right now, a list

I'm up early early this morning because Bear had an upset stomach and needed out of his crate a little before before five. I didn't even attempt to fall back asleep.  It's 7:30 and I feel like I've already had half my day. I've prepped the Valentine party crafts for the third grade party tomorrow, looked up some things for preschool on Pinterest, and finished a sign being picked up later. I've showered, sent some emails, and put away clean laundry. I made and drank coffee, got dinner going in the crock pot, and tidied the living room. I would definitely not call myself a morning person, but I've found I can get more done first thing in the day than at any other point after. Maybe this is why some people like to wake up early? Not the actual getting up part, but the being extra productive part?

No matter, I now have some time to kill as the littles finish getting ready for school, so I thought I could update with a list of little shares representing our life these days. I make no attempt to put these in any sort of order or to be eloquent. I have time, but not much.

Right now, life looks like :

• Gray weather. Blah gray winter weather. Indoor recess, muddy dogs, messy floors, coats and hats and gloves everywhere.  I realize this is maybe a strange thing to start with, but man is this weather getting to everyone. I feel like kids (the ones I parent and the ones I teach) are in desperate need of some fresh air and vitamin D. So very ready for spring. 

• Basketball, basketball, basketball, and then more basketball. Gracie cheers at high school games, Drew is on two teams, and Kate is on a team. Ben helps with coaching when he can. 

• I started a 90 minute weekly yoga class with my friend Nicole. Signing up was out of my comfort zone, but it's good to step out of your comfort zone when you can. Nicole and I lower the average age of the people in the class by at least a decade and it is not exactly what I thought it would be like, but I am enjoying it. I leave there feeling relaxed and clear-headed. 

• Grace takes the ACT at the end of this month and knows her goal score. We get a great deal of college mail each week. There are conversations around here about college applications and the grades, extras, and scores needed for applications. So far we haven't yet hit the overwhelmed stage of things and I hope we can continue to avoid that. I feel confident that she will end up exactly where she needs to be. 

• Luke is driving with a permit. Not sure if I've shared that or not. He has been out each weekend and gets more confident each time. 

• We are wandering the east coast for eight days this March and I am pretty excited. There is just nothing like adventuring with my people.  I've been thinking about vacations lately. While at the gym on Monday, one of the guys I work out with said he hasn't taken a vacation in his adult life since graduating from college five years ago. He said he has no desire to. He said he likes his life at home just the way it is, so why pay to travel to stay in a hotel that isn't home and sleep in a bed that isn't his bed and eat a meal that won't be as good as what he eats at home?  I can't even understand this kind of reasoning, I really can't. 
  
  
  I feel a different kind of alive when I am on a trip. There is nothing like stepping away from my life, (a life that I really love, I will add) to have a different life for just a bit. Nothing compares to having my family all to myself for a stretch of days; the conversations, the laughter, the shared experiences, the memories.... it is priceless to me. I love to not think about day to day responsibilities for a while, to take a break from the constant to- do list and busy schedule that is the norm around the Hedenberg house to have time together without outside pulls.  And when I come home from a trip, I love my life that much more. This homebody loves to be at home and I am reminded of this each and every trip we take. What a great feeling to have.

• Drew is itching to have as much freedom as we will possibly let him have. The kid is absolutely convinced he is basically a teenager. Parenting Drew continually reminds me just how different my four kids are from one another.  (And, for the record, he is not difficult to parent these days. Fifth grade and age eleven are really agreeing with him and we are seeing lots of growing up. But he is just so. very. different. from his siblings.)

• Kate entered the science fair with two buddies. The girls wanted to do a project where they literally watched paint dry to see which brand of paint dries the fastest. With a little gentle redirection for the school's science fair person, they switched to something a little more measurable. I love that she was excited to be in the science fair this year.