Around Here: Week 36 2025

 {August 31st-September 6th}

Tik Tok shop win

Perpetually behind on the blog...

Having... brunch with the twins' friends (who are also twins) mom, Nicole. It was so nice to talk to another mama with high energy children who are not perfect, but are lovely friends. Our four collective boys are just so good to each other- I tear up thinking how grateful I am they have each other.  It was also good to talk to another twin mama as well.  It's such a unique way to raise children. Somehow they are each others' greatest competition and their best friend. It's quite a singular experience.

Giving... Carly a much needed haircut. It is so much easier to brush and care for now that the split ends are gone. 

Taking... personality pics of Carly for a class project. She chose one where she's singing and listening to music as that is currently her favorite hobby. I love how she always has such a clear vision for any project we have. Girlfriend knows what she wants. 

Dealing... with lots of smoke from local wildfires. It's so bad all around us. We have actually been really lucky this year to not get much. 

Cleaning... the entire house over Labor Day weekend and feeling great heading into the new week. That extra day off was lovely because I got the chance to clean and read, relax and watch some shows. 

Watching... The Summer I Turned Pretty and Armageddon. Josh and I watched Armageddon together the week we started dating and it kind of turned into "our" movie. I would bet we say some kind of quote or reference from that movie every single day. Do you have a movie like that? It's fun, and it was funny to watch it with my kids around because they were like, "ohhhh, that's why you say that!" Haha!

Reading... Mind Your Body and Broken Country. I almost always have one "Self help" genre (or at least non-fiction) book going at the same time as a fiction book and that's this week's combo. It's been great. Broken Country has two running timelines for the same woman, and it's killing me to know how she goes from one to the other. 

Ordering... my Book of the Month books (this is my second month back after taking a break since January). I ordered Wild Dark Shore, The Wedding People and All The Way To The River. I am excited for all of them. Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy has been much anticipated for me because I LOVED Once There Were Wolves by her and having been waiting for another. The Wedding People was recommended to me by my sister-in-law Julie- she said it was just so good! (Plus I've been seeing it all over Bookstagram!) And finally, All The Way To The River is about grief, I believe, and I love a sad book. 

Forgetting... how getting all the kids out the door on time in the mornings is a marathon every single day. I try really hard to streamline as much as possible for the kids in the mornings- setting up routines and organization to make decisions and responsibilities as simple as possible- but it still feels like a mad rush most morning. But I always tell myself to give it a few weeks. One month from now, we'll be like a well oiled machine. Until then, I just gotta hang on!

Catching... up on life this week as the kids were all in school and I only had one sub job.  It feels good after a summer of Josh working and the kids being home with me 24/7 to have a minute to get organized. 

Blown away... at how relaxed Wyatt is about high school. Maybe it helps that he's big & tall... Maybe it helps that his twin brothers are seniors... but he is just, like, totally fine, adjusting beautifully and seems to have no issues. I know it's early days, but sending him off with no nerves has been the biggest gift. 

Discovering... that guiding teens is mostly just about listening. They most often know what they should do, and likewise they most often know what they want to do. So my job is just to listen. Maybe repeat back to them what I hear and throw in a question or two to make sure that's what they want to do... but so much of it is just listening and being there. They don't require that I solve their problems or go Mama-Bear on anyone. They just want to know that I'm here to listen, to support and to bounce ideas off.  It's a big transition from elementary and middle school where I played a more active role. Change is the only consistent thing about any of this. 

Taking... Jack to the doctor for an infected bug bite. The poor kid had to get it drained (ouch!) and now just has to keep the area clean. 

Grateful... for my masseuse who complimented me this week, saying that I'm doing so much better than when I started. She said this time she was able to use her elbow and I took it well on my lower back. Then she used a hot towel on my neck- ohhhh my gosssssh... I melted. It was so lovely. 

Soaking... in family dinners as we once again settle into that routine. The sky is a little darker each evening and every night we gather at the table, hungry and full of stories.  I know that these are the days. The twins could move out in as little as nine months, and our family structure will never be the same. So I'm cherishing every dinner, every laugh on the couch together, every brotherly wrestling match and story shared. Mamas of littles, please believe them when they tell you it goes so fast. They were nine, and then I blinked, and now they're on the brink of a future that's all their own. 

Contemplating... keeping Carly at home when the high school she attends (her elementary school is closed due to electrical issues) received a threat. Our police force in town is amazing and even when the threats have been credible at the twins' schools (twice I can think of since we've lived here), their response kept everyone alive and safe, so I decided that if they deemed the threat non-credible, I would send her. Sigh. How is this the America we live in?

Catching... up on the blog along with everything else this week. I feel like I am swimming through mud though. Will I ever catch up!?!

Subbing... in third grade on Friday this week and struggling with a migraine and severe Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS) afterward. I loved subbing in that class, though. Even though the day ended so rough. A lot of those kids are ones I have subbed for since they were in kinder, and it's really sweet watching them grow up. 

Chatting... with my counselor this week and feeling relieved to be able to tell her that I'm doing really good, honestly. She said she was proud of my mellowing over the boys' choices (good or bad) and I told her it's like for the first three years of their high school career I was on the roller coaster with them. We were going up and down and for loop-de-loops, and then this year I was like, "Ohhh! This is their ride. I can get off and just watch." My stomach still occasionally drops when I see what they're going through, but I am able to parent from a much more peaceful place when I'm not riding with them.

Worrying... about Hadley. Whenever I open the laundry room door, she comes flying out of nowhere and launches herself into the room. She especially loves watching the water fill the washer and I am so scared that one of these times she's going to fall in! Her curiosity really might kill her. Sheesh!

Laughing... when Josh gently brought up my new bumper sticker. (It says: Get in loser, we're going to therapy) "You know," he started, wincing a little, if you're trying to get someone to go to therapy... that's not really... like... it's not a very nice way to get them to go." You guys. I died. He didn't know it was a reference from Mean Girls. He just thought I was really passionate about therapy, which I am... but not so much that I would be mean about it. Hahahaha! 

Frustrated... with Carly who has had a hard time getting back on schedule for school and has been staying up all night reading when she can't sleep. I have always hated waking my kids (doesn't every mom? It just feels so wrong!) but I've been lucky because Carly & the twins are naturally early risers... but Carly's current "I can't sleep so I'll read for four hours" situation is ruining her natural morning person vibe, and it's the worst!

Enjoying... a walk in the gorgeous weather, trying to keep my base level anxiety at a minimum. So far, so good!

Dealing... with my own sleepless nights (hello perimenopause!) with insomnia, nigh sweats, leg cramps (RLS), and trouble slowing down after the go-go-go of school days (pick, drop off, subbing, appointments, chores, etc.). I am attempting to combat it with SleepyTime tea and dedicating a little time each evening to morning prep steps that simplify our mornings. Fingers crossed it gets better cause I am pooped!

Obsessing... over K-Pop Demon Hunters. Well, Carly is. And therefore by association, so am I. My mom had asked Carly if she'd like the Ken Barbie that mom doesn't use at her house anymore and Carly was delighted to take him off her hands. That means she's one boy closer to having the entire Saja Boys crew to go with her Huntrix girl characters. My mom also sent a bunch of Ken clothes, including a wedding tuxedo, and now Carly is planning weddings for all of them. She really is a mini-Shelly. I loved romance at that age and so does she. I love it. 

Ordering... Little Cesar's Pizza for dinner Saturday night and feeling grateful that Josh's new job came with a pay raise so we can order pizza occasionally without breaking the bank. 

Watching... Logan be a thoughtful boyfriend, buying Elyssa flowers on their anniversary each month. It reminds me so much of his dad at that age. He was so good to me, always spoiling me. It's crazy how I still feel like that teenage girl inside, but really I'm the mom, and quite far from seventeen. 

Continuing... to hear "Come home to yourself" when I think about my mental health and the things I'm trying to work through in a effort to alleviate some of my fibromyalgia symptoms. It's an incredibly comforting thought that I can be my own safe place and that I can offer myself the support I need. 

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