around here week 1 2021

 {December 27-January 2nd}

Reading... Upright Women Wanted on audio (it was okay, but The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek was much better!) and finishing Winter Sisters.  Winter Sisters was the second of the Mary Sutter novels, and was so engrossing.  I loved it. I wrapped up my December reading with six books, and 105 books read in 2020. I am so happy to have surpassed my goal. 

Attending... book club via zoom and feeling so grateful for those friends.  All throughout quarantine we have continued meeting virtually, and their support and understanding (they are all moms as well, trying to survive these crazy times) has been priceless. 

Undecorating... our house and rearranging things.  Recently we had the "game room" (table with two screens + the xbox & PS4) set up in Wyatt's room; but I feel like he's been needing some space of his own, so we moved the "game room" downstairs into the living room and we are all thrilled with the change.  Something about being home together so much in 2020 had us constantly rethinking how we use the space in our home, and I'm so happy to try new things. 

Hosting... my little niece Romy for a playdate on Monday and while I was nervous (she just turned three, and sister LOVES her mama!) it went great! She was good on the drive to my house, and she had so much fun playing with all Carly's toys and eating Otter Pop's (cause Aunt Shelly cannot tell her no- hah!).  It was especially fun to see her with our animals. She adores Grady & Molly, and they were so good to her. 

Taking... Grady to the vet for a booster shot, and finding out (finally!) his weight. Josh and I both guessed he was in the 80's... but he actually weighs 113 pounds! Big boy!!

Enjoying... a glorious snow day on Wednesday.  Big, fat, wet flakes came down all day and it was beautiful.  Josh had seen the weather coming and had gotten gas for the snow blower and some extra groceries the night before. I was so thankful when we woke up to a winter wonderland the next day! 

Soaking... in the last few days of Christmas break.  This has been a much needed respite from school for our family, and sleeping in, lounging around and laughing together has been so lovely.  

Ecstatic... that my sweet friend Tabitha, who is expecting #6, is having a baby girl! She currently has three boys & two girls, but the last two were boys, so she's ready for some more PINK. I am soo excited. (I even bought her a "Little Sister" onesie before we knew for sure. I was so hopeful!)

Seeing... my counselor again (via Doctor on Demand online) and feeling so blessed to have affordable mental health care, and to have gotten lucky with such a great therapist. Dr. H is an amazing listener and so supportive of my role as a stay at home mom.  She and I have a lot of things we want to work on together and this week we dove in.  

Setting goals... I have with my counselor.  She's going to help keep me accountable to- working out 3x a week; not doing anything else while eating (ie reading, watching TV); introducing healthier snacks to the family; and keeping my calories between 1500 & 1700 each day.  My weight has ballooned up (thanks COVID & quarantine) to 222 pounds. I am really uncomfortable and I want to get it under control.  Small changes are the way, she says, so I'm starting small with a few workouts each week, better snacks, and not reading while I eat. I've already done this a few times, and I have been surprised how much less I eat when I am paying 100% attention to my meal. The hardest part will likely be the calorie restriction... but I am excited to eat more fruits & vegetables, and to see some pounds fall off!

Laughing... as Carly told me about grandma pulling her on her sled behind the four wheeler.  "I went SO fast!" she said excitedly.  Josh took her and the boys out to the land while I had my counseling appointment, and they got to sled. They are so lucky to have access to the land thanks to their grandparents- so many amazing memories are made there. 

Celebrating... New Year's with chinese food takeout (our tradition) and going to bed at 10:30pm.  Hah! We are such old people. 

Sleeping over... at my mom's with Carly.  We had so much fun on Friday & Saturday, shopping and watching movies.  I went to Hobby Lobby for the first time and bought a ton of shelves & decorating stuff for our house. I am so excited to hang everything up and add some functionality (a magazine rack in the bathroom, a new lamp in the family room, another (blue!) book cart for downstairs)

We also watched Ammonite (the new Kate Winslet movie) which made me miss the beach and love rocks even more; as well as Blackbird, which was devastating. Susan Sarandon is just incredible as the mom with ALS choosing to end her life. 

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