Spending... Saturday with the kids while Josh worked on his parent's house with his brother. They got some lighting done in the attic and crawl space and just had some kid-free adult time, which he so deserves. The kids and I played perler beads (thanks for the idea, Christi!) for much of the afternoon and then had movie night, enjoying pizza & cookies.
Suffering... a migraine all day Sunday which was the WORST because Josh took the boys to the land to ride their four wheelers and instead of enjoying a day of rest with just my girl, I was suffering and sad the whole day. I have had a migraine at least every other day since Halloween. And I've even had mild migraines in between, but I've been able to control those without having to take my Sumatriptan, which takes the migraine away, but makes me feel miserable for at least two hours in between. And I'm only supposed to take that stuff 9x a month, or I can get rebound headaches, which I do NOT want. So by Sunday, I was feeling really hopeless about these stupid migraines.
Working out... for the first time in months, and feeling great about it. With the number of migraines I've had in the last three weeks, I knew something had to give, so I have weaned myself off coffee (it can mess with my headaches) and decided I needed to get back to my workouts. I am walking for 20 minutes outside or doing my 5 Mega Miles walking video with Leslie Sansone. They end up being between 15 & 20 minutes as well. Working out is great because it helps with my stress level (hello two middle schoolers) and it helps me sleep better. Win/win.
Snuggling... up in my bed to read Thanksgiving stories with the kids on Monday while Josh was gone to watch the Seahawks game with my brother-in-law in Wenatchee. It felt so good to have them all together, in cozy blankets, reading some of my favorite fall books about gratitude and coming together to celebrate. I think reading picture books will be one of the things I'll miss most about having small children once they're grown.
Reading... Every Other Weekend, which is just the saddest book. I am not sure if I will finish it, or just put it down. It's about a girl in the midst of her parents divorce, traversing life between two houses, and is truly so sad. I am also listening to Us Against You, the follow up to Bear Town, and enjoying it more as it continues.
"He just knows that when something happens to your child
it doesn't make any difference whose fault it is,
because it never stops being your fault regardless.
Why weren't you there?
Why weren't you enough?"
*
"Being a mother can be like drying out the foundations of a house
or mending a roof- it takes time, sweat, and money, and once it's done,
everything looks exactly the same as it did before.
It's not the sort of thing anyone gives you praise for."
-Us Against You
I finished Murder At The Brightwell and O Pioneers! earlier this week and enjoyed both. I'm not sure what I will pick up next. What are you reading?
Getting... excited for my birthday (Monday the 18th) as I watch the boys make me homemade gifts like the "candle holder" Jack made me out of a strawberry soda can this weekend. They are such thoughtful, sweet boys (when they want to be- hah!) and I love to see that come out when they are gift giving.
Worrying... over Wyatt on Monday night as he was suffering a fever that topped out at 103.7 and started having ear pain as well. His brothers hooked him up with a genius ear pain stopper, though, using my headband to wrap the heating pad around his ears to help with the discomfort, and I busted up laughing when I walked in the room to see what they had engineered.
Grateful... (beyond grateful) that Josh was able to stay home for the day Tuesday with Wyatt who was so sick with an ear infection and sore throat while I went to 8 parent/teacher conferences. (One at the elementary school and seven at the middle school) He said he had so much fun staying home and playing with Carly, reading her books and snuggling her. It's crazy, and we talk about it all the time, but her being our last really changes some of the ways we parent her. Not in drastic ways, but just in the way we cherish every little stage. We know that she won't always want to play "pups" with us; she won't always want to curl up in our lap with a cozy blanket and picture book. We know that these days are fleeting and before we know it, she'll be a sixth grader, coming home with a forty pound backpack, and an attitude to match. ;) So we gotta get while the getting's good.
Listening... to Laura Kelley's interview with Taylor Nichols on her Speak Life podcast. It's a long one (an hour and a half) but it's so, so good. It's all about adoption and grief and how to better navigate those. I have learned SO much from following Laura on Instagram (ie- not to say "They are so lucky to have you!" to adopted kids, and to just SHOW UP for people grieving in the best way I know how. If that's dropping off a meal, great. If that's taking a kid for an hour, cool. If that's cleaning their house, awesome. Whatever you do, just do it. Just show up, and keep showing up.) Laura's experience of losing her son Everett has reminded me that we are not guaranteed time on this earth (for ourselves, or our children) and it's a reminder we need sometimes, so that we don't take this sweet, hard, good, amazing life for granted.
Enjoying... a delicious hour and a half to myself on Thursday while Carly was at Grandma's and the boys were in school. (The boys all had early release this week, so instead of an entire day to myself I only had that little bit of time.) I made the most of it, though, taking myself on a cold walk (it was 38 degrees & foggy) and then enjoying a bit of my favorite guilty pleasure- watching TLC's Unexpected. It was just what I needed, albeit not long enough, and I'm grateful for every bit of alone time I can manage these days.
Attending... three more conferences on Thursday afternoon at the middle school that were so taxing. The boys are trying in most classes, but in these others, not so much. Their behavior (for the most part) is really good, as are their grades, but they are still struggling with some things, and as a mom, there is only so much I can do. The difference in middle school is that the responsibility falls squarely on their shoulders and my ability to help is somewhat limited. This transition has been a tough one.
That, coupled with the hormones, sass and backtalk left me completely gutted yesterday.
All I can see is years of this (daily homework, never ending parental guidance, constant arguing) stretching out before me, and it's quite daunting...
Thank God for bedtime and the fresh start of tomorrow morning.
Looking forward... to celebrating my birthday this weekend with a special day with my sister and best friend. I haven't gotten out of the house in a while, and am so excited to spend some time with some of my favorite people.
***
I want this to happen so badly!
Happy Birthday Shelly!!! 🎂❤️
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