7.23.2025

Around Here: Week 25 2025

 {June 15th - June 21st, 2025}













Poor Logan is so tired and sore from his new job
that he put the ibuprofen back in the fridge. Oops. Hah!







































Hosting... Wyatt's birthday party- a pool party followed by pizza & a sleepover. The boys seemed to have a great time which made me happy for Wyatt. 

Planning... a bedroom makeover for Wyatt's birthday gift this year. His room has been baby blue since we moved in 6 years ago, and he's ready for a more grown up room. He surprised me wanting a forest green color on the walls and an easy chair and fireplace. He's really gonna turn it into his man cave! It's going to be a lot of work, but I also know it will be worth it. We did the twins' room when they were in tenth grade (Wyatt will be going into ninth) and it was so nice when everything was said and done. 

Cleaning... the house before his party like a crazy person. I don't know what got in me, but I ended up vacuuming every square inch of the house and then mopping the entire house. It was spotless! 

Sending... the twins to Wenatchee for Wyatt's birthday party because nothing kills the vibe like your intimidating older brothers. (Wyatt and the twins actually get along really well for the most part, but some of his friends are a little timid around them, so we thought it best to just have them gone.)

Continuing... to sort and declutter the house alongside The Minimal Mom Facebook group that I joined earlier this month. This week we got rid of the living room and family room rugs, which felt amazing. I also sorted through my earring collection after the entire thing fell off the dresser in my closet- what a mess!- and got rid of so much. I am still not reading much, but I'm okay with it because decluttering the house top to bottom is my first priority.  In addition to the living and family rooms this week, I also tackled Carly's bedroom, putting all her dolls & accessories into bins that will live up in her closet until she's ready to swap out for a different toy. I am really hopeful that this switch will help her keep her room clean and tidy. As a reward for her hard work in her bedroom, we ordered her a realistic baby doll, which she's been wanting for quite some time now. 

Impressed... with Logan who is having to wake up so early to go to work. He blows me away. 

Working... super hard at Jazzercise on Monday. It's such a good workout, I'm telling you.

Watching... Josh's coworkers three kiddos since her regular sitter couldn't. Carly played most of the day with the kindergartner and I hung out downstairs with Jack and her other two. Her three year old was playing with one of my old baby dolls and kept wandering around, angrily telling us, "Shhhh! Baby's sleeping!" with the most aggressive quiet finger I have ever seen. Hahah

Attending... gymnastics (now on Tuesdays) with Carly and enjoying my chatty time with two other mamas who bring their girls. So nice to visit with other moms.

Noticing... that having older kids is like having toddlers again. I am always counting kids and figuring out who is where. It's also (once again) a bad sign if things are quiet. It either means they are out of the house and not keeping me informed of their whereabouts, or they are home and have fallen asleep at 4:30pm, thus ruining their night sleep. Sigh.

Celebrating... Father's Day by making a montage video for both my dad and for Josh. They were so fun to make and turned out great. I am very lucky to be surrounded by such great dads. It was also a little bittersweet, though, because two years ago we lost Josh's dad as well as my grandpa, and we are all missing them so much.  Josh said at one point he was thinking of his recent job switch (he will now be the assistant principal at his school!) and he thought to himself, "My dad would've been so proud of me." He sure would have. 

Addressing... the chaos of the end of the school year by taking a day on Saturday to regroup and pull the house together for summer.  I have to remind myself to breathe and that I have plenty of time (the whole summer!) to get things how I want them to be permanently.

Shopping... for some summer clothes for Carly from Amazon and Old Navy. She's so excited for them to start rolling in. 

Reading... a whole lot of nothing. I find that my kids at these ages require so much more presence than when they were little, particularly because of their later bedtimes. I just have so much less quiet time during which to read. Plus decluttering the house has taken precedence over any quiet moments I might have previously stolen away to read. 

Relishing... the absolute biggest hug from Logan when he and Jack got home from Wenatchee.  As we hugged, me unsure why he was being so affectionate, but enjoying every second, he said, "I just love you." I'm telling you, these teenagers can knock you off your feet. 

Losing... 5 pounds total since starting the Phentermine. It feels so good to be at 265lbs. Let's go baby!

Frustrated... that we are still (always) battling vapes with the twins. Logan is a first time offender, so he just has an 8pm curfew until he pees clean from nicotine. But Jack is a second time offender, so he isn't allowed to see any friends until he pees clean from nicotine. I am so sick of this fight. And I desperately wish they had just never started. I know that's not a helpful line of thinking... but when they talk about how hard it is to quit (which is especially true since they have ADHD and the nicotine helps with that) I just want to shake their shoulders and tell them, "This is why we watched documentaries and talked about it ad nauseum in 2020 when we were all home together!!!"

Taking... a day this week to simply stay in bed, snuggling Carly, watching shows and catching up on the phone with both my mom and my sister. It was desperately needed and I ended the day feeling completely rested and like myself again.

Watching... Live PD: Kansas City, which is so good. I joked with Josh that while he was doing teacher-y (training) stuff this week, I've been out here solving crimes. #yourewelcome Haha!

Beyond irritated... that Jack didn't talk in therapy this week. He insisted he could go on his own, so I let him, and then he was home less than ten minutes later. I told him that because he couldn't handle himself and do what he needed to do that I would be going with him next time. Grrrr...

Visiting... Lincoln Rock State Park with my parents and sister and enjoying the day so much! We ate good sandwiches; kayaked; swam; and visited, and it was such a great kickoff to the summer. We also scheduled it on a day when Josh was off, so he was able to join us which made me super happy! It was our "family party" for Logan, Jack & Wyatt, and my sister surprised them with Mariners tickets (+ one for Josh) for August. I'm so happy for them. That'll be fun!

Grateful... for Carly's friends in the neighborhood because when she has them over then I can relax in peace without feeling like I'm neglecting her. 

Hosting... a playdate for Carly with her friend Kamden. Kamden and Carly have known each other since they were 7 or 8 months old when Kamden's mom Kara and I met and became instant friends at MOPS. Carly enjoys looking back at old pictures of them when they were babies together.  While he was here, they played soccer, sticky ball, tried swimming (it was too windy) and did Carly's gymnastic bar plus ran on the treadmill.

Letting... myself settle into a summer state of mind by not multi-tasking. It really requires a shift and I have to keep telling myself to unclench my jaw, lower my shoulders, and slow my roll... Fingers crossed I'll get there.

Feeding... the neighbors' dog all week. Carly adores Rusty and that makes it feel like less of a chore. 

Enjoying... book club, which we had to reschedule to a Saturday, but which was fine because it meant I got to see my friends and discuss James, which was such an incredible book.  We also got to facetime and catch up with my friend Becky who recently relocated to Utah with her family. It was good to see her and hear how she's doing. 

***

Milo & Wyatt


I loved these words from @parentingteensandtweens on Instagram
 

If you're into decluttering/organizing, 
take this fun quiz: Clutterbug Quiz

Inspiration for Wyatt's Room:


Fun Memories of Kamden & Carly:
Carly's friend Kamden

Carly 

Carly & Kamden.
They've been friends since they were less than one year old!
His mom & I met at MOPS in 2016. 





1 comment:

Ashley said...

Just wanted you to know that I've been thinking of you! Our circumstances are different, but we're both trying to get ourselves healthy and deal with this teenager stage of parenting and it can be A LOT. It's comforting to know that I'm not all alone.
P.S. Your decluttering is inspiring! Once I get my energy levels up again, I'm hoping to do something similar.
P.P.S. I'm barely reading right now too! It feels weird not to reach for a book, but my brain can't seem to handle the load right now. To everything there is a season!