around here: week 12 2020

{shared by Haverlee}

{Amber Eldredge}

Pulling... Carly into bed with me at 6:00 am Sunday at my parents house where we slept cozily together for three more hours. Her lashes resting on her cheeks may be one of the most beautiful things in the entire world. That and her knuckle dimples get me every time...

Measuring... Carly on the huge wall measuring tape my parents have that they use to measure all the grandkids, and seeing that she has grown three and a half inches in one year. She's only a half inch shorter than Wyatt was at age five! (She just turned four.)  It makes me realize that she wasn't exaggerating all those nights when she woke me up crying because her legs hurt from growing pains.

Saying... goodbye to all our loved ones- my parents, my sister & her husband, my niece & nephews, and my sister's former foster daughter. It felt so good to hug our people and know that we had been blessed with one last weekend with them before our world's all shut down for a while.  I'm crazy grateful for that.

Driving... home from Vancouver in roughly four hours with Wyatt & Carly.  I listened to The River by Peter Heller, captivated by the idea of being stuck in a forest fire with nothing but a kayak and a backpack while the kids slept. 

Visiting... Barnes & Noble before leaving and stocking up on some much needed "supplies", knowing that once we arrived home, we would be staying there, quarantined together, for at least six weeks.  We got books (I got Untamed and the cutest gratitude journal!) stuffed animals, toys and a seashell puzzle for us to work on during our time at home.  Just walking into Barnes & Noble makes my soul feel fulfilled.  I love it there so much.  So many good books, journals, pens, and other trinkets that are all right up my alley.  One thing I didn't buy that I wish I had is a book light.  I don't own one and I think that it would make my nightly reading less irritating to Josh when he wants to sleep and I want to stay up and read. (#everynight ha!)

Keeping... Carly home from Grandma's with a runny nose and low grade fever Monday.  She was so sad to miss it, and I know Grandma missed her, too, but we wanted to play it safe and not get anyone sick.  Her illness never developed into anything else.  Just lots of sneezing and kleenex needed, poor girl.

Dealing... with highly emotional kids regarding school being canceled for the next six weeks.  It's hard for them to understand why we are doing this (what feels like "doing nothing") and how it's going to help.  In addition to school being canceled, their baseball season has been put on hold indefinitely (I'll honestly be shocked if they end up getting to play at all) and their upcoming appointments have been canceled as well.  (Orthodontic, dentist and pulmonologist- and that's just March & April!)

Helping... Josh put together 4th grade packets for his students to work on during the school closure (which will last throughout Washington state until April 24th).  So many stacks and so much collating!

Feeling... frustrated when the boys came home from their last day of school Monday and hadn't completely emptied their lockers like we had requested.  We told them (multiple times) to PLEASE bring EVERYTHING home from school as if it were the end of the year (because we honestly don't think they'll be going back this year) but because they think they know everything, they didn't. Sigh. So we have some shoes and school supplies now locked down at the middle school. #middleschoolmightkillme

Receiving... my Book of the Month order and feeling so happy about the books in it.  I chose The Good Neighborhood, which I immediately started; The Two Lives of Lydia Bird; and The Giver of Stars.  I am so excited to have so much good reading at my fingertips for this period of time at home.

Inspired... by this art during our home quarantine time.  I love how regardless of what is happening outside the home, the light and joy emanates from inside the home in the picture.  In fact, I loved it so much, I ordered a canvas of it during a sale they were running on their website. I can't wait to get it.

Listening... to And Now We Have Everything on audio as I do chores around the house this week and loving her brutally honest look into womanhood, pregnancy, motherhood and marriage.
Some quotes I loved:

{on mothers whose blogs she followed}

"Their lives were startlingly simple.  They seemed to do nothing but cook and clean and go on photogenic outings with their large families... their inner lives, or what they shared of them, could be broken down into a few themes, and always included gratitude for all of God's blessings and the desire to slow down and be more present so they could better enjoy their precious time with their precious families.  Oh, and their desire to have more babies.

... These women, the dread mommy bloggers, at least knew what they wanted.  They had a clear path."

{life with a baby}

"I couldn't figure out whether motherhood was showing me how strong I was or how weak.  And which was preferable.  In any case, I did my duty."

{on life pre-baby}

"Remember when we were real people?

Remember feeling in charge of your life?"

Finding... Carly's "knitting" around the house again.  She finds string and then gets kabob sticks from the kitchen and will sit and pretend to "knit" with it.  It's adorable and makes me wish I knew how to knit so I could teach her.  She's so fascinated with it.

Setting... up a great weekday schedule to follow everyday for the boys who are now home. 
6:30am Wake Up
7:00am Breakfast
8:00am Start Journals/Letter writing & History read aloud
9:00am Prodigy online (math)
10:00am Kahoots (online math competition)
11:00am Mystery Doug (science)
11:30am Storyline Online
12:00pm Lunch
12:30pm Silent Reading & Typing
1:00pm-3:00pm Screen Time
3:00-5:00pm Outside Time/Play Time
5:00pm Clean Up
5:30pm Dinner
6:30pm Story time
7:00pm Bedtime
We allow for some flexibility, but we have found that having a schedule is actually really good for our kids.  They like knowing what's next and don't do well with too much "free" time.  (It just leads to a LOT of fighting. #boymomlife)

Playing... outside so much everyday.  We are jumping on the trampoline, riding bikes & scooters, blowing bubbles and sitting in the grass.  Josh is throwing baseballs and footballs, and Carly's chasing balls through the yard to be just like her brothers.  I have never been more grateful to live in a house with a front & back yard.  And I have become SO grateful that we moved (back in August) into this house that is so much bigger than our first house.  What providential timing.

Chalking... our walk along with many of our neighbors to brighten the neighborhood and spread cheer.  The kids helped in the beginning, but sort of faded out, so I finished up each square of sidewalk.  I had so much fun doing it!  It makes me smile every time we are out there.

Watching... Jumanji 2 for family movie night Saturday while Josh made us brownies & pizza to enjoy.  It was a great movie night, all of us laughing and enjoying each other.  The perfect way to end our first week of being stuck at home together.

***

Laughter is how I'm getting through this.

Here are a few memes I found funny

that I thought I'd share:

*

And I'll close with a little encouragement.

You have so much courage.

Just keep going.

You got this.

-Morgan Harper Nichols