Around Here: Week 18 2024

 {April 28th-May 4th}

Water cooler talk

Teasing... Carly as she awoke on Sunday morning lamenting, "I don't want to be a pirate!" and I told her, "You don't choose the pirate life. The pirate life chooses you!" 

Choking... up at the sweetest gift she brought home from a friend who saw her ordeal via her mom's social media.  Her friend Charlotte and her sister Mallory made Carly the most thoughtful gift bag and card (seen above) as well as two squish toys (that Carly loves!) and a beautiful lip gloss.  It was just so above and beyond and made Carly (and her mama) feel so loved. 

Grateful... that her eye has healed beautifully!  Bruising increased on days 2-4, and we kept it covered until she had the stitches taken out at 5 days (on Thursday) and then we just kept bacitracin on it to keep it moist. I am blown away that you most likely won't even be able to see the scar in her eyebrow. It's definitely one part luck and one part skill, as her ER doctor was incredible at stitches. 

Doing... chores, as usual, on Sunday to prepare for the week ahead. I sometimes help Carly unload the dishwasher, which is her daily chore, and I cannot properly express how happy organized silverware makes me when Josh or one of the boys loads it just so. It's a thing of beauty. 

Realizing... that Carly's glasses may very well have saved her eyeball.  I realized as I was cleaning them that the ax must have hit the frame and ricocheted up to her eyebrow because her glasses are fairly  new, and they have a deep gouge in them that wasn't there before. Gosh, it made me so grateful she wears glasses and that her eye was spared.

Picking... up a Walmart order that included Carly's new American Girl doll kitchen, dog food and new oscillating fans for the bedrooms. I wanted to get new fans before summer fully set in, and they were super cheap at Walmart. 

Laughing... at the cats as they were having what appeared to be a meeting at the water cooler in the kitchen. Haha!

Subbing... all week for a new kindergarten class whose teacher needs to take the next two weeks off to care for her parents. I was more than happy to step in, lesson plan and help her to take the time she needed. I have learned that my first day in a new classroom is always a bit rough, but by day two, I have some connections; know the kids' names; and have a feel for the groove of that room. So knowing that helps. 
By day three, I was in love with those kids. Man, they are just so funny and sweet and I feel so lucky to have spent this week with them. I'm so happy I get to go back for another week as well. I lesson planned my little heart out so I could have this weekend off, and I'm so glad!!!

Adoring... the way Carly writes things on the chalk board that we have run out of or that she simply wants. This week she wrote her initials (CMC) on the board so I'd know it was her who wrote it. I love that silly goose. 

Loving... the way that Carly is playing with her new kitchen for her dolls.  It was less than $50 at Walmart and is so cute! The fridge makes ice/water machine noises, the stove makes sounds and the food is all so realistic. She's written little menus everywhere and has organized the fridge. I just love watching her play and seeing her imagination carried out in real time. 

Helping... Logan with homework. It seems that now that I'm done with my own homework, I've transitioned into helping the boys with theirs as needed. I am happy to do it, and am grateful I finally have the bandwidth to do so. 

Sooooo... tired this week. I think it's a mix of working in a new classroom whose rhythms are unfamiliar to me and not sleeping enough. I am so happy to be approaching the point in time where I might have a day or two off and not have any homework beckoning me!

Feeling... surreal that I am truly done with my class and my degree next week. That 18 months truly flew by!!!

Wondering... if there is any better feeling than when the sink is empty and the dishwasher is humming away. I don't think there is. 

Catching... Jack napping in Josh's chair. It seems I am not the only one exhausted this week!

Attending... baseball games on Tuesday and Thursday this week (which may be contributing to my and Jack's tiredness) and cheering my heart out when Wyatt's up to bat. I still can't get enough of the twins' coaching Wyatt's teammates, and I just love the whole thing. All four of my men carrying gear out to the field and shouting instructions to each other across the field. I just love it. 

Riding... home with Logan after the game Tuesday and feeling so relieved to pull into our driveway. That kid... I am telling you that him and his distractibility while driving are aging me in dog years. 

Visiting... with my parents as they came (with their cute dog Bruno) to Wyatt's game Thursday. My mom also brought this amazing zucchini lemon blueberry bread she made and oh.my.delicious, it was amazing! I could have eaten that whole loaf myself!!! They also brought the sun, which was a lovely change. Every other game so far this season has been SO cold I've been wearing a beanie and at least one blanket, plus gloves and lots of layers. Brrr! The sunshine was just what the doctor ordered. 

Cherishing... the sweetest message and drawing a mom sent me from a student I did my student teaching with. She misses me now that I'm not in the classroom with her anymore. I miss her too!!! What a sweetheart. 

Sitting... on the porch with Josh letting the dogs run around while I took deep inhales of the lilacs blooming off the porch. Just the dreamy spring afternoon I've been imagining all winter.

Keeping... Carly home sick with Josh on Friday as she was not feeling good at all.  She napped twice and was just plum worn out, poor girl.

Continuing... to care for a sick girl on Saturday while we were home together as Josh and the boys headed out to the land. We snuggled and watched some shows. She's the sweetest, saddest little sickly babe.

Listening... to a podcast on Ruby Franke (the Mormon mom who was arrested recently for abusing her children by withholding food and tying them up) and feeling so disgusted by her behavior. I wish I could climb inside the mind's of people like her. I just don't get it. 

Hearing... the arguments about "Man or Bear" and feeling that it hits differently now that I'm raising a daughter. I think I could have shrugged a lot of it off if I was only imagining myself... or if I was only imagining my boys as the "men" in the scenario... but knowing that it's Carly who will be stepping into this world as an adult... a place where I would rather put her up against a bear than a man... it's disheartening to say the least. 

Ruminating... on this quote I heard from a house cleaning/organizing account:

"Clutter is nothing more than postponed decisions."

-Barbara Hemphill

***

Inspired words:
(soooo many good ones this week!)

"Please, just a little longer in these bones."

Oof.
Straight to my heart.

Well, have you???

Those last two paragraphs:
"I'm not ignoring you. I'm breathing. 
Trying to find peace and quiet in this overthinking mind.

I'm trying to catch up on housework.
Trying to be a good mom.
Trying to make sure everyone around me is taken care of."

"goes back and does whatever it is she doesn't have the strength to do."

"Age with mischief, audacity, and a good story to tell."
Amen, amen, amen.


***