What I Wore Sunday, How to Lose 8 Pounds Instantly and Things that Go Bump in the Night

Longest post title ever!

Linking up with Fine Linen and Purple for another What I Wore Sunday.

This Sunday, we actually went to a wonderful Mass at a wonderful parish.  The only not-wonderful thing about it, is that it's 30 minutes away from home.  I felt right at home almost immediately and the parish is full of young, growing families.  It was just a wonderful, orthodox, parish -full of life and reverence.  The priest gave a really good homily, they used bells, beautiful, (mostly) traditional music.   

Elsa got a C for Mass behavior.  I had to take her in the back, but she was fairly good in the back and considering her age, she wasn't too bad.  Everyone else was very good...of course.

And here is what I wore.

In front of a tree...always in front of a tree.  I have a thing for trees.  The shirt is from an army surplus store (it's a long story).  The skirt is Shade Clothing.  The belt is older than the hills and the shoes were given to me.   I'm still not sure if I like the belt or not. 

If I look a little tired, it's because I was up several times, hearing things that go bump in the night.  You see, yesterday, we just put our bunk beds together, and the last time Heidi slept on the top bunk, she rolled off and broke her collar bone.   So, even though we put a bed rail up, I was still nervous and throughout the night, I kept hearing those things that go bump in the night and jumping up to check on her.  All was well though..and no one fell off or broke anymore bones.  So, I suppose it was just the cat, bumping around in the night. 

And, every week I wonder why in the heck I keep doing WIWS.  I'm  not particularly fashion-conscious or that into clothes.  And most of the pictures I see...I totally cringe and am all "ugh I look terrible, I'm too fat, blah, blah, blah."  Which is exactly why I feel I keep needing to do what I wore Sunday.  It sounds trite to say that weight is just a number...but it really IS.  Which is how I lost 8 pounds instantly...simply by weighing myself on a different scale.  Yes, I have two different scales that are consistently 8-10 pounds different in weight.  Guess which one I prefer!

You see..everyone talks about losing weight and exercising to get healthy.  But, I already exercise, and I'm already fairly healthy. I think I have plenty of energy, can get a lot done, can walk miles at a time, carry babies around,  bolt bunkbeds together, put together a lawn mower (okay....so that one didn't go so well...a wheel feel off), mow the grass, cook dinner, etc., etc.   So, in all honesty, if I were to lose the 20 pounds I desperately want to...I really don't think it would make me healthier.  It would make me look better...but it wouldn't necessarily make me healthier.  I've been super skinny before, and I wasn't any healthier then, than I am now.  In fact, I was considerably less healthier because I didn't eat right, and didn't even menstruate for 1 1/2 years.   I eat much healthier now than I did back then.  So, this is a lot of blah, blah, blahing..but the point is, I'm trying to learn to accept my body as it is, instead of always wishing I could lose weight (because after all weight is just a number). In order for me to lose weight, I would have to eat less, and eating less make me miserable, which makes everyone else around me miserable...which means it may not be worth it. 

Which is why I love participating in WIWS Sunday so much.  I love seeing all the different bloggers, real women, of different shapes and sizes who aren't afraid to get photographed and showcase their style, even if they don't fit society's view of the "ideal shape"

And, that is enough blah, blah, blahing for today. 

7QTF. 7 Homeschool Organizational Tips for the Chronically Disorganized

We just got started back into homeschooling today (yep...start on a Friday...that's the way to do it), after taking the last several weeks off.  We usually school all year-round...doing only 3 (sometimes only 2) days a week all year, but the last several weeks, we've done nothing

Since we just moved to a new location, it seems the perfect time for me to finally get it together.  I've decided that THIS year is the year I'm going to be organized.  No more frantically searching for books during school.  No more last minute printing jobs. No more spending 20 minutes looking for scissors or a glue stick or a pencil sharpener (at one point, I was sharpening our pencils with a knife because I couldn't find any pencil sharpeners (totally not joking here, people). No more not starting school until 10:00 AM.  This year, I'm going to keep the house clean, and everything put away and have our books from the library and science project supplies and everything else we need all at the ready. 

Except today....today I had last minute printing jobs (and the printer didn't work) and we didn't start school until 10 AM and we didn't have all the necessary items for our science project, and well.....we just may, just may be doing a bit of school tomorrow (yes on Saturday)....just a little bit...just the parts we didn't get to today.

Let's face it....I'm chronically disorganized and messy.  But, there is HOPE...even for me.

You see...I've managed to come up with a few organizational tips to work within my naturally disorganized state. 

And, since there are 7 of them, I'm linking up with Jen for 7 Quick Takes Friday.  And, since it's about homeschool organization, I'm also linking up with Micaela. 

1.

Have a general writing utensil drawer.  This includes pens, pencils, pencil sharpeners, markers, erasers and writing grips for beginning writers.  Any pencils, pens, makers, pencil sharpeners or writing grips that get picked up, go in this drawer.  

  Thrown messily in the drawer...but at least they are in there and we know where to look when we need to find them. 

2.

Have a second drawer for rulers, tape, scissors, glue, rubber stamps.

And more markers...because we have an awful lot of markers.

3.

A third drawer contains a couple different containers of crayons.  The crayons aren't organized in any way, and there is no rhyme nor reason as to why one particular crayon ends up in bag versus another...but if we need crayons we know where to look.

4.

We have other drawers.  One drawer is devoted solely to holy cards, old palms and other random religious items.  Because, we also tend to have a lot of holy cards.   Another drawer is devoted entirely to envelopes.  A third, entirely to notebooks (acquired on sale for 17 CENTS each. Wahoo!!) and index cards. 

5.

All of John's schoolbooks are kept in this drawer.  They aren't organized....just piled in there.  But when we are looking for his books, we know where to look.

6.

The girls share a special area for their books....because I ran out of drawers (and they share some books).

'

And. we have a place for school books not currently in use this year but I want to hang onto for the future.

7.

Now, one quick take about scheduling.  I use Google Calendar and set it to email me reminders about everything. I mean everything.  Everything from paying the rent, to when library books are due, to every activity, commitment, meeting, etc., etc.  And, Ben puts his stuff on Google calendar as well, so I can see all his items and he can see mine.   Google calendar is the only way I remember to do ANYTHING. 

As far scheduling our schoolwork goes..well this year we are basically following the MODG syllabus, so after we complete a lesson, it gets initialed and the next day we just go onto the next lesson.  Sometimes we do two lessons in a day, or skip completely, but this way I can keep track of where in the syllabus we are. 

And that's it.  I still have a long ways to go but I'm at least slightly more organized this year, than I was last year.  I figure by the time my last kid is done with school...I should be golden. 

HoWDI: Finding a Place to Rent Sight Unseen

I'm starting a new series...with the super lame title of  HoWDI, which, stands for How We Did It..  Get it HoWDI,... Howdy.  Just smile, and pretend to laugh, okay.

Each part in the series will talk about how we did something...and this first one will be about how we found a place to rent, sight unseen in about 24 hours time.   

So....this is How We Did It. 

First

 Make a list (either mentally or on paper) of things you absolutely want in a place to live...and then (again either mentally or on paper), rate them as negotiable or non-negotiable.

These are the things we wanted.

• Allows pets (We have a cat.  My parents have so generously kept him for us, for the past three years while we were in Fl, living on campus, but once we moved off campus, we wanted to take our precious cat with us.  Sorry Mom and Dad...I know you are crying buckets over missing William). 
• Hardwood floors.  Not totally non-negotiable, but fairly important.  Our kids tend to be a bit "rough" on carpet (rough is putting it mildly) and hardwood is so much easier to clean.  We really wanted to avoid carpet and all the cleaning and hassles that comes with having carpet and kids. 

•  Free-standing house with backyard.  This was more important to me, than to Ben.  In fact, Ben is totally happy in a condo.  In fact we had a bit of an um...disagreement over this.   I really, really, really like the privacy of having our own house and backyard.  Once kids are old enough to play outside without direct supervision, it is just golden if they CAN do so without being in a public area (like in a condo). Call me paranoid, but I'm not too likely to let my kids play outside without direct supervision in a public area, the same way I am in a private backyard.    And, it totally saves my sanity to be able to send everyone outside to play and give me a bit of peace and quiet.  As a bonus, we even found a house that already has a swingset/climbing structure.

• Safe neighborhood (more on that later).
• Within 30 minutes drive of Ben's work (the place we found is right at 30 minutes)
• Within a certain price range
• At least 3 bedrooms and 1400 square feet.
• Good place for walking around the neighborhood...quiet, safe streets to walk.  We really enjoy walking and walk A LOT, so living in a safe neighborhood with safe streets to walk on is really important to us.   

Second.

Go to www.neighborhoodscout.com and put in the city/town you are looking in.  This maps the number of arrests and crime in a given neighborhood within the last two months.  It's invaluable for finding a safe neighborhood.  Determine which neighborhoods you want to look at and which ones you want to want to stay away from.

Three

Go to zillow.com and do a search for rentals in your city/town.  You can filter the results by price range, number of bedrooms, allows pets, etc., etc.   Zillow is invaluable....BEST. TOOL. EVER for finding a place to rent (or buy).  It shows you the prices ranges of all the other houses in the neighborhood,  shows you if the house value has increased or decreased over the last few months and maps where each house is, so you can tell at a glance where it is located.   Plus, it has all the information on it you would find if you were looking to buy (age of house/condo, plot size, square feet, etc.)

Four

Once you find a few places you are interested in...put them into google maps and look at the house, look at the street, look at the surrounding houses.  You can tell if the yards are kept up, what kind of houses are in the neighborhood, how far apart the houses are, etc., etc., etc. 

Five 

Once you have a few places you are interested in....call up the Realtor and ask questions, questions and more questions.  Ask about the heating and cooling and neighborhood and utility bills and lawn maintenance, and just about everything you can think of.  Explain your situation (if you are in a time crunch, don't have time to look around, etc).  The Realtor we worked with, even offered to make a little video with his phone and email it to us! Now, THAT is service. 

Six 

To avoid surprises, think about the time the house/condo/apartment was built and then do research into styles/sizes/layouts from that area.  Most houses built around a certain time, tend to be pretty similar.   The house we chose, was built in the 50's, which means small closets, and less closet/storage space than more modern houses.  I knew this house had been built in the 50's, so this wasn't a total surprise when we got here and saw the size of the closets, etc.

And, that's basically it...thanks to the internet, you can do all sorts of reading of leases and filling out applications and everything all online! I hope that somehow, someday, somewhere, this post will help someone.

What I Wore Sunday

Linking up with Fine Linen and Purple for another WIWS.

We just, just moved..and the movers haven't arrived with all our stuff yet (should get here tomorrow), so I was working with 1/3 of my normal outfit options when I put this outfit together.  So, that's why it's kinda boring and neutral-ish.  And I'm pretty sure it's a repeat too...but I'm too lazy to actually check that out myself.

The shirt is thrifted.  The skirt is Old Navy and the shoes...you can't see..but those were given to me. 

This is our new backyard in the house we are renting.  The swing-set came with it...we added the baby swing ourselves...finding it on clearance for only $20.  Best $20 spent ever...because this picture is a lie.  I'm  never the one swinging the baby (this is just how my photographer wanted to stage the picture)....the older kids all do it and it keeps her happy and contained  and out of Trouble (with a capital T)...so that makes me happy.   Ever since she started walking, she's been a handful and a half. 

Speaking of Elsa,  she gets a C for Mass today....she did lots of eating of the Mass inserts and screeching and wanting to get down and toddle around...and had to be taken out.   She did nurse and fall asleep at the very end...which bumped her up from a C- to a C.   And, we were less than impressed with the church we tried out today...so we'll be trying a different one next week.   Unfortunately, from websites, it looks as though our best option might be a church 30 minutes away.  Le sigh....I hate driving...but I fear I shall be doing lots of it in our new locale. 

So, now that you've read my whining and seen my boring outfit.....go forth and see happier and better dressed bloggers. 

7 Quick Takes Friday from VA

1.

Blogging to you live here from VA.  We somehow managed to get it together to find a place to rent, find movers and move down to VA...all within the span of one week.  Whew...I'm tired just thinking about it.

2

During that time, we also, inherited,  were given via family transfer,  from my SUPER generous parents who don't need it anymore,...this vehicle.

I call it Gus the Bus...,short for Augustine...cause ya know, it has to be a Catholic van.   Our other van, which was in pretty bad shape, would not have passed inspection in VA, so we bid it a fond farewell, cried many tears and sold it for a few pennies. 

I was really scared to drive Gus as first, but I quickly got used to it.  Backing up is still a pain, but I'm getting better at it (knock on wood).  

The nicest thing about Gus.... unlike other vehicles, it has air conditioning. 

3.

On the drive down, we were once again stuck in major, major, major traffic in NY and NJ (amazingly CT was fine).  I think it took us like 3 hours to go 40 miles or something.   At least I found a news radio station that assured me that the "alternate" route would have been even worse due to a jackknifed tractor trailer. 

4.

Not to make this all doom and gloom...yesterday was a lovely day of driving...clear sailing, no traffic and a fun visit with a friend we stopped off to see on the way. 

5,

And, this is the best thing about the house we are renting.  See those things? 

 Those are trees!  TREES!!!  Nice, big, shady ones.  Something you don't really see in FL.   And, the swingset in the backyard is fun for the kids as well.  

6.

Today we had to make a run to WalMart and when we came back to the house, our cat was missing.  MISSING.  I KNEW he was in the house, (all closed up) when we left, and when we came back, he was nowhere to be found.  I called Ben up, crying and screaming and cursing the landlord who I was SURE had come to the house and let him out.   

Then I opened up a cabinet on top of the fridge...and who should appear, but the wayward cat. 

7.

Our furniture hasn't arrived from the moving truck yet, so this is how we are sleeping.  It's actually surprisingly comfortable...sleeping on the floor.  I have a foam mat, then a sleeping bag and a few blankets.  It's not too bad.

Now go see Jen for more quick takes. 

Bye bye RI

And they were singin'

Bye Bye little R...I.

No more red seaweed...no it's not red tide.

These good ole girls are singing

Del's and Dunkin and Chai

Saying this will be the day that I fry

without the cool ocean breezes of RI. 

So..whaddaya think?  Do I have a future as a songwriter or a poet or what??!!!

I know, I know..it's  an or what.  But, I just couldn't let our passing from the state of RI (for perhaps the very last time)  go by without some sort of lame, songy/poemy tribute.  So there ya go. 

And, so I bid a fond farewell to the state where I grew up, the state where I went to college and the state where I spent 5 years of my adult life.   Cheesey as it sounds, I'll always consider myself a Rhode Islandah!

7 Quick Takes Friday....Big News, Big Changes and Small Takes

1.

So, it's time for our second long-distance move in as much as three months.  Back in May, we moved from Florida to Rhode Island while Ben studied for the VA bar exam.  So, we always knew we'd have to move again.

2.

On Tuesday evening, Ben got and accepted a job offer.  Unfortunately it's not a legal, lawyer job...it's a teaching job.  But still a good one that will pay the bills and it gets us into the state in which we want to reside.  So..Yay!

3.

He needs to be there next Wed, so that gave us less than a week to find movers, find  a place to rent, pack up stuff and get out of here...and two days of that needs to be for travel. 

4.

To say that I was a bit stressed is a bit if understatement.  More like full-blown panic attack.  Picture me...like this!

Source

5.

We found  a place to rent (sight unseen) so when handed the lease, Ben did what any other, just graduated from law school lawyer would do and picked it apart, read it super carefully and came back with a list of modifications/clarifications. I'm just hoping they'll still accept us...please, please, please.  We're really nice people, I promise. 

6.

So, I may not be blogging much in the next week or two.  How lame is that...to blog about not blogging?  Lame, lame, lame. 

7.

I feel like I'm 25 again...looking into rentals, having to set up utilities and worry about all those little things that I hadn't had to worry about while living in Fl.  Ya know...things like electric bills, and winter, and heating oil..those things. 

Now, go see Jen for more Quick Takes.