So busy.

And I love it.  Learning how to juggle.  Here's some of the things I've been doing:

• Weekly after-school kids club for the students across the street at the elementary school
• Weekly small group
• Weekly Bible Study
• Weekly my mom comes to hang out and play board games
• Visiting Joe's grandma in the hospital
• Gym (not as much as I should)
• Hosting two girls last weekend who were part of the "Children of the World" choir
• Babysitting Colton this weekend
• Watching kids at the church while their parents attended a marriage conference yesterday
• Helping out some folks in small group (taking meals to sick, picking up kids from school, taking one of their kids to PT who just had surgery)
• People over for dinner
• Taking a family to church today
• Taking a meal to a homeless shelter
• Transporting some ladies from the homeless shelter to a church event

This is "fun" stuff so I've been behind on housework.  However I'm mostly caught up on my daily chores.  I had a friend coming and doing my weekly chores for me while I watched her kids, but their family has been sick so the floors are in terrible need of cleaning.  I've also sucked at tidying up the house.  Rachel's coming for dinner; thankfully it's just Papa Murphy's pizza.  But I really want to try out a new recipe for cream cheese brownies.

Bad babysitter move yesterday:  Colton fell asleep in the car when I was driving back from doing childcare at the church.  I let him sleep in the car for about an hour and then woke him up.  He came inside and crashed on the couch.  He had been coughing some so I wondered if he was getting sick and let him sleep for another hour.  And he obviously couldn't get to sleep last night.  He kept waking me up because he couldn't sleep (after he refused to sleep on the top bunk unless I slept on the bottom bunk - not happening, but I made him a fort out of blankets on the bottom bunk and that made him happy.)  Joe was frustrated because Colton wanted the hall light on, and around midnight finally told Colton he had to suck it up and be bored in bed.  I did let him play with some cars for a while and gave him some books.  Still, not smart babysitting move. 

Colton's looking forward to church today though he says he will not go to the kids care and he wants to sit with me, especially for the singing.  I encouraged him to go build social skills but he doesn't want to, so whatever.  He refused to play with the other kids at childcare yesterday too...and was actually really rude to some of them.  We had several stern talkings-to...I've never had him behave this poorly.  Funny how taking away screen time motivates so quickly, though.  Only child syndrome, I guess.

I got an online membership to America's Test Kitchen.  I've made 3 of their recipes so far:  chicken stew, sesame-crusted salmon with lemon and ginger, and gluten free chocolate chip cookies because we had GF company.   One problem is that they test the best equipment and so now I want different pans...a broiler rack...etc.  Unnecessary things, but things that from ATK's tests make a difference in the food quality.  I kept making too much food though in my zeal and we had too many leftovers last week..and now we have no food.  *sigh.*

Joe's grandma is having bowel surgery sometime next week.  So I don't know if I'll be visiting as often.

Next Saturday is my annual birthday party/diaper drive.  I'm so glad Becca and Angela can come.  I haven't done any planning though so I need to get on that.

Legs have been very strong for short periods of time.  I can walk normally most of the time unless I'm walking a lot.  Some leg symptoms still; I've learned that elevating my legs or at least sitting with my legs crossed keeps them from hurting.  Apparently they don't like the blood rushing downward?  Whatever, it works.

Joe and I are going to NY and DC with another couple in June.  We don't have our tickets because Joe is trying to find out if he can get one more day off work.  We'll be visiting Janae in DC and also enjoying NY.  It's Janae's birthday, and the other couple's anniversary, and ours too.  I'm really looking forward to it!

That's all for now; time to leave for church.