Early this morning I went out for a run. Our home is on a very steep hill. The streets going vertically are numbered, and the streets horizontally are named. We live in between 10th and 11th Street. If I remember correctly, there are 4 streets up to the top and three alleys. I jog the streets (over about two blocks to 12th), walk the alleys all the way up, and repeat all the way down. I find that this ‘morning run’ is a great tension reducer, and that it’s a good time to think quietly and to pray about things. Who knows, maybe I’ll lose some poundage too.

This morning, someone was walking their dog in front of our house. Right as I was leaving, the dog took a monster dump on our lawn and the lady was mortified that I saw it. She apologized that she only had a little baggie with her. I said, “Nature called. Just get what you can.” C’est la vie.

Aiden screamed till 12:30 a.m. last night. He’s teething and can’t be comforted. My trick? Spiking his bottle with tylenol. Otherwise, he spits it out. You can almost see the two bottom teeth under the gums. He has an always-present drool ring on his shirts and his chewing everything he can get his gums on. Tom and I killed time by playing chess — one of our favorite pasttimes. I will say that he clobbered me, though. (Perhaps the fact that mommy can’t concentrate while her baby is screaming in pain is a valid excuse?)

Last night was the WIC Meeting. It was the first time we met in the evening so that the children were cared for by their fathers while we met. We met at the Braunings, too — which is also a change. Usually we meet here. I must say that the meeting went quite smoothly and without interruption. Christa brought Susannah with her. What a beautiful little girl — red hair, too!! We discussed many things including the Dad’s and Daughter’s Dinner on June 12 (I need to put info about that on the site!) and a Proverbs 31 day on June 17. The Prov. 31 day will be at Battaglias and the devotional is obviously prov 31. Women will be encouraged to bring a sampling of their favorite “easy” dinner dish, along with the recipe to share. They will also share tips on homemaking, organization, and saving money. The pool should be open!!

Today I’m going to try to take a meal to the Sauers. Paula, Ariel and Martha were in a car accident yesterday. They’re ok, but in pain. The van was totalled. The accident actually occured on 13th street, three (vertical) streets over from where we live. I heard the crash and prayed that it wasn’t Tom. It wasn’t. It was our dear friends!! Turns out the lady who hit them was the wife of a coatesville police officers. Completely blew through a stop sign. Crazy, eh?

Yesterday for dinner, I made Penne with diced tomatoes, garlic chicken and mushroom chunks with a cilantro pesto sauce. It was so yummy and EASY to make. Who knows, maybe it’ll be one of my Prov. 31 Day recipes 😉

Today I have three loads of laundry to fold and all of the dishes from last night to wash. Dishes and Laundry are my least favorite chores. Heh. We need a polls section on here — “What are your least favorite household chores?” .

I was reading an article today on hiring help with chores so that you can work at home. The article cited freelance writing, something that I do when I’m not doing housework 😉 According to the article, the average woman does 35 hrs of housework a week. No, I’m not griping. Just an interesting thought that one could hire help with housework and have more time with her children and still be able to profit from working from the home. My “home businesses” ? Freelance writing and selling things on ebay (Tom — we need a link to my eBay offerings on here!!).

Well, I need to finish the minutes from last night’s meeting. I can hear Aiden stirring. He’ll be up and screaming soon.

I should note that I am squeezing a soccer ball between my thighs as I write. Trying to strengthen those inner-thigh muscles. YES, it hurts. FEEL the burn.

Also, it is of note that we have a Robin’s nest in the corner rafter of our porch and a very friendly wild rabbit who lives in our yard. They were both out this morning. The flowers we planted (check out the picture section) out front seem to have grown about an inch. We’ve had a lot of rain here these past few days) (Tom, a link to our local weather would be cool, too.)

Check out Colin Judge’s (our friend who is serving with the National Guard in Iraq) Blog. He offers a first-hand perspective on war. Keep him and his family (who lives about 5 mins from here) (Mary, and their sons Clayton and Quinn (who was adopted from China) in your prayers.

Over and out.

Sarah Joy