Around Here: Week 48 2020

 {November 22-28th}

Reminiscing... about life in the past as I sort through all the pictures on my phone.  This last one (of Josh and the twins in 2011) took my breath away.  Josh was so young!!!

Letting... the kids go play in the snow one morning when we woke up to it. They had so much fun and I enjoyed sitting out there, reading on the porch, as they played.  I sure hope we get more snow this winter!

Needing... the days off that are coming for Thanksgiving this week.  School has been hard as of late, and I am ready for a break! (The kids, too!)

Decorating... for Christmas with some music (Amy Grant, of course) on my HeyDay speaker and lots of little hands sorting through our vast collection of ornaments. It's probably one of my favorite traditions, pulling the ornaments out and talking about each one's history.  The kids love playing with them (mostly only Carly now) and I allow it even though it makes the tree look uneven and we usually lose two or three each year from breaking... because I know that someday I will have a perfect tree and it will make me sad.  

Baking... pumpkin pies, fudge and prepping the seven layer salad on Wednesday with Jack.  I was really proud of us- we made the pies from scratch!!

Celebrating... Thanksgiving, just the six of us, and feeling so blessed.  Josh cooked the turkey and mashed potatoes & gravy.  We ate together, sharing sparkling cider in fancy glasses, and telling each other what we are most thankful for.  The twins were both thankful for me teaching them last quarter.  That meant a lot to me, because it was hard work the three of us did, and I'm glad they knew it was for their own good.  Carly was grateful my  mom and dad moved to Wenatchee.  I was grateful for our house and Josh was grateful for just about everything- his job, the kids, me... And Wyatt was grateful for us, me and Josh.  

Making... turkey cookies with the supplies Aunt Julie brought over for the kids.  They had so much fun, and the turkeys were really cute.  Thanks for being so thoughtful, Julie!

Starting... a new quarter with the twins, including math and having terrible flashbacks of seventh grade with Mr. Rye in the portables, struggling to remember PEMDAS ("Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally") and learning how to find the area of a triangle.  Sigh. 

Readjusting... our daily routine to have less screens and feeling better about it. The kids do screens from 12 or 12:30 to 3:00pm.  Then they go play outside or do chores or play games. Before this change, it was hours and hours of screens. Each day I think it got a little longer.  

#quarantinelife 

...but at some point I had to get back to monitoring it and encouraging them to do other things. 

Reading... Caste and spouting off statistics and random information at poor Josh.  It is just so good!

Loving... my life without Facebook.  It's amazing how much more time I have on my hands. I am also shocked at how much easier it is to keep up on chores when I am not sitting down every hour to check in on my social media accounts. (I canceled Instagram & Facebook a week ago) I am surprised to say that I don't miss it, and in fact I am so much happier without it. 

Meeting... with Wyatt's sleep study doctor to find out the results of his most recent sleep study.  It turns out that he no longer has obstructive or central sleep apnea.  I am so grateful that all is well! 

Raising... big boys who sometimes hurt the house that we live in.  Having three boys in three years, particularly a set of strong willed, growing twins, means that some of each day is spent breaking up fights.  One night this week, I simply didn't get there in time, and one brother pushed another into the wall, creating a huge hole above the catbox. It'll be a pain in the ass to fix, and Josh & I were not happy with them, but after feeling pretty upset, I've come to peace about it.  They don't know their strength and try as I may to teach them self control, sometimes things like this may happen.  The hardest part is to not see their failure in managing their emotions as a failure on my part as a parent. 

Cheering... Grandpa on as he gets closer to his last round of chemo.  He's been so brave about his treatment every week, and this week he even took the bear we sent him at the start.  He and grandma named him Luke (short for leukemia) and Carly loved seeing him comfort grandpa as he was brave for his needle.

Welcoming... Dashy our holiday elf, back from the North Pole after Thanksgiving.  Carly is thrilled with him and his shenanigans, and he has shown up every morning thus far! #winning

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Week 45 Around Here {2019}

Enjoying... a day to ourselves on Saturday when Josh took Logan to the land with him (Wyatt & Jack had slept over at Grandma's Friday night, so they were already there) by taking a walk in the sunshine and watching Pride & Prejudice while Carly played puppies.  I had a migraine to start the day off, so relaxing with her and watching a movie was nice while my medicine kicked in, and then our walk in the brisk fall sunshine was just what the doctor ordered.  We finished off the night with pizza & family movie night, which was also nice and the kids were happy to be home and cozy after a day spent playing outside & four wheeling.

   

Watching... Game of Thrones with Josh every chance we get, including date night (which is on Fridays, after the kids are in bed). We are about to start Season 6 and I am ridiculously invested in the characters.  I love Tyrion, loathe Stannis Baratheon & am so curious what's going to happen with Cersei.
I've also been watching Teen Mom 2 and Unexpected.  I got myself caught up on Thursday when my mother-in-law had Carly.  It was a lovely day to relax and unwind, writing in my journal, lounging on the bed with my kitties, while watching my favorite guilty pleasures.

Grateful... for grandma's who give our kids the much needed love & attention they require when we parents have just about had enough. ;)  Josh's mom had two of the kids this weekend for a sleepover and Carly later in the week; and my mom stopped by on her way out of town (headed back home) and took all four of them for a few hours (bless her!) so I could grocery shop sans children. (And then she paid for our groceries!)  I am just so thankful for moms who understand how hard and exhausting this stage of life is. They aren't judgmental, just there to support us and love our kids and have our backs in whatever ways we need (big & small). It means so much.  Love you two, Nanny & Grandma! Our kids are the luckiest.

Fighting... screens and screen-sneaking bad this week as the darkness has set in from Daylight Savings Time ending.  It seems like the only thing the kids want to do once it's dark out, and I am just not here for it.  What are some things you do in your houses to keep kids entertained during the winter months?  I'd love some suggestions.

Trying... to embrace the coziness of fall's arrival (the darkness, the colder temperatures) and loving the morning daylight we get now that everything's an hour earlier.  I myself love to cozy up with a good book and enjoy the quiet of a dark fall afternoon... my children on the other hand... Not so much. Hopefully things will improve with time.

Yelling... "No guns in the house!" all week as the boys have been playing Nerf Gun Wars since Sunday and I keep finding Nerf bullets everywhere.  I don't want Carly or myself to be shot as innocent bystanders, and they are CRAZY when they play, so the game must be played outside.  But other than that, their playing Nerf guns makes me so, so happy.  I love to hear them running around, chasing each other, making attack plans and bases, and using up every minute of sunlight after school to play outside.  If only the sunlight would last a little longer!!

Reading... Us Against You by Fredrik Backman (the sequel to Beartown) on audio while simultaneously trying to finish up O Pioneers by Willa Cather and start on this month's book club read- Murder at the Brightwell by Ashley Weaver.  I was in a bit of a reading slump at the beginning of this week, but things have picked up and I am back at it again, thankfully, because I have a big goal of TEN BOOKS for November! (fingers crossed!)

Attending... the boys' wrestling practice when it was "Parents Night" and getting to watch all three of them wrestle for the first time. It was exhilarating! I felt so proud of them, for how far they have come (they've never wrestled before this year) and how much they have learned.  The workout they get at practice is intense, and I am so proud of them for not giving up and for knowing their bodies are capable.

Loving... Carly's antique dress from my brother's girlfriend Bri.  She saw it and bought it for Carly for no reason other than she thought it would look darling on her.  And it does.  I love it so much.  It reminds me of Carly's german heritage, and of her namesakes- she is named both for Josh's parents (Carol & Carl), and for our ancestors on my paternal grandparent's side, many of whom were named Karl and came to America from Germany.

Feeling... so proud of the twins whose first quarter report cards came home this week and brought me nearly to tears.  Almost every teacher wrote that they were "a pleasure to have in class" or "polite, positive, and respectful".  This, to me, is everything.  As a mom, my goal is to raise kids who are good human beings.  Kind human beings.  The kind of people that other people want to be around.  Rarely do we get feedback that tells us we are doing something right.  These report cards were that feedback for me, and it meant the world to me.

Frustrated... that alongside those feelings of pride we are dealing with so much sibling fighting.  One of the boys literally broke a yard rake on his brother last weekend.  Sigh.  And the bickering.  I tell you, it's enough to drive a person mad.
So the boys are picking up extra chores and consequences like they're going out of style, and they have also picked up dinner dish duty as a consequence for poor grades in one class.  (It's super fascinating to me that both twins are struggling in the same subject, even though they are in different classes with different teachers at different times, it's the same curriculum.  Their brains really do work (and struggle) the same ways.)  When their grade in that class improves, mom will be back on dinner dish duty.

Meeting... with one of the twins' teachers this week to discuss their struggles in class and planning to meet with the others' next week during parent/teacher conferences to make sure we get on track for second quarter.  This meant I had to get all four kids and myself out the door by 7:20am for the meeting and let me tell you, it was no small feat. ha!  But we have a good idea of what our kiddo needs to be successful now and I think it will be smooth(er) sailing from here.

Hugging... my kids as often as possible after reading a few articles circulating about how important it is. I thought I was affectionate before, but now that I am consciously trying to hug them more often, I can see how many opportunities I let pass me by before.  This article sums up what I read about hugs & all their benefits.  It's funny, but I am surprised (duh!) at how much closer I feel to all of them from all this physical contact.  I guess I thought if we were close, I'd hug them more, but the opposite is also true.  The more I hug them, the more I feel like we're connected emotionally.  It's been pretty cool. 

Taking... Wyatt to his school STEM (Science/Technology/Engineering/Math) night on Thursday.  He was right in his element making sling shots, stacking apples, cups & blocks, making models and solving different puzzles.  I just love watching how his brain works, and am forever fascinated by how different he is from his mother. (hah!)

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Around Here: Week 45

Taking... Jack to the doctor to see if his nose was broken after he and another kid on his basketball team bashed their heads together at practice Wednesday.  One of his nostrils isn't working, so I wanted to make sure that he was okay.  The doctor says it is likely just swollen and once the swelling goes down, he should be able to breathe normally again.  I'm so glad it's not broken, but he is sure in a lot of pain.  Poor kid!

Enjoying... a visit from my mom last weekend.  It was short lived, but we squeezed in lots of love & hugs.  She helped me sort through the kids' winter gear (I was only missing one thing- boots for Carly- which made me so proud of myself) and she spoiled us with a super fun movie night.

Watching... our first snow fall of the season.  Thankfully, we were ready-- Josh got the snow tires on the van, I had the yard all cleaned up (no stray nerf bullets or toys left out like last year) and Josh had the snow blower up and running.  Josh even pulled together some some winter gear organization that I shared here on the blog.  Josh was talking to his dad (who used to live where we now live) and he helped us set a new "Winter Ready" goal date: October 31st.  Where we live in central Washington can get cold (and have snow) in early November, so to be sure we're ready, he suggests setting Halloween as the cutoff date. I think that will really help us be prepared.

Playing... in the snow with my kids.  I knew this snow wouldn't stick around long, so we geared up (even Carly!) and headed out. We had so much fun!!!

Screwing up... my no yelling goal (& blogging all about it).  If you struggle with yelling, I highly recommend following Ralphie on Instagram.  She breaks good parenting down into super simple actions that anyone can do.  After this most recent "losing it" episode, I have decided to try something really weird. If I yell at my kids, I have to take off my earrings and I don't get to wear any the next day. I don't even know how it came to me, but I wear very little jewelry, and with my new short haircut, I love wearing earrings. I figure this will motivate me to SHUT MY MOUTH when I feel like yelling & swearing. Ha! I'll keep you posted.

Focusing... on what I do well as a mother.  (This is also inspired by Ralphie.)  She says we all have things we see where we don't measure up, but that only brings us down. Instead she wants us to look at what we do well as moms.  Where are our strengths? What are our gifts? 

Starting... on my Christmas shopping, using:
Something you want,
something you need,
something to wear,
& something to read
for my kids.
The "something you want" will be from Santa, the rest from Josh and myself.  I am excited to keep Christmas simple and not extraordinary or out of budget.  I am also working on a fun Christmas gift list (like Oprah's Favorite Things) to share on the blog this month.

Spending... too much time on social media.  I'm not sure what my action plan is to combat this fact, but knowing it's a problem is half the battle, right?!?

Loving... Carly's reunions with Wyatt & the twins everyday after school.  Little heart melter.

Grateful... for many things (see my #30daysofgratitude instagram recap below) but this week I am grateful for  the opportunity to raise readers.  That is one area of parenting where Josh and I are totally on the same page, and something our kids love.  Bedtime stories, silent reading and readaloud chapter books are all part of our nightly bedtime routine, meaning our kids get about 45 minutes of reading everyday (not including school time) and that's something I am really proud of.

Still.... not reading anything myself, though.  So this week I am determined to find a new book for myself to start.  I think it will be The Handmaid's Tale.  Fingers crossed it gets me hooked so I can get back to reading.

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#30daysofgratitude

Day 4: Wyatt

Day 5: Carly

Day 6: Stay-at-home-motherhood

Day 7: Books

Day 8: Modern appliances

Day 9: Julie

Day 10: Having twins

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