Last weekend, when Mom & Dad were here, they wanted to buy me a present for my upcoming birthday, and while I never really have a good gift ideas list readily available off the top of my head, one thing did come to mind.

New running shoes.

I’d been holding on to an intention — albeit one that’s been benched for a good year (at least) — of running again regularly. I figured this would be a good opportunity to make that more likely to happen.

So, we packed all three kids and their DS’es in the car and ran out on Sunday afternoon to find a pair. And today, at long last, I put them on and went for a run. Well, actually, a run with a heavy dose of walk. But DEEEEEEEEEAMN it felt good.

THAT’s why I used to do it. Not for the punishment it levies upon my knees, but for the rush of good-feeling-ness it gives afterward. I’ve spent the afternoon in a much better mood than I have been in over the past few weeks, so much so that I’m baking chocolate chip cookies! And blogging!

Yay for running!

Tuung – Santiago

This is the song that most caught my attention while running today. It had caught my attention months before and made it on to my “selects” list, but I totally forget about that list until I run across another song to add to it. It was a pleasant pick-me-up while trying to keep my ass moving in tennis shoes.

As was Michael Jackson’s, Human Nature. Awwwwww yeah.

In mildly related news, Yvette has got me drinkin’ the iTunes Genius playlist Kool-Aid these days. It makes some pretty awesome mixes! Of course, the reason she started using it was to dramatically increase the chances that she’d actually like the music that comes out of the living room computer — music that had previously played completely randomly from the some 38,000 songs from every freakin’ genre imaginable.

Regardless, I think it is pretty awesome. Thank you, MyY.

So, we really haven’t done much on this site all winter, despite our best intentions.  Life got crazy.

And then, I fractured my elbow and have been learning all about slowing down and asking for help (two things I am admittedly not very good at).  Typing hurts.  Many final papers are due in the next few weeks, and I am resigning myself to not writing and rewriting the way I am used to.  I just need to get through this semester and tax season, and perhaps we will have some semblance of normalcy soon!

So, Jessie has been asking ALL SORTS of questions recently about who is related to whom and how babies are made and how they get out. Its been a fun week of interesting conversations, and today culminated in a Family Tree to help make sense of everything.

Brown=grandparents

Yellow=Uncles and Aunties

Green=cousins

Blue=Parents

Purple=siblings.

Whew.

Laura Viers – Magnetized

Alright, I admit it. I have a music-crush on Laura Viers. She came on randomly in iTunes while diligently working, and I had to press back and repeat the song.

This was it.

This is what happens when a pile of the boys’ too-small underwear is left out too long within my childrens’ collective purview.

When left unchecked too long, just-fine pairs of undies escape from their drawers to accessorize, and twist-ties escape from the kitchen to keep eyeholes open, of course.

Kept them busy for a good half hour!