Category: around here

I’m home today with a sick boy. If you’ve been reading for awhile, you might remember that Liam was sick constantly for the first year and a half of his life. So today, I am celebrating the fact that this is is first illness in months. He only has a mild fever and congestion, so hopefully it won’t stick around long.

We’ve really been enjoying our special day together. Extra cuddles, nursing, and screen time (his favorite right now is Little Einsteins – he loves to “pat pat pat”). We went for a long walk and I was surprised by how muggy it is outside. Middle of November and it’s 80 degrees and I’m sweating!

Back at home, I got him down for a nap and then was able to finish up this year’s week in the life album. I’ll be sharing the last couple of days soon, and now I can move on to the next craft project! I have a quilt in progress for Meredith, but today I decided to put that aside and work on this softie for her instead. She will be able to use the quilt long past the time when she wants to play with stuffed animals, so this comes first.

Speaking of Meredith, she is still our spirited child. Her tantrums have improved over the past couple of weeks, but they definitely come in phases. Yesterday and this morning weren’t so good. On a personal note, I have noticed myself sinking into depression which is unusual for me. I was having a very hard time with motherhood especially. In the end, I decided to stop taking the birth control pill I had been trying out. I noticed a difference almost immediately – so, PSA for anyone else who may experience something similar! I guess that’s not the method for me. Obviously motherhood is still tough, but I’m enjoying the kids much more again and have a lot more patience.

Well, I better get back to crafting if I want to make the most of this nap! Have a great rest of your week. :)

Hello hello! We’ve been staying busy, and here are a few things that we’ve been up to:

• Got a new car (last photo). David’s truck was past the point of saving so we bit the bullet and went to Carmax and came home with a 2014 Mazda5. He is letting me drive it, so I’m trying not to think about the car payment and just enjoying having a new car. I do really love it, even if it is approaching minivan territory.
• Started weekly Financial Peace University classes (Dave Ramsey). Bad timing to take on new debt but since there was no other option we are just focusing on making progress from here on out!
• My work is still inconsistent and unpredictable, so I’ve done some commuting to the medical center and working in other units.
• Dealing with difficult bedtime & sleeping situations with the kids. There is always some sort of struggle and either one or both of us ends up sleeping badly.
• I’ve been having a ton of fun with the new adventure of It Works. Love the products, love the company, love that there is real earning potential to help my family. AND I already got to reconnect with my friend Chelsea, not to mention meet some other awesome girls. Hoping to share more about this in a full post soon!
• No crafting at ALL . Just no time. Maybe this coming weekend!
• Reading way too many books at one time and can’t seem to finish anything.
• The normal shenanigans – jumping on the bed, eating the “smelly” markers, visiting the cousins, tea parties, and more. David attempted to carve a pumpkin with Meredith and you can see the result above. He really tried, and all I could say was, “Bless your heart.” Couldn’t stop smiling. :)

Around here it still feels like summer and I haven’t made any plans for my kids’ Halloween costumes. How about you??

Last week was not a good one.

I have many stressors in my life right now: not sleeping well, Meredith having anxiety, Liam teething, finances in bad shape, work unpredictable, not to mention the general craziness of being a working mom to little kids.

But last week I was not handling anything well. I forgot completely about self-care and let my grumpiness come out in full force each evening at home. By the end of it I was wondering if it was time for me to consider therapy.

And then I realized: HORMONES. Yup, my body was going through some stuff (ahem) and hormones are changing and I don’t think it was a coincidence.

ANYWAY. We ended up having a great weekend, lots of quality time with the kids and no one had a meltdown, including me! I even made a lot of progress with my Week in the Life album, got to see a friend, and David and I had a date. We’ve been doing at-home dates to save money, and right now we’re watching The Good Wife. He makes fun of it, but I love it.

This week David has to work late every day, but I am focusing on self-care. I even went so far as to make myself a checklist, because that kind of thing helps me. If you think you need a little guidance in that area and you want to use mine, feel free to check it out. Just save your own copy and edit!

I have ringworm on my arm. (I won’t show you a picture.) I’ve been obsessing over it. I thought it was a mosquito bite, then a few days later I upgraded my assessment to spider bite, then finally after a week it formed a classic ringworm shape. For confirmation I asked one of the doctors I work with, and he sent a picture of it to his dermatologist friend, and since steroid cream seemed to make it worse, that’s what we landed on. It itches SO BAD you have no idea, unless you’ve had ringworm, and then you have an idea. It’s taking up way too much of my mental energy.

It’s nice to not be commuting to the medical center this week. Unfortunately our clinic is super slow and I might not be able to work a full schedule for awhile. This lull has coincided with some big expenses like our air conditioner and car repairs so it has me thinking a lot about our financial future, my life’s dreams and goals, and how to get there. I need a plan. This is what’s really on my mind most of the time.

We are doing well with meal planning and eating healthy this week, so that makes me happy. We are eating: egg salad with bacon lettuce wraps, balsamic pot roast, tacos (or taco salad), coconut-flake chicken tenders, crockpot taco chicken bowls, chili, and tortilla soup. Right now this is about the extent of my healthy meal ideas that my family will eat, so I figure I can just repeat them each week until I find some new stuff.

I started working on my Week in the Life album. Just the title page so far. I’m going to need some dedicated time alone at home on my computer to edit and print photos, and I’m not sure when that will happen, but I have a decent plan in mind. Meredith’s quilt is on hold, but seeing the fabric out makes me happy.

We have new neighbors. They have a 5-year-old girl and a 7-year-old boy. We met them, and then we met THEIR neighbors who have lived there for a year and a half. They have a 5-year-old girl and a 21-month-old boy. We were all chatting outside yesterday and it felt like a block party. In eight years of living in our house, I’ve never gotten that feeling and I only have one other friend in the neighborhood so it’s pretty cool.

I have a nervousness about me today that I can’t shake, and I don’t like it. I’m off to try and get rid of it with kid cuddles and maybe a walk.