Week 47 Around Here {2019}

Dreaming... of water (flooding houses, overflowing toilets, waterfalls going down stairs) every night it seems.  I looked up the meaning of these types of dreams and it points to emotional turmoil.  That makes sense to me, as parenting my middle schoolers is quite challenging currently.  I am hoping that remembering I am the "eye of the storm" will help me to remain calm no matter how crazy life gets around me.  But boy is that hard!

Celebrating... my 37th birthday a little early with my sister and my bestie this weekend in Wenatchee.  Shana and I drove over and can I just say what a luxury it was to be in the car with her and to talk without interruption for an hour and a half each way?  It was so awesome. #momlife
Once we got to Wenatchee, Shana and I hit up Costco where she helped me comparison shop for a lot of things I normally buy at Walmart.  So many things will be a better deal in the long run if I get them at Costco!
After shopping at Costco (we got a few Christmas gifts for the kids and some household essentials) we met my sister for lunch out followed by a movie.  Lunch was so good and the movie was okay (3 stars at best) but the popcorn was amazing. Hah! I love movie popcorn, and the feel of a dark theater.  Luckily the company was awesome the whole day and I feel so lucky to have two such great girls in my life.

Turning... 37 on Monday with a gorgeous sunrise Josh alerted me to on his way to work ("If you have a minute, you should really go check out the sunrise this morning.")  Then I met my girlfriends for coffee and a farewell to my girl Jolene who is moving to Alaska with her crew.  Boy are we gonna miss her!!!  Then my friends Crystal and Becky stopped by and surprised me with brownies and gifts- so sweet! Then Carly and I made a cake that we ate after dinner with the guys. 
Josh arrived home from work with flowers for me (swoon) and Wyatt had made me a bookmark that melted my very heart. It has a drawing of us reading books together- my favorite!
My gift this year was a stack of books I got at Book Outlet which I was introduced to by my friend Ashley.  I got 5 books for less than $20!
It was a really great birthday, I felt loved & spoiled all day long, and I feel like 36 was a really blessed year.  Here's hoping 37 is too!

Counting... at least nine migraines in November and praying December is better.  I am only allowed to take 9 doses of Sumatriptan (my migraine medicine) per 30 day period (or I can get rebound headaches), so I am very lucky I didn't have any more headaches than I did.  They are just the worst.  I'm hoping it's just about my cycle and my hormones changing as I age...

Attending... Basin Brawl for the boy's wrestling club and getting to watch them wrestle for the first time in real matches.  Josh's parents were there to watch, which was really special, and I felt SO proud of them all.  I was that crazy mom on the side of the mat, yelling and cheering like mad, near tears when they did good and holding my breath when things weren't going their way.  Josh had a heart to heart with Logan after he lost a match and I just can't even put into words the love I feel for him when I see him being such a good dad. We are all so lucky he is ours.
Jack won a match, and when they held his arm up to show he was the winner, I was so proud of him I could have burst! The look of accomplishment on his face was fantastic. 

Enduring... freezy, foggy weather day after day this week.  It's been so cold and dreary!!!

Loving... Carly's new (to us) curtains!  They are so fun (polka dots!) and will look even better if I ever get around to painting her room.

Reading... Inheritance (on audio) and The Night Olivia Fell.  Inheritance simultaneously makes me want to and not want to take a DNA test like Ancestry or 23 and Me.  I loved listening to the story, and really enjoyed learning more about Orthodox Jews.  Before this memoir, I knew nothing about them.
The Night Olivia Fell was a fascinating mystery that kept me reading to the last page.  It was a solid 3 stars, and I enjoyed the story, but I like a novel with better writing.  I like a little more flair.
I also finished listening to Us Against You.  That, again, was good, entertaining, but not my favorite. It was a bit dark for my taste.

Getting... the twins flu shots finally.  I got mine and Carly and Wyatt's a month or more ago, but kept forgetting the twins.  They weren't very happy to get home from school and find out that's where we were headed.  Luckily it was quick and relatively painless.  Later Jack had a little swelling at the injection site (which is normal) but that was it.

Ringing... in the holiday season with a giant (Paw Patrol, because #duh) tub of Christmas popcorn.  Carly was SO excited when I said yes to this at the grocery store, and her brothers were equally thrilled when they got home from school to this snack.  It's a Christmas classic.

Hosting... book club for the first time at our house and feeling so grateful for that amazing group of ladies.  They stayed until 11 and I think we could have stayed hours longer, to be honest.  Being with other women, other mothers, just fills my cup in a way that nothing else does.

Posting... a house tour of our downstairs (since it was so clean for book club- hah!) on my Facebook page & Instagram. We are seriously feeling so blessed in our new digs.  If you've wondered what the new house looks like, click over and check it out!

Planning... for Christmas bit by bit.  Our plan is to get the kids 2 gifts each (and they'll get one from Santa), plus books for Christmas Eve, which is our family tradition.  They'll also have stockings, with some yummy treats and one small toy.  My budget for each kid is $50, which is very (very!) challenging, but it has to be done because we are living on cash now and I'm not pulling the credit cards back out for Christmas.  You better bet I'll be hunting for some good deals after Thanksgiving!

Being... overcome by an organizational bug that I think is a preemptive hit against all the toys and things the kids tend to get at Christmas.  Also in preparation for hosting Thanksgiving.  Whatever the reason, I am rolling with it, and sorting & purging all.the.things.

Crafting... with this color by diamond art.  If you haven't tried it, you really should. It is so much fun!!! (Thanks, Shana for introducing me!)

Enjoying... sending the twins off to their friends' house Friday night and letting them stay late (until 10pm) since we don't do sleepovers.  They thought it was super cool, and we were able to have date night once we got Wyatt & Carly to bed.  We watched Game of Thrones (we're into Season 7 now!) and had homemade pizza.  So yum!

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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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