Five Faves

1. Kindara NFP App

Seriously this NFP app has changed my life. I have been obsessed with NFP since high school and started learning NFP a few months before our wedding. Until a few months ago, I was using the old and hard to read paper charts. Then, I got an iPhone (I know I'm only five years late on that one!) and figured there had to be an NFP app. I did some searching and through some reviews thought that I'd like Kindara the best. I have not been disappointed. Now my chart is with me everywhere which means I can record my data when I have time and not when my chart is nearby. Plus, it makes my charting a whole lot more private. No longer will Matthew be pulling out papers from beside my bed and asking me, "Mommy, are these for coloring?" Yes, this app has changed my life.

 

2. This Cooler, Fall like Weather

I despise the summer heat, so today when I could throw on jeans and a hoodie and pretty much be comfortable all day I was in Heaven. I love, love, love Fall weather and these little previews we've been having this summer here in the Burgh have been delightful. I cannot stand to sweat, and I hate humidity because my hair turns into an afro point two seconds after I leave air conditioning. Today, I had lovely silky hair and didn't sweat at all (except when I pounded out my 5K at the gym.) And with Fall comes football, and I just love football more than any other sport. Watching preseason games last weekend totally rocked. Come on, Fall, hurry up and get here for real!

 

3. Kids' Room at Fitness 19

Okay, so this kids' room is not your ordinary daycare. The women back in that room are AMAZING! Matthew asks to go every day and gets disappointed if we miss a day. They do arts and crafts and have strict rules for the kids to follow to keep them in line. They also aren't afraid to let kids be upset when Mommy leaves. Instead of calling me back after five minutes of Noah screaming, they worked with him for weeks to get him to keep calm, even if that meant he cried for a while for those two weeks. They knew it was best for him and me that way. One of the reasons we kept Matthew out of preschool at age two was because of his experiences at the gym. He was doing a lot of what kids would do in two year old preschool at the gym. When Noah was born, I even transferred my membership to Brian so that Matthew could still have access to the kids' room while I wasn't allowed to exercise. We have even visited one of the teacher's houses, and many of the women who work at the gym actually babysit for us. The kids love going and Mommy gets an hour and a half to herself to try and get her pre baby body back. It's a win-win!

 

4. Big Brother

Totally an addict of this show and so his my hubby. I have to admit that this season is not as good as last, although last season saw the return of Mike Boogie to the Big Brother House, and he is by far the greatest player (next to his buddy Dr. Will) to ever play the game. Just thinking of them together makes me smile. Brian never had the privilege of seeing them play (he was in seminary at the time). So I always have to try and describe how they played and why they were so funny. If you have no idea what I am talking about, you can watch this YouTube video of the two of them. It is hilarious!

Boogie and Dr. Will

But, yeah, this season just doesn't measure up. In the words of Rachel Riley, "Floaters, grab a life vest!" There are too many of them around this year! Ugh. Still, though, Brian and I are addicts. We don't miss an episode, and we talk about the players during daily conversations as if we know them. Wow. We are boring.

 

5. Tutoring

I love my job and my business. I really do. I tutor about 12-15 hours every week, and while it can get exhausting by 8:30 on Thursday night, I would never not do it. Yes, I will totally cut back on hours the minute our budget will allow it, but right now, I can work while my husband or parents are with the boys and it brings in money needed to pay some of the bills and to have fun with! My business, Tutoring with Danielle, allows Brian to now only work one job when he used to work two. (Which meant not Saturdays for us.) Plus, I love working one-on-one with students. It saves my sanity some days to know that in just a few hours, I'll be free for a little while to not have to refill sippy cups and clean up messes and make sure Noah isn't trying to plunge to his death from the couch. It's nice to be just me the teacher for a few hours. I love my kids, but I love my work, too. As a bonus, any money I make extra above what we need for the month can either be saved in our house fund or used to have weekend fun. We are not a family who just stays home on the weekends. We work hard for what we make and both Brian and I feel that we should live life by working hard and playing hard. This summer some extra money allowed us to buy Rascal Flatts concert tickets (yes, I won a contest to meet them!). So it's the best of both worlds for me. I can stay home with my little ones during the day and tutor in the evenings. And eventually my business will expand enough where I will only tutor a few hours each week and make money from all of the other people who work for me as tutors. That day will be amazing!

 

Have a lovely evening, everyone! And remember tomorrows the Feast of the Assumption (one of the best Feast Days ever!). It's a Holy Day of Obligation. :)