The Inevitable List

Busy week. Busy life. Now that my daughter is in first grade (which means she has to go to school every single day; can you imagine?) and my son is in preschool two mornings a week, I'm turning into a chauffeur for little people.

Naturally, I write posts in my head while I'm driving. Naturally, I have no time to write once I get back to my computer.

And that whole typing-while-you're-driving thing? It's just about as dangerous as you would think.

And yes, I've tried.

I have a few posts I've been working on that will eventually make their way to the World Wide Web later this week. But for now, you'll have to indulge me a list so I can clean up all the mental litter that's blowing around the empty spaces in the gray matter.

1. After as string of abnormally warm weather, God has blessed me with cooler weather in recent days, glory to His name. I’m not being sarcastic or flippant. It’s a Good Thing to be able to dress in clothes that fit (read: maternity clothes) each day instead of trying to piece together an ensemble that both looks halfway decent and doesn’t include Corey’s gym shorts. (Note: The two might be mutually exclusive.) I’m so thankful for the more autumn-like days outside.

(Quick pause here to remember that normally I would relish 85-degree days in September, because it means winter’s arrival isn’t as imminent. But this year? Bring on the 60s!)

Oh! And maternity clothes? They are so cute these days. I am amazed at how far they've come in just four years. I bought a maternity sweater coat at Old Navy last month (it's already sold out or I'd link to it) that is absolutely adorable. I'd wear it even if I wasn't pregnant.

2. Speaking of the pregnancy, I'm officially six months now. The baby kicks constantly, which is both wonderful (when I'm relaxing) and somewhat annoying (when my bladder is full -- which is always).

I'd post a picture of my growing baby bulge -- but I'm not sure y'all would appreciate that.

3. The husband, the kids and I just returned from our second annual Fall Trip Up North. (Note to self: Come up with catchier title.) It rained two of the three days we were up there, but the sunny day made quite a name for itself.

To wit:

















You really can't beat Lake Superior for natural wilderness beauty. It's the coast of Maine without all the people. We hiked, we rode the alpine slide, we skipped rocks, we marveled at the trees.

Oh. And the food. It was divine. I ate myself silly.

4. My three- (almost four-) year-old son Connor is a bundle of humor these days. Last week, we drove by a park near my childhood home. I commented to him – in my non-stop stream of witty, lively, educational conversation – that the ball field out his window was where Daddy used to play softball.

“Softball? What’s softball, Mom?” he queried.

“Well, it’s like baseball. Only with a bigger ball. Daddy used to play it a lot.”

“Baseball? Dad? Our dad?!? Our Dad used to play baseball?!?”

Oh little man. You have so much to learn about your athletic, almost-pro-in-three-sports father.

5. I can’t believe I’m going to say this out loud, but I would give anything for a big stash of tomatoes and zucchini right now. Normally, September is the month when I begin the Great Zucchini Giveaway, because I have I’ve already eaten more zucchini than I care to recount, I’ve already baked countless loaves of zucchini bread – and still, my plants make new zucchini.

But this year, we moved -- leaving behind my garden right when everything was near harvest. Thus, no zucchini. No heirloom tomatoes. Just the grocery store.

*Sigh*

6. This sounds strange, but lately, nothing brings more satisfaction and peace to my heart than running the dishwasher once a day. Because it means -- after yet another year of commuting and hardly ever seeing my husband -- that we're living as a family again. I’m cooking and cleaning and spending time with the ones I love, and nothing says that more to me than a full dishwasher.

I think it stems from the years when I would run the dishwasher maybe once a week, even if it wasn’t full, simply because I needed clean bowls and spoons for cereal. I’m glad to have those days be a thing of the past. Who knew the homemaking gene lurked so deep within this career girl?