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| {where grandpa fell} |
Prepping... for Monday, as usual, on Sunday. Cleaning house, catching up on homework and doing loads of laundry. It always feels good to start the week feeling ahead of the game.
Comforting... Carly who woke up SO sad on Monday because she slept in and missed Josh leaving for work. She usually gives him a hug and a kiss and helps shut the door behind him, but for some reason Monday she slept in. When she realized he was already gone, she burst into tears, the little sweetie, and we had to call him to tell him she loved him. Awww.
Memorizing... the way Carly says "pinano" instead of "piano". I know that someday soon she will correct the way she says it (along with "lellow" for "yellow" and "yet's" for "let's") and I will be heartbroken.
Feeling... completely out of my element (again) with parenting this week. Things exploded Monday (I won't be sharing details out of respect for my middle schooler) and I need help. Thankfully Josh's mom and my mom are wonderful voices of reason who remind us that a) we will get through this and b) our boys are still learning; nothing right now is permanent. But I still really struggle with the idea that our kids' behavior is a reflection on us. We're making sure to get the assistance we need, and everyone is on board, which is huge. But I am eating a lot of humble pie and did more than a couple walks of shame this week.
Getting... to Carly's appointment for her cavity fillings without her sneaking any water. (Two weeks ago, about five minutes before we left the house, she snuck some sips of water & we had to cancel! Grr!) Let me tell you, after watching her go through that, I am inspired to never let that happen again, whatever it takes. So she will now be brushing twice a day consistently and eating less sugar.
She was incredibly brave, only tearing up twice, but it was still brutal and afterwards she was super out of it, almost like a tiny little drunk. She kept talking about how bears eat fish, but also fish can eat bears. Well, fish can eat parts of bears, she said, holding her hand out like a teenager. Like their ears. And their fingers, she explained. It was hilarious. And a little sad. So this is my public service announcement- brush your kids' teeth consistently. We weren't doing Carly's everyday and it got bad quick.
Volunteering... in Wyatt's classroom (I am in there every Thursday afternoon) and wishing teachers could set expectations for each grade like they do in kindergarten. (Like in kindergarten they expect kids to know colors, numbers, to be able to cut, etc.) For example: Third graders need to have their addition and subtraction facts through 20 memorized and be working on multiplication and division. (I happen to do math while I'm there. ;) So that's what's mostly on my mind.) If your kids struggle with math, I highly recommend the Xtra Math app. I think it's $5, but in less than 10 minutes a day, they can memorize all those math facts and math will be so.much.easier for them. The difference between Wyatt (who knows his +/-) and the kids who don't (and require number lines or counting with fingers) is insane. He's done so.much.faster and is just so much more confident. The kids who are behind just fall further behind. One kid this week told me, "I can't do that problem," his eyes sad, then with a sigh he added, "I don't have 14 fingers."
Receiving... donuts from our neighbor (who we don't really know yet). She works at a bakery/cafe and they had almost 3 dozen leftover and she knew that she and her husband couldn't eat through that many, so she thought of us. It was the sweetest, most unexpected kindness.
Shaking... our heads at Grady who tried to "escape" his kennel while he was in there for a few hours one morning this week. His nose (see his profile pic above) was so swollen from him trying to dig his way out. I'm hoping he learned his lesson... but likely not.
Really impacted... when I read the quote above by Scarlett Curtis that Kate J. Baer shared on her instagram. It literally took my breath away because it is SO true. I am absolutely reading all these classics with my boys (My Side of the Mountain, The Giver, The Call of the Wild, etc.) and have been saving others (Anne of Green Gables, Little House on the Prairie, Little Women) for when Carly gets older. Well, I'll tell you this- no more!
I am going to read my boys the "girl" books, and I am sure they will love them! And then I'll read them again when Carly is old enough.
Reading... Miramar Bay by Davis Bunn and suffering my way through it. It was about an actor who got what he wanted (fame) and then found it wasn't for him and left LA for a sweet little beach town. The story was good in idea, but the characters were underdeveloped and I was not invested in the story at all. But it was a book club book, so I pushed through. I also started Topics of Conversation and DNF'd it (Did Not Finish) when after the first chapter, I found it choppy and not at all what I thought it would be when I ordered it from Book of the Month.
Listening... to The Anatomy of Peace and The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek, which are both book club books. The Anatomy of Peace was interesting- about keeping the peace in your family and in interactions with others- and The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek was fantastic. I loved it. The main character reminded me of Anne from Anne of Green Gables and learning about the Book Women of Kentucky (a real thing!) was fascinating. I started and quit Say You Still Love Me by K.A. Tucker, hoping it would be as good as The Simple Wild. But when I still wasn't into it after over an hour of listening, I gave up.
Ending... the month with 12 books read (4 from my unread shelf) totaling 26/100 for my yearly goal. I went from 123 on my Unread Shelf to 120 on my Unread Shelf. I'd really like to hit somewhere between 50-60 Unread books left by the end of the year... but I don't know if I'll make it. My priority goal is to hit 100 books read. I've never done that, and last year I got SO close!! If you're needing inspiration to read, here are some Bookstagram accounts (bookish accounts on instagram) that I follow that inspire me. Kari, Katharine, Whitney and Kerry. Whitney's account is particularly great because she runs The Unread Shelf blog which encourages you with monthly challenges to get your Unread Shelf down to a manageable number.
Escaping... parenting thanks to the amazing support of our in-law's. Josh's mom had been asking if Josh and I were going to get away for a weekend this winter for a few weeks when we hit a wall in our parenting and Josh said, "I think I know what to do," one night. I turned to him, anxious for the answer to all our problems when he grinned and said, "Let's run away." Haha! Seriously, though, taking a break was brilliant and exactly what we needed.
Getting... the BEST hugs from Carly before we left. She was super excited to spend time with Grandma, but also knew she would miss me while I was gone. Those squeezes filled my heart right up!
Enjoying... a gorgeous drive through the Columbia River Gorge during sunset. I kept taking deep breaths and reminding myself to lower my shoulders. The stress of the last few weeks has really brought my blood pressure and tension up and I was determined to use this weekend to get my baseline back down to normal.
Visiting... with a very special little girl who was staying with my mom when we got there. It was SO good to see her and hug her and fill her little bucket! We also got to have dinner with my parents (Red Lobster- yum! Thanks mom & dad!) and just hang out with them visiting once the little one went to bed.
Spending... some time together test driving a car Josh is interested in and getting lunch at Muchas Gracias- their carne asada nachos are so good!! I also got to spend some time with my mom's friends (and honestly my friends, too- love you ladies!) Susan and Kerry. They were our neighbors growing up and they've stayed in contact throughout the years. They're like extra moms and I love catching up with them. They are my cheerleaders and my mentors. So it felt super special to see them.
Driving... on from my parents house to the coast the next day and staying at the cutest place in Cannon Beach that served the most amazing breakfast- I'm still dreaming of it. We ate at the yummiest places while we were there, slept a ton, walked on the beach, and even got to go see my grandparents for a few hours.
It was so good to hug them, laugh with them, and see that they really are okay. (Back story: last weekend we got a call that Grandpa was missing. He had gone a walk and not come home. He was missing until after dark. He was finally found by search and rescue behind a building where he had fallen after tripping on some cement chunks and had been unable to get up.)
Loving... the drive up Highway 101 to see my grandparents. We do not miss the traffic we experienced in Portland, but we do miss the green and driving among the trees, that's for sure.
***
Scrolling through and reading, I haven't made it all the way through this post yet, but life is calling, lunches need made and I'm not sure when I'll get back so I wanted to share two thoughts. First of all, good for you for reading "girl" books (hate that) to your boys, and a suggestion for a good one, Caddie Woodlawn. So fun, all my kids loved it. Also, I remember when our third had six cavities and I felt like the world's worst mom. For us, it was multifaceted. For one thing, two of our kids have never had a cavity, two have had many. I honestly believe the ones who have had cavities have weaker more cavity prone teeth than the other two, there is not a lot different about the ones who get them and the ones who don't. Additionally, I'm sure brushing more would help. Most of all, our third loved Quaker chewy granola bars and those just stuck to their teeth. We cut the granola bars and were never in that situation again. Cavities yes, but only occasionally. (((Hugs))) with your MSchoolers. This parenting journey is HARD! You're a good mom, you're both good parents, I'm sure you have good kids. It's just hard sometimes.
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