SQT {18}: Floor Yogurt, Universal Naps, and Getting a B

 

This week the Seven Quick Takes over at This Ain’t the Lyceum are paused for a reflection on how quickly things can change.  If there’s one thing that a serious illness has taught us, it’s that we can’t take life for granted.

 

The last couple months have been a challenge, but November was particularly rough.  Cee’s SOJIA started flaring, and it takes a lot of effort not to just disengage from life and have the kids watch The Magic School Bus all day.

Knock on wood, Cee seems to be feeling a little better.  We’ve left her wheelchair in the car a few times when we’ve gone places.  She’s actually helped tidy a few times.  We’re getting back into a more regular school routine.

Here’s how survival mode looked for me the last two months:

Seven Quick Takes

1. Yogurt on the Floor

If I put some yogurt in a bowl with a spoon and sit Bea on the floor, that buys me a solid 5 minutes of time.  She ends up with a great St. Nicholas looking yogurt beard afterwards, which is worth a smile as well.

Our life has been pretty “yogurt on the floor,” which means we lower our standards on anything that doesn’t really matter all that much.  She has a bowl and a spoon.  That’s good enough.

 

2.  Norwexing

I started an online Norwex party.  I <3 their products.  Seems like a weird time to take something else on, but I needed a win.  I needed something positive that didn’t have to do with a million calls to the insurance company.  If you peruse the catalog, you’ll find a solution to your housekeeping problems, too.  (See the picture of my bathroom below.)   And if you purchase something using this link, 35% of all sales go to American Heritage Girls, a virtues based scouting program that Cee and Elle love.  Thanks for helping me feel better about life, Norwex.

 

3.  Fought the Fever

My latest audio book, Simplicity Parenting, discusses emotional “fevers.”  If we are more patient and comforting when our kids are physically sick, why would it be any different if they are emotionally sick?  We should slow down and soothe them for any kind of sickness.

Cee might be the only one feeling the physical effects of the flare, but we are all running an emotional temperature.  So…I tried cutting everyone some slack.  I worked really hard to be gentle when I wanted to yell and patient when I wanted to leave.  We had fewer meltdowns and less wall chewing, so maybe it worked?  I still lost it, just not as much.

The flip side of this is that I blogged less.  I spent less time taking care of myself.  Sure, it’s nice to read a million picture books to the kids, but that left me pretty exhausted.  Which brings us to crazy coping #4…

 

4.  Universal Naps

The solution for not sleeping well during this latest flare was universal nap time.  After lunch we’d put on a movie and “rest.”  Rest-ity, rest, rest.  I’d rest instead of doing something productive because that’s what “universal” means.

I’m old and out of touch.  Do people still use the word “bae”?  As if it’s too much work to slide that extra “b” in there?  I always thought it was weird when it came out a few years ago, but Naps— Naps is my bae. I get it now.  I’m sorry for looking down on you, Millennial People.  I understand now that I have a bae of my own.

 

 

5.  Went to Mass

A couple weeks ago the kiddos and I went to daily Mass.  It was important for me to go, because it was offered for my grandma.  I set my expectations real low- – basically at just surviving- – and we succeeded!  My sister did come sit with us, so I can’t claim to have handled it on my own.  After The Great Pew Slither of last week, I appreciate how well the kids did at that daily Mass.

 

6.  Got a B

This summer I signed up for a continuing education class about teaching writing to kids.  I was all excited to dust off my class-taking skills and learn new things.  Then life happened, and I realized that I needed to scramble in order to meet the deadline.  (You can read about how much I enjoy Learners Edge here, and get a discount code if you want to try it.)   The way that Learners Edge works, there are different requirements for earning a B and earning an A grade.  If you want an A, you just do a little more work.  You choose your desired grade and work accordingly.

I just did the B work.  And finished under the wire in true college style.

And like the floor yogurt above, it’s good enough.  My teaching license doesn’t care, so why should I?

 

7.  Book Club

We started a book club, me and the kids.  We all pick a favorite book from the week and talk about it over a mug of milk.  Elle decided that after each person shares, we clap.  It’s adorable.  (The kids like historical fiction from WWII, so I did actually give them a brief overview of All the Light We Cannot See.  Elle wanted me to start it as our next read aloud, though, so maybe my schpiel was a little too engaging.)

Given the theme of Kelly’s Quick Takes reflection this week, Book Club seems to be the perfect way to end my post on survival mode and focusing on what really matters.  If nothing else, our journey of suffering has taught us how to pare down life and hold on to the little moments.  Maybe Book Club is something that would work for your family, too?

 

 

 

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