Quick 5

What is it about Fridays lately?  Or the end of the week?!  Here again, I'm late on the Quick 5.

1. Simon had his 2 mo. check up and his first round of shots on Friday.  The poor guy wasn't even phased by the first one.  We might have been fine if it had ended there.  But four more shots later and he was an unhappy fellow.  Still, he's growing.  Over 12 lbs now, though he's not as big as his buddy who was born a week later.  It won't be long before we're moving into 3-6 mo. clothes and Mom might shed a small tear as all the tiny new baby things are packed away.  Or not. 

2. Confession: I love getting new clothes/outfits for the kids.  It's fun.  I love pulling out new things for them to wear, so when they move up into their new stage of clothes, I get a little excited to see what we have.  I know this will wear off when our hand-me downs become thin and I am desperately trying to find garage sale/clearance sale finds for a good price and keep my kids from going naked.  But for now, I want more variety for them than I am concerned about for me.  I feel a nomination to "What Not to Wear" coming on.  Please, folks, at least give me that year to lose the weight, and then you're welcome to do it whether I have or not.

3.  My birthday is coming up in a few months and my mom is already asking for a birthday list.  Do you have any ideas?  I always struggle with birthday and gift lists because there are long lines of things we could really use but would really put a crimp on our budget if we got them ourselves.  So do I ask for an extra mattress pad for our bed my birthday?  Cuz we only got the one, and it takes all day to dry, and we are always making our bed on laundry day when we really should have crashed into it a half hour ago.  Or should I ask for something I would never buy myself and get spoiled just a little for my birthday?  I know the answer anyone would give me: get the "luxury" item (not to be confused with luxury class items).  But we could really use the mattress pad...

4.  Have you ever considered the intentional life?  I'm not talking Randy Carlson here, though he's got a good schtick going.  But I am talking about living your life with purpose and discipline.  It's something I'm thinking a lot about right now.  How much of my life do I live intentionally?  And are those intentions good?  Are my intentions for having a clean house good?  Am I intentional about my relationships?  With my husband?  With God?  It would be easy to look at "the intentional" life and create for yourself a list of do's and don'ts, or even more to-do's.  If I can check off these things, then I have created an intentional way of living.  But the more I think about it and look at it, I think it's more an attitude, a way of thinking.  It's a reflective sort of life, where you are not simply measuring yourself against a stick, but that you are mindful and aware of how you are living and what you are doing.  Have you ever noticed that if you just plunge into life headlong that you end up doing a lot of really stupid stuff?  Your mistakes are more numerous, or more disasterous, and that you don't even enjoy the ride very much.  It bares some more thinking, yes, reflection and meditation.  But I don't really want my life to go by and at the end be asking myself, "Where'd it go?"  SimpleMom.net has a few posts on living a good story.  It's good.  Go check it out.

5.  I got an old slowcooker from my mom.  Can I just say, I've never been more excited about an out-dated appliance before?  Foodinjars.com has a great method for making fruit butter in the slowcooker.  She's posted about blueberry butter crockpot style and on SimpleBites.net, apple butter.  I'm going to try her Strawberry Rhubarb Butter in the slow cooker (and maybe the Orange Rhubarb).  I like the idea of not having to stand over it and stir it as much, as after making banana butter and having Simon crying at my feet in his carrier and calling Nick to come rescue me from the stove.... Well, I don't want to have to do that again.  Can you tell that I am into food blogs right now?  I'd give anything to be able to take pictures like they do.  Maybe that what I should ask for on my birthday: a photography class.  Hmm....

Happy Tuesday.  Maybe I'll actually be on the ball on Friday this time.  I refuse to make promises.