I'm on a Roll!

Subtitled: A Tale of Answered Prayers.

I woke up this morning knowing I would need heavenly help in getting through the morning.  The talent show last night postponed EVERYONE'S bedtimes, and Ethan in particular had a very rough time going to sleep.  I, on the other hand, was so exhausted from the day's festivities that I was in bed before 10 o'clock and probably fell asleep before he did.  Because lack of sleep makes ALL of the children a little touch and go, I was a bit worried about what the morning would bring.

Now, I'll be the first to admit that I am kind of terrible about remembering to say my prayers as soon as I wake up in the morning.  The fact of the matter is, I am just not a morning person and it takes me a bit of waking up time before I'm coherent enough to put together a thought much less a prayer.  However, I must have gotten enough sleep last night because when I woke up this morning {BEFORE my alarm clock nonetheless} the thought popped into my head right away that if I said my prayers, the morning would go a lot smoother.  And it did!  Jane slept in, Ethan woke up in a non-red-zone-mood, and everyone enjoyed the breakfast I cobbled together of Monday's leftover pancakes and sausage hot out of the skillet courtesy of the frozen links I bought yesterday at Costco.  And they all made it to the bus on time!  And cute little Jane kept her streak going of telling the kids "I love you" before they headed out the door.  {It's the goal she made during our Family Home Evening after General Conference -- she's going to tell everyone she loves them everyday.  How cute is that?}

As for the unfolding of the rest of the day...

•  I got the kitchen, family room, and front hall all cleaned in the morning while letting the kids veg out to Paw Patrol, Team Umizoomi, and Dora.

• Jane got her dance class on at her friend's house and looked adorable in her new dance duds.

• She also took a brief time-out before going to said dance class to have a breathing treatment -- darn those spring allergens!

• Alex, meanwhile, chilled the day away in his Superman jammies.

• And I did the same.  Not Superman, of course, but jammies nonetheless.

 Don't judge.

• Seriously.  I even went out in PUBLIC like this throughout the day. 

• An after school snack was made in the nick of time for the older kids.  Although Grace was the only one who appreciated it.  Granted the three youngers were allergic to the peanut butter in them, but still.  I was annoyed that Ethan didn't even want to try them just because there was no sugar in them.  Hmmmm.

No Bake Bites 

{And I think these are really good for the record}

1/2 c. peanut butter

1/3 c. real maple syrup

2 T. cocoa powder

1 t. vanilla

2 T. chia seeds

1/2 c. flax meal

1 c. oatmeal

Roll into balls and voila! No Bake Bites -- almost as good as the real thing.  Almost.  :)

• We spent the gorgeous afternoon at the Bike Trail -- my absolute favorite spot here in town and the place where I did most of my running last summer when I was still trying to do the half-marathon.

 

 

• More rocks were collected for Grace's 3rd Grade Sale coming up in May.  {She needs to make 20 more Word Rocks to sell for the "real thing."}

 Side note -- Grace and Sophie refused to wear shoes for pretty much the entire time we were walking on the trail.  And we were walking for a LOOOONG time.  The problem with going so far out on a trail is that you have to cover that much distance to get back.  And we definitely went a bit too far out. Even Ethan was tired and he was cruising on a bike the whole time.  Grace and Sophie walked with me while I pushed Alex and Jane in the {terrible-for-walking} stroller and we probably covered a couple of miles total.  

• A mini crisis was averted at the end of our outing when I uttered another desperate prayer to help get Ethan's bike back in the car.  I was starting to wonder how in the heck we got it in there to take it with us in the first place!  The rising tempers due to exhaustion and hunger were not helping either.  Thankfully, it wasn't long after I said that silent prayer that we finally managed to get that bike IN.  :)

• Another item was checked off the week's To-Do list when I stopped at the post office on the way home and mailed off that quilt.  {Yay for checking things off lists!}

• The dinner question was resolved once I got home and threw together a Cobb-ish salad with a turkey breast I bought at Costco yesterday and a bunch of greens and veggies.  Complete with our House Dressing, of course.  Hahaha.  Seriously, though, I make this dressing ALL. THE. TIME.  It is my go-to for any salad I am eating -- and I've been eating A LOT of salads over the last few months.  Haha.  Grace really loves it, too, and I love that she requests my lean and green salad on a regular basis as a "snack." 

 Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing -- From My House to Yours

roughly equal parts olive oil and balsamic vinegar -- maybe slightly more of the oil

salt and pepper

and a bunch of "Rustic Tuscan Seasoning" from Costco

{Obviously this is not so much a recipe as a method.  For an individual serving it's probably about a tablespoon each of the oil and vinegar, a pinch or two of salt, a couple of cranks of pepper, and maybe a teaspoon or two of the seasoning.}

 Salad + Turkey + Dressing =

 Delicious

• One final prayer of the day was answered after an all out search and rescue party for Elephant.  We couldn't find him ANYWHERE.  And that was with all of us looking.  Finally, after saying a quick prayer once again, the thought popped into my head that I had heard Alex slamming my hutch doors shut while I was on the computer looking up an address.  I told Grace to run and look, and lo and behold -- Elephant.  Hahaha.  He seriously needs a tracking device.

• And finally the day was finished off with a run to Walgreens -- or Mall-greens as we affectionately called it in my family growing up.  Ethan and Grace REALLY wanted to buy some mechanical pencils, so after getting the two little ones in bed, I ran them over and we all found some treasures.  {Not pictured -- the perfect shade of red lipstick I found in the make-up aisle.  True Red by L'Oreal.}

The End.