own seasonings for the pizza sauce. Didn't check the labels on the meats, but this is a meal I'm not concerned about)
Snack: Bluberry Larabar (see point 2, the musical didn't start until 8:00 and we were still on the road at midnight when my stomach started growling...)
So far so good. It's definitely easier during the day when it's just Ellie and me. Rocky and Abby have mid-winter break this weekend, so they were home on Friday and will be on Monday too. At least I'm not at all tempted to have fruit snacks with the kids, or ice cream with Rocky at night. The "sweets" that are obviously off-limits are the easy things...
Have you ever been in a play/musical/drama
in school or as an adult?
in school or as an adult?
Saturday, February 6, 2016
The Lion's Tales: January 31 - February 6
Inspired by Sadie's Saturday 7 and Jessica's Weekly Ramble, this weekly recap is where I blog about anything and everything from the past week. It could be about books, my kids, my garden... Random things in my life that don't fill enough space for their own post!
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1. I mentioned last week that I'm seriously considering something crazy - giving up sugar/sweets for Lent. I continued my research this week, and really took the time to look at labels while grocery shopping. I managed to find a jar of peanut butter without sugar (who knew THAT would be so difficult...), and every meal I ate I found myself questioning whether I'd be able to eat it during my fast. I feel like I've been slowly weaning myself off most sugar the last couple of weeks, as I've become more mindful. So I think I'm actually going to do it, starting on Wednesday!
Of course, I did have chocolate covered raisins with Ellie for a snack, and still haven't weaned myself off from my daily sweetened coffee, and am planning to get at least one shamrock shake before Wednesday...
2. Last fall a friend asked if I'd be willing to watch her 18-month old daughter for a few hours on Monday mornings while she went to a college class. I said sure, and our weekly kid-swaps began. On Friday mornings Ellie goes to her house so I can have a few hours to myself. Last fall when we were dealing with the flea disaster, I spent those hours at home vacuuming (Ellie hates the sound of the vacuum - she would run downstairs and start bawling) and other housework.
For the last couple of weeks, after I drop Ellie off I've been stopping at our local coffee shop and bringing a to-go cup with me to the library. Then I set up shop at a table in a quiet room and work on all of those little computer things I want to do but don't normally take the time for during the week (it's hard to "work" with a 3-year-old around). Writing blog posts (like this one!), doing Usborne stuff, etc.
And I got to thinking -- is this what life will be like once my kids are in school full-time?? I feel so good about myself when I leave the library, because I've accomplished things on my to-do list that aren't part of the never-ending list of housework!
3. I've become obsessed with podcasts. Late last summer I subscribed to a couple of them to listen to while I took my evening walk. I forced myself to not listen to them any other time. Then I discovered the Sorta Awesome podcast, and the weather turned cold and dark and I couldn't go for walks anymore, so I started listening on Friday mornings while house cleaning.
Now I listen every spare chance I get when I'm not doing something that involves my brain, like reading or being on the computer. I listen in the car, I listen while folding laundry, I listen while cooking dinner. I try to balance it by letting Ellie listen to her music or audiobooks sometimes too. And I'm trying really hard to not subscribe to any new ones, knowing that I already have barely enough time in the week to keep up with my regulars. :)
I've heard people say that 2015 was "the year of the podcast" and that podcasts are becoming the next big thing -- like what blogging was 10-15 years ago. I have NO desire to start my own, but I'll gladly listen to others!
Here are the podcasts I currently subscribe to, in case you want to become obsessed too:
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1. I mentioned last week that I'm seriously considering something crazy - giving up sugar/sweets for Lent. I continued my research this week, and really took the time to look at labels while grocery shopping. I managed to find a jar of peanut butter without sugar (who knew THAT would be so difficult...), and every meal I ate I found myself questioning whether I'd be able to eat it during my fast. I feel like I've been slowly weaning myself off most sugar the last couple of weeks, as I've become more mindful. So I think I'm actually going to do it, starting on Wednesday!
Of course, I did have chocolate covered raisins with Ellie for a snack, and still haven't weaned myself off from my daily sweetened coffee, and am planning to get at least one shamrock shake before Wednesday...
2. Last fall a friend asked if I'd be willing to watch her 18-month old daughter for a few hours on Monday mornings while she went to a college class. I said sure, and our weekly kid-swaps began. On Friday mornings Ellie goes to her house so I can have a few hours to myself. Last fall when we were dealing with the flea disaster, I spent those hours at home vacuuming (Ellie hates the sound of the vacuum - she would run downstairs and start bawling) and other housework.
For the last couple of weeks, after I drop Ellie off I've been stopping at our local coffee shop and bringing a to-go cup with me to the library. Then I set up shop at a table in a quiet room and work on all of those little computer things I want to do but don't normally take the time for during the week (it's hard to "work" with a 3-year-old around). Writing blog posts (like this one!), doing Usborne stuff, etc.
And I got to thinking -- is this what life will be like once my kids are in school full-time?? I feel so good about myself when I leave the library, because I've accomplished things on my to-do list that aren't part of the never-ending list of housework!
3. I've become obsessed with podcasts. Late last summer I subscribed to a couple of them to listen to while I took my evening walk. I forced myself to not listen to them any other time. Then I discovered the Sorta Awesome podcast, and the weather turned cold and dark and I couldn't go for walks anymore, so I started listening on Friday mornings while house cleaning.
Now I listen every spare chance I get when I'm not doing something that involves my brain, like reading or being on the computer. I listen in the car, I listen while folding laundry, I listen while cooking dinner. I try to balance it by letting Ellie listen to her music or audiobooks sometimes too. And I'm trying really hard to not subscribe to any new ones, knowing that I already have barely enough time in the week to keep up with my regulars. :)
I've heard people say that 2015 was "the year of the podcast" and that podcasts are becoming the next big thing -- like what blogging was 10-15 years ago. I have NO desire to start my own, but I'll gladly listen to others!
Here are the podcasts I currently subscribe to, in case you want to become obsessed too:
- Sorta Awesome - Megan Tietz - Weekly episodes cover everything from food to Myers Briggs to family life to books to seasons... basically anything that anyone might consider awesome!
- The Simple Show - Tsh Oxenreider - About every two weeks, a companion to her amazing blog The Art of Simple. She talks with other people who are also interested in living a simple life - not just about "stuff", but a simple life.
- The Slow Home Podcast - Brooke McAlary - Now posting twice a week, Brooke and Ben's Australian accents sooth you into desiring a slower life.
- What Should I Read Next? - Anne Bogel - Only a few weeks old, Modern Mrs. Darcy's "literary matchmaking" podcast is a fun way to add ideas to your already-too-big stack of to-be-read books.
- Personality Hacker - Joel Mark Witt & Antonia Dodge - Companion to the Personality Hacker website, there are weekly (and often more frequent) episodes about understanding personality. I don't listen to every episode here, just the ones that talk about my own personal pieces of my Myers Briggs type (ISFJ) :)
- Read-Aloud Revival - Sarah Mackenzie - This is the podcast I've added to my list most recently, and I'm still going back through some of the older episodes. As my kids get older, I know I don't want to stop reading aloud to them just because they're learning to read on their own. This podcast gives me the inspiration to keep reading to them!
- That Sounds Fun - Annie F. Downs - Annie hasn't done any new podcasts since last summer, but I looove listening to her. I heard her speak at last year's GEMS Leadership Conference, and she is such a fun outgoing person who speaks her mind, and she has interviewed some great people.
What are some of your favorite podcasts?
Or have you not gotten into them yet?
Or have you not gotten into them yet?
Saturday, January 30, 2016
The Lion's Tales: January 24-30
Inspired by Sadie's Saturday 7 and Jessica's Weekly Ramble, this weekly recap is where I blog about anything and everything from the past week. It could be about books, my kids, my garden... Random things in my life that don't fill enough space for their own post!
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1. A couple of weeks ago Ellie and I were browsing the dvd collection at our library (they have a TON) and came across the new live-action Cinderella movie. I almost checked it out, then realized my girls have never seen the original animated Disney version! The library didn't have it, but I asked around and borrowed it from a friend. And so our Friday night tradition expanded!
I've been making homemade pizza every Friday for quite a few months, and now as soon as we clear the table we put on pajamas and head downstairs. So far we've watched Cinderella, Tangled, Bambi, and Lady and the Tramp (oh and the original Star Wars movie since Abby keeps talking about it from talking and playing with the kids at school).
2. I'm considering something slightly crazy... I've discovered I'm very addicted to sugar, and am considering fasting from it for a time. I'm inspired by Jessica Fisher's sugar fast that her whole family did a couple of years ago - they allowed local honey and real maple syrup. There are other programs I've found online and a handful of books -- I'm currently reading Eve Schaub's Year of No Sugar: A Memoir.
I'm thinking it will help me appreciate the times I do eat sweets going forward, and help prevent type-2 diabetes (always on my mind, because of some family history). Weight loss would be a nice side effect too, though I'm not getting my hopes up. :)
I'm not sure if I would go full-on checking every single label of everything I eat (did you know there's sugar in ketchup, and lunch meat, and peanut butter, and...?) or just give up "sweets" (ice cream, chocolate, sweet cereal, coffee creamer, etc).
That's all for now. It's been a pretty slow, average week. :)
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1. A couple of weeks ago Ellie and I were browsing the dvd collection at our library (they have a TON) and came across the new live-action Cinderella movie. I almost checked it out, then realized my girls have never seen the original animated Disney version! The library didn't have it, but I asked around and borrowed it from a friend. And so our Friday night tradition expanded!
I've been making homemade pizza every Friday for quite a few months, and now as soon as we clear the table we put on pajamas and head downstairs. So far we've watched Cinderella, Tangled, Bambi, and Lady and the Tramp (oh and the original Star Wars movie since Abby keeps talking about it from talking and playing with the kids at school).
2. I'm considering something slightly crazy... I've discovered I'm very addicted to sugar, and am considering fasting from it for a time. I'm inspired by Jessica Fisher's sugar fast that her whole family did a couple of years ago - they allowed local honey and real maple syrup. There are other programs I've found online and a handful of books -- I'm currently reading Eve Schaub's Year of No Sugar: A Memoir.
I'm thinking it will help me appreciate the times I do eat sweets going forward, and help prevent type-2 diabetes (always on my mind, because of some family history). Weight loss would be a nice side effect too, though I'm not getting my hopes up. :)
I'm not sure if I would go full-on checking every single label of everything I eat (did you know there's sugar in ketchup, and lunch meat, and peanut butter, and...?) or just give up "sweets" (ice cream, chocolate, sweet cereal, coffee creamer, etc).
That's all for now. It's been a pretty slow, average week. :)
What's your favorite classic Disney movie?
Have you ever given up sugar?
Have you ever given up sugar?
Saturday, January 16, 2016
The Lion's Tales: January 10-16
Inspired by Sadie's Saturday 7 and Jessica's Weekly Ramble, this weekly recap is where I blog about anything and everything from the past week. It could be about books, my kids, my garden... Random things in my life that don't fill enough space for their own post!
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1. I completed a goal on Monday that I've been wanting to do for awhile -- I read through the Bible in [just over] a year! I found a really good chronological reading plan to follow in the YouVersion Bible app on my phone, called "Reading God's Story". It had 6 days of reading and 1 off day for catchup each week. There were a few weeks throughout the year that I fell way behind (especially the beginning of the school year and December), but I was determined to not give up.
2. We had our first snow day off from school this week. I'm actually pretty surprised we made it almost half way through January before the first one! We have a tradition of making monkey bread muffins on snow days.
What was going to be a day full of MOPS and work/preschool and a school open house turned into...
3. Shopping day. We bought a new [to us] van this week. Our other van has been having some transmission troubles, and when we brought it in for an estimate to fix they quoted $6000. No thanks! So I started stalking Craigslist and created an Excel spreadsheet with details about vans for sale that caught my eye. :) We can across one that was 20 years old, but only had 76,000 miles on it. We checked it out, and it had just been a man's second vehicle but mostly something to tinker with, so it was in super great shape. We bought it for only $2500 and brought it home on Tuesday!
4. Some good friends of ours are moving 2 hours away (because of a job change), and we helped them finish packing and loading the moving trailer today. We talked about how amazing it is to see the amount of stuff you accumulate in such a short time (they're only been in the house for about 4 years). I've been thinking about the possibility of us moving in the next 12-18 months, and it was a good experience to watch our friends go through the process. We're sure going to miss them though. :(
5. Friendships are hard for adults. Once we have kids, we often default to our friends being the parents of our kids' friends. Rocky and I have been blessed the last 8 years or so to have had 2 couples we've been really close to within our church. We've had similar interests, both before and after kids, so we've been able to share lots of life together. But now both couples/families have moved away, and Rocky and I are back to looking for someone to call our best friends. We know we can keep in touch with the other families, but it's not the same as being able to call them up and say hey, want to come over for a playdate/dinner/tennis match/etc...
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1. I completed a goal on Monday that I've been wanting to do for awhile -- I read through the Bible in [just over] a year! I found a really good chronological reading plan to follow in the YouVersion Bible app on my phone, called "Reading God's Story". It had 6 days of reading and 1 off day for catchup each week. There were a few weeks throughout the year that I fell way behind (especially the beginning of the school year and December), but I was determined to not give up.
2. We had our first snow day off from school this week. I'm actually pretty surprised we made it almost half way through January before the first one! We have a tradition of making monkey bread muffins on snow days.
3. Shopping day. We bought a new [to us] van this week. Our other van has been having some transmission troubles, and when we brought it in for an estimate to fix they quoted $6000. No thanks! So I started stalking Craigslist and created an Excel spreadsheet with details about vans for sale that caught my eye. :) We can across one that was 20 years old, but only had 76,000 miles on it. We checked it out, and it had just been a man's second vehicle but mostly something to tinker with, so it was in super great shape. We bought it for only $2500 and brought it home on Tuesday!
4. Some good friends of ours are moving 2 hours away (because of a job change), and we helped them finish packing and loading the moving trailer today. We talked about how amazing it is to see the amount of stuff you accumulate in such a short time (they're only been in the house for about 4 years). I've been thinking about the possibility of us moving in the next 12-18 months, and it was a good experience to watch our friends go through the process. We're sure going to miss them though. :(
5. Friendships are hard for adults. Once we have kids, we often default to our friends being the parents of our kids' friends. Rocky and I have been blessed the last 8 years or so to have had 2 couples we've been really close to within our church. We've had similar interests, both before and after kids, so we've been able to share lots of life together. But now both couples/families have moved away, and Rocky and I are back to looking for someone to call our best friends. We know we can keep in touch with the other families, but it's not the same as being able to call them up and say hey, want to come over for a playdate/dinner/tennis match/etc...
Have you accomplished any New Years goals before? Do you have close friends as an adult that are/aren't tied to your kids' friendships?
Saturday, November 14, 2015
The Lion's Tales: November 8-14
Inspired by Sadie's Saturday 7 and Jessica's Weekly Ramble, this weekly recap is where I blog about anything and everything from the past week. It could be about books, my kids, my garden... Random things in my life that don't fill enough space for their own post!
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1. I tried a new recipe this week that I loooooved. I've recently become addicted to the Sorta Awesome podcast, so anytime I'm vacuuming or driving by myself I listen. I mentioned this same episode last week when I looked up my Myers-Briggs type, and finally this week had the chance to try out the Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup.
I grilled up a bunch of chicken legs and thighs on Sunday night, and saved the leftover chicken in the fridge and put all the bones and scraps in the slow cooker with water overnight to make some broth. Late the next morning I strained it all, and added the veggies and chicken and spice pack from a box of Uncle Ben's Wild Rice. I kept it on low the entire time, and about 4 hours before dinner added the rice too.
The finishing touch of the cream mixture is what makes this recipe extra special. I do like a broth-y chicken soup, but the rice stands up so much better when this one turns creamy. I had a huge bowl for dinner, the rest of the family seemed to like it, and I had it for lunch the next few days (I'm not usually big on leftovers for lunch). Highly highly recommended for this cooler fall weather!
2. The sickness saga continues. Monday night Ellie spiked a fever, which continued on Tuesday. She missed her first ever day of school. By Wednesday morning she cried every time she swallowed, so back to the doctor we went. Sure enough, she had strep throat. Another couple days of a different antibiotic and she's back to normal. I went in last night because I've had this lingering cold and my throat was getting worse throughout the day, but my strep test came back negative. It looks like just viral tonsillitis for me. More ibuprofen and salt water, yay...
3. With all this sickness I've been doing a little research on essential oils. I've always been a wavering skeptic (I'm willing to try anything once or twice if it's not too expensive, but don't really think they'll work). I have a lot of friends who use them, and a few who sell Young Living. This summer a friend gave me a mixture of tea tree and lavender that I mixed with coconut oil for a lotion when Ellie had lots of bug bites.
Lots of people swear by Thieves oil, and this week another friend gave me a spare roller she had that contained thieves mixed with a carrier oil. I've been rolling it on my feet and throat each day, and so far have only enjoyed smelling Christmas-y throughout the day (though Rocky says I smell like a gumdrop). It's almost gone, so I'm not sure whether to bite the bullet and buy a full bottle myself or put it to rest for awhile.
4. The football team for the school Rocky teaches at is headed to the regional final/state quarterfinal game this afternoon. It's surprisingly being played really close to home, so we might actually go. The weather looks like it will be dry, and while Ellie has already told me "it's too loud", it sure would be fun. Rocky and I went to see the basketball team play in the state final game last spring.
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1. I tried a new recipe this week that I loooooved. I've recently become addicted to the Sorta Awesome podcast, so anytime I'm vacuuming or driving by myself I listen. I mentioned this same episode last week when I looked up my Myers-Briggs type, and finally this week had the chance to try out the Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup.
I grilled up a bunch of chicken legs and thighs on Sunday night, and saved the leftover chicken in the fridge and put all the bones and scraps in the slow cooker with water overnight to make some broth. Late the next morning I strained it all, and added the veggies and chicken and spice pack from a box of Uncle Ben's Wild Rice. I kept it on low the entire time, and about 4 hours before dinner added the rice too.
The finishing touch of the cream mixture is what makes this recipe extra special. I do like a broth-y chicken soup, but the rice stands up so much better when this one turns creamy. I had a huge bowl for dinner, the rest of the family seemed to like it, and I had it for lunch the next few days (I'm not usually big on leftovers for lunch). Highly highly recommended for this cooler fall weather!
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| Ellie's and my lunch on Tuesday |
2. The sickness saga continues. Monday night Ellie spiked a fever, which continued on Tuesday. She missed her first ever day of school. By Wednesday morning she cried every time she swallowed, so back to the doctor we went. Sure enough, she had strep throat. Another couple days of a different antibiotic and she's back to normal. I went in last night because I've had this lingering cold and my throat was getting worse throughout the day, but my strep test came back negative. It looks like just viral tonsillitis for me. More ibuprofen and salt water, yay...
3. With all this sickness I've been doing a little research on essential oils. I've always been a wavering skeptic (I'm willing to try anything once or twice if it's not too expensive, but don't really think they'll work). I have a lot of friends who use them, and a few who sell Young Living. This summer a friend gave me a mixture of tea tree and lavender that I mixed with coconut oil for a lotion when Ellie had lots of bug bites.
Lots of people swear by Thieves oil, and this week another friend gave me a spare roller she had that contained thieves mixed with a carrier oil. I've been rolling it on my feet and throat each day, and so far have only enjoyed smelling Christmas-y throughout the day (though Rocky says I smell like a gumdrop). It's almost gone, so I'm not sure whether to bite the bullet and buy a full bottle myself or put it to rest for awhile.
4. The football team for the school Rocky teaches at is headed to the regional final/state quarterfinal game this afternoon. It's surprisingly being played really close to home, so we might actually go. The weather looks like it will be dry, and while Ellie has already told me "it's too loud", it sure would be fun. Rocky and I went to see the basketball team play in the state final game last spring.
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| GO MUSTANGS! (this was from Homecoming earlier in the season) |
Saturday, November 7, 2015
The Lion's Tales: November 1-7
Inspired by Sadie's Saturday 7 and Jessica's Weekly Ramble, this weekly recap is where I blog about anything and everything from the past week. It could be about books, my kids, my garden... Random things in my life that don't fill enough space for their own post!
1. We had our first kindergarten parent-teacher conference for Abby this week. Well, I say "we" but only I went because Rocky was having conferences at the high school at the same time. She is doing great, her teacher loves having her in class, and we got a few pointers of things to work on (raising her hand before speaking, being okay with letting others lead during playtime). She sounds like a typical first-born, in a class of 13 boys and 2 girls. :)
We celebrated by using her Pizza Hut Book-It coupon from October for free pizza for dinner. Funny thing is, there were lots of other families there using their coupons too, so when the waitress brought out our order she said they had run out of personal pans, so Abby's free pizza was a medium size instead. Score!
2. Abby's school pictures came in this week. Rather than trying to decide how many pictures to have printed, we just order the "digital download" so we'll have the files and can print them on our own time elsewhere as we need them. What I didn't realize was that the digital download came with copies of her photo on 30 different backgrounds. There's everything from colors to nature scenes to rainbows and American flags... and lasers.
I've been searching for a copy of Rocky's elementary school pictures that had lasers -- I joke that my family never got the "fancy" backgrounds because they cost extra money. :) But seriously I laughed out loud when I saw Abby with lasers!! I'll bet the photography company just put those in for parents of my generation who always thought the lasers were the coolest photos ever.
3. I got sick this week. Again. I feel like I've had colds more this school year already than ever before, and I'm not even working out in the public like I used to! Ellie and I had lots of relaxing mornings this week, and so far Abby and Rocky have stayed mostly in the clear. I lost most of my voice this time which is unusual for me, but I'll take it over the stuffed up headache-y stuff I usually come down with. We have a weekend with nothing planned except church, so I'm planning lots of rest and fluids.
4. A lot of blogs I've been reading make reference to Myers-Briggs. I remember taking one of the quizzes in high school or college, but honestly the only piece I remember from it is that I'm a strong introvert. So after hearing MBTI talked about yet again on a podcast this week, I tracked down a quiz and took it.
It was tough because I think some of my answers were affected by my motherly instinct rather than my personality, but I tried really hard to think about what I would do in situations that weren't with my kids. When I read the list of what are considered my strengths I thought "okay, I guess some of these are kind of like me" but when I read the list of weaknesses I was all "YES! THAT IS ME!!" So I guess this is what I am most of the time. :)
How has your week been? Did you have lasers in your school pictures? What's your Myers-Briggs type?
Saturday, September 19, 2015
The Lion's Tales: early September
This weekly [errr... as often as I have time] recap is where I blog about anything and everything from the past week [or more...]. Could be about books, my kids, my garden... Random things in my life that don't fill enough space for their own post!
1. School started the week before Labor Day for Rocky and Abby, and the week after for Ellie. As busy as it makes our days, I've been so looking forward to routine (though my home routine got quite disrupted; that'll be a point all of its own).
Abby is in 5-day, all-day kindergarten. She thrived on 3-day all-day preschool last year, but she's definitely struggling this year. She's had a number of "I miss you, Mommy" meltdowns, and has to get up at 6:15 each morning to ride in with Rocky. I drive her in once or twice a week, but then she gets only an extra half hour of sleep. There are definitely pluses and minuses to having her go to school in the system where Rocky teaches.
2. We weren't originally going to send Ellie to preschool yet (she just turned 3 the beginning of August). But as I was trying to figure out daycare for her the two afternoons a week I work in the church office, the lightbulb went on -- let's see if they have any openings in the preschool that's also run in our church. And they sure did! So even Ellie gets to go to school this year.
3. Our biggest news/struggle the last few weeks have been our cats. Over the years we've started getting more annoyed by them than enjoying them, and when one of them started peeing on the furniture over the summer we started thinking about finding them a new home. Then we discovered fleas in the house (the cats liked to sneak outside any time they saw the door open) and knew something really needed to change.
After talking to a number of people and putting out a couple of Facebook posts, we found a friend who was willing to take them on her little farm to see how they'd do as barn cats. We brought them over this week, and I think it will work out just fine!
So instead of enjoying some of the extra free time I've had during the week writing blog posts or reading, it's been spent doing extra laundry and daily vacuuming. Ugh. Hopefully things will be back to normal soon!
4. In my "spare time" I've done a little bit of canning. Growing up, I remember my mom having huge stockpiles of canned food on the shelves, and while I don't plan to have nearly as much as she did, I am experimenting with a little more each year. This year I made 8 pints of peach salsa, 18 quarts of tomato sauce, and 12 pints of zucchini bread. I hope to do applesauce soon too.
5. I'm considering doing the Write 31 Days challenge again this October (here is my list of posts from last year). I liked what I did last year, writing about brand new kids picture books, but I'm afraid it might not be as easy since I don't work at the library every day anymore. I suppose I could just check out all kinds of new kids books when the kids and I make our weekly trip. But maybe I want to do some different book-related posts. I don't know...
Any tips for getting rid of fleas in the house? Do you do any canning? What should I write about for 31 days?
1. School started the week before Labor Day for Rocky and Abby, and the week after for Ellie. As busy as it makes our days, I've been so looking forward to routine (though my home routine got quite disrupted; that'll be a point all of its own).
Abby is in 5-day, all-day kindergarten. She thrived on 3-day all-day preschool last year, but she's definitely struggling this year. She's had a number of "I miss you, Mommy" meltdowns, and has to get up at 6:15 each morning to ride in with Rocky. I drive her in once or twice a week, but then she gets only an extra half hour of sleep. There are definitely pluses and minuses to having her go to school in the system where Rocky teaches.
2. We weren't originally going to send Ellie to preschool yet (she just turned 3 the beginning of August). But as I was trying to figure out daycare for her the two afternoons a week I work in the church office, the lightbulb went on -- let's see if they have any openings in the preschool that's also run in our church. And they sure did! So even Ellie gets to go to school this year.
3. Our biggest news/struggle the last few weeks have been our cats. Over the years we've started getting more annoyed by them than enjoying them, and when one of them started peeing on the furniture over the summer we started thinking about finding them a new home. Then we discovered fleas in the house (the cats liked to sneak outside any time they saw the door open) and knew something really needed to change.
After talking to a number of people and putting out a couple of Facebook posts, we found a friend who was willing to take them on her little farm to see how they'd do as barn cats. We brought them over this week, and I think it will work out just fine!
So instead of enjoying some of the extra free time I've had during the week writing blog posts or reading, it's been spent doing extra laundry and daily vacuuming. Ugh. Hopefully things will be back to normal soon!
4. In my "spare time" I've done a little bit of canning. Growing up, I remember my mom having huge stockpiles of canned food on the shelves, and while I don't plan to have nearly as much as she did, I am experimenting with a little more each year. This year I made 8 pints of peach salsa, 18 quarts of tomato sauce, and 12 pints of zucchini bread. I hope to do applesauce soon too.
5. I'm considering doing the Write 31 Days challenge again this October (here is my list of posts from last year). I liked what I did last year, writing about brand new kids picture books, but I'm afraid it might not be as easy since I don't work at the library every day anymore. I suppose I could just check out all kinds of new kids books when the kids and I make our weekly trip. But maybe I want to do some different book-related posts. I don't know...
Any tips for getting rid of fleas in the house? Do you do any canning? What should I write about for 31 days?
Saturday, July 18, 2015
The Lion's Tales: early July...
This weekly [errr... as often as I have time] recap is where I blog about anything and everything from the past week [or more...]. Could be about books, my kids, my garden... Random things in my life that don't fill enough space for their own post!
It's been a busy couple of weeks! Be prepared for a post with only a few points, but LOTS of pictures! :)
1. Rocky and I helped at our church's Vacation Bible School. I led the Bible Expeditions station, so 4 rotations came to me throughout the morning and I taught the kids about Elijah, Naaman, Jesus, heaven, etc. I love the VBS program that Group Publishing creates, it's all scripted out so I don't have to create anything on my own. And it's always so fun -- the kids got to eat food brought by "ravens" and dipped their spotted hands in the "Jordan River."
Abby was so excited to participate for real this year - both girls have been "attending" VBS since they were babies, as Rocky and I volunteer each year. But Abby was able to be part of the full preschool program this year.
2. The weather the weekend of the 4th was beautiful. We spent pretty much the whole weekend, Friday afternoon through Sunday, at our extended family's "lakehouse" (not spending the night, as we only live 15 minutes away and others in the family come from hours away). It's the house Rocky grew up in, so it's not just a small summer cottage! There was lots of relaxing and eating and playing in and on and around the water.
3. The week after the 4th, I quickly packed my bags for 5 days in Pennsylvania! I attended the 46th Annual GEMS Leadership Conference. GEMS Girls Clubs is a non-denominational organization dedicated to helping bring girls into a living, dynamic relationship with Jesus Christ. The vision is to see girls around the world actively and enthusiastically expressing love for God and others.
I've been involved in my church's club for 10 years, and have done some leadership at the state level for 4 years. This Conference brought together almost 500 women from across the US and Canada to be encouraged and equipped, not only for leading in their clubs but also to just grow in their own spiritual life. IT. WAS. AWESOME.
It's been a busy couple of weeks! Be prepared for a post with only a few points, but LOTS of pictures! :)
1. Rocky and I helped at our church's Vacation Bible School. I led the Bible Expeditions station, so 4 rotations came to me throughout the morning and I taught the kids about Elijah, Naaman, Jesus, heaven, etc. I love the VBS program that Group Publishing creates, it's all scripted out so I don't have to create anything on my own. And it's always so fun -- the kids got to eat food brought by "ravens" and dipped their spotted hands in the "Jordan River."
Abby was so excited to participate for real this year - both girls have been "attending" VBS since they were babies, as Rocky and I volunteer each year. But Abby was able to be part of the full preschool program this year.
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| Abby got to help out on stage the last day. |
2. The weather the weekend of the 4th was beautiful. We spent pretty much the whole weekend, Friday afternoon through Sunday, at our extended family's "lakehouse" (not spending the night, as we only live 15 minutes away and others in the family come from hours away). It's the house Rocky grew up in, so it's not just a small summer cottage! There was lots of relaxing and eating and playing in and on and around the water.
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| Abby and I enjoyed this hammock a lot... :-) |
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| Yup, my almost-3-year-old went tubing! (Abby however refused out of fear - until the following weekend) |
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| Rocky's family have always been big waterskiers. His sister even is part of a show-skiing team. His dad's birthday was on the 4th, and they decided to attempt a pyramid together. They did it on the first try! |
3. The week after the 4th, I quickly packed my bags for 5 days in Pennsylvania! I attended the 46th Annual GEMS Leadership Conference. GEMS Girls Clubs is a non-denominational organization dedicated to helping bring girls into a living, dynamic relationship with Jesus Christ. The vision is to see girls around the world actively and enthusiastically expressing love for God and others.
I've been involved in my church's club for 10 years, and have done some leadership at the state level for 4 years. This Conference brought together almost 500 women from across the US and Canada to be encouraged and equipped, not only for leading in their clubs but also to just grow in their own spiritual life. IT. WAS. AWESOME.
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| Adults can have fun too. :) |
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| Annie Downs, one of the amazing speakers. |
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| I participated in a pre-conference tour -- we went to Gettysburg. |
Saturday, June 27, 2015
The Lion's Tales: June 21-27
This weekly recap is where I blog about anything and everything from the past week. Could be about books, my kids, my garden... Random things in my life that don't fill enough space for their own post!
1. We had a garage sale this week (in fact I'm typing this post as I'm working it). Everyone always says "garage sales are too much work for how much money you end up making." I suppose that's true, but this year I tried really hard to work on things little by little -- I've kept a box by the stairs and anytime I came across something in the last few months that we don't use I'd put it in the box. And then we set tables up in the garage a week ahead, so when I had an hour here and there I'd go sort and price. We made out alright, and whatever is left we'll donate anyway. Abby and Ellie sold a ton of Rice Krispie treats.
2. I'm almost at the end of my "incentive period" with Usborne (my first 90 days). It's been great, and I've reached all of my goals except one. If I get 1 person to become a consultant too, before next Wednesday, I'll get a big box of free books and supplies. Would you like the chance to earn some extra income, build up your home library, and be part of a great community -- all with no sales quotas to meet? I've even known people to just buy the starter kit for a great deal on new books. Usborne is running a really great limited-time deal on a starter kit of 10 books plus supplies for only $55. Email me at thelionisabookworm at gmail dot com if you have any questions! You could also sign up right now by clicking through this link.
3. The girls had their first dentist appointment this week. They got to watch a little video about what to expect, then the dentist counted their teeth and just made it a fun experience for them. So far so good, no issues that she could see! We often joke that we hope the girls get my teeth and Rocky's eyes... if it's the other way around we're going to have lots of dentist and optometry bills. :-P
4. Ellie has gotten so many comments lately about how big she is. Whether it's at the store, at our garage sale, or people we know, everyone has a hard time believing she is still only 2 years old. I don't think she's any bigger than Abby was at that age, she's wearing the clothes Abby wore at that age. But she is only a couple inches shorter than Abby, and her speech is amazing. Some second-born kids take longer to talk because their older siblings do all the talking for them -- not Ellie!
1. We had a garage sale this week (in fact I'm typing this post as I'm working it). Everyone always says "garage sales are too much work for how much money you end up making." I suppose that's true, but this year I tried really hard to work on things little by little -- I've kept a box by the stairs and anytime I came across something in the last few months that we don't use I'd put it in the box. And then we set tables up in the garage a week ahead, so when I had an hour here and there I'd go sort and price. We made out alright, and whatever is left we'll donate anyway. Abby and Ellie sold a ton of Rice Krispie treats.
2. I'm almost at the end of my "incentive period" with Usborne (my first 90 days). It's been great, and I've reached all of my goals except one. If I get 1 person to become a consultant too, before next Wednesday, I'll get a big box of free books and supplies. Would you like the chance to earn some extra income, build up your home library, and be part of a great community -- all with no sales quotas to meet? I've even known people to just buy the starter kit for a great deal on new books. Usborne is running a really great limited-time deal on a starter kit of 10 books plus supplies for only $55. Email me at thelionisabookworm at gmail dot com if you have any questions! You could also sign up right now by clicking through this link.
3. The girls had their first dentist appointment this week. They got to watch a little video about what to expect, then the dentist counted their teeth and just made it a fun experience for them. So far so good, no issues that she could see! We often joke that we hope the girls get my teeth and Rocky's eyes... if it's the other way around we're going to have lots of dentist and optometry bills. :-P
4. Ellie has gotten so many comments lately about how big she is. Whether it's at the store, at our garage sale, or people we know, everyone has a hard time believing she is still only 2 years old. I don't think she's any bigger than Abby was at that age, she's wearing the clothes Abby wore at that age. But she is only a couple inches shorter than Abby, and her speech is amazing. Some second-born kids take longer to talk because their older siblings do all the talking for them -- not Ellie!
Saturday, June 6, 2015
The Lion's Tales: May 31-June 6 (including June's #bookwormproblems)
This weekly recap is where I blog about anything and everything from the past week. Could be about books, my kids, my garden... Random things in my life that don't fill enough space for their own post!
1. It was the last week of school around here. Rocky has finished his 10th year of teaching, and Abby has finished her first year of preschool.
2. In honor of Abby's 5th birthday, we stopped by the library so she could get her very own library card. I know it's more for show than anything (I keep it in my wallet next to my own card, and signed up with my email address for her due date alerts), but she was pretty excited. :)
3. I closed an Usborne party this week for a teacher-friend who got $200 worth of books for $70. And actually if those packs in the picture would have been bought as separate books, the retail would have been even higher. Would you like some free and half-priced books? Let's have a party! If we get a party in during the month of June, you can get double the amount of free books as usual because I'm still new at this. And if you're not local to me, let's do a Facebook party! Send me an email at thelionisabookworm at gmail dot com.
4. #bookwormproblem of the month: I saw this photo come through Facebook and it really resonated with me:
I realized a lot of books I read are parts of series - it's been awhile since I read anything stand-alone. But that means I often have to wait until the next book in the series a) gets published or b) comes in at the library (luckily I've gotten in the habit of requesting the next book when I'm about halfway done with the first!). AND I've gotten in the habit of paging through the back of my current book (not reading anything though!) when I think I'm getting to that point where there's a good possibility it will end sooner than I'd like, so I can be prepared...
Do you read those chapter previews at the end of a book? Or just wait until you actually get that next book?
Linking up with Jessica at Quirky Bookworm today! Click through to see what other problems are plaguing bookworms this month. :)
1. It was the last week of school around here. Rocky has finished his 10th year of teaching, and Abby has finished her first year of preschool.
2. In honor of Abby's 5th birthday, we stopped by the library so she could get her very own library card. I know it's more for show than anything (I keep it in my wallet next to my own card, and signed up with my email address for her due date alerts), but she was pretty excited. :)
3. I closed an Usborne party this week for a teacher-friend who got $200 worth of books for $70. And actually if those packs in the picture would have been bought as separate books, the retail would have been even higher. Would you like some free and half-priced books? Let's have a party! If we get a party in during the month of June, you can get double the amount of free books as usual because I'm still new at this. And if you're not local to me, let's do a Facebook party! Send me an email at thelionisabookworm at gmail dot com.
4. #bookwormproblem of the month: I saw this photo come through Facebook and it really resonated with me:
I realized a lot of books I read are parts of series - it's been awhile since I read anything stand-alone. But that means I often have to wait until the next book in the series a) gets published or b) comes in at the library (luckily I've gotten in the habit of requesting the next book when I'm about halfway done with the first!). AND I've gotten in the habit of paging through the back of my current book (not reading anything though!) when I think I'm getting to that point where there's a good possibility it will end sooner than I'd like, so I can be prepared...
Do you read those chapter previews at the end of a book? Or just wait until you actually get that next book?
Linking up with Jessica at Quirky Bookworm today! Click through to see what other problems are plaguing bookworms this month. :)
Saturday, May 30, 2015
The Lion's Tales: May 23-30
This weekly recap is where I blog about anything and everything from the past week. Could be about books, my kids, my garden... Random things in my life that don't fill enough space for their own post!
1. Last weekend was Abby's 5th birthday and party. How can my firstborn be so old already?! I remember the day we brought her home from the hospital, the purple and yellow irises in my flower garden were in full bloom to welcome us home... Anyway, last Saturday was a fantastic day for inviting friends to our family's lakehouse. I'll do a post in a couple days about the party theme and such (My Little Pony), but for now I'll just say it probably couldn't have gone any more perfectly.
2. A little over a week ago Rocky and I celebrated our 10th anniversary. We went out to dinner and used gift cards to get expensive things to eat that we wouldn't usually cook at home. That's how we roll. :)
3. I'm about 7 weeks into my Usborne adventure, and it has gone amazingly well! When I started, we set a specific dollar amount for start-up costs, and everything I've gotten since then (supplies, samples, etc) I've purchased/earned with my commission and as freebies. I've now reached the point where I have everything I need, so any commission I earn is straight up income. I reached a few milestones with sales and the company rewarded me with free stuff. They are all so encouraging!! If you'd like the opportunity to earn some extra income for your family and get free stuff too, let me know. There are no monthly quotas to meet or anything, it's actually very laid back and that's one of my favorite things about Usborne as a home-based business.
3. I'm about 7 weeks into my Usborne adventure, and it has gone amazingly well! When I started, we set a specific dollar amount for start-up costs, and everything I've gotten since then (supplies, samples, etc) I've purchased/earned with my commission and as freebies. I've now reached the point where I have everything I need, so any commission I earn is straight up income. I reached a few milestones with sales and the company rewarded me with free stuff. They are all so encouraging!! If you'd like the opportunity to earn some extra income for your family and get free stuff too, let me know. There are no monthly quotas to meet or anything, it's actually very laid back and that's one of my favorite things about Usborne as a home-based business.
4. I've been having issues with my eyes. I should start by saying I got my first pair of glasses when I was 7 years old and have been wearing contacts since 16. At first I attributed my troubles to allergies (which I have never ever had in my whole life but everyone has been saying this has been a terrible spring for them...). My eyes were really red and I had people ask if I was okay because it looked like I had been crying. I left my contacts out for awhile and got some drops. Things were kind of getting better, but then I was having trouble with blurry vision, as if my glasses prescription wasn't strong enough (I have horrible eyes anyway). I was afraid to drive for a couple of days because I couldn't see well. I got checked out and the eye doctor gave me a prescription for a stronger eye drop which has finally been working.
We think what happened is that I actually had an allergic reaction to a new brand of contact solution (I just got whatever was on sale when I needed more!), and the allergies and dry eyes compounded things. So I have to wear my glasses for a couple more weeks and then will get new contacts. Yuck! But I'm thankful it's nothing more serious.
We think what happened is that I actually had an allergic reaction to a new brand of contact solution (I just got whatever was on sale when I needed more!), and the allergies and dry eyes compounded things. So I have to wear my glasses for a couple more weeks and then will get new contacts. Yuck! But I'm thankful it's nothing more serious.
Saturday, April 25, 2015
The Lion's Tales: April 19-25
This weekly recap is where I blog about anything and everything from the past week. Could be about books, my kids, my garden... Random things in my life that don't fill enough space for their own post!
1. I didn't get to write a recap post last weekend because I was away at a training for GEMS Girls' Clubs. My church has a club, but I am also involved in higher-up leadership training. About 50 women from all across the U.S. and Canada get together once a year to learn about things for the next season and prepare to bring those trainings back to our own area in late summer/early fall. If you're interested in having a club in your area for girls in 1st-8th grades, let me know and I can hook you up. :)
2. I got to go on my first field trip with Abby this week! This was one of the things I was looking forward to the most about leaving my library job, being able to do trips with my kids. We went with her preschool class to the zoo and it was COLD! It had rained most of the day and night before, and sprinkled a bit while we were there. There was one other class there from a different school, and about 4 other adults visiting, but other than that we had the whole place to ourselves. We alternated between outdoor exhibits and indoors to warm up. :-P It was quite memorable.
3. I had my first Usborne parties this week! On Thursday night I showed off my stash of books to a small group of friends. Both of my girls were with me, and they were natural saleswomen! I asked everyone who was there to choose a book from the display and we went around and talked about why it caught their eye. Abby started, and she grabbed a shine-a-light book and flashlight all on her own and showed off to the group how it worked. I might have to take her with me to more shows!
4. Getting things started with Usborne has really eaten into my reading time. Mornings and naptime and evenings when I would normally pick up my book and read have been instead spent writing party scripts and offering book recommendations and reading up on product knowledge. I'm hoping that in the next week or two I'll be off to a good enough start and have my materials already created so that I can get back on track with my reading goal! (I did start reading one of the chapter books that came in my kit, so I can give better advice to people who want to know more about it. I'll probably count those kind of books toward my goal since I've counted other YA & juvenile books! :) )
1. I didn't get to write a recap post last weekend because I was away at a training for GEMS Girls' Clubs. My church has a club, but I am also involved in higher-up leadership training. About 50 women from all across the U.S. and Canada get together once a year to learn about things for the next season and prepare to bring those trainings back to our own area in late summer/early fall. If you're interested in having a club in your area for girls in 1st-8th grades, let me know and I can hook you up. :)
2. I got to go on my first field trip with Abby this week! This was one of the things I was looking forward to the most about leaving my library job, being able to do trips with my kids. We went with her preschool class to the zoo and it was COLD! It had rained most of the day and night before, and sprinkled a bit while we were there. There was one other class there from a different school, and about 4 other adults visiting, but other than that we had the whole place to ourselves. We alternated between outdoor exhibits and indoors to warm up. :-P It was quite memorable.
3. I had my first Usborne parties this week! On Thursday night I showed off my stash of books to a small group of friends. Both of my girls were with me, and they were natural saleswomen! I asked everyone who was there to choose a book from the display and we went around and talked about why it caught their eye. Abby started, and she grabbed a shine-a-light book and flashlight all on her own and showed off to the group how it worked. I might have to take her with me to more shows!
4. Getting things started with Usborne has really eaten into my reading time. Mornings and naptime and evenings when I would normally pick up my book and read have been instead spent writing party scripts and offering book recommendations and reading up on product knowledge. I'm hoping that in the next week or two I'll be off to a good enough start and have my materials already created so that I can get back on track with my reading goal! (I did start reading one of the chapter books that came in my kit, so I can give better advice to people who want to know more about it. I'll probably count those kind of books toward my goal since I've counted other YA & juvenile books! :) )
Saturday, April 11, 2015
The Lion's Tales: April 5-11
This weekly recap is where I blog about anything and everything from the past week. Could be about books, my kids, my garden... Random things in my life that don't fill enough space for their own post!
1. We enjoyed our Easter Sunday last week. The day started early, as Rocky and I led music at our church's Sunrise Service at 7:30am! The girls went in their pjs, then while the youth group served breakfast we got them dressed in their pretty outfits. After the regular morning service we loaded up in the van, picked up Rocky's sister and her husband, and traveled about an hour away to have Easter brunch at a "fancy restaurant" (as the girls called it) with Rocky's dad and stepmom.
2. It's been Spring Break around here, so Rocky and Abby have both been home all week. I took the girls to the library one morning to see the yo-yo man (a performance I'd arranged before I left), and we've tried to let Rocky have some away time too (or at least downstairs in the office time). It was REALLY nice to not need to rush off to work at some time every single day. It was a little taste of what summer break will be like!
3. Abby and I got a little excited this week as we started talking about her birthday. She'll be 5 in about 6 weeks, and while I threw her a couple parties in her younger years, I don't want to get into the habit of doing a big themed party every single year for both her and her sister. But age 5 is pretty big, so we talked and she decided she wants a My Little Pony themed party. We snuggled on the couch and looked on the computer for awhile...
Poor guy. Even our two cats are girls. :) I hope I'm not too ambitious, but I started crocheting a birthday present for Abby. I made a monkey for our nephew for Christmas that took me about a month, so we'll see.
4. My biggest news of the week is that I signed up to become an Independent Consultant with Usborne Books & More. You can read more about it through the "Usborne" link at the top of the page (or by clicking this link). I've been considering it for awhile, and after leaving my library job we thought it would be a good idea to have a little extra income here and there. When it comes to any "direct sales" or "home-based-business" I hear people say you need to be passionate about the product or you will never be a good salesman. Well I think I'm a little passionate about kids books... :)
1. We enjoyed our Easter Sunday last week. The day started early, as Rocky and I led music at our church's Sunrise Service at 7:30am! The girls went in their pjs, then while the youth group served breakfast we got them dressed in their pretty outfits. After the regular morning service we loaded up in the van, picked up Rocky's sister and her husband, and traveled about an hour away to have Easter brunch at a "fancy restaurant" (as the girls called it) with Rocky's dad and stepmom.
2. It's been Spring Break around here, so Rocky and Abby have both been home all week. I took the girls to the library one morning to see the yo-yo man (a performance I'd arranged before I left), and we've tried to let Rocky have some away time too (or at least downstairs in the office time). It was REALLY nice to not need to rush off to work at some time every single day. It was a little taste of what summer break will be like!
3. Abby and I got a little excited this week as we started talking about her birthday. She'll be 5 in about 6 weeks, and while I threw her a couple parties in her younger years, I don't want to get into the habit of doing a big themed party every single year for both her and her sister. But age 5 is pretty big, so we talked and she decided she wants a My Little Pony themed party. We snuggled on the couch and looked on the computer for awhile...
4. My biggest news of the week is that I signed up to become an Independent Consultant with Usborne Books & More. You can read more about it through the "Usborne" link at the top of the page (or by clicking this link). I've been considering it for awhile, and after leaving my library job we thought it would be a good idea to have a little extra income here and there. When it comes to any "direct sales" or "home-based-business" I hear people say you need to be passionate about the product or you will never be a good salesman. Well I think I'm a little passionate about kids books... :)
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