It feels so nice to finally be at the winding down part of the day. Today has been mad hectic. Running ten miles on the treadmill wore me out, of course, but that doesn’t stop life from happening. We had some fun on our schedule today. A birthday party extravaganza for one of Makenzie’s friends!

This party wasn’t the standard affair. My friend hosted her son’s party at a place called Glazed and Fired – a really neat paint your own pottery and art studio.

Makenzie and her friends each got to pick out their own special apron and paints to do some pirate ship painting. Argh, matey!

My little ar-teest.  

After getting on with our artistic selves, the time came for lunch, cake, and three cheers all around for the birthday boy. Which, he was SO adorable today in a little pirate costume. I fear Makenzie will insist on dressing as Belle for her birthday party next month after seeing E dressed up in his pirate garb. If there’s one thing she loves more than ducks, it is all things princess.And Belle in particular. I’m partial to Ariel myself, but whatever. Back to the food!

I filled up on a plate with pasta salad and fruit.

I love it when parties feature lighter meal options! That way I can have more room in my belly for things like this…

Now, that is a piece of birthday cake! Check out that pile of frosting on top and the thick frosting layer in the center. Publix – they know birthday cake!

Now, it’s that time of the week again. A look at my favorite posts from the past 7 days. Hope you enjoy any you may have missed!

FFF FEATURES

Featured Personal Post: A Lesson In Patience

Lessons I think we can ALL related to…and I know I need on a daily basis.  

Featured Blogging Post: Blogging Numbers – Page Views and Money Talk

I still can’t believe I went there…but I think it was worth it. Can’t wait for part two next week!

Featured Workout Post: “I’ll Sleep Like A Baby Tonight” Workouts

Featuring a little bit of everything – an upper body workout, a lower body workout, and my favorite at-home cardio DVD recommendation.

Featured Recipe: Three Bean and Feta Salad

A great option for pot-lucks or as a side dish at home.

Featured Fun Post: Reaching 1000 Posts & NuNaturals Giveaway

Runner-Up: 13 Crazy But True Ways Motherhood Helps Me Stay Fit

Featured Cuteness: The Plethora of Photos in My “Cliché” Post

Featured Reading: Charissa @ Colourful Palate

I can’t stop drooling over the recipes and pictures on her blog! Go read it NOW!

• Are you artistic?
• What was the most fun thing you did this past week?

Holy moly fritoly! Today has been insane!!! I have had to play the catch up game from the moment I awoke this morning. Does anyone else feel like things multiply into a tremendous mountain of to-dos if you leave things for a few days? I sure do. And the proof is in the pudding laundry, dishes, and emails – oh my!

This morning when I woke up I wanted to get to the gym…badly. I was ready to tackle a great workout before dropping Makenzie off at preschool. I got dressed to go and had a smile on my face.

Then, I came downstairs and saw the incessant things that needed some tender loving care. I don’t function well if our main living spaces don’t have some semblance of order, so I scratched the workout for some speed cleaning instead.

Bing. Bang. Boom. I knocked out quite a lot of those pesky little tasks and could breathe easy. Things may not be truly clean clean, but they work well enough for me. Honestly though? Things are never really clean clean in this house. I am a very superficial cleaner. Wipe off the counters. Put away dishes. Sweep up the floors. Maybe dust a bit or swipe a brush through the toilets if you’re lucky. I don’t think I can tell you the last time I did anything like clean the baseboards, deep clean the tubs/showers, or give my floors a good cleaning. I have enough trouble showering myself!

After this morning’s quick clean fest I got to thinking that maybe I should take care of that. Or invest in a monthly maid visit. That sounds better. I have thought of allowing myself a monthly massage indulgence as a reward. Maybe I could switch that out for a cleaning service indulgence? There’s a thought. Although, gah! I don’t know which would be a better choice! Which needs a better rub down? My body or my baseboards?

I think I know why I have such issues with staying on top of cleaning. Many days my time boils down to the following: cleaning or playing with my kids? Cleaning or blogging? Cleaning or going to the gym? Cleaning or watching Bachelor Pad? Ahem. You can see why cleaning just doesn’t happen around here.

I need to figure out what super powers got into me today though. I somehow did all of those things today…cleaning, blogging, gym (went to spin class this afternoon), and of course playing with the two most adorable beings on the planet!

 

I swear they have grown since I left for Healthy Living Summit. And gotten smarter. And cuter. And funnier. And snugglier. I missed them so much! I even miss them now while they are in bed. I guess Bachelor Pad a supremely insightful book, podcast, or whatever will keep me company instead. Good night loves!

• Which would you choose – monthly massage or monthly cleaning service?
• Are you a superficial cleaner or are you amazing and deserve mad props for staying on top of deep cleaning?