Good things on Monday

• I've been enjoying a drawing of Rapunzel on my refrigerator, made by my 4-year-old student.
• Super tickled by the motivational post-it-note Roy put on the wall next to his sleeping bag: "Dont goin back the bed You sleep 8 hours"
• Got to put some little valentines in the mail to a few of my relatives this morning.
• It was fun to play Be Thou My Vision for the "old folks' '' service at the Baptist church.  One of my favorite hymns.  I've been meaning to get all five verses memorized so I can sing it to the baby lots.
• Got the morning off from nannying, which was wonderful, since I was awake for a couple of hours in the night after Beaner was scritching around and wasn't really ready for the 5:15 alarm of normal weekday mornings.
• Grapenuts.
• Thinking about what to bake/take for the snack at our birth/parenting preparation class this Wednesday.  It's my turn.  :-)
• Teacher of said class is great.  I am enjoying the Seattle-ness of her - funky haircut, primitive chunky earrings, rain boots with leggings and short well-constructed dresses, former theater major, named Xena.  She's a good, low key teacher who draws people out and seems to be helpful to the very diverse group of couples in the class.
• I read something a couple of weeks ago about how people who take three minutes in the morning to make their beds experience less stress during the day.  So I've been trying it out.  I like it!
• Got to talk to my good friend Beth the other day and hear her sweet son babbling in the background.
• Got to talk to my sister the other day, which hasn't happend in far too long!
• I got a pair of maternity jeans and two more tops the other day at Ross Dress for Less.  There's a reason I shop there; it's the dress for less part.  And there's also a reason it's hard to find anything there; also the dress for less part.  For example, why are most of their maternity pants skinny jeans?  It's not a good look for me in general.  It's also maybe not a good look for pregnant ladies.  And how are pregnant ladies with swollen calves and ankles supposed to even get them on?  Some budget designer wasn't thinking clearly if you ask me.  But finally after multiple trips to said store, I found some jeans I could wear which are also not hideous.  This is fantastic, meaning the laundry is going to be run far less often!  Also, I was excited to find two tops I liked which weren't blue.  I happen to love blue, but it's nice to wear another color now and then - say red, and say purple.
• Interesting weather pattern yesterday.  Up on the East Hill where we live, it was sunny and beautiful in the morning.  Then we went down the hill to my brother's apartment in the Valley, and it was totally foggy.  Then we drove back home, and it was brilliant sunshine again.  Sometimes it has been the reverse.  And occasionally there is a striking temperature difference between the two locations.
• I saw a hummingbird outside the window during the church service yesterday.
• It is amazing what great recordings one can find on YouTube.  This is seriously beneficial to my students, not to mention myself!
• Jared has been doing jumping jacks while holding weights when I am taking a break during our daily hikes in the park.  It is fun to see how many he is able to do during one break.  I took one longer break this morning wherein he did 70...
• Made tabouli on Friday night.  And it ages well, so it was even better on Saturday and Sunday nights.
• Amused by the fact that my dad went roller skating for his birthday last month, and my mom wants a hula hoop for her birthday this week.  Jared said he hopes that when we're their ages we can have such fun and youthful birthdays, too!
• Pulled my yoga ball out of the closet where it's been since we moved, and I think my back is going to be thanking me.  I originally got it for sitting on while practicing, and it's a shame I haven't used it in a while!