Xenia Kathryn

A rare morning post for me! Usually when I blog, it's late, late at night (or rather, very EARLY morning, as in 1 am). Most days I try to keep from turning on the computer until 4 pm or so... this keeps me from reading blogs constantly all day long. hehehe.

But anyways, here I am. We've been waking up much earlier the past few months. I've been babysitting a little boy two days a week, and so I had to start waking up earlier than my usual (admittedly, 9 or 9:30 am). I got to be notorious for my sleeping in, so that most friends and family knew it was useless to call until after 10 or so. But now we're up at at'em by 8:30 at the latest, usually 8 pm, today it was 7:30. I'll take the girls to storytime at the library in a few minutes. It's nice to have everyone dressed and fed and changed with prayers said, all at a leisurely pace, before storytime and/or other errands. "Mom goal" number 110: Wake up earlier with the girls. Done! Now? One day I hope to wake up with Job and make him breakfast and fix his lunch to go. I've always admired women who do that... and it's a lofty goal, but you gotta have some aspirations, right? :)

On Monday I sat down and meal-planned for the first time in several weeks. I had fallen out of the habit sometime around Pascha (maybe busy Holy Week?). But the past few weeks had been riddled with excursions to restaurants and drive-thrus, which keeps messes from building in the kitchen, but takes us over our weekly food budget. I've discovered that no matter how much food I have in the pantry, if I don't have a game plan as to what I'll cook for dinner, I won't get it done.

So, it's Thursday and we haven't eaten out yet this week! I have meat defrosting in the fridge and beans soaking for chili, so I'm already in the process of dinner for tonight-- no turning back now. I really see now how meal-planning makes a difference for all of us; dad's happy to see dinner done or almost done when he gets home, I don't feel stressed or uninspired when it comes time for making dinner, our budget is happily intact and "eating out" once again becomes a special treat, as opposed to a frequent indulgence. It feels good to get back on the habit of planning dinner.

In closing, here's the latest in the crafting department:





A birthday present for one of V.'s buddies!
A quilted tote with nesting doll applique.


And a over-the-shoulder purse/messenger bag for V.! Daddy commissioned me to make her a special "church bag"--something she could use only for church, filled with appropriate, church-themed books, icons, an old day planner and a pen for doodling.



Here she is with her new bag! She was happy to discover this waiting for her Sunday morning, before we left for Liturgy. She liked it a lot! Now it sits on a shelf, and V. is anxious to use for church again. Our hope is it will help keep her occupied in church, and to thereby reduce our trips in and out of the sanctuary! hehehe... we'll see! :) Last Sunday it helped a little, so it's a start.