Daybook: it's autumn!!!

I'm kinda stealing an idea I saw on another blog I'm following. I like using the topics to share my ideas, rather than just journal them.

Outside my window:

it's dark, chilly, windy. We had rain all last week, now a couple cool blustery days and cool weather all week. Welcome fall!

I am listening to:

the kitchen faucet dripping. But the slow drip is on a stainless steel sink, which means the dishes are NOT in the sink. They're all clean tonight! Yeah!

I am wearing:

a grey 3/4 sleeve maternity top, with my jammie shorts. I had maternity jeans on earlier, but the smalls are too snug and the mediums are too big. So jammies are just right.

To be fit and happy:

Ha! I tried a pilates class last night. I really liked it, but not while I'm pregnant. Seems kinda backward to be focusing and strengthening your 'core', while there's a baby growing there. I was just a bit nervous about it, and even more so afterward. Maybe after baby is born I can take that up. I'm hoping to walk with my sis to prep for the 5K at the end of the month, and start swimming sometime before I have this baby!

I am thankful for:

my dear husband who got out the kids winter clothes and fall decorations for me, both of which were in the garage loft. I am thankful to have such a good husband.

I am pondering:

Hmmm...not much.

I am reading:

school lesson plans? picture books? I don't think those count, but I haven't been doing a lot of reading lately (aside from blogs). I got a slew of birth books out at the library, but skimmed/read them all in a couple weeks.

From the kitchen:

tonight seemed like a nice night for chili. Especially since I had some in the freezer. Easy meal since I wanted to get a head start on winter clothes this evening. Add some cornbread, and bratwurst. Yep. I realized the chili I had frozen wouldn't quite be enough for all of us, so I had some leftover brats I cooked. Yet another 'thrown together' meal, as Dan calls it. Ugh.

I am creating:

Hmm...made some counting manipulatives for the kids for math today. If you consider coloring pre-printed squares and laminating them creating. I am thinking of some crafts to do for the feasts coming up...St. Therese and the guardian angels.

Towards a real education:

Ah, there's the topic. Well, Tuesdays with school is a little odd. We have pray n play in the mornings, where we get together with a handful of moms and toddlers and we pray a rosary, then the kids play. Well, today's 'play' was to pick pears for a local priest who has pear trees at his rectory. I missed it due to a dentist appt., but my kids got to go with some of the moms. They had a really great time. When we returned, and after a brief nap, Rose managed to get through her math, slowly but surely. I was looking through some of her kiddie workbooks, and saw ones on math and counting that used these little squares to count. I printed off several pages of the squares, colored them, laminated them, and had the kids help cut them up. Yeah, their favorite thing in the world: cutting. So that was it. I didn't bother looking up reading or religion for the day. Oh well.

Towards rhythm and beauty:

Trying to find a rhythm! It seems like I haven't had two identical weeks to try to find a rhythm. I did manage to stay up today after Dan left, so I was happy that I wasn't falling back into my habit of going back to bed.

To live the liturgy:

Yikes! A lot this week! I'm regretting not doing more for today's archangel feast, but looking toward the feast of St. Therese and the guardian angels on Friday. We talked about the archangels today, but maybe I can incorporate something with them on Friday. We'll probably go to Mass on Thursday.

I am hoping and praying:

that my dear SIL is home from the hospital with her new bundle of joy!

In the garden:

Things look like they're dying. I long to have a beautiful mum garden in front to adorn Mama Mary. My veggies are done. I want to pick the last few tomatoes and call it a year. Last Sat. was a very low day for me, and I was so sad when I went outside and saw a groundhog gnawing on my pumpkin. I just cried, harder. I was so proud we grew a pumpkin and it lasted this long! It was finally turning a lovely, deep orange. I was contemplating picking it this week. So I'm done. I'm hoping this week Dan and I can get out there and uproot everything and really clean it out for next year. I did this last fall with much success, and it made for a happy planting time in the spring.

Around the house:

Stacks of library books, and clean laundry in baskets. But the floors remain free of toys, almost.

On keeping home:

Excited to have my fall decos out. I have quite a few, since I love this season. Eager to tidy up a bit to put up the decos without having it look too cluttered (if that's possible in this house!).

I am trying to find a rhythm and way to incorporate chore charts in the house. The kids are actually pretty good at chores. I just need to make them accountable.

One of my favorite things:

The day we had Monday: breezy, breezy, a blue, blue sky with not a cloud in sight, and bright, warm sunshine. Love it.

Baby in the belly:

moving more. Moved a lot after that pilates class! Once I could feel the movement with my hand on my belly. Dan put his hand there, but no such luck. Still not too frequent. I feel so big in the evening, but it may be also I am just more tired so it seems like I'm bigger. Getting more excited about the whole adventure, especially talking with and seeing SIL and new nephew.

A few plans for the rest of the week:

Get a good chunk of school done tomorrow. Mass on Thurs. Make pear jam out of the pears we picked, either Thurs. or Sat. Have fun with kids making crafty things for the feasts this week. Putting up fall decos. Take Rose to dance on Wed. evening. Clothes changeover, which, contrary to popular belief, I actually enjoy this. I like looking at all the cute 'new' clothes for the kids. Now scrubbing my tub- that's a different story. Somewhere work on the garden, and I would love to clean out the garage Sat.!