Around Here: Week 38 2021

 {September 12-18th}

Throwback to 5 years ago :: third grade 

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

Falling... in love with Lore Pemberton's art after Kelle Hampton shared a print she had ordered that had to be the coziest thing I had ever seen.  Then Lore came out with the piece I shared above, and I instantly added it to my birthday wish list. It's so perfect.

Walking... the dog each day after I drop the kids off at school.  We all seem to be settling into the routine, and that's a huge blessing.

Keeping... Jack home as he was exhausted and feeling like garbage one day this week.  I ended up deep cleaning the downstairs bathroom (if you follow @gocleanco on Instagram, you know!!!) the day he was home, including vacuuming the actual walls.  Like how do they even get so nasty?! Dusty and dirty. It was crazy!

Giving up... after the table that had my puzzle on it got knocked over twice. We threw the table away, and Josh packed the puzzle away for another time. I am not into it right now, and it's just beeen a pain to try and keep the cats from running off with the pieces.  (Do your pets do this?) I need one of those cool puzzle tables.  Molly loves cardboard too much!

Smiling... every time I see a stack of my rainbow Fiestaware plates or bowls.  My mom has supplied my collection over the last few years, most recently adding some purple, teal and green to my cupboard, and they make me ridiculously happy. I have also been impressed with how resilient they are. I have only ONE that has a chip on it. And I'm sure it was because it got dropped onto my quartz countertop. 

Letting... Carly choose her clothes (at least some of the time) and smiling with all her choices.  She is so sure of herself and so confident.  I love it.

The cowboy boots were an especially fun choice. 
I am also enjoying doing her hair every morning and helping her choose hair pretties.  Gosh, having a girl has yet to get old.

Finding... out that Logan tore some ligaments in his finger at football practice.  It's treated basically the same as if he broke it, so we are taping them together and he's struggling to type and write since it's his left hand and he's left handed.  Such a bummer. 

Listening... to Glennon Doyle's podcast We Can Do Hard Things, episode 10 "Our Bodies" & episode 24 "All The Feels".  Gosh I relate so much to everything they talk about, and have had an a-ha moment every time I listen. 

Laughing... nonstop at Carly and her antics.  One morning this week she asked if she could tattoo her barbie.  The next morning she had also tattooed the little girl.  At dinner I made french toast with homemade bread, and when the french toast was gone, she got down from the table, grabbed a straw from the utensil drawer, and proceeded to drink the syrup and powdered sugar that was left on her plate. 
Lastly, she comes home everyday singing a new song from school, and I am here for it.  Her cherubic little voice and all the new things she's learning are just the best to listen to. 

Crying... during book club zoom while expressing to my friends that this transition to life at home with no small children or babies is just.so.hard.  I mean, it's the thing we most look forward to when we are in the trenches... but it's true what they say.  One day you blink and it's suddenly all over, and you'd give anything to be washing a bottle or folding a onesie.  How can it be over?

Listening... to Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow on audio as it's one of the book club picks we chose, and goodness it's a long one!!! Josh started listening as well, and when we are done, we are going to watch Hamilton on Disney, which I have never seen!

Reading... about friendship break up and trying to feel the feels that come with the hard decision I had to make.  Tiffany @thegraygang talks about it here, and reading through the comments section made me feel both better and worse. Better because I am not the only one who lost a friendship to the pandemic, but worse because I know that I left my friend feeling like a lot of those women commenting.  Bereft and alone.  And that is a hard consequence of my decision. 

Contemplating... a severe haircut. Trying to be brave and make the appointment for my birthday in November. (Local friends, know any good hair stylists? The last person to cut my hair here in town was my husband in our downstairs bathroom mid-May of 2020.)

Comforting... Carly after a fire drill at school sent her into a panic about all things fire safety.  She is worried about replacing our things, saving the animals, finding mom and dad during a fire, etc.  Not much that I say seems to comfort her, but I'm trying.  I think that the fire drill is just something that was nerve wracking enough to send her over the edge, when overall she's been doing super well with all the new routines, schedule and time away from me.  

Taking... care of my nephew while my sister got out of town with her big kids for a birthday celebration at a kids museum and the beach.  It was so fun to have baby brother and my own kids were super helpful.  Grady is a bit like Good Dog Carl and having the baby was simply exhausting for him.  Worrying every time he made a noise or cried, smelling his diaper constantly and licking his face... Human babies are a full time job, and Grady was POOPED by the time Josh took little one back to my sister's. 

Enjoying... a very chill night watching Christopher Robin (have you seen it? Oh it's so sweet. I love it.) and hanging out with Carly, Wyatt and the baby while Josh was gone at the land working on something with his brother. 

Watching... Hampstead this week, and loving the cozy feel of the movie, as well as Diane Keaton's acting. I adore her. 

Suffering... five days of migraines this week.  And just feeling broken. And so tired. Now any time I touch my head or sound even mildly grouchy Carly will ask, "Are you getting a migraine mom?" It's the pits.

Feeling... unexpectedly verklempt every morning when I drop the twins off.  Something about the mass of teenagers moving slowly toward the middle school, backpacks loaded, masks on, just makes me love the vulnerability of that age and simultaneously makes me immensely grateful I am done with that period of my life. Also I am just really proud of our boys. They are working hard at getting back into the groove of school after 18 months away, and I can see their shine coming back. It's really heartwarming. 

Noticing... the blue skies, the perfect weather and the last of the flower blooms as we wait for winter to settle in with the first hard frost. Funny how I don't appreciate the flowers near as much as I do just before their end. 

Framing... a picture of Logan & Jack as babies and thinking of Tex & Crosby @twothentwins baby boys every time I walk past it. I have followed Amy since just after her twins were born, and it has been so fun to follow her, reliving that time in my life when our boys were babies, juggling diaper changes and bottle schedules, then toddlers, figuring out words and climbing on everything.  It's been really neat.

***

Thoughts on being a mom whose kids are at school: 

*

In these challenging times:  

*

On friendships ending:

*

And lastly, 

words of affirmation.

I'm sure it shocks no one 

that words of affirmation 

are my love language:

So it means a lot when Josh tells me 

I am a good mom, wife, sister or daughter. 

I can't put into words what it does for me. 

***