9.28.2012

Insta Joys

 fall activities are in full swing

i think we are finally starting to hit our stride with fall routine

i am back to rising long before the sun to workout and get a few things done before kids get up and we start our school day.  its also my time to get caught up on my shows while i work out.
i lovey love love my quiet mornings.

now that i am up earlier and in our routine, my goal is to sit down and write a few days a week.  we'll see how that goes. i did get time to upload and edit photos, put them in collages, and start a few posts.  on my list for the weekend... get the posts written.

here's a little glimpse of life the past few weeks:

 our local rec center does a family friendly fun run in the fall
the kids run/walk a mile
during landon's pe class, i had mauryn do a mile on the track 
it was p a i n f u l!
she spent most of the time leaning on the wall of the track
she was a pretty good sport but SOO slow

 our orthodontist office has a monthly raffle for kids
this month they had to guess how many m & m's in the jar
landon guessed the closest
he was super excited
so was his m & m loving little sister
this jar has been in hiding ever since he won

 our school room starts clean every morning
its takes mauryn about 5 seconds to create the biggest mess
{i try not to hyperventilate}
this day she had created a store

mauryn, landon, and their buddy T after the fun run
the boys ran the mile and did awesome
they had to quickly scoot to get to their football game
mauryn strolled along 
she was just excited for the great goodie bag 

 she was also pretty pumped for the ice cream and chocolate milk after the run

first home game of the season
it was a beautiful day
the view isn't too shabby
the crowd is always lively
so fun!
 we share tickets with our friends/idahofamily 
landon was happy to be reunited with his pal amiah

 i liked having a date with this cute boy
he was a trooper
he had had a very full day
mile run
played in his football game
went to BSU game {and walked forever to and from stadium}
so it was only right that we treated ourselves to sonic on the way home

 back in the fall routine means running inside on the track
its not my favorite
running in the dark is really not my favorite
the dreadmill is not an option. yuck!
the track and i have a date a few mornings a week
i sweat
horribly
like a man
its gross
i am sort of like the sweat
sweat = great workout

 landon takes a pe class at our rec center once a week
they have just installed a bouldering wall
he loves it
every week he spends about 10 minutes working on his climbing skills before we go home
hello did you notice his defined calf muscles?
he's 8
its ridiculous!

 she has a dance party every night
sometimes its a dance and singing show
she likes to perform
this table is her favorite
its in front of the fireplace so she can watch herself
she has been asking for a ballet bar and a mirror 
birthday gift maybe??

there are days that are just busy
we're running errands or driving carpool or just living life
i am always on the lookout for something i can grab quick for a snack or even breakfast/lunch if we're running crazy
my friend tara introduced me to these protein shakes
i wasn't sure
i am pretty picky about food in general
i didn't want anything that tasted chalky or like cardboard or like a protein drink
she brought me a shake to try
it was good
really good
i love them ice cold and sipped through a straw or
i use them in my smoothies 
the vanilla flavor is just perfect

what's on your agenda this weekend??

i've got book club today... yeah
landon's got a football game
between the two little kids we've got three birthday parties
its the BSU game tomorrow
maybe sneaking out to a movie...i am really wanting some movie theater popcorn
a nap hopefully on sunday
my recharge day

linking up with jeannett

life rearranged

9.10.2012

Mug Swap 2012

my fellow book lover, tea drinker and texting buddy, kim hosted a fun little mug swap for her blog anniversary

kim is amazing
she organized 240 people swapping mugs across the country
seriously, that takes some skills!

instagram made this years mug swap so fun
i loved seeing the mugs people were sending 
{and the fun mugs people were receiving}
it definitely added to the suspense since you didn't know who would be sending your mug

i was checking my mailbox daily for my mug swap surprise
it was like it was christmas and i was waiting for the christmas cards to start coming :o)

my mug arrived from canada from amber
she included a chocolate chai tea and a tea bag spoon
you know what i don't like about drinking tea
digging out my tea bag!
amber solved that problem for me... yeah!
i am excited to try out the chai

this mug is HUGE
perfect for a large cup of tea
or pizzokie
or hot fudge sundae
you see the options with my big ol' mug are endless.

thanks amber!
thanks cuppa for organizing and hosting!!!


i shipped a package to carina
it was so fun getting to "know" her through her blog
i sent her this anthro mug 
{i sort of wish i would have bought 2 so i could have one :o)}
a starbucks gift card
a knitty bitties mug rug 

this was so fun!
i can't wait to do some mug swapping again next year.

Insta Joys

summer flew by in a flash
it was by far one of our BEST summers 
our days were fun filled
hence the lack of attention to the blog :o)

now that we have five weeks of school under our belt and we're not balancing school + summer activities, i am hoping to have time to get caught up on the blog.

i've missed it
i've missed reading and connecting with my friends in blogland
i've missed a real routine in life 
i am so ready for fall and routine
routine = happy mama

here's a little glimpse at life over the past few weeks:

 end of the summer picnic at church 
slip and slide on the hill = happy happy kids

 post 12 mile run 
sipping my new favorite post long run drink {1/2 chocolate milk + 1/2 milk = yummy!}
and praying i could actually stand up again

 i ran a different route the other morning and spied a field full of geese

 my boy LOVES to play chess
he's good at it
i am still not sure i totally get it
it makes him happy when i play with him
so i am learning
he is patient with me

 someone got into the puppy chow
 after years and years and years of waiting, morgan's gym finally opened their new building
we spent our labor day weekend laboring at the gym
setting up equipment, cleaning, moving mats 
we were exhausted by the end of the weekend
it was so fun to see the new gym take shape
the kids LOVED tumbling and playing... especially into the pits


 my sweet blog friend turned real life friend andrea met up with me the other day to do a little exchange
we both like honey stingers so we did a little swap with our flavors
she was so sweet to bring me some OPI nail envy which i lovey love love
i've used that stuff for 15 years
crazy!
can i just say its so fun to have a blog friend turned in real life friend that lives near me
holla!

 during school the other morning, mauryn was reading a "gift card" {aka a playing card}
her gift card read: google 80 thousand million google
sign me up for that gift card asap!

 a little down time with her babies and her leap pad

 one of lance's business partners was married a few weekends ago
it was in an area i had never been before
as we were driving i was not too impressed with the scenery
i knew this was going to be an outdoor wedding/reception so i was not sure what to expect
as we walked up to the venue it was still very plain
then we walked into the backyard 
wow... some breath taking views of the snake river valley
a fun hidden gem

school....check 
house clean.... check
laundry washed dried folded AND put away.... check
dinner prepped.... check
it became diet dr. pepper o'clock and time for a little reading.....aaah! my favorite

 this boy loves to mow the lawn
loves it
lance is taking advantage of it while it lasts
i am sure there will be a day when he doesn't love it
{yes i know he did not have shoes on in the picture but that was immediately corrected}

 this is how he bounces rolls when it comes to school

 sometimes i hide out in my bedroom while folding laundry
then i dig into my little sanity saving stash of sugary goodness

 i have been hearing people rave about cafe rio for over a year
i didn't even know we had one in the area until andrea told me about it
we met for lunch one tuesday for taco tuesday
i felt like a real grown up
out to lunch, during the week, kid free
it felt a little strange
it was so fun
cafe rio did not disappoint
i can't wait to go back again

 we've been studying obedience in school the past few weeks
one of our first units was on kings, queens, knights
landon has been spending quite a bit of time in his prince caspian costume and practicing his sword fighting skills

 early early EARLY morning for boise balloon festival
totally worth it
sun rising over the mountains, hot air balloons being filled and lifting off
not a bad way to start a friday morning

 miss sass a frass is ready to cheer on our boise state broncos
it could be a rough growing year for our team
a sparkly tutu makes that all better

outdoor summer movie on a friends yard
beautiful end of summer evening
kids huddled together
laughter
whispers
perfect end to summer!