Once again, I have a bunch of random thoughts rattling around in my head, so it seems like a good time for another one of these posts. This post is an idea I stole from here .

Questioning: I am hoping my fellow moms can help me with my picky eater problem.  I’ve shared before that Lovey is a very selective eater.  She declared herself a vegetarian at 4 and is allergic to gluten and most likely dairy.  She eats a bunch of fruits and veggies as well as bread, rice, pasta, and peanut and sunflower butter.  That’s about it.  Lately she has been getting very hungry, probably because her diet is so limited in protein.  I’m wondering what kinds of protein sources we can introduce to her that she will eat.  Does anyone have any suggestions?  She is reluctant to try beans (although roasted chickpeas were a success) and we don’t want her to have too much soy, especially because it’s one of my food allergies.

Making: I wish I could say that I was busy making this year’s Halloween costumes for the girls.  I’ve made them every year for the last several but they want to be minions this year and the cost of all the supplies to DIY is much more than if I just bought the costume.

Cooking:  I made this chili on Sunday night.  It was on fleek. (Can I say that about chili? I’m too old for the latest slang.)

Reading: Honey and I decided to start our own book club of sorts.  We are reading the same book at the same time so that we can talk about it.  It’s been an interesting experiment so far.  Our first pick was Station Eleven.  This book is wildly popular and gets rave reviews but so far both of us are kinda ehh about it.  We’ve each got about 100 pages left so I hope it comes together in the end.

Wanting: to successfully complete my Goodreads challenge for the year.  The book above is slowing me down a bit, but I’ve got 4 more books to read before the end of the year to make it to 25 total.  Can it be done?

Looking: forward to fall.  It’s my favorite season and we have lots of exciting things planned.  I can’t wait for apple picking, crunchy leaves, down vests, boots…

Playing: lots of board games in the afternoon with Kitten.  Now that we are home together everyday we are playing a lot more.  But…the games she wants to play are getting exceedingly boring.  I’d love some suggestions for new baord games for the preschool set that are also fun for parents.

Sewing: I used my sewing machine over the summer to make pillows that I’ve had the fabric for for over three years!  I bought more fabric for more pillows and…

Wishing: I could stay the “lead parent” forever, instead of going back to work part time next year.  This new arrangment is working out really well and I’m so happy we’ve had this opportunity as a family.  Decreasing the stress level was so incredibly important and has been invaluable. (If you haven’t read the NYT opinion article by Anne-Marie Slaughter I linked above, please do.  So much important information was shared, that I think all people in the work force should read.)

Loving: that I PRed at the Gulf Beach Half Marathon!  I know you are all sick to death of me talking about running so I’ll try to keep it brief.  I was as physically and mentally trained as I could possibly be.  I felt strong through most of the entire race, I met almost all of my goals, and if it weren’t for the pesky heat and humidity (it was 65 degrees and 96% humidity at the start) I know I would’ve crushed my PR by even more.

Hoping: that I still have enough training in me to do well at the Hartford Half.  If you’re counting, yes this will be my 3rd 1/2 of the year.  The biggest reason I’m hoping to do it is because my girls haven’t seen me race this year and they want to.  Hartford half is a great course for spectators because you can easily see people at several spots on the course.

Smelling: I’m not smelling much of anything right now because my late summer allergies seem to have morphed into a cold virus.  So annoying.

Wearing: lots of workout clothes.  (See above)  I was thinking of doing a whole post about finding athletic wear on a budget but didn’t know if there would be enought interest.  Let me know if there is and I’ll put one together.  I get most of my gear from Target, Old Navy, or Marshalls.

Bookmarking: as much information about Disney as I can.  Honey and I decided when we’re going to take the kids and although the date is far in the future, I want to be as prepared as possible to book this trip.  If anyone has any blog or website suggestions I’m all ears.

Thanking: the lovely inventors of coffee.  I don’t know who those first people were, but I love them and their delicious brew. Not quite sure how I’d get through life without it.