5 on Friday

I'm baaack!  Actually, I just posted a Christmas post, but made it show up from a couple of weeks ago (is that cheating?  like blog cheating?).

I have a couple of posts I still haven't done (visitors from November, a book list), but I feel like 5 on Friday is such a good starter to get back into the blogging swing of things...So here we go!

O     N     E

We have had a crazy last couple of weeks.  I drove the boys down to DC (to see my sister and her husband) for MLK weekend (10 hours there and 10 hours back BY MYSELF with two little boys!).

Katy and I spent a ton of time working on Anne Douglas' nursery, and I think it's turning out pretty cute.  But we had a little time to play too.  Since it was pretty cold that Sunday, we headed to Chuck E. Cheese for pizza and games.  Oh, and for Katy's birthday.  Isn't that the way you like to spend your birthday?  Seriously, Katy was so sweet to spend her birthday dinner there, and Jack and Gil had a blast and burned off some energy.

Gilbo is a big fan of pizza, well of any food in general!

As a side note, my kids did INCREDIBLE on the car rides.  They both have lots of things they struggle with, but traveling is not one of them.  I think it's because we have just made them ride in car rides from the beginning.  The first one or two were rough, but now they are amazing when we travel places.

T     W     O

I got home Monday night, and then Wednesday, we had a whole batch of people in town.  Bech was part of a show at Burlington City Arts, and some of the other artists showing were PSU grads too!  So we had people in and out of our house through early this week (Jonas delayed a couple of flights).  We had lots of hang out time at our house, plus we got a babysitter and went out with friends Friday night.

It was so fun to have friends in town!

T     H     R     E     E

After all that craziness, Bech and I started the 21 day fix.  Have y'all heard of this?  It's a workout/diet plan that you do for 21 days.  

Basically, the food part is all portion control and low carb/high protein.  And then you do a 30 minute workout video each day and drink TONS of water.  And it's totally kicking our butts!  Bech and I are enjoying eating more veggies and fruit, but we are pretty hungry a lot of the time.  We are 5 days in (so 16 more to go!).  I'll let you know how it ends up.

If you've ever done this before, we are not doing the Shakeology portion.  It just seemed too expensive for our current budget.  Maybe I'll try it in the future?

Also, if you are a 21 day fix expert, any recipe tips or advice?

F     O     U     R

I forgot to share this picture from my Christmas post:

Here's our little traveler, coming home from Christmas.  He's got a Darth Vader suitcase and a Chewy bookbag.  This little boy is ALL about some Star Wars!

Can I just say that four is so much fun!  This little guy is hilarious.  He loves to cuddle and talk to me, and I love it too.  He definitely still has his moments, but I am just enjoying this age so much.

F     I     V     E

I've had a couple of friends lately ask for book lists, and I have grand plans for two separate blog posts about that.  

But I posted a couple of months ago about wanting to read more classics.  Since then, I read Anna Karenina.  Okay, I know it's a classic so obviously someone likes it.  But that was a looong read.  And I like long books.  I can tear through some Ken Follet.  And Atlas Shrugged is one of my favorite books.  But goodness, I struggled with AK.  Glad it is done!

So I treated myself with a little popular fiction

Ready Player One is sort of a dystopian book, but most of the action takes place in a virtual reality video game.  I used to read William Gibson when I was younger, and this book reminded me slightly of his style.  Plus, there are so many 80's references that make it a fun read.  Ready Player One is not the most incredible or life changing book, but it is an enjoyable read.  A good break after Anna Karenina!

Alright, there's my 5 on Friday which is sort of a catch up.