What's Up Wednesday

//What we're eating this week//

Chicken fajitas and Chili are two things that immediately popped in my head.  I'm not sure what the rest of the week will bring but hopefully it's something delicious!

//What I'm reminiscing about//

I tend to reminisce about my Dad's accident and the loss of our baby this time of year, even with all the exciting things coming up.  

//What I'm loving//

Puzzles.  More accurately, TATE is loving puzzles!  That kid will put together a puzzle, take it apart and put it right back together again.  He spends so much time doing puzzles, it's crazy!  He has 24 piece puzzles mastered so I'm getting ready to dig out the 48 and 60 piece puzzles to see what he can do with those.

//What we've been up to//

Sickness.  Ugh, you guys, I'm so over the sickness!  Three weeks ago I got strep throat and my body/stomach/guts have not been the same since.  I have yet to go a full day without feeling icky at one point or another.  Aiden came down with what I think might be Influenza A on Saturday.  By Monday when the doctor's office was open he was feeling quite a bit better but still sick.  He stayed home from school Monday and Tuesday.  I'm waiting to see if anyone else gets sick here.  Monday after school Brennan said 9 of the 24 kids in his class were out sick.  Wow!  Flu A and Strep are running rampant at school and I'm just praying Brennan doesn't get it and that Tate and Tenley don't catch whatever Aiden had.  I'm really ready to just feel right again myself.

//What I'm dreading//

I'm about to tell you something I wish someone would have told me years ago: your kids will grow up and get involved in sports, music, clubs, etc and you will then be busy busy busy!  You will have to drive those kids to and from their meetings/practices, you will have to attend their games/concerts/meetings/events and with multiple kids this means all of that times 2, 3 or in my case FOUR!  I honestly had no idea how much 'going' we'd be doing as the kids got older.  I love watching them at their activities but being a homebody it actually gives me anxiety to know I'll be gone so much.  And I'm a stay at home mom so it's not like I'm not here all the time!!!  Trying to do all of that PLUS take care of the younger kids PLUS take care of the husband PLUS take care of the house -- no wonder women don't have time to pamper and take care of themselves!  So I'm giving you moms of young kids fair warning because no one told me and I didn't think to look that far ahead and enjoy those quiet times at home.  SO!  What I'm dreading is being gone 3 of the 4 Saturdays in February for Aiden's basketball tournaments.  I love watching him play, 100%!!! But having a huge chunk of 3 Saturday's in a row taken up by the tournaments, well, I'm dreading that.  

//What I'm excited about//

I signed up for a nail polish swap that a few bloggers were hosting and got matched with a gal who's blog I already follow.  I got her polish and mailed it out yesterday and am so excited to hear how she likes it!  I'll be linking up with the gals and showing off my new polishes in February so stay tuned!

//What I'm watching//

I've been watching the Australian Open Tennis match this month.  I love watching tennis!!  We've been watching a lot of basketball.  Before the holidays I discovered Home Improvement was on the Hallmark channel but with all of their holiday movies it was preempted but now it's back on every afternoon from 1-5 so I catch a couple episodes most days while the babes are napping.  The big kids love watching it with me after school and everyone around here is doing the Tim Taylor grunt these days! 😉 As for my 'junk tv' I'm watching Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Vanderpump Rules and my new favorite, Summer House!  Are You the One on MTV and The Bachelor are also being DVR'd weekly for my afternoon viewing enjoyment.  Ha!

//What I'm reading//

I just finished a super duper good book called Cancel the Wedding by Carolyn T. Dingman.  I'm terrible giving good descriptions about books because I tell too much but this one was a mystery of sorts, it was a 'finding yourself' book and it had a little romance but no smut.  I highly recommend it.  I read The Magnolia Story a week ago and again, it was a great book.  It really motivated me to be better at myself, to not try 'keeping up with the Jones's', not that I try but it reiterated that for me.  It was just a good read.  And now I'm reading Turning the Tables: From Housewife to Inmate and Back Again by Teresa Guidice.  I'm just getting started so no review yet.

//What I'm listening to//

If you read my Weekend Rewind Monday then this will come as no surprise to you: Eric Church!  And guess what, I downloaded one of his albums instead of buying a CD!!! Shocker!!!  I'm also listening to Miranda Lambert's latest CD, These Broken Wings.  There are 2 CD's in there and I am totally loving 'The Nerve'.  'The Heart' I haven't listened to as much but it's good, too. And if you know me at all there's always a constant loop of Oldies being played. 😊

//What I'm wearing//

It just dawned on me the other day that I have spent the majority of the Winter in sweats and sweatshirts.  I need to do some serious rehab on my wardrobe!

//What I'm doing this weekend//

Not a darn thing!  And I'm so glad!

//What I'm looking forward to next month//

BIRTHDAYS BIRTHDAYS BIRTHDAYS!!!  We start with my sweet little Tatie Tot turning THREE on the 10th, then my brother in law on the 13th, my dad on the 16th, and my birthday on the 25th!  I love my birthday month and to throw in one of my favorite holidays makes it a pretty awesome month! We are very lucky to have a fun February in our family because we need that excitement to get us through the last tough Winter month of the season. Once we get through February the weather really starts to turn around for us here in SE Iowa!

//What else is new//

I'm trying to cut out the crud in my life and part of that includes me staying off Facebook.  Aside from that thing being a total time-suck there is so much negativity on it!  All I want is to pop on and see those fun announcements about new babies, engagements, job promotions, my kids did awesome, etc.  I'll still be posting pictures from time to time but otherwise I won't be on there much.  That decision feels so freeing I can't even tell you how much weight it takes off my shoulders.  Facebook was seriously bringing me down.

That's What's Up this month!