Lysol and cleaning wipes

We have two sick girls.  Each with a different type of ick.  One woke up in the night with thedreaded stomach virus!

  Oh, December!  

We have a real knack for getting stomach bugs in December. I've even blogged about a couple- 2012 2011.  Plus there was the year Kevin and I got sick over Christmas in Columbia.  And last year a stomach bug hit Lu right before Christmas and took me down on Eleanor's birthday :(.    And of course I'll never ever forget 2005 when I was 9 months pregnant with Eleanor and landed in the hospital with a stomach virus.   

What gives in December?  

Not enough sleep- true

Too much sugar- also true

Lots of time around other people in enclosed spaces-yep 

It might be too late for us this time around but those stomach bugs will be waiting all December long!  So today I cleaned every surface with disinfectant wipes.  I sprayed everything down with Lysol.  I'm washing all sheets, towels, coats and any laundry just hanging around.  

And I'm thinking positively.  

We can make sleep a priority.  

We can be smart about sugar.

And we can be careful about how much time we spend indoors.  

Today I'm thankful for Lysol and cleaning wipes!

An afternoon snack with Olaf!

Picking right back up

December 1 is here and so is the first day of Advent!  Today I'm thankful (so it didn't work out to blog daily in November--oh well, there is hope for December--there is always, always hope!) for an ordinary Sunday.  It's been a few weeks since we had a run of the mill Sunday and it felt so good!  After a great dinner, a family devotional, and a family meeting to lay out the week I am fully satisfied and grateful!

We have a easily visible calendar for evening activities, this is also something to give thanks for!  

Two More!

I'm thankful for Mondays!  I work from home on Mondays and most weeks I just work a half a day.  I catch up from the weekend and get set for a great week.  This week in particular I was grateful for Monday because most of my weekend chores were left undone since Eleanor and I left for Chicago on Friday morning.  I cooked and did laundry and cleaned up the house.  I got my calendar straight for the week and took a long walk.   I was able to return work email from my dining room table and the one meeting I had was at the Starbucks up the street.  Monday might not be my favorite day of the week but it's still a pretty terrific day!

This pretty much sums up my Monday :)!

Today I'm also thankful for Richard Rohr.  I was introduced to his writing a long time ago but didn't really read anything until a couple of years ago.  Now I read something of his almost daily.  His writing is brilliant and makes me really think about my lived faith.   Here's a devotion I've been re-reading lately.

November is here!

November is here which means my annual attempt to mark each day of the month with a thankful post is also here.    We're three days in so, here goes with 3 things I'm thankful for right now.


1- Eleanor
Just the two of us traveled to Chicago this weekend.  She is a lot of fun to spend time with.  She is thoughtful and smart and funny, too!  I have about a million and one stories to back all of that up, but she's 13 and most of her stories just plain belong to her.  But if you know her, even a little bit, you don't need any stories to know that what I say is true :)!

2- Holiday preparations
Our trip to Chicago has been so much fun and I hate for it to end--though I do miss the rest of my family and am excited to get home to them!  The weather was chilly and perfect for getting us in the holiday mood.  We woke up early and were at Macy's when they opened yesterday and loved shopping and enjoying all of the holiday decorations.  We've got some ideas for the holidays and are hoping that somehow the next two months can feel like an eternity as we try to just enjoy the moments!

3- Train travel
Traveling by train in the US is not exactly the fastest way to travel.  If Eleanor and I had wanted to be speedy we would have driven to Chicago . But we didn't care too much about speed.  We both wanted to sit back and just relax.  We've done some online shopping, planning, homework, Netflix watching and chatting.  And we've enjoyed the other people on the train.  There is a man near us who is currently on hour two of catching up on the phone with someone he must not have talked to in at least five years.  I am dying.  It is so sweet and I love it.  Also, the couple next to us brought McDonald's on for breakfast, prayed over their meal, finished up and had been snoozing away for 2 hours.

7 more!

14- Birds

I love that I can hear the birds singing in the morning when I wake up!  They are a sign that Spring is coming and that sounds wonderful to me.  One of my favorite things about where we live is getting to experience 4 seasons every year.  I'm almost always ready to move into the next season when it's time.

15- Dark chocolate

It's funny how tastes change.  I've always liked chocolate  but I'm finding that I'm really grateful for dark chocolate lately :).  Not so much candy bars, in fact those mostly don't interest me. Just a little plain dark chocolate.  Sometimes I wonder who I am.


16- Wondering who I am.

Dark chocolate and other small things lead me to my 16th thing to be thankful for.  Oh sure, mostly I am the same year after year.  But every so often I realize I've changed.   Not good or bad or really any judgement whatsoever, just changed.  It feels good to know that I'm growing into whoever it is I'm meant to be.

17-Apple Car Play.

What a great invention.  It allows you to plug your phone into the radio and access Apps.  Easily.  Like so easy that a low tech person like me can't mess it up.  It's wonderful.

18- Text messages

I remember when I first heard about texting.  I really thought it was dumb.  I'm a slow adopter.  Very slow.  Would rather not adopt in most cases. But the thing about us slow adopters is, once we're convinced we're with you, we're not looking for the next shiny thing.  You really have us!  Anyway, I could see absolutely no reason why texting would ever serve a purpose for me.  Fast forward many years and now I LOVE it.  I talk to my kids multiple times a day via text.  Funny videos, hilarious memes, and just general awesomeness!  I love that I can quickly catch up with friends and family and  even get reminders for orthodontist appointments!

As I wrote #18 this text came in-

🐨🐶🐮🐻🦁🦊🐱🐭🐰🐹🐯🐸🐷🐵🐣 YAY!

Who doesn't want this message from their favorite 8 year old?!

19- Pushing past comfort.

I read this on Instagram right before the plane took off on Monday for a conference in Houston I attended and it was exactly what I needed read. 

 Another time I will write about all of the things that led to me traveling to this conference but trust me, it was meant to be.  However, every bit of this was out of my comfort zone.  From the moment I got into the Uber at 4:15 on Monday morning, until the moment I returned the rental car an hour ago.   A few of the things that were out of my comfort zone:

• Checked myself in for a flight .  I usually fly as a family group where someone in the group checks us all in.   Checking myself  in resulted in me boarding in the C group for both flights.    Thankfully one thing I have going for me is the fact that I am not a nervous traveler.  I'm not worried about being early, I'm not worried about being late. I'm not worried about being in A and I'm not worried about being in C.  And yes, I had to sit between two people on the flight to Houston and I suspect the return will be the same.  Somebody's got to do it!  Another thing I have going for me is being 5'4".  I don't take up a lot of space.
• Rented a rental car.  Ok, it was more the picking it up and driving it.  I did fine!  They rented me a little car that had Apple Car Play so I plugged my phone in and away I went.  Not a single problem.  I even had to drive in Houston traffic out to the suburbs about an hour away.  
• Stayed in a hotel all by myself.  I'm 43 and I've never done this.  Two summers ago Lucy and I drove to Wisconsin to pick up the older girls from camp.  We spent two nights alone in a hotel as we made the drive and as silly as it sounds, I felt different after that trip.  This stay had less of an impact.  Mostly, I felt just like me. For instance, I forgot my key every single time I left the room.  Went to work out, had to get a new key.  Went to breakfast, had to get a new key.  Came back from a day at the conference, had to get a new key.   I did thoroughly enjoy two nights with absolutely no responsibility though!  I stopped both nights after the conference and picked up a salad and some fruit for dinner.  And then I got in bed at 6:45 and watched reruns of Everybody Loves Raymond until I feel asleep around 9.  Left to my own devices this is the exciting life I live.

20-Home-

I am at the airport and heading home and I cannot wait!  Can't wait for all of it.  The work, the complaints, the laundry, the smiles, the hugs, the mess. I love my home and the people who make it my favorite place!

12 and 13

Today I'm thankful for time.  Time away from our normal routine to explore and enjoy.  

Time for things like holding baby alligators!   Boy does she live by the when in Rome motto!   

Time for learning about a time in our history that we know too little about.  On Sunday we visited the  Whitney Plantation, one of the only plantation museums with a focus on slavery.  We learned so much and it has us thinking a lot.  

Yesterday I was thankful for my birthday!  It was as good as it gets and if yesterday was any indication, 43 is going to be amazing!  We had a decadent breakfast (bananas foster gluten-free pancakes  and a mimosa for me!), followed by a stroll around the French Quarter, then an outstanding narrated tour for kids (but parents also learned a lot!) of the history of New Orleans and the French Quarter, a snack on one of many lovely balconies in the French Quarter,  an hour-long line for Preservation Hall that felt like a minute because of the good company, the beautiful weather and the comedy of standing on a street in New Orleans (so many characters!), a great jazz show at Preservation Hall and an outstanding dinner and dessert at Muriel's.  Plus somewhere in there, we had Pinkberry.  And Lucy got a henna tattoo.  It was a day packed full of fun!

Days 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11

I have been very thankful and even intentional about thinking about something daily but I have not written.  So, I'll catch up today with 5 things just from today that I'm thankful for!






1: Waking up to gentle rain.  We drove all day yesterday from St. Louis to New Orleans and got in at about 8 last night.  We were exhausted and all slept great, and waking up to the gentle sound of rain was beautiful!

                                                        

2: Great travel companions.  All of them are really the best.  Everyone is up for an adventure (a VooDoo Museum that a certain 8 year old had to see), understanding of diet restrictions (vegetarian and gluten free), willing to try new things (gumbo), and in general just a whole lot of fun.  They are my favorite group ever.

















3: Musicians in the family.  One of the reasons we chose to come to New Orleans was jazz.  Both Emma and Eleanor play in jazz bands, and have taught us a lot about jazz music and instruments.   We heard some fun music today and are looking forward to more throughout the week.

4.) The Magic Tree House book series.  Lucy and I read a Magic Tree House book about New Orleans and Louis Armstrong last week and we learned all sorts of things about the city and jazz.  Lucy keeps noticing things we read about and sharing them with everyone!  Emma traces her love of history back to that book series and I'm seeing it happen again with Lucy!  

5. Quiet!  Right now I'm sitting on the front porch of our Air B and B and I can hear birds singing and an occasional car.  It's cool outside and there's nothing I need to do.  Kevin is reading and the girls are inside relaxing with Food Network.  We're ordering Mediterranean food to be delivered for dinner and everything is lovely.

Days 3, 4,5 and 6- Laughing, talking, a good haircut, and smoothies.

I am so thankful to be in a family that laughs.  A lot.  Every single day.

I am also thankful to be in a family that talks.  A lot.  Most of the Baums are quiet introverts.  

That's right quiet introverts and yet we laugh and talk! Imagine that.   As a quiet introvert who is raising quiet introverts I am on a mission to raise girls who believe that quiet people are incredible leaders.  That quiet people are marvelous listeners.  That quiet people are deep thinkers. That quiet people have strong opinions and lots to share.  That quiet people can do whatever it is they want to do.

I am thankful for a good haircut.  I got one on Saturday and it feels great!

I am thankful for smoothies.  I have one almost every weekday for breakfast and every day that I don't, I regret it.

Noticing

Yesterday as I got ready to write my post I noticed I had over 100 unpublished posts!  What?  How could that be.  So I started looking through them.  At least 50% are simply posts that I've titled with no actual writing.   

A few titles:

• On Summer (Was it good on summer, or bad on summer?)  
• The Day I realized I Support Bernie (I'm assuming this was Bernie Sanders.  I wonder, what did happen that day?)
• Grateful Day 1 (Was I really that stumped...on day 1?)
• This Is What We Do (What, what do we do???)

I shall never know the answers to those questions.  But there were others that were full posts.   I do not remember writing them.  At all.  I remember the situations I wrote about but can't for the life of me remember why I didn't hit publish.  

Here's one:

When Emma began kindergarten I imagined us walking to and from school every single day.  A happy stroll to begin and end our day.  One of the many things that attracted us to our neighborhood was its wonderful walkability and I couldn't wait to take advantage of it!  

 At first my idealized arrangement worked nicely but as time passed I found us hustling around in the mornings more than I wanted because I HATE to be late.  I was griping and rushing and frustrated and yelling.  Emma does not hate to be late plus she's not a morning person so leaving early to walk to school seemed silly to her. It made practical sense to her to NOT walk and to use that extra 15 minutes to sleep.

 We went on like this for several years.  Me being convinced that walking was the way and Emma dragging her feet every step.  

Tomorrow is Emma's last day of fifth grade and we walked to school once this year.  Once.  On the first day of school.  We replaced the walk with a quick drive and gave up the yelling and frustration---we've hung on to the hustling, it just became part of our fabric.

In an oddly sweet turn, Emma did walk home most days and in some little way that seems absolutely perfect.  That sort of sums up what elementary school has been for us....having the most incredible place to figure out what works and what doesn't, where to put energy and where to ease up and how to change expectations and figure out what's really important.

Fast forward four years...

6:55AM!!  Dressed and ready for her day!  She leaves early every day and is up late every night.  All that hustling we did in elementary school is paying off!  

Today I'm grateful for noticing.  Noticing the little ways my girls are growing.  Noticing the changes  but also the sweet connections to the past.  Noticing how no matter if they're 15 months of 15 years, seeing their faces first thing in the morning makes my heart leap a little.  

 I hope I always remember to notice.

Ash Wednesday

Today is the first day of Lent and as I've attempted (but not achieved) in the past, I plan to create a habit of writing Lenten what I'm thankful for posts.  Thinking of what I'm thankful for is not hard, choosing to make time to write about it is.  I know there is power in gratitude and intentionality so I hope to make space for it!


Today I'm thankful for liturgical seasons and the way they center me.  Advent and Lent are both times that I feel so much peace and purpose.  Filling up during these seasons helps me all year long.

Lucy and Pastor Meagan.  I love this photo of these two amazing ladies!

Ash Wednesday

Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent. It occurs 46 days (40 non-Sundays, and 6 Sundays)  before Easter and can fall as early as February 4th or as late as March 10th. According to the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, Jesus Christ spent 40 days fasting in the desert, where he endured temptation by Satan. Lent originated as a mirroring of this, fasting 40 days as preparation for Easter.

Hello 2019

The most exciting part of 2019 is the fact that this fantastic young lady is now 13!  

She is funny and kind.  Strong and inclusive of others.  Super smart and humble.  And a million other things.   She is perfectly, brilliantly Eleanor.  

Eleanor turning 13 means that we now have 2 teenage girls in the house.  I have a lot to say about teenagers.  Though I'm new to parenting teens I've already formed a lot of opinions and have at least a short book of thoughts in my mind on the subject.  But I have a solid 12 years of parenting teens ahead of me.  So laying down a whole lot of thoughts at this point is a little like making a grand declaration about running a marathon once you've run 2 or 3 miles.  Instead, I will write this, as this feels pretty certain to me:

• Parenting teens is hard.  They are a little crazy.  And they know it.  And you know it.  And you all have to survive together with this knowledge.  
• Parenting teens is terrific.  Some days you catch such a clear view of who they have been created to be, and it's so incredibly beautiful that it just guts you and you wonder how, just how, you get to have a front row seat to this.  And this gets you through the crazies.  Because it's a long game and a few crazy days should be expected. 

Ok, one more thought on teens: You learn to accept table behavior that you'd never have allowed at 5. 

Other news in 2019:

Lucy is playing basketball!  She is having a lot of fun and we love to watch her play! 

Emma doing homework after her first day back from Winter Break.  No easing back into things for her teachers.  Emma had an excellent first semester of high school and we could not be more proud of how hard she worked but also how well she balanced life.  It's a challenge for sure.