Day One Hundred Eighty-One: Road Trip with Weston

Weston has a basketball tournament in Austin during the next few days, so he and I took off this evening on our first-ever, just-us road trip. Our first order of business was to grab some dinner, because food obviously figures prominently in a road trip with Weston. I hardly ever get to hang out with the kids one-on-one, so I'm super excited to have this opportunity!

First stop: Panda Express

Hmm. I'm not so sure about this fortune. What do you think?

Day One Hundred Eighty: Restorative Yoga

Today's First was a true "Yes, And" experience. There was no premeditating or looking back on my day to see what I did that would "count." It was simply an opportunity that presented itself, which I said "Yes" to. I took Max to try out a kids' yoga class, not knowing that they had a restorative yoga class going on simultaneously. I was sitting on a bench outside Max's class, trying to decide which book to read next, when the restorative teacher came out of her room to get something. She asked if I wanted to join the class, and at first, I declined, citing the fact that I wasn't dressed appropriately for yoga. But then she explained that there was barely any movement at all in the restorative class and that I could wear what I had on with no problem. Knowing that I was going to miss my regular gentle yoga class tomorrow evening, I decided to kick off my shoes and join the class. It was truly restful, and I'm so glad I did it! And, I'm also proud of myself for being spontaneous!

Day One Hundred Seventy-Nine: Makeover

Looking for faces on which to practice makeup application for her business, a woman posted a plea on a local Facebook group for volunteers. I decided it would make a good First for me, so I offered my face. This First was way outside my comfort zone, since I'm not that in to people, makeup, or being touched. But getting outside my comfort zone is definitely the spirit of this Year of Firsts project, and I'm glad I did it. I made a new friend, tried a new look, pushed past some of my issues, and grew as a person.

Before

After

Day One Hundred Seventy-Eight: Laser Tag

In lieu of a big birthday party, Max chose to just invite one good friend to Main Event, and we finally found a day that both the friend and we were available. Aside from being the responsible adult in charge, my objective was to knock out my First for the day. I made that happen with a round of laser tag. It was so much fun, and especially so since I got to share the experience with all my kiddos!

Day One Hundred Seventy-Seven: Military Surplus Store

I think once, when I was in college, I stumbled upon the military surplus store across from campus. I barely gave it a glance, and I haven't darkened the door of another military surplus store since that time. Until today. Because that's where you shop when you are the mother of a CAP cadet and you don't want to pay ridiculous prices at the online retailer for specific uniform components. I thought we would just be popping in there for the necessities, but I have to admit, it was a super cool store, and we spent plenty of extra time just looking around. I kept wondering if I needed any tactical gear or grenade boxes in my life and how I would look in various shades of camo. It was definitely a new kind of shopping experience for me, and it was surprisingly fun!

Omaha's Surplus

No camo for me this time, but we got this girl fully outfitted.

Day One Hundred Seventy-Six: Groundhog Day Party

When the kids realized that today was Groundhog Day and that it was a Friday, they decided the only thing to do was to have a party. Obviously, the movie Groundhog Day would be the main event. But we took it a couple of steps further with Fuzzy's fajitas and a groundhog cookie cake. I've been to all kinds of parties in my forty years, but I can honestly say I've never been to a Groundhog Day party! We had a blast and made some wonderful memories!

Packing in some extra calories to get us through six more weeks of winter!

It's Groundhog Day!

Jeff and Ruth produced this adorable and delicious groundhog cookie cake for our party.

Day One Hundred Seventy-Five: Making it onto the Thankful Board

This year, we are trying to be very intentional about being thankful and filling our home with positivity. One of the things we've done is to transform our school white board into a Thankful Board. Anything may be written on the board by any person as long as it is positive and reflects a spirit of thankfulness. Being a stay-at-home mom/homeschool teacher can sometimes feel like a very thankless job, so I was thrilled to see that I made the board! I do know my family appreciates me, but it's nice to see it in writing. Plus, you know you're doing something right when you see your name sitting there next to "croty" (karate)! 😀

So much to be thankful for!