Life Wright Now | May 2024

May was filled with many mini kick-offs to summer. We celebrated annual events: Mother's Day at Pike Place Market, Mr. Fleece's birthday with chocolate cake, and one of my favorite days of the year, the West Seattle Garage Sale! We also enjoyed some seasonal firsts: releasing salmon into Fauntleroy Creek with NLW's pre-K class, hose showers in the backyard, and an inaugural al fresco dinner at our new picnic table :) 

Other Recent Joys:
- Sunny weather and beach visits
- Discovered Gatewood Elementary Playground
- Kid drawings and maps 
- EDW "going to work" with her toy laptop and backpack in tow
- Our Paw Patrol era 
- Our rainforest era
- NLW beginning simple mental math addition
- Telling "group stories" where each kid basically fills in a made-up madlib I facilitate
- Julia Donaldson books
- Time with friends
- Swing time...giving underdogs and underpenguins and underjaguars, and undercows, etc. 

One of our best family photos!

We ventured to Tacoma over Memorial Day weekend to explore the area, tour the Children's Museum and Zoo, and visit with friends. The zoo/aquarium is phenomenal and we loved Wright Park. Plus, we chose the perfect Airbnb in terms of space, location, and charm. We also took the children to Dairy Queen for the first time and had a sweet interaction with an elderly couple -- the wife shared she had a twin brother.

My favorite type of travel blends new adventures and sights with old friends, and this vacation brought us both. Overall, it was such a lovely time and just our speed. I was so proud of us for not allowing the stress of packing up the whole house and leaving "on time" get to us. Hoping to carry that attitude forward into a busy summer of travel and camping :) 

Watching | Gossip Girl
When in a reading rut, I tend to turn to TV, and with the number of Gossip Girl episodes I've been binging, it's no wonder I haven't had time to turn pages. The quippy dialogue, dramatic characters, luxurious fashion, and soapy soappppy plot lines can't be beat. Dorota and Blair scenes are chef's kiss.  

Eating & Drinking | Strawberry Vanilla Olipop
A friend introduced me to this refreshing drink and Mr. Fleece and I have been hooked. I don't usually like carbonation but it's undeniably delicious. 

Reading | Big Friendship: How We Keep Each Other Close by Aminatou Sow and Ann Friedman
I love thinking about friendship so this book was a no-brainer for me. It made me reflect on and appreciate all the wonderful friends I've made and kept over the years. It also had me daydreaming of a girl's trip. 

Listening | Olivia Rodrigo
I forgot how fun it is to listen to fun music :) Great voice. Great lyrics. Great mood. 

Seeking margin and margaritas, 

-SJW

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