Playful Rooted

I remember talking to Ben a couple years ago about which phrases we said the most often throughout the day. My most-used phrase, hands down, was “Be careful by the stairs!!” (The layout of our house means that the boys are constantly running back and forth past the top of the staircase, playing and fighting and rough-housing. We have a baby gate there, but still, it makes. me. NERVOUS.)

These days, although I do still shout, “Be careful by the stairs!!” many times a day, that phrase’s use has been completely overshadowed by a new one:

“I’ll be right there.”

Luca wants a snack. “I’ll be right there, bud, just let me finish feeding Pria.”
Sawyer wants me to draw with him. “Be right there, kiddo, after I’m done getting Luca’s snack.”
Pria wakes up from her nap crying. “I’ll be right there, baby girl, just need to help Sawyer get dressed.”
The boys want help building a couch cushion pirate ship. “Be right there, buddies, I just need to change Pria’s diaper.”

So many times, every single day, to every person in this house, I say, “I’ll be right there.” Such is life with three kids and only one mom. Insert every crazy-faced emoji.

I love having three kids. I’m so grateful to have each of them. And I’m totally enjoying having a baby in the house again. But, wow, it’s a lot. I’m perpetually running back and forth, putting out small, relentless fires, and at the end of the day, I feel like I have gotten absolutely NOTHING done. That’s the hard part, really; I don’t mind the requisite servanthood of being a mother. My kids are so funny and adorable, and it’s a privilege to help them, to nurture them, and to make them feel known and loved.

But it is HARD to have a disaster of a house, a miles-long to-do list that never gets any shorter, and many neglected hobbies with no time (or energy!) to do anything about them.

And it totally does not help that our baby girl has won the crown for Miss High Maintenance 2021. More on that in her four-month update soon!

I am completely obsessed with her, she is wonderful, I thank God many times every single day that she’s here and happy and healthy. But oh my word, is she a neeeedy baby!

Pretty cute, though.

—

One thing I’ve learned this year is that if you have a million doctor’s appointments regarding your child, you’re gonna need a power blazer. Doctors speak to you differently based on what you’re wearing, and a good blazer doubles as a shield off which negative commentary can bounce. I searched far and wide for the perfect blazer and finally found it! This knit blazer ticks all my boxes: stretchy but structured, navy fabric with an interesting pattern, upturned 3/4-length sleeves. You might say she understood the assignment.

Sold out here, but looks like there are a bunch on ThredUp if this blazer speaks your language like it does mine.

—

Got a kid learning to write?

Golf. Pencils. With. Erasers. These are so brilliant! Perfectly sized for little hands and the erasers, of course, come in extremely handy. We’ve been using these along with the Handwriting Without Tears curriculum, which is excellent. I’ll probably write more about this in a future post, but suffice it to say, this is THE most comprehensive handwriting program I’ve found!

—

We have NO plans to get our kids phones until very, very far into the future (and they will have social media over my dead body), but I saw these Gabb phones recently and though they might be a good option for my older nephews. It looks like a smart phone, but it doesn’t have the internet, any games, or social media. Intriguing! 50% off right now with code KCRF.

—

We found the most awesome trail for hiking with kids the other day; I still can’t believe we had never been there before! Bethany Falls Trail is a 1.3-mile loop with so many rocks to scale, trees to climb, and caves to peek in. We had such a great time and the boys are already dying to go back and keep exploring.

—

Here’s a good, unsettling read on Google censorship and how it has affected the natural health community. Censorship is one of the biggest reasons I left social media 18 months ago (seriously, one of the best things I’ve ever done for my mental health and my family). But it’s not just social media anymore. And I’m outraged by the idea that huge corporations or shady companies can dictate what information we have access to.

Even if you couldn’t care less about natural wellness, this is an issue worth thinking about.

We’re living in some pretty terrifying times, and I know it’s easy not to care about censorship if it doesn’t affect you, but sooner or later it will affect everyone. This isn’t stopping.

—

Winter is coming, and for the third time, I’ve had to figure out how to keep a baby warm in a super cold house! Enter the BabyDeeDee Sleep Nest. I had one of these for Sawyer and absolutely LOVED it (those shoulder snaps are brilliant; you can get this on or off baby without waking them up), but I loaned it to someone after Sawyer outgrew it and never got it back. So this time, I invested in this heavier version for winter, and it’s totally delightful! So far, it’s done a great job at keeping Pria warm but not too warm. I would 100% purchase one of these for myself if they made them in adult sizes. (Why don’t they make sleep sacks in adult sizes??) This one also looks awesome for outdoor adventures.

—

I’m trying to think of more things to share because I have a sink full of dishes to wash, and I don’t want to do it. Which, conveniently, brings this to mind: I was listening to a talk recently about shifting your perspective on things like this. So instead of groaning about how you have to clean the kitchen, you can think or even say out loud, “I have dishes to wash because my family had food to eat for dinner tonight, and not every family is so lucky.” It really is a powerful way to focus on and be grateful for all the things you might otherwise take for granted. Don’t get me wrong: I won’t enjoy it, but I truly am grateful to have that sink full of dishes to wash.

Even though I really, really don’t want to do it.

xo!