A Pretty Quiet Week

Well, it's been a pretty quiet week around here. Alex has been working on finishing his big paper (think mini-thesis) that is due today at 5...well it's the rough draft, but it has to be complete and then will be revised once more before the final draft is due at the beginning of March. So, because Alex has been working nonstop on this paper, we've tried to keep the week pretty low key. With him gone most nights at school working, we had simple dinners, simple bed time routines, and tried to keep our after school activities minimal.

Alex, in the midst of working on his paper had a quick school field trip to D.C. to the Supreme Court to get sworn in to the court...pretty cool. They are mailing all of the certificates here, so we are eagerly awaiting that package to arrive.

Madison still had her gymnastics this week (M,W, F from 3:30-5:30). She is so close to getting her front hip circle. Once she has it, you better believe I'll be posting a video of her doing it unassisted. She's so close she can taste it. She did however perfect a new skill this week. I'll see if I can get a video of her either today at gymnastics or this weekend at home. If I'm being honest, I'm not really sure what it's called, but it's impressive. She goes into a handstand from a straddle position. It takes incredible strength in her arms and core, not to mention balance. I was blown away when I saw her do this on Wednesday because I'd never even seen her practice it and then when she was asked to do it, it seemed so natural for her. What I would give to have that kind of flexibility and strength once again. Madison was sore from her gymnastics on Monday and a tad stuffy, so Tuesday I tried to teach her the art of relaxation by making her a bubble bath with some peppermint and eucalyptus oils. She really enjoyed it, especially because she pretty much only takes showers these days, so it was a nice break in routine for her.

Hudson had a great week at preschool (he goes T, Th from 9:00-12:00). Tuesday was an interesting day though. It snowed Monday night, so Madison's school was on a 2 hour delay and some county's were cancelled all together b/c I guess that had more snow than we did. Anyway, because of the 2 hour delay Madison was able to go with me to drop Hudson off, which he loved. He was so proud that his big sister was walking into school with him. Then, when I picked up Hudson from school I found out there had only been 5 kids in his class that day because some of the families lived where they'd receive a lot more snow and the roads had iced over and they opted to keep their kids home to be safe. It snowed off and on that day until about 2:00, but while I was driving Hudson home from school it was coming down hard, which was fun to see. I actually had to use my windshield wipers. It didn't stick because the ground was too warm, but it was fun nonetheless and really that's how I'd prefer it :) I know. I know...I still have a lot of Californian in me. ;) My kids are still waiting for a good snow so that they can go sledding, build a snowman, make snow angels, and have a snowball fight.



We had community group last night. We are really enjoying our group and loving doing life with all of these wonderful couples. Alex helped lead last night because the husband who normally leads was out of town on a business trip.

Oh and I also had a fun get together with a friend this week to talk about oils :) Here's a little secret about me....I kind of love my Young Living Oils. I never knew that Essential Oils could make such a difference in our lives. I had always heard about them and finally back in October I decided to take the plunge and I'm so thankful that I did. I am still learning and growing in my execution of using these oils, but we've been able to make coughs go away, help headaches, arthritis, bursitis, sleep issues, concentration issues (or lack there of), allergies, dry skin, wrinkles, anxiety issues, cure the common cold (and prevent them all together), prevent ear infections that were starting to take root, clear stuffy noses and so much more. Anyway, I am really enjoying them and love to talk about them, so a friend of mine who had a bunch of questions came over and we enjoyed a fun morning of playing with my oils and discovering what would work best for her and her family. If you are curious too, I'd be happy to share what I've learned with you. I seriously don't know how I waited so long to start using them. We haven't been to the doctor since we started consistently using them and this cold and flu season has been awful!

So, that pretty much sums up our week. Hope you had a great week and that this weekend is filled with rest, relaxation and fun!