Fall... I like it a lot.

We spent a lot of time outdoors this weekend, as a family.  It's pretty rare that we have a free weekend, so we took full advantage of it!

The original plan was to go to an Apple Orchard, but iMaps failed us once again and routed us 45 minutes out of the way, so we walked around the Arboretum instead.

It made for some pretty Fall pictures.... glass half full approach.  :)

The rest of the weekend was spent attending my brother's college football game, a surprise 2 hour visit from my Sister, a family movie night, "signing the steel" at our church building site, and I wrapped up the weekend with a 4 mile run.

I was afraid the Fall colors would disappoint this year because of the dry summer we had, but it didn't!  I love the changing trees and cooler weather. 

Is it a pretty Fall where you are? 

How I use my planner.

Before I made my Erin Condren purchase, I wondered how I would use it, and if it would be worth my money.

Of course y'all know how much I love this thing, and the hardest decision I have coming up is what cover to order for 2013....
Ok, that might be a slight exaggeration, but you get my drift.

I'm a tad OCD.  I like a schedule.  I like to plan.  I like to-do lists.  I like my t's crossed and my i's dotted.  I like to think ahead and know what is coming up next.

It just makes me feel a lot better when I'm organized.

So, here is how I use my Erin Condren planner, in case you wondered.  Or just in case you ever wanted to be nosey and take a sneak peek inside.  :)

I use the green marker for my "to do list" each day.
The boys appointments/things to do are usually in blue.
Purple is my color ... it's the things I have going on, or the exercises I did.
Orange is primarily for meals, but sometimes other random stuff.
Black is for all of us, or other misc. items.

I really use this thing to track everything.... and keep me organized as well.

When we go out of town, I also use it as a journal, so I can remember what all we did while we were gone.  Otherwise all of the trips start to blur together, you know?

It took me a long time to get our "menu" figured out... I tried many different methods of keeping myself on track for groceries and what we have in our cupboards, but this has BY FAR been the best one for me.

Also, it makes me laugh a little that the week I decided to take a picture of the meals, we had pizza rolls one night.  Hey - what can I say - I'm not a gourmet chef every night.  :)

The beginning of each month comes with lined paper, so I usually use it to write down what I have coming up... the big picture.

Also at the beginning of each month, is the "month view".  The boxes are little, so you can't write too much in them, but I use it to track our bills. 

The stickers are used often... I'm like 'em.

And I love the back pocket.  I keep checks, stamps, and misc notes in there.

 My tabs have seen their better days... but all things considered, they are still in good shape.  And the 2013 planners have laminated tabs, wooo!

What can I say... I'm a big fan.

And now you realize how big of a freak I really am.  Do you still like me?

PS:: this is not a sponsored post!  Just a product I really really love.  :)

Still changing.

I have lost track of what week I'm on...

Weight Gain/Loss:  -1.2 pounds... 31 pounds total!  Yay!!

Exercise this week:  This was quite the slacker week, actually... with the boys being sick I hardly made it to the gym at all.  I did boxing/TRX class 2 times, and ran 4.5 miles (in 55 minutes... slow but steady... or at least that's what I say to make myself feel better for running the pace of a turtle!)

Side note:  it drives me crazy that it's not completely accurate, with the times.  I had to cross about 10 major intersections and got stopped at each one, obviously slowing down my time.  I wish I had a way to more accurately track... but that's just my OCD side coming out!

Overall health: Feeling great.  I have so much more energy than I ever have. 

Hardest thing this week:  Definitely beating myself up for not making it to the gym more, but it was just not at the top of my priority list with sick babies at home.  I have to learn that taking a day or two off is good for my body too. 

Overall thoughts:  I'm so thankful that I've had the determination to stick with it, even when it gets hard.  Also?  I hate running.  I love the way I feel afterwards, but while my feet are hitting the pavement I just can't wait to be done.

Also this week, I got a really sweet encouraging card from my Grandma!  I love the way the Lord brings people into our lives at just the right time to encourage and uplift us when we need it.  Thank you <3

This coming week: More boxing/TRX, running, maybe some elliptical, and I'd love to make it to a pump class. 

How about the rest of you that are on this journey with me... how did you do this week? 

Flowers & Starbucks.

Last weekend when I got home from Iowa, after my 5k run and the beginning of sick boys, these beauties were sitting on the kitchen table for me.

You know, flowers are a big deal to me, because I know how much it takes for my husband to buy them.  He doesn't believe in them... he really thinks they are a big fat waste of money.  And to some extent, I agree... especially around Valentines when the prices are triple what they were the previous weekend.

But this time, it was really special to me.  Not only was he saying "congrats on your 5k! and sorry I couldn't be there!", but all week long as the boys progressively got more and more sick, they really brought me joy.  My house was getting worse by the day, but these beauties sat on my kitchen table and made me smile each time I entered the room.

Later in the week on Thursday when I took the boys to the doctor...again...I decided to load them into the car about 20 minutes earlier than I needed to.  I was starting to get stir-crazy being indoors all week, and wanted to just get out of the house.  The boys were both hot to the touch, so I bundled them up more than they needed to be with snotty noses and green nasties pouring out of their eyes, and loaded them into the car.  Jaxon was out of control, he did NOT want to go to the doctor and was sobbing/screaming so hard he couldn't quite catch his breath.  In the background of his screaming and crying, I would hear Cohen's deep cough that had me so concerned.  All around, it was a horribly stressful moment just trying to get out the door.

Once they were buckled and ready to go, I pulled out of the driveway, no idea where I was headed but knew I had an extra 20 minutes to kill.  I decided to get on the interstate and head south, completely out of the way, but to the nearest drive-thru Starbucks.  There's plenty of them in my neighborhood, but none with a drive-thru, and any Mama knows that there's NO COFFEE on earth that is worth unloading 2 sick babies from the car, dealing with them while you wait in line, and then re-loading them back into the vehicle.  So completely out of the way I went.

I pulled up and ordered my drink... tall skinny cinnamon dolce latte please, and as I pulled up to pay, the barista said:  "today, it's on the house."  You guys, I busted into tears.  It was one of those moments, despite the absolute chaos and stress, that I literally felt the Lord saying to me...
Megan, I love you.

Some of you are probably rolling your eyes at the thought of free Starbucks = Jesus telling me he loves me, but I don't think it was a coincidence at all.

Flowers and Starbucks.  2 of the ways I was reminded this past week of the many ways I am loved.

This stinks.

It's been an especially exhausting week, taking care of my 2 sick boys, and on top of that I was also feeling horrible a couple of the days as well.

It started out with a fever by them both, followed by a trip to Children's Mercy when it hit 105, and throughout the week other symptoms have slowly followed... coughs, headaches, not eating, sleeping a ton, and general laying around.  Yesterday when Jaxon's eyes started draining green nasties every half hour, and Cohen woke up with the same nasties this morning, we headed to the doctor... again.

I'm so glad I did.  Both of them have bacterial infections (which apparently start as a viral, and then turn into bacterial once it gets bad enough)... both have 103 degree temps... both have an eye infection... and lets through an ear infection into the mix as well, shall we?

My spirit is low this afternoon, but I cling to HIS strength...
"God takes the side of the helpless; when I was at the end of my rope, He saved me"... Psalm 116:6

I'm not normally one to "match" the boys, but I couldn't resist this time... a totally un-posed picture, of two sick boys, with their lovies.  My heart just hurts when they are sick.

Think someone needs new jammies, or what?  :)

I think it's true, that you have to have rough days/weeks in order to appreciate the good ones more.  I can't wait for next week...