Around Here: Week 41

 

{one of my new Etsy miscarriage cards}

{Baby Shelly, two years old}

Receiving... flowers from Josh for no reason. Which is, of course, my favorite reason of all.  He walked in the door and I saw his arm full of fall flowers, and I felt like a teenager again.  Swoon!

Cleaning... house for guests this weekend.  I ran out of time Thursday since Carly didn't nap and two of the three boys came home early not feeling good, so I blasted through cleaning in a little under two hours after school let out, and was shocked at how much I got done!  Along with cleaning, I did a lot of random, spur of the moment purging, which felt amazing, and which I hope to continue when the boys go back to school next week.  I was inspired by Not-Your-Average-Mom.com's recent posts on decluttering.  She is inspiring me to get rid of ALL THE THINGS in the tiny room our three boys share. I started yesterday with baby toys, and if you know me, you know that I really (really) struggle getting rid of things that are from my babies.  So I was super proud of myself.
I am also enjoying a few new additions to the bathroom I cleaned (seen above), including a new super fluffy rug I found for $9 at Ross and a garbage with a lid that closes.  It's ridiculous how much those two little improvements have brought me joy, and spruced up that room.

Realizing... that Carly is my mini-me.  I was looking at pictures from my second birthday party (on this post), and it was like looking at my daughter who had gone back in time to 1984.  Ha!  Josh's genes are STRONG in our boys, so I am especially grateful that Carly looks like me!

Reading... The Elite & The Heir (books 2 & 3 in The Selection series) and really enjoying them.  They are light hearted and fun to listen to as I do chores around the house.   I am also reading The Shakeress.  And with the boys I'm reading The Magician's Elephant.

Reflecting... on my miscarriages and working on a post that will go live Sunday (which is Pregnancy & Infant Loss Remembrance Day).  Then all next week I will be sharing miscarriage posts I've written.  As time has passed since my loss, I have come to see what a different journey pregnancy loss is for every woman, and I've been inspired recently to create a line of pregnancy loss cards for my Etsy shop so that we can let those losses be acknowledged & remembered.

Celebrating... every single sale in my shop as it helps put food on our table.  I am truly feeling so blessed to be bringing in a little money doing something that I love.

Accepting... that Carly is my last baby.  I simply know that I could not be sliced any further.  (Imagine I am a pie, cut into four pieces, one for each of my kids...) I am someone who could be pregnant all day long, and (barring the first six weeks postpartum) someone who enjoys the infant stage... but as Carly has gotten older, having four kids has only gotten harder.  Meeting all their needs is spreading me pretty thin, and I just know that one more baby would push me over the edge.

Painting... the molding around my new windows, and planning to paint the cabinets in both our bathrooms.  They have only been (barely) painted with primer, and look awful.  I told Josh that this can of trim paint he bought me is like "If you give a mouse a cookie" for adults.  "If you buy a girl some trim paint..."
... she might want to paint the bathroom cabinets.
... and then she'll want to paint the kitchen cabinets.
... and then she'll start dreaming of painting the interior trim & doors.
... and then she'll want to spray paint the baseboard heaters...
And on and on it goes!

Yelling... less often.  Also, I'm swearing less.  I feel really good about the changes I've made.  I am sad to say it has increased timeouts, because when I want to yell I tell the kids to go to their rooms so I can't yell at them.  But they all know I am trying not to yell, so they've been very compliant. I think it will keep improving.  Right now, I am working really hard at planning ahead the night before.  Every night before bed, I look at the following day and prepare as much as possible beforehand.  I have also been choosing what to worry about & what to let go.  Basically, choosing not to yell has made me much more deliberate in my parenting, which is a great side effect.

Visiting... the library this morning with my whole crew, as they had the day off for Teacher Inservice.  Wyatt checked out a bunch of books on money, which he has been fascinated about recently.  He wants to know who invented money and what other countries use for money.  So these books will be fun to read.  I also have been checking out board books for Carly, which I never did with my other kids.  She loves to read new books and I feel like it includes her more in our outing, and in the reading culture we're trying to create in our home.
There are a few ways I try to create excitement about reading with our kids.  One is reading every.single.night.  Josh reads them picture books, which I think is good for people of any age!!! And then the boys all go lay in their beds and read to themselves (chapter books) for twenty minutes.  Then I read aloud (from a chapter book) and tuck them in.  In addition to just making plenty of time for reading, I also have holiday/season books that I pull out as each holiday/season approaches.  I just pulled out all the fall/Halloween books, and now you can almost always find Wyatt on the floor in the living room, his nose in a book about trick or treating.  Makes my reading heart so dang happy!!!

 Today I'm closing with a question:

Do you have a favorite winter/holiday book?

Please share!!!

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