7 Quick Takes {on turning 40, being a soccer mom, loving Instagram}

1.  I am turning 40 next week.  Whoa.  Just take a moment to let that sink in.  4-0.  Not to be morbid but it does not escape my notice that I may be at the halfway point in my life (pray God that is true!).   Funny thing is, I feel excited about it.  Somehow 35 was more hair-raising for me than 40.  Might it be that I finally am settling into myself?  It may simply be that at 35 I was pregnant with my third child and felt like I was starting over at diapers.  Now that boy is 4 (and I am not pregnant) and I have more of an independent life again.  Selfish?  Maybe.  True?  Totally.  I loved those baby days but I am certainly enjoying the freedom that comes with aging.  (Tell that to me again when I have bouts of baby fever so fierce they make tears spring to my eyes.)  

2.  I just realized that I am officially a Soccer Mom which means to me that I am at five separate soccer practices four days a week and two games each Saturday Autumn, Winter and Spring.  A few years ago (when I had a baby to bring along) I couldn't stand it.  Nowadays I absolutely love it.  I look forward to the friends I have to chat with on the sidelines and the time outdoors with my boys.  Sure it can make dinner time crazy and getting homework done a challenge but so far, we all love it and that makes us a very happy Soccer family.

RW age 10

ZJ age 9

KC age 4 and not on a soccer team yet.

3.  Fall is the BEST season!  I am finally able to open the windows again and go outdoors without feeling like I stepped into the sauna at the gym.  So to celebrate I have two seasonal nail polish colors you must add to your wardrobe.  Sally Hansen's Black Platinum #340 is ideal for October and all-things Halloweeny while L'oreal's Brit Invasion #116 is a taupe and gold color that embodies Thanksgiving and fallen leaves.  (Found both at Target).

5.  Here are a few happy moments from my life through the Instagram lens in the past few weeks.  I recently read that IG attracts more mobile users than the Twitter app.  Amazing.  If you are not into IG you may want to check it out.  (You can find me there as Mistysmornings.)

Note the Sally Hansen polish on my sandy toes!

6.  I am currently enrolled in the Unravelling e-course by Susannah Conway.  (I won it free on a Twitter Chat but would have paid for it if I had to just to be in the course!) If you haven't ever been to her blog I recommend it and her book, This I Know, as well. This week's theme was Memories and here is a photo I took of myself at the age when my father passed away.  It's a strange thing to have no memories of your father as a real live person.  Thank goodness for photographs. I think we look alike, don't you?  

7.   I laughed out loud at Jennifer's pin that summed her up so well according to her husband and I found a pin that I think my husband might suggest sums me up as well.

Of course he just doesn't understand how we really do need all that Target stuff!