The cats outta my bag.

One paystub. That is all. Only because that is my "just mom is going" bag. Used for the obvious. The most it will contain at one time is my wallet and cell phone. It's snakeskin (imitation) and I found it on clearance for $4. It was love at first sight.

My "church bag" contains a smorgasboard of emergency-staying-quiet-in-church supplies. Twelve pens, three notebooks, an outdated planner, hand sanitizer, a sucker, Haley's chapstick, Tylonel, kleenex, Teddy Grahams, a diaper & wipes (that were not there last week, which sent Maddie scrounging around the car in middle of church), etc.

My "dropping the kids off" bag contains diapers, wipes, and a blanket for Kaija.

My "running errands bag" is a cross-body bag and contains only a few emergency supplies: dental floss, pencil, breath mints, a diaper, and an eraser. The eraser is left from when I was in Tax School.

The rest of my bags sit empty and useless, until I feel the need to pull them out and use them.

What's in your bag?

Photo Challenge, Day 16 & 17: what I ate & on the shelf

I know, right? I totally said I wasn't going to worry with day 16. But, I'm enough of a rule follower that skipping a day didn't sit well with me. So, judge me. I don't care. This isn't what I ate yesterday. I didn't eat Mojakka, either. Nothing finn, as a matter of fact. GASP!! Mostly it is because I have the best friends. Zane got home in the wee hours of Friday morning, after being gone for almost two weeks. And my dear friend took my kids for a few hours and sent us on a much needed date. And I had the most delicious sandwich. (Guess what? I ate a whole meal without one interruption!!!) It seriously pains me that I didn't have my camera with to show you the work of art that the sandwich once was. Instead, you get this:

BTW: Single parenting is for the birds.

the difference between a girl and a boy

Happy St Urho's Tay, my frents!

Oh, kosh. I heffent a clue where to pekin. Dis packach came in da mail ant my heart was chest a pountink. I chess knew it hat to pee someting koot. So, I poot on my nicest tress. My wetting tress. And I'm klad I tid. Pecause, Oh, poy! Was it effer excitink! My mudder, duh reigning trophy holter pikt me to kiff da trophy to pecuss I chased away all dem hip proplems. Oh, kosh. Its chest such uff an honor. Oh, kosh. Tanks, Mom.
Ders a million people I need to thank who mate it possiple. My kits, my huspend, my extentet family (parents and siplinks on poth sites), my frents like Lenny & Penny who always make me kikkle, my plokking network (both plokkers and commenters with der constent support), my coffee frents (aka therapy croup), Chenny for kiffing me pangs which empowert me, Chewlie who let me pour my heart out on the efe of dee appointmints pecause she unterstants, ANT! (fairy importently) the chiltrens hospital and their amasing staff who chest know how to fix hips. Ant efferybutty else in my life who kafe us support in any way.
Oh, kosh. I'm chest so honort. It's almost like I don't teserf all of dis. Almost.
I hope dis is your year to chase away your "krasshoppers" from your life, if you half any.
If in tout, chest ask yourself "wut woot St. Urho to?" Ant you can ushually fikker it out. Have a koot St. Urho's tay. I hope yours is as epic as mine.

****

Oh, ant duh photokruffer was Mat-tok. She's pretty koot for a little one. Ant, for ta recort I'm koin to eat mojakka totay. I cant possiply waste my time wit a photo challench on such an important tay. I'll pe out toink tinks to make Urho prout.

Ant, uff course! My frent Sharyn's huspent mate da carfeen of Urho. In case you neet him for sometink. He es so talented. Eff you want to see dis ting in person, et will pe cracing my kitchen wit its pressence for da next year.

Photo Challenge, Day 15: my shoes

Sorry to disappoint you, Carol. No heels today. I imagined all these wonderful pictures of my shoes in a pile. Yet, all I really wanted to talk about were these babies.

I went to one of those shoe places where they evaluate your stride. And after a lot of debate, I plunked down a massive amount of money (in my opinion) for a pair of shoes. Like, triple digits. I've never spent that much on a pair of shoes in my life. True story. When I really thought about how much I use them, how many miles I could use them for- when you average it out, it's not so bad.

And then I tried them out. L.O.V.E. Zztop once compared his shoes to running on little baby chicks. I thought it was wrong on a couple levels. But, I completely understand what he was trying to say. I hopped on one of the most unforgiving surfaces I can think of- and ran. And my first thought, honestly, was "Oh, my goodness. I'm running on clouds!" Guess what? My hips didn't ache afterwards!! Halleluja! I never thought the day would come where my tennis shoes became my favorite pair of shoes.

If you haven't purchased a pair of serious shoes and you do any kind of exercise at all- you need to. It's a game changer.

Photo Challenge, Day 14: Flowers

It's March. Seriously. Izzy's skirt is the best I could come up with. We were at the zoo with friends today. It made for some fabulous photo ops and good memories, even without the pretty flowers.

From A Distance

Things that makes my heart expand, pouring out through leaking eyes:


To the another eye, what might be in this photo is an ordinary scene of boys playing football. But, to me, it's a been a long time coming. It's my little guy running. He may not be fast, but that'll come with time as he regains his strength. It's not an award winning photo, it's something so much better. It makes my heart too big for my chest. And, yes, it was taken at a distance to avoid embarrassing the little football player.

Photo Challenge, Day 12: Close-up

Like Barb, I could have easily taken upwards of 60-70 photos for this one. I only took 7. Narrowed it down to two. But, only because today is crazy-busy with eye appts (Logan is getting glasses), baking bread, cleaning, etc. It's a good way to start the week. Full blast.