around here: week 9 2020

{where grandpa fell}

Napping... with Josh on Sunday afternoon while the kids had screen time and it was the best nap ever. Sometimes I can't believe we have kids old enough to entertain themselves for an hour while we attempt to catch up on our lost decade of sleep. (Hah!)

Prepping... for Monday, as usual, on Sunday.  Cleaning house, catching up on homework and doing loads of laundry. It always feels good to start the week feeling ahead of the game.

Comforting... Carly who woke up SO sad on Monday because she slept in and missed Josh leaving for work.  She usually gives him a hug and a kiss and helps shut the door behind him, but for some reason Monday she slept in.  When she realized he was already gone, she burst into tears, the little sweetie, and we had to call him to tell him she loved him. Awww.

Memorizing... the way Carly says "pinano" instead of "piano".  I know that someday soon she will correct the way she says it (along with "lellow" for "yellow" and "yet's" for "let's") and I will be heartbroken.

Feeling... completely out of my element (again) with parenting this week.  Things exploded Monday (I won't be sharing details out of respect for my middle schooler) and I need help.  Thankfully Josh's mom and my mom are wonderful voices of reason who remind us that a) we will get through this and b) our boys are still learning; nothing right now is permanent.  But I still really struggle with the idea that our kids' behavior is a reflection on us.  We're making sure to get the assistance we need, and everyone is on board, which is huge.  But I am eating a lot of humble pie and did more than a couple walks of shame this week.

Getting... to Carly's appointment for her cavity fillings without her sneaking any water. (Two weeks ago, about five minutes before we left the house, she  snuck some sips of water & we had to cancel! Grr!) Let me tell you, after watching her go through that, I am inspired to never let that happen again, whatever it takes.  So she will now be brushing twice a day consistently and eating less sugar. 
She was incredibly brave, only tearing up twice, but it was still brutal and afterwards she was super out of it, almost like a tiny little drunk.  She kept talking about how bears eat fish, but also fish can eat bears.  Well, fish can eat parts of bears, she said, holding her hand out like a teenager.  Like their ears. And their fingers, she explained.  It was hilarious. And a little sad. So this is my public service announcement- brush your kids' teeth consistently.  We weren't doing Carly's everyday and it got bad quick.

Volunteering... in Wyatt's classroom (I am in there every Thursday afternoon) and wishing teachers could set expectations for each grade like they do in kindergarten.  (Like in kindergarten they expect kids to know colors, numbers, to be able to cut, etc.)  For example: Third graders need to have their addition and subtraction facts through 20 memorized and be working on multiplication and division.  (I happen to do math while I'm there. ;) So that's what's mostly on my mind.)  If your kids struggle with math, I highly recommend the Xtra Math app.  I think it's $5, but in less than 10  minutes a day, they can memorize all those math facts and math will be so.much.easier for them.  The difference between Wyatt (who knows his +/-) and the kids who don't (and require number lines or counting with fingers) is insane.  He's done so.much.faster and is just so much more confident.  The kids who are behind just fall further behind.  One kid this week told me, "I can't do that problem," his eyes sad, then with a sigh he added, "I don't have 14 fingers."

Receiving... donuts from our neighbor (who we don't really know yet).  She works at a bakery/cafe and they had almost 3 dozen leftover and she knew that she and her husband couldn't eat through that many, so she thought of us.  It was the sweetest, most unexpected kindness.

Shaking... our heads at Grady who tried to "escape" his kennel while he was in there for a few hours one morning this week.  His nose (see his profile pic above) was so swollen from him trying to dig his way out.  I'm hoping he learned his lesson... but likely not.

Really impacted... when I read the quote above by Scarlett Curtis that Kate J. Baer shared on her instagram.  It literally took my breath away because it is SO true.  I am absolutely reading all these classics with my boys (My Side of the Mountain, The Giver, The Call of the Wild, etc.) and have been saving others (Anne of Green Gables, Little House on the Prairie, Little Women) for when Carly gets older.  Well, I'll tell you this- no more!
I am going to read my boys the "girl" books, and I am sure they will love them!  And then I'll read them again when Carly is old enough. 

Reading... Miramar Bay by Davis Bunn and suffering my way through it.  It was about an actor who got what he wanted (fame) and then found it wasn't for him and left LA for a sweet little beach town.  The story was good in idea, but the characters were underdeveloped and I was not invested in the story at all.  But it was a book club book, so I pushed through.  I also started Topics of Conversation and DNF'd it (Did Not Finish) when after the first chapter, I found it choppy and not at all what I thought it would be when I ordered it from Book of the Month. 

Listening... to The Anatomy of Peace and The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek, which are both book club books.  The Anatomy of Peace was interesting- about keeping the peace in your family and in interactions with others- and The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek was fantastic.  I loved it.  The main character reminded me of Anne from Anne of Green Gables and learning about the Book Women of Kentucky (a real thing!) was fascinating.  I started and quit Say You Still Love Me by K.A. Tucker, hoping it would be as good as The Simple Wild.  But when I still wasn't into it after over an hour of listening, I gave up. 

Ending... the month with 12 books read (4 from my unread shelf) totaling 26/100 for my yearly goal.  I went from 123 on my Unread Shelf to 120 on my Unread Shelf. I'd really like to hit somewhere between 50-60 Unread books left by the end of the year... but I don't know if I'll make it. My priority goal is to hit 100 books read. I've never done that, and last year I got SO close!!  If you're needing inspiration to read, here are some Bookstagram accounts (bookish accounts on instagram) that I follow that inspire me.  Kari, Katharine, Whitney and Kerry.  Whitney's account is particularly great because she runs The Unread Shelf blog which encourages you with monthly challenges to get your Unread Shelf down to a manageable number.

Escaping... parenting thanks to the amazing support of our in-law's.  Josh's mom had been asking if Josh and I were going to get away for a weekend this winter for a few weeks when we hit a wall in our parenting and Josh said, "I think I know what to do," one night.  I turned to him, anxious for the answer to all our problems when he grinned and said, "Let's run away." Haha!  Seriously, though, taking a break was brilliant and exactly what we needed. 

Getting... the BEST hugs from Carly before we left.  She was super excited to spend time with Grandma, but also knew she would miss me while I was gone.  Those squeezes filled my heart right up!

Enjoying... a gorgeous drive through the Columbia River Gorge during sunset.  I kept taking deep breaths and reminding myself to lower my shoulders.  The stress of the last few weeks has really brought my blood pressure and tension up and I was determined to use this weekend to get my baseline back down to normal. 

Visiting... with a very special little girl who was staying with my mom when we got there.  It was SO good to see her and hug her and fill her little bucket!  We also got to have dinner with my parents (Red Lobster- yum! Thanks mom & dad!) and just hang out with them visiting once the little one went to bed.

Spending... some time together test driving a car Josh is interested in and getting lunch at Muchas Gracias- their carne asada nachos are so good!!  I also got to spend some time with my mom's friends (and honestly my friends, too- love you ladies!) Susan and Kerry.  They were our neighbors growing up and they've stayed in contact throughout the years.  They're like extra moms and I love catching up with them.  They are my cheerleaders and my mentors.  So it felt super special to see them.

Driving... on from my parents house to the coast the next day and staying at the cutest place in Cannon Beach that served the most amazing breakfast- I'm still dreaming of it.  We ate at the yummiest places while we were there, slept a ton, walked on the beach, and even got to go see my grandparents for a few hours.
It was so good to hug them, laugh with them, and see that they really are okay.  (Back story: last weekend we got a call that Grandpa was missing.  He had gone a walk and not come home.  He was missing until after dark.  He was finally found by search and rescue behind a building where he had fallen after tripping on some cement chunks and had been unable to get up.)

Loving... the drive up Highway 101 to see my grandparents.  We do not miss the traffic we experienced in Portland, but we do miss the green and driving among the trees, that's for sure.

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around here: week 7 2020

{February 9 - February 15}

Avoiding... the grocery store with what Josh called top level avoidance skills (thankyouverymuch) by spending Sunday making tortillas, banana bread and homemade bread, all from scratch, simply so I wouldn't have to go to the grocery store until Monday.  Haha!

Reading... Long Bright River, Terilingua Teacher and Wait Till Helen Comes.  I'm listening to Long Bright River on audio, and it is captivating.  It reminds me of the latest season (Season 20) of Intervention that I watched.  It's called "The Hub" and covers the same area of Philadelphia that the book talks about.  The main character, Mickey, is a police officer with a sister who is an addict.  It's a gripping story about choices, family, and the effects of trauma. 

I'm reading Wait Till Helen Comes to the boys at bedtime and we are loving it. It's a book I remember checking out of my school library many (many!) times in elementary school, and when I found it recently at our Friends of the Library book sale, I was overjoyed. It is a bit spooky, but since we are reading it together, it's been fine.  (And it is age appropriate.)

Terilingua Teacher is a book my Grandpa Harold sent me along with a letter when we still lived in Alaska.  In the letter he said that the book reminded him of what Josh and I were doing- teaching/living in an extremely challenging, rural area.  He said we were heroes in his book. A HUGE compliment.  Despite the compliment and the effort he put into sending me the book, I never read it.  (It's been probably 5+ years, and he has since passed away) I made it a goal this year to read it, and I am so glad I did.  The book was good, but more than that, I feel like I got a glimpse of my Grandpa that I otherwise wouldn't have gotten.  For instance, when he reads, he marks the paragraph he left off on with a little cross, or small t.  Also, he censored the book for me, blacking out the f-word.  That made me smile. 

Loving... the time the kids spend on the trampoline lately.  They have all kinds of games they play on there.  Some involve jumping over each other, playing with a ball or even taking pillows onto it, but they are all very creative and help them get lots of exercise out there.  I also love how Grady thinks it's his job to sit outside the trampoline while they are on it. #guarddog

Stressing... about parenting this week.  Some things went down that I won't go into here, but there was truth & lies involved and it was incredibly hard on my mama heart.  Josh and I were able to talk through most of it, and by the end of the week together we had solved the problems, and feel we mostly have a handle on the situation... but I am telling you, I think back to the days when I was able to wake up and watch Doc McStuffins on Disney channel with the boys, not shove them out the door (backpacks on! did you get your lunch? don't forget to turn in your homework!) and I think how I had no idea how easy I had it.  I had no idea how simple those days were, how I took for granted the straightforward answers that existed in response to any problems we had.  Now it's all shades of grey and praying I'm doing the right thing, and winging it SUPER HARD.

Taking... a bath to help deal with the stress.  The night everything imploded a migraine struck suddenly and I didn't know what else to do, so I took my weary bones and climbed in the bath. It was just what I needed.  It's good to know a little self care goes a long way.

Running... errands with Wyatt, who was the best helper, when he was home sick with a cold.  While in the car, he went through my center console and found all the sunglasses that were in there, and he and Carly put them ALL on at once.  It was hilarious!  On days like that, when running errands with them in tow is so lovely, I wonder just what I'll do with myself when Carly starts school in a year and half. {sob}

Loving... my new lipstick! I decided to try an actual lipstick after growing tired of reapplying lip gloss every ten minutes, and I'm so happy with the result.  I went with Milani BOLD color matte lipstick in I Am Fabulous.  It was just under $6 and I love it!  I was nervous to try a matte color, but it actually stays on so much longer, and I can always add a gloss on top if I want a little sparkle.
(You can click on the link above and order it online if you can't find it in your local Walmart.)  

Kicking... myself when Carly's cavity-filling appointment (with the sleepy juice, etc.) was canceled because she snuck two drinks of water when I wasn't looking.  As one can imagine, mornings at our house are pretty chaotic.  Everyone is up by 6:30am.  Josh leaves around 6:40am and then the real crazy begins.  Making lunches, eating breakfast, getting chores done, etc.  Well, somewhere between the time I got Carly up and dressed and when we had to leave for her appointment, I found her with a water bottle in her hand, sucking on the straw like it was going out of style.
sigh.
Apparently the "sleepy juice" makes kids super nauseous, and to reduce the likelihood of throwing up (and aspirating on it) they require kids have no food or drink for 8 hours prior to the procedure.  So we had to reschedule for two weeks out. Fingers crossed I can keep her out of the kitchen that morning!!

Volunteering... in Wyatt's {third grade} classroom to help during math groups & wondering how teachers anywhere do anything! You are all AMAZING! The 40 minutes FLEW by, and by the time we were really in the groove, it was time to move on to the next subject.  Also, I only work with seven kids, and I feel completely inadequate when they all have their hands raised, questions to ask, answers to be checked... I can only imagine if I had 25 or 28 or 32 students I had to juggle.  We put so many expectations on our teachers- to teach our children, to mentor them, to help them catch up if they are behind and to instill in them a love of learning... I am married to a teacher, so I thought I understood what teaching was all about- the struggles, etc.- but I had no idea until I myself set foot in a classroom.  Now I'm pretty sure Josh has a magic wand hidden somewhere, because the job we set before our teachers is mighty near impossible, yet somehow he accomplishes it.

Laughing... this week when Carly told me she was drawing a picture of me, but I was grumpy.  When I asked why I was grumpy and she replied, "I'm afraid it can't be helped!" I cracked up and then she told me that I was grumpy because she made a mess (she then drew the mess on the white board) and that was why it couldn't be helped. Some of her one-liners are too good!!!

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