Happy February!

Happy February all! I decorated for Valentines a few days ago. Do you like my Valentine tree? Bought last year on a Pottery Barn sale, it's supposed to be an Easter tree. And I fully intend to use it as such come April. But I think it can easily do double duty with hearts in February. (I can't take credit for the idea though. I totally copied my friend Mylissa.)

I stayed up late reading "The Lightning Thief" to Brandon. Well, actually...it wasn't all that late, but I was tired. I shouldn't have let Brandon convince me to read that "one more chapter, please Mom!" I soon found my head nodding and my eyelids drooping. And kept catching myself reading words that weren't actually on the page. (I'm sure this confused Brandon...time and time again, asking him "What did I just say? Oh. Sorry. It really says this...." And eventually I must've fallen asleep on the couch because I woke up around 11:30, all the kids having put themselves to bed after turning off the lights and covering me with a blanket. I really need to stand firm and not let Brandon talk me into reading more than I've originally promised. It's just so hard to say no when he starts rubbing my back and playing with my hair....
One quote from the book that I do remember...you know, before I started nodding off. It's when Percy and his friends are down in the Underworld looking for Hades. And Percy is describing the scene: "To the left, spirits flanked by security ghouls were marched down a rocky path toward the Fields of Punishment.....Even from far away, I could see people being chased by hellhounds, burned at the stake, forced to run naked through cactus patches or listen to opera music."
hahahahahahaha....breath.....opera music!....hahahahahaha!! :)
Maybe I should double check with Bryan to make sure that listening to opera music isn't a form of punishment for him....seeing as I sing opera music frequently....

Because I promised Julianne that I would drive her to Taylor's house at 6:30 this morning (she and her friends frequently like to get ready for school together, swapping clothes and doing each other's hair and all that) I couldn't go to the gym. I talked myself into running on the treadmill. I was fifteen minutes into my run before Rebekah came in and begged for a ride to the bus stop. Knowing that it was only 12 degrees outside, I consented. I threw on a big trench coat over my shorts and tank top for the quick car ride around the corner and down the street. (And laughed when I realized how silly I must look...) I resumed my workout with a speed walk on a steep incline. But 15 minutes into that I realized that it was time for Brandon to wake up. Sigh. I got him moving and made him breakfast. By the time he was out the door, Lilian was up. She did not want me to get back on the treadmill. "Too loud!" she said. So after turning on "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse," I did some pilates and some sit-ups on the floor next to her before deciding that maybe I could declare this piecemeal workout complete. Sheesh. Talk about multi-tasking. Maybe tomorrow will go more smoothly? I'm hoping to win the "mind over mattress" battle and get myself to the gym to do some spinning. We'll see.


My Paperwhites are blooming on my kitchen table. Aren't they pretty?