around here :: week 4 2020

{January 17-25}

{Birthday Girl!}

{Pregnant with Carly May}

Sending... the twins back to school after Logan missed seven school days thanks to pneumonia and Jack missed five thanks to Influenza A and a double ear infection. Thankfully after emailing each of their teachers (they have 14 total) a lot of their work was excused.  But they still had quite a bit of catch up to do this week as it was the end of the quarter and some things can't be skipped (hello tests & papers!).

Humbled... by the ease with which Josh is able to help the twins with their math homework.  I am so lost (already!) when they ask me for help seeing as math was never my strong suit, so I am really impressed by Josh's ability.  I'm super thankful he's around and willing to help in that way. #teacherhusbandforthewin

Thankful... that the twins started feeling better before I got super sick with Influenza A.  They were so super helpful while I was sick, doing extra chores and taking care of me and Carly (who must have been bored out of her mind, poor girl!).  She was also a real trouper- scouring the pantry for snacks when she was hungry and asking me, "Are you a little bit better yet?" every day.

Working... really hard on resting up and recovering fully.  It has been a long, slow road.  Thursday I finally decided to go in and be seen since Carly was with my mother-in-law. (Thank you, Carol!)  My doctor was as sweet as could be, but really, there was nothing he could do for me.  I wasn't running a fever, and my lungs sounded clear, so I just needed to give it more time.
As this week ended (Saturday the 25th) I was still needing naps and feeling like garbage.  I have never had an illness wipe me out the way this one did.  I took two naps a day all week and had to rest after walking up or down the stairs. Coughing kept me up all night, and I was miserable as could be.  I'm really hoping next week I am 100%!

Receiving... my Book of the Month order for January and feeling ecstatic!  I ordered three books this time, knowing that most of this year I am going to be on book buying hiatus.  I got:

• Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
• Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano
• The Glittering Hour by Iona Grey

I haven't talked about Book of the Month in a while. I love it. It's $14.99 a month, which gets you a book shipped.  Then, if you want to, you can add on any two additional books for only $9.99 each.  For hardback books, which are normally $24-$28, this is a steal!  And if the five books they are offering that month don't appeal to you, you can skip that month with no penalties. I have even put my account completely on hold by simply calling their 800 number when I went on a long term book buying ban. I have zero complaints, only good things to say about them and highly recommend them to all readers who love to add books to their libraries. 

Indebted... to my  mom and sister, who took all three of my boys for an afternoon of bowling and cousin time despite the fact that I was too sick to join them. Josh met them halfway (bless his heart, too) and the boys had the time of their lives.  Thanks girls!!!

Laughing... when Josh told me that the "writing" on Carly's white board was a "list" for her brothers from chore day (Sunday) when mommy was too sick to write one.
Normally on Sunday the boys "To Do List" is written on the giant black board in the kitchen.  It will include things like which bathroom they have to clean, what they have to vacuum and if they have any other special chores.  Well, in my absence Carly made sure they had lists to read and check off.  Gosh I love that girl.

Celebrating... Carly's fourth birthday with a cake and ice cream, and a few presents.  She woke up asking for cake, so I blew up some balloons and gave her her kitty headband.  She was overjoyed!  Later, after a nap for me, we made her cake.  And after another nap, we frosted it.  I felt terrible being so sick on her birthday, but I was grateful knowing she was happy just to have balloons to play with and a few presents to open later.
At Christmas time I had been looking into getting her some magnetic building tiles, but decided on some other gifts instead.  Well, a deal popped up on my Facebook feed (thanks for stalking my shopping, Facebook) that was too good to pass up!  Zulily had a set of Picasso Tiles that were regular $99 on sale for $35, so I ordered them and put them away for Carly's birthday.  They were a huge hit!  All the kids love them. 

Puzzled... over the places I find sparkly blue toothpaste in the boys' bathroom upstairs.  Last week I found some on the floor by the bath tub and more under the toilet paper roll; and beyond that, there was a streak of it on the wall outside the twins' bedroom door.  Lord help me, what is this about? Why? Am I the only one? Do other mothers walk around, baby wipes in hand, searching valiantly for bright smudges of sticky toothpaste after their kids are in bed?
I think I am losing my mind.
Up in here.
Up in here.

Geeking out... that Kelle Hampton of Enjoying The Small Things (love her, love her blog!) commented on my instagram post about Carly growing up too fast.  I wrote about how I can easily get really sad lamenting the fact that my kids are getting bigger and I'm daily leaving the baby & toddler days behind, but Kelle Hampton's "There is more" post back in 2017 reminds me that even though the times of the past (and present) are sweet, there is more to come. More love, more memories, more good.  There is more.

Grateful, grateful, grateful... for the man that I married.  This sickness had me out for a total of 12 days, 10 of which were really terrible.  Weekend to weekend, I was so sick, and Josh had to pick up all the slack.  He made meals, did bedtime, grocery shopped and washed (according to him) more laundry in one three day period than he had done in his entire life. Haha! Oh, bless. He's just the best, and I'm so lucky he's mine.  Did I mention he did all that in addition to his full time job? And the four kids we share? 

Wondering... what the strangest thing is that you know the most about? I heard Ellen ask someone that question on a clip I saw online and it made me wonder what the strangest thing is that I know a lot about, and then consequently what my friends know about.  For me, I think it might be the zygosity of twins (identical vs. fraternal) or asthma and epilepsy. #momlife
So tell me, friends, what's your random knowledge?

around here :: week 3 2020

All Day.
Every Day.
#momlife

{feels like 2!?!}

Reading... Anne of Green Gables (my book choice for book club!) and listening to Five Love Languages of Children and The Good Earth (another book club book that I just jumped into ahead of time).  Five Love Languages is giving me tons of good ideas for showing love to my many children, and The Good Earth is so much more engrossing than I had imagined.

Finishing... Gentle Ben with the boys who really enjoyed it.  It's about a boy who gets a pet brown bear and how his small Alaska town reacts.  I also finished Motherhood So White, which was an interesting read that made me think, but also frustrated me in some of its points.

Excited... to find a copy of a book I read over and over in elementary school at the Friends of the Library sale to read to my boys when it's my turn for read aloud again.  It was only .25! It's a ghost story called Wait Till Helen Comes and as I was researching what the old cover looks like, I discovered that a movie has been made, just in 2016. So now I want to see it!!
Recently I reread another childhood favorite, Goodnight Mr. Tom, and loved the experience, so I can't wait to reread this one as well.

Sending... Jack & Wyatt off to the land with Josh so I could focus on just caring for Logan on Saturday.  He did pretty well all day until late afternoon when I was in the shower.  He then suddenly came upstairs, out of breath from nonstop coughing.  I checked his oxygen with our oximeter (it was in the high 70's and low 80's- not good) and his breaths per minute were 40 (normal is between 12-20).  I threw on some yoga pants, got boots and a coat on Carly, called Josh and we headed out the door to the ER. 
At the ER Logan was diagnosed with some type of Influenza (the tests came back negative, but the doctor thinks the results were an error) and pneumonia.  He was placed on Tamiflu and an antibiotic.  We were luckily released relatively quickly and met Josh and the other kids back at home (he had picked Carly up at the ER on his way home) and were back in time for movie night with our crew. 

Dealing... with Jack getting sick as well on Sunday and staying home with Logan, Carly and I on Monday.  We are quite the crew.

Smiling... every time I see Ramona sleeping with Wyatt in his bed.  He adores the cats, who usually sleep in the twins' room, so having her sleep with him makes him so happy.  They look so cozy, all snuggled up together in his blankets. 

Taking... Carly to Grandma's and the twins to the doctor on Tuesday to have Logan rechecked after his ER visit and to have Jack checked as well.  When I dropped Carly at Grandma Carol's we saw bunny tracks in the snow, which was so cool! And she was thrilled to spend the day learning and playing with Grandma.  I was happy to take the twins to the doctor without an extra kid on hand.

Learning... that in addition to Logan's pneumonia, Jack has Influenza A and an ear infection, and Logan is slowly recovering from fever blisters in his mouth and pink eye.  (Jack & Wyatt at Influenza B back before Christmas break- and this is all WITH our flu vaccines! Very poor luck this year for us!)

Worrying... when Carly threw up for no good reason Wednesday morning, until I pieced together that I think it was from giving her the Tamiflu (as a preventative) on an empty stomach.  Last time I gave it to her right at meal time after she'd eaten. This time I waited and she had an empty tummy.  Apparently that was not ideal, as she vomited up every last drop of the medicine.
I'm so blessed, though because that girl knows she's supposed to puke in a bowl so she came all the way downstairs with her hand over her mouth, holding the puke in, to ask me for a bowl, before she would let it fly. Gosh, do I love that girl.

Napping... for two solid hours on Wednesday afternoon when my sore throat really hit with a full force and the sickness seemed to really settle in.  Thank goodness Carly is old enough to watch a screen and not get into mischief while hanging out with her big bros while I slept.  Boy did I feel better after that!

Driving... Carly to Grandma Carol's to spend the day Thursday again and feeling ever so grateful for that day off from parenting her when I am feeling so crummy.  It was lovely to rest, and sleep, and catch up on some blog posts, all without overdoing it.

Grateful... for friends who think of us when they are getting rid of their kids' things.  I have the BEST group of friends and none of them get rid of things without offering them to Carly. I swear. They always call.  "Does Carly need a coat? Snow pants?"  This week it was dress up clothes.  So Carly got home from Grandma's to see a cowgirl dress up outfit (including hat!!!) on her bed and was beyond thrilled!!  Thank you, Becky!!

Waking up... every morning to a Kleenex apocalypse in Logan & Jack's room, where they simply blow their noses and throw the tissue (BOMBS AWAY!) over the edge of their bunk beds toward the floor. Some mornings this week were quite impressive. G R O S S
(Thankfully they seem to be getting better.)

Tolerating... super cold temperatures this week, as it was only 2 degrees with wind chill one day! Brrr!!!

Taking... Wyatt late to school Friday because I let myself sleep in.  The twins are finally getting better, but now I am fully coming down with it and it's got me exhausted.  Old Shelly would have berated myself for letting him be late, giving no grace.  But New Shelly is full of mercy and patience and knows that I was doing the best I could, and that Wyatt being an hour late was not the end of the world.

Loving... watching Carly playing dolls.  She props their bottles, changes their diapers, and talks in the sweetest, highest voice to them.  It just melts me.  Having a girl has yet to get old.

Listening... to Jen Hatmaker reveal bits & pieces of her book to us this week (it's out in April) and her words from the chapter about our bodies??? UGLY TEARS.  It reads like poetry, and she ends like this:

"Her voice is the sound of home.  

You may hate her, but no one else does."

***

For laughs:

{This had me DYING! Hahaha!}

{Maybe a little too accurate to be funny. I'm going on nine years next month...}