around here: week 13 2020

{March 22-28}

{Logan & Jack flashback :: Alaska 2012}

{flashback to Alaska & little Wyatt}

My friend Corbett shared this beautiful quote by Mary Oliver:

"it is a serious thing

just to be alive

on this fresh morning

in this broken world"

I loved how it reminded me that the world has always been imperfect, and every day that we wake up is hard in its own way.  It's just that now it's so obvious how imperfect and hard it is. 

Noticing... bits of spring popping up everywhere, and celebrating by decorating for spring and Easter in our home. I smile and breathe a little deeper every time I notice a bloom or blossom that wasn't there the day before on our walk or bike ride. A good reminder that all things come in time, and that everything comes to life again after the long, dark winter.

Kayaking... on the lake, just the six of us, and having the best time!  (This was before there was a "stay home/stay healthy" order and we didn't interact with anyone regardless.)  It felt SO good to get out of our living room and feel the wind on our faces.  I am so grateful we bought those kayaks.  That way, if this quarantine lasts through the summer, we could at least use them to get out on the water occasionally.

Waking... up at 5am during the week so I can be up before the kids for an hour or so (they get up at 6:30am) and bask in the glory of the silence.  I read and meditate and write in my journal, and it's just been a really great, peaceful way to start the day. 

Watching... Governor Inslee address the state with Josh, and feeling a little anxiety as he requested us to "Stay home, stay healthy" for the next two weeks.  It's silly that I feel anxious because we've been staying home for so many days already, but for some reason him saying we need to stay home made it feel really real, and I felt worried.  

Josh went grocery shopping one more time before the order was put in place (although we are allowed to leave our homes for walks, grocery runs or doctor appointments) just to put my mind at ease that we had everything we needed and wouldn't need to leave the house for anything immediately.  

Ramping... up the twins' independent reading with the promise of a second skateboard (bought off Uncle Samuel who no longer uses it) if they get some chapter books under their belts. I just LOVE walking into a room and seeing my kids curled up with a good book.  As a mother, nothing compares to the joy that brings me.

Entertaining... the kids with balloons, shaving cream, puzzles and play-doh.  All super cheap (they can be found at Dollar Tree, as a matter of fact!) and great for hours of play time.  The kids like to play "keep the balloon off the floor" or take a bunch on the trampoline.  With the shaving cream, they like to take baths and play with the shaving cream, making crazy hair styles or beards on themselves. Carly is just getting into puzzles, and the other three enjoy doing puzzles together, but only if I pull them out.  We have a USA puzzle and a space puzzle that we've kept for years.  Otherwise, we tend to just pick up whatever puzzles we can find at Dollar Tree until we lose a piece or two. Play doh has been fun for all of us to play, hanging around the kitchen table, making pretend treats for one another.  Jack made some sushi last time that was adorable.
We've also been playing the new game Josh ordered on Amazon called Beat That and the boys are loving it! It reminds me of a lot of the games they play on Minute to Win it, and can be played in a group or individually. I highly recommend it if you have 2nd grade through high school boys.  It's a highly competitive, super fun game that has lots of options (tossing balls into a cup; trying to pick up dice with chopsticks; etc.) that remind me of bottle flipping in its entertainment value.

Curling... my hair one morning just because.  The kids wanted to know where we were going.  (Spoiler alert: nowhere) And Carly told me my hair looked weird and wanted to know when it was going back to "normal". #thankskid

Feeling... my anxiety & panic rise for the first time since this whole thing came out as we got the call that someone was diagnosed with COVID-19 at our local high school.  (There's only one high school in our town.) For some reason that diagnosis made it feel real close to home and I suddenly realized just how close it is and how little there is I can do to protect us from it. 

That anxiety just continued rising as I got call after call canceling all upcoming appointments- orthodontist, dentist and pulmonologist.  Not to mention knowing that our spring break plans are canceled (We had hoped to visit my parents and grandparents in the Portland and Oregon coast areas) and we will be unable to celebrate my sister's birthday all together.  (It's on Wednesday this week.)

Playing... outside as much as possible every afternoon.  After our daily bike ride (which is just a little short of 3 miles) we come home and play in the front yard.  The boys play football or catch with Josh, and I blow bubbles with Carly or help her practice bike riding. It makes me so happy to be making these sweet family memories. 

Missing... our people quite desperately, especially the kids missing Grandma, whom they normally see on a weekly basis.  

Surviving... with laughter.  The memes going around are sometimes the only thing getting me through this.  I am trying to share all my favorites in my stories on Instagram and Facebook.  Between the memes and Carly's shenanigans, I find I am smiling at some point everyday.  Such a blessing. 

Ending... the week feeling anxious, tired & unmotivated.  Thursday & Friday were slow and painful.  I just wanted to lay on the couch and do a whole lot of nothing.

Trying... to look on the bright side (and "see the good") of this quarantine as my mood hit a low.  It has definitely helped with some of the anxiety two of the boys were having about different school-related things.  (Sorry to be vague.  As they get older, I am trying to respect their right to privacy.)  Quarantine has also allowed us to slow down and "linger" more, spending more time talking at meals, more time snuggling in the mornings and at bedtime, and more time together outside, making memories.  We are enjoying homeschooling, having fun reading history and doing science together, and Josh and I are loving the extra minutes we have to organize to get the house in order.  I'm making myself daily "to do" lists that include something each day that will stay done and it helps me feel accomplished each day, even if I don't get out of my pajamas or shower.

Watching... as the cats attempt to venture downstairs more often than they have since we got Grady.  It's exciting and I really hope that someday soon they will all live in peace together.  (It's been about three months currently since he came home.) Grady is super sweet and non aggressive, but the cats are over protective of their personal space and somewhat angry about our choice to get a dog. Hah!

Reading... The Bookshop on the Corner, which is the sweetest, most cozy quarantine read.  It's an easy storyline to follow with only a couple characters, but is written about Scotland and is a really sweet book.  Highly recommend.
The boys and I have begun listening to Saving Lucas Biggs by Marisa De los Santos on audio for our evening read while we work on Wyatt's wolf diamond dot art together.  It's been really fun and we're making crazy good progress on the wolf poster.

Loving... Wyatt's acrostic poem he wrote with his name at school.  I love what he thinks of himself.

W ise
Y oung
A wesome
T errific
T echnical skills

Making... no bake cookies with my grandma's recipe one afternoon for snack.  They were a BIG hit with the whole family.  That's another bonus of this quarantine time.  I have time to do little special things like that when normally this time of year, I wouldn't. (We would normally have three kids on baseball teams and life would be hec.tic.!!!)

Adding... some online learning this week as the boys' assignments for their Chromebooks started rolling in.  We faced some challenges for sure, some technical and some attitude related.  But with help from Louis in the tech department and Dad (the Cunningham school principal) things got where they needed to be.
I also added an Emotions Unit this week using this handbook and I am loving it. (It's called What To Do When You Worry Too Much) It's super simple, and has activities and discussions you can have with your kids as you go. There are multiple books in the series (about all different issues) and I think now is the perfect time to jump in, what with the world coming to a standstill and all.

Picking... up lunches daily from Wyatt's school for all four kids.  It's been a life saver when it comes to stretching our groceries and our budget. I am so grateful for those daily brown bags.

Jumping... on the crazy train during date night Friday and watching five episodes of Tiger King in a row while enjoying the delicious pizza Josh made.  If nothing else, it was worth watching Tiger King just so I could understand (and laugh hysterically) at all the memes.
In all seriousness, though, I told Josh that if Tiger King was a novel I was reading, I would put it down and tell my friends that there was just too much going on and that all of it together was completely unbelievable. It was like a train wreck- I just couldn't look away!!

Participating... in a lazy day Saturday, letting the kids do screens for hours while I blogged and read.  Then we went on a bike ride and later did movie night with pizza & cookies.  We watched the newer Karate Kid with Jaden Smith and my boys were all enthralled. (It was on Netflix- go watch it! Super cute!)
After movie night, it was Logan's special night, so he got to walk Grady and stay up late with Josh and me.  He was thrilled.  Next week is Jack's turn.

***

Week 11 Around Here {2019}

Enjoying... Friday night on my own while Wyatt & Josh ran out to the land to get Josh's dads truck so he could make a dump run early Saturday morning.  I made a pizza and watched Ben is Back, which I had borrowed from Redbox.  It was super sad, but really good, and heartwrenching to watch as a mama.

Adoring... the picture my mother-in-law captured of Josh & Carly on the 4 wheeler last week.  Josh said she was totally digging it, yelling, "Go four wheeler, go!" the whole time.  Our little daredevil!

Spending... Saturday with my crew on my own, as Josh was at the land working on Samuel's car with him.  We enjoyed movie night with homemade pizza & cookies (yum!) and it was a nice, mellow day.

Walking... to the school playground in the sunshine (finally!) with my sister and her kids on Sunday when they came into town.  It was so great to take a walk after months of being stuck inside for my workouts, and the kids had so much fun together. (They always do!)  I couldn't believe how big my niece has gotten- I haven't seen her since before Christmas- and was really happy to have everyone together!

Enduring... one more snow day- seriously- on Tuesday this week.  We got over three more inches in the night, and I was honestly in disbelief.  We had the neighbor & her 5 boys over for a playdate, so that helped the morning go by quickly, and I gave the boys all haircuts, which was much needed.  Then the boys played outside and I went to the dentist where I had my permanent crown put in, but with no pain meds.  I'm not sure why they didn't give me any pain meds, they just said they tend not to with permanent crowns... but let me tell you, there was a lot of cement-scraping-off on my tooth nub, and I was in a LOT of pain.  Whoooo! I was SO glad when that stinking appointment was over, let me tell you!!!

Reading... The Life You Longed For and Down Came The Rain, and listening to In Pieces by Sally Field, which I believe should be required listening for every woman.  She is so profound in even the smallest slices of honesty about her life, it's amazing, and I love how she doesn't make anyone out to be a "good guy" or a "bad guy", but allows for shades of grey (something I am terrible at)... it's just so human.  Through her story, she revealed things to me about my own life.  How most things aren't "right" or "wrong", but often fall somewhere in between, and how many times, people are just doing the best they know how, and we can't fault them if they don't know better.  It was a beautiful book, and I loved it.
I gave up reading Maid... Everyone else who read it loved it so much... but I just didn't get into it.  I struggled to identify with the main character, and when Josh saw how long I'd been reading it without making any actual progress, he offered to "get rid of it" for me. Haha! "No one would have to know," he joked.  That was what finally convinced me to put it down, DNF.

Loving... our new bedside tables (I'll have to take pictures next week!) that we got after making do for 2 years with the ones we were given when we moved here.  The new ones match our bedroom furniture, look great with the new flooring, and have three drawers, which is awesome.

Indulging... in self care Wednesday during nap time and watching an episode of This is Us (are you watching it? It's so good right now!) and then taking a nap after lunch.  It felt so good to take care of me, and it turn my anxiety down, which had been creeping up on the dial.  (Sleep always helps tone my anxiety down.)

Attending... the movies Thursday with my girl Megan (hey!!) to see Five Feet Apart after reading the book.  I did not love the book, but to be honest, I only read the book because I knew I was going to see the movie.  And actually, they wrote the movie first, then developed the book from the screenplay.  (Kind of backwards from how it is normally done)
Anyway, even though I only gave the book 3 stars, I LOVED the movie (sobbed like a baby throughout) and highly recommend you see it.  It was such a great way to bring awareness to Cystic Fibrosis, which is actually what they thought Wyatt might have when he was hospitalized in the PICU with status asthmaticus last year.  I follow a girl named Katharine with it on Instagram (she's a fellow BOOK LOVER!) and she has taught me so much about the ins and outs of the disease.  They are so close to finding a cure, which would impact so many people.

Taking... Carly to the doctor on Friday when she just wasn't herself after a bad fall that injured her hip.  I wasn't sure if there were internal injuries; if she was coming down with a cold; or if she was just behind on sleep, but she was NOT acting like herself, and it had me freaked out.
Because I didn't see the fall that injured her hip, the doctor ordered an x-ray, which Carly handled like a pro, and we were relieved when it came back fine.  In the end, I think she was coming down with a cold & cough, as Wyatt came down with the same thing a few days later, but boy was she miserable for a few days!!

Kicking... myself for forgetting to schedule more counseling appointments.  I knew I had scheduled quite a bit out, and then suddenly it was March and I had no more appointments scheduled. Dang! So I will go the next month without seeing my counselor.  I am nervous about it, but I have more appointments scheduled starting mid-April, so hopefully I can make it until then.

Awaiting... next week when the twins get BRACES!!! Our local orthodontist (Feller Orthodontics) is amazing (love him & his family) and worked with us to get our insurance to approve the boys' braces, and now we are ready for Phase 1!  I am so excited both for the boys to have more handsome smiles, and to have safer mouths.  Right now, their side teeth stick out, which puts them at risk for getting knocked loose, so they will be much safer once they are all aligned!

Flaunting... my new purse from my friend Shana.  She saw how sad & old mine was, and gave me one. So sweet!  I love it!!

Treating... myself to Starbuck's on Thursday morning before hitting the grocery store.  It was so nice to sit and drink a mocha while reading before running my errands.  Then I was able to get groceries without Carly, who was spending the day with Grandma, and listen to my audiobook while doing so. 

Receiving... my Book of the Month order and feeling thrilled to get No Exit, The Dark Lake & Queenie in my box.  I think I will dive into No Exit next!!!

I laughed when I read this one:

(thanks for sharing Januari & Julie!)

Tiffany at the Gray Gang shared this quote on Instagram,

and I loved it so much, I wanted to share it as well:

"My child isn't my easel to paint on

nor my diamond to polish.

My child isn't my trophy to share with the world

nor my badge of honor.

My child is here to fumble, stumble, try and cry.

Learn and mess up.

Fail and try again.

Listen to the beat of a drum faint to our adult ears.

And dance to a song that revels in freedom.

My task is to step aside.

Heal my own wounds.

Fill my own bucket.

And let my child fly."

-Shefali Tsabary