Around Here Week Five: 1/30-2/5

A weekly review of what it's like to live in our home right this minute.

Intentional hours outside:  7.85 hour (of 1000) 

This week was a turning point for me in looking at my outdoor hours. For the past month it felt like a chore and something that needed checked off the list. But this week, it was ha,tingly obvious that making outdoor time a daily occurrence is such a relief to my soul. When things start to unravel with my patience and the kids are especially wacky, a trip outside to stomp about in mud puddles or a walk to the mailbox does incredible wonders for all of us.  It's the best kind of 'distraction' tool I have for restarting the day for both the kids and me.  I'm feeling pretty excited and energized about this goal! 

Reading Dear Mr. You by Mary-Louise Parker. I held off on reading it until our January book club book was all finished. I knew it was going to be a big deal for me after I read one of the 'letters' from the book and cried my eyes out; weeping all over myself and trying to catch my breath. Then I tried to read it aloud to Brandon and had to keep stopping because he couldn't understand me through the sobs. I officially started it this week and got through one paragraph before closing it and kissing the front cover (yeah, I'm that girl).  I love it and I'm already mourning the fact that I'll probably finish it this week as I'm taking it intentionally slow to read to drag it out as long as possible. Also, we have selected the February book for the Inspired Readers book club and we've selected A Man Called Ove: A Novel and we begin on February 15, so there's still time to join! 

Struggling with our current laptop situation. Miss Violet dumped an entire cup of my warm coffee on top of the laptop on Thursday and I got there just as she was laughing maniacally holding the empty mug. I snatched up the laptop and rushed it off to dry tent-position on the drying mat in the kitchen, sort of lightly tapping any leaking coffee out. A few hours later, with no hope, I plugged it in and much to my total surprise, it worked! Well kind of...everything was clickable and opening but they keyboard is on the major fritz (the "i" key isn't visibly stuck, but is pretending it is and no other keys work).  Thankfully, I immediately uploaded all of our January 2016 pictures to Shutterfly (and amazingly had the weird karmic foresight to have uploaded all 2015 photos just last week!), so at least for that. We lost no photos for eternity. I tried to blog today but the keyboard still doesn't work and so I restarted with full understanding it may never come back on again. It showed some promise but then a super loud buzzing alarm-type noise starts to sound and so I've given up twice today so far. Thus, this is being done on the iPad which is the cause for weird photo sizes or style issues (#FIRSTWORLDPROBLEMS)

Loving getting to know big kid Greyson.  I know I just said this recently but he is really turning into a real boy and it's so much fun to get to know him as a big kid who comes up with his own ideas and jokes and unique Greyson-isms. He came home yesterday and asked if I knew what Bloody Mary was! (He wasn't scared more like curious and kind of excited to be 'in the know') I said I didn't hear about it until I was at least in fourth grade and he said the third graders on the bus told him about saying it in the mirror and she'll come out and kill you.  I was cracking up - because really? Still, some 25 years laters we are still telling the same urban legends in elementary school? Amazing what stands the test of time, no? He asked if it was true and I told him, "I don't know, I was always too afraid to do it." Because I like keeping mystery and magic and a little bit of spookiness in life.  He can figure it out on his own.  And for my sake when he is fifteen years old and hates my guts:   He also told me last night on the way home from the basketball game: "I'm glad, like really glad that you're my Mum." 

Being followed by "my little shadow" Gemma Rose. Honestly, I can't turn around without her being there.   Her little chatterbox mouth and her twirling around is every.where.i.go and I know someday I'll miss that so much, but can a momma get a minute to herself? Hah. She's been testing out my limits this week too by ignoring me or trying to negotiate with me when I ask her to do anything and it's endlessly exhausting. She has been fantastic at playing with Violet and always caring and ready to cuddle, but she's pushing it right now as she's on the verge of being four!! 

Celebrating a new cousin with a baby sprinkle party last Friday night with our Studer family. We had a yellow themed shower (gender is a secret) and spent a nice, low-key evening getting excited for a new baby cousin.  Our new cousin was actually just born this morning!!  So we are wishing a very happy birthday to our newest cousin (who's name I can't yet share but whom we already love)!!!! We also enjoyed Groundhogs day this week which brought the kids much joy to be "right" that they guessed (or wished) for an early spring. Although, we got more snow today and Gemma said, "but I thought the hog said winter was over."  And we joined in on National thank-a-mail-delivery-person day in Thursday by leaving some sweet treats for her in the mailbox. Thanks to Ashley of The Big White Farmhouse for alerting us to this special day! 

Enjoying yummy eats and treats this week because momma is pregnant. Ya know.  The kids are on a hot cocoa kick and in honor of all the hot cocoa drinking we have going on, we also made hot cocoa cookies which were a massive hit.  We got our first Blue Apron delivery I'm not kidding I could have eaten the entire 4-person portion of Peanut noodles by.my.darn.self.  So, so good.  We've also had multiple days of ice cream sundaes, hahhaha #secondtrimesterfeedingfrenzy 

Preparing for the 17 month old mark of wildling for our Violet Mary. She's only at 16 months, but she seems to be ahead of the game as she's been particular naughty this week. Both Grey and Gem at 17 months fell into what we call the Wild Thing stage and they don't come out if it until about three and a half. It's a lot of crazy, nonsensical. tantrum throwing, destruction, and silliness. It's like living on the edge of hilarious and horror.  Here we go again, just as Gemma is exiting!