Around Here: Week 21 2022

 {May 22-28th}

Shopping... with my mom and Roxanne (and baby Royal) when they came to town on Sunday.  We went out to eat, and then shopped until we dropped.  The food was so good, the company even better, and we had some great finds at Marshall's, including some dresses for me, and a DARE shirt for Logan that says "Drugs will tear our world apart" on the back.  Did you have a DARE program at your school? We did, and I even gave the DARE speech at my sixth grade graduation.

Staying... home sick on Monday & Tuesday with Wyatt.  I hate when he is sick because I get myself so worried about it impacting his lungs and triggering his asthma.  

Feeling... gutted as I learned of the shooting at Uvalde.  The classroom that the shooting occurred in was a fourth grade classroom (my husband teaches fourth grade) and the majority of the victims were ten years old (my Wyatt is ten years old), so this is hitting way too close to home.  Not to mention that the twins already had a near-shooting at their school in the fall that was terrifying.  Everyday I send the five people I love the most to school, and many times I myself go to school (as a substitute) and to see how vulnerable schools are to this kind of violence is infuriating.  It's so wrong.  Our kids, our teachers, our communities deserve better. 

Taking... action and calling my senator and representatives to let them know that I want action taken.  I want high capacity magazine sales stopped; I want background checks on gun sales required; I want better mental health care for all Americans; and I want security officers at every school.  Other than calling people in the government who can make legislative changes, I also had some (very) hard conversations with my kids.  

Keeping... Carly and Wyatt home Wednesday & Thursday as well, as they were both sick (Carly a few days behind Wyatt).  Gosh I just want them to all get well. 

Thankful... Josh was able to take Jack to his doctor appointment.  When I took him to the ER for abdominal pain a few weeks ago, they thought they saw evidence of fatty liver. This was a follow up appointment to make sure we knew how to go about taking care of this diagnosis.  
But it turns out that one diagnostic showed fatty liver, and the other did not.  So we feel much better, and are just encouraging Jack to make sure that he not consume too much sugar, and that he try to get plenty of physical activity everyday. 

Going... down the Momtok rabbit hole.  If you don't know what I'm talking about, I'll give you the gist, but just trust me- it's a huge time suck. And you'll walk away with more questions than answers. 
Basically these girls, who present as Mormon moms in Utah, were outed as being part of a swinger group when one of the couples separates and files for divorce.  If you are really interested, you could google Garcia Diaries podcast with Taylor Frankie Paul. 

Taking... Logan to the skate park whenever he asks. He is loving skating right now and I'm so happy he has a hobby he loves. 

Watching... "Run" for date night with Josh. It was a little scary.  It wasn't a 5 star movie, but it was entertaining!

Watching Luca with Carly and Wyatt for movie night while the twins were gone and loving it as much as ever. I think it is so underrated!  I like it way  more than Encanto. 

Also watching The Deep End on Hulu about spiritual guru Teal Swan and her followers. It was a deeply disturbing documentary that made me so sad for how desperate people are for both answers and connection.  They are willing to give up quite a lot to get either one.  And in this case, they got both.  It felt like a really terrible breach of trust and of the therapist/client relationship. 

And lastly, watching boat fail videos on Instagram (this account). I was gasping and laughing the entire time. 

**(As I'm typing this up now, I see that I probably watched so much TV and went down rabbit holes on the internet as a way of coping with the devastation I felt about Uvalde. I just felt/feel so helpless.)

Shedding... dog!! Grady is shedding like crazy in preparation for summer, so Josh brushed him and you could have created a baby Grady with all the fur! Thankfully Piper (because she is a mix) doesn't seem to shed as much as him (if at all) because Grady sheds enough for both of them!

{beyond} Pleased... with the home gym Josh created after Jack expressed interest in having a treadmill.  He took down the second tool bench we had in the garage, moved our bikes and other miscellaneous stuff into the shed in the backyard, and relocated both our garage fridge and garage freezer.  Then he set up the weight bench, the punching bag and our smaller weights into the garage where all the other stuff used to be. 

Impressed... that what Jack wanted for his birthday was a treadmill.  My parents were so generous (as usual) and bought him one, and it fit perfectly alongside the weight bench.  We are all enjoying using it, and I am so grateful for it. And proud of Jack for wanting to be healthier. 

Reading... Once Upon A River, which is a magical sort of book that reminds me a little of At The Water's Edge by Sara Gruen.  I am enjoying it so far. 

And I am listening to Think Again for book club. It's a bit dry, but he has good points. 

Cutting... the boys' hair and loving how fresh they look.  

Receiving... the happiest mail from my mom.  She bought me a new drying mat for my handwash dishes, and it has strawberries on it. It makes me so happy!

Spending... time with cousins (Josh's sister Andrea's kids) for the kiddos this weekend.  They played out at the land, came here, went back there... Lots of laughs and fun and memories.

***

Some thoughts:

This is very true for me.
I often find when I am at my wits end, I just need a nap.

My sister and I both find yard work extremely therapeutic.
I also love sitting with my pets.

Haha! So true.

Josh and I laughed at this one.

Carly said this same type of thing. She overheard me talking to Wyatt and she said, "Yeah, like our drills.  We get together away from the door and be quiet." I was nauseous.

My soul places:
my front and back yards,
the beach,
kayaking on the lake,
and the Washougal River swimming spot

This is so beautiful.

Good reminders for me.

***