Around Here Thirteen - 3/24-3/30

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

Intentional Outdoor Hours:  32+ hours (of 1000)
I'm up five hours this week as we got some beautiful weather days which allowed me to take the dogs for a walk and also get a run in (with the two big kids!) as the sun was setting around the neighborhood.  Grey and Gem did great and jogged the whole 2.5 miles with me (Grey runs super fast then walks until me and Gem slowly catch up) and then they both fussed about their legs being sore the next day (hah).  It is so nice to know that spring is really on her way and we are all itching for nicer weather!! Speaking of itching - I had a tick on me from the dogs' walk this week and then I started googling raising Guinea fowl for the sole purpose that they eat ticks.  The last thing we need is more pets, but seriously.  It was my third tick this year already!

Reading The Gift of an Ordinary Day by Katrina Kenison I particularly liked this quote and find it so true in my own parenting, "Every time I'm able to let go even a little - of control or judgement, of my need to be right or my inclination to worry - I'm rewarded....and I'm reminded once again that a simple change in focus can improve the tone of a day." (p.126)

Volunteering as a family (minus the two littlest ones) at our church's fish fry last Friday.  B manned the take-out orders and Gemmi helped me wait tables.  Grey flipped back and forth between take-out order duty and busing tables.  The kids even raked in some serious tip money (!) and really did a good job.  Shout out thank you to Aunt Uch and Kevin who had the baby kids (thank you!) Another 12 Months of Kindness task complete!

Celebrating our Vially two-and-a-half year old girl.  She is still so squishy and so very silly.  B says at least daily, "how can you not just love that child?!" She is pretty difficult to be mad at it - even if she's throwing a level five tantrum - and she comes out with the goofiest observations and one-liners.  Potty training has taken a nosedive and she's been sneaking 6p naps while I make dinner and then staying up until almost midnight on occasion (#lawdhelpusall).  But we just love sharing a family with this funny, wacky, beautiful girl. 

Doing some small biz work with The Hunting Daddies again last weekend at the local elementary school's vendor & craft fair.  It was kind of like a day date with just B and I together for a full afternoon alone!  We did pretty well: sold a few books and met a lot of really cool outdoor families. All four kids were with Pappy & Gigi at an indoor play center (playing laser tag!) - thank youns! - and we even had time to make it home and clean a little bit before the gang arrived back home! #parentingfantasies (hahahha)

Learning at home while we turn up the heat a little with Gemma's 'homework.'  Grey's former kinder teacher reached out to me after her K testing and said she had a bunch of printouts and fun activities for her!  She sent them home with Greyson from school and Gem has been so motivated and calling it her 'real homework' from her 'real teacher.' I'm seeing incremental progress but it's progress when we've been stuck for so long in a frustrated standstill.  Seriously so blessed to have these teachers who care so much about our babies.  #icriedoverit #obviously Grey is doing a lot of learning too and has told me that reading has felt so much easier since our Reading Boot Camp project together.  He's been a lot less combative about homework and is killing spelling recently (even words like through and the ar/er/ir/ur words!) 

thankful for family, as always, but we got a lot of family time in this week.  Playday with Lainey bug at our house and watching Caleb's hockey game on Wednesday night.  Uch and Kevin did serious babysitting duty this week (twice!), we got to have a visit with Aunt Kitty on Friday and got in so much chatting(me) and playing (kids).  It was also the anniversary of my grandma Irene's passing this week too.  Which is so startling every time to realize that years have passed although it never feels like more than days since the last time I've talked to or hugged her.  

Starting new seasons.  Grey had his first official baseball practice this week (he's overjoyed that it's baseball season) while B got swept up into coaching Gemma's tball team which will start this coming week with practices and schedule organizing.  And then fishing season is just about here.  Grey and Bud went out to Spruce Creek to fish for native trout last Saturday only to discover that Grey has absolutely grown out of his waders...by like a lot(HAH!) and all of them are desperately awaiting the second Saturday in April (mentor day) and the third Saturday (first day of trout) while I'm planning Grey's seventh (!!!) birthday party which is obviously...outdoor/fishing themed.  

Giving myself grace and space.  Since the beginning of this year I've been feeling such a pull to slow down and settle into a more simple way of life.  I've had the urge to clear out clutter (slowly), move things around & deep clean, and recognize that none of my chores need done immediately - that it's perfectly fine to instead to jump into imaginative play with the kids at the moment. Whenever I start to feel myself getting anxious about 'keeping up' with anyone (!!I should have read more books by now!! -- !!Our house should have more style/be more clean/be more organized/we should move all together!! -- I need to be doing all the things, all the time!) I take a deep breath and give myself some grace; I try to let peace, love, gratitude, and 'okayness' remind me deep in my bones that my goal is to be like the tortoise and not the hare. 

Making some use of beautiful weather by grilling out - steaks and veggies and these Cheesy Ranch potatoes.  B also made Chinese green beans and ground turkey over rice while the kids and I took our run. I threw in some slow cooker cream cheese taquitos which were a huge hit last night. Gem helped make oatmeal chocolate chip cookies which are already totally eaten up.