7 Quick Takes for the last day of January

Without further ado. . . here are seven random facts for this Friday.

1) Planning ahead for our family, I invested in some used hardback math textbooks for next year (Rebekah will be fourth grade and Samuel will be doing third grade math).  Basically, these are the same type of books the schools use (in fact, both of these came complete with the stamp on the inside cover where each child writes his or her name for the year). So what, you say?  Well, first off, I am pretty proud that I got both of these books (that had good reviews) for less than $10 - for both, shipped!  But in my brilliance. . . I did not think about the fact that the answers are not normally put in the back of school textbooks.  And of course, I was too cheap to get the teacher's manuals as well, thus, guess what I am going to spend my summer doing?  Third and fourth grade math, apparently, in order to create an answer key for each.  It makes me laugh just to think of it.

2) We have an old house, with old wiring.  Although we have a breaker box with "the normal" amount of breakers, most of our house is all wired to one.  Seriously, the entire basement, the entire kitchen, about half of the upstairs outlets, and the furnace and air conditioner are on ONE breaker!  Since our bedroom is in the basement, it often loses power when I try to use too many appliances in the kitchen at once, or the heater cooks on as I'm trying to start the coffee, etc.  What does all this have to do with anything you ask?  Well, not long ago we I had to replace my alarm clock, as someone (I honestly cannot remember if it was me or one of the kids) spilled liquid on the last one.  But, I got this cool alarm clock that automatically sets itself!  No more worrying about if it has a back-up battery and what-not.  Just plug this baby in and it is good to go!  The catch?  It is ten minutes fast and I have yet to figure out how to convince it of that! I was SOOO excited to finally have "the correct time" (as I have often set my other clocks a little fast, but then I feel like I had permanently LOST those extra five minutes somehow - it was weird).  And suddenly I not only do not have "the correct time" but I have lost an additional five minutes!!!  It drives me nuts some days and is just minorly annoying on others :)

3) The previous takes do not appear to be very "quick" so I'm commenting on that point as my third "take."  Be grateful for my generosity.

4) Tonight I made split pea soup, for the first time ever.  (I do not think I have ever eaten it before either.)  It was SO GOOD!! Wow, who knew?

5) Miriam update:  She has about six words right now, but, with pointing and body language she sure gets her point across!  Her three favorite words are "baby," kitty," and "bye."  She also makes the most adorable meow and signs more in the context of eating.

FYI: I stole this picture from some website - it is not original to our family.

6) Tonight I was grateful for the generosity of my aunt who let me bake my bread in her oven (because mine was dirty and my hubby did not make it home to clean it as I had hoped - and perhaps because I had forgotten it was dirty anyhow when I started the bread - guess I need to find a preg-friendly oven cleaner. . . ).  I'm also grateful for my cousin (my aunt's daughter) who kindly delivered the bread to my house once it was finished so I did not have to pile the kids in the car for a return trip to Aunt Martha's house.

7) I have SERIOUS pregnancy-brain.  I can still remember the very first time I forgot ONE THING when I was pregnant with Rebekah and it FREAKED ME OUT!!  Now, I can hardly remember anything for more than five minutes.  It is not as freaky, as I've grown to expect it, but rather more. . . entertaining/humbling/often embarrassing. (Like the time I tried to order 6 pizzas for our family and the kids were were babysitting when the babysitting kids' Mom had already put in the order - and had talked with me about it, but I, of course forgot - fortunately Pizza Hut realized two giant orders were going to the same address. . . /sigh yep, that was me.)

7.5) (since I skipped three. . .hehe)
So, tonight I had serious pregnancy brain as I drove home from dropping my doughy bread at Aunt Martha's to bake, I realized my car was making FUNNY noises every time I turned.  (Not, the usual whine of a power steering problem, but an odd squeak.)  I would still guess it was low on power steering fluid, though. Anyhow, I was thinking, "Woah is me, my car is BROKEN and I am now stranded at my house until my dear husband is able to come home and rescue me!!!"  But a couple hours later, it dawned on me that I DO know how to check power steering fluid and how to add more!!  (And I'm pretty sure we have a bottle in our very garage!)  The car I drove in college once got a leak in the power steering pump and I had to check it and refill it several times before I got it fixed.  But I guess I blocked that out or something.  See, what I mean, so weird.

Well, looks like that's all for tonight.  Hope you enjoyed.  Time to fold some laundry and head off to bed.  The way all "cool" adults spend their Friday nights, I'm sure :)