We are sneaking in a short visit with my parents this weekend and C is taking the opportunity to work on her American Heritage Girl sewing badge with her grandmother. The two sat down at the table this afternoon and C practiced her stitches and made a small pillow for her doll, Maya. In the morning she will be learning how to sew on a button and then she will have finished everything she needs for her badge! I’m excited that she was so enthusiastic about her badge work!

The kids also got to dig through their great-great-great grandmother’s button box. They had fun digging through the buttons, pulling out their favorites, and learning about the different kids of buttons.

She’s been wearing the same dress four days in a row now. Each night before bed, as she is changing out of her daytime clothes she asks me if she can wear it again in the morning. Initially I thought about putting a stop to it, worried other kids might start to make fun of her for wearing the same thing over and over again, but I stopped myself because I realized that was my own fear, not hers. C has a mind of her own and a confidence I didn’t have as a young child and I admire her so much for this. She doesn’t care if her clothes go together or her socks match or what people might think about what she wears. She’s too busy having fun learning and playing with her friends. And while she does not seek out attention, she does not shy from it when it lands on her. She stands up for what she believes and intervenes when she feels someone is being wronged. All around, I’d say she is a pretty amazing little girl.

So every night this week I have stayed up just a little longer so that I could run her sweet little dress through the washer. If she’s going to wear the same thing, it might as well be clean!

I first heard about weighted blankets a few months ago when I stumbled across them while undoubtably following a rabbit trail from something completely different. They caught my eye because I often sleep with a huge pile of blankets on top of me, not because I am cold but because I like the feeling of all the weight pressing down on top of me. For me, it helps me sleep better. As I started researching weighted blankets, I learned that they are often used for a range of situations from autism, to insomnia, to anxiety and depression as a way to create a calming environment. As I have dealt with anxiety (and panic attacks to a lesser degree) for years, I wondered if subconsciously that explained my obsession with blankets. I mentioned it in front of Tim one day and he must have stored the information away because for Valentine’s this year he decided to forgo flowers or chocolates, and instead got me a lovely, ten pound, blue chenille blanket. It arrived this evening and I couldn’t wait to unpack it. I pulled it out of the box, laid down on the couch and rearranged the blanket on top of me. As I laid there, I felt the weight of the blanket settle down on top and around me, I couldn’t have been more cozy!

So thank you, Tim, for my incredible Valentine’s gift. Now I can’t wait to go to sleep!!

I’ve always been amazed at the positions children can sleep soundly in. There have been times when I have gone to check on my kids before going to bed and I find them half draped off their beds in the most contorted positions, their chests rising and lowering with perfect, peaceful breathing. I’ve seen Big E fall asleep with a chicken nugget hanging out of his mouth, and C sleeping with a tictac stick to her lips! 

Oh, to be able to sleep so soundly! 

While I got to spend the evening with my sweet, dear girl, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that today is the birthday of my lovely, wonderful, amazing mother. Happy Birthday to the woman that sacrificed so much for us as we were growing up, who gave up nursing to stay home and raise her girls, who worked alongside our father to build a company, and who chose to shoulder the responsibility of our education when we were homeschooled. She is also the woman that led me to Christ. She’s an incredible mother and an extraordinary grandmother and we are blessed to have her.

So Mom, on your birthday, I just wanted to remind you that we love you so very much!

We certainly can’t say things have been dull in our house as of late and today was no exception. Big E was playing with his cousins last night when he jumped down three stairs and landed with his toes underneath his foot. He was in a lot of pain and for the rest of the evening, he wouldn’t use his foot.

Tim and I hoped that by today he would be up and walking, but instead he has been crawling everywhere he needs to go. Every time I would try to have him walk, as soon as he would put weight on that foot he would collapse. So this evening I took him to the local urgent care to have it looked at.

They were great with him and he really enjoyed the chance to get a ‘picture’ of his bones. He was so proud of himself and it completely made his evening that they not only let him look at the x-rays on their screen, but they printed one out for him to take home.

Thankfully the doctor informed us that his foot was not broken and that he likely just hurt some ligaments. They wrapped his foot and told us to keep weight off of it for a few days.

By the time we got home he was excited to show daddy his picture, his wrapped foot, and tell him all about how brave he was when he got his x-rays. He was very excited that he had gotten to do something that his older sister hadn’t done yet. He’s asleep now, all cozy with a wrapped up foot. Hopefully in a few days he will be back to running around!

After nearly a month of sickness in our house, I have to confess that I’m pretty much on edge most of the time. Tim has been under the weather for a lot of it, so that has left me to manage and deal with most of the illnesses. I’ve made multiple doctor’s visits, juggled various medications, laundered and cleaned sickened areas, and after weeks of constant pummeling I just feel tired. I douse my children with hand sanitizer, wash their hands frequently, make them wear masks and warn them against the dangers of getting close to people when all these sicknesses are running rampant. After having about three days of everyone feeling pretty well and hearing about other sick children that have been near mine,  I felt the familiar feeling of my pulse picking up and my anxiety kicking in. My mind starts following rabbit trails of more vomit bowls and sleepless nights.

Here’s the deal, I’ve been worrying and obsessing for weeks. That’s not healthy. I know that’s not healthy. I know it’s wearing me down and affecting the way I’m living. I’m snapping at my kids, losing patience with my husband, and all around being a not so pleasant person to be around. So tonight, weeks later than I should have been, I’m translating that fear to prayer. I can’t do it anymore. I can’t control whether my family gets sick. I can trust that God is sovereign and that if we aren’t done He will give us the strength to ride it out. So from here on out when I hear the words ‘fever’ or ‘vomiting’ or ‘sick’ and I feel my pulse starting to quicken, I’m going to try take a moment to pause and pray that God will handle it because I no longer can. And if you see me starting to unravel, remind me of this post and the promise that God is in control- not me!

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/prompts/translate/

I went on a date today. It’s the first date I have been on in months and it wasn’t with my husband. My dear sweet daughter has been clinging to me lately, and I knew it was time that we spent some time together. I realized late last night that I had forgotten something at work and decided to run up today to grab it and bring my girl along. We decided to make a fun little trip out of it. We got there and I picked up what we needed. Then we took a walk to a near by cookie store. We ordered fresh baked cookies and sat at a picnic table and ate them. Then we went for a walk in a nearby garden labyrinth. We ran around, walked on brick walls, and played princesses.

We desperately needed this and it was perfect!

I’m looking forward to a much needed weekend with my wonderful children. We’ve had a rough few weeks, but we’ve pulled through and I can’t wait to share some giggles and smiles with my crew. I’ll start us off with some great pictures of C from our impromptu photo shoot this evening. I love this girl. I love her personality. And I love her bubbly spirit. As we say in our family, “She makes my heart happy!”