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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