Around Here Eight: 2/17-2/23

Friday, February 24, 2017

A glimpse into what it is like to live in our home just this minute.













Intentional Hours Outdoors:  21 hours (of 1000)
(that's eight more hours than this time last year! whoot whoot!) we racked up some time this week with the weather unusually beautiful for February.  I'm talking 55-70 degrees almost everyday this week.  Several days we got out for two hours or so even which made for very sleepy kids which is always the added bonus of outdoor time.  We even headed out to the high school track one night this week as a whole family so I could get in a three mile run while the boys tossed the football back and forth and the girls played pretend on the bleachers and argued over who got to push Rust in the stroller.  We've had the windows open and a blanket out on the grass with snacks, it's gotten us all mixed up about the seasons.  I had to remind the kids that it is actually still winter and that the cold will blow back in next week, so we're hoarding up on the vitamin D before it disappears again until actual spring.

Reading The Gift of an Ordinary Day by Katrina Kenison and can I just again say how much I am loving the timing of reading this.  It has really been sitting on my shelf for two years and it just feels so timely for my current state of mind.  Did you ever see this quote: 


An example of just that happened to me while reading this week, Kenison, while writing about a new home that she and her husband were building while her two sons were adolescents, one of whom was getting near the end of his high school career.  She wrote, "Henry (her eldest son), if all goes well, will have a year in which to sink his roots in with ours before heading off to college."  That phrase, "sink his roots in with ours" struck a deep chord in my heart and upon reading it, I took a deep breath and set the book down for a few minutes.  Isn't that all we're trying to do over here, Bud and I, to give our kids good soil to sink their roots in.  Adding water and sunshine along the way and lots of whispers of love to get these kids to grow, grow, grow as big and bright and beautiful as all that is in them to become.  To keep their roots well taken care of and if we're lucky enough, intertwined enough with ours that they will always have a place to come back to when the weather turns or someone comes and plucks their most beautiful blossoms.  That thought very well may help shape my mothering from now on and it comes from a mere phrase of a sentence...this is why I love reading. 

Congratulating Grey on hard work well done!  He came home last Friday with a certificate announcing his success at moving up his Reading score - which was especially important to him as he needed to do it to attend the first baseball practice of the season on Sunday.  He was proud and we were proud and a little relieved too.  In the days leading up to the re-test, Brandon and I were speaking in hushed whispers about what our plan was if in fact he didn't reach the goal.  He worked hard every  night in our 'Reading Boot Camp' tasks and was really pushing himself personally.  I felt pretty confident that he'd be okay, but we were both a little nervous.  Joyfully though, he got a chance to see firsthand how hard work reaps benefits.  We're still working on our Reading  Boot Camp each night because he has one more retest again in two weeks to make sure he is up on target.

Celebrating our best friends Jonny & Ninna at their baby shower on Saturday for their sweet baby girl due in April.  Nin had a beautiful shower and I loved so much to see her glowing and smiling like the amazing momma-to-be that she is  (she's practically my sisterwife, so don't mind my over-the-top adoration, hah).  Both of my sisters, Gigi, and Taryn were there too which made the celebration even sweeter! We got to spend the rest of the day at Jon & Ninna's house while the kids chased chickens around and tired themselves out.  Seriously cannot wait for that sweet little babe to arrive!!

So grateful to our family that is always there to scoop up all our misplaced pieces and hold us together to keep this party (as in our family) going.  The grandparents that are always willing to step in for last minute (oops I forgot until just this second) babysitting and last minute 'can you add an extra six people for dinner' requests.  My sisters who wake up before the sun to drive all the way out here to pick up our big kids and haul them to soccer games.  Uncle Juice who without any hesitation offers up his Navigator (big enough to fit our whole family) as Sheila is on the fritz (yet again!  Shelia?!!?!!).  We could not do this life without all of you - honestly thank you so so much.

Singing happiest birthdays to our Gemmi Roe for her fifth birthday and Pappy too - who's birthday is the day right after Gemma's.  We had a little mini party at Gigi & Pappy's house on Sunday and on Gem's actual birthday we sang over cinnamon rolls for breakfast, took Daddy out to lunch at Hoss's (where they sang!), and then Gemma chose tacos for dinner that night.  Second year in a row where the weather on February 20th was beautiful and we spent a big part of the day outside (?!)  Her actual party is this weekend (mermaids!)

Bidding bittersweet goodbyes to basketball season as we finished 'er out with a playoff game this week at Portage.  We usually give ourselves about a week or so of patience and grace to come up out of the crazy that basketball season has left us in with chores way backed up (I'll be trying to get out of this laundry backlog for two weeks at least!) and major Daddy/Family time to make up.  It feels really exciting to be on the brink of getting the first real taste of Brandon's new work/life balance in his new job now that basketball is over.  He started his new gig at the start of the season, so we haven't felt any real difference yet, but having him home this week by 4p and then he's just done with work...for the whole night (!!) has been amazing.  I can't wait to get the hang of this new schedule!

Taking it s.l.o.w.  In part due to my reading selection, but also because I'm just there mentally and spiritually.  I want to slow down and enjoy this life; I'm so exhausted about being fed up and angry about clutter and chores that never end and messes and the busyness of it all.  I started a pin board about my Slow Living Goals and I took extra care this week in not being in a hurry...I'm just not doing it.  I yelled less (although still yelled), and smiled more, and didn't get so down on myself.  Ya know what's not going to wreck my day, that pile of toys over there in a huddled heaping mass.  It's just not.  I have tea to sip and a load of laundry to move from the washer to the dryer and a baby to make laugh.

Making these chicken and cheese enchiladas which are a huge family hit (I don't include the Green chilies), Chicken, ranch, and cheese stuffed french bread to use up the left over that we took home from Sunday dinner from Gigi and Pappy's house, and Baked Italian breaded pork chops with Green bean almondine that was divine.  For breakfast we had these super easy chocolate croissants because we are flat out of cereal, bread, and waffles (!!) because somebody (ahem, me) needs to get to the grocery store for real.  The girls and I whipped up some oatmeal chocolate chip cookies too and they're already gone, naturally.

1 comment:

  1. Oh I love you describing living slow. It makes me want to forget the messes and be more intentional too. My internal voice has been a real jerk this week and I could use a change.
    I am intrigued by this book you're reading and thinking it needs to find its way on to my shelf! :)

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