{September 8-14th}
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| Carly's friend group is the front row: Carly, Maddie, Charlotte, Joslyn & Ariyah |
Letting... Jack come home early on Tuesday for stress. He was just a basket case, the poor kid. He was so stressed out about homecoming (he has a girlfriend now, so he has to ask her and rent a suit, and get dinner reservations, and on and on. It's a lot!), about school work and about life in general. I know it's hard to be an adult, but I think we often forget, it's hard being a kid, too.
Showing... up for counseling and talking about my black & white thinking. My counselor mentioned that she finds a lot of people who have recently finished graduate school suddenly notice their black & white thinking because their critical thinking skills are so finely honed in their masters classes that they can't help but notice their thinking errors. We also talked about what it's like living with five other humans who all have different levels of ADHD.
Having... loads of conversations about ADHD with our kids and Josh as I continue learning more about ADHD brains and how they work. One thing we have done recently is order a key/wallet organizer that is perfect for holding the boys' keys, headphones & wallets and hanging it where it is the first thing they see when they walk in the front door. It's already reduced how much time we spend looking for those three items, and I am thrilled about that!
One conversation that I thought was particularly poignant was chatting with Wyatt who got tearful when I mentioned that his dad and I thought he might have ADHD. He wanted to know what that meant. I told him that it didn't change anything about how he functions or lives, but in fact, it will help us better understand how his brain works and find tips & tricks to better help him work within the confines of his brains strengths and weaknesses. Labeling his ADHD doesn't suddenly make it appear. It was always there. Now we just know what it is and can better serve Wyatt and meet his needs.
One conversation that I thought was particularly poignant was chatting with Wyatt who got tearful when I mentioned that his dad and I thought he might have ADHD. He wanted to know what that meant. I told him that it didn't change anything about how he functions or lives, but in fact, it will help us better understand how his brain works and find tips & tricks to better help him work within the confines of his brains strengths and weaknesses. Labeling his ADHD doesn't suddenly make it appear. It was always there. Now we just know what it is and can better serve Wyatt and meet his needs.
Honing... in on our exact bedtime and morning routines. In the mornings, Josh wakes up at 6:00am, and I wake up at 6:15. He gets right in the shower, and I go wake up the three boys. Wyatt gets up and gets dressed, the twins take turns showering. Then the boys and I mosey downstairs and start eating breakfast. Carly is often still asleep.
Josh comes down and makes his lunch and takes off a little after 7:00am. Around 7:20, after they've gotten ready for the day and eaten breakfast, the twins take off (taking turns driving each day) with Wyatt, and drop him off at the middle school before driving to the high school.
I then wake Carly by 8:00 and get her up, dressed & fed. She has a list of morning things she has to do including changing her earrings, unloading the dishwasher and making her lunch, and we leave around 9:00am so she can get to school in time for before-school recess that starts at 9:15am.
Josh comes down and makes his lunch and takes off a little after 7:00am. Around 7:20, after they've gotten ready for the day and eaten breakfast, the twins take off (taking turns driving each day) with Wyatt, and drop him off at the middle school before driving to the high school.
I then wake Carly by 8:00 and get her up, dressed & fed. She has a list of morning things she has to do including changing her earrings, unloading the dishwasher and making her lunch, and we leave around 9:00am so she can get to school in time for before-school recess that starts at 9:15am.
Our evening routine looks like Josh, the twins or I making dinner, followed by Wyatt and Carly showering; me reading to the boys from our chapter book, while Josh reads to Carly upstairs. Then the boys can stay up until 9:00pm on their phones and Carly goes to sleep no later than 8:00pm after brushing her teeth and taking her melatonin. Once we take the boys' phones, they can hang out in their rooms until lights-out at 10pm and Josh and I go to bed at the same time.
The boys' later bedtime might be one of the hardest parts about them getting older because it feels like I get little to no downtime once they get home in the afternoons. It has been a real struggle.
The boys' later bedtime might be one of the hardest parts about them getting older because it feels like I get little to no downtime once they get home in the afternoons. It has been a real struggle.
Doing... flashcards while sitting in the dropoff line in the mornings. We usually have about ten minutes (give or take) before Carly can jump out to go to morning recess, so we make the most of that time by doing addition or subtraction flashcards to strengthen those skills before third grade throws multiplication & division at her. It's working like magic!!!!
Hitting... my third week in a row of my 90 minute workout goal. It feels so good to be gently moving my body a little bit nearly everyday. Hooray! And bonus (!) I find that it's reducing my migraines and my hot flashes, too!
Excited... for Carly that she can finally wear different earrings after getting her ears pierced during back-to-school shopping! She loves picking out earrings to match her outfit everyday and I love seeing what she chooses. She has a definite idea of what she thinks fashion is and it just brings me so much joy.
Feeling... terrible for Josh as he went in for what was supposed to be a root canal (he started experiencing terrible tooth pain last week and went to the dentist and was sent home with antibiotics last week) but was instead sent home after getting the infection dug out of his cheek, more medication shoved up there, and an appointment scheduled for January 2025! He's in a lot of pain from them digging around in there, and to add insult to injury, our out of pocket cost for this is going to be in the thousands of dollars.
Taking... Logan to the dentist for his first ever cavities. Poor kid was so nervous! It was a strange experience to be around a nervous Logan. He is normally so brave and fearless, but dental work is a different beast and he was worried. But he did great. The laughing gas hit him hard, but once they turned it down, he felt better. He kept signing to me, though, with the ASL alphabet and I could tell he was just really nervous. I am glad he made it 16 years without a cavity. Here's hoping he doesn't get another for a long time.
Also taking Carly to an appointment, this time the orthodontist, to get her rubberbands in, for her expander to go in next week. It hurt (lots of pressure) but she took it like a champ! Way to go, girl!
Watching... the presidential debate, and ending up being the only person downstairs as everyone slowly trickled upstairs. Haha! I guess no one else was interested. I was glad I watched, although, honestly, it all just kind of stresses me out. I really want better things for America's middle class. I want inflation to come down, housing prices to come down and gas prices to come down. Living should not be this expensive!!!
Happy... that Wyatt was able to attend his friend Daniel's birthday party at the bowling alley this week with Daniel's family. I have loved watching Wyatt blossom and making so many new friends in the last half of seventh and first bit of 8th grade and I am so excited for him to maintain these connections throughout high school.
Reading... and finishing The Women, which was just, gah (!) so good! Highly recommend. Then I started After Annie, which is gut-wrenching, but so good, and I am listening to A Walk In The Park which is about two guys who are attempting to walk the entire length of the Grand Canyon. It was such a fantastic listen. Loved it!
Finding... a place in town for Jack to rent a suit so that we didn't have to drive to Wenatchee or tricities or Spokane and feeling so grateful that the woman who owns Prissy Pants, Jacqueline, is amazing! She was so patient with us newbies, and ordered exactly what Jack's girlfriend wants him to have for the dance. We got pants, shoes, a tie... it was perfect. Thank you Jacqueline! (If you're local, I highly recommend using them. They're on Division behind Beauty Nails. Just google Prissy Pants and you can find her number!)
Playing... Pie In The Face with Carly since a) we had whip cream and b) we're trying to play all the games we have. It got me, first try! Haha! The only good thing about having it get you is that you get to eat the whip cream. Hah!
Keeping... Jack home sick Friday and feeling frustrated that he came home early Tuesday and stayed home Friday. He just can't afford to be missing that much school!!
Subbing... for my friend in kindergarten on Monday & Friday this week and loving it so much (even though my feet hurt afterward- haha!). I love how I feel when I sub. I feel purposeful and fulfilled. It's just the best. But it's also really hard. Emotionally, I mean. Because it makes me realize how much I would have loved having my own classroom. And it's really hard to sit in that disappointment.
Subbing... for my friend in kindergarten on Monday & Friday this week and loving it so much (even though my feet hurt afterward- haha!). I love how I feel when I sub. I feel purposeful and fulfilled. It's just the best. But it's also really hard. Emotionally, I mean. Because it makes me realize how much I would have loved having my own classroom. And it's really hard to sit in that disappointment.
Appreciating... my sister sending me a video of my niece reading and sharing that teachers are miracle workers, teaching students to read. The sweetest!
Enjoying... the sound of the leaves crunching on my walks this week. Sigh. I think Autumn is trying to win me over. Also enjoying my dahlias. They're soooo pretty!
Puzzling... since my new table came. Doing a puzzle without the break in the middle of the table is so much easier. I love it!
Sleeping... so good this weekend. I needed that rest!
Prepping... the blog to try and catch up. It feels good be working on it. It makes me so happy.
Walking... the kids through tough, heavy emotions about 9/11. They all discussed it in their classes, so then we were discussing it at dinner. Where Josh was, where I was, how life changed afterward... it was a lot.
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