I personally am reading The Nightingale (which I cannot put down! as in, I read about 300 pages in two days) after finishing The Great Alone and slipping into a post-good-book depression. (That feeling you have where life has no joy because you finished your book and there's nothing to live for. Does that happen to anyone else? No? Just me? Ha!) Thankfully The Nightingale is just as good (in fact, even better!) and I am reading every chance I get!
Freaking out... while listening to (and finishing) The Case Against Sugar. Wow. So much food for thought (little joke there) about diabetes, what we are feeding ourselves (and our children) and how we can do better. It's a long (and somewhat boring read) but the last two sections (I listened to the audio version) make it worth every hour. It has lit a new fire under me to keep as much sugar out of our diets as possible and to keep our diet as close to "real food" as possible.
So grateful... for my local book club girls. That night out once a month means so much to me. To talk and laugh and listen and be heard. Girls, you fill my cup!
Loving... date night in my jammies & sweatshirt Friday after a long couple weeks of sick kids. It was some much needed down time, just watching a movie with my guy.
Attending... a friends' little girls birthday party at the bowling alley and feeling so proud of all our kids. They were so sweet and well behaved. It's so weird to have older kids. After years of dreading parties because it meant hours of hot, sweaty, child-chasing, now I go and it's honestly pretty relaxing. The older three help chase Carly, (who was actually really good at this one) and are well mannered. I just had a really lovely feeling as we left the party.
Laughing... as the kids tried Pop Rocks from their Party Favor Bags from the birthday party. It's like a childhood rite of passage.
Making... March goals & getting stuff done around here this week.
Teaching... the twins to make breakfast
Playing hooky... with the kids Monday while my parents were here. It was the most fun 24 hours and we enjoyed every moment. A little shopping, some time at the arcade, some relaxed screen time, and some bedtime stories. It was lovely and over all too soon!
Whining... about the "raining inside" that's happening cause of our "thirty year roof" that's 34 & needs replacing. I'm amping up my hours on VIPkid, selling stuff we don't need on Facebook Market and praying we don't need to rip it all off. #homeownership + #adulthood = #sadShelly
Cleaning... out the garage with Josh in an amazing one-day overhaul that was like they show on TLC. I was so proud of us. He's hoping to put some workout equipment in there, and I'm just glad to be rid of stuff that's been there since before we moved in. It feels so good! (see before/after photos above)
Crying... Thursday when Josh brought home "just because" flowers for me. Man, I love doing life with that guy. I am so blessed by him.
Cracking up... at my sister emailing me her vision of Josh and I parenting together:
Me, getting too close, helping too much, the epitome of helicopter parenting, hovering...
Josh, stepping in, pulling me away, or "shooting me down" (like when he told me he thought Logan (who has EPILEPSY!) could ride to school alone!) from my prime hovering position and my sister shouting from a distance,
"MAMA HAWK DOWN! REPEAT! MAMA HAWK DOWN!
God I love that girl.
She just gets me.
(I joke, but Josh and I talk seriously all the time about how this is why kids need two parents. Because his tendency is to SHOVE THEM OUT OF THE NEST, and mine is to HOLD THEM THROUGH EVERYTHING, while what they actually need is some tightrope walk in between the two. Navigating that is a lot of work for a marriage and often feels it requires much compromise and many small miracles.)
Enjoying... the way Carly brings out the soft side of Logan. This week he enjoyed holding her during bedtime stories, and wearing matching jean jackets with her. He is just extra tender with her, and I love watching their relationship. He has a super sweet voice he uses with her, and he can't stand when she's in trouble or sad. It's so sweet. She's very blessed to be so loved by him.
Finally... sleeping after weeks of waking to sick kids & then 10 days of round-the-clock 6 hour penicillin doses for Logan. When Jack had the option, we chose the shot instead of the pills for his ear infection because I could not face another week and a half of middle-of-the-night-alarm-clock-waking & pill giving. (I haven't had coffee since the new year, and the last three weeks, these mornings without coffee have been extra rough!)
It's amazing how much energy I have now that I'm sleeping again.
Lastly... please join The Inspired Readers Book Club in reading The Immortalists starting next week! We'd love to have you!
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