Around Here: Week 18 {2018}

Do you spy those big boys riding off to school?

Photo of my favorite ring by Carly ;)

New roof, new fence, now she just needs a paint job! 

Sending... Wyatt back to school (finally!) after missing nearly two weeks for this last bout of asthma following a terrible cold.  He was so happy to be back in class.  I am so glad he loves school.  But boy did Carly and I miss him when he went back!

Gushing... with pride for Wyatt as he rode to school (and home again too) with his big brothers three times this week when I was sick.  Suddenly he is such a big boy with a strong desire for independence and I couldn't be happier about it. 

Watching... Jack and Logan and Wyatt play baseball.  I love watching them so much.  I especially love watching the twins since Josh is their assistant coach.  Seeing them work together with their dad makes my heart happy.  And Jack's been doing an amazing job pitching.  He's got such a strong arm!

Counting... down the days to summer with Wyatt's classroom.  They're using the alphabet, and the first day was stuffed Animals, so Wyatt got to bring his bear to school with him.  He was so excited!

Enjoying... the new (to us) beanbag that Josh's sister Laura gave us.  The kids adore that thing. They are reading in it, cuddling with the cats in it, watching TV in it, and the other day I came out to find Josh and Carly snuggled up on it.  So fun!

Loving... the white picket fence Josh completed last weekend for the front and side yard.  It was a childhood dream of mine to have a white picket fence.  It is so adorable and has increased our curb appeal tenfold.  With the new roof and the new fence, all that's left to do is paint.  I can't wait!

Suffering... with my anxiety (still...) in addition to the worst cold I've had in years.  So it's been a week of self care (read: naps and rest) and doing the bare minimum in hopes of getting better.  If I hadn't been sick (runny nose, sore throat, cough) I think my anxiety would be on an upswing, so I am hopeful next week I will see a big improvement.  I upped my prozac from 20mg to 40mg, so that should help as well.  And I did notice a big difference in how much I was thinking about health anxiety- it was a lot less this week!  So things are moving in the right direction.

Reading... nothing.  I know that my anxiety is high when I can't get into a book.  I haven't read (or listened to) anything lately.  Hoping to change that soon.

Watching... Teen Mom 2 instead of reading.  It's my guilty pleasure. ;)

Rejoicing... that my Grandpa Jerry's bladder cancer wasn't as bad as the doctor originally thought and he won't have to seek any kind of intensive treatment.  It's a huge answer to prayer and a big weight lifted off my mind.  We've been praying for months for it.  What a miracle. 

"Happiness is the joy we feel 

as we strive toward our potential."

-Shawn Achor

Recognizing... three huge things I am doing that I wasn't giving myself appropriate credit for. 

One is clean eating- I am avoiding sugar and highly processed foods for both myself and our family, which is so awesome, and such a change from last year.  As a family, we have lost 76 pounds since January.  We are reducing our kids' risks for diabetes and increasing their health simply by reducing the amount of sugar they are intaking at home.  I am hoping to write a post about some of the simple changes we have made that have made a huge a difference very soon.

The other is that I have not been yelling at the kids or swearing, for basically all of April and May so far.  I've spent years (literally since 2013, I think) trying to give up yelling and swearing.  And now that I've done it, I haven't given myself any credit for the effort that went into quitting, I just jumped right into the next thing I want to work on. Why do we do that to ourselves?

And lastly, I am meditating and it's having a big impact on how I feel inside my own skin.  I meditated everyday this week using the Calm app (I highly recommend it!) and twice when I started to panic, I reminded myself to breathe and was able to talk myself down. Huge progress!

So I want to remind you, fellow mama's to take a minute and look at what you've done! Tell yourself you're awesome!  Celebrate what you've accomplished.  You deserve the recognition.

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Around Here: Week Ten {2018}

Reading... 600 minutes over the last two months to earn Silverwood tickets from the school with my kids.  The boys each had sheets to fill out & turn in and when we get those tickets we are off to that magical theme park where we had so much fun last summer!  It's one of our best memories!
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 so I don't have to because they want to learn.  It's a total win/win!  They make our eggs and sausage every morning and call us when it's ready.  It's seriously the best!

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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Around Here: Week Five {2018}

Enjoying... a long weekend in Vancouver visiting family.  It started with a trip to the beach to see my grandparents, followed by a day spent with my mom shopping for Wyatt & Carly & me, and a trip to the Portland car show for the twins & Josh, and then more time with Josh's side of the family on Saturday night and Sunday. The only bummer was that by the end the boys all seemed to be getting a runny nose.

Celebrating... Carly's second birthday with my mom & dad.  My mom bought her the cutest pink trike I have ever seen, and also got her a night gown and made her a set of rainbow hooded towels that I'll have to photograph when she uses them.  Everyone has said how quickly the last two years have gone by and I'm glad it's not just me who feels it flew right on by!

Also celebrating... Logan receiving The Mighty Mathematician Award for Second Quarter after working his butt off memorizing his division facts and doing his best on some big testing last month.  I am so proud of him for his grit & determination, and so grateful that his hard work paid off.  School has not always come easy for him-- he can be easily distracted and sometimes disorganized, but math is something he loves and he has had some amazing teachers helping him pave the way with test taking strategies & other important classroom skills-- and this year he seems to suddenly really care about his education, and it shows.  I am just so happy for him and proud of the student he's becoming.

Laughing... at how Wyatt is such a dog whisperer.  He loves my moms dogs so much, and they love him. Carly also loves the dogs.  When we leave Nanny's house, Carly talks about them incessantly.  In fact, when my phone rings, she thinks it's my mom's dogs, calling to talk to her!

Enjoying... pizza & pool with Josh's parents, brother, and Julie (one of Josh's sisters) and her boys Saturday night.  It was so fun to talk and catch up and let the kids play.  Julie gave Wyatt (and Josh) some of those pillows with the sequins you can flip this way and that, and they were in heaven!  So funny!

Squeezing in... quality cousin (and grandma) time Sunday before we headed home.  One of Josh's sisters has kids almost the exact ages of our kids, and it's so fun the way they all love each other.

Having... sick kids home every day this week.  First it was Logan and Wyatt, then just Wyatt, then Jack, then Wyatt and Wyatt again.  They've got this runny nose that is hanging on, and for Wyatt (of course) it's hanging out and turning into a cough.  So far it's not impacting his lungs as I put him immediately back on his preventative inhaler, but I'd be lying if I said it didn't freak me out a bit to hear him coughing like this again.

Reading... Happier at Home by Gretchin Rubin in preparation for book club Monday.  Also reading Turtles All The Way Down by John Green and Grief Cottage by Gail Godwin.  They are all really good books! The main character in Turtles All The Way Down has health anxiety and if you wonder what it's like to be inside my head, just read the first chapter of that book.  Grief Cottage is about a boy whose single mom dies, so he goes to live with his spinster aunt when he discovers a ghost in a cottage down the beach.  So far, I am intrigued!  I also spent some time this week mapping out what books I will be reading each month throughout 2018 so I can stay on track to get as much reading in as possible this year!

Suffering... Only three migraines this week (Saturday, Sunday & Thursday) and praying that decreases next week as I increase my meds again.  We started at a half a pill, then half a pill 2x/day, now I am at a whole pill at night and a half a pill in the morning, and eventually I'll be at a whole pill 2x/day.

Tallying... up our total weight loss for the month of January and I am impressed.  (Now please know that weight loss is most certainly not our only measure of success.  It is also really important to me that the kids are being active, taking healthy lunches, learning about good food choices and having dinner together as a family... but it is inspiring to see that our healthy choices are already positively impacting their bodies.) 
I am down from 200 pounds to 188 pounds.  -11
Josh is down from 226 pounds to 218 pounds.  -8
Logan is down from 115 pounds to 108 pounds.   -7
Jack is down from 128 pounds to 120 pounds.   -8
Wyatt is down from 88 pounds to 86 pounds.   -2
I am hopeful that with Wyatt's foot healed and boot off and him getting more exercise, that February will be an even more active month for him.  I just love that we are setting our boys up for a healthier relationship with food and success with a healthy life.

Loving... that our new way of eating is just that: a new way of eating. It is not a diet, and I am not ever hungry.  The kids and I eat breakfast together every morning- eggs and sausage or bacon, sometimes with peanut butter toast.  I eat humongous sandwiches for lunch everyday, and we eat a delicious homemade dinner each night.  I got behind in keeping track on here, but we are still having dinner as a family every.single.night, and I'm so proud of all the new things we've tried, especially new vegetable dishes as a way of replacing noodles, which were our old favorite thing.

Doing... our taxes, at Josh's insistence, and feeling so grateful that they are done! Phew!

Feeling inspired... by Gretchen Rubin's advice "Do it now" when it comes to adulting.  Josh and I have been out of town independently or together the last three weekends, and it left me feeling quite behind the last week, so I jumped in with both feet this week and I feel great, having accomplished so much!  "Do it now" leaves very little wiggle room, so it helped me get a lot done in a short amount of time with zero excuses!

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