Flare-up

I signed up for email updates from Christina Tidwell last year when "autoimmune disease" became a real item in my family's life. She has had encouraging and timely (God is good!!) posts and this is one of them.

Flare-up was our last couple weeks ("I feel like 2019." ~KL). The above linked post made me realize we're making our way out of a flare-up. I've had a lot of people ask me "how are you doing?" and I've been trying to be honest, but there is no concise answer right now... I'd say though that today we're "better" (but not back to 2020 good). These are great toolkit ideas if you have 12 minutes to listen.

SUMMARY

1. breathing in and out  

2. focus on what you can control

3. eating healthful foods that will heal the body - NOURISH

4. sleep and rest - rest more than you think you need

5. calling on your care-team and support team

Six Months!

Can you believe it!?  This boy child is 6 months already!  Oh, we love him!  He's sleeping like a newborn, but rolling, laughing, eating, loving and loved!

A billboard I drove past had a picture of a cat next to the note:  "The best 10 lbs. I ever gained."  I had to do my own version.  This is "The best 16 lbs. I ever gained." ...I mean, along with the siblings of course!  

We've started foods a little differently with each child.  This time around, he's getting egg yokes, chicken heart, salmon, sweet potatoes, avocado, banana and basically what we're eating.  If it's simple enough, we'll let him test it.  He won't be having our store-bought chicken tortilla soup for a while...we don't consider that simple foods.

 He didn't get a whole lot off of this sweet potato wedge, but he was able to practice grabbing, chewing, and it kept him contentedly occupied so we could all eat together!  

Laughter

 Sometimes you just need to laugh together, so this mama with long hair and her sweet boy child had a few laughs while the others were getting ready for bed!!

Light Box

The kids have been tracing using the dining room window for school the last couple weeks.  We decided to research and purchase a "light box".  Found that they had slim boxes that were reliable and sturdy and slim.  We had one in the cart...then an artsy friend said her mom made one.  She found a simple plan to make one and talked us down.  So, we tried this...if it is used often and long we'll probably invest in the reliable/sturdy/slim variety, but for now, we'll go with free!  Even has a solar powered lamp!!

 

Camping!

Ahh, we really enjoyed this get-away.  It took me until the last moment (night before) to be fully certain that I would really want to go!  Gradually, starting to widen my horizon after a long time (I'm not counting/lost track) of staying-at-home has been interesting...

Heading to Oakwood was a great decision.  We checked ahead of time how they cleaned the cabin and we just went for it.  Oh, it was beautiful!! We might have to switch our end of June campout to end of May!  We actually made it around this island/peninsula loop without swarms of mosquitoes.  We were really able to enjoy the journey!!!  And the wildlife...

Fires. The kids did some scavenging and we were able to have a late-afternoon to bedtime fire AND an all morning fire.  Our main meal this time around was not our typical burritos, but Cari's favorite...hobo meals.  Diced up a load of veggies and some sausages and ate until we were fully satisfied, and maybe a bit more.  Really though, that is what you want when camping...it's terrible still feeling hungry while camping.  We didn't pack any fun desserts, but the kids enjoyed wrapping baby carrots in the used tinfoil and eating roasted carrots.  Something about having their own inventive treat was enough to not even ask about s'mores.

Mn was allowed pocketting of a pocket knife.  He brought it out under supervision and enjoyed being able to say he had it in his pocket and use it now and then.  Below: more wildlife. Can you spot it?

Prior to the campout we found that E.Nesbit didn't just write The Railway Children.  She was an author of fantasy! Kevin started reading this book to them of short dragon stories. We found one in picture book form at the library and Mn's been re-enjoying that one since.

Another loop at the park had a lovely open area with trees and spaces to play frisbee/soccer/run.  It was all our own for about an hour before we headed away from the park altogether.  Last stop, a little spot in the woods the kids and K had explored while I read in a chair in the open spaces.

Our lovely take-home...a tick!  Extracted with the help of Nana and the internet, because apparently the hot (not burning) match on the tick body is an old wives tale...

My Boy!

Ah, the Lego creation of the week:  a cherry picker.  As far as I can tell he made this contraption all on his own!  I'd say that it's the most elaborate of all his thus far.  It comes complete with a moveable bucket and chainsaw.

A neighbor brought over some fabric that she had lying around.  I requested one piece that would be more boy-friendly so that Mn could make something.  He's been wanting me to make him a cape for some time and so after the fabric was quarantined for several days we lay it all out and he chose his piece and decided what to do with it!  He had a plan:  cut here, put button here and hole there.  I helped him fine-tune it and then we got out his little sewing kit.  He stitched around the collar and then added buttons on the shoulders as well as the button that would be used for a closure.

Mid-week, daddy got off work an hour early and we packed a picnic and went hiking.  It was a much needed unwind!  This week has been the hardest of all the quarantine weeks we've experienced.  Not that it was different from any other, but...we're breathing easier and interacting better after some time in God's beautiful creation!

We played a game of Carcassonne and afterwards were putting things away and enjoyed a good laugh setting up this photo for Grandma..."Your red meeples and your Mn are missing you today."  ;)

Thursday, during my supper prep hour the rest of the crew went on a 6 mile bike ride!  They came back warm, tired and happy!

This morning Mn finished his cape and showed it off for the camera and sharing.  He's worn it most of the day so far.  He only took it off when he realized that he was rubbing his lunch pb on it.

The writing/drawing assignment today for school was to write about something you did this week or what you want to do next week.  L was writing about taking the bus to Grandma's and Nana's and making a plan for that in her journal.  They then decided that they should pack...it was all-inclusive packing...undies, pjs, swimsuits, a few books and activities... Then, they headed out to the bus-stop (the swing in the driveway).  I looked out a bit later and they were GONE!!  Gazed out a little longer and saw that they were coming back from the corner.  They are now spending some time moving L's mattress into Mn's room.  We'll finish up our school reading...later.  We'll savor this excitement.

Mn's plan of what he wants to do next week:

Bike Crew

Thursday afternoon, the kids and Kevin went on a long bike ride.  6 miles!!!  They arrived home tired, but really happy!  Kevin hadn't been feeling well Monday morning so had taken 2 hours off to "recover", then the rest of the week he had 2 other hours to take off.  Wednesday was the mid-week picnic and then this day...off an hour early to bike with the kids.  Back afterwards for supper and a concert.

Mid-Week Retreat

This particular Wednesday was a hard one for our family...mostly this mama... Kevin took off work an hour early and we packed a picnic.  There are 2 state parks quite near to each other and we frequent one and only go to the other every few years.  We thought we'd try the less frequently visited one.  We did find a quiet parking lot to picnic near, but the hiking areas were packed.  So, we started at one park and headed to the other.

Forgot to get a pic of our picnic view until we were in the van about to head to the next park...

Off the main trail hiking has been our specialty before the mosquitos reign.  :)  Found some trees to climb in and hills to roll with.

Just before we returned to our van, we pulled off the trail for others to pass.  Then we decided to stay a while and draw in our nature journals.  It was a lovely evening.  Yes, it took the whole of it for this mama to lighten up, but it worked!  God is good!!