Today…

If you looked outside my window: it has that “calm before the storm” thing going on. The sky is almost blue and there’s a light dusting of snow on the balcony outside but from what I’ve read online we’ve got a pretty good sized storm coming our way. Last night we parked one of our two cars in the garage at Dan’s office so he’ll only have to shovel out one car to get to work tomorrow and however many other days the storm lasts.

I am reading: Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater- I’m about halfway through it and really enjoying it but a bit worried because according to my husband who read it first, the ending was really disappointing. But the book was also recommended to me by fellow book lover Vivienne who writes that the ending was “breathtaking” so I’m hopeful but cautious and my imagination has spent a lot of time trying to predict how it will end.

Last night I: took a walk by myself after a long, hectic day of running errands. There were the smallest little flurries falling and I was dying to get out and take some pictures but the kids were exhausted and cranky. My loving husband told me to go anyway and took them inside. I got several good pictures of the snow and scenery.

I also: started learning how to knit again. Dan has been wanting to teach me for awhile but I keep blowing it off. I gave in this weeekend and it’s been …. slow but steady. I can do one stitch (the garter stitch I think) but I still can’t cast on to save my life.

Today we’re: relaxing. It was a hectic weekend for us, in spite of my efforts to make it low key. We had a few key things we were shopping for (like the new desk chair we finally saved up enough money for – now Dan and I both have real office chairs to sit on!) and not much luck tracking them down early on so it was a lot of “from store to store” and there was a lot of traffic and two kids who were not crazy about any of it. So today is laundry day and staying inside day. I’ve pulled out some playdough for MM and he’s busy creating masterpieces.

In the kitchen:

• Monday: Nachos with black beans and diced tomatoes
• Tuesday: Spaghetti with sauce and Texas Toast
• Wednesday: Tomato and black bean Quesadillas
• Thursday: Grilled Cheese and Soup
• Friday: Parmesan Baked Salmon with Couscous and Carrots

I really want to make: some of these adorable Valentines Crafts I’ve found online, like a valentines crossword puzzle, crazy for you valentines, and puzzling hearts.

This weekend we: had our first “weekly date night” as inspired by this guest post at Make and Takes. Like Tiffany from Simply Modern Mom, we’re planning to do mostly free at home dates, but making it a point to do different, planned things together instead of just sitting at home, watching tv like we do every other night. And this Sunday (Valentines Day!) we’re even planning to get out for a real dinner and a movie together!

Some other links I think you should click:

• I’m kind of coveting this classically elegant swimsuit that I saw on Design Mom – how gorgeous does the model look in this? There aren’t many one pieces that still look trendy and fun but this one fits the bill (a one hundred dollar bill, but still…)
• How do you feel about leaving food on the plate? I have a hard time doing it, being raised like most people with words like, “Finish your dinner!” and “There are starving children in Russia who would love to eat that food!” and the like. I think I agree with the author that I’d prefer to just switch to smaller plates and not waste food, but a very valid point is being made that we should be able to just acknowledge when we are full and stop eating even if there is still food on the plate. Which also leads to the question of how are we raising our children to think about food and feeling full?
• We all have difficult days – and we deal with those days the best we can. Sometimes we make good choices and sometimes the choices are less good… the important thing is to think about how we can do better next time. I like these strategies from Simple Mom about dealing with those moments that have you thinking, “Mama said there’d be days like this…“