7 Quick Takes Friday, v. i-don't-know-i'd-have-to-go-back-and-count

1. Well hello, blog! Life has been 7 kinds of crazy lately. Some hours I feel like I'm flying and then 16 puzzles get dumped out and we have a meal and pears get spilled on the floor and then at naptime someone undoes an entire rubber band ball (oh, twice! because Mom wasn't smart enough to remove it completely from their field of vision after the first time). And diapers and baths and laundry, and this is all just the normal routine! And it's all awesome. But whoa, it's hard to stay on top of, even when you try (now that I'm back to trying rather than surviving.)

2. I love my iPhone. I don't like that I feel a little bit like a snob with it, maybe because I feel like there is something about it (probably the $$$$$ monthly data package) that makes it seem a little bit like a status symbol? And maybe that's just a personal hangup (although I've heard other people say the same thing so it's not JUST me.) But still. Like whoa. I use it ALL the time to take pictures when I just want a snappie and don't want to pull out the big camera. GPS saved me when I had to go to jury duty. And Facebook and Words with Friends have increased my productivity significantly. (lie.) It's not indispensable, but it's nice!

3. Spring break does not exist for online students. Well supposedly it does, but each teacher kind of makes up her (her? I think all my professors are female this semester?) own schedule, one teacher that is observing spring break next week has this week's assignment due Monday, so... does that really count? When you don't get 7 (or even 5) uninterrupted days with NOTHING due, I say no.

4. These kids. They say the cutest and funniest things. Some of which I have recorded on FB and some I typed into my phone, all of which are insanely adorable and which make up for any misbehavior. Most misbehavior.

5. Oh, the weather! Glorious 75 degrees yesterday and today. Tomorrow's forecast says 46, and Sunday says 39, which is just poopy. But 2 days of a glimpse of spring - we'll take what we can get.

6. We put an offer on a house last week. I spent a weekend pinning house improvements that I wanted to do with this particular house in mind. They accepted a higher bid (we offered more than the asking price, even - we knew there were multiple offers and we heard they were expecting there to be 10 by the time they decided on one.) I am slowly getting over it but still disappointed. Oh, perfect house with the perfect 2.7 acres in the perfect location at a perfect price - maybe your twin could pop up down the street?

7. Brian bought a new suit this week for an important event he had at work. This is only newsworthy because he hasn't bought a suit since high school. He had two; one has been too short and small for years, the other one, he ditched the pants but the jacket still fit, so when he needs a jacket he wears it with his tan pants. Makeshift solution that was no longer a solution. So we all went suit shopping (why!?!? oh, because I thought it would be fun to go together) and while he got fitted and tried things on, the boys and I hung out, not so still or quietly. Oh, I can look back and laugh. Maybe if I weren't so concerned about what onlookers thought, that the word "rambunctious" might pop into their heads, I would have enjoyed it more. I struggle with that balance - keeping them calm enough to avoid stares and eyerolls, but letting them enjoy themselves and not expecting them to be little statues. Because they are little boys. And little boy does not = statue.
(We were in a regular department store, by the way, not some high-faluting fancy suit shop. Not a non-kid-friendly store.)

Ok, that was quick! Probably because I didn't have to try to mess with adding pictures and formatting that and centering them and figuring out why they won't become the size I want. I love pictures. But tonight, I'm tired.

7 Quick Takes - in which I reveal a SUPER BIG secret

1.  Okay, so if you are Facebook friends with me, you saw this the other day, and it wasn't really even a BIG SECRET before that. I just neglected to explicitly mention it here. ;) Supposedly August 3rd is the big day. If past history is an indicator, it will probably be more like August 10th with a forced eviction.

2. I find myself more worried about things going "differently" this time than I have before. You'd think by #4 I'd be a pro and anything that comes at me, I can handle... maybe? But as much as I'd love to go into labor spontaneously, since I've never done it, the thought of it kind of freaks me out! And the fact that I have pretty much NEVER had a *real* contraction until I'm in the hospital means that I know I'll be obsessing over every twinge. Oh, and the fact that my labors are fast & furious. I spent a lot of time agonizing over it with Andrew, too, and ended up being induced anyway. So I need to try to not stress over it and forget about the fact that my friend Martina delivered HER #4 in the front seat of her car. Cuz that will never happen to me!

Also, what in the world would I do with a baby girl!? (Not planning on finding out the gender til birth.)

3.

 

This was my favorite skirt. My blue skirt. I mentioned here that I wear it 6 or 7 days a week. It matches everything and is pretty much a substitute for jeans, since it's blue - if the shirt would match jeans, it would match this so-very-comfortable-and-forgiving skirt!... and, yeah. It got a giant tear in it, not on the seam, and a few other random little holes above it. I have NO idea how it happened, or when or where, I just noticed it when I took it off at night a few days ago, so now I'm obsessed with checking for tears in my clothing. I had been to the doctor's office and the store earlier that day, so hopefully it wasn't there then? I feel like it needs a funeral.

4. This is just a symptom of my larger problem. I need some clothes. I told myself that we would do no clothes-buying in February, and I would go on a spring shopping spree in March (both for me and the boys). I have my eye on some tops in super cute colors from Old Navy, and maybe a couple solid-colored knee-length jersey skirts for warmer days? I'm ALL about the daily uniform, and Hallie's post makes it look way cuter than "I have nothing to wear so I wear dark bottoms and a bright shirt every day."
(Side note, why are so many maternity tops SO super low? I usually wear a tank underneath, but it would be nice to have the option NOT to wear a tank without exposing way too much. Even a lot of the crew-necks sit too low for me.)

5. I just finished Little Women for the hundredth time last night. sigh. I know a lot of people don't like it, and think it's too sappy and the girls are too perfect, but it has always been one of my favorites - maybe because if you can see past the slightly loud moral message, they ARE real and relatable, I think. They aren't always happy with the hand they have been dealt, complain a lot, have tempers, argue with their husbands, get angry... but they are always trying to improve. I find myself relating to their struggles more than, oh, those of a girl who got picked to kill other people in a "game" in order to survive? :P

6. After some shenanigans at the grocery store today, I ordered some Hold-On Handles. I jokingly said I needed a leash, but this seems like a good compromise. I have a sweet, darling child who is totally absentminded and "hold on to the cart" means "hold on to the cart for 37 seconds and then get distracted by something delicious-looking", BUT he is a pretty good listener with constant reminders, and I think this being a tangible reminder rather than mom nagging will help. So I have high hopes for these.

7. No one is napping at our house today. That's cool, guys. It will be a fun party tonight that we're going to at 6, which means we won't be home til probably 9. Go ahead, just stay awake, and we can all melt down at the same time (I'll give them til 7?)