Around Here: Week 6 2022

 {February 6-12th}

Enjoying... some Goodwill shopping all on my own. I had a small list, picture frames and whatnot, and it was a very successful trip. I found the frames I needed, and a shelf for the bathroom along with some other things. 

Feeling... like a good mom and aunt today for having my nephew Ferris over for a sleepover.  Wyatt was especially thrilled. So cute. 

Doing... a little running around for Josh this week, and ending up at his parents' land for one thing. He's working on finishing his the house and it makes me so proud of him. 

Mommin'... with little girl hair dos, and getting Carly ready for Hundreds Day. (She wore grey spray in her hair, so funny!) 

Reading... Hamnet, which is about Shakespeare's son Hamnet who died; and reading Chernobyl aloud at bedtime to the boys; and listening to Station Eleven on audio. That's the second time I've listened to it, and I enjoyed it so much. We watched Station Eleven, the series, on HBO Max, and while we liked it (and I would recommend it) it differed quite a bit from the novel. 

Watching... Piper go to her crate when we tell her (she's been able to be in there for up to six hours!) and feeling so proud.  She also waits to be fed, sitting in front of her dish like a good girl, every time we feed her. She also isn't having an accidents.  We have a really cool bell that we've used for Grady, and now Piper has learned to ring it if she wants out.  Her ears are down currently, which the vet tells me is due to teething. She is three months old  and I am just blown away by how quickly she has mastered everything. 

Laughing...  hysterically at this interaction Carly had with the lady at the eyeglass place inside Walmart:

The lady, after filling my eyeglass spray container, told Carly she loved her purple glasses.  Carly said, "Thank you! My name's Carly. I just turned six. My mom threw me an "after party" and my grandma and papa came."
I was cracking up as a worker we weren't interacting with popped his head up, hearing Carly mention her "after party". I explained she meant that her party was simply after her birthday, but we all just kept laughing and as I left I said, "You do only turn six once!" 

Trying... the new Jim Gaffigan special for date night (on Netflix, highly recommend. He's so funny!), and we included Taco Bell as we were both too exhausted (mostly emotionally) after the week we have had to make pizza from scratch like we usually do. 

Struggling... with homework battles, teenage relationships ending (oh the heartache of a break up), parenting in general (have you heard of Omegle? If you have a teen, ask them about it and make sure they're not on it) and a HUGE physical fight between the twins. This week was a doozy.  It makes me grateful for a good partner, who shares the burden with me. 
We just struggled in general with adulting this week, bills, house stuff, and discussing end of life care with loved ones. It's all so damn heavy. It makes me super grateful for my counselor. 

Crossing... organizing the second pantry off the list. I also organized our closet, and Carly did my earrings. She was such an enthusiastic helper. I love that about her. The second pantry has lots of our arts & crafts, and it's been a source of pain for some time. This is probably the sixth time I have cleaned it out and tried to make sense of it all.  But this time I bought some baskets and I really think it will stay manageable.  (fingers crossed)

Celebrating... Carly's birthday with Josh's side of the family and having the best time.  Josh's dad was able to play pool a little with our nephew, and Carly was so touched at being sung Happy Birthday, she teared up. I love that sensitive little soul so darn much. 

Learning... that social time for me doesn't have to be in person.  I attend book club on Zoom, and have taken to facetiming with some friends of mine once a week, and goodness if it doesn't fill my soul. So thankful for them, and for technology. 

Loving... the flowers Josh brought back from Costco for me.  They were so colorful and happy and not something I would normally have picked for myself. 

Grateful... for Carly's zest for life. She is so inspiring to me. Reminds me to find the joy all around me. Also grateful Josh got some time with his dad at lunch this week.  Just imagining them together, eating and talking, made my heart swell with gratitude.  

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