7 Quick Takes

Linking up with Jen over at Conversion Diary!

1. Last Sunday evening some sweet gals (Hi Jennifer and Lisa - if you're reading which you might not be!!) from Catholic St. Louis came by to discuss an upcoming article and take some pictures. I say 'take some pictures' like it was no big dill but the big kids went into stubborn stray cat mode and I hope Lisa wins some sort of photography award for any pictures that she successfully snapped with both of the big kids in the frame along with the feline parents not looking irritated with their young. Reporter Jennifer has been given full permission to interview a different family that has their act more together than we ever will after enjoying some time in our fun house because ... you know us. I'm getting to my point. Simon said I should go "buy some scones or something" for their visit and so during naps I trotted off to Trader Josés in search of something sconey. No scones but I bought these insane little sea salt brownie bite petites. I know I KNOW the sea salt thing is getting old but these were ridiculous. They were so good. I refuse to take the kids to TJ's but I wanted to eat 15 more so I did 4 seconds of Googling and found this recipe. I finally got around to making them last night with Julia and -- not AS ridiculous as the real thing but still really good. I think I baked them for one minute too long and MAYBE slightly oversalted which I didn't think was a possibility. Anyway ... there's that. Also, the chicken and cilantro wontons in the freezer section ... so great.

2. That transitions not nicely into the current exercise situation. The ONE upside of Simon working late late late every night is that I have virtually no excuse not to take the kids on a walk/run. I'm back on the Couch to 5K train with a 5K not being the goal but just to be able to run my entire 18 minute route. I just really like week one's "run 60 seconds, walk 90 seconds, repeat" routine and I think I'll go ahead and do two week ones. Or maybe three. I'm alternating Jillian and the Barre Method DVD during nap times and undoing all my toil with quick take number one.

3. We went to visit Simon on Saturday night while he was on call and while we were outside Julia was running and fell flat on her face. Her face was fine but her knees took a bit of a hit.

(Simon took a picture before she saw the wreckage and we still thought mayyyybe we could salvage the visit. We thought wrong. We thought very very wrong.)

I'm pretty sure she confused bloody knees with leg amputations because the drive home was nothing short of everything my nightmares are made of with her (understandable but very dramatic - Sebastian didn't blink once) screams. Six days later she still totally freaks at the sight of the scabs and so baths (well - I avoided baths because I know Julia but then her filthy hair convinced me otherwise) and wardrobe changes have been real delights. Also, Theo gave her his cough thing and so she's just been Julia with an extra helping of Juliar this week. You can catch the tail end of what I'm talking about via Vimeo clip right here with the whine + whine + whine.

4. Mrs. Meyers (inspired by a mother of nine! love)

kindly sent us some cleaning supplies from their new spring line back in March. The scent was radish and I was super skeptical because I hate cleaning and I really hate radishes. They didn't ask that I even mention anything on the blog unless I felt compelled to do so but the other night completely unsolicited while he was washing dishes Simon said, "this stuff smells really good and I would actually voluntarily go out and buy more when this runs out." He said it and he meant it. I love the scent too and have been using the all-purpose cleaner to mop the floors and our tables and the pleather couch (twice in two weeks but the first time since before Theo was born - I know). Anyway - if you're in the market for some new dish soap or cleaning stuffs and are anti-chemical (I'm not but this stuff works really great) ... I recommend.

5. Some links!!

Ashley wrote a stellar post about a serious topic and still managed to make me audibly laugh. She can write no wrong. Thank goodness the Bachelorette is firing up again on Monday (that I get to watch with non-blogging friend Tami in real time and I'm an unhealthy level of night before Christmas ecstatic about it all) because Jones never ever disappoints with a good recap.

Iris asked that I tell you about her new Simple Saturday link up going on .... check it. And her FAQ page cracked me up. Right up.

I found this sweet blog recently (click over if only to see a shot of her wedding dress!) ... I love reading blogs of teachers because I was such a fantastically terrible suck of a teacher ... I am kind of in awe of them.

Kate retired her teaching hat recently but I love her blog and I wish she would PLEASE blog daily - if not hourly. 

Oh! Mary's wedding pics ... most stunning bride ever.

Any new-to-you blogs you want to give up to selfish me?

6. I'd never understood people complaining about their "full email inboxes" until recently and this is NOT a complaint but an apology if you emailed me regarding the martyr complex post. I wish I could just lock myself in a room and reply with long and thoughtful emails but I have children and sometimes I let the laundry get so backed up that they actually have no clean clothes left to wear and time management has always been a strong suit of mine. Thank you! if you emailed ... and I'm really sorry if I haven't responded YET. I was blown away by all the solidarity and am a lucky writer of the written whine.

7. And in case you were worried about the sound machine situation of yesterday -- worry no more. Simon came home and got Sebastian dressed ...

{our definitions of "those pants don't fit him anymore" vary slightly}

and took him to B-cubed to pick up my little savior. We put the kids to bed at 10pm like idiots and that panned out very, very beautifully this morning, as you can imagine. Anyway - all's well with the sound machine. Sorry about that rantnasty.


Go see Jen for more more more.

and I hope you have a weirdly harmonious weekend.