A collection of our ordinary days, recorded every week.
Around here, I have been:
loving this cooler fall weather! It’s finally staying consistently brisk, although the extended forecast predicts temperatures back up in the 70’s soon. WHY?! In the meantime, we’ve been pulling out our “comfy pants” and all the quilts and blankets. The challenge is on to see how long we can go before putting on the heat!
celebrating my birthday – 32! What is it about your 30’s that makes you think about your own mortality? Life is truly so fleeting and more than ever, I just feel so thankful for my health and the life Mark and I have created. My birthday has become just one big day of gratitude.
feeling the nesting urge again. I’m 32 weeks pregnant this week, so only 56 days (or less) to go! For whatever reason, 8 weeks sounds like forever, but 56 days?! That will be here in no time! This week, I took out all of the newborn clothes, took inventory and starting purchasing the missing pieces. As baby boy #5, most of our clothes have had it, so it’s been kind-of fun to start over. I’m finding I’m much more picky than the first few times around. Also! The baby seems to have moved a bit, so the debilitating sciatica has lessened. Thank you Jesus.
wearing lots of striped shirts. I’ve been picking up a few pieces (like these from Gap Maternity and a few lucky finds on Kidizen!) and poor Mark can’t keep up with what’s new or not. But they’re all different! Black with white stripes, navy with light blue stripes, black with grey stripes…hah! I have a problem. Feeling whale-like probably isn’t the best time to wear horizontal lines across your body, but I’m going with it anyway. A few of my other favorite pieces to note: My chambray shirt is getting a lot of use (with a striped shirt underneath of course) and looks semi-pulled together with leggings. I also pulled out my old Minnetonka moccs and love how easy they are to put on and take off. ‘Cause Mama only bends over when absolutely necessary these days.
dealing with Sophie and some sudden fears about having bad dreams. She’s been coming in our bed every night, so we set up a cot on the floor as a compromise. It was meant to be a temporary, last ditch effort, but she seems to think she’s moving in. I found her “bed” made and decorated with all the essentials! (I had a big laugh about the wiffle bat! #preparedforanything)
listening to Fountain of Carrots’ podcast with Anna of In Honor of Design. Such wise advice about juggling motherhood and business.
thinking a lot about the upcoming postpartum time and how to keep my PPD in check. Having had a history of varying degrees with each of my kids (with the exception of TJ), it’s part of the whole “having a baby” business that really takes the most of my focus. I did the same with TJ and the change was really significant. Hoping I can follow the same path with this new baby too.
laughing with the kids as we read Those Darn Squirrels! The grumpy man reminds me of Ove (from A Man Called Ove): crusty exterior with a sweet spot deep inside. A good reminder to all of us not to judge a book by its cover. J also borrowed The Pigeon Needs a Bath from the school library and I could barely read over the belly laughs. On a different note, I read Angel in the Waters to Sophie and TJ and starting crying about halfway through. They kept looking at me like I was crazy as I tried to make my way through the last half, hah.
reading Father Elijah and getting ready to start My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry for book club.
doing a lot of behind-the-scenes work for Big White Farmhouse: SEO, descriptions and titles, etc. Pretty boring stuff, but I’m hoping it will help us a little in the search engines. I also launched a new Christmas section and started adding some product (ornaments, cards, and tags). I know some people are extra on the ball and I don’t want to miss out on those possible sales like I did last year.
getting so excited about the support for our Pajama Drive. At last count, we have 6 donations! New pajamas seem so insignificant, but can be life-changing for a child in foster care or at the homeless shelter. I often put myself in their mamas’ shoes and get all choked up. (Here’s the link again to the Amazon wishlist – we’d love your help too!)
reflecting on an interesting tidbit I heard on the radio this week about listening. The guest made the observation that today more than ever, people don’t really know the art of active listening. Instead of really hearing what the other person is saying, they’re just waiting for that person to finish talking so they can make their own arguments. This behavior is so clearly seen on Facebook statuses and even presidential debates, but aren’t I also sometimes guilty in my marriage and with my children? We all belong to each other. Maybe respectful, active listening is the first tiny step toward more peace and kindness in this world.
Fun fact: Blogger says this is my 686th post!
