Updates

Well, we had our first week of school last week and we survived! I got about 75% done, which is awesome for our first week. Charlotte is back in school and everyone misses her. It's time to buckle down and work hard and look forward to Thanksgiving and Christmas break! 

So many first and lasts! Becky had her first dance class, she loved it, her only complaint was her shoes pinched. Piano started up again for Becky too, and Reuben's starts this coming week..and I also ordered the rest of the kids fall wardrobes, so much planning and fun shopping! I decided this year to wrap up each outfit and have them open them when it gets cold, one outfit a week. I might be more excited then the kids! Some of the outfits they picked themselves and some I picked as surprises...

I did all my shopping at goodwill and a few other local thrift stores first but was only able to find things for Becky, even through multiple weeks. The toddler and boy section just had nothing... I got the rest from the Carter's website which has very reasonably priced kids clothes! I also got Reuben a shirt from another website with One-One on it. (Are you my mum?) He's going to be stoked, Infinity Train is his current favorite show. 

Each kid gets 3 new fall outfits, except for Becky (since we went to goodwill) has six... so I may need to improvise a few other ones for the other two kids so it's even. Hopefully we can find some stuff over the next few weeks from Goodwill! 

We had our last swim at the pool. It's open one more week but I am not sure we can fit it into our super packed schedule. I made sourdough pizza to bring with us!

I have been keeping a food diary for Becky to find out her stomach issues--she has an allergy to chocolate and also to capsaicin (bell peppers) and to eggs. I'm hoping by omitting these ingredients her life will improve! She can't have paprika or any capsaicin products like chili powder...it's going to be an interesting transition. But if it helps her it will be so worth it. She gets stomach pain all the time and I have been having the worst time figuring it out. 

I still am gluten free and have alpha gal. Reuben is allergic to beans, avocados, bell peppers (but he can have them if cooked) bananas, kiwi and blueberries. We are a crazy household.  

I'm trying to make it to the gym and work on my chronic illness, figure out how to feed us all and homeschool everyone with a toddler in tow. No wonder I'm tired! 

I started on a new probiotic that will hopefully help me! I hope it does.

My miscarriage finally seems to be done and over with. God is good and I am so thankful...it's terrifying to be bleeding out of a part of your body you can't slap a band-aid on...and to feel helpless and unsure of what to do. I hope I never have to go through another miscarriage again for the rest of my life. I turn 40 this January so my menstruating days are officially numbered. 

I'm going to go reset the living room for school tomorrow. See you all later!

The Last Week

My mental health has been on a steadily downward trend this week. I mean, it's just life. But I know I've been struggling more than usual. And I want to give my kids the best parts of me, not the leftover bits! God is so good and I feel like a piece of mud an elephant stepped on. Which is not true, I am a beautiful creation of the Lord who deserves love, rest, and peace. 

We enjoyed our last week of vacation even with mommy's mental health issues. We went to the park--Esther got a splinter but I got it out when we got home. And I enjoyed a play date with my friend Mya and her little girl who is Esther's best friend. Her name is Thea and she's two! They are two peas in a pod.

I think my current issues are...recovering from my miscarriage. Not spending enough time outside or in my Bible. Being addicted to my phone and not having good boundaries with media. Not taking care of myself and instead living in an anxious stressed place where I just repeatedly clean my house and cry. 

In short, I need a break. I need a break from media and a few weeks without the internet. That, and going outside and sticking my toes in the dirt and reading my Bible will help. I need nourishment, not only of food (I want to make my delicious cabbage soup) but of the mind.

I've taken breaks before and they have been awesome! I'm going to take one now and I'll be back eventually, but I don't know how long I will need. I know this is the right choice! This summer was so hard and some detox from the internet should renew me. 

The kids made little clay creations this week and I did not take the best pictures. They were happy and their clay creatures were so cute! I need better camera skills.

One amazing thing that happen this week is I feel like we finally got Becky and Esther's new room organized in a way that makes sense. I love it and they are loving it too! Each of them has a desk, and each of them have little play areas and they each have their own closet. It's perfect and giving them the biggest room in the house has been a dream. I even love having the small room. It feels less chaotic and I love being close to Reuben. 

Becky's desk is under a window and since there are two windows in this room, Esther's little desk (which used to belong to Brian) is under the other.

Their room is so sweet and they are enjoying the space. I am hopeful Esther will spend an hour or two up here on her own during homeschooling. I've created a playlist for her that includes both Baby Shark and Jesus Loves Me. What more could she want? 

There are two more weeks until Charlotte starts school. She is still here 10 hours a day and we have really grown to love her. Esther asked today where she was. It's Saturday, silly, she's with her dad, and we will see her Monday. 

God is good and I'll make it through tomorrow--church always wears me out.

Here is to a few weeks of focusing on lifting my eyes to what really matters and maybe eating a lot of soup.