Loved ~
There were lots of things I loved this month. The one I will highlight was our trip to the Cincinnati Zoo. My husband and I were in Cincinnati with my daughter for my daughter's audition for the Joffrey Ballet Summer Intensive (and yes, she got in and will be dancing in NYC this summer, as well as a few other places) and decided to do something fun before hitting the road for a five hour drive home. The zoo was the perfect event.
The tiger really loved me and wanted to "talk" to me through the glass.
The highlight was seeing the giraffes. They are hands down my favorite non-domesticated animal. The were so close and an absolute delight.
We managed to get all the kids that still live at home out on a family event once this month. It is hard coordinating this crew of young adults (two special needs) and getting time together out and about, but I see how important it is and keep striving to make it happen at least once a month. This month we went to a city about an hour away and had lunch at Red Robin and then went to Dave and Busters for lots of games. My kids found that the claw machine had many free plays and became somewhat obsessed with getting rubber ducks. My purse was overflowing by the end! It was a fun outing.
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| My husband is such a character and adds so much laughter to our sometimes stressful household. |
Our washer and dryer have been dying for a few months now. The washer finally died completely at the beginning of the month. We decided to replace both of them and upgrade our dark 1950's basement laundry room with a fresh coat of paint. My son painted it white and it feels so much brighter and clean. I also, put all of the laundry supplies in mostly thrifted containers and labeled everything. It is a much more pleasant place to work now.
Noticed ~
My son has chronic low-level depression that has been worse than usual in the last few months. He is between jobs; his therapist left practice; and he is just overall having a hard time maintaining a routine that would benefit his mental health. He has been doing "rent projects" for me each month. This month I decided to have him burn lots and lots of branches from two fallen trees. He seems so much calmer and happier after being outdoors and managing this peaceful activity. He has done it three times so far this month, and I will probably continue it next month since our property has plenty of wood to clear.
The laundry room look great and the trip to the zoo sounds so fun. I can not get over how close the tiger came! It does look like he's trying to communicate right through the glass to you.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations to Rebekah! The Joffrey Ballet!! I remember school field trips to see them in L.A. when I was a little girl.
ReplyDeleteThe picture of you all winning so many rubber ducks is a funny one. I can imagine the competition. :)
I've been picturing life as being mostly peaceful these days, but your statement about your husband helping you all laugh through stressful times makes me realize that just because "school" is over doesn't mean life is easy. I so pray for Elijah to find a job that will work for him--and a new therapist he can rely on.
Wishing you all health and happiness.
Congrats to your daughter! And glad to hear that your son is feeling calmer and having better days. Always such a struggle. Your outing sounds like fun. I might think about that for our next Family Fun Night!:)
ReplyDeleteWow, congratulations to your daughter!! I love the pictures of the tiger, that is hilarious. I am so sorry your son is struggling, but I totally get it. Mine is 18 1/2 and we are in a new state with no friends, it's hard. He works, but that is ALL he does, and it is hard to get him out to do anything else.
ReplyDeleteDawn, your laundry room looks great. You were busy. Love the tiger wanting to talk to you.
ReplyDeleteVisiting today from Share 4 Somethings.