Life Wright Now | April 2024

I'm so happy to be kicking off the month of May as I had some rough patches in April. Lots of parenting struggles and harder days. I long for my children to use their words, remain patient, listen well, and be calm, kind, and generous! While I remain dedicated to guiding my children toward those skills, traits, and inclinations, I was recently reminded that the baseline goal of parenting is to keep my children safe, loved, and cared for :) Excited for the breath of fresh air a new month brings, especially as we creep our way toward summer. 

Recent joys:
- Taking my mom to the tulip festival
- Cheerful flowers in our yard
- CCW as gardener
- Beach outings
- Nature scavenger hunts
- Amazing weather and outdoor workouts
- Impressive kid drawings
- 1:1 time with children
- Watching the twins cut paper
- Admiring the unique train tracks NLW comes up with
- Having a happy house in party mode 
- Slumber party at my friend's house complete with Gossip Girl viewing
- Double date with L&A
- Watching Bluey as I brush/do EDW's hair 
- Making up "Would you rather" questions with the children
- Setting up a get-to-know-you call with another Executive Assistant
- 'Telling the day backwards' with my children 

Looking Forward to:
- Dog-sitting
- West Seattle Garage Sale
- Mother's Day
- Family trip to Tacoma for Memorial Day weekend
- Field trips for NLW
- Mr. Fleece's birthday
- Finally picking up this book

Watching | Anne Hathaway
While I never read the book and who knows if I'll ever make it through the new Netflix series...I decided to revisit the original movie with Anne Hathaway. She's a gem. So much so that I've found myself watching interview after interview after interview. I've also got her new chick flick on my list for this weekend. 

Eating | Umi Sake House
At this point in my life, I'm only eating out at a restaurant roughly once a month, which thankfully keeps this category alive :) We squeezed in a double date with friends on the last day of April and it was spectacular! It's hard to go wrong with uninterrupted conversation with dear friends but the delicious meal and unique interior made the evening feel extra special. We ended the night with a joy ride along Alki while playing 'Poetry for Neanderthals' in the car -- basically Taboo but you can only give one-word clues. Me love game.

Reading | James by Percival Everett 
Even though I had heard good things about this buzzy book, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the writing and story. While it follows the same plot as Huckleberry Finn, this adaptation definitely conveys a lot more depth given it's written from Jim's perspective. While I don't think you need to have read Twain's original, I think it's helpful to have some familiarity so as to better appreciate what Everett does with the story, characters, and dialogue.

Listening | Sam by Sturgill Simpson 
This song came on while listening to "Zach Bryan Radio" and it was an immediate share with my dad, sister (who actually had a treeing walker coonhound) and cousin -- all dog lovers. The lyrics are just so great! A little bit different than TTPD album haha! 

Well, a good dog on the ground's worth three in the saddle
No matter where you're from
Been many good dog was a friend to a man
But Sam was the greatest one
He was a hound of hounds
He was the wonder of all walkers

Chocolate chips in my trail mix,

-SJW

Double the Fun | Crib Days

Today marks 3.5 years with EDW and CCW! If I continue my twin math, we're now up to seven years of parenting :) In celebration, I'm posting a poem about our latest milestone -- transitioning out of cribs! Oh how these structures have served us well since birth and provided wonderful stretches of safe and restorative sleep. 

So many nights
So many naps
Always in your crib.
Safely swaddled
Safely sleepsacked
Always in your crib. 
Waking, crying,
Sleeping, resting
Always in your crib.
Fumbling for pacis in the dark
Searching all three floors for Slows
(These somehow escape your crib)
White noise rumbling
Blinds drawn low
Always in your crib. 
Satisfied to have a neighbor,
Never one to climb out and over

Until the day you do. 

Good-bye rails, enclosed bed
Hello mattress, floor of freedom

Start of something new. 

Tuck you in 
Tuck you tight
Up and out of bed.
Neverending playtime
Neverending giggles
Up and out of bed.
Drinking water, peeing (in the potty!)
Turning on the lights
Up and out of bed. 
Soothed by lovies
Soothed by blankies
Soothed to have your favorite neighbor
All curled up in bed. 

I was rightfully nervous to transition out of cribs as their desire for play often supercedes their need to sleep. And while we no longer have the blissful ease of setting them in their cribs for a full twelve hours overnight, we instead encounter cute shenanningans like "my giraffe is sick" or "swimming pool" (see pics below). For the most part, I'm very impressed by their willingness to stay in their room and comradery in playing together, although I do wish they were falling asleep earlier and staying asleep later come morning. Hard to complain when we've had 3+ years of solid sleepers.

Last crib pic <3

What big little kids,

-SJW

Life Wright Now | Winter 2024

Winter is usually the hardest season for me. The dark + cold + damp combo makes for dreary days, and when strung one after another it can make me feel desperate and panicky for ways to entertain my children. We pass the time playing in the basement, reading books on the couch, building trains and magnet tiles, and bundling up for every outdoor adventure. Hot chocolate makes a regular appearance :) I'm thankful for our assortment of visitors and the celebratory holidays to help brighten our weeks with joy, "special occasions," and fun. I also completed a "winter refresh" which included new purchases: bedding, blankets, pillowcases, laundry baskets; ample decluttering, and a new furniture arrangement on our main floor. 

Highlights:
- New Year's Day Polar Bear plunge on Alki
- St. Louis work trip to support our community event of The Right to Read screening
- Fit4Mom workout classes
- Potty Learning & shifting out of cribs -- huge milestones!
- Neighbor hangouts
- Multiple visits from family
- Epiphany, Valentine's Day, Leap Day, and St. Patrick's Day

Note: sledding was unfortunately not a highlight as my children were grumpy and under-the-weather

Watching | The Buccaneers
I enjoyed this period drama! It's the same genre as Bridgerton -- love triangles and all. Fun to binge and even made me cry. 

Eating | Westerly
Mr. Fleece started using this meal delivery service and it has revolutionized our mealtimes, making healthy calories accessible and convenient for him, while reducing the mental load of cooking and planning for me. Their branding, recipes, and sustainability are great, providing gluten-free and dairy-free options along with compostable packaging. Their tagline is "meals to make life simpler" and we've embraced that sentiment!

Reading | The Water is Wide by Pat Conroy 
My dad recommended this book a few years ago and I finally picked it up as part of my memoir reading in March. I'm so glad I did as I ended up loving it -- I wish I would have slowed down and savored the beginning...it took me some time to get into his voice and see where the story was headed. I thought it was especially good on audio since he has a strong singular voice and there's a lot of dialogue in his storytelling. The book will make you think about education, poverty, and humanity and although very different, I think it pairs well with the novel Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver, which I read shortly after. 

Listening | One in a Millennial by Kate Kennedy
I came into this blind (didn't know the author or her podcast) but it was full on nostalgia! Sleepovers, popular girl handwriting, American girl dolls, AIM screen names and a deep dive into The Parent Trap. The poetic wordy pop culture references woven throughout both made me laugh and roll my eyes. She's purposely over-the-top, but her humor and commentary often worked for me and I found myself recommending this to my fellow Millennials. I think it would make for a great book club discussion and welcome any buddy reads :) 

Just in time for spring cleaning, 
-SJW