Life Lately

I'm having a hard time finding the energy to blog much the last couple weeks. I'll get back into it but things are just heavy right now. Heavy in a lot of ways. Globally, for one, that's obvious. And then we are coming up on the two-year anniversary of the pandemic and that is triggering. Mandates are being rolled-back and that is terrifying. I'm back to hybrid work from fully remote in January and that's another big stressful transition. And while we are all well and happy, parenting is hard. Heaviness or not. It's just plain hard and some moments are more difficult than others. What is painful at the moment is the burden of not understanding a child's behavior and feeling completely incapable of fixing it. That somehow, every tantrum it is a direct reflection of your parenting choices and worrying how other people perceive that - especially people in your family. 

But it's not simple! Two things are true: you can try your best and you can still get it wrong. You can give your kids the most loving and supportive environment you can afford and it still won't be enough. And that no matter how happy or unhappy they are right now as kids, that can and will change—for better or for worse and that could be your fault. Maybe you didn't try enough or maybe you tried too much, smothering them and making them incapable of independence. It can feel so helpless. There is no way to "win," and the weight of that is monumental. And don't get me started on parenting advice trends of today. They are so punitive to older generations and nearly impossible to implement.

Ugh. Okay, enough of that. Bright side! I'm looking forward to more consistently warm weather. It's not here but I'm living for its future. I can't wait for our bathroom renovation to be done and I'd like to believe that could happen soon. 

Here is a peek of life lately...

Took the kids to Barnes and Noble. They were in heaven in the toy section.

Kip and I tried Shrinky Dinks for the first time and they were a hit.

Ivy is obsessed with CocoMelon and kitty cat stuffies.

 

Mandy found her new hobby - expert level Legos. Kip is jealous.

Kip and Ivy have started being really sweet with each other...sometimes...most of the time they annoy each other...as siblings do!

 

Dan and I had our dental cleanings this weekend and I finally finished the whole root-canal/crown business. Glad to have that done!

And the best update, Mandy organized our "spice" cabinet and put everything into nice labeled jars. It's so pretty!!

Before:

After:

I love organized spaces! Good job, Mandy! Thank you!!