Around Here: Week 1 2022

 {January 2-8th}

This week's vignette:
I'm in my room at my desk.  It faces the window, and outside there is a thick blanket of snow.  Carly comes galloping from her room across the hall into my room.  She stands by the end of my bed and says, "Mo-om?" the way she always does, like it's a question.  "Yes?" I question back, turning to face her, waiting for her to tell me something that has her whole body vibrating with excitement. 

"I was telling Liesel [her cousin] that there are three kinds of nerds:
There is the namecalling nerd;
the candy Nerd;
and a book nerd."
She paused as she said the last one and goes, 
"That's a good one, mom.
That's what you are."

***

This is my dad's truck! The snow measured 22" where he lived!

Carly even rainbow sorted the sponges. 
I love her. 

*a gift for Logan from a friend

Noticing... the hoar frost on all the trees during an intense morning fog one day this week.  The frost was beautiful, and so was the six inches of snow we got later this week.  We had two snow days (Thursday & Friday) which felt like a lot since we just finished Christmas Break, but the kids were happy to be home and to get to play in the snow.  I felt like a good mom for making them go out and play (why are devices so much more fun in the moment?) and for making Snow Ice Cream with them. (Vanilla & powdered sugar with a bowl of snow- so yum!) My goal of "Be Present" was definitely in the forefront of my mind during these trying days and it helped lighten my mood & try to be a fun mom. 
My parents and sister got 22 inches where they live, and the pictures were incredible!  Carly's bedroom window boasted some incredible icicles I was able to capture too.  Overall, our winter wonderland is very photogenic. 

Feeling... excited to eat our first pork chops from the pig we had butchered. Everything we've had so far has been great!
Also feeling really happy when we had our first successful family game night this weekend.  We played two rounds of table ping pong with the ping pong machine Wyatt built from his Kiwi Crate (it shoots the balls out and the goal is to hit it back at the net above the machine) and Josh smoked us every time! Haha! But there were so many laughs and it was so much fun! Then we played a game of Yahtzee and collectively, I think there were 11 Yahtzees. The most I have ever seen in a game in my life! It was crazy, and so fun!

Doing... housework to prep for the week ahead. We were all ready for a brand new routine and to get back into some kind of schedule after two weeks of bumming it. This week while the kids were at school (only for three days, wah!) I was able to get my substitute training done, attend my Mine To Tell writing class, and enjoy a much needed Girls Time FaceChat with my friends Kari & Kori. I am grateful I squeezed so much into those few days before the crazy weather descended. 

Mommin'... so hard with Carly as her fear of fire and fire drills made another nasty appearance.  She cried at bedtime, on the drive to school and even at drop off Wednesday morning.  She is so scared there is going to be a fire and nothing we say can convince her otherwise. Thankfully her teacher is amazing, and so patient and invested in helping Carly feel safe, and she called the school counselor on board, and I feel confident we will be able to get her feeling better (safer and less worried) soon. 
Add to this anxiety how much work it is getting ready and out the door everyday with snow pants and boots and coats and gloves and loading her backpack with shoes and a sweater for in the classroom, and it was a doozy of a start to our days each morning. 
My sister also sent me a Daniel Tiger video clip Carly could watch about fire drills, and I ordered a Daniel Tiger book about going to school without your parent (on Wednesday she was crying about just wanting to be with me- I am her safe place-) and she really took to it. It says, "Grown-ups always come back", so that's what we've been saying to calm her fears.  Your prayers + advice are welcome. 

Reading... Beth & Amy (a modern take on the two sisters from Little Women), Larger Than Life (a short story by Jodi Picoult about an elephant caretaker) and listening to Caste (which argues, rightly, that racism and prejudice in America are more similar to a caste system than anything else) and Words on Fire (a YA book about Lithuania) for book club.  I am off to the races in reading this year, and it makes me excited!  What are you looking forward to reading most in 2022?

Watching... Queer Eye (Season 6 on Netflix) and crying during nearly every episode. Gosh I love how those guys find the best in whoever they're working with and make them shine.
Also, sadly, Josh and I finished The Newsroom (which has 3 seasons on HBO Max) and have yet to choose what we'll watch next. We're taking suggestions!!! (We have loved Schitt's Creek, The Office, Game of Thrones, and The Crown)

Laughing... when Carly said to me suddenly at bedtime, "I've got it!!! Nanny (my mom) is married to Santa Clause." I laughed, not understanding where she was coming from, and she said, "At Nanny's house there is a picture of Papa Barry dressed as Santa Claus. I wish you had seen it." (It's a Hallmark card my sister found years ago that truly does look like my dad, as Santa, in a snowy forest) I told her I had seen it, and she said, "Papa is Santa! I wonder if he has a secret place in his house where the elves make toys." She 100% believes this to be true, and now our whole family is in on it. She keeps saying, "I can't believe my papa is Santa!" Gosh I love her little mind. 

Trying... a social media break in hopes it will open up more time in my days.  I've been spending up to 4 hours A DAY (!!!) on Instagram or Facebook, and that is so unbelievable to me. It's such a time suck. My goodness!

Struggling... to sleep on the couch with Piper while we work on crate training with her.  I ordered a book, Lucky Dog Lessons, from Amazon based on a suggestion made by a friend who got a puppy last summer, and it inspired us to just jump into having her in her crate at night. She cried maybe twenty minutes the first night (deafening cries that just about broke my heart) but then she settled down and slept all night.  The second night was maybe 5 minutes of crying, and the third night was essentially none. I am so grateful! 
Other than sleep and potty training, we are working on not stepping on her. She is always under foot.  If I'm doing the dishes, she's curled up on the rug by the kitchen sink. If I'm doing laundry, she's doing figure 8's between my legs.  If I'm answering the door or going in the garage, she's desperately trying to keep up with me, tripping me and yelping when I step on one of her paws. As crazy as it makes me, I do love that she wants to be around her people.  It's so endearing. 

Crossing... "new make up" off my list.  I went to the pharmacy to pick up a prescription and let myself peruse the make up aisle of Rite Aid. I got new foundation, mascara, eye shadow and an eyebrow pencil. It felt so good to toss all my old makeup. 

Loving... the pictures my dad sent of his dog, Damien, that he had before I was born. I could not believe how much Grady looks like him! My love of German Shepherds definitely comes from my dad and I love that he found those pics and sent them to me!
Also loving finding Carly's toy set ups.  They are the sweetest, always and make me feel like I'm doing something right.  The mama's are always hugging their babies or playing, and her organization is so great. In the one pictured above, she created a fridge with magnetix and sorted all the mini-toys into the right sections.

Thankful... for the natural light in my bedroom that made taking pictures of my 2021 books really fun! I wrote three posts on books: A Year in the Books (all the books I read in 2021, including my five star reads and standout audio, church and overall best books); Books to Finish in 2022 (all the books I started in 2021, but didn't finish); and Books to Read in 2022 (the entirety of my Unread Shelf. Oof. It's a lot! Ha!).
I am also thankful that Wyatt's gift for Christmas this year was such a hit! He worked for days on his Ironman lego art. (It's like a diamond dot with Lego dots- it was super cool!) Then Josh hung it in his room for him.  He is so proud of it, and I'm so proud of him. 

***

Some fun memories I came across this week:

And the gift I ordered my brother-in-law finally came!

How cute is that?!?

It's by WildeNomad on etsy

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