Day 187

Wednesday, March 8, 2017


People: When I left my position back in September, I made a promise to my work wife that I would come and visit once a month with the kids. So far I've been able to keep that promise. So, today I called her out of the blue and asked if she would want to grab lunch. I figured she could probably use some time away from work (even if it was 15 minutes to grab lunch). So I picked her up and we grabbed lunch to bring back and eat at work. I got to hang with a couple of my work friends and even saw a couple of students before we had to leave to get home in time for naps (everything revolves around nap schedules currently). I was sorry I didn't have time to see more people during our quick visit, but it's so hard because I don't want to disturb instruction and I usually have very limited time before the twins lose their minds and we have to quickly leave before causing a ruckus!

Bear is excited by the "car!" which he loudly exclaims.

Places/Activities: I thought I was so smart today when I decided that today would be the day I would take the twins to the Robinson Nature Center because I remembered that Wednesdays are always free. Ha! As it turns out, free Wednesdays ended on March 1st. So, I JUST missed the window. They also don't know if they will be offered again. Even though it's no longer free on Wednesdays, it was still worth the $5 fee for me to be able to take the twins to do something different and to change up the scenery. They thoroughly enjoyed the visit, but when it was time to load them in the car I couldn't help but think to myself, "Thank goodness that leash is due to arrive today. I hope it works." We have another outing planned for Friday, so fingers crossed it works!

This evening after feeding Mr. Kitty, we kind of just hung out on the front porch for a few minutes. I love my darling children, but getting outside by myself for just a few minutes and getting in some cat love therapy is truly wonderful. We took a few selfies ;)

He's such a sweet boy!

Don't you know this is a sign of love?

This starfish isn't peeling off!!!

A very "buzzy" little girl!

Bear attempts to climb through the bars.

Petting a pretend caterpillar

Good Deeds: Not much to report here today either. However, did you know that you can RECYCLE OYSTER SHELLS??? When leaving the Robinson Nature Center today, I took the long way back to the car so as to enjoy the beautiful sunshine a little longer, and there at the end of the parking lot was a bin to collect empty Oyster shells. If you eat oysters and want to learn more about the process, here's the website: https://oysterrecovery.org/sra/ I think it's a fabulous idea! And I really feel silly that I didn't know about this before. My cousin recently earned his PhD and is continuing his work researching oysters and their impact on the Chesapeake Bay. I should really talk to him about his work soon. There's so much we as the general public don't know about our environment. I'm sure he'd be able to provide some insight!

Chores: I decided to get a head start on cleaning tonight so that I have less to do tomorrow. So, I scrubbed down the upstairs bathrooms this evening after putting the children to bed while D was out grocery shopping.

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Reading: I started reading The Uncommoners: The Crooked Sixpence today. So far it's really fabulous. High action and high interest. Why did I bother checking out a book that a middle schooler might like to read? Because I love all books and books targeted to young adults tend to be pretty awesome if you find the right series and give them a chance (Harry Potter, Darren Shan, The Hunger Games, A Series of Unfortunate Events, The Maze Runner... you get my drift). Anyway, I saw this one sitting on the shelf at the library and I was attracted to the cover. It looked like something I would enjoy. Not to mention that Soman Chainani (which if I'm being honest here, I really have no idea who this person is) is quoted on the front cover as saying that it's "part Tim Burton and part J.K. Rowling." I mean, two of my favorite people ever. Can't go wrong with that! Anyway, it's awesome so far and I expect to be finished tomorrow if I can sneak in the rest of reading during naptime! Squeak and I also finished up The Magic School Bus: Insect Invaders this evening. It complimented our visit to the Natural History Museum on Monday.


Recipes: I'm such an idiot sometimes. Here I've been going to the library for books for myself to read, and books to read to the kids, and picture books to draw... I could have been checking out some cookbooks! Guess what I'm going to be looking for tomorrow?? ;) I DID find one or two recipes today though, so (fingers crossed) hopefully I will have something to share tomorrow! Lately we have been thawing out and eating recipes that D or I made and put in the freezer. Tonight was tortellini soup (though Squeak isn't a big fan for some reason).

Random Thoughts: Food waste. D and I can't stand it. We don't eat fast food very often, but when we do we usually end up ordering too much. And then it's frustrating because when you realize how much you've just spent on one meal it makes you want to be sick. This sounds ridiculous, but Squeak doesn't even know that a kids meal comes with a toy. If by chance she does get a kid meal somewhere, we just hand her the food out of the bag and she has no idea there is anything else in the bag. I'm sure that will change at some point in the near future, but for now I ship off the toys to a teacher friend of mine who uses them as prizes for kids less fortunate than mine. Anyway, I figured out that if I order a 12 piece chicken nugget meal, the twins and myself can make a full meal out of it between the three of us. Not sure how long they will be satisfied with only eating 3 nuggets each, but we will roll with it for as long as possible!