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...}

around here :: week 2 2020

Enjoying... taco salad as a change for date night with Josh on Friday after the kids were in bed. It took me back to our date nights in Alaska when we would sometimes have that.  We both look back so lovingly on our time there.  It almost feels as if it were a dream. (Don't worry, I also remember that they rarely had eggs or sour cream at the co-op and that we thought "good weather" was when it was above zero and not windy. Hah!)

Blessed... with a day all to myself on Saturday when Josh took the kids to the park, out to lunch, and then to his parent's house.  That was on top of letting me sleep in until 11:30.  I honestly can't remember the last time I slept until 11:30am.  I'm certain it was before children. (So, circa 2006 or 2007) I am trying so hard to get over this cold, though, that I slept like the dead and could tell I so needed that rest!
During my day off I did a ton of reading for book club on Tuesday (we are reading A Severe Mercy) and a ton of laundry (so.many.loads!). 
Honestly, though, no matter what I was doing, I just soaked up the silence. There is nothing like the quiet of an empty house to bring my soul back to equilibrium.

Getting... the twins caught up on missing work from when they were sick before Christmas break as we prepared to head back to school Monday.  We also cleaned the house and the kids even vacuumed out my van, so we all felt totally ready to jump back into our routine by Sunday evening. 

Reading... A Severe Mercy and If Only I Could Tell You, and listening to Find the Good on audio.  I love break because it means I can spend a whole heck of a lot of time just sitting around reading.  And that's my favorite.
If Only I Could Tell You has been a real page turner and I've been surprised a few times already!  Find the Good is a feel good listen, and goes right along with my phrase for the new year ("See the good") and is really uplifting.
I also read this by Anne Lamott (or you can watch the video) and feeling really inspired by it. Especially this part:
"If you don't know where to start, remember that every single thing that happened to you is yours, and you get to tell it. If people wanted you to write more warmly about them, they should've behaved better.
You're going to feel like hell if you wake up someday and you never wrote the stuff that is tugging on the sleeves of your heart: your stories, memories, visions and songs -- your truth, your version of things -- in your own voice. That's really all you have to offer us, and that's also why you were born." Gah! It's just SO good!!!
{Thanks for sharing this with me, Debbie.  I needed to hear it.}  

Loving... the new football game the boys are playing on the trampoline. It is keeping them outside for hours, with very little fighting, which is unheard of.  I also love how when they are on the trampoline, Grady lays in the grass in front of it like a guard dog.  Even Carly has gotten out there with them a few times.

Understanding... that having a little sister is HARD sometimes.  Wyatt worked so diligently on two of his wooden puzzles, then left them unattended and Carly took them apart. He was so heartbroken and angry.  I encouraged him to try again, and to forgive her, but he was mad for quite some time.  #siblinglife

Enduring... a surprise withdrawal from our bank account that we thought wasn't due until February (because it said it wasn't due until February) and taking a deep breath while trying to regroup.  While we're getting our feet under us without falling back on credit cards, every little bill or unexpected expense has the ability to throw us off. 
I'm stretching our groceries a bit further to balance out the unexpected expense by making homemade bread (for making french toast for dinner one night this week & to eat with breakfast) and homemade tortillas (for tacos and quesadillas) and being as creative as possible with what is still in our pantry.  I am grateful for our time in Alaska during times like these because I got really good at working with what was in the pantry and cooking from scratch when needed. 

Sending... the kids back to school and making our new favorite family dinner Monday night.  We had meatloaf, made in my square muffin pan tin with little bacon strips on each tiny meatloaf along with corn, mashed potatoes and gravy.  Every one of the four kids ate everything on their plate. It felt like a back-to-school/New Year miracle! So yummy, we may just have it every week!

Watching... Season 3 of Anne with an E and wishing it would go on forever.

Comforting... Carly during her night time growing pains.  She has been waking up the past week in tears over the pain she has in her legs.  One night even her arms and her feet hurt.  When I'm in there, I rub them and rock her back to sleep after giving her some pain meds.  I try not to worry and think it's anything other than growing pains, but it's hard not to worry when your kid wakes from a dead sleep sobbing like Carly has been. The boys never did this at this age.

Frustrated... with Grady who ate one of Carly's {favorite} puppy dog toys, Skye, and one of my slippers while I wasn't paying attention the other day.  For the most part he is such a good dog, but if he gets bored, or we leave things on the floor (especially shoes!) he tends to get a little "chewy". sigh. Carly cried HYSTERICALLY when I showed her what he had done. I felt so bad, but I knew I had to show her.  She would wonder where Skye had gone, and she has to learn not to leave her toys on the floor. Poor girl.  Later, though, she hugged him and said, "I forgive you, Grady. I forgive you, boy."

Thankful... that the cats are coming downstairs more and more and seem to be adjusting to Grady's presence here.  He's only been here a month, so I'm still holding out hope that someday I will find him and Ramona or George curled up in a nap together on the couch. #bigdreams

Smiling... when I saw the message that Logan and Wyatt had put up using Carly's bath tub alphabet in their shower. "Love You Mom & Dad" Those boys can sure be sweet when they want to be.

Attending... our first book club meeting of the year and loving the opportunity to discuss A Severe Mercy, which was a great romantic book about grief, and also the meeting where we chose our books for the next six months. I am so excited for what we will read!!

• Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery (my pick!)
• Miramar Bay by T. Davis Bunn
• The Anatomy of Peace by The Arbinger Institute
• Sweep: The Story of A Girl and Her Monster by Jonathan Auxier
• The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michelle Richardson
• The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck

Back... to wrestling for the boys, who enjoyed a two week respite over break, plus the two weeks they spent sick before that.  Now we're trying to decide who is going to continue on this next quarter.  Jack & Wyatt say they're pretty sure they want to, but Logan really doesn't. So Josh and I have a decision to make. 

Getting... basically no news (which is good news) from Wyatt's neurologist when we went to see her in Spokane on Thursday.  His EEG was clear- it showed no seizures and no abnormalities- which is great, but it still leaves us wondering what these staring spells are.  He hasn't had any in a while, so we are just going to watch and wait.  Dr. Eastman said that seizures will make themselves known (by increasing in severity or frequency) so if they are seizures, we will know eventually.  In the meantime we just have to keep Wyatt safe, which is pretty easy considering his staring spells/seizures only seem to be happening in the classroom or in bed and are very short in duration. 
I am so thankful Josh's mom was able to have Carly for the day Thursday so Wyatt and I could head to Spokane without her in tow, as she gets carsick and isn't the most patient girl at the doctor's office. (What three year old is?!?)
Every time I head to the children's hospital I get very anxious about finding parking, especially if my appointment is midday like it was today.  So as I drive into the parking garage, I say a little prayer that God would send someone out to their car as I am driving by, and every time it works.  I know it's a little thing, and it might seem silly to you, but for me, it alleviates so much stress, and I'm so grateful for God meeting that small request.

Tearing up... when I received my sister's adoption announcement in the mail.  It made it feel... I don't know... official? I was so excited, and so happy for my sister, and I loved seeing that sometimes there are happy endings.

Watching... the snow fall on Friday as I stayed home taking care of Logan who was home sick, sick, sick and reading my books. Logan's got a terrible sore throat and fever and chills, poor kid.  The only good thing was that I didn't have much going on so I was able to just sit with him on the couch and really snuggle him up good.

Sleeplessness... is leading to more worry than (my current) normal, which is crummy.  Normally I am able to tell myself, "Think horses not zebras" when it comes to me or the kids being sick... but with myself not sleeping, my thoughts are bit more chaotic than normal and it's hard to talk myself down.  Like with Carly's growing pains, I keep thinking it must be something worse. And with Logan's illness, I kept thinking it must be something to do with his seizure med levels... but really, it's probably just growing pains in Carly and some kind of flu in Logan.  But try telling that to my crazy, child-loving, fear-protecting, worst-case-scenario thinking, sleep deprived mind!

***

*