not necessarily in this order

5 things I did for myself this week One  I made a phone call I’ve been dreading  Two  I bought new hair elastics for me and Lil Momma  Three  I found out my mom’s bank has a walk-in notary and solved a months long problem Four  I ate a real dinner on Thursday  Five  I picked up my holds from the library!! 2 bummers from this week One  Lil Momma got sent home with the “bug” on Thursday - poor kid is having an oof end to October Two  my Chromebook is still MIA, so blogging and commenting is extra challenging ( but hoping to keep searching during what will be a quiet weekend due to #1 ) 2 things I’m looking forward to  One Lil Momma is doing Matilda Jr in her musical theater class for the next 6 months and the cast list should be out this weekend! Two I’m trying 2 new mystery series and my holds came in And one bonus anecdote  I have been buying random little fall decorations - skeleton dogs and dragons - that balance Luke’s lov...

  One  Florida was amazing. It was a quick trip and went by in a blink, but we left wanting to go back and that’s the hallmark of a great trip to me. Lil Mama had never been to a place like Universal Studios before so it was wonderful seeing her explore how big it was and try out some rides - she loved the ones that told stories, big surprise ha ha! We spent a lot of time on the Harry Potter ones, the Simpsons, and the Spider-Man ride. We even enjoyed the hotel and she and I got cookies and milk as room service the night Luke went to see the haunted houses. It was the memory-filled weekend we needed. Two  the only real mistake we made came on day two. We had attempted to go on the new King Kong ride, but it had broke while we were on it, and we were stuck for almost an hour. Very overwhelming for me and put my little family in a bit of a grumpy mood. However, these things happen and they gave us magic passes that let us go to the front of the line even on rides that didn’...

Back in August, when Luke and I planned this long weekend away in Florida, we didn’t know how messy the last month would be. We’ve been used to drama and canceled plans, but our goal was to go make some memories with Lil Momma and have a break from the constant churn of sadness that’s been following us.  This was a surprise for LM, which gave us some grace when we almost canceled 2 weeks ago and again on Sunday. But, where I’ve landed (plane pun, haha) is where I’ve often found myself lately: 2 things can be true at once. We can be sad AND run away to Universal Studios. We can be navigating what’s next AND make some memories right now.  It all feels wild and adventurous - and I kind of love it. Here’s to a weekend away and finding some fun!   

Rollercoaster of a week (“ it’s time for long(?) term hospice ” <insert so many sad phone calls> “ wait – it’s possibly been a misdiagnosis for the last 10+ years; not time for hospice and go find all new doctors to figure this out even if it might not change anything ” <insert so many awkward phone calls>).    It’s been a lot of phone calls and a lot of feelings and now more phone calls and more feelings haha sigh…   I was going to try and incorporate some of my lessons from  Atomic Habits  into this month (I even bought a habit tracker and fun pens!) (FUN PENS!!), but that all feels like a bit much for the moments I’m in. SO, instead I have a few  small focuses for myself.      3 Things I’m Doing for Myself in October   Walks . I know, so simple. But it’s been hard the past few months to do formal work outs and it’s been even harder to just go for a walk every day and take some time to get out (and out of my head!)…. So,...

 Things have been quiet over here and may be quieter for a bit. As often happens with dementia mixed with other chronic conditions, my poor mom has gone downhill quite suddenly and I’m trying to navigate what’s next and Lil Momma (and work and life and the fall), with still some small hopes that she’ll bounce back a bit as she’s done countless times.  So, for this next chunk of time, I’m dedicating my writing brain space to small joys and hot takes on whatever I’m watching or listening to; a diary of distractions. 1  We’ve started the British show Taskmaster over from the beginning. British comedians, inane challenges, sarcastic hosts - the perfect way to get me out of my head for a bit. We’ve even met Lil Momma watch here and there and it’s amazing to watch her dissolve into giggles (and adds tension as we hope some of the naughtier references go over her head)! 2. This life moment coincides with my busiest two week period at work; all presentations to large groups, en...

  Lil Momma turned 10 at the end of August and it was a wild whirlwind of weather and a party! One  I was honestly dreading the party even before the weather turned against me. LM had asked for  a party in 3 parts: crafts, cake, and firepit/dance party with s’mores . She also very much wanted to fill up the invite list with 10 friends ( because she was turning 10)  and many of them had not been to our house before which means their moms had not been to our house before and it all was just SO MUCH for my brain to handle.    Two  LM and I had a prep day where we went adventuring to find supplies for the crafts, decorations, and cake embellishments. We landed on making  beaded bracelets  ( which were easy to prep as there where kits and extra beads to pick from ) and these  canvas stars  which we bought letter stickers for so the girls could color around the sticker of their first initial and then peel it off ( it sounded like a thing!...

  All the Light We Cannot See   Anthony Doerr, 2017 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I waited 33 weeks for this book on the library hold list after loving the complexity of  Cloud Cuckoo Land , the first book I read this calendar year. It floored me and I could do nothing but read it until I read it so fast I had regrets about not savoring it more.  But when I finally got its predecessor in early August, it just sat. I couldn’t bear to start it. With so many sad moments that last handful of years, I haven’t had it in me to read or watch sad things; when I realized this was a World War II novel, I froze. I had rushed the hold without reading anything about the book (although I’m sure I read    raves from blog friends when they read it) and all  those months of waiting became weeks of a standoff  - and an overdue book!! <gasp> - while life lifed and I tried to find the mental curiosity to just start reading it.  Ridiculous?  Possibly.  Overdramatic?...