around here week 5 2021

{January 24-30th}

Celebrating... Carly's actual birthday with a few presents I saved from her party, and a unicorn ice cream cake I picked up at Dairy Queen. 

Reading... The Survivors by Jane Harper (which I got from Book of the Month!) and Codependent No More by Melody Beattie.  The Survivors is the first Harper book that I read instead of listening to.  I love listening to her books because they are narrated by someone with an Australian accent, and I just love it!  The Dry was my favorite of her books, but The Survivors was still a 4 star book! I did a lot of my reading this week while waiting at the doctors office for my annual visit. It was so lovely and quiet and child-free. Hah!

Weighing... in at 215 pounds and working out 3x this week as planned. I am so proud of myself!  For breakfast I have eggs & spinach with sausage, and for lunch I have a sandwich with pickle chips.  For snack I usually have nuts or carrots and then eat whatever the family is having for dinner. So far, so good!

Feeling... tired in the mornings this week.  Wishing I could crawl back in bed after I make Josh's salad each day instead of starting school with the kids.

{Josh} Painted... the hallway upstairs. It looks fantastic, really makes the white molding pop! Next up is to decorate it with a million family pictures!

Unpacking... the new laundry baskets I ordered and laughing because instead of stacking them and sending one box, Walmart sent me 6 separate boxes. The kids were delighted! Hah! I am praying these new (flexible) laundry baskets last longer than the other ones. Why are kids so darn hard on laundry baskets!?!

Sending... Logan to his EEG in Spokane with Josh on Friday after Josh kept him up until midnight and I woke up with him at 4:00am. His sleep deprived EEG went well and then he came home so sleepy, poor kid! We should get the results of this EEG next week!

Talking... to my counselor and remembering to "feel the feelings" (why is it so hard? it sounds so easy!) and that other people's battles aren't mine. 

Enjoying... lots of tea parties (with cocoa or juice) with the twins, Wyatt & Carly.  They are the best brothers to her, so patient and sweet (most of the time) and she's lucky to have them.

Listening... to Carly say, "I love you SO MUCH, mom" over and over and over again. It just melts my heart. 

Dropping... the kids off to my mom and sister at my parents' house so Josh and I could get away for the afternoon together.  We got lunch in Wenatchee at EZ's (I had the BLT and onion rings, and the chocolate shake- yummmm!!!) and ate it in the parking lot in the van, then we went to Costco.  It was so fun to meander through the store together, picking out food and new kitchen glasses, and cat litter.  Pretty exciting huh?  But seriously, we had the best time!! 

Trying... Shelly's cookies (from Wenatchee) for the first time.  They're pretty good!! And I can't believe they are gluten free!

Simultaneously... so happy for my sister with her new baby, but also so relieved it's not me having to wake up every couple hours to feed the little munchkin. Gosh, you forget just how much work babies are!! 

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Throwback: Family Party in Vancouver

Throwback: Our Sweet Little Garden

We (eventually) had a great garden at our first house.  Growing corn, peas, watermelon, pumpkins, tomatoes and more. The kids loved going out to see how things were coming along. Wyatt especially.  In fact, Wyatt is the reason we started a garden at all.  He brought home corn to plant from his kindergarten class (how was that four years ago!?!) so we germinated the kernels in wet paper towels, then transferred them to an egg carton, and eventually moved them into the garden. 

We have some garden boxes in our new yard as well, and last year we grew strawberries and peppers which was super fun.  

around here week 4 2021

{January 17th-23rd}

Carly in her clip ons

Carly's "marshmallow lips" from the dentist

New Laundry Rotation Schedule

Instituting... a new laundry schedule after feeling like it is feast or famine when it comes to the laundry around here.  I either have ALL the laundry to do, or NO laundry to do. And that was not working. So I made a schedule with our personal loads split up by towel days or excess loads, and I am so excited to start it. This way, I'll be doing some laundry everyday, and I won't have to think about what to put in.  It's already decided for me. 

Reading... Anne of the Island, The Best Kept Secret and Angel in My Pocket.  Anne of the Island I am somewhat leisurely reading.  I just love Anne Shirley.  The Best Kept Secret was engaging but hard to read, and Angel in My Pocket is our February book club choice. 

Taking... Carly to the dentist for her cavities and being so proud of her. She had zero tears or complaints. The dentist even said she was better behaved than most kids twice her age. She is just amazing. After the work was done, she was swollen, and she said, "It's like my lips are marshmallows." Hah! Perfect description. 

Feeling... tired and kind of down on Tuesday, which was hard because the twins were fighting a lot on that day.  Some days I think being home all the time with all the kids is just a lot.  Thankfully the schoolwork side of things is going well, but the whole "parenting middle schoolers" part is ROUGH.

Napping... Wednesday after feeling just worn out, and then completing some necessary paperwork and life management stuff. I am grateful that I am better able to let my feelings be when I am down instead of fighting them. 

Seeing... my counselor from Doctor on Demand and feeling so grateful that I have her on my side.  We talked about my working out and eating right and other emotional things, and (as usual) I felt so much better afterward.

Baking... some banana bread to share with my mother and father-in-law, and mostly just talking Jack through it.  He is so good in the kitchen and it's my favorite!

Purchasing... a new bedspread for us when I randomly saw one I love by Pioneer Woman at Walmart.  I had sort of decided a new one wasn't meant to be because I have purchased two since we moved here four years ago, and they haven't lasted.  But this one seems great (so far, anyway!) and is exactly my style.  (You can see the design on it under the pic above of Anne of the Island.)

Weighing... in at 217 pounds, down another two pounds this week. Woot woot!

Working out... twice this week, which was one less than my goal. But I keep telling myself "Something is better than nothing" and "Progress not perfection." 

Loving... Carly's reaction to the clip on earrings that her cousin Liesel sent her.  She feels so fancy when she wears them. It's adorable. So far, she hasn't show an interest in getting her ears pierced, but I think it's because she thinks it will hurt quite a bit. I imagine pretty soon she will start asking. 

Watching... Mile 22 with Mark Wahlberg while enjoying sandwiches from Subway for date night this week.  The movie was intense and good, and the sandwiches were delish!

Celebrating... Carly's fifth birthday with a purple cat party thrown by my sister at my mom's house.  She is the best aunt, and when Carly mentioned she would like a "Purple Cat Party" while we were shopping together at Hobby Lobby, I laughed out loud.  But a week later my sister texted me and asked if she could actually throw her one. I said, "Of course" and the planning took off.  
There was all sorts of purple food- grapes, blueberries, purple wrapped granola bars, berry gummies, grape KoolAid, and lavender bags of Boom Chicka Pop.  She made kitty cat cupcakes with Romy & Carly's help, and had decorated my mom's entire kitchen & dining room with kitty cat posters and yarn balls. It was so fun! 
Another bonus was we all got to hold my new, precious, itty-bitty niece.  Oh she is just super sweet and I am in love!!

Here for... all the baby texts from my sister.  I squeal each time I hear that little ping, knowing it might hold another picture of sweet BabyLu.  

Learning... why we cry when Wyatt googled it the other day.  Turns out we cry because it releases endorphins and oxytocin. These chemicals relieve emotional distress.  So crying soothes us. Who knew?!?

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