Welp, 2015 has come in like a lion and I’m hoping it will go out like a lamb (if I survive that long). Many, many good things are going down and I’m feeling overwhelmingly grateful but mostly just overwhelmed. A video from comedian Jim Gaffigan has gone viral and my favorite joke from it: “You know what it’s like having five kids? Imagine you’re drowning. And someone hands you a baby.”
That’s exactly what I’m feeling like, minus the five kids (thank heavens; I can barely manage my two!) I’m not sure how diligent I’ll be here posting here as I try to navigate my way through the next couple of months.
Some things that are coming down the pipe:
Shower Shimmy
Thank you thank you thank you to all who have supported my friend Karla’s campaign for her invention the Shower Shimmy, the world’s first 3-in-1 tool and green cleaning solution. I’ve been managing her social media and mom blogger campaign while Jamie built their website and ads. I could tell you some crazy stories about investors, network news opportunities and I’m sure that will be a blog post at a future date. But the most important thing is she reached her Kickstarter fundraising goal on Day 1 and is still going strong. Make sure to order one before her offer expires. Or I do. The jury is out which will happen first.
School Stress
School. Why didn’t someone warn me how stressful my kids’ schooling would be? I’ve touched upon some drama with Hadley’s teacher and it ain’t over yet. They’re supposed to loop with their teacher every year, which is a great thing until you get a not-great teacher. I’ve requested to have her moved to the other class but that is in flux as well with a pregnant teacher who isn’t coming back. After several school tours, I’ve open-enrolled her at an awesome Montessori charter school next year but chances of getting picked in the lottery are slim-to-none. Plus, I don’t know if it’s the right decision because there are some elements of the Montessori education that are a perfect fit (out-of-the-box, creative, innovative) but one specific part that worries me (self-directed learning). However, I’ve seen glimmers of hope as she has taken the reigns in her spiritual well-being by recently bearing her testimony in Sacrament Meeting, studying the Articles of Faith on her own and reading her scriptures before bedtime. She’s really turning into a lovely young lady.
Bode is still soaring at school but my gosh, writing has become a struggle for him. And unlike his sister’s apathy toward school work, he agonizes if he’s not excelling. The other night during FHE, I could tell something was wrong. He whispered to me, “Mom, during snuggles, can we talk?” I’ve started a new tradition in the evenings when I tuck each of them into bed that we snuggle and talk about our day. Sometimes it’s silly, sometimes it’s serious. In tears, he told me about some writing assignments he was falling behind in at school and we role-played different resolutions to help him talk to his teacher (I’m trying to empower each of them to take more personal responsibility in school). He cracked me up the next morning as he begged me to role play it out again (I HATED role playing when I was young) but it gave him the confidence he needed to talk to his teacher. And him confiding in me made me realize how those simple five minutes of being together before bedtime are creating more far-reaching, tender moments than I could have imagined. This parenting gig is tough but oh-so rewarding.
Travel, Travel
Following our month-long trip to Canada last summer, I was SO DONE WITH TRAVELING. And for the most part, we haven’t gone on any trips besides a couple of quick getaways. Now, our winter is full of glorious travels but at a cost: my sanity because I’ll be writing about all of them but I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunities. Southwest Vacations (Southwest Air’s vacation package company) reached out and asked our entire family to cover a family vacation to Cancun so we’re heading out for surf and sun. I was in mourning when I wasn’t invited to write an article for The Broadmoor Magazine (truly, it’s one of my favorite gigs) but they recently reached out for us to cover their adventurous offerings (what a perfect fit!) I recently attended a ski media event sponsored by Travel Alberta and was delighted when I was invited on a media trip to the Banff-area resorts. I mean, to revisit my favorite childhood skiing haunts while fitting in a visit with my family afterward? Talk about perfection. Oh, and we need to squeeze in some local ski trips over the next few months so our winter is going to be a whirlwind.
And though I’m completely overwhelmed, you won’t hear any complaints.
You just might not regularly hear from me.
I'm a Canadian-born mom of two, former Denver Post columnist, family travel writer, editor of MileHighMamas.com and 9News contributor. Expert on all things Utah, Denver, family and travel. Lover of laughter and life. Happily married to a man obsessed with growing The Great Pumpkin. 