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In Week 39, we celebrate a milestone: 75% of the way through the year! And just because we can, we will give thanks for all of it: our successes, our failures, our dreams, and our realities. My favorite ways to celebrate just about anything include eating food, chatting with friends and family, wearing a good pair of jeans, being outside, and making lists.
Non-mom-jeans. The last time I bought a pair of hot jeans (the really good kind) was 2006. I didn't even buy any after I lost weight! Desperately needing to channel Linda Hamilton in the Terminator (and not owning a gymnists body or a machine gun or a cigarette), I got a new pair of Joe's. And it worked. I look exactly like the photo above.
September foodie penpal. My second foodie penpal (check out The Lean Green Bean for an explanation of foodie penpals) package was full of deliciously sweet and energy-filled treats. Brookside acai chocolates are delicious! I love dark chocolate and was quite excited to discover that these were chewy. I LOVE chewy candies. I also had no idea Brookside was owned by Hershey. Way to go, Hershey. Henry and I love the honey sticks, which he had never had, and honey is a completely underestimated, natural anti-bacterial and anti-viral food. Agave nectar has nothing on honey, as much as it tries. I had had the Sweet Leaf mint green tea before, but was pleasantly surprised by my foodie penpal's ballsiness to include a glass jar of liquid in my package. Maybe my Linda Hamilton alter ego will give me the strength I need to be that brave in my future packages :) The homemade cookies were a sweet touch - Ted would have devoured these, being that they were peanut butter and chocolate, had he been here! I love orzo and fruit leather for running fuel - Orzo always makes for a nice, chilled pasta salad. Throw in some feta, cucumber, and tomato...maybe a little olive oil, and you have a delicious meal. My penpal also included special treats for Henry, which I thought was the sweetest thing ever.
Squaw Creek National Wildlife Refuge (Mound City, MO). This is an hour and a half north from Fort Leavenworth and completely worth every speck of your time. What a perfect time of year as well being the fall migration! There is a 10-mile loop around the refuge that is basically a driving tour (slow) with lots of places to get out with the spotting scope or camera, or just sit in your car with binos. We enjoyed seeing American white pelicans, osprey, turkey vultures, snow geese, loons, turtles, and lots of monarchs everywhere. We will definitely be back this winter to try to spot some bald eagles!
Used food dehydrator. We can't wait to make some homemade teas and dried fruits. I may or may not include a specimen or two as well :)
If you will recall, at the Halfway Point, I created this list of goodies for completion to have done before the end of the year:
Here is what we have completed:
- ditch the sippy cup/switch to full big-boy cups only - done, for the most part. Cups with a lid are still nice for taking on runs, hikes, and in the car, kind of like a Nalgene.
- Pass the Praxis - by the Grace of God, I did pretty well on this crazy test!
- finish current book - yes
- make it through a playgroup session without trying to leave the building barely, but yes
- successfully find a preschool in VA before we move there - yes, though I am not head-over-heels in love with it, as compared to how I feel about his current school/teacher
- pick peaches from local orchard and freeze enough pie fillings for peach pie until the end of the year They didn't open for u-Pick this year, but I was a farmer's market stalker, and have peaches galore.
- take Henry owling and to a local owl lecture at a nearby nature center while he is still obsessed with owls - We did go owling! However, we did not make it to a lecture because they were all late in the evening (bedtime) rather than what I was hoping for (a couple that were in the early morning). Both are good times to go owling. He is still loving learning about owls, who fascinate us both.
- get a cute grow chart for Henry's room - done! He's growing like a weed.
- start preschool - yes
- not sit in the parking lot and cry for 3 hours on the first day of preschool like a total loser - yes, thanks to a very good friend
- seriously. get a life - I still have anxiety leaving him every single time. But it goes away within about 12 seconds after dropping him off :)
- say "please" and "thank you" consistently - He has started doing this! I am so proud. This was really the only thing I cared about on this list, and it happened. I've noticed he is better at saying please and thank you to strangers than he is to his Momma, however :) I am probably the same way with my Momma...
- squaw creek national wildlife refuge
Here is what is in the process of being completed:
- potty training completion - If you could graph this progress, it would look like a wave. Just within the last few days, he has been telling me "help"; grabbing himself; then holding it for a few seconds, which is awesome. He only does this in cotton undies - Pullups are a joke in case anyone reading this is just about to start this adventure.
- KS/MO bug collection - Just have to finish and affix my labels! Would like to get a couple more species.
- finish current crochet project and complete about 5 more - I don't know about the "5 more", but should be finished with the current behemoth in a month or so
- finish the rest of current book pile...about 8-9 of them, not counting the teacher resources now on my list - Probably more like 4.
- finish writing current short work of fiction - I think this will actually happen. As usual, It needs to be simplified a LOT for a short story.
- call my grandparents more regularly - Trying...My limited phone talking time is usually spent calling one of my parents, siblings, or sister-in-laws, so I really, sadly, have to schedule time to call anyone else, including friends. Though, is it really that sad? It gets done that way. Just life, I think.
- learn new tree identification (list) - Sucking it up on this one. But I have learned a few...
- try one new smoothie week per week - More like, every 2 weeks :) But yes.
- teach my son to catch and throw a football - working on it! He has a good arm, though teaching someone to catch is HARD when you suck yourself :) haha
- teach my son to ride his bike - Well, we are getting on, being pushed, and are fascinated by big kids on their bikes. Working on it...
- find a place to live in VA - Working on it. I think my Husband has much more lavish taste than I do, but I have always known this. I like cozy. He likes an echo :)
- get my child to willingly eat a vegetable/food in general - If green smoothies count, then yes.
- complete a half marathon on Post before we leave - One more week! Yay.
- make sure he can recognize his name (written) before he gets to his first day of preschool - I think he can recognize his name...He knows the spelling. not 100% sure if he really knows it or has just memorized it :)
