Coping with Stress | My Joyfully Chaotic Life

Progress Is Progress, Is Progress: Getting projects done one at a time

by Becca McConnell | Jul 10, 2020 | Coping with Stress, Family, Family Health, House Work, Lifestyle, Motherhood, Motivation, Parenting, Quarantine Life, Self Care

It is currently midnight, I noticed as I sit here to type out a blog post for my wonderful readers.

This seems to be the new normal time for me, the new quiet time, study time, reading and writing time, or anything else I might want to get done while I am finally alone… (shower!)

I’m not complaining at all, though! We have been doing a ton of stuff in and around the house over the past month, at least! And it’s been a blessing!

We have been redoing bedrooms, cleaning out storage and clutter, planted a garden, tended the garden (my grandparents more than I on that one), and now harvesting vegetables from that garden!

The pandemic has brought changes to our routines, as well…

Appointments are mostly on a computer screen, for various things.

Going to the store requires masks, not taking the whole family along, and “social distancing” keeping at least six feet between people in public places.

There was no baseball this year, so crying has been acceptable.

The church we just started attending at the beginning of the year had closed their doors to gathering for months, and was able to reopen, only to close again during a spike of the virus in our area.

During this “social distancing” lifestyle change we have had several events take place that would have been much different.

Birthdays, anniversaries, funerals, memorials, graduations, and so much more.

There were no party gatherings.

The twins will be a year old in just over a week.

There will be no party gathering.

What there WILL be, however, is a happy family here in my home, together and safe, all in their newly renovated bedrooms, with their gaming systems and desks, computers, books, games, puzzles, toys, notepads and sketchpads, art supplies, and more all in their places for us to grab when needed and do something fun and cool together.

Not to mention their fuzzy house shoes! Lawd Jesus, these boys have some fun taste in certain fashions!

The flooring project has been testy, to say the least. My poor father has sweat, bled (literally!), and labored over the flooring in the bedroom he is working on now, for days, and it is still not quite finished.

I had planned to paint over the past couple of days, but this garden took lots of attention (besides the normal kids, laundry, dishes, cooking distractions of course), and the walls are still unfinished as well.

No setback has been significant, though, which is a good thing! We have made many big steps forward on the projects at hand, and no steps back… just some pausing here and there. That works for this mama!

Baby milestones are being met, and such joy all around as they are doing so!

Part of the problem at nighttime lately, is the constant flow of thoughts that invade my attempts to sleep.

There is much yet to be done, a little bit of a time crunch, and this mama who wants to see it ALL completed in that timeframe. And then some!

And then there have been the lists!

Oh…the lists…

Anyone who has an overactive mind understands exactly what I am saying, here!

Let me give an example of what I wrote out two nights ago:

To Do Lists

Menu for the week

Shopping lists accompanying the menu

Shopping lists for hygiene, cleaning, laundry, necessities other than food

List of needs around the house

List of needs for the back porch and garage areas

Baby needs

Big kid needs

Working the Scentsy business

Blogging

Scheduling all of the above and organizing it in the daily planner

Rewriting some of it so it all fits into a single day

Remembering something that was forgotten and changing a list or five

Lists of calls that need to be made, appointments, emails, etc.

Prayer lists

Reading lists

And even a list of goals (many hopes and dreams) for myself and the family.

Now, I don’t do this every night. But I do tend to write this much at the beginning of each month, and I often go over these lists near the end of the month to see how much of it all I accomplished.

And yes, I know there isn’t a list of “Mommy needs” mentioned above…

That seems to happen after the rest, and once I think about it those above lists are the “mommy needs” that I would prefer to see done. 😊

I typically get my joy in seeing completion of the other projects, and maybe some rest here and there, in between.

So, here I lay, dozing off as I type. This post will be finished and posted during the daytime tomorrow… or maybe the day after… depending on when I get some free time. Ha!

Speaking of tomorrow! I can’t wait! Because more will be done, and I’ll be one day closer to the finished product! Yayness!!

All the love to you!

Tend The Soil: A poem and devotional moment

by Becca McConnell | Jul 5, 2020 | Coping with Stress, Depression, Lifestyle, Motivation, Prayer, Self Care

We have entered a season of planting, of life and growth, and change.

But is the soil ready? Listen… tend the soil.

The seeds are ready to be placed in the ground, Everything from fruit and vegetables to trees and flowers!

But is the soil ready? Listen… tend the soil.

The sower went to sow his seeds, as Jesus told in his parable long ago.

And He is ready to sow again!

But is the soil ready? Listen… tend the soil.

And who are we? The sower? The seeds? No, we are the vessel, the place where things can grow!

But is the soil ready? Listen… tend the soil.

Is it easy to till the ground? No. There are rocks and thorns, and places high and low to be brought up and leveled down.

But before things can grow or even be planted, we must tend the soil.

The soil must be broken, tilled and plowed until it is fine like powder.

We will sweat in the sun, and toil in the rain, working the day and night hours.

For the harvest we see in the months and years to come

Will start with the soil before anything else. Is it ready? Listen… tend the soil.

And like the parable Jesus told see it from the ground. Does your soil have anything that could hinder growth of your fruit? Listen… tend the soil.

Even after planting, the crops need to grow.

The harvest comes from the fruit, the fruit from the stem, the stem from the stalk, and the stalk from the root. And where is the root? Listen… tend the soil.

If the soil is too dry the root will wither away. If too wet the plant will drown.

If there is too much in the way, thorns, rocks, sticks, and weeds, the plants will be smothered. Please hear me… tend the soil.

Time will go on, after the seeds are planted. It may be a while before the sprouts will show.

Now is not when we should take a break, or think our work is over. Now it is most important to tend that soil!

The first showing of our labor, crops raising all around! But along with the crops will come the weeds, here and there, in between and if left unattended will destroy the ground. Listen! Oh, hear me… tend the soil.

And when the fruit of the labor has finally come, and the harvest is upon us. The benefits will be shared with the world, from end to end, gifts and blessings… from the soil!

When the season has ended, and the harvest is complete. Even now is not the time to leave the ground unattended it must be ready for the new season and the new seeds. Tend the soil.

From the earth we are made, vessels of soil, where the Father wishes to grow, fruits to share with others everywhere More than we could even dare to know.

But one seed is not what we are made to hold, we go through seasons too. From tilling to planting and growing and harvest to clearing and planting again. Listen… tend the soil.

And how do we tend the soil, to keep it smooth and clear? With prayer, the Word, and fellowship with the vessel maker, who has seeds a plenty and is looking for vessels with soil ready, tend the soil…

This is so important, for without the soil the crop cannot grow. There can be no harvest, no fruit to share or show. We have a great vision with no limits in our sights! But we cannot get too hasty to plant if the soil isn’t right.

This season of trial and struggle we have had the past several weeks, has been a time of tilling and plowing I firmly believe. My soil has been broken, I have felt things be lifted, cracked, pulled, plowed, and over again, but I have reached in and with my own hands, touched soil that has been left for so long I couldn’t tend it, and had to commit it to His hands.

For soil left too long cannot be tended alone, the Farmer must come and break it up to help the fruit to grow.

And now the season of planting and sowing seed has come… but please, oh please, don’t forget the soil from now to harvest and beyond.

Listen… tend the soil.

No Prayer Guilt: do NOT feel guilty for praying ‘more’ when times are hard

by Becca McConnell | Jun 12, 2020 | Anxiety, Coping with Stress, Depression, Lifestyle, Parenting, Prayer, Self Care

Do you ever feel like you pray more (and harder) when you are facing a trial?

And then, do you feel like you are failing yourself, and God, when those thoughts and feelings come to you?

I do!

Recently, I have found my way back to an amazing congregation (church) and have been increasing my prayer-life at least tenfold! It has been an amazing feeling, finding peace, harmony, love, support, and so many other things just from the church family I am now bonded to!

My conversations with, and about, God have been a breath of fresh air in my life, from childhood up to now. Even more so now, because I have a newfound understanding of where God can bring a person from… no matter how far they travel from His voice!

Even when I wasn’t a part of a church body, or even associating much with anyone who was, I never stopped praying.

But I did pray less.

I found myself praying more when something was wrong. When there was a financial issue, or health issue me or one of my children were struggling with, or when I was stressed over something, I had no control over.

And then the guilt would hit me hard.

“Prayer guilt,” I called it.

Even now! When I am stronger in my faith, when I am more connected with fellow prayer warriors, and when I pray just to pray!

It happens.

Prayer guilt is a real thing, y’all! We all struggle with it! We feel bad inside because we just spent hours in travail and agony praying over something we needed, couldn’t control, or over a fear… and then we sit back and wonder if we prayed enough in the good times for God to even hear us in the bad times!

Well, let me assure you! We need NOT have prayer guilt! Why? Let me give you some of many examples in the Bible!

King David! The “man after God’s own heart!”

He sinned! He coveted another man’s wife, and had the man killed so he could marry her! And they had a baby…

And then God told him that the baby would die…

And David prayed.

He anguished! He fasted, and he prayed. He begged God!

For how long?

Seven days…

How long did David dance before the Lord in the streets? Maybe several hours, until the Ark of the Lord was brought to the tabernacle.

Take the example of the Psalms in the Bible…

The shorter chapters are those of praise, worship, and glorifying God.

The longest chapters are prayers for help, freedom, peace, mercy, grace, and God’s presence to be felt.

But even in the longer chapters, they either both begin and end, or at least end, with praise and thanksgiving to God.

Even the prayer Jesus instructed others to pray, the one we know as “The Lord’s Prayer.”

“Our father who art in heaven,

Hallowed be thy name

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done

On earth as it is in heaven

Give us this day our daily bread

And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil

For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever.” – Matthew 6.

Jesus went to the garden to pray and beg for the cup to be passed from him. He was there for HOURS!

And then moments of praise…

The Bible is filled with examples of why we should NOT feel guilty for praying harder and praying “more” when we are going through a trial.

Why? Because “the effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much!” – James 5:16

What does fervent mean?

“Adjective: having or displaying a passionate intensity.

Hot, burning, or glowing.”

When do we fervently pray? When we are doing exactly what God told us to do!

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” – Matthew 7:7

My friends, we can pray and pray all day long for the things we need, the hurts we have, the desires of our hearts, and the fears we face! And there be NO guilt! Because God told us to do this!

This is our communication with Him! This is our place, as human beings who are finite, who do not have all the answers, to reach out and speak to the One who does! This is WHY we should not feel guilty for our travail and the hours we spend praying with tears, questions, asking, pleading, and seeking Him!

I am sharing this because I had prayer guilt this week! Today!

I prayed hard, so hard!

And when I was done, I immediately felt like I hadn’t prayed enough during the good weeks we have had. I battled myself in my mind and heart, thinking I just took advantage of my God, and that I should ‘go back and apologize and give more praise because I felt like all I did was ask, ask, ask!

See, we were created by this God, not only to worship Him, but to RECOGNIZE Him! He is the one with the answers when we have none. He is the one with the peace when we are in turmoil. He is the one with sanctuary when we are lost. And when we recognize that He is… we are still worshiping Him.

“Be anxious for nothing, but in EVERYTHING by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;” – Philippians 4:6.

So, pray, my friends. Pray it ALL!

Pray and cry when you hurt, are scared, struggling, lost, damaged, broken, angry, worried, at war with yourself (and others), and recognize that He holds the answers, safety, protection, peace, joy, healing, mercy, and fulfillment!

Pray and praise when you are happy, elated, overjoyed, relieved, get your answers, find your peace, being healed, find fulfillment, and recognize that He held the answers!

And NEVER feel guilty for talking to God!!!

The point is you reached out to Him. You recognized Him. And that alone is praise.

What A Month This Week Has Been: Getting Back To Normal

by Becca McConnell | May 27, 2020 | Coping with Stress, Family, Family Health, Lifestyle, Motherhood, Motivation, Parenting, Quarantine Life, Self Care

What a Month this week has been!

As a matter of fact, it’s been much longer than a week since I updated my readers on my world!

There is no way I could even TRY to catch you all up on the details, but I can try to give a bit of an overview of the past week or two…

First, I am VERY happy to say that our sleep schedules are finally becoming more “normal” again! Everyone is sleeping at night and functioning during the day! It’s glorious!

The three older boys have taken to doing more chores around the house, nearly causing me to faint with relief and excitement, including laundry, dishes (I try to keep them from that part! Mama has dishes OCD), remembering to get the trash out before I ask (gasp!), and even getting the yard picked up before I say something to them and KEEPING IT CLEAR of obstacles for the lawnmower! Y’all… I’m almost speechless!

I managed to get out and do some grocery shopping with my sister once, and it was an interesting experience to say the least!

Going out and seeing people spaced apart, wearing masks, not speaking to each other or socializing at all, just nod and walk on by, was actually a bit depressing. I hadn’t left my house for anything other than going to my mom’s, maybe a Dr appointment and a drug store run, and that was it! This was new to me, since mid-March, and it was a bit of a culture shock experience.

The day after the shopping trip, I apparently brought home a belly bug in my groceries, because one child got sick. Very sick. And then, several days later, two more got sick. Again… very sick. I got sick.

This bug ran its way through my home, my parents’ home, my grandparents’ home, and other people that I am close to (but had no contact with) as well. It was rough!

Needless to say, I was giddy with relief when the last of us recovered and we were all able to eat, sleep, go outside, and just function, period!

During the time of sickness and a little weird weather, the garden that my grandparents and I started became a tad overrun with grass and some weeds. And, oddly enough, a TON of these tiny, maple sapling trees that sprung up from hundreds of those little spinner seed pods that fall from the trees during the spring and summer.

Anybody want one? Because we have LOTS to go around! LOL!

Over the past couple of days, myself, Grandma and Grandpa, and the boys spent several hours pulling those little saplings and some grass from around the plants (63 tomato plants!!!), and cleared up some of the green that was growing around our vegetables we planted with such care!

Oh! Did I mention we had a LATE frost??? Yeah, the first week of May brought us the need to cover our plants… For real!

As part of my Vitamin D intake, and dirt therapy, I moved my herbs and pepper plants from their little containers into bigger pots so they would have more room to grow.

Over the course of several days, the twins sat in their little bouncy seats on the front porch with me while I worked. They got to enjoy the sunlight (in the shade actually), watch and be mesmerized by the mama cat and her kittens playing all over the porch, and squeal with delight over the antics of their older brothers as they entertained them from the front yard.

We also rearranged my bedroom to give the twins a little more space to grow as well. That was quite the adventure!

I decided it would be easier to just put the cribs on top of my bed while I move my bed across the room where the cribs were, and then take the cribs off of my bed and place them against the wall where my bed was.

This added much more floor space because I could arrange the cribs much differently and line them up along the wall instead of keeping them back-to-back in the middle of the floor.

Of course, having them on top of my bed and moving my bed was… interesting.

Titus and I picked one of them up and put it on my bed, and it was wider than my bed! Ha!

We got it all moved, and now the room has more space, better arrangement, and it turned out great all around!

Of course, there is the unexplained pair of scissors that fell into my window and will remain there for the foreseeable future…

Altogether the past week (or three) hasn’t been that bad. Yeah, the sickness bit was rough. Really rough. But, besides that all else has been returning to “normal” at least what normal is in my world.

Our sleep is regulating.

We are able to get out and do more again. Like, drive our car to a place and get out of said car, enjoying food, taking walks at the park, and being around a few people at a time.

We had dinner with my parents! Like, we made it there MORE than once to hang out and enjoy company with each other!

I mean, it’s been awesome!

But don’t get me wrong. We have had our moments in each day, good or bad, and that’s okay. Because we are growing, constantly, and this is how we do it!

I can’t wait for the next adventure to share!

What Was Normal Before, And What Will Normal Be?

by Becca McConnell | Apr 26, 2020 | Anxiety, Coping with Stress, Depression, Family, Family Health, Motherhood, Motivation, Parenting, Quarantine Life, Self Care

One thing that is first and foremost in everyone’s mind, these days, is the virus that has spread across the entire world.

Another thing is the economic crisis that has followed.

And another thing everyone worries about is, “When will things go back to normal?”

I have heard in many press conferences, people speaking of “Normal” and the “New Normal” for our country and our families.

That last bit begs a few questions, for all of us.

What is normal?

What was your “normal” before this began?

Did you like it?

Were you happy in your “normal?”

Was your old “normal” something you would want to return to?

Will you fall back into it even if you don’t want to?

I’ll share my old “normal” with you.

I had JUST become accustomed to a pattern of life. I had two infants in my home who were demanding a routine and schedule that I should have had in place for a decade. I finally did it!

We went to bed by a certain time, got up by a certain time, and had routines throughout the weekdays.

Weekends were another story.

Yes, the twins and I kept nearly the same schedule, but I was exhausted trying to keep up with all five kids on those weekend days, and then adding a couple here and there for sleepovers or random babysitting times when my sister had a fire call to respond to.

Did I enjoy those extras? Oh yes! We always had fun when other kids were here, family or not! But it would wear me out quickly.

Sometimes it took days to recoup from those types of events, yet I am not complaining in the least! My children were happy, and so was I! But my body was not. Ever.

Daily repeats, over and over.

Weekly repeats, over and over.

While it was good, it wasn’t fulfilling. There were still missing pieces, and I wasn’t finding them and putting them together. Just going through the motions.

And then BOOM! “Shelter In Place.”

Y’all…

The first week was scattered!

The twins and I kept our routine. The older boys did not. They stayed up late, slept late, stayed up later, and so on.

We spent the first month of this mess indoors more than outdoors because Mother Nature was also in a bit of an upset, raining, snow flurries, more rain, frost, rain…

Cabin Fever set in, and lasted longer than I was comfortable with.

We lost focus. We lost our direction.

School lunches were still being delivered every day, yet only half the time were the kids even awake in time to eat them before they were soggy, cold, and not so appetizing anymore.

I walked around my disastrous house in a fog, sipping my coffee, hoping that everyone would sleep just a little longer so I could get my head on straight. Then I would be angry that they slept so late because nothing productive got done.

Laundry piled up.

Dishes piled up.

Trash spilled out of the trash can.

The day my car wouldn’t start, when I NEEDED it to, was the day I finally snapped.

My poor mother got the brunt of it over the phone, when I just railed about how I hate my car, I hate that the house is a mess, I hate that I feel like a slave in a house full of lazy men, and I hate that I’m alone. Always, alone!

Yes, I had a meltdown of biblical proportions!

But I needed to! And that’s where we are all kinda losing it a bit. We hold it in, keep it together, until we bust into pieces over the smallest things.

I think my first mistake was not formulating a plan.

I didn’t bother to write out direction for myself, my older boys, or for us as a family unit. I just decided to let that first week be our “break” to try to adjust to what was going on in the world around us, and then pick up from there.

BAD IDEA!

Hindsight is 20/20, right?!

So, this weekend I have been sitting in my bedroom a lot, writing many things down. Lists, schedules, chores, menus, planning and strategizing the upcoming month of May, because our Illinois Governor has said that we will remain in a “modified shelter in place” plan until the end of May, 2020… for now.

And let’s admit it. We have no idea when this will truly end!

Many schools are already out for the year. Some contemplating not even planning their start back in August until they know it’s “safe” to do so.

This is it.

This is “normal” for now.

And what are we doing with it?

I’m not even going to sugarcoat it. I haven’t done much!

We planted some plants for our garden. We have kept them ALL alive and growing. But they are not IN the garden yet. They are still in planters and seedling trays. It has been to wet for us to till up the land to start the garden.

We’ve played games, done puzzles, cooked fun meals and snacks together, and rearranged some furniture here and there as well.

But have we actually DONE something with our time in “quarantine?”

No.

I have talked and talked about the good days we have had, and even a couple of the rough ones. And while everyone having peace and being happy is something that truly matters more than anything else, what also matters is that we actually get somewhere with this. And while we have… we also haven’t.

That is about to change!

It will be an interesting change, I understand, as we will be going from no schedule at all to somewhat of a tight run shipwreck kind of thing. I’m kind of excited, and I’m kind of dreading it! Ha!

So, what was “normal” for me before all this began? Just a little bit of chaos.

What is “normal” now? More chaos!

And what will my “new normal” be? Maybe a little less chaotic, and a little more structured. Tight run shipwreck!

Have no fear! I will be journaling, and hopefully blogging, my entire experience from day one! It will be a fun one to be sure! And maybe a little tense, but what change isn’t?!

The point is, my friends, that we have an opportunity to experiment with no limits! We can change the course of many things from this day forward! Is it something to be excited about? YES! Is it something to take seriously? YES! Is it going to be easy? NOPE! Will it be stressful, confusing, frustrating, and at times infuriating? Most likely!

BUT!

The end result can be the best “normal” you and your family have ever had to this point! It can be the game-changer for individuals, parents, kids, family units, and alter your future in ways you cannot even imagine yet!

That is what I am hoping for with my little army, here. We have had enough stress in our lives. We have had enough tension. We are done with drama, depression, anxiety, falling behind, falling apart, and not coming back together completely. Breaking off a little more at a time.

The earth is healing and growing into a new “normal” for herself, and we can take this opportunity to do the same.

It is trial and error, my friends! Try a new thing! If it works, keep it! If it doesn’t work, toss it and try something else! None of us are the same, and none of us are going to get to our happiness the same way. The point is getting there. And KEEPING it.

That is the “normal” I am shooting for.

How We Are Surviving Quarantine Life

by Becca McConnell | Apr 17, 2020 | Anxiety, Autism, Coping with Stress, Depression, Family, Family Health, Lifestyle, Motherhood, Motivation, Parenting, Quarantine Life

I know I am not alone when I say this has been the weirdest, longest year I have had in a very, long time!

And it’s only April!

I mean, it trumps the strife of past trials, the anxiety of past situations, and the sorrow of past losses!

This Coronavirus / Social Distance Protocol has been an unprecedented, once in a lifetime, kind of situation that has impacted the entire world! Every family, every household, everyone everywhere has been affected by this in one way or another!

It has been crazy! It has been hard! It has been something we have never dealt with, and I hope we never have to deal with it again!

Now, I was going to post some ideas for others to use for surviving this social distance lifestyle, but I am going to post it in a blog format of how WE have survived by doing certain things…

We distance ourselves from each other at home.

Something of great importance in our world is personal space.

I am a single mom with five kids. One is a teenager, one is just months away from being the same, and one is almost 10 years old. Then we have the infant twins.

To keep the peace, I value the personal space of my children over my own. Yes, I understand this is not the choice many people would suggest, but I have recently discovered that the happiness and “stress-free” faces of my children give me more peace than my personal space. Plus, I get lots of personal space when I am in my room where I retreat to, less often, these days.

LOTS of outdoor time!

If it wasn’t for living in the country, we would have lost our sanity long ago!

My boys live outside on the best of days, and the worst of days. They dig, play tag, hide and seek, farm, battle, nerf wars, and just play with the animals that are around our house; real and stuffies. Haha!

The babies have been able to enjoy some outdoor time, as well. Taking walks up and down our little, country road in their stroller with me and the kiddos, and just sitting and watching all of us do things. They have also enjoyed watching the chickens and other animals roam around, too.

Therapy for everyone!

Now, this isn’t the therapy that most people would expect, but it has been amazing for me and the minions!

Cooking therapy for myself and Micah. He LOVES to help me in the kitchen. Just me and him, alone, working together to make something for everyone.

He loves to make brownies, cookies, and cakes mostly. But he wants to help me with anything I am doing in there, and it does so much for him!

Titus likes to just sit and talk to me, so we sit together and chat often. He has some of the most amazing ideas in that brain of his! And his monologues are gut splitting hilarious!

Levi mostly takes care of his own therapy, alone or talking to his father on the phone. But his greatest therapy of all is playing with the twins! He ADORES these babies! He will spend hours just laying in the floor with them, sitting up with them and showing them funny stuff on his phone, watching little pre-school cartoons on Netflix with them, and just loving on them.

Me? Well, my personal therapy is my writing, some reading, LONG showers, and walking around the flower gardens and looking at the amazing things that were planted by the generations before me. And thunderstorms! I will sit and enjoy a good storm as long as I can without getting soaked! My favorite part about the storms is when they are blowing in, and I can get amazing pictures of the fronts!

Also, the greatest thing to boost my spirits is when I see the spirits of my children boosted as well. That is the ultimate happy for this mama, living the quarantine lifestyle.

Finding projects and ideas outside of school and chores!

Before we were told to stay at home, I knew it was coming. I went to the store and got puzzle books, reading material, mind bending games, and some other fun things for us to entertain ourselves with through this time.

What I forgot was printer paper! So, all the printable things that are being sent to us from the school, plus the material I am finding online that we could be using I am unable to print off, because I forgot printer paper! (sigh)

At first, I thought I had plenty of printer paper. And I did! What happened to it? I’m so glad you asked! This is the fun part!

My boys had been using my printer’s scanning feature to scan random items around the house! I’m talking, photos, papers, signs, wallets, cards, toys, food (candy mostly), body parts!

The sheets of paper they had been bringing me, I didn’t even think about them coming from my only reem of paper! I was too entertained by their antics to think about it.

In conclusion, it doesn’t take much to survive this situation, but on some days it takes all we have.

And I understand that all we have isn’t much sometimes as well. There have been days I have had nothing left to give. No laundry, dishes, cleaning, school work, or chores would be done. No games played. No Talks given. Just, barely getting through and doing the bare necessities. And that’s okay!

What is most important is finding your survival tools, and using them!

Here are a few things in our little toolbox we have used:

Long showers

DIY Projects

Going for walks outside our house

Baking

Cooking

Planting things

Playing boardgames

Playing cardgames

Binging Netflix or Hulu with snacks

Moving furniture and rearranging rooms

Scavenger hunts (indoors and outdoors)

Reading books

Doing puzzles

Going for a drive

Some of the things we do together, and some we do on our own. That’s the beauty of our situation! Multiple opportunities to grow into our own, get to know our families better, getting to know ourselves better!

In this trying time we are finding ourselves in ways we never would have otherwise. We are finding out how strong we are, what we can handle, and the things we are able to do in times of struggle! But, that’s a post for another day.

Much love!

Becca

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