G is for...............Good Stuff

See?  Not Gratitude.  I feel like gratitude is one of those words like passion that was overused so much in the last several years that it's lost some of its meaning, so I'm choosing "Good Stuff."  

Really I'm borrowing this from my friend Kate who's been diligent about noticing the "good stuff" the quarantine and the virus has brought her.  Her words really inspire me on some days, so I thought I'd (hopefully) do the same today for you.

There have been several days, especially at the beginning of the quarantine, when I was racked with fear.  

My worries about my special needs son seemed to chased me into a darkness I couldn't make sense of--I was lost.  

Working full time from home, being a parent to five toddlers, trying to serve as my autistic son's therapist, grocery shopping, saving money, sanitizing, exercising (?!), missing my friends....it all hit me so hard that anxiety and sadness felt like words that could never quantify what I was feeling.

So, what do we do?  As my dad's mom, the original Clara Bolton (not my Clara) would say, "we just wade through."  We wade through each day and we do our best and hope that someday we will get some perspective.  And I think maybe I finally have some.

I finally started doing FaceTime dates with friends.

I figured out a better plan for Luke's therapy sessions at home with our au pair.

I established a better work schedule (yes that includes getting up at 4:00 am, but I revel in the quiet).

I forced myself to take walks.  It's not the rigorous exercise regimen I usually do, but it's something.

I'm facing my fears about germs, and I'm slowly realizing that I'm just going to have to be happy with saving whatever money as I can.  Feeding five toddlers plus a husband and an au pair is expensive.  That's life.

So, onto the good stuff, shall we?  Let's do it.  
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After a family Zoom call with my family last Sunday, Millie said, "I love our family.  They're the best."

Helmets at a campfire?  Safety first!

As we sat down to dinner on Thursday night, Isabelle put her hands together and said her own blessing.

Luke used the word "corner" with me--that's a huge word!

Clara is getting so good at riding her bike.

Cwara, as she says, loves owange.  That's her favorite color.

Ava loves helping me.  She's delighted to help put away dishes and clean up whatever mess I'm cleaning.  She also loves her Daddy more than life itself.

Luke is OBSESSED with the song "I Have a Dream" from Tangled.  He calls in the "Dream" song.  He especially loves it when my Disney-ballad singing husband belts it out for him.  These are the perfect two men to live with all of these ladies.  

My Disney Dudes

I love that I have the relationships I do with our au pair and our mother's helper.  They are such amazing women who love my children so much.  They make me laugh, think creatively, and feel gratitude in ways I never thought I could.

I am enjoying commuting less and giving my face a break from make up.

I am also enjoying a break for the constant go-go-go schedule that I usually run.  

Clara makes us laugh so much.  Michael calls her his Goofball.  She really is. I don't know where her sense of humor comes from, but I hope she never loses it.  I gave her a Mickey shirt I ordered off Ebay yesterday, and she said, "Oh Mommy, Cwara thinks it's bea-ti-ful!"

Millie still wants to get in my belly like she's a baby.  So once I have on my pajamas, she'll crawl under my shirt and snuggle in like she's in utero.  Weird, but sweet.

Isabelle was made to be a princess.  She walks around with a crown on most days.  

Ava may end up working for a government agency looking for criminals--she loves finding lost things:  pacifiers, toys, our dog, whatever it is--Ava is UP for the task.

That's it for now.  Sending you love and good stuff.