Let's Chat

Good morning!

Happy Friday!

It's been a while, so this hodge-podge post, with bits & pieces of everything should catch us up.  Grab your morning coffee, I'll slice you a piece of apple cake & let's chat!

Tuesday we spent two and a half hours at the clinic getting Logan, Wyatt and myself checked out.  We have all had coughs, Wyatt's being the worst, for about two weeks.  Logan and my lungs were clear, but Wyatt's are super junky, so he was given albuterol nebulizer treatments. 

Thankfully our friends Joe & Krista, who have four kiddos of their own, have a nebulizer on hand that they don't mind loaning out.

Wyatt has been really good about his treatments, and slowly he's getting better.

We are in full swing with homeschool, working into our seventh week back from Christmas break.  The twins' focus is back and their skills are constantly amazing Josh and I.

Reading in particular is going great.  They are sounding out words all over the place, on TV, in magazines and of course in our bedtime stories.  I am so proud of them.

 Their ability to read more has reignited their love for their Tag readers, and I love finding them listening and reading along all over the house.

We have so much more sunlight these days. It's very exciting. 

When Josh leaves for work in the mornings, I can see the sunlight peeking, barely, over the mountain out front, and it is so happy to me!  Our sunrise is at 9:14am and the sunset is at 6:50pm.  

The boys have been enjoying two new shows as of late. 

Wallykazaam

and

Sheriff Callie's Wild West

I particularly love Wallykazaam, pictured above, which teaches rhyming words, sounding out and other reading skills. The boys sit, shouting answers at the TV, Wyatt mimicking them, and it's so adorable.

My anxiety was bad Sunday, Monday & Tuesday.  But the rest of the week has been looking up, and this morning I feel more like myself than I have in months. I attribute this to a myriad of things, primarily exercising, counseling, and using my gratitude journal.

Having a few really good days gets me excited for a future that is anxiety-free, or at least less anxiety-filled!

This week I have been very focused on organizing the house.  Primarily I think I have been doing this to avoid doing the dishes... But whatever motivates us, right?!?

Jack and I worked very hard on the pantry and I was pleased with the results. It's much more user friendly, plus I have a better idea of what inventory I have.

Part of what spurred my kitchen organizing was placing a Span Alaska grocery order.  The school is placing an order, and if we place one at the same time, we can save on shipping, which is normal $1.63 per pound. (That adds up quick when you are ordering two 50lb. bags of flour, plus other groceries!)

So I needed an idea of what we had and what we needed, and the only way to do that was to jump in the deep end.  It's a painful process, but I am always so happy to have it done.

In addition to organizing the house, I've been working on re-reading Peaceful Parents, Happy Kids by Dr. Laura Markham.  Peaceful Parenting has been so good for our family, but is a challenge to my old ways, so I have to constantly remind myself how to better handle situations.  

The three basic tenets of the book are:

1. Regulate Yourself as a Parent

2. Foster a Connection with Your Child

3. Coach, don't Control

The hardest part for me is to slow down when I'm overwhelmed and take the time to listen to the boys, hear what they're saying (feeling) and acknowledge that.  It's also hard for me to keep my own temper in check and be the example they need.  Remembering to "breathe" and "choose love" also helps.

We also talk a lot, the boys and I, about how making mistakes simply means we get to try again. That's been as important for them as it has been for me.  Every morning we talk about our goals for the day- no hitting, no yelling, better listening, etc. -and we promise we're going to try our best to meet our goals and help each other remember.  We haven't "arrived" yet, but we're getting there!

If you remember, a while back, Jack's glasses lost a lens in the snow. Well, his new pair came this week, and I am overjoyed! We ordered him a different pair because we'd been so unhappy with his, and we made the right choice.  These ones stay on his face, right where they should be, and I can tell already his reading has improved with his eyesight.

In addition to organizing and peaceful parenting, we've also been potty training the last two weeks.  It's going pretty well, if slow, but I am confident Wyatt will catch on quickly.  His brothers are a huge help, asking constantly if he needs to go, and cheering when he does.

When he goes potty on his potty chair, he gets a candy corn, and let me tell you-- he loves those things! They are very motivating!

Josh is over half way done with his master's degree (he'll graduate in June) and I think we're both in shock that it's going so quickly!

This week someone from the district came in and recorded him teaching, so I got to see him in action. It was really fun to watch him, in his element, interacting with his students. It made me swell with pride.  He's so good at what he does.

This weekend he's hoping to go moose hunting.  The weather is supposed to be nice, and we'd really like some more moose meat in the freezer.  I'm hoping it's gorgeous so that while he's gone, the boys and I can play out.

Yesterday was a super productive day for me.  I gave the big boys haircuts and made apple cake with caramel frosting, both with great results!

I'm hoping today is productive as well. I have these piles on my computer desk that are driving me crazy, and I'd also like to write a few of my pen pals.

Lately, this little one wants a cat.  When we were skyping with Josh's mom earlier this week, she held her cat Wilbur so Wyatt could see it, and he goes, "Aww, look at that sweet cat! Can I have it?" We aren't interested in having pets out here, so his little beanie baby, named Angel, is going to have to do for now.

And finally, volume. Holy loudness!  My children are so incredibly loud. I am constantly amazed by the decibels reached during playtime.  Wyatt is into screaming lately, particularly screaming at his brothers.  I'm hoping it's just a phase... but with twin brothers, perhaps he's always going to need to be extra loud to be heard.

***

I hope your Friday is full of happy loudness, as I know mine will be!

Thanks for stopping by!