5 Things: Summer Days

5 Things to Brighten Your Day

Despite the BS that May Get in Your Way

1.  Easy summer days, so quiet and peaceful.

2.  Today is not oppressively hot, maybe oppressively humid, but not bad enough to keep me from taking a couple mid-day walks.

3.  I'm looking forward to some epic baked pasta tonight.  Ali was playing in the cookbooks and recipe sheets and pulled out this recipe that looks amazing.  This might be how I meal plan from now on.

4.  Lunch with Lucy.  I love going home to see my furry baby.

5.  It's Friday!  Enjoy it.

5 Things: Travel Edition

5 Things to Brighten Your Day

Despite the BS that May Get in Your Way

Hello from the road!  This is the biggest hurdle I will face during my Every Day in May challenge.  I'm on traveling across the country, baby in tow.  Challenging for many reasons.

But there are still plenty of reasons to smile.

1.  Morning cuddle time.  Ali woke up at 5 am and being in a strange place means it's totally cool to sleep curled up to her in bed for an hour.  She's a little bit of a difficult sleep partner.  

2.  Pretty good travel conditions.  Very little rain, reasonable traffic, overall about the best we could have expected.

3.  Ali was a good traveler today.  Again, about the best that we could have expected from her.

4.  Great dinner at a tapas place.  My favorites were the asparagus and bacon wrapped dates.  

5.  Making it back to the hotel before flooding rains poured down.  It was raining as we walked back, but luckily, not horribly bad.  And Ali just smiled the whole time.

5 Things: Sleep

5 Things to Brighten Your Day

Despite the BS that May Get in Your Way

1.  Ali slept until 6:15 this morning!  She's sleeping through the night now, but mornings are very early, so this is a victory.

2.  Reading time today.  I'm finishing up Daughter of Deep Silence.

3.  Manicure time today.  I wish that I had time for a proper manicure with polish and everything, but I'll take nicely filed nails instead.

4.  It's grilling season, which means shish kabobs for dinner tonight.  

5.  Bright, bright sunshine makes everything better.  

5 Things: Breakfast

5 Things to Brighten Your Day

Despite the BS that May Get in Your Way

1.  Only four more days of finals!  Then town gets a lot quieter and the pace of life slows to a crawl.  I can't wait!

2.  "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz played on the radio this morning.  Such a happy summer song.

3.  Ali loves finger foods now, so life is pretty messy, and Lucy is getting lots of people food, but breakfast this morning went pretty well.  Ali didn't actively feed Lucy anything, and most of the Cheerios went in Ali's belly.

4.  Lunch with Lucy today.  It's great that I can go home most days and show my furry baby some love.

5.  With this lifestyle slow down, I have more time to read.  Right now I'm working on a galley for Circus Mirandus.  I've only been able to read bits and pieces, but I'm super intrigued and very excited to carve out some time for reading.

5 Things: Countdown to Summer

5 Things to Brighten Your Day

Despite the BS that May Get in Your Way

1.  So far May has been perfect weather wise, and it's the same today.  Warm and sunny and lovely and perfect.  

2.  Our mythical bathroom is now finished, and I need to take some pictures and write a whole post about it because it is just so awesome!  But for now, it's one of the things that makes me happy.

3.  Coffee.  I'm always a little sad after that last sip.

4.  Morning baby cuddles!  Ali has become a good sleeper, but she's a morning person.  Like 5:30 am kind of morning.  But we let her talk in her crib until 6:00 am on the off chance that she'll understand that anything before that time is just ridiculous.  Even so, after you feed her, she's the sweetest little cuddle bug.  I'm not a morning girl, actually I love my sleep more than coffee, but I love my morning cuddles.

5.  School is winding down, so there is basically only one week left before summer break starts.  Which is great because I will be volunteering at two different libraries in June and running VBS, and taking a long vacation that involves driving through five states.  Bring on July!

5 Things: Ice Storm (you read that right)

5 Things to Brighten Your Day

Despite the BS that May Get in Your Way

1.  Yep, you read that title right.  We had a small ice storm here (in March no less) which meant that we had a weather advisory at work.  I'm a big wimp when it comes to ice, so I said yes please to the weather advisory and spent two extra hours with my little biscuit this morning.  She took a nap, I took a shower, then we read some books.  Great morning!

2.  I drank real coffee this morning.  So good.  Not something I normally do, but Ali has taken to waking up early, 5:15 am this morning, so real coffee was necessary.

3.  The Ericksons have a new workout plan.  We alternate nights of exercise and washing bottles/dishes.  Last night was my workout night while Doug did the washing.  It's great because that way we each get a little alone time to workout without the guilt of neglecting each other, and we also share the dishes burden.

4.  I scored a great little dress online at Land's End today.  With tax, shipping, etc. it came to $30!  Check it out here.

5.  Ali is a big splasher in her infant tub.  It might be time to wash her right in the bathtub since she's a good sitter.  I think I would get much less wet that way.  It's like I'm in the front row at a Sea World show every time I give her a bath.  Lucy won't even hang out in the bathroom anymore when Ali gets a bath because she hates to get wet.

Not much reading getting done these days, other than my Booklist reviews, but I'll share my new reading strategy soon.  And I do have a review to share, but I am still wrapping my head around the book I read.

Happy Day!

5 Things: Ten Things

5 Things to Brighten Your Day

Despite the BS that May Get in Your Way

1. Here's a first for me since having Alice:  I made it to work on time!

2.  This morning Ali was playing with her wubbanub when I went to wake her up and she was just so sweet.  I must have snuck up on her because I got the startle arms, which is always funny.

3.  A warm house.  Our furnace when on strike over the weekend, and a furnace isn't something you think about until your house is cold.  Thankfully we had it replaced all in one day.  

4.  Had a great night just hanging out with a friend, watching Parks and Rec and talking about how old we feel being out on a school night.

5.  Ali wore her Cabela's dress, which is now a tunic because she's so big, to school today and was just darling.  Until she spit up on it.  But that happens.  

Bonus:  Lucy Puppy, Leggings+Dress+Boots combo, Dougie, my Dad, Bubble Baths, so much to be thankful for!  Definitely enough to get me through the first day of classes. 

5 Things: Friday

5 Things to Brighten Your Day

Despite the BS that May Get in Your Way

1. It's Friday.  That can count as 3 things, right?

2.  Hot chocolate.

3.  I'm having Ramen soup for lunch.  It reminds me of a simpler time.

4.  Wild Things:  Acts of Mischief in Children's Literature.  Excellent book and a must read for every children's librarian.  I'll be reviewing it next week, but until then, check out the Wild Things blog.

5.  Tights+leggings=warm legs on a cold day.  Thanks to my friend Sara for the tip!

Happy Friday!

5 Things: Sleep

5 Things to Brighten Your Day

Despite the BS that May Get in Your Way

1. Little baby Alice slept 9 hours last night.  9 HOURS!  She's such a big girl, and I got to sleep too.

2.  The weather has turned very chilly, very quickly, so I'm excited to get out my trusty hat, gloves, and scarf.  So thankful that I can be warm on a cold day.

3.  But cold weather didn't stop me from wearing a skirt to work!  Paired with fleece lined tights, it's just as warm as pants and twice as stylish.  Looking good makes you feel good.

4.  I have my first cup of hot chocolate of the season and it was wonderful.

5.  Lunch with two of my favorites today-my hubby and my puppy.  It's good to carve out some time for my other family members during the day.

5 Things: Family

5 Things to Brighten Your Day

Despite the BS that May Get in Your Way

1. You know what's big time BS in any language-BOIL ORDER!  Especially with a baby around you have to be very careful with washing everything.  So I'm super thankful for my Aunt Roxie and dad being around to help out this week.  I didn't plan it this way, but it's wonderful!  I think that having a full-time, live-in nanny would be the way to go after all the good care that Aunt Roxie has given us!

2.  Running errands is never fun, but when you are running work errands, it means coming into work a little late, and picking up a nice coffee treat on the way in (paid for by me, not your tax dollars!)

3.  Burt's Bees has a new Vanilla Bean lip balm out and it is delightful.

4.  Kate Spade has done a line of kids clothing for GapKids!  True, Ali is too small to wear it right now, but with the way this girl is growing, she'll be in it in no time.  And when she is big enough, she'll wear this shirt.  

5.  Family, Family, Family.  My dad, my hubby, my aunt, my baby.  All of them, all the time!

5 Things: Headphones

5 Things to Brighten Your Day

Despite the BS that May Get in Your Way

1. Early morning smiles from my little baby.  She's such a happy girl in the mornings, unlike her mama.

2.  Looking chic in my cheap scarf.

3.  Seeing Ali Rose with her grandpa.  Thank goodness for visits!

4.  Green tea with honey.

5.  Matt Nathanson's new song Headphones, and the moving video.  Check it out here.  

5 Things: Can you believe this weather?

5 Things to Brighten Your Day

Despite the BS that May Get in Your Way

1. Highs in the upper 70s today!  I'll take that for late October, and enjoy an after work walk with my two favorite girls.

2.  I had a great time shopping with some girlfriends yesterday.  Beautiful weather and great company.

3.  And since I went shopping, I now have pants that fit!  It's amazing what a decent pair of work pants can do for you attitude.

4.  Little Miss Alice was fast asleep when I dropped her off at school today (and by school I mean daycare--I call it school to lessen my guilt).  She was so precious all asleep in her carseat, and hopefully stayed asleep for them for a while.

5.  A picked up a new journal for my daily 5 Things.  It's a funky little think that brightens my day before I even get started on my list.

Five Things: Soccer and Date Night

5 Things to Brighten Your Day

Despite the BS that May Get in Your Way

1. Only two weeks until my due date!  Or, three weeks until my doctor takes pity on me and induces me.  One way or another, I'm getting a July baby!

2.  I'm loving the World Cup.  It's such a great way to spend the afternoon, with ESPN Gamecast open next to my spreadsheets.  But yesterday I had to stream the game live--I just couldn't believe the beat down Germany gave to Brazil.  Don't mess with the motherland!

3.  I scored a great galley on NetGalley this week and I can't wait to start it.  Covert reading time is seriously in my future.  I'll have to do some serious multi-tasking to read it and stay on top of todays Argentina-Netherlands match up.

4.  When you live in a small town, the morning news mostly consists of farm reports and municipal meetings, so I've started watching Boy Meets World everyday at 6:00 am.  Doug just rolls his eyes at me, but then I remind him that it's better than my watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer at 6:00 am and having nightmares.

5.  Doug has a happy hour meeting today, so I'm meeting him for a dinner date afterwork.  These days are numbered so I plan to enjoy it.

Five Things: Friday!

5 Things to Brighten Your Day

Despite the BS that May Get in Your Way

1. Vacation Bible School wrapped up last night, and while I wasn't in charge, I still volunteered, so I'm very happy that it's over!

2.  As a reward for surviving four days of work, then VBS, I had hot chocolate this morning and it was bliss.  Can't wait for coffee though.

3.  There was a random deer grazing on the grass surrounding the parking lot today.  I tried to get a picture, but I was too far away and didn't want to spook it.  Nice little calm sighting to start the day.

4.  I posted six (6!) book reviews in a row!  I think I might deserve a medal, or at least another hot chocolate.

5.  It's Friday and that's enough.

5 Things: Lunch Date

5 Things to Brighten Your Day

Despite the BS that May Get in Your Way

1. I can tell that today will be best spent doing busy work and rocking out to Pandora radio.  This might even be the kind of day to curate a new station.

2.  The fact that I get to leave work early today to go to the dentist entirely makes up for the fact that I have to go to the dentist.  Unless he tells me I have a cavity, in which case, I should have stayed at work.

3.  I have a lunch date today with my hubby and the dog.  Exciting stuff!

4.  The Kindle reading app on my computer.  Helping me covertly pass the time since 2012.

5.  After seven weeks, we're finally done with the doctor recommended birthing classes.  I was not a fan, so if you are given the option to take them, do yourself a favor and just watch 20+ hours of birthing videos online and you will essentially have the same experience.  Or, just go with the flow because when your pregnant, the birth is going to happen whether or not you take the class.

Fridays and Field and Stream

5 Things to Brighten Your Day

Despite the BS that May Get in Your Way

It's Friday, which is something to brighten your day all by itself!

1.  Bright sunny days.

2.  This too cute due date card pouch from Out of Print.

3.  Pictured above, the new issue of Field and Stream.  There are several funny things about this.  First of all, I don't subscribe to Field and Stream.  Somehow, we've been getting a gift subscription for well over a year.  But my dad hunts, so every time I see him I pass along the issues I have on hand.  This one strikes me as particularly funny because I think there's a good chance that my daughter could end up looking like the cover model if my dad has anything to say about it.  He's already shopping for a pink gun and bow and arrow set.

4.  Visits to the farm.

5.  Short work day.

Have a great Friday everyone!

Short Stories and Sharing

5 Things to Brighten Your Day

Despite the BS that May Get in Your Way

1.  It's Thursday, so that means Short Story Thursday!  Author Jacob Tomsky emails you one public domain short story every week on Thursdays.  I like to think of it as my weekly shot of high brow literature.  Most of the time the stories are rather bleak, but sometimes they are pretty funny or unusual.  Plus, Tomsky gives a commentary that is often plagued with profanity and sarcasm, so that brings the high brow literature right down to my level.  If you want to sign up, check out his website, but seriously, if profanity bothers you, check out a different blog.

2.  Thursdays are also my resistance training days.  It's just 10 minutes of hanging out with a grad assistant and chatting while doing some basic stretches, but it breaks up the morning.

3.  Want to know the best part about maternity pants?  There's no zipper so you never have to wonder if you zipper is down!  Just one less thing to think about.

4.  Potato chips and cottage cheese.  You might think this is a crazy pregnancy thing, but I've been using cottage cheese as a dip for my chips since I was like five.  It's delicious.

5.  Doug's reaction to the food in our fridge lately.  I've been buying lots of pre-cut fruit and random juice and other such things that I don't normally buy.  And Doug's been asking permission to eat or drink them.  Last week he even said "Wow, who's root beer is that?"  Um, ours.  It's our house, our fridge.  But he knows the rules of ownership in marriage:  What's mine is mine, what's yours is mine and what's ours is mine, so he asks.  I've assured him that he can have whatever he wants in the fridge though.

That's what's making me smile today!

Family Pics and Girls Night

5 Things to Brighten Your Day

Despite the BS that May Get in Your Way

1.  This picture of my mom holding my big baby belly.  Her seeing my baby belly for the first time this weekend was special like when my dad walked me down the aisle at my wedding.  

2.  Random old Regina Spektor song on the radio this morning.  I love a random happy song to start the day.

3.  Lucy and Tiffany girl's night!  Doug is tied up with meetings (because life is tough when you are saving the world one rural water treatment system at a time) so the dog and I will be enjoying non-stop Bravo tonight!

4.  Sunny skies and green grass.

5.  Root beer floats--it's the one thing this pregnant girl is craving.

Money Palms and Monkeys

5 Things to Brighten Your Day

Despite the BS that May Get in Your Way

1.  The money palm on my desk.  It's growing like crazy in absolutely no natural light with no water!  I'm taking this little beauty with me when I go on maternity leave.

2.  Facebook conversations with an old friend.  It doesn't matter how you tell someone how you feel as long as you say it.

3.  Snuggling in a big bed all by myself!  Or with my hubby, or puppy, or someday my baby.  Basically, I love my bed.

4.  The way Lucy runs into a room when you say banana.  Or just open a banana.  There's a reason why her nickname is monkey.

5.  Hugs.  That should make the list everyday.

Five Things

Work is not particularly easy when you're a professional librarian working as a secretary.  This isn't exactly where I thought I would be, but it's where I am and I have to be thankful for that.  So, in that spirit, I started jotting down five things every morning.  But in a totally non-cheesy way.  I call my list:

Five Things to Brighten Your Day

Despite the BS That May Get in Your Way

Catchy right?  I have a little notebook I keep in my bag and I write down five funny or touching or random things to keep me focused on being positive.  For instance, funny songs on the radio.  This morning I heard the super club remix of Roar by Katy Perry before 8:00 am.  That's odd.  I'm also often thankful for coffee.  Sometimes multiple times in one day.  Also making the list quite often my hubby (who just had a birthday!) and my dog.  Reading is also a big one.

To me it's not quite as hokey as  Gratitude Journal, which if that's what you like, cool, but I feel a little hippy-dippy doing those.  This is mostly just funny things that make me smile.  

So, when BS threatens to ruin your day, just remember that your favorite pajamas and a big cup of hot chocolate are waiting for you at home.  That's gotten me through more than one day!

Happy Reading!