Last week, I was so busy getting my post about our trip to the fire department up, I honestly forgot it was Friday. And by the time I realized I had my days all jumbled, I figured I could just combine two weeks’ of insta.
I’m still bumbling and fumbling my way through our new routine with school starting and trying to balance (mostly unpaid) blogging with our family life. Particularly as the kids are getting older. It’s a weird tension between two things I love. So I’m trying to give myself loads of grace in this space. I’m hopeful you can too?
Anywho, InstaFriday!
(I’m jeannettg on instagram if you’d like to follow there too.)
Andy had a vision for the space between these two birch trees.
It included a big, extra wide hammock and twinkle lights.
When you lay out there, it honestly feels like you’re on vacation. And it’s the perfect place to cuddle up with the bigs and read a little more Harry Potter. Henry and I spent over an hour under a big cozy blanket picking out constellations the other night. It’s really dreamy. And all for about $100. Which is ultra inexpensive for outdoor stuff. Because somehow outdoor furniture and decor is three times indoor stuff. Boo.
The twinkle lights are solar, and they turn on automatically once the sun goes down. It’s a fun treat to wake up early and be greeted by tree trunks twinkling you Good Morning.
Many moons ago, in another lifetime, I drew. Both artsy portraity stuff and drafting, coloring, stuff for my urban design classes and internships.
Many moons ago, I spent an obscene amount of money on expensive drafting tools and fancy colored pencils, and markers that came in thousands of slightly different hues, and if you used them for enough hours in a row, you were most definitely extra giggly and maybe even not fit to drive.
Many moons ago, I would have been APPALLED at the very notion of a bunch of kids even so much as touching these high end art supplies.
Today? Meh.
Have fun. Be quiet. Don’t bicker. Enjoy. (But not the markers. For a lot of reasons.)
Porkchop got into the wite out that was apparently also in my tackle box o’ art.
Apparently for quite some time before being found out.
And apparently he thought it was toe nail polish.
PSA: wite out does not come out with nail polish remover. And enough of it slathered on tootsies will kinda glue them together.
This was almost two weeks ago, and there’s still a little bit of white on his big toe nails.
And don’t ask me where on earth I was or what I was doing. Because I have no idea.
These two have the funniest little bond.
Here they were wrestling. Full on rolling around, giggling, wrestling.
It’s kinda funny how my kids have paired off.
I am regularly asked if these two are my twins.
Two years apart.
And best friends. Worst enemies.
Just when I think I’m going to lose my ever loving mind from the arguing, fighting, yelling…they hold hands through the parking lot and make plans for meeting up on the playground on the first day of school.
I try to separate them, but then they hug each other tight and beg me not to. And then some other skirmish comes up and I feel like this must surely be some form of torture.
Jilly had a seizure last week.
Andy was in Washington DC. Which, is pretty much the furthest away he can be from California without leaving the lower 48.
But this move was strategic. And the fact that a huge part of our desire to move and be closer to our community of friends was illustrated so clearly this day.
I was literally turning help away. Which is a brilliant problem to have.
My friend Tracy lives maybe 3 minutes up the road.
My friend Tracy has 6 kids.
My friend Tracy took my other 3 kids for the afternoon/evening while I went with Jill to the hospital.
Community is a beautiful thing.
And then another friend delivered ice cream from a local shop.
In birthday cake flavor.
Because of course.
And I overheard this conversation between Henry and Lucy: “Why did we get ice cream on our porch?” “Because Jill had a seizure. We always get treats when she has a seizure.”
Part of me cringed, because somehow I’m not sure how I feel about that. But then I smiled. Because on my big Mom Things is that they don’t resent their sister’s needs. And maybe a treat for the whole family on extra rough days isn’t such a bad thing.
The day after a seizure is mostly hellish.
Jill is miserable from the seizure itself and the high doses of medication she is coming down off of to get it to stop. And she’s non-verbal. So she spends most of the Day After crying, screaming, hitting, biting, whining, and altogether being inconsolably awful.
Which sets off the others. It was well into the afternoon before I got a smile out of this one. The stress of a sister who cries for hours on end means that a little brother cries right alongside her. And big kids who ask if they can lock themselves in my room to play…away from the constant crying.
But hey, at least we get a Day After.
But then the Day After The Day After, she is mostly back to normal.
Maybe a little extra weak, and a little extra sensitive, but not so much that Spidey doesn’t make an appearance.
And then Elsa the next day.
With Harry Potter glasses.
This chick.
Slays me.
Lu loves having her fingers and toes painted.
And it can never ever ever be just one color. Usually it’s three. But this time she asked for rainbow.
Before 7:30. In the morning. On a school day.
But if you can’t have rainbow fingers on a school day, I’m not really sure what the point of living is.
Every morning this boy wanders into the office with his blankie in tow.
He finds me at the computer and he snuggles.
But just for a few sweet minutes.
Because then he finds the BBQ spatula and chases the others around the house with it.
Laughter and squeals bouncing off the walls.
Before the sun has fully come up.
I cringe behind a smile.
Henry’s bike was way too small for him. So small that a couple of dad’s even mentioned it to Andy at a birthday party he went to (that included a mountain bike ride).
Henry, who never really asks for anything, specifically asked if he could get a real mountain bike with gears.
Sure thing, buddy.
Until I found out that a mountain bike with real gears retails for $360.
Um, you are SEVEN.
I love you, and we could swing it, but that’s not the point BECAUSE YOU ARE SEVEN.
So I told him to wait. Hang in there. And I scoured Craigslist. For months. Eventually I found one for $55.
Besides a small tear in the seat padding, it was in like new condition. (And maybe we’ll even order him a new seat. Maybe.)
We talked about how it used to belong to someone else, and how it didn’t matter that it wasn’t brand new, and how much money our family saved by being patient. That using our money wisely and being patient honors God and that it’s okay to want nice/fun/cool things, but we have to balance that with being good stewards too.
Who knew Craigslist could be character building?
Jill had a clinic appointment, and while we waited I flipped through this book.
It was pretty bland and boring and more medical than encouraging. But when I asked if anyone had any recommendations, I was surprised to find that few people did. And most of the suggestions were based on amazon reviews rather than actual experience with them.
I think I need to order a ton and see for myself what’s out there.
My sitter was here.
She took the kids to the park.
I left her a note.
And then I got distracted on my way for toilet paper and stopped at Pier 1.
I literally sat in a chair for about half an hour. It was totally like Starbucks. Without the coffee. I kept waiting for an employee to kick me out. But they didn’t. And I did buy something. I paid for my stay.
Okay, your turn! What’d you do the last week (or two)?
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I think we had a book where a dog had seizures…I can’t really remember it, but I did a quick amazon search and “the other kid: a draw it out book” looks like it might be a good one. “living with a brother or sister with special needs” may be okay as the kids get older? But for the most part, I didn’t like talking with people about “how hard” it is. I usually say “john is the only brother I know, so this is my normal.” That usually makes people back off.
Jeannett,
I loved the long version. I think YOU should write a book about siblings with special needs. ( in your spare time of course!)
Glad Jilly is on the mend. Love craigslist! What a great lesson. No need for a new bike seat, just buy a seat cover to put over it. Here is a good one…
http://www.amazon.com/BestDealUSA-Silicone-Bicycle-Saddle-Cushion/dp/B0098FLGR4/ref=sr_1_2?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1409932457&sr=1-2&keywords=seat+cover+bike
Maybe you should write one! I bet it would be amazing!
Thank you for sharing your story with us…when everyone in our world ran for the hills it reminds me that Im not alone. And can we just talk about Lucy’s hair?! I hope that girl never finds a flatiron!! And little miss Elsa Potter…the cutest. Oh and btw…theres a ketchup bottle in the floor next to Jilly and Owen wrestling, haha!
I was thinking cover the seat with duct tape. They come in all kinds if designs. Seat cover sounds better
so i have been kind of mia on IG for awhile and i found myself going back over past IG posts of yours last night. you have still got quite the knack for making someone cry then laugh a minute later. your life is nuts, and you live it beautifully. i want to be like you when i grow up. also, i want a sitter like you so i can go sit with you in pier one and pretend we live there and just have a policy that we let strangers roam around our house and buy our stuff.