Suzanne McGrath Photography

Six on Sunday

Hello!  Did you have a nice weekend?  Ours was fairly busy running around which is par for the course for us.  So all good.

 

1.  #3 had a belated birthday party last night.  She was in Ohio the weekend of her actual birthday and then it was Thanksgiving and then it was Christmas season so this was really about the first weekend that we were available for a party.  She had a blast, though, so it was all good!

She invited four friends to join her for ice skating.  (All of our girls LOVE to go ice skating!)  Two of her friends were pretty decent and two of her friends were beginners.  But they all seemed to have so much fun!

The girls were all so funny and polite and innocent (their conversations are hilarious!) that I just loved it.  

My "bookends" (#1 and #4) joined in as well.  (Told you they all love to skate.)  #2 had to miss because she had a soccer game which was a bummer.  

It didn't hurt that it was simply a beautiful night.  

After skating we went home and enjoyed pizza and ice cream cake and just general mayhem.  I loved it!

 

2.  Soccer season is winding down for #2 with her club team because high school try-outs are at the end of February.  I have to say, I'm sad to see this era end.  (But still excited and nervous for high school soccer - please make the team!!!) #2 has been playing for her coach since 4th grade.  He is the BEST coach ever!  I don't say that lightly, either, because our girls have had their share of really good coaches.  He sends out texts to the parents after each game and the one he sent last night almost made tear up.  He loves these girls so much and is so excited for their future.  He's already got their schedules so he knows when he can go to games - especially when they play each other.  He said he wanted to slow down time this last month with these girls.  Man, we hit the jackpot all those years ago when we were asked to join a team where he was the coach.

 

3.  Our cat is so funny.  She's still a major be-otch, but I love her.  When we have something for dinner that she wants, she tries so hard to get it!

She thinks if she moves really, really slow we won't see her.  So she sticks her paw on the table and ever-so-slowly reaches for the meat.  (It was chicken meatballs last week.)  She just cracks me up.

 

4.  Speaking of dinner, we had the most delicious new concoction last week:  salmon burgers with slaw.  I should have taken a picture but I was too busy eating!  2 of the 4 kids at the whole meal but #2 and #4 do not like salmon.  (Which makes me so sad because I LOVE salmon.)  Anyway, if you like salmon, give this a try.  And the slaw sounds weird but is simply delicious.  Seriously, you will thank me if you make these!

 

5.  I'm listening the Grammy's right now but honestly, I could care less who wins what.  

6.  I'm going to click over to Turbo Tax now and take a look.  My fingers are crossed that we get a little refund!

 

Alright, that's all I've got tonight.  Short and sweet.  Have a great week!

 

 

Six on Sunday

Hello!  Did your weekend fly by as fast as ours did?  Could someone please introduce a permanent 3-day weekend?!  Anyway, let's get rolling...

 

1.  It was a pretty darn busy weekend for us.  We had 4 soccer/futsol games, a basketball practice and game, tennis lessons, a piano lesson, Boots and Bling, along with the usual errands and meal prep.  Yesterday was especially brutal because the majority of our activities ALL took place yesterday!  Not to mention the last soccer game didn't start until 11pm.  And #3's two soccer games were both 30 - 40 minutes away.  I almost used half a tank of gas just running around yesterday.  That's nuts!

This soccer facility was new to me.  It's called the Soccer Dome and it's in KCMO.  I'm not sure why it's called a dome because the roof is flat.  OH well.  

 

And here is #4 with her dad.  They were on their way to Boots and Bling which was the father/daughter function at school.  (#3 opted to skip it.  I think she is just over that sort of stuff and she wanted to play in her soccer game instead.)

She had fun but they were in and out in about 45 minutes.  Tops!

 

2.  I was able to go back to yoga this morning.  (I have been too busy to go for the last two months or so.)  You see, my normal yoga studio closed.  I was so sad!  I loved the instructors and especially the hour. Sunday morning at 9:30am was perfect.  It was an hour and I would stop for coffee at the gas station (Caribou Coffee, though) on my way home.  Well, I went back to a previous studio I had tried.  I really like the vibe and the instructor but here's my but...BUT, it's an hour and 15 MINUTES!  And let me tell you, that extra 15 minutes makes a BIG difference.  We can do a lot more chaturangas and down dogs in that time.  (I am going to be SO SORE tomorrow!)  Plus, my mind starts wandering.  I try really hard to be present but by nature I am always thinking of the next thing I need to do.  Or my to-do list.  Or what I need to order to finish the bathroom (shower door).  Or what do I need to freeze for dinner to take on our ski trip.  And on and on... you get the idea.  So I am going to give this studio a good try and hope I can adapt.  Plus, it's right behind a Starbucks so there's that.  I think it's a sign.

 

3.  Take a look at my car:

Do you see where those arrows are pointing?  MY MIRRORS ARE FIXED!  I'm not sure how long I've had to park that beast in my little one-stall garage with only one mirror folded in.  But it's been a LONG time!  Well, the hubby came to my rescue and replaced not one, but BOTH mirrors!  (One didn't fold in and the other shook really bad.)  Plus, he got me new tires last week so now I feel like I'm practically driving a new car.  (One with 170,000 miles but still...)  I detest dealing with any car issues so I just stick my head in the sand and ignore it.  I consider myself a feminist but when it comes to cars I admit I am not.  If I did not have a husband I will would simply lease a new car every two years so I wouldn't have to deal with this stuff!

 

4A.  I gave up pop/soda awhile ago.  I'm not really even sure when it happened, but one day I realized I didn't crave Coke Zero anymore.  It's awesome!  Now my new favorite is Lacroix sparkling waters.  I think my favorites are good old lemon and lime.  Plus, they are so easy to just grab and go.  And I don't feel bad because it's so easy to recycle aluminum cans so I don't feel guilty like I do if I drink water out of a plastic bottle.  Win-win! 

4B.  I finished reading Yes Please by Amy Poehler.  I liked it but didn't love it.  I moved on to What Unites Us by Dan Rather.  (affiliate links)  I have simply loved following Dan on Facebook and I'm really looking forward to diving into his book.  (I'm only about 15 pages in right now - too early to tell.)

4C.  I managed to finish the third episode of season two of Stranger Things.  It's sooooooo good!  Have you watched it?  I need to prioritize it so I can finish the season.  Now that we can get Netflix on our bedroom TV I may be able to watch it a little easier.  (I can't watch it in front of #4 - too scary.)

 

5.  I managed to work on #1's shower again today.  I grouted the niche and the floor.  I still have to do the black outline of the niche and the top row.  But I love how it's turning out:

We decided on a shower door so I need to order that this week (see #2 above).  Once I finish the black grout we caulk the seams, let it all set, and she should be able to use it.  

 

6.  So #1 received her ACT score this week.  She did well enough to receive the Legacy scholarship to Nebraska which gets tuition down to about the same as in-state.  However, she seems to be digging her heels in and insisting Hawaii is her #1 choice.  Ugh!  I love that she has that independent streak but Hawaii means we would hardly get to see her!  I have priced out airfare for the two of us to go check it out next October.  The cheapest I could find with a quick Expedia search was $740/each.  Damn!  And that is only to check it out.    

So, she's going to take the test again in July to see how much better she can do.  I'm confident with a little practice and perhaps a tutor she can raise her score.  And I figure the higher the score, the more money off tuition she can receive.  (Pipe dream?!  Not sure.)  Meanwhile, we are trying to get her to look at other schools near the ocean that are more accessible.  I guess only time will tell right now.  Plus, since she is our first we really have no idea what we're doing.  If you have any advice, I'm ALL EARS!  LAY IT ON ME!

Man, raising kids is HARD.  I mean, we're supposed to raise them to be smart and independent and leave the nest.  But on the other hand, they are all my babies and it is HARD to watch them spread their wings.  I have a feeling I am going to take you all for a ride with me over the next year and a half as she navigates college applications and senior year and graduation.  Wish me luck! 

 

All right - that's your six for the week.  Have a good one!

   

Make-up Monday

I'm not off to a very great start, am I?  I totally missed blogging last night.  At least I'm back today to make up for it!  So let's begin...

 

1.  We had a productive weekend around here.  #1's shower is this close to being done.  Tiled.  To being done tiled.  I special ordered two corner tiles and they sent the wrong ones.  And we ran out of thinset before we to put down the threshold.  But other than those three pieces, we're calling it done!  And honestly, I don't mind the grouting as much because it's not as dirty as playing with thinset.  (Have I told how much I HATE getting my hands dirty.  Because I do.  I HATE it!)

 Here it is as it stands now:

I would love to begin grouting it this week, but not sure I'll have the energy to do it after a full day at work.  We shall see.

And do you know who loved to check in on us while we were tiling?  The Cat!  

She is so funny.  She likes to know what we are up to at all times.  You know, #FOMO.  We finally had to kick her out because she was getting in the way of me setting the tiles!

 

2.  It was actually nice to work on her shower this weekend because meanwhile, #1 was at a swim meet in Oklahoma:

(She's on the far left.)  Anyway, while she didn't actually swim very well (she woke up with a nasty cold on Saturday morning), I think she had a lot of fun.  So that's great!

 

3.  The rest of the weekend was fairly typical.  We had a couple movie nights, the kids had friends over, and my sister and her family joined us for dinner last night (hence no blogging).  There were tennis lessons, basketball practice and a game, futsol, and piano.  All good.  Plus also, our dog is in desperate need of a haircut:

Gotta get on that!

 

4.  At the end of last year, I started to try being more mindful when it came to my phone.  I don't check Instagram nearly as often as I had in the past.  And I instituted a policy of only looking at Facebook once per day, usually in the evening.  If it's not in my feed at that time, I don't see it.  And you know what?  I love it.  Basically, I'm trying to be a little more present in my life.  Don't get me wrong, there is still room for improvement, but this small change feels good.  In addition, I have been ruthlessly deleting Instagram accounts.  If I don't love it, I stop following.  If someone has turned into one big advertisement for what they're wearing or what I should buy - Delete.  It's liberating!

 

5.  I've finished two books in the last few weeks...Hillary Clinton's What Happened and Joe Biden's Promise Me, Dad: A Year of Hope, Hardship, and Purpose. (affiliate links)  So if you know me, you know I thoroughly enjoyed both - though they were very, very different.  I especially loved all the details in Hillary's book.  She backed up her assertions with facts.  And I got teary eyed more than once while reading Joe Biden's book.  His love for his family and his country just shone through the entire book.  I finished that one in less than a week since it's not very long.  If you like politics, I recommends both!  

I've moved onto an old one, Amy Poehler's Yes Please.  After two heavy, somewhat technical books, I was ready for light and easy.  And this one fits the bill.  I'm not quite halfway through and I'm really enjoying it.  It's very light-hearted which is just what I was looking for in my next read!

 

6.  If you've been following my blog for a few years, you may remember I used to put together a scrapbook every year called Project Life.  I've fallen behind by a few years.  So this year I'm trying something new - digital Project Life.  I just downloaded the app onto my phone and I've made a few pages.  So far so good.  The app is pretty easy to navigate and if it gets me to put together a yearly scrapbook, I'm in!

I like that it saves everything I do so I can easily pick up where I left off.  Have a few minutes?  Start on a page!  I put the finishing touches on a page yesterday while I was waiting for my youngest's basketball game to start.  So far so good.  If you decide to try it, let me know.  I'll be curious what other people think of it.

 

Well, there you go!  We're all caught up.  I need to go downstairs and help #1 figure out how to find a movie On Demand.  Have a great week!
 

Six (or Nine) on Sunday...in 2018!

I can't believe I just typed 2018 - it still feels so strange.  I'm excited for this new year.  I think it's gonna be a good one!

I feel like this post is going to be long since I have 3 weeks to cover.  Quite a bit of what I'm going to write about will feel outdated but since this blog is a bit of a personal journal, I'm going to go back to before Christmas.  Ready?  Here goes!

1.  I felt really good about our Advent calendar activities.  I did a great job of mixing volunteer opportunities into the usual mix, if I do say so myself.  I hope to include even more of those types of opportunities next year!  

We served dinner at the Ronald McDonald room downtown at Children's Mercy hospital with my friend, Carmen, and her family.  It was such a great experience for myself and the kids that I definitely want to do it again!  

(#1 and the hubby missed out but we had plenty of help, anyway!)

 

The little girls were super excited to deliver cookies to some of the neighbors.  They love that kind of thing!  

 

2.  We spent the weekend prior to Christmas (so December 22 - 24) in Omaha with the hubby's family.  It was a nice weekend with family.  We were able to enjoy two different Christmas parties, the girls went to a movie with Grandma Rori and Uncle Sean, the hubby and I enjoyed a quiet lunch out together, and we opened gifts with each other.  Thankfully, the weather cooperated, too.  (But just barely, it snowed a few inches the morning we left to drive home.) 

 

3.  While in Omaha, the hubby and I were able to get together with his old crew from Our Lady of Lords Catholic school.  Yep, these guys have been friends since forever!  (It blows the girls's minds that these guys have been friends since they were #4's age and earlier!)  We had a blast at dinner with these guys and their wives.  So much fun!

 

4.  We made it back to KC in time to hit the 4pm mass at our church and then head home for all our Christmas Eve rituals.  It was just about perfect!  The hubby and I feasted on cioppino and the girls had spaghetti.  Of course we opened our Christmas Eve gifts - always PJs - and watched A Christmas Story.  It was just so nice to enjoy each other's company for a night with nothing pressing except for the anticipation the next day.

 

5.  Christmas morning was super fun.  We each took turns opening our gifts (something you want, something you need, something to wear, and something to read).  It felt unhurried and lovely.  Here's what the girls received:

Cate:

Want:  Mirror ski goggles  Need:  backpack for swim  Wear:  outfit from Athleta  Read:  Fangirl  Santa:  replacement Wii console (she asked for one!)

Lizzie:

Want:  subscription to Fab, Fit, Fun  Need:  soccer backpack  Wear:  outfit from Athleta  Read:  The Perks of Being a Wallflower  Santa:  Van sneakers 

Caroline:

Want:  Free Line Drift Roller Skates (cool but hard to learn!)  Need:  Polartec tights for outdoor soccer practice  Wear:  outfit from Athleta  Read:  Diary of a Wimpy Kid  Santa:  Bumper Balls

Kennedy:

Want:  Tennis racket and bag  Need:  Ski pants  Wear:  outfit from Athleta  Read:  Because of Winn Dixie  Santa:  LEGO set and LEGO Chain Reactions

We headed over to my sister's house after lunch.  The 10 of us went to see Pitch Perfect 3 and went back to their house afterward.  It was a great day!

 

6.  The rest of the week was spent being lazy.  And working on projects.  I loved it!  And honestly, I needed the week off.  I hadn't had a solid week off since the prior Christmas and while a day here or there are nice, it is nothing like an entire week off.  It was exactly what the doctor ordered.   

The Littles and I cleaned out the basement (in anticipation of a pool table thanks to my mom's Christmas donation).  I went through the rest of house once I got started.  We took two FULL Suburban's full of stuff to Goodwill.  I've gotta say, it felt great!  I got rid of a TON of stuff that I was holding onto for really no reason at all.  The closets are lighter, everything is so organized.

The hubby and I also started tackling #1's bathroom in earnest.  Just getting the shower waterproofed in order to tile is half the battle!  We really only have 3 full rows of tile on the bottom and 4 rows of tile on the back row and it will be finished.  I LOVE how it's turning out!

Obviously nothing is grouted yet but you definitely get the idea.  I'm in love with it and working with those 4x16 tiles was so much easier than standard 3x6 subway tile.  Plus, I'm loving the stacked bond pattern.  The tile itself is a nod to traditional but with a modern pattern.  It's really just making me excited to finish the rest of the room!

 

While we watched a LOT of movies, did some organizing, and tiling, we did manage to have a little fun, too.

We went bowling one afternoon and I learned that #1 is the WORST bowler!

 

I also took the girls to try out a new ice cream place.  It's called FrozeN2 Cafe and it's in Olathe. They make the ice cream right in front of you using nitrogen.  The girls also tried these things called Dragon's Breath.  (They decided next time they would only get one order of Dragon's Breath and then get their own ice cream.)

#4 didn't want the Dragon's Breath; she opted for her own ice cream which is why she isn't in the picture.  But she was there!

 

7.  Next thing we knew, it was New Year's Eve!  The hubby and I didn't go out this year and I did not feel one bit bad about it.  We stayed in and enjoyed the night with #2 and #4.  (I failed to get a picture of #1 - she went to a friend's house for a sleepover.)  

I made crab legs, twice baked potatoes, and roasted broccoli.  The girls drank sparkling grape juice while the hubby and I enjoyed adult beverages.  

Then we rented the first Kingsmen movie which I loved!

Meanwhile, #3 was at a friend's house making a cake as part of a contest.

 

8.  The hubby and I went back to work last Tuesday.  The girls didn't start school until Thursday.  So last week didn't really feel like real life.  But that's fine.  It's coming tomorrow.

9.  This weekend we went to Arkansas to celebrate Christmas with my mom.  We had great weather - at least compared to the negative windchills of last week!  Yesterday we took the kids ice skating and it was seriously perfect weather for ice skating.

After an hour on the ice, we joined my mom, sister, and Jason for lunch at an adorable boutique hotel on the square in Bentonville called 21c.  Their starters are fabulous!

 

We split up after lunch and I took the four older girls shopping and we had so much fun!  We hit all my favorite boutiques as well as Onyx Coffee Lab for a coffee/hot chocolate break.  It was so much fun to get out and walk around.  Last night we watched the Chiefs play and were so sad (and shocked) when they lost.  Regardless, it was still a really nice weekend spent with family.

 

Sadly, all good things must come to an end and we have a five day week ahead of us.  I have been trying to psych myself up for it today.  I made it to the grocery store and planned out six full days of meals and I haven't done that in WEEKS!  Phew.  

Anyway, if you read through all of this, thank you!  I feel like we are all caught up now.  I hope you had a fabulous holiday season and are feeling settled in the new year!  'Till next time - take care and have a great week!