The Cunningham Family: Around Here: Week 4 2025

{January 19-25th}

Cadence did Carly's hair for the party. It was so pretty.

This is what a colorblind test for children looks like.
This is what I used to test the twins in kindergarten.

Jack & Cadence

Carly in her class party

Waking... up Sunday to TikTok being back on, which doesn't effect me at all, but I did feel relieved on behalf of all the influencers who make their living on there.

Finding... that one of my kiddos who was grounded from their cell phone had what they call a burner phone- which is a phone that can be used only if there is wifi. I was so angry at them for going around their consequence. Grrr.

Enjoying... fake nails this week. They made me feel so fancy!

Relishing... an extra Monday off for MLK day. Unfortunately it was also inauguration day and it started out rough with Trump claiming there are only two genders and that he would be working tirelessly to remove all illegal immigrants from our country. The disdain and lack of empathy for people who work and live in this country is heart wrenching.

Making... Carly fake snow from Mothercould on IG. It turned out great and she had so much fun with it!

Subbing... in first grade on Tuesday and mentally prepping Carly for her iReady testing. (She gets tired while testing, and these tests tend to get harder the better you do, so they are HARD!)

Starting... Wyatt on his ADHD meds for school and feeling anxious to see a difference in how he is able to pay attention and complete his work.

Celebrating... Grandpa Jerry's birthday despite the fact that he's in heaven. We miss you, Grandpa.

Watching... The Ultimatum, which is so fun to binge. If you enjoy Love Is Blind, you'd probably like The Ultimatum. It has a similar vibe. It's also on Netflix.

Grateful... that those of my kids who struggle with mental health issues are willing to see therapists and take medication and do what it takes to make themselves better. Having been in their shoes, I know how hard it is, and I'm just so proud of them.

Starting... a new semester, which is great. A fresh start for the boys to really focus and get good grades.

Testing... Jack's IQ to see if he has ADHD. Because my kids are good at masking (hiding the fact that they have ADHD symptoms), their teacher reports did not show that they have enough symptoms to warrant diagnosis. So they have all had to do IQ testing as part of their diagnosis. If their scores are pretty cohesive (falling around the same number value), it shows they don't have ADHD, but if there is a big discrepancy between most of the subcategories and one or two other subcategories, then it's more likely they do have ADHD.

Seeing... my counselor this week and crying after my session for like an hour. I had to run errands afterward because that's when I had time, so I found myself walking around Walmart crying. I am struggling with knowing I need to workout (for both my health and for stress relief) but not being able to force myself to do it. I hate it. My counselor said that knowledge doesn't lead to behavior change. You have to just decide to do the thing. It's about the decision. Not the knowledge.

Feeling... sick after hearing that Trump wants to dismantle birthright citizenship. I just wish I felt like there was some empathy.

Baking... a cake for Carly's birthday and packing her treats for at school Thursday night. I cannot believe my sweet girl is 9 years old. It really went in a blink.

Attending... book club this week and feeling grateful for the chance to hang out with my friends and discuss a good book that we all enjoyed.

Laughing... and feeling so touched when Logan complimented my "fit" this week. I was wearing a waffle knit longsleeve under a navy blue and white striped t-shirt. I was touched that he noticed what I was wearing, and that he liked it.

Grateful... that we get farm fresh eggs free from my mother-in-law. I have eggs for breakfast almost everyday, and hers are so delicious. You're the best, thanks Carol!

Practicing... crossing my eyes with Carly. She laughs so hard when I do it. She can't do it quite yet, but she's working on it. Haha!

Appreciative... of Bishop Budde for telling Trump & his administration that some mercy is in order. Amen indeed.

Enjoying... seeing a tender side to my teenagers when they're with their girlfriends. Logan went to support Elyssa at her wrestling match, and Jack carried Cadence out to her car one day after lunch. They're just the cutest.

Reading... Wave, which is so good, but so devastating. Carly's been reading through our collection of Diary of a Wimpy Kid and I can't get over how fast she flies through them.

Researching... ADHD and nicotine and learning that if you have ADHD your level of addiction tends to be severe. This makes it incredibly hard to quit. This is because nicotine stimulates the release of dopamine, which is something that individuals with ADHD have a hard time producing. Dopamine is known to help with attention and feelings of pleasure. With nicotine, individuals with ADHD can hone their attention and feel good instantly, something they might struggle with otherwise.

Taking... a stand against someone who spoke poorly of my family. It was hard to do, but I had had enough.

Subbing... in fourth grade on Carly's birthday, which went great. I was so nervous to sub for an older grade of students, but it went well. The only bummer is that Carly wanted me in her classroom to celebrate and with my own class to teach, I couldn't do that. But she had a great time at her class party, and her amazing teacher even sent me a picture, which I so appreciated.

Catching... one of our kids sneaking into the house while I was at work. Ooooooh I was mad. But I was also determined not to let it taint Carly's special day, so we laid out a consequence and moved on. But I was so angry. Good lord these kids can make my blood boil sometimes.

Celebrating... our sweet girl with a big party at our house with Josh's side of the family Friday evening. She had so much fun decorating with the decorations I bought. The cutest pink table cloths and happy colored cups and plates.
She chose the colors of her cupcakes and cake (green is her current favorite color) loved decorating with her new robot fidgets. She just finds joy in everything and I love it. Carly was absolutely spoiled at her birthday and it was so fun to see her be loved on. She got all kinds of gymnastics stuff, cool stuff to make bath time fun, jewelry, a unicorn terrarium, and even an apple pen from her beloved Uncle Samuel. The apple pen was to go with the new tablet Josh and I bought her. She's been needing one for a while (hers is so old and hardly holds a charge anymore), so we bit the bullet and got her a refurbished one.

Partying... a little more on Saturday when my mom and sister came to town to paint pottery and get ice cream to celebrate Carly. Her cousin Romy came as well, and they had the best time painting with Wyatt. After painting our pottery, we drove to Baskin Robbin, which is Carly's favorite, and got ice cream.

Ordering... pizza for dinner after our day of painting pottery and after we ate, my mom and sister helped me clean and organize Carly's entire room, which had been beyond daunting for me. What a gift it was for the three of us to work together and make Carly's room clean and fun to play in again.

***