Around Here: Week 9 2022

 {February 27-March 5th}

Signing... the boys up for baseball.  They are all so excited for the season, and honestly so are me and Josh. 

Buying... myself tulips at Safeway and feeling so happy for that vision of spring on my dining room table.  Winter will end.  Sunshine is on its way! Mamas, buy the flowers! You deserve it, and you will not regret it! 

Framing... my favorite picture of Phoenix, who was my student back in 2005.  He was a kid who had my heart, and sadly he passed away in July 2020.  I think of him all the time and wish I could go back and save him. But he reminds me to live each day. 

Spending... some time this week coloring, trying to reach a point of feeling zen.  I have been very (very) anxious about becoming a substitute teacher.  My paperwork finally came through and as of next week I can start subbing! While this is exciting (the money will sure be nice) it is also kind of scary! I haven't worked outside the home in over a decade!

Sighing... at how messy Carly's room always is. That girl! She has a great imagination, and can play for hours, but oh the mess!! 

Praying... for Josh's dad as he had a procedure done.  We were so grateful he came out of it great and is home doing well. 

Reading... the HONY story about Venus. Gosh, I kept clicking back and clicking back to see if more of her story was posted on Instagram.  What an inspiring woman! 
I am also listening to Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult.  It is such a good listen. I gave it four stars, but I will tell you that it threw me for a loop!!! Such crazy good writing. 

Dressing... Carly up as a "mad scientist" for "Oh The Places You Can Go" day at school; and as a jaguar on Animal Day.  What I love about Carly is that "more is more" for her, so she doubled up on different jaguar prints, which cracked me up. 

Grateful... that drop off has improved for Carly.  It seems to go back and forth from great to terrible, but I am cautiously optimistic about it being better right now.  She does best if Wyatt is there, it's still hard if he is home sick and she has to walk in on her own, but if he's there, she is good.  
Morning snuggles and not having to rush helps, as does happy music on the drive to school.  So we're slowly figuring it out. 

Cooking... salmon patties for dinner with canned salmon Josh got at Costco, and feeling thrilled that everyone in the family liked them.  They devoured them!! So that will be going on the meal rotation for sure!

Loving... that Jack and his best bud Ainsley come home a few times a week to work out in the shed.  We have a punching bag and a weight bench and they put it to good use. Love those silly boys. 

Accidentally... yelling at Josh to turn off the TV when I thought he was Jack on the couch.  Haha! This is the problem with my twins growing up so fast, they are suddenly man-size and my image of them in my mind hasn't caught up. Poor Josh. 

Capturing... all of Carly's most recent creations.  Her writing, the "hypnotizer" she made, her set up of Molly & Addy on the kitchen table, and recording her beat boxing.  This girl is constantly making us laugh and remember to find joy in the little things. 

Enjoying... a day with my parents in town.  We ordered pizza for dinner and played Cards Against Maturity (ohhhh the laughter!) and just really enjoyed each other. Carly's connection especially with my mom is so sweet, and I enjoyed playing pool with my dad. I even won! I always love most when my parents read to my kids.  So I always capture those moments. 

Feeling... so loved and seen by my sister.  She sent a care package with my mom and dad when they came to visit and it meant so much to me.  She found a mug that said, "See the good" with a rainbow on it! I mean, how perfect is that?!?  I have used it every single day to remind myself to look for the positive. Because seeing the negative is just too easy! She also included the sweetest note, cheering me on, and a beautiful lip gloss that I love! 
Thank you Roxanne. I am so lucky to have you! 

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Funny:

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Around Here: Week 8 2022

 {February 20-26th}

Carly did my hair. 
Side Pony. Classic.

Team Studer Mom

Enjoying... no school Monday and feeling grateful that Josh is such an involved dad.  He and Wyatt played Forza (a car racing game) together and it was so cute. Their laughter and time together made my heart really happy. 

Laughing... as Carly did my hair for the first time. It felt so good to have her brush my hair and I died when I saw the sassy side pony she gave me with her shiny scrunchie. 

Reacting... to my migraine prevention shot (Ajovy) with the biggest, red, swollen, itchy hive ever! Thankfully it only lasted three days, and it's a common side effect, so nothing to worry about. Just annoying!

Chatting... with my girlfriends Kari & Kori on Facetime and loving the time we spend. We talk about everything from the deepest issues (religion, marriage, parenting) to the stupidest ones (how caffeine affects us, what books we're reading) and I always leave those convos smiling and feeling so grateful for them. Love you girls!!

Buying... new basketball shoes for Wyatt and socks for me with money from my parents. (Thanks so much for your support!) 

Attending... Wyatt's basketball game with Carly and freaking out when he got a three pointer! The way he pulled his fist down in celebration was just the cutest. I love him so much!!

Researching... a little more about fibromyalgia, but taking it slow because I don't want to get overwhelmed. The main takeaway for me has been to take a magnesium supplement, which is supposed to help both my muscles and my anxiety.  
If you have fibromyalgia, I would love to know your top three tips for managing it in the comments. Just for a little background- I am taking Duloxetine (for depression, anxiety and fibro) and Gabapentin (to help with RLS, sleep and pain). 

Talking... to my counselor this week and mainly hearing from her that I need to remember to ask "What is mine?" because I have a big heart and I have a tendency to borrow trouble and spiral when I can't fix things. 

Dealing... with snow and cold again (I am pretty over it), but I was happy when Jack got a consequence to shovel the neighbor's driveway and he did such a great job of it. 

Taking... Piper to the vet for her last Parvo shot and feeling excited she only has one more week until she can go out in the world and not risk getting sick. Hooray! The vet said she is small for her size and will be a small adult german shepherd.  I've never heard such good news. Hah! Grady is so darn big, we will be delighted if she's a little girl. 

Reading... Obsessed (oh my gosh so good!It's a biography of a girl who struggled with OCD) and reading Escape from Chernobyl out loud with the boys (also so good!).  

Watching... Love is Blind on Netflix (super trashy, so addicting!) and Dr. Amen who I found on Instagram, and who does these fascinating brain scans on brains that have been exposed to weed, alcohol, meth, or who have traumatic brain injuries or Alzheimer's.  They are absolutely engrossing. 

Sharing... that I've been struggling with how dark and hard and scary life is right now, and getting so much loving feedback from all my friends. My takeaway is that life is a roller coaster, but I have a village behind me, cheering me on, and feeling very much the same way.  We're all in this together, friends. 

Experiencing... horrible anxiety on Saturday and dealing with it by getting busy.  I decided to make the fleece tie blanket my mom bought for me and it was the perfect project.  My favorite anxiety book is Hope and Help for Your Nerves by Claire Weekes and one of my main takeaways from that book is the idea of "occupation"- when your anxiety is taking over your mind, get your hands and body busy doing work.  I find it almost always helps. 

Obsessing... as always, over how Carly plays. Currently she has a little school house set up in the living room, and I just love her little teacher/student set ups and all the projects they do.  Her love of play inspired me to try a really simple activity with her this weekend that I got from Mothercould. I put food color drops into a muffin tray, and covered them with baking soda.  Then I gave Carly a medicine dropper and some vinegar, and she had the best time making the food color show up and fizz.  When she got bored and walked away, each of the boys took a turn making the muffin tins fiz and color.  Such a fun, simple activity!

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Real Talk: Purity Culture

My girl @heytiffanyroe 

is always bringing the truth

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Dr. Amen's Instagram

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