2013.12.14 Saturday

I've been working all semester and therefore have not posted on my "What I do" page. As of Thursday, I am officially on Christmas break, so I have no work to distract me from being productive at home. Ha... Anyway, we had an incredibly productive day today, mainly due to the fact that our small group is coming over tomorrow, so I decided that I should show-off share just a little.

Today I: 

Cleaned the kitchen, including emptying the dishwasher and scrubbing all the pans 

Scrubbed the stove

Picked up and put away all of John's toys (not an easy task when you're 8 months pregnant)

Straightened the living room

Cleaned the bathroom

Dusted all the public rooms in our house

Vacuumed the living room and hallway

Swept and mopped the kitchen, dining room, and bathroom floors

Made dinner of Pot Roast, mashed potatoes, beans, corn, and salad (just for us and Julia and Brad, not for small group)

Took a shower

Cleaned the kitchen again

Put out some of our Christmas decorations

Made a Christmas tree out of cardboard

Today Eric: 

Finished hanging the suspension ceiling in the soon-to-be playroom downstairs

Made a Lowe's trip

Installed two doors

Mopped/scrubbed the basement floor

Painted the floor

Straightened Sam's room

Took an old couch out to the garage

Shovelled the driveway

Today John: 

Stayed in bed playing/sleeping until 11

Played the piano

Made a line of cars all the way from the front window in the livingroom to the dining room

Took a nap

"Helped" mom empty the dishwawer

"Helped" dad work on the basement

Entertained Julia and Brad while they were over

2013.08.26-2013.08.30

Oh man, another week is done, crazy!

We did lots of fun things last week. Ruby came over Monday and Thursday and was learning to walk so we had lots of fun. 

Tuesday we went to Kuyper to visit Eric and work and for me to meet with Andrew Zwart to talk through work details for next week! John loves all of the big rooms and open spaces at Kuyper and had fun running around while we talked. We also got free lunch at Kuyper and went grocery shopping on our way home. 

Wednesday morning we went over to Kelly's and took Brendan to the park for a while so that Kelly could take a nap for a while. The boys had a blast running around, climbing, going down slides, and eating watermelon. I got a few chapters of a book read while they played. 

Thursday was Ruby's last day here. They took naps on completely opposite schedules, so I was busy playing with one of them most of the day. I also painted some jar lids for a little project and cleaned most of the house, including vacuuming. 

Friday John went to Kelly's while I went to Kuyper for my first day of work (sort of). I just presented "How to Survive a Kroeze Course" to a bunch of freshman. Then I went grocery shopping, visited with Kelly and Brendan for a while, and came home to hang out with Eric. Mom and Dad came up from DeMotte so we ate some dinner, put John to bed, and made 8 gallons of applesauce. What? That's not a normal thing to do on a Friday night? Hmmm...

Saturday we slept in while Dad took John to Lowe's. After that we went to Lubie's house to visit Sylvan and eat lunch. Mom and Dad left from there and the Roosma family went to AJ's Family Fun Center to celebrate Kelly's Golden Birthday. 

Meals this week included: Tuna noodle casserole, Sauerkraut with Sausage and mashed potatoes, a free pizza from Papa Johns, Chicken Rice casserole, Chinese, a Mediterranean style pasta (with feta, olives, and pesto), eggs and toast, cereal, lots of watermelon, and a few other things that I'm probably forgetting about. 

2013.08.19-201.08.23

Whoops! Somehow a whole week went by and I forgot to write down what I did all week. 

Last week Eric had campus safety training, so he was training his guys from 8-5 everyday and had to get all of his other work done before or after his regular hours. On top of that, his boss decided that it was a good week to care about the brown patches in the grass (instead of at the beginning of the summer when Eric proposed multiple preventative solutions, all of which were rejected by the same boss), which meant he had to do his best to fix/make function-able the lacking sprinkler system. Anyway, he was at work much more than usual and didn't get home until 7, 8, 9, or 10 every evening. 

I watched Ruby every day last week except for Friday, which kept me very busy. I did manage to keep both kids alive and having fun (for the most part) all week along with regular cooking and cleaning. The house wasn't even a disaster when the weekend arrived. We also went on a few playdates, brought Eric dinner a few days (so that he could actually see John), and went on lots of walks. 

John had his doctor appointment on Wednesday. He is growing so fast. He is now 25 pounds and has gained about a pound a month since his last checkup. The doctor gave me lots of good advice on how to do timeouts, a now regular part of our lives. He also said that John's social abilities are great and he loved to see him playing with Ruby. 

On Friday, Brendan came over for the morning and then Kelly took us out to lunch at Schuler's. The boys had a blast playing in the little house and driving the trains around the track. John wanted to take a few trains home with him. After that, we both took a nap and then met Becki and Judah (who is a week older than John) at Java Gym (which is sadly closing this week). John and I then met Eric at Kuyper for a student leaders dinner and hung out for a bit, went grocery shopping, and came home. Eric got home shortly after I got John to sleep. 

Saturday Eric had to go in to work for the morning, so when he got back, we went on a family outing to Cabella's to look at fish and guns and ate at Chipotle. John was hilarious while we were eating. There was some reggae or folk music playing and he kept dancing to it in his high chair. It was pretty adorable. We picked up a redbox movie (for free!) on the way home and put John to bed together. Then, Eric made popcorn and I made smoothies and we had an awesome date night together. Great way to end a much-too-busy week. 

2013.08.16 Friday

I hit "snooze" on my alarm, John slept in, and Ruby arrived early. 

I woke up to Sam barking at the front door, threw on some clothes, and answered rather groggily. Whoops...I guess maybe I should set my alarm earlier than 8:20 for a 9:00 arrival time, but I'm usually just fine. This getting here at 8:30 business is a little ridiculous :) 

By the time I got dressed, John woke up. We had breakfast (eggs and toast) and packed up the kiddos in the carseats for a visit to the O'Brien-Pahman household. 

Kelly and I had pastries and coffee, the kids had fun playing with toys, reading books, and pulling magnets off the fridge. Then we all to a wonderful walk next to the stream in the woods by their house. 

On the way home, both kids fell asleep in the car; I successfully transferred them to their sleeping locations in our house without waking either one of them up. 

I made some pasta for lunch (because it is no longer making me throw up) and read part of a book while they napped. 

After they woke up, we ate lunch and played for the rest of the afternoon. I did manage to fold and put away all of the laundry that was left.

Eric and I planned a "cleaning party" date for tonight, so I got started without him. I straightened all the bedrooms, the bathroom, and the living room. When he got home, he vacuumed all the floors in the whole house while I cleaned the kitchen (including wiping down the cabinets and cleaning the stove and microwave). Once we felt accomplished, we went to pick up our Chinese food and Red Box movie. After dinner (easy clean-up), we bathed and bedded John and enjoyed our movie together. What a great (cheap) date night! 

2013.08.15 Thursday

Ruby came over today. We: 

Ate oatmeal and Strawberries for breakfast. 

Folded a load of laundry, washed a load of laundry. 

Played fetch with the dogs. 

Ate lunch. 

Went over to a friends for the afternoon. The kiddos all played together and before I realized it, it was four fifteen and we had to go!

Made shephard's pie for dinner. 

Cleaned the kitchen. 

2013.08.14 Wednesday

After a much better night's sleep, I was slightly more productive today (but only slightly). I

Made eggs and toast for breakfast. 

Took some pictures around the house. (See my other blog for the proof of those pictures). 

Taught John how to color with crayons. 

Ate leftovers and fresh fruit for lunch. 

Straigtened the house. 

Took a nap. 

Showered. 

Went to my Baby Doctor appointment. 

Visited Eric at work. 

Dropped off a prescription at Meijer. 

Played outside with John while Eric worked on the Land Rover. 

Ate Veggie Pizza for supper. 

Cleaned the kitchen. 

Put my kid to bed and hung out with Eric for the rest of the evening. 

2013.08.13 Tuesday

John did not want to sleep last night. He cried painful cries every time we left the room and wouldn't give up. So, I slept in his room last night on the mattress on the floor. Needless to say, I did not get a very good night's sleep. 

Today we: 

Had leftover pancakes for breakfast. 

Straightened up the house. 

Played outside. 

Ate leftover mac-n-cheese for lunch. 

Took naps. 

Took a shower together. 

Went to the chiropractor. 

Went to the library to hang out. 

Washed/dried two loads of laundry. 

Broke a necklace. To be more accurate, John broke my necklace, sending teeny tiny beads all over the kitchen floor and causing me to break down into tears. Hormones and exhaustion don't go well together. 

Picked up hundreds of beads from the kitchen floor. 

Cleaned John's room. 

Ate chicken flavored rice for supper (Eric made it).

Went to bed early. 

2013.08.12 Monday

Today I: 

Babysat Ruby all day. 

Made pancakes (with peanut butter and syrup on top) for breakfast.

Sorted through and stored all of John's 12 month clothes. 

Folded some laundry. 

Had leftover Shepherd's Pie for lunch (John wouldn't eat any until he saw me feeding it to Ruby, then he was all over it). 

Made Veggie Pizza (the cold kind. Yum!). 

Cleaned the kitchen. 

Made Mac-n-cheese for supper because Eric was craving it. 

Played catch with Sam, Pearl, and John. 

2013.08.05-2013.08.09

Monday: 

Watched Ruby and John.

Made eggs, toast, and oatmeal for breakfast.

Cleaned out our fridge (I was inspired by Grandma's hard work on Saturday)

Went grocery shopping WITH TWO KIDS!

Put all of the groceries away while the kids slept in their carseats. 

Had yogurt parfaits for lunch. 

Forgot to lock the games cabinet. Whoops...

Did a load of laundry. 

Ordered Pizza for supper because it sounded really good and I gave into the craving...

Watched "the bachelorette" finale. 

Tuesday: 

No Ruby today, just me and John. We: 

Ate fruit, yogurt, and toast for breakfast. 

Cleaned and vacuumed the living room. 

Hung out with our dogs (who have missed us for the last week).

Ate peanut butter sandwiches for lunch

Went to Hudsonville to visit Lubie, Sylvan, Grandpa, Grandma, Aunt Debbie, Uncle Steve, and Jenna. Hung out there for most of the afternoon.

Picked up a free chair off the side of the road (I am my mother's daughter). 

Made rice for dinner; Eric turned it into fried rice.

Cleaned the kitchen. 

Wednesday: 

Watched Ruby and John all day. 

Made oatmeal for breakfast. 

Washed, dried, and folded 5 loads of laundry. 

Set up a "Cruiser Course" to help Ruby practice getting around on her feet instead of her knees. 

Ate leftover fried rice and chicken for lunch. 

Watched some "How I Met Your Mother" while the kiddos napped. 

Switched out John's 12 month clothes for his 18 month clothes. He is getting so big!

Thursday: 

Ruby and John today. 

Fruit and cereal for breakfast. 

Went on a playdate.

Packed a picnic lunch to eat on the road.  

Ran Errands: got gas, picked up my new glasses, got a few essential groceries, and visited Eric at work. 

Cleaned the kitchen.

Made Shepherd's Pie casserole for supper.

Hung out with my hubby for the evening. 

Friday: 

John and Ruby today. 

Bananas, scrambled eggs, and toast for breakfast. 

Played with the kiddos all morning. 

While they napped, I made general tsao chicken and ate it with some leftover fried rice. 

Scooped dog poop, lots of it, while John continued to nap and Ruby played on the deck. 

Fed the kids some lunch. 

Walked to the library to return books. 

Went to the park to let the kiddos play. 

Stopped at a garage sale and decided it was a bad idea when four little hands started grabbing everything within their reach; so we walked home. 

Put Ruby down for a nap. 

Took a shower while John banged on the shower door and emptied the bathroom cabinet.

Did my hair and make-up and got dressed.

Cleaned the kitchen while talking Julia through the evening of watching John.

Went to a wedding with my hubby and celebrated some friends getting hitched.  

2013.07.26-2013.08.04

We went on vacation to Tennessee and left John in DeMotte. 

We had a blast hiking, reading, eating, and hanging out with friends. 

John had a blast talking, eating, sleeping, and getting generally spoiled by his Oma, Opa, Uncle, and Aunties. 

On Saturday (back in DeMotte) I worked on our DeMotte house with Mom, Grandma, Amber, and Grandpa to transform it from a disgusting pit to a mostly livable place. Special thanks to Mom for working wonders in the bathroom, Grandma for braving the fridge, and Amber for a full morning of hard work! 

Sunday I went to church, ate lunch at Aunty Laura's, and sat squished between two carseats for three hours on my way back to Grand Rapids. Ahhh... home sweet home. 

2013.07.24 Wednesday

John and I went to the beach with some people form a "mom's group."

The boys had a blast splashing in the water and playing in the sand. 

Other than preparing for the beach, going to the beach, and cleaning up from the beach, I didn't get a lot done. 

But it was fun!

See facebook for pictures. 

2013.07.25 Thursday

Thursday was an extremely productive day. I: 

Babysat Ruby all day. 

Cleaned the entire house (kitchen, living room, dining room, our room, John's room, downstair's room, bathroom)

Got the guest room ready for our house sitters 

Did 4 loads of laundry (washed, dried, folded AND put away)

Packed for vacation

Packed for John's week at Oma and Opa's

Went to visit Lubie and meet Sylvan

Drove down to Indiana

2013.07.23 Tuesday

Last week, John woke up with a raspy voice one morning. It was adorable and I smiled whenever he talked. 

Last night/this morning, I woke up with a sore throat, and yes, the same raspy voice as John. Let me tell you, it is not adorable and no one should smile at it! This sore throat is miserable. Along with it, I have a nasty head cold, stuffed up sinuses, a horrible headache, and snot dripping into my already queasy throat/stomach. This raspy voice business is no fun. I apologize, John, for smiling when I'm sure you just felt miserable.

That being said, I did little today but mope around. 

We got our carpets cleaned, so I did clean the living room/move all of the furniture into the dining room.  

I also emptied and loaded the dishwasher and made eggs and toast. 

Other than that, we hung out in the basement or the back yard and played/sat most of the day. 

It's now 9:00pm and I am going to bed, armed with my hanky, water, and throw up bowl. Hopefully I'll be able to sleep!

2013.07.22 Monday

I was so productive today! I'm starting to babysit Ruby, a little girl a month younger than John, 3 days a week and today was my first day. I wasn't expecting to get anything done except watching the two of them, but I did!

Today (along with watching two kids) I: 

Took a shower, did my hair, and got dressed

Made a breakfast of eggs and toast

Cleaned the kitchen

Watched 2 episodes of How I met Your Mother

Unloaded the dishwasher

Washed all the sheets (dried too)

Vacuumed the living room

Swept the dining room and kitchen

Loaded the dishwasher

Rocked a kid to sleep 3 times

Sorted through John's toys

Folded some laundry (not a whole load, but some)

2013.07.15-2013.07.19

What did I do this week? 

Monday: 

Mom stayed here last night because she was presenting on a panel today, so I briefly woke up to say by to her and then drifted in and out until John woke up. 

We had delicious blueberries from VanKley's and cereal for breakfast. 

After using teamwork to break a bowl (this kid is getting an attitude...) that smashed into a million pieces all over the floor, I swept, vacuumed, and mopped the whole kitchen/dining room while John sat screaming (and later eating food) in his high chair (the only safe place I could find for him). 

Eric has training at Calvin this week, so he came home for his lunch break. We had Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches. 

Took a nap. 

Unpacked from my weekend in DeMotte. 

Watched the Bachelorette while Eric put John to bed. 

Tuesday: 

Slept in. The joys of having my kid sleep until 10:00. 

Ate egg and toast and blueberries and cereal for breakfast. Most important meal of the day right?

Took a shower AND shaved my legs. 

Had spaghetti for lunch.

Skyped with Alicia while John napped. 

Made spanish rice and refried beans for supper.

Put away laundry (from last week). 

Wednesday: 

Got up with my hubby and had an egg and toast for breakfast. 

Went back to bed because John was still sleeping. 

Got up at 9 because Brendan was coming over (John was still sleeping, but didn't last much longer).

Made whole-wheat blueberry pancakes for breakfast. 

Hung out with two fun little boys all morning. 

Tried to clean the kitchen (I unloaded and loaded the dishwasher, but didn't get to the pans). 

Hung out with Kelly for the afternoon.

We ordered Pizza for lunch. 

Wasn't feeling so hot after eating nearly half a pizza, so I did nothing for the rest of the day. 

Eric had to work late, so I watched "How I met your mother" after John went to bed and then fell asleep.

Thursday: 

Had my toast and egg for breakfast when Eric got up, then went back to bed.

Slept in again. This kid is getting me in a bad habit, but I don't mind. 

Blueberries and Melon for breakfast.

Made pasta for lunch. 

Took a nap.

Met Ruby's mom (I'm going to start watching Ruby 3 days a week).

Went grocery shopping. 

Put all of the groceries away!

Had Jimmy John's for supper (I know, silly thing to do right after I bought groceries, but Eric mentioned it as an option and it sounded so good that I couldn't refuse).

Washed and dried two loads of laundry. 

Friday: 

Toast and Egg for breakfast and I didn't go back to bed! (I fell asleep on the couch...)

I made a stew and put it in the crock pot for supper. 

Mac-n-cheese for lunch. 

Cleaned the whole kitchen (yes, I finally washed all the dishes)

Straightened the living room

Ate delicious stew for supper. 

Went over to Kelly and Dylan's new house to see the inside and so Eric could fix the electrical in their kitchen. 

Folded some laundry. 

I'm sure there must be some seriously time-consuming task that occupied the rest of my time that I'm forgetting about... (I won't tell you that it's just been watching "How I met your mother" every time I have a chance).

2013.07.12 Friday

I was pretty lazy this morning. 

I slept in and cuddled with my baby boy. 

I packed up a weekend bag. 

I folded about one and a half (out of six) loads of laundry.  

I took a shower. 

This afternoon I rode with Mom from GR to DeMotte. 

We stopped in Valpo to get some greens and a present for my cousin's shower on Sunday. 

I got to see and spend time with Joe and Marie, my cousin Tyler and Tracy, and JENNA!!!!

I ate delicious rice and greens for supper and had fresh blueberries. So good. 

I continued to read my Nicholas Sparks novel. 

I hung out at Amber and William's for a late night bonfire. 

2013.07.11 Thursday

Today I: 

Had a fruit parfait for breakfast before John woke up (now that's what I call relaxing). 

Did about 6 loads of laundry (washed and dried, yet to be folded or put away). 

Cleaned the kitchen (first time since we got back from vacation).

Swept/vacuumed all the floors (a necessity when you have indoor dogs). 

Read a good chunk of a book (someone left a Nicholas Sparks novel in our van...).

2013.07.10 Wednesday

Ahhh... a full night's sleep in my bed was seriously needed. 

My kiddo slept in again this morning, and so did I. 

After a lazy morning and breakfast of dry cereal, we sorted all the laundry from vacation and started getting it done. 

Lunch was eggs again because we had nothing else. 

After lunch we took a nap. 

When we woke up we went to the doctor, which took an hour and a half, and then went grocery shopping. 

Woo hoo! We have food again. 

After putting the groceries away and doing more laundry, I didn't feel like cooking so we grilled brats and ate them with saurkraut for supper. Yum. 

Mom came over after supper because she is in GR for a conference, so John (and Eric and I) got to hang out with his Oma for a while before bedtime. 

Now for another good night's sleep. 

2013.07.09 Tuesday

Back from vacation! I can't believe I've been gone for two weeks. We had a blast, but you can peek at my other blog to hear more about it (when I get around to it that is).

We got back LATE last night (around 1:30am) so I was thrilled that John slept in until 10:00am today. I could get used to that!

After he got up we had a breakfast of oatmeal and fruit (fruit from the freezer because we have minimal amounts of food in the house).

Our dogs were fairly happy to have us back, so we spent a good amount of the morning playing with them. John was happy to see them too. 

For lunch I made eggs, refried beans, and heated up some corn tortillas because I couldn't find anything else to eat. I think I should go grocery shopping soon. 

After lunch we emptied out the WHOLE van. Pearl helped by cleaning/licking the crumbs from the various corners of the van. John got sick of eating snacks in his carseat after 20 hours in the van so the snacks got thrown all over. It was pretty messy. John helped by climbing in and out of the van and handing me anything he found that looked interesting, but not interesting enough to keep playing with. 

My emptying the van turned into throwing everything into a big old pile in the middle of the kitchen, so once that was done, I had to start organizing. Most of the clothes ended up in a big pile of dirty laundry. Some clothes, the toys, the snacks, the baby gear, and all the extras got put away. That felt like enough of an accomplishment for the day, so I didn't feel too guilty leaving the kitchen a mess with a giant pile of laundry in the corner. 

While John took a nap, I took a shower and finished up putting some of the extra vacation items away. 

I ate my leftover beans and tortillas for supper and made John and Eric some mac and cheese. 

Once John was in bed, I curled up in my lazy boy and caught up on the "Bachelorette" episodes that I missed. 

Needless to say, I was ready to catch up on some zzz's after that. 

2013.06.11-2013.06.15

Tuesday: Eric had a personal day left so he stayed home today to work around the house today. While he finished up his workbench and hung trim in John's room, I: 

Made and ate oatmeal and berries with John for breakfast

Swept/vacuumed all the floors

Washed, dried, and folded 4 loads of laundry (while watching the bachelorette from last night)

Made lasagna for supper

Cleaned the kitchen

Went to watch Eric's Ultimate Frisbee game in Grandville and hung out with John and his friend Jackson (and Kristeen) while they played. We fed the ducks stale hot dog buns, climbed the playground about 15 times, swung on the swings, and continuously tried not to let John run out into the parking lot. 

Wednesday:

Kelly, Brendan, and Cedar came over this morning for brunch. We made an egg skillet, bacon, toast, coffee, and freshly squeezed grapefruit juice. 

They hung out until about 1. 

After that I just straightened up, played with John and took a nap. 

We grilled brats for dinner. 

Thursday: 

John woke up in the middle of the night just burning up, so there wasn't a whole lot of sleeping.

John had a pretty bad fever, so I didn't get a whole lot done other than taking care of him. 

I did manage to put away most of the laundry from Tuesday.

Eric's sister Julia babysat tonight so that we could go on a date night!

We went to a delicious Persian restaurant called Shiraz. 

After an appetizer of pita and hummus, I had a couscous salad with chickpeas, feta cheese, and herbs and a delectable sirloin lamb shish-kabob. 

Eric chose a dessert wine (which is strange because he usually doesn't drink wine) that had hints of raisin, toffee, and coffee. Sounds weird, but it was really good. 

We were planning to go bowling or roller skating afterward, but were both very full and in the mood to sit, so we went to a movie instead. It was fun. 

Friday: Today I: 

Ate eggs and sausage for breakfast. 

Tried to be productive with a very clingy, still feverish little boy. 

Took a nap. 

Straightened up the house so its ready for a relaxing weekend. 

Made (with Eric's help) baked potatoes and grilled barbecue chicken for supper. 

Saturday: Today I: 

Made fruit and yogurt parfaits for breakfast. 

Skyped with Mom and Dad Roosma. 

Played with John (who now has a rash, which means he probably had Roseola).

Put John down for a nap and crawled back in bed with Eric, who was sleeping in. 

Ate lunch (cereal and toast)

Went to Kuyper to help Eric set up for a last minute event. John LOVES climbing those giant stairs.

Went grocery shopping. 

Made a homemade supreme pizza. 

Had Dylan, Kelly, and Brendan over for games night!

2013.06.10

Monday. 

Today I had a pretty pathetic day. John was sick this weekend and didn't sleep very well, which meant that I didn't sleep very well. 

So today, I slept in as long as possible (about 5:30am). 

When Eric got up at 6:30, he entertained John while he got ready and I tried to sleep some more. 

Breakfast of Bran Flakes.

Nap time at 9.

Lunch of eggs and toast. 

Nap at 1 (yup, me too)

Did some laundry and played. 

Sort of cleaned the kitchen.

Grilled brats for dinner. 

Went out with friends for drinks and half off appetizers at Applebee's at 8:30.

Went grocery shopping after that because I didn't have a kid with me to make life difficult. 

Got home and went to bed by 11.  

2013.06.03-2013.06.07

Monday: 

Subbed at the Potter's House.

Watched the Kindergartener's that I taught last semester graduate. 

Went for a walk with Kelly, John, and Brendan. 

Stopped at a pastry shop and shared a muffin, tart, and donut.

Made chili and baked potatoes for supper. 

Watched the Bachelorette while Eric put John to bed (one benefit of weaning...we're down to once a day). 

Tuesday: 

Babysat Brendan. 

Went on a playdate and met a bunch of cool moms (and their kids).

Ate lunch with Kelly and Brendan. 

Visited Eric at work. 

Went to the doctor for my yoo-hoo checkup (I can't believe it's already been a year!).

Drove to Kentwood to get a double stroller only to find out that it was broken in 3 spots, being eaten by bugs, and didn't fold up. She could've told me that on the phone and not wasted my time. 

Went to bed early because John was cranky, which made me tired. 

Wednesday:

Subbed at the Potter's House for the morning. 

Babysat Brendan for the afternoon. 

Did some laundry. 

Made Lasagna for supper. 

Researched personal tutoring prices and ideas...

Thursday: 

Ate Bran flakes for breakfast (this is important because I was constipated yesterday, also, it gave John a super gross diaper later in the day)

Took a nap in the morning when John did because I had a headache and was feeling lazy. 

Researched how to train a dog and tried out a few things. Pearl has way too much energy. 

Got a package from Pampered chef in the mail!

Made tater tot casserole for supper so that I could use my new can opener. 

Helped Eric carry a big load of stuff in from Lowe's.

Watched some Arrested Development on my iPad while I cleaned the kitchen. 

Friday: 

Fought with John about nap time for an hour and a half. He's decided he doesn't like them anymore. 

Made my own cherry pie filling with the cherries that were not going to last much longer on their own. 

Went grocery shopping. 

Got a $1 beverage at Starbucks. 

Made chocolate-cherry cake.

Made a salad. 

Bought a kitchen table at a garage sale (it's still in the van).

Cleaned the whole house (living room, dining room, kitchen, swept floors, straightened bathroom)

Had friends over for supper and games. It was fun. 

That's my week in brief! I'm sure there are things I forgot because I could barely remember what I did today and trying to remember the whole week... well, let's just say it was difficult for me. I think I'm losing my memory already. 

2013.05.28-2103.05.31

I went down to Indiana this week to visit mi familia! Alicia and Oma were both there from Alberta, so it was an extra special trip. Just a few highlights:

Corianna

Corianna and John walking around and playing together.

Half off McStop! With April 

Taking walks

April's graduation

Seeing Alicia's wedding dress

Making jewelry with Alicia (even though most of mine failed)

William and Amber's hospitality (food, piña coladas, and relaxation)

Bike rides

Meeting the famous Miss Bowman for the first time

Tea with two Omas and Grandma

Ice cream and cake with Dad at Grandma andGrandpa's

Office work with April

John learned to go down stairs successfully

Nathan's grilling skills

Coming home to spend the weekend with my hubby 

2013.05.27

Memorial Day.

We had brunch at Eric's grandma's in Zeeland and hung out with family there until about one. Then we came back home and took naps to try to catch up on sleep from our camping trip! 

Eric had the day off, so we mainly just hung out the rest of the day. 

2013.05.24

The majority of my day today was spent preparing for a camping trip. I also had Brandan over and watched him while Kelly went to confession. After that, she brought over pastries, we hung out, and them took a field trip to see the house they might buy. When they left, I continued prepping for camping. Once that was done, we went camping with Rachel and Dave!! 

It was lots of fun. John did pretty well. We set up a "tent" for him in the van by putting his pack and play in the middle and hanging tarps and blankets around the outside so he couldn't see out. He slept all night! He loved being outside all day. 

2013.05.23

I subbed at Dutton today. I love teaching. After that John and I hung out with Amanda and Rogan for a while. Then I went to Bigby, went home, made dinner, and hung out with the family for a while.

2013.05.22

Is it really Wednesday already?

Today I:
Made Broccoli, Carrots, and Rice
Cleaned the whole kitchen.
Cleaned the whole living room and kept it clean most of the day.
Finished ALL of the laundry! Even putting it away!! It's been months (slight exageration) since that happened.
Put up a shelf thing in the garage to organize all of the shovels, rakes, etc.
Finished and ordered a Shutterfly book (with a coupon :)
Dealt with a pretty cranky baby most of the day. Well I dealt with him all day, he was just cranky most of the day. I think there's a misplaced modifier there, but I'm on a roll, so I'm not going to go back to rearrange it.
Took a shower and changed my clothes.
Didn't notice it started to rain while the dogs were outside, so I scrubbed both of them down with a towel and then wiped the floor in the back room and left them on the tiled floors until they dried off.
Lined up a sub job, babysitter, and hang out time for tomorrow.
Now to pack lunches and a diaper bag for tomorrow...

2012.05.21

I forgot to write down what I did yesterday and now I can't remember...
I went grocery shopping.
I picked up toys multiple times.
I washed some laundry.
I cleaned the kitchen.
I didn't change out of my pajamas all day (that's right, even for grocery shopping).
I can't remember anything else...
I must be losing my mind.

Oh yeah!!! I sorted through a TON of pictures and worked on putting together a shutterfly book. Plus the internet started going really slowly because our router got struck by lightning, so it took my computer all day to try to back up some of the photos that I scanned.

I also took a pregnancy test. Still not pregnant folks.

2013.05.20

Monday, wonderful Monday. 

Today, I took care of three kids all day. Ok, technically it was one kid and two dogs, but that's not what it felt like!

We adopted another dog this weekend. Her name is Pearl. She is one and a half years old and is still full of that puppy dog energy. She is a black lab/great dane mix. She looks just like Sam (brown/black fur, white moat, white paws) but stands about 5 inches taller and is about 10 pounds lighter. 

We spent the morning going inside, then outside, then inside, then outside, exploring the house, exploring the yard, exploring each other, Pearl testing my boundaries, Pearl testing Sam's boundaries, John testing Pearl's boundaries, me enforcing boundaries, eating food, playing, and hanging out. 

Then, it stormed. Marble sized hail in the middle of 80 degree weather is always interesting, but today even more so. This happened right around 2:30 in the afternoon, about John's nap time. Well, John LOVES new things and loves the outdoors even more, so when there is something as exciting as little white toys falling from the sky and thrilling noises after flashing lights that make the whole house wiggle, he wants to be there. John wanted to be standing by the front window, or even better by the front door, staring outside. He also wants me to stand close enough for him to touch in case some of the excitement turns scary. If, by some strange and horrid circumstance, he discovered that I was not in arms reach, those exciting white toys and thrilling noises turned much less enjoyable and he would add his wail to the cracks of thunder, proving to me that, despite his excitement, he really did need a nap. 

Sam we know is just straight up scared of storms, so he was curled up under the table by my feet until I started walking around, at which point he hurried to the innermost room of the house and pulled himself into the smallest ball possible between the wall and Eric's side of the bed. 

Pearl's demeanor was much more like John's. She too, decided her best option was to attach herself to me at the hip. I'm not sure if her goal was to protect me, protect herself, or just to explore more, so I didn't bother to stop her until my physical contact with her led to problems with my physical contact with John. You see, her tail swings like a whip and while we were all lined up looking out the front window, it happened to swing around me and hit John. Well that just turned the world from a glorious play place into a house of horror and his whole world came crashing down. 

This is when I decided it was definitely nap time. I soothed John's troubled nerves and calmly brought him into his room, pulling the door almost closed behind me. I sang a song while John rested on my shoulder in an attempt to drown out the whining from dear sweet Pearl who longed to be nearer. He seemed to be ready to sleep, so I laid him down in his crib with his pipe and blankie in hand. As I turned to quietly make my exit, in pounced Pearl, who had discovered that the door doesn't latch, so she can push it open with her nose! Needless to say, that didn't help John calm down. When I rushed Pearl back to the living room, John became more upset at being left alone than he had been from the original tail swing. Fortunately, I found a shelf that is empty, easy to move, and the perfect size to block off the hallway, keeping unfortunate Pearl separated from tired John. After another quick sooth, the baby was out like a light, the dog was sleeping safely sleeping, and the puppy was curled up ON my feet as I sat in the rocker to relax. No use trying to get anything else done... 

2013.05.17

Friday

We had a wedding at noon today, so that's pretty much all I did all day. Get a gift, get ready, wedding, reception, nap time. Having a kid makes everything feel like much more of an ordeal. 

Oh! I also started to make a delicious pork roast for pulled pork sandwiches on Sunday. 

2013.05.16

We had a blast today. After a late breakfast and a fair amount of clean up, we went to Kuyper to bring Eric his lunch (which he left on top of the shoe cabinet). Well, John fell asleep on the way, so Sam and I ran around the soccer field playing fetch and chase for a good half hour. Sam got so tired that he threw up all of the water that he drank during our break time. I felt a little bad. We brought Eric his lunch and were on our way out when John woke up! So, instead of leaving, we went for a walk in the woods. John loved it when we ran down the hills and Sam would zoom by. Then we went and visited Eric (who had been in a meeting earlier) and then left for real. 

After that we went grocery shopping at Aldi, went home, ate lunch, and played for a while. While John napped again I folded some laundry, made lasagna, and cleaned up the kitchen ( which somehow got filthy again... Crazy kitchen). 

After that we pretty much just hung out and played until dinner, bath, and bed time. 

2013.05.15

Wednesday was not super productive. 

I made a casserole for supper and something for lunch, but mainly I just hung out with John and Sam all day. 

However, I did complete one important task all day (which may have been the cause of my lack of productivity). I caught up to Eric on "Parks and Rec," a good 10-12 episodes. 

I also searched for dogs on Craigslist because I think Sam is lonely after not being with Darwin and Maggie for a day. He seemed depressed and was practically crying when another dog walked through our front yard. We played with him all day, but I guess we're not as exciting as his sister and brother-in-law. We'll see what happens with that...

2013.05.11-2013.05.14

Monday, Tuesday, and the Weekend

On Saturday I cleaned most of the house and packed for a weekend away while Eric napped. 

We drove down to Indiana, went to a Pork Chop dinner for the Boy Scouts, and hung out with the family. Eric drove back to GR, so I was in charge of the nino, who decided to wake up at about 1:00am and fuss for most of the rest of the night. 

Sunday was Mother's Day and John's first birthday!! We went to church then Dad and I came home and got lunch ready (well...Mom prepped most of it the day before, so really we set the table, mixed a few things together, and set the food out). Grandma and Grandma, Amber and William, and Tammy and Miguel's family all came over, so we had a good time. We tried to play the bowl game, but everyone was ready for naps, so we didn't get too far. 

After John went to bed, April and I got out about 8 tubs of pictures and got to some serious sorting! We went through tons of old pictures, letters, cards, etc., sorting them for each family member. Boy was it fun. Dad, Mom, Nate, and Grandpa were trying to play a game of Rook and we kept interrupting them to show them fun pictures or read them funny notes. We were also very productive! During/After this process we also watched the movie Safe Haven. 

Monday I scanned some of the pictures that we sorted, took a bath with John, took a nap (because John got up at 4), walked to Amber's, and hung out there most of the day. Corianna and John loved playing together out on Amber and William's new deck. Those kids were filthy; covered in dirt, smoothie, water, dog food, and who knows what else! They had a blast. We all walked to the back with Mom and the two kiddos rode in a little wagon and were absolutely too cute. I walked home with John, ate dinner with los padres, and went to April Mary's choir concert. After the concert, Mom, April, John, and I went to DQ and rented a movie to watch. I cleaned up most of our mess from the picture sorting party while we watched the movie and then went to bed. 

Today (Tuesday) ate breakfast with Mom, April, and John, cleaned up and packed all our stuff, and hung out with the family just a bit before heading out. April and I drove up to GR together, stopping to visit Grandma Toonstra for an hour or so on our way. Then we went to Kuyper for her "official college visit" where she got to meet with the head of the safety, grounds, and facilities departments, the VP of Business and Finance, most of the Student Life Staff, a financial aid officer, the secretary of the admissions department, the Assistant to the President, many students, and got a personalized tour of the campus by a recent alumni of the college. (AKA, we hung out with Eric for half an hour and talked to the people he talks to and then walked around for a few minutes to show off John and snagged a free t-shirt). When we got back to the Roosma house, we all three took naps and then played for a while. We watched a movie while we gorged ourselves on Chinese food and April did her Algebra homework (what a studious girl, doing homework on her college visit day). 

Now, after a very full and fun weekend, April is on her way home, John is in bed, and I get to hang out with my husband again. 

2013.05.10

I subbed teaching Spanish at The Potter's House today. It was so great. It made me think I should teach Spanish. I really enjoyed it a lot. 

After that I picked up John, came home, changed, and we all left again.

We met some friends at Captain Sundae for some ice cream.

Then we went to a wedding! John did really great at the ceremony and reception. Congrats to Paul and Kayla on their marriage! 

We finally got home at eleven, so now I'm going to bed.

2013.05.09

Today I:

Made and ate breakfast. 

Brought donuts to Eric's crew at Kuyper. 

Went to Verizon to make sure my plan was actually cancelled. 

Organized part of the basement!

I shop vacuumed the front half, vacuumed the carpet, put the carpet by the base of the stairs, moved some of Eric's tools, put the table back by the laundry machines, put the dehumidifier by the laundry machines, connected the hose to the dehumidifier and put it to the drain so I don't have to empty it multiple times a day. 

I rewashed, dried, folded, and put away about 8 loads of laundry. 

Showed John my trumpet and guitar. He liked them :)

Packed John's lunch for tomorrow. 

Watched some TV with my hubby. 

2013.05.08

I set up my trac phone number on Page Plus. Who knew it was so easy to transfer a number?

I made stamppot!

As I was doing it, I started wondering why I put all the peels on the counter and all of the potatoes in the sink filled with water or other random things. Then I realized that I did it this way because my mom did it this way. She taught me a lot of things without even meaning too.

John really wanted to help me peel the potatoes, but it was really difficult to do while he was on my hip trying to stick his fingers in the way of the peeler. So I gave him a spatula and a potato and he went to town. Eventually he gave up and tried to give it to me. He got it as high as the handle of the dishwasher. He's a pretty fun little guy. 

After that, I cleaned the kitchen. Kelly and Dylan came over for dinner with Brendan. Then Nic came over and we played games! I haven't played Settlers in a long time; it was a good game. Kelly won of course. 

Good day overall. 

2013.05.07

Today I: 

Ate breakfast with my kiddo. 

Went for a nice hour long walk to Reed's lake where Sam went swimming and John walked around pushing the stroller. 

Read my book out in the sun while John took a nap inside.

Made delicious gourmet sandwiches for lunch with all the leftover burger toppings from Saturday. 

Went grocery shopping. John ate cherries for most of the time, but got ancy by the time we were getting dairy products, so he helped me push the cart. Literally every person we passed stopped and said hi to him or commented on how cute he was. The checkout lady said "I'm just so glad you came through my line." It was fun. 

Put groceries away. 

Nursed John. He napped again. 

Made a tuna noodle casserole for supper. 

Cleaned the kitchen. 

Straightened the livingroom. 

Went for a run with the family. 

Ate dinner. 

Bathed John. 

Tucked John into bed. 

Now I am exhausted. It is only 8:30, but there is a good chance that I might go to bed already. All that sun and walking/running wore me out! Maybe I'll find some way to occupy myself until 9 so that I don't feel too old. 

2013.05.06

Today I:

Cleaned a bunch of the floors including the livingroom, kitchen, dining room, and Sam's room. 

Cleaned the kitchen.

Sorted through 2 boxes of pictures.

Washed and dried two loads of laundry (which means I now have about 7 loads that need to be folded and put away).

Made breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Cleaned our room. 

Straightened the whole house. 

Played with my baby boy. 

Read part of a book. 

2013.05.04

Today I:
Made sausage and pancakes for breakfast.
Unlocked Kuyper for my hubby
Graduated.
Went to a play to see a friend and found out two other friends were in it as well!
Went grocery shopping with my hubby, sister, and William of Greenery.
Made dinner as a group effort (grilled burgers and brats).
Ate outside with some family.
Made popcorn.
Had games night.

2013.05.03

Today I:

Made oatmeal for breakfast
Raked half of the lawn while John explored.
Vacuumed up close to a thousand teeny ants that somehow found Sam's dog food in the back room.
Sprayed ant repellent around the edges of the house.
Showered.
Went to Cornerstone's "Graduation Luncheon" with Eric and John (dissapointing)
Continued to organize some old pictures.
Raked the rest of the lawn.
Mowed the lawn.
Made supper (lasagna casserole).
Helped Eric reseed some of the grassless patches of our lawn.
Cleaned the kitchen.
Watched some TV while waiting for my sisters to arrive!

2013.05.02

Today I:
Had Brendan over from 10-3. Those boys had a blast together, but they sure kept me busy!
I also:
sorted through some old pictures.
cleaned the livingroom.
cleaned and swept the kitchen.

Maybe I did some other stuff too, but pretty much just hung out with those boys.

2013.05.01

It's summer all of the sudden! Somehow we skipped spring this year and jumped straight to 80 degree weather. Not only that, but my baby is happy again!

Today I:
Finally cleaned a bit (swept the kitchen floor, straightened the guest room, cleared off our dressers/nightstands, collected dirty laundry from all over the house, etc).
Made some delicious chicken salad sandwiches and regular salad for supper.
Played outside with my baby and puppy (who are turning into my boy and dog)
Hung out downstairs for about an hour and a half with the plumber/roto-rooter guy while he used his giant auger machine to clear out our main sewage line. Turns out the tree roots had taken over our clay pipes, making it slightly more difficult for our water to drain.
Washed a long-overdue load of laundry now that it can properly drain.
Talked to my sister Amber on the phone and found out that she is going to come visit this weekend!

2013.04.30

Today John was just about the crankiness kid I've ever met.

Did some laundry and figure out that the basement drain is still backed up.
Organized some stuff in the basement so as to avoid getting it wet.
Went for a run with John and Sam.
Unpacked the rest of our stuff from the week away.
Made spaghetti and garlic bread for supper (slowly working through our leftovers).
Went out for late night appetizers and drinks with friends!

2013.04.29

Monday
Took two naps to try to catch up on sleep
Unpacked some stuff from the wedding week
Spoiled Sam since he got neglected last week
Made breakfast, lunch, and supper

2013.04.28

Sunday

Bethany and Izzy slept over last night so I woke up and hung out with them, then watched a little bit of a TV show in the basement with them to try to avoid waking up Eric, Mark, and John.
John woke up, so I nursed him down there, then we all 4 came upstairs for breakfast, which 3 of us ate (one of us was too busy to eat breakfast).
After that we just played until John and Becca got here.
I made eggs, sausage, and toast for the grown-up breakfast :)
Dressed John and put him down for a nap
Showered
Church at 11
Lunch at Zoups
Drove out to the Conference Grounds for Sunday coffee with the whole Dornbush side of the family and birthday celebrations.
I was pretty tired, so I napped from 4-6
Supper, convo, games
Drive back to GR and put John to bed
I started to unload some of the stuff that has accumulated over the past week of not really being home, but got overwhelmed, sat down on the couch, and still haven't moved. I might do so just so that I can make it to my comfy bed instead of waking up halfway through the night with a sore neck.
Whew... back to our normal lives.

Tomorrow I clean!

2013.04.27

Saturday
Wedding Day
Exhausting Day

Awake 6am-2am (and again at 6am Sunday) makes for a very tired Angela.

2013.04.26

I woke up feeling much better this morning.
My morning was spent packing up all of our stuff to get ready to return to Grand Rapids.
Mark came with us to flee the sickness (John and Beckah were still not feeling so hot).
I dropped Mark off at home.
I went to pick up Eric's tux and waited for about half an hour because the guy that had my ticket got distracted helping another customer.
I brought Eric's tux to Kuyper for him to try on.
I realized how exhausted, overworked, and busy he was, so I helped out where I could (vacuuming the dining hall while John rode on the vacuum).
I drove home, changed, picked up Mark, and drove to Zeeland for the rehearsal.
I rehearsed (really an unnecessary part of this process).
I rehearsal dined (my stomach is not totally back where it should be after being sick).
I drove back to Grand Rapids and put my baby to bed.
I am now exhausted and am planning to go to bed.
Goodnight.

2013.04.25

Sick day....
I woke up feeling pretty nasty, got out of bed, and threw up.
I soon discovered that my precious baby boy had spread his sick germs to nearly everyone in the Roosma family.
Bethany, Izzy, John, Mom, Eric, Becca, and I were all sick.
Mark isolated himself all day.
Julia and Brad fled back to Jenison the first chance they got.
Dad must have the immune system of a walnut.
So, instead of walking down by the lake and going with the girls to get pedicures, today I hurled up everything I ate yesterday and tried to sleep while taking care of my child.
Not so fun.

On a positive note, I mainly felt better by the evening!

2013.04.24

This morning I hung out with John, made/ate breakfast, and packed up all the stuff we need for our week out at the CRC Conference Grounds with the Roosma family. My sick pukey baby from yesterday is much more himself these days.
Once John woke up from his nap, John, Uncle Mark, and I drove out to Grand Haven for an afternoon of food, games, and fun. John played on the giant playground with Bethany and Isabelle . He had a blast climbing up the stairs and going down the slide with me. He also loved sitting in the big car that bounced when he wiggled and "knocking me over" on the swings.
We got to eat dinner with the whole Roosma family (tacos, my favorite).
He was a little intimidated to take a bath with the girls, but loved standing by the edge watching them play.
Once he went to bed, we got to play games, hang out, and tell stories.

Heard from Uncle Mark to 3-year-old Bethany while she was cheating at playing Candyland: "Bethany you're going to have to learn that rules are the social norms that hold the world together. Also, this is a game of luck."

2013.04.23

I subbed at the Potter's House for second grade today: best age ever!
Then we went out to Grand Haven to hang out with the Roosma family. So much fun!
After that Eric dropped me off at home and went to pick up Mark from the airport.
In about half an hour I:
1. put John to bed
2. put sheets, a fan, clock, and lamp in the guest room
3. straightened the living room
4. washed a load of laundry
5. folded a load of laundry
6. unloaded the dishwasher
7. cleaned the kitchen

2013.04.22

I usually don't write what I do on Saturday, but I had a pretty productive one.
1. rearranged the living room.
2. put a "fake bottom" in the toy chest to put the toys that are too small for John underneath and so that he can reach all of the toys above it.
3. washed, dried, and folded three loads of laundry.
4. cleaned the kitchen.
5. figured out a bunch of stuff on my iPad.

Today I:
1. made oatmeal for breakfast
2. baked really healthy and pretty good tasting cookies
3. cleared the mess off our kitchen table
4. cleaned the kitchen
5. went for a walk with Sam and John in the beautiful weather
6. made chicken rice casserole for supper
7. watching a movie with Eric!


Here's the recipe for the cookies:

Ingredients:
2 Ripe Bananas, Mashed
1/3 C. Reduced Fat Peanut Butter
2/3 C. Unsweetened Applesauce
1 Tsp. Vanilla
1/2 Tsp. Salt
1/2 Tsp. Cinnamon
Dash of Ground Cloves
Dash of Ground Nutmeg
1 1/2 C. Quick or Old Fashioned Oats
1/4 C. Nuts (I used dry unsalted peanuts.)
1/4 C. Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips
1/4 C. Reduced Fat Unsweetened Shredded Coconut (Optional)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Mix together the bananas, peanut butter, applesauce, vanilla, and spices. Add in the oats, nuts, chocolate chips, and coconut; stir until well combined.

Spoon a rounded 2 tbsp. of the cookie mixture onto the lined baking sheet, leaving an inch or two between each and flatten slightly. I placed a few more chocolate chips on top of each cookie. Bake for 20-30 minutes and allow to cool slightly.

2013.04.19

I taught again today!

This whole getting up on time thing is rough; I can't believe I used to do it every day.
After picking up John I came home to an empty house because Eric is gone for the weekend. I made soup for supper, gave John a bath, played with him, put him to bed, and watched a movie.
Not much productivity this evening, but I worked a full day!

2013.04.18

I subbed at The Potter's House today!

I woke up to an alarm clock for the first time in more than a month.
Showered, nursed John.
Started to make Oatmeal, then went to get dressed. Yup, I forgot about the oatmeal. Eric saved it before the whole pot burned, but there was only enough salvageable for John's breakfast, not for me.
I taught Preschooler's today. They take a lot of energy! I wished I had breakfast.
Two different groups (one in the morning and one in the afternoon) and I memorized all of their names by the end of the day! I'll have a whole different group tomorrow.

After school I went over to Franny's to hang out (she was watching John for me).
Then went home and hung out while Eric got ready to go to the Gala. I only saw him for half an hour; sad day. Then I just hung out with John and tried to relax because my legs were very tired.
After he went to bed, I packed his lunch for tomorrow and then went to bed.

I love teaching. It's great. I'm tired.

2013.04.17

Wednesday.

Moved our bed and boxspring out of our room and into the guest room.
Mopped the bedroom and kitchen floors.
Got our new bed! Set in up with Eric.
Took John to the doctor and had to deal with the after effects of  a shot... cranky, tired, feverish but wouldn't sleep.
Lined up a babysitter so I can sub tomorrow.
Packed a lunch for my baby boy. That felt weird.
I don't know what else I did. I'm sure we ate, so I must have cooked...

2013.04.16

Tuesday

I finished almost all of my yesterday projects!
Moved futon frame out of guest room.
Moved coffee/end table to man cave.
Moved box shelf from man cave to guest room.
Moved table from man cave to laundry area.
Went to the chiropractor for the first time in years.
Visited the hubby at work.

I also cleaned, cooked, and did some laundry.

2013.04.15

Is it really Monday again?
Today I:

Swept the deck and played outside with my kiddo
Backed up a bunch of pictures
Cleaned, vaccumed, dusted, and rearranged the livingroom. (including couch, 3 end tables, bookshelf, tent, lazy boy, and toy chest)
Oraganized/untangled a bunch of cords that are all plugged in to our wifi, pogo-plug, harddrive, stereo, etc. Now there are much fewer chords hanging out for a child to pull.
Chopped some fresh fruit (berries, melon) for snacks
Cleaned the kitchen
Rearranged the guest room so it actually looks like a usable room! This included: moving three fully loaded bookshelves, a filing cabinet, a nightstand, a futon mattress, and mopping the floor.
Folded two loads of laundry from the weekend.
Grilled onions and brats for dinner

Still to do from todays projects: move futon frame to basement. Move bed into guest room. Move coffee/end table to man cave. Move box shelf from man cave to guest room. Move table from man cave to laundry area. Organize all of the books on the 3 fully loaded bookshelves in guest room.

2013.04.12

Today I:

Showered (I know it seems silly to mention this on a daily basis, but it is one of the few moments I have alone on a daily basis, so it is significant enough to me for me to mention it)
Read two chapters of a book while John played
Went over to Franny's to hang out
Went to a thrift store and got some great things including:

1. Some cool foam/fabric castle blocks
2. A step stool for John to climb on
3. Some nice black dress shoes
4. A discovery tent!
5. A new shelf/cabinet to protect our wireless router and books from our child

Swept the guest room
Rearranged the guest room (moved a file cabinet, 3 bookshelves, and a nightstand) to get ready to move an actual bed in there!
Carried in the shelf/cabinet with Eric
Reorganized most of the stuff in it (the rest can be done tomorrow)

2013.04.11

Thursday:
Primed the edges of the closet in the basement room
Washed, dried, folded, AND put away three loads of laundry
Watched a movie while I did laundry
Hung out with my kiddo
Made Oatmeal for breakfast and ate leftover chicken rice casserole for lunch
Started organizing the basement
Loaded pictures from our camera onto my computer. Updated my "What I do" blog posts since March 20 with pictures, you should look back at some of them; they're fun!
Swept the kitchen and dining room floor
Got my photo scanner in the mail!
Went with Eric and John to help Julia move most of her stuff over to Brad's house before their wedding (less than 2 weeks away). Ate pizza with them for supper.

2013.04.10

Today I was much more productive than the past few days. Crazy how a cranky vs. happy baby can make a world of difference. Today I:

1. Made taco style chicken in the crock-pot.
2. Hung out with my happy baby!
3. Started organizing some stuff in the basement.
4. Cleaned the living room.
5. Made Salsa
6. Made Guacomole
7. Cleaned the whole kitchen
8. Had a friend over for dinner
9. Made dump cake
10. Cleaned the whole kitchen again
11. Loaded and organized pictures onto my computer

Recipes from today:

Dump Cake:
Ingredients:
1 can cherry pie filling
1 can crushed pinapple
1 box yellow cake mix
1/2 stick of butter.

Directions:
Dump fruit into baking dish. Dump/sprinkle cake mix on top (do NOT mix together). Melt butter and drizzle over everything. Bake at 350 for about half an hour or until fruit is bubbly.



Crock-Pot Chicken Tacos:

Ingredients:

6-8 Chicken Breasts
1 jar Salsa
1 packet of taco seasoning
OPTIONAL: cilantro, lime, other veggies

Directions:
Dump everything into the crock pot. Cook on low 6-8 hours or high 4-6 hours. Shred chicken.
Serve on tortillas with other taco toppings (shredded cheese, sour cream, salsa, guac, etc.)

 



Guacamole:

Ingredients:

2 ripe avacados
Some chopped tomato and onion
Spices (garlic, onion powder, salt, spicy pepper, etc.)
Lime (or just lime juice)

Directions:
Cut avacado in half, remove pit. Scoop out flesh into container. Add tomato, onion, lime juice and spices to taste. Smash and mix everything. Serve with tortilla chips!


Pico de Gallo Salsa:

Ingredients:
1/2 an onion
4 roma tomatoes
2 jalepeno peppers
2 garlic gloves
1/2 bunch of Cilantro
Lime

Directions:
Dice tomato.
Chop onion.
Mince garlic.
Cut jalepeno, remove seeds, chop (if you want more spice, leave some seeds or add more jalepenos).
Pick off cilantro leaves. Chop them too!
Squeeze in lime juice.

Mix all ingredients together.
Enjoy with tortilla chips or on tacos!

 

2013.04.09

1. Stayed up/tried to sleep with John from 1am until the rest of the night. Teething is no fun.
2. Sort-of slept for an hour from 7-8am while Eric got ready and watched John then gave him cheerios to keep him occupied.
3. Woke up to find Cheerios all over the bedroom floor and a baby pulling the blankets off my bed in an attempt to pull himself up onto the bed.
4. Breakfast was canned pears and cheerios.
5. Tried to take a nap at 9:30am when John took a nap. That lasted less than 20 minutes.
6. Showered with the door closed. John was trying to pull himself onto my bed again when I got out. He probably thought I was taking a nap.
7. Went to the Notary Public to get my Teaching certificate notarized.
8. Ate lunch with Eric at Kuyper College.
9. Went to the bank to close an account that has been nothing but frustration the past few months.
10. Met with Andrew at Kuyper's Writing Center to talk about their plans for next year.
11. Went to our other bank to deposit the money from the now closed account.
12. Stopped at church.
13. Went home.
14. Made chicken-rice casserole
15. Sort-of cleaned the kitchen.


Two things made John happy today:


1. Reading with Daddy



2. Looking out the window.

2013.04.08

Monday. Yucky Monday.

I met the crankiest baby in the world today. He took over the body of my sweet happy little boy. John was teething today, which meant anything and everything that I got done had to be done while holding him over my shoulder or listening to him scream in pain. Even with that today I:

1. Washed and dried one load of laundry (no folding or putting it away)
2. Grocery shopped (why listen to him scream alone when I can torture a whole store full of people?)
3. Made TWO Spaghetti Casseroles, one for me, one for our friends who just had a baby.
4. Ordered a $115 photo scanner from Amazon on sale for $28. Found out I had "Amazon points" saved up, so I got it for free!
5. Mostly cleaned the kitchen. Eric helped with that a lot.
6. Brought dinner to our friends in Holland and met their new baby girl.
7. Danced around the house to "Toddler Pandora" hoping that it would cheer John up. It didn't work to cheer him up, but I think it might have helped me to cheer up a bit. Disney songs and children's rhymes are good for ones soul.

I caught a step on camera!!!! Also, John did not want any clothes on, but was fine with my hat....

Week Away (2013.03.30-2013.04.05)

Saturday March 30-Friday April 5 I spent in Indiana with my family.

I got to do a lot of different things during the past week.
I got to see ALL of my siblings (I did miss one brother-in-law and one Jenna)
I got to see all of my nieces and nephews (including the bump in Anna's belly)
I got to go for walks/work out with my mom and sisters.
I got to see some of my cousins and uncles and aunts (Easter dinner and coffee time) as well as some of my cousin's kiddos (Jax, Rayna, Jenna, and Levi)
I got to play games late into the evening with my family.
I got to go grocery shopping with my sisters.
I got to go to the children's museum in Indianapolis.
I got to eat Anna's delicious desserts, Amber's yummy chili, and Mom's fantastic food all week.
I got to take a nice lazy bath in their giant tub.
I got to partake in a "big kids" Easter egg hunt (thanks to Tammy and Miguel)
I got to take a roadtrip back to Michigan with Mom, Dad, and Anna.
I got to have Lubie over for dinner.
I got to have a great conversation with Uncle Jon about the importance or tithing.
I got to see Alicia's beautiful ring and help her brainstorm wedding ideas.
I got to spend quality time with my family because the internet was broken.
I got to jump on the tramp with my nephew, niece, and son.
I got to watch John hang out with his Oma and Opa (and Uncles and Aunts and Cousins)
I got to visit with people at church on Sunday.
I got to drink Whiskey with my sister in the middle of the afternoon.
I got to drive around to look at new construction or houses of interest.
I got to skype with my hubby (and see him again at the end of the week :)

And last but not least (because it's still lingering)
I got the runs....

Overall, I had a fantastic week. I am so blessed to have such a wonderful family. I don't know why God chose me to be a part of this Hubers' clan, but I sure am glad he did.

2013.03.30

Saturday!

Hung out with John for the morning (Breakfast, Bath, Straighten house)
Put away 3 loads of laundry
Packed stuff for a week away
Prepped dinner and snacks for Eric for next week
Drove down to Indiana!
Hung out with the family
Visited Josh, Jess, and Levi
"Patched" a screen for Dad with Mom (thread and a needle... no fly is getting through there!)
Worked out with Mom and Amber. Butt and Full body. Mom is a drill seargent.
Walked to Oak Grove.
Tag Team ran/biked back with Amber.
Played the Bowl Game!

Getting ready for Easter Sunday with my beautiful niece:

2013.03.29

Watched Cedar from 8:30-6
Made Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner (oatmeal, leftovers, more leftovers)
Went to the Good Friday service at church
Cleaned the kitchen!
Took two kids to the Children's Museum
Folded three loads of laundry
Went mattress shopping with my hubby.

2013.03.28

Hang out with John all morning. What a fun and happy little guy :) He's taking steps!
Make Chicken Squares for supper (Thanks Anna for the recipe!)

Babysat Cedar from 1:30pm-9:30pm (realized that 2 kids is a lot more than 1; about double to be exact)

Cleaned the kitchen and livingroom! (that was a task with two kids running around)

 

Yup, I think that's about all I got done.

 

Pictures from today:

John has mastered standing by himself and loves to climb on things:

 

 

  

    

 



Cedar (left) was over all day. John took a couple solo steps and
biffed into the windowsill, hence the scratch on his cheek.

 

2013.03.27

Pack John lunch, bring him to Cedar's house.
"Substitute teacher training" (Ironic because I've been subbing for the past 2 months without the training. Apparenty I need it) for the morning.
Eat lunch at Kuyper with Eric!
Grocery shop
Pick John up
Clean the house
Make fruit topping for cheesecake.
Make chinese food with Eric for supper.
Have friends over for chinese food and cheesecake! plus games and a fun time hanging out.

Good Day

2013.03.26

Played with John. He took two steps at a time. He loves it.
Eggs, toast, and oatmeal for breakfast
worked out! (full body, butt, legs one rep each)
showered
tried to french braid my hair
organized the bathroom cabinet
downsized/reorganized the diaper bag
watched a hailstorm with John while Sam hid in the bedroom
leftovers for lunch
made cheesecake
cleaned my room AND organized my dresser
hamburger helper for supper
cleaned kitchen
watched a movie

Not many pictures of what I did today, but here a few fun ones anyway:


This is how I found John after his nap. He discovered
that he can look out the window right from his crib!


 

My french braid attempt



Watching the hailstorm

Sam hiding from the hailstorm

 

John LOVES to climb on, sit on, or walk behind this car.