around here week 4 2021

{January 17th-23rd}

Carly in her clip ons

Carly's "marshmallow lips" from the dentist

New Laundry Rotation Schedule

Instituting... a new laundry schedule after feeling like it is feast or famine when it comes to the laundry around here.  I either have ALL the laundry to do, or NO laundry to do. And that was not working. So I made a schedule with our personal loads split up by towel days or excess loads, and I am so excited to start it. This way, I'll be doing some laundry everyday, and I won't have to think about what to put in.  It's already decided for me. 

Reading... Anne of the Island, The Best Kept Secret and Angel in My Pocket.  Anne of the Island I am somewhat leisurely reading.  I just love Anne Shirley.  The Best Kept Secret was engaging but hard to read, and Angel in My Pocket is our February book club choice. 

Taking... Carly to the dentist for her cavities and being so proud of her. She had zero tears or complaints. The dentist even said she was better behaved than most kids twice her age. She is just amazing. After the work was done, she was swollen, and she said, "It's like my lips are marshmallows." Hah! Perfect description. 

Feeling... tired and kind of down on Tuesday, which was hard because the twins were fighting a lot on that day.  Some days I think being home all the time with all the kids is just a lot.  Thankfully the schoolwork side of things is going well, but the whole "parenting middle schoolers" part is ROUGH.

Napping... Wednesday after feeling just worn out, and then completing some necessary paperwork and life management stuff. I am grateful that I am better able to let my feelings be when I am down instead of fighting them. 

Seeing... my counselor from Doctor on Demand and feeling so grateful that I have her on my side.  We talked about my working out and eating right and other emotional things, and (as usual) I felt so much better afterward.

Baking... some banana bread to share with my mother and father-in-law, and mostly just talking Jack through it.  He is so good in the kitchen and it's my favorite!

Purchasing... a new bedspread for us when I randomly saw one I love by Pioneer Woman at Walmart.  I had sort of decided a new one wasn't meant to be because I have purchased two since we moved here four years ago, and they haven't lasted.  But this one seems great (so far, anyway!) and is exactly my style.  (You can see the design on it under the pic above of Anne of the Island.)

Weighing... in at 217 pounds, down another two pounds this week. Woot woot!

Working out... twice this week, which was one less than my goal. But I keep telling myself "Something is better than nothing" and "Progress not perfection." 

Loving... Carly's reaction to the clip on earrings that her cousin Liesel sent her.  She feels so fancy when she wears them. It's adorable. So far, she hasn't show an interest in getting her ears pierced, but I think it's because she thinks it will hurt quite a bit. I imagine pretty soon she will start asking. 

Watching... Mile 22 with Mark Wahlberg while enjoying sandwiches from Subway for date night this week.  The movie was intense and good, and the sandwiches were delish!

Celebrating... Carly's fifth birthday with a purple cat party thrown by my sister at my mom's house.  She is the best aunt, and when Carly mentioned she would like a "Purple Cat Party" while we were shopping together at Hobby Lobby, I laughed out loud.  But a week later my sister texted me and asked if she could actually throw her one. I said, "Of course" and the planning took off.  
There was all sorts of purple food- grapes, blueberries, purple wrapped granola bars, berry gummies, grape KoolAid, and lavender bags of Boom Chicka Pop.  She made kitty cat cupcakes with Romy & Carly's help, and had decorated my mom's entire kitchen & dining room with kitty cat posters and yarn balls. It was so fun! 
Another bonus was we all got to hold my new, precious, itty-bitty niece.  Oh she is just super sweet and I am in love!!

Here for... all the baby texts from my sister.  I squeal each time I hear that little ping, knowing it might hold another picture of sweet BabyLu.  

Learning... why we cry when Wyatt googled it the other day.  Turns out we cry because it releases endorphins and oxytocin. These chemicals relieve emotional distress.  So crying soothes us. Who knew?!?

***

around here week 3 2021

 {January 10-16th}

Grateful... Josh got his first COVID vaccine this week. Teachers in the district where he works can be put on a waiting list, and when there are extra vaccines, they get to have them.

Hanging... all the new things I got at Hobby Lobby two weeks ago up around the house with Josh.  He's so amazing and patient when it comes to decorating. The new things I hung around make me so happy!!  Josh also built the new book cart I got for him to use as a side table for his easy chair, and put together the lamp I got for the family room.  It creates such a cozy look.

Working out... 3x this week (Monday, Wednesday & Friday) and feeling so proud for keeping that promise to myself. And I was down another pound, hitting 218lbs. 

Taking... all four kids to the dentist and feeling grateful the boys have zero cavities, but feeling like a crappy mom that Carly has more cavities. After the last time she had her cavities filled, I swore to myself she would not have to go through that again.  But here we are. Sigh. I am committing to more flossing and buying some mouth rinse, so maybe (fingers crossed) next time she will also be "sugar bug free"! 

I also took Wyatt to the orthodontist this week to check his retainer and make sure it's not interfering with a top tooth he has growing in.  We were there forever, which sucked for Wyatt, but I didn't mind because I always have a book! 

Trading... Josh bedtime duties.  He now has the boys (and is reading Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire to them) and I have Carly.  We switch off reading to the boys, so whoever isn't doing that puts Carly down. She gets two or three pictures books, plus a few songs before bed. 

Catching... Logan brushing Carly's hair as she ate breakfast at the bar one morning with a particularly unruly head of hair. It was such a tender moment. 

Cleaning & organizing... Wyatt's bedroom which was an all-day project, but totally worth it.  We are super pleased with the results, and I particularly enjoyed finishing the sorting of the Legos. 

Selling... Josh's Suburban and paying off my van. Gosh, going to the bank and paying that off felt amazing!  I am so proud of us!

Letting... the kids stay up late for a Fortnite tournament Thursday night.  They were all thrilled.

Sending... Josh to school this week where his students (for the first time in ten months) awaited him.  He is so happy to be teaching in person again, although it's quite different from what anyone is used to.  Their district is splitting classes into AM & PM, so he only has half his students at a time. I am so happy for him to be back in the classroom teaching in person. 

Running... into Aunt Julie at Walmart, where Carly was able to show her how cute her new Valentine's outfit is in person.  Julie had only three sons, so she is especially thoughtful about spoiling Carly- giving her an outfit for each holiday, which Carly loves! Thanks, Aunt Julie!

Receiving... my Ancestry DNA results, which was so fun! I am 39% Germanic European; 17% Swedish; 15% Easter European & Russian; 15% English; the rest is bits of Scotland, Norway and Wales. 

Also receiving my book club books from Powell's.  I ordered Gift From The Sea and The Coddling of the American Mind. So excited to read and discuss these with the girls!

Reading... The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, which I enjoyed, but was not as AMAZING for me as everyone else claimed. I did give it four stars, and loved the creativity behind the story line, but it didn't blow me away.  I also read The Push, and that book... whoa! It was un-put-downable, five stars, and the end left me wanting more.  I am also listening to Don't Overthink It by Anne Bogel.  It is changing how I look at every decision I make in my life. I often suffer decision fatigue, and her tips & tricks on reducing the number of choices you make in a day feels life changing. 

Planning... date night this week for Josh and I, around the theme of "Movie Theater at Home".  I got the ingredients for nachos, plus grab bags of different popcorn flavors and glass bottles of Sprite. We enjoyed our movie theater snacks while watching The Midnight Sky with George Clooney. It was a sweet, fascinating, "end of the world" movie that we both really enjoyed. 

Celebrating... my sister's new arrival.  Baby Sister (or Baby Lu) is absolute perfection and I am so happy for her family. 

Holding... that delicious baby on Saturday when my sister, parents, nephews & nieces came to play and share movie night with us. My twins, especially Logan, were also overjoyed to hold the sweet baby.  Also while Roxanne was here, we did newborn pics of sweet little Lu, and oh my goodness, did we get some good ones! What a blessing she is. 

***

Holding the Twins on my Hips

A few months ago, a girl I followed on Instagram asked for pictures of moms holding all of their kids, particularly if they had twins.  So I dug through my photos (since I can't possibly hold my 12 year old twins, plus my 9 year old and 4 year old) and found this one of me trying to hold the twins, one last time, back in 2014.  They were six, and so, so much bigger than they were when they were born. Gosh I feel lucky to have them!