Favorite Things: Day 19

Favorite Things: Day 19 Poetry

This was dictated to me by Oliver and describes a drive to Dan & Beth's old house.

Favorite Things: Day 19

Favorite Things: Day 18

Favorite Things: Day 18 Wood

Favorite Things: Day 17

Favorite Things: Day 17 I've said it before and I'm sure I'll bore you to death by saying it again, but I love it when my boys bake.

Favorite Things: Day 16

Favorite Things: Day 16 Thrift Stores where you can find things that you need/want for a fraction of the price at a retail store if you have patience and are willing to use secondhand items.

I hadn't been to a thrift store in a while so I was super pleased to waltz into the small Stoughton St. Vinny's and find this ice cream maker for a paltry sum. Ryan said it is just like Bakka's. I liked that the old box it came in said it was made in Virginia, near where I grew up. We both liked the $4 price tag. We brought it home and promptly made buttermilk ice cream. It was yum.

Favorite Things: Day 15

Favorite Things: Day 15 Spontaneous Family Time

We do a rotating date night with two other couples that has been temporarily suspended until expected babies are born...thus, we found ourselves a few Thursday nights ago with no food in the house and some money in the budget for eating out. Sam yelled "Old Fashioned!" and away we went. After eating, we ran across the street to the Capitol lawn and had a raucous game of tag that wore us all out. It was one of those unusually warm early spring days and we had such an enjoyable time hanging out that no one wanted the evening to end. As we were getting into our car, a distinguished looking gentleman with graying hair was approaching his nice Volvo parked in front of us, and Oliver queried matter of factly "is that George Washington?" that sent us all in an uproar of laughter...a wonderful end to a lovely night.

Favorite Things: Day 14

Favorite Things: Day 14 Compost

Why is there a potato chip bag in my compost bin, you ask? Well, Sunchips has come out with the first biodegradable/compostable chip bag, giving me another excuse to indulge in buying a bag of Harvest Cheddar every now and again for the childish glee I get in throwing the empty bag in my compost instead of my trash.

Favorite Things: Day 13

Favorite Things: Day 13 Exercise

I have been remarkably undisciplined with exercise lately, even for me. And that's saying a lot because I can be very undisciplined. But since the coming of spring and warmer weather, it's been easier to find the motivation. Despite how great I always feel after a run or bike ride, I've never enjoyed exercising by myself and yet the better sleep, the better posture and overall health should get my butt out the door. Lately, I've found that even better then exercising is doing a physical activity outside with my husband and kids without the pressure of times and distances. Yesterday morning was light on work for Ryan so we tumbled the youngest 3 into the burley and bike carrier and rode to the coffee shop.

This morning was the annual Syttende Mai race in Stoughton and the boys and I ran the 2 mile Lil Mai race. Oliver and I got side stitches after the first mile but O was a champion and finished in fine style. Here is Sam above (wearing Norwegian colors) who took off like a jackrabbit when the gun sounded and finished a good 10 minutes before Oliver and I. It was so cool to watch Oliver go from tired and feeling like he couldn't finish to sprinting towards the finish line as crowds on either side cheered him on. He got a huge smile on his face when the race official announced "way to go Oliver!" as he crossed the finish and got his race t-shirt. Ryan met us with coffee and donuts and we sat on the curb and cheered the finishers of all the other races before heading home. It was a great experience and I look forward to the whole family running together next year.