Quick Takes Friday

1-
As I mentioned in small successes yesterday, I went to confession this week. We had our local penance service on Wednesday, so we dragged the kids with us to the 7pm start. Since we had the kids (whom I would have left at MILs house if I had known she wasn't going to come) my plan was to sit near the front on the cry room side, and be among the first in line. Well, I ended up #2 in line, but hubby (who claims he couldn't get past the girls...note to self, put both parents on the edge next time) ended up #5, and then graciously gave up his turn for an older lady in the parish. I had taken an examination of conscience paper, pulled out a pen, and circled the questions that reminded me of something I needed to confess. I also picked up a really cool little booklet that had an examination of conscience based on the ten commandments broken up into a list of mortal sins and a list of venial sins. Well, after I did my penance, I took the girls outside to run around while waiting for hubby and I left my circled examination of conscience in a pew...OOPS! So, someone is going to come across it and know what somebody was confessing...

2-
My parents and my brother are going to come out and see us (and our new house) next Saturday. We haven't seen them since Christmas, but they don't want to spend the night out here (even though we finally live in a house big enough to accommodate them!) So, their plan is to leave Denver early Saturday morning, be out here before noon, and then leave when we go to church (we'll need to leave by 4:30 or 5 to make it to Mass in one of three neighboring towns with anticipatory Masses). My in-laws really do not understand this sort of behavior. FIL offered to feed the cows for hubby in the morning if my parents were staying so that we could have more time with them as a family. Very nice gesture, but they seem all set to leave and be home before dark...

3-
I don't think I've mentioned on the blog (although hubby keeps having to hear it from me!) how much I hate that the post office in town closes at 4pm (in our old town it was open until 4:30) and that it takes a good 20 minutes to get from our house to the post office? I finally am back to paperback swap (which I put on vacation hold in October or early November, and took off vacation hold on Valentine's Day) and I keep thinking I can just mail the books next time I make it into town...which works fine every other week when I take the girls to the library for story time in the morning. It just does not seem possible to combine the post office with Eva's 5pm piano lesson. I should just learn my lesson and print postage at home more often.

4-
I didn't manage a quick takes post last week...I had hosted my Bible Study group the night before, so I was EXHAUSTED from getting the house in order. In the "I admit I must have lost my mind" category...the night before bible study, after the mini blinds we had to special order for two windows in the living room and the curtain panels arrived, I convinced hubby to drive an hour up to WalMart to get curtain rods. Then, I had him install the mini blinds and the curtain rods before my guests arrived. Not to mention cleaning the house, and stacking all the unpacked items and items that currently don't have a home into one room and cooking a main course. I didn't make it down to our shower until after the ladies in my bible study group left our old town (thankfully it takes about 40-50 minutes to drive up here!) I had a great time, though, and it is nice to have a house in a reasonable amount of order (although I admit I haven't really made any progress on the room with all the boxes since then!)

5-
My homeschooling confession of the week. I always have grand plans...the goal each week is to do school 4 days, so I plan 4 days of classwork for Eva, which includes the subjects reading, religion, math, handwriting and Spanish every day (only 5 to 10 minutes on each one, usually). Then each day I plan an additional subject, such as homemaking, science, social studies/history/geography, music, art, or PE. This week we have done three days of school (so far...still hoping to get to it this morning) and ZERO of the additional subjects. I've had straws soaking in what was once hot tap water for our science project since Monday, I never had them color, cut out and make the St. Patrick paper dolls for Art, Eva was supposed to learn how to make french toast for homemaking, and I just don't see it happening today...maybe I'll get ambitious today and we'll do our lesson on the continents for geography...we'll have to see. Plus, for Charlotte's preschool, I have mostly been doing two or three things with her (never what I suggest...she makes requests these days) and then sitting her down in front of a Veggie Tales so that I can finish school with Eva.

6-
I started a new cereal rule that I will be breaking this morning. My new rule is that we can't open a new box of cereal in the same category as one that is already open. So, we had some generic fruity pebbles style cereal, and I got a box of Trix swirls cereal on sale...Eva wanted the Trix instead of the fruity pebbles, and I told her only one fruity cereal open at a time. Then today, they both originally wanted Chocolate Cheerios, but we still have an unfinished box of Cocoa Puffs, so I told them only one chocolate cereal open at a time. However, I want some Chocolate Cheerios (and I do not like Cocoa Puffs) so I am about to crack open a box, if I can distract the girls long enough.

7-
Anyone ever put down carpet squares/carpet tiles/peel and stick carpet? The bedroom downstairs (that will eventually be a guest room) had two layers of water damaged carpet, and we are now working on scraping up the carpet backing...next step, carpeting. The carpet squares that I could find (online) ranged in price from $4.99 to $20+ per square (which were larger than a square foot) but it still looks like it might cost us around $600 for the floor of that bedroom if we go that route...still not sure if it would be significantly cheaper than having carpet laid professionally. Any thoughts? Other flooring ideas for a basement bedroom that could have water issues if we aren't careful?

More quick takes at Conversion Diary!