Slice of Life #18

We survived another weekend in a hotel (barely). Jeron’s cousin got married and Lola was the most perfect flower girl ever.

We just can’t figure out five of us sleeping in the same room. I’m in full support of those that choose to co-sleep, but I have no idea how they do it and actually get any sleep. The hotel had a nice pool which would have been cool if even one of my kids would go in farther than the first step in the shallow end.

And it’s not like Jeron and I could just leave them there on the steps and swim around ourselves because I will forever be a lifeguard at heart and I don’t trust them not to just fall over for no reason and suddenly be under water.

This past Saturday we decided to haul our children almost an hour out into the country for an apple orchard’s annual Hootenanny. By the time they woke up from naps and we grabbed dinner it was practically six o’clock by the time we got out there. Unfortunately we hadn’t realized that most of the fun stuff (like the tractor ride and the apple/caramel/caramel apple store closed at six.

There was still time to teach Strummer to walk around with his hands in his pockets and we got to enjoy a local beer (don’t worry, the kids were driving) and some bluegrass music. It was insanely cold (which means it was 45 degrees and I’m a baby) so we all huddled together near one heat lamp while the banjo player warmed the front row with his sweat. And then I came home and made caramel from scratch like some sort of modern pioneer.

I’ve been trying to play guitar a few times a week for my kids without them screaming and covering their ears. We can get through about half a song before someone hits their head on a railing or has a break down because HE HAS THE LION AND I WANT THE LION.

It makes a great musical interlude (not). My kids current favorite songs to hear are If I Had a Million Dollars and Whiskey in my Whiskey. My kids are awesome.

I went for a run the other day and hit my best time ever average of 9:37 per mile over about two miles. Real runners are probably laughing at me now because I don’t know if that’s even a good time or not, but I was happy with it.

It was so cold that I couldn’t feels my hands or feet the entire time I was running which, despite the good time, makes me think it couldn’t possibly have been healthy. I’m not sure what I’m going to do for exercise now that it’s getting cold.

I’m not really interested in joining a gym and when I work out at home I end up with three kids all under my feet (and my plank). I’ve been thinking about trying Revelation Wellness, and I’d love your thoughts on that or any other exercise programs you might be part of.

The Bible study I attend has been going through the book Discover Who You Are. We’re only about half way through but I’m loving it.

I highly recommend it to all my friends who are really into spiritual gifts/personality types/Myers Briggs type stuff. It pulls together so many different aspects of who you are and what makes you tick and then helps you use that information to tell you exactly what you should be doing with your life. It’s extremely satisfying on the most embarrassingly self-centered level.

Can we talk television without you getting too annoyed with me? Homeland is back, even though maybe it should have ended for good last season. And oh my gosh, does Carrie Mathison have to sleep with everybody?!

Because she’s obviously going to sleep with Aayan, and probably Quinn too. Oh, poor Quinn. I was beyond excited for the return of The Walking Dead and it totally lived up to my expectations.

I will admit I had to look away from some of the brutality, but I love the questions posed about right and wrong. We cheer for this group because they’re our group.

But are they really that different from the people at Terminus? Or the people that brutalized the people at Terminus? What is right and wrong in this new world and what does it take to survive?

Jeron and I have also started watching Twin Peaks on Netflix (ummm, random). Tell me, is this show for real? Are they trying to be funny and campy? Did that even exist then? Or is it really just so ridiculous and melodramatic for its own sake?

Fall food! You guys are going nuts over it. Get your butternut squash and kale risotto, balsamic roasted brussels sprouts with garlic, crispy quinoa bake, and pan fried butternut squash pasta and get it good.