By Nicole

There are so many things I would rather be blogging about tonight, but for some reason, all I can think about is my pillow. So, we are keeping it short and sweet. Meal plan for the week: Monday:  Leftover Ham and 15-Bean Soup with Corn and Chives Tuesday:  Breakfast for Dinner - Chorizo, Potatoes, and Eggs Wednesday:  We eat with Great Grandma Thursday:  Venison Stroganoff with Chanterelles, Squash, and Peas Friday:  Baked Halibut, Sprouted Rice Mix, and Asparagus Saturday:  Football Games!  We will probably eat on the road Sunday:  Steak, Beets, and Mashed Potatoes.  If I'm feeling really motivated, I might bake some rolls.

This has been a glorious break.  Forget the sick kid, the sleepless nights filled with phlegm and seal barks, my frazzled, pj'd attempts to work from home, and the fact that my house has remained in an eternal state of disarray. It's been glorious because I have been able to - be home with my kids for a couple days, forget about "having" to blog daily, have Jason pick up a take n' bake pizza guilt free (we had a gift certificate), register for the Narrows Half on opening day, do silly things like sort through my drawers and get rid of more stuff, eat chocolate, and drool over the Nine West boots I am in love with online, clean off my computer keyboard, snuggle my kids a lot, stay in my pajamas all day. I'm enjoying this so much that I am taking April off of NaBloPoMo.  I decided. Instead of me worrying about blogging daily, this month we are going to  - decorate eggs and then crack them all up to make deviled eggs that look like baby chickens ha...

We weighed out today... out of the weight loss challenge that we signed up for in January .  So - in three months, Jason and I lost more than the weight of Leilee!  A total of just over 39 pounds.  Jason took up the slack, losing 25.  I lost 14.  We were so stoked.  Neither of us thought that we would be able to lose that much weight in 3 months... but we did!  And then we splurged like maniacs today.  Eggs, cheese, chocolate pastries, coffee with cream and honey, ice cream, steak, mashed potatoes with feta.... we feel so gross and delicious today.  And already so excited and relieved to run and eat healthier tomorrow! My current joke is that I am one stomach flu away from my goal weight .  I even wrote that on my "story" that they asked us to write for the challenge.  And then I wrote, in parentheses, 'just kidding, please do not print!'  It is such a good feeling to be able to button pants that I haven't been able to get in...

A friend sent me this link on Facebook today.  http://jezebel.com/5874927/i-guess-i-forgot-to-wean-my-baby   I read the article and laughed a little.  I just took it at face value and didn't read any further into it.  So then I thought, 'Hey, maybe I will leave a nice little comment giving reassurance or some humor.'  Kind of like we all (you that are reading this) have been doing since we met on NaBloPoMo.  Helpful, happy, positive, uplifting, supportive comments.  Boy was I in for a sickening featured comment ride.  How are people so mean?  What is it about the anonymity of the Internet that just makes people more ignorant, rude and downright awful to one another?  How did a harmless article about weaning turn into an insult-slinging soapbox on vaccines?  Crazy pants, all of them.  With not nice manners and even worse attitudes.  Judgy Judgers...  Urg.  It kind of ticked me off, and I almost wanted to l...

I did it.  I skipped a day.  It was an intentional decision, brought about by my hope to have a less encumbered year.  While I have loved blogging everyday, and I am actually proud that I developed this habit, the perceived "need" to blog daily has sometimes often interfered with quality family time over the last few months.  Since I want to spend the year living towards an unencumbered perspective, I decided that extra focus on my family is much more important in the long run than my ramblings being sent into cyberspace each day.  So I made a conscious decision to snuggle with my oldest son when he needed it the most and to sit next to, and actually watch a show with, the hubby instead of tapping away on my laptop, absorbed in whatever I had chosen to type up that day.  It wasn't easy.  There were quite a few times that I would begin to compose in my head.  Fragmented paragraphs have been written and lost somewhere betwe...

Well, it's that time of year.  And I guess I will do a post about it.  I am a little sad to see 2011 go, although I'm not sure why since I haven't really taken the time out yet to reflect on it yet.  I am also a little excited for 2012.  My sister-in-law and I are running a 5k in January, which is the start of quite a few runs this year, including at least two half-marathons. So I guess that could be considered a resolution... I try not to make those, since I usually don't keep them.  In the last part of winter, my husband and I always participate in the Daniel Fast with our church's leadership, in preparation and prayer for the men's conference.  It has been so exciting over the years to see the increase in male leadership in our church.  That also kicks me and Jason into a higher gear aimed at eating healthier, which usually results in some pounds shed, which takes care of another resolution that I am not going to make. Right now, I am sitt...

Whew.  30 posts in a row.  And I didn't even "officially" get on the blogrolls.  I was a crasher!  It's amazing how much I have learned about blogging and other bloggers in the last month.  I have found some GREAT blogs to follow.  Before starting all this and actually spending time exploring BlogHer and other forums for blogger moms, I didn't realize the level of support and community that was out there.  I am not planning on jumping into the digital world and seeking all my socialization and affirmation through the Internet, but it has been nice to know that it is available and to get those comments from other women that I think (unless you are a cyberstalker, psycho, or poser... and then, I guess you tricked me good) I have a lot in common with.  Well, cyberstalker or not, we all admit we love the comments and support, right? That said, I know that I did start to worry more about what people who were actually reading my writing thought abou...

So I started BlogHer's NaBloPoMo Soup Challenge  today.  I am 10 days late and 5 posts behind.  But we won't dwell on that.  Today's prompt is "What is your passion?"  I got a little nervous, because there are lots of things I really like to do, but I wasn't sure they would qualify as passion... so I looked it up.  Merriam-Webster  gives quite a few definitions for passion.  I am choosing definition number 5b to write from, which is, "a strong liking or desire for or devotion to some activity, object, or concept." Great.  I have lots of passions.  Some of which include running, beading, reading, writing, raising my kids, loving my husband, serving God, and spending time with my family.  I also doodle a lot.  Even at times when it could be considered mildly inappropriate.  So, since some might find the other passions I listed a bit boring or cliche, I am choosing to write about my doodl...