Today is Tuesday

This was my only "day off" from my part-time childcare job (watching my nieces), so I thought I should take a moment to post something about the past few days...

Saturday

• C and H prepared the Men's Breakfast (and attended) at church -- I took Z and the other kids out for breakfast at Weck's. The staff at Weck's sang to Z and he blushed.
• After breakfast, on the way to the audition, we spotted a hot air balloon landing and Z wanted to see if they had any collector's cards.  I let him out of the truck and I snapped a few photos of him going over there.  Next thing I knew he was in the basket as they bounced/carried it to a good landing location.  He told them it was his birthday and they invited him for a "ride."  He never went more than six feet off the ground, but still, that's higher than I've been in one!  And yes, he did get a card from them after helping the team pack up and nearly making us late for the audition!
• Audition.  No, still haven't heard from them.  But look how long it took last time, so ... I'll just wait and see.
• Z opted for lunch with his dad.  I took the other kids to lunch because they were bummed to miss out on lunch with the family as was previously planned.
• My mom called (per tradition) to sing to Z for his birthday.  He was thrilled.
• Z opened gifts from the family and seemed pleased with his haul.
• Z wanted dinner in Santa Fe, but we were too beat by evening (it had been a long week), so we talked him into the nearby Applebee's.  By that time, H was feeling ill after football practice and he stayed home.  Z said, "That means I'm having three whole meals without my brother."  (Sadly.)  I told him I was happy that this disappointed him and that I knew he loved his brother!  The staff at Applebee's sang to Z (again) and he smiled while telling us how embarrassed he was about it all.  But he gladly ate his free sundae.

Sunday

• C made homemade sausage and egg (Mc)muffins that Z had asked to eat for his birthday breakfast, but had to be postponed because of the Men's Breakfast at church.  They were good -- better than the "real" thing.
• H and C got into a big discussion/disagreement and because of it, we all missed church service.  But ultimately, it allowed us to grow a deeper relationship with H and I think/hope he understands something more about us now.  It was just not really fun while digging in deep.
• C took the kids to play catch (and just to play) at the park, while I took S to get some running shoes.  She's been using her lack of shoes as a reason why she can no longer exercise.  So, I wanted to encourage her to get back out there for a walk or a run.  It helps me stay motivated as well.
• C made peach cobbler and homemade root beer (two more birthday requests from Z) and we invited my sister's family over to share in the sweets.  Best peach cobbler C has made, I think!  And the root beer was really fun and tasty.  It was a recipe that used dry ice, so it was a big show for the kids.

Monday

• My nieces weren't due to arrive at our house till midday, so we scurried to get school and chores done first thing so we wouldn't have to do a balancing act later.
• The day went smoothly, which is a blessing in itself -- usually Mondays around here are the most challenging!
• C took me out for our Valentine's date!  We hadn't been able to work out a time till yesterday (since Valentine's Day) and had a gift card that was about to expire for Pappadeaux's, so we made it a priority and had a great time.  The first date in a while that wasn't dominated by discussions about the kids or my turning into an emotional mush-pile because we really don't get enough dates as we'd like (or need). I tried Chilean Sea Bass for the first time (which is the marketing name for Patagonian Toothfish -- much less appetizing sounding) and loved it.  I'm pretty strictly a salmon eater as far as cooked fish goes, but I have found a very good second choice in Chilean Sea Bass.

Tuesday (Today)

• Realizing we had "the day off" and I'd pre-purchased tickets to a play at UNM/Popejoy Hall, we headed down for the 10:15am showing of The Secret Life of Bees.  I had not read the story, nor had I seen the movie.  But now I want to! I'd have to say it was probably my favorite thing I've seen at Popejoy so far from this year's Schooltime Series.  It was more appropriate for S's age (grades 7 - 12, they said), but our other kids handled it well.  In fact, I'd say even our youngest was more mature than some of the teens sitting around us.  There was a bit of rough language in the show, but mostly it was seasoning to tell the story about the life and times (1964, South Carolina ... civil rights, etc.).  But the teens behind us seemed to have some smart aleck-y comment for every part of the show.  It was really disappointing and distracting and I nearly turned around to shush them, but I feared it would make things worse.  Many of the kids in the row in front of us, watched the play with earphones in their ears, which I thought was so sad.
• Today officially began the start of Windy Season.  On the one hand, this means: good news! It's about to be spring!  On the other hand, there is a lot more wind headed our way.  If you don't know, desert + wind = ick.  Grit in my teeth.  Dirt all over the roads and sometimes blown in through the smallest cracks in the house (our window sills get covered with dirt this time of year).  And just the complications that come with wind like my grocery cart blowing away while I'm unloading it into my trunk or trash blowing from everywhere and piling up on the front porch of our house.  Blehh.  The wind was so bad today that the kids' homeschool P.E. class got canceled.  They were disappointed.
• A trip to Target for some essentials.
• Mailed four packages from the post office today -- things that have been on my to-do list for a few weeks and I just now got around to getting them out the door!  Phew!
• Met C for dinner at Schlotsky's since he was coming home a bit later than normal.  I had a salad and soup combo.  Delicious and satisfying.
• Spending a bit of time on the computer this evening, catching up on emails and blogs and whatever.  It's been a nice time relaxing before a busy day tomorrow.

That's about all.

Oh, on a side note, I got myself in gear a few weeks ago and started trying to be more picky about what I eat and drink each day.  It's been a challenge because I'd gotten pretty lazy about my diet.  But I was pleased that even including my Valentine's date (which meant sharing a Creme Brulee for dessert), I've managed to lose seven pounds since I started counting.  I'm also trying to go walking again, but still am not back to daily yet.  We'll get there.  Anyway, the weight loss is only a small victory, but overall, I feel better and less sloggy each day.  This is very important when trying to keep up with 5-7 kids!