Making the Most of Milwaukee

I'm noticing a trend... Another week of things that made me grateful: Day 67. A beautiful sunny day! It was a really nice day on Monday! The kids played on the playground after school for quite a while. When we got home, all the kids and Carmen played in the backyard for a while. We are all really looking forward to spring, and even if we have to endure some more chilly weeks before it gets here, we'll appreciate the warm days when we get them! Day 68. Progress on the girls' new bedroom and the guest room. I did some furniture rearranging today. I started by moving all of Piper's things out of her room. Then I moved the guestroom furniture from that room into it's new place, which was Piper's room. Margo and Piper will be sharing what used to be the guestroom. We're going to paint the walls, put bunk beds in there, a new rug and curtains, and some other cute accents. The trickiest part will be keeping the girls out once we really start doing stuff ...

I have to be careful with these longer breaks between blog posts or I won't remember what I'm thankful for! Here's everything I was/am grateful for this week: Day 60. A new, beautiful iPhone case. And great parent-teacher conferences. Justin surprised me with a new iPhone case. I know it's not that big of a deal, but I really like it.     Also, we had parent-teacher conferences with Josie and Deuce's teachers. Both kids are doing awesome. They're well-behaved, and they're both making friends. Their reading and math skills are excellent and above average, respectively. I'm really proud of them! (So is Justin, of course.) And we are really happy with Milwaukee Parkside School for the Arts! Day 61. Impromptu date night! Normally on Tuesdays Justin and I drop the kids off at a babysitter's and go to Spanish class. Well, we did the first part of that routine, but then I realized that I had forgotten to bring the book we need for class. ...

Monday. Day 53: I'm grateful for online sermons. I looked up the church website of the pastor I met on Sunday, and they had several sermons online. I really enjoyed listening (throughout the week) to his sermons as I went about my days. Every one was encouraging and challenging. Tuesday. Day 54: I'm grateful for chances to be a helper. Today I helped out my close friend, Marie, who was in the process of moving, by watching her two boys and feeding them dinner. I wouldn't say that I'm always happy to babysit, but I want to be willing to help when it's needed. Wednesday. Day 55: I'm thankful for this: Thursday. Day 56: Today is Justin's birthday, and I'm just grateful that he's my husband. I'm hoping he has many, many more birthdays with me. I know this sounds cliché, but time is really flying by. We have celebrated nine of his birthdays together! Oh, and I'm also thankful for the delicious chocolate cake I made. It is so yummy!...